" I'm sor-"
"DON'T, JUST DON'T SAY IT. YOU DO NOT EVEN DESERVE TO SAY IT AFTER WHAT YOU HAVE DONE TO ME! I BEGGED YOU, SCREAMED AND PLEAD, BUT YOU DIDN'T HEED MY WORDS. THEN WHY SHOULD I!"
I yelled with tears streaming down my face when witnessing m...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Moment of revelation...
"The doctor said he never knew who the patient was. Just got an anonymous call to save a man bleeding out on his floor," Rafeeq said, his voice clipped through the conference line. "And when they came to kill him later, he barely escaped. You know how they work. No witnesses. Ever."
Adithya sat beside him, arms crossed, a shadow in his expression. Deenaz remained silent in his box on the screen, eyes focused but unreadable.
Suhail leaned back in his chair, tension vibrating in his jaw. "Do we have any idea where he is now?"
Rafeeq shook his head. "No trace. But based on how Pooja and Jeeva ended up here... he's moving closer. And it's not a small play. He's planning something big."
"That's what I don't get," Suhail muttered, fingers tightening around the edge of the desk. "Why send his own people to me? He knows exactly what I'll do. I'll kill them. I always do. So why keep feeding them to me like lambs?"
He ran a hand through his hair, frustration bubbling just beneath the surface. "If he wanted power, Pooja was a pointless sacrifice. If he wanted to mess with my mind, he should know by now I'm not the same man I was. So what's the damn purpose?"
No one answered immediately.
Adithya looked down for a moment. When Pooja's name had come up, there had been something in his eyes, regret maybe, or grief, but it vanished just as fast.
"Maybe..." he began, "they had something we missed. Something that was sent... meant for us but never made it."
Deenaz's voice cut in, cool and sharp. "Or maybe it's not about them at all."
Suhail looked up. "What?"
Deenaz's gaze was fixed. "Maybe he's not eliminating his people. Maybe... he's testing you."
Suhail blinked.
Deenaz leaned forward slightly, his tone calm, thoughtful. "For the past few years, you've been quiet. Ever since Amaira... you haven't been the same. You pulled back. You went easy. Started looking for redemption. Taking care of Sharmila. Cleaning your hands. Maybe he noticed. Maybe he thinks you're soft now."
Suhail's jaw clenched. A flicker of something crossed his face.
Guilt, anger.
But he said nothing.
Rafeeq slowly nodded. "It makes sense. When you started seeking peace, that's when the pawns came in. First Amaira's uncle and aunt. Then Amaira herself. Then Pooja. Now Jeeva. He's not trying to erase the past. He's trying to see if you'll break again. Or if you're still dangerous."
"He's waking the devil inside you," Deenaz added.
A heavy silence fell. The weight of the idea settled on them like fog.
