We all looked at each other—breathless, shocked, a mess from head to toe. Confusion, exhaustion, thodi si chipkali trauma bhi— sab kuch ek saath chal raha tha. But… something tugged inside me. A pull—familiar, aching, soft yet strong. And then I saw him.

Reyan. Mera Reyan. My lifeline. My safe space. My best friend. My savior. My haathi. Mera bhai. My eyes welled up the moment I saw his face. His eyes—red, teary, desperate. Just like mine. Like two hearts bleeding in sync.

“M-Meher!” he whispered—his voice cracked. And I couldn’t hold back anymore. I ran. I didn’t care who was around. I crashed into his arms like I’d finally found shore after drowning in a storm.
He held me tight. I felt his chest rise and fall in uneven breaths, his hands trembling as they wrapped around me.“Reyan…” I sobbed, clutching him like a child who finally found her way home. He held me tightly, his heartbeat loud in my ears. "You're okay... you're okay now. Main aa gaya Meher, main aa gaya..." His hands were shaking. Uski aankhon mein sirf ek emotion tha— guilt. Guilt that he couldn’t save me earlier.

But that moment of peace... Was a lie. Because within seconds, I was yanked back— roughly, like a puppet on strings. "Aaah!" I cried out as my back slammed into a hard chest. Familiar. Dangerous. Possessive.

"AARYAN!" I gasped, struggling in his grip. His arm locked around me like a steel chain. He pressed his gun to my temple. “Step back, Reyan.” His voice was low, gravelly, filled with a storm he didn’t care to hide anymore. “This is a personal matter.”

Reyan froze. “No! L-leave me, Aaryan!” I screamed, trying to push away. But his grip— it was like iron. Enough to bruise. Enough to claim. Tears blurred my vision as I looked at Reyan. "Please..." I whispered, broken. "Please help me…"

But before Reyan could take a step, Tanya stepped in between, sword in hand—her eyes sharp and deadly. “Don’t you dare.” She hissed, blocking Reyan with her body. “One wrong move, and my blade won’t hesitate.”

My body trembled. Reyan looked torn, helpless. “Let her go, Aaryan.” His voice cracked— but there was something else in it. Fear. Fear of losing me.
Regret. That he couldn’t protect me.

I turned to look at Aaryan, his eyes blazing with emotions I couldn’t name anymore— “Yeh revenge ka naya tarika hai tumhara?” I spat, angry tears falling. He said nothing. His silence… screamed.

Reyan stepped forward again, eyes pleading. “Aaryan, whatever this is—this darkness inside you—don’t let it take Meher down with you.” Aaryan’s jaw clenched. “You were the one who watched silently for years, Reyan. Tumne tab kuch nahi kaha, jab kehna chahiye tha. You let her stay blind to the truth.”

"Because I knew she'd never fall for someone like you," Reyan said softly. "The boy who turned into a monster." That hit him. His arm around me tensed. I whimpered, “Aaryan, please… mujhe jaane do. This isn’t you…” He looked into my eyes. For a moment, just a moment, the fire of rage flickered into something else.

“Tumne mujhe tab nahi dekha, Meher,” he whispered, his voice hoarse. “Jab mein sirf ek 12 saal ka ladka tha… tumhara ek smile chura lene ko tarasta tha.” My breath hitched.

He inched closer, lowering his face to mine, his voice now just a broken murmur, “Aur tum mujhe ‘loser’, ‘nerd’, ‘haathi’ kehke hasti thi…” His eyes turned colder again, mask back on. “Ab hassi chali gayi, Raichand?” I didn’t know whether to cry or scream. But I knew one thing—this wasn’t over. This was just the beginning.

I swallowed the lump in my throat. “This is not revenge, Aaryan. This is obsession.”

“No, sweetheart.” His lips brushed my ear—his breath hot, voice like venom. “Ye pyaar hai. Mera pyaar. And you’ll learn to live with it. Or burn with it.” I choked.

I didn’t understand what he meant. His words felt like shards cutting through my chest, but I couldn’t make sense of them. What was happening? Why was everything falling apart around me? But one thing hit me with the force of a storm—I had been betrayed. Not by a stranger, not by someone distant... but by my own brother. Reyan.

And here Aaryan—standing like a shadow between us, silent yet burning with a secret I couldn’t yet grasp.