..Out of the Blue ..💙

37. Getting fooled

Monica’s POV

“Aaron?”

His tone was low, urgent. “We found something.”

I didn’t blink. “Go on.”

“The satellite trackers picked up a dormant signal. A burner phone. Same encrypted pattern we had tagged a year ago, after—” he paused, but I knew what he was going to say.

“Rishi’s death,” I finished coldly. “And Ayan.”

“Yes,” Aaron confirmed, voice tight. “The location pinged just outside Colorado. Remote property—guarded, tech-secured. We cross-checked the ID traces... and Monica, you’re not going to like this.”

My breath held.

“It’s Raj Singh Bhatiya.”

I froze.

The name crashed into me like a punch I should’ve seen coming.

Raj Singh Bhatiya. I know that name rhymes well with one i know. I remember the first day where she said Raj Singh Bhatiya as her father.

He was always a grey business man. But still I can't believe my ears.

Zoya’s father.

The man she never talked about.

The name that had come up once—maybe twice—and only in discomfort.

My stomach twisted.

Aaron kept talking. “The property has been quiet for years. But a new transmission went out at 2:43 AM local time. We think someone activated an old channel—could be a slip, or intentional. Either way, we believe Bhatiya’s back in play.”

“And what exactly does that mean for us?” I asked slowly, but my voice was clipped, sharp.

Aaron hesitated. “It means the man we believe responsible for orchestrating your husband’s assassination—and your son’s—was never gone. Just waiting.”

I rubbed my temple. “You’re sure it was him? Raj Singh?”

“Yes,” Aaron said. “And if I may add—”

“Spit it out.”

“There’s something else,” he sighed. “You know I trust your instincts. But Monica… Zoya. If Bhatiya is moving again… and your husband and child’s deaths trace back to him… then we have to consider—”

“She could be part of this,” I whispered.

Aaron stayed quiet.

I stood up, pacing the sterile hotel room like the carpet could offer answers.

“She showed up at the perfect time. The sob story. The helpless act. The daughter card,” I murmured. “And Athena...”

Aaron’s voice turned cautious. “Do you really think she’d hurt Athena?”

“I don’t know,” I admitted, throat tightening. “Maybe not. But maybe someone else would. Maybe she’s being used. Or maybe she’s not who I thought she was.”

“You’ve been close to her, Monica. If she’s playing you—”

“I’ll find out,” I said coldly.

I didn’t want to believe it. God, I didn’t want to believe it.

But suddenly, every tender glance, every moment of vulnerability... felt like a possibility wrapped in manipulation.

The war was never over.

It just changed its face.

And now, that face might be Zoya’s.