Meera's POV
The room felt too small. Too cold.
Reyza's smirk lingered, but this time, there was something different in her eyes. Something… deeper.
"You think I just appeared out of nowhere?" she said, her voice almost amused. "No, Meera. I was made."
Aryan's jaw clenched. "What are you talking about?"
She exhaled, tilting her head slightly, like she was deciding whether to entertain us with the truth. Then, her lips curled into a smirk.
"My father built me like this," she said smoothly. "Aarohi is just a version of my mother." She rolled her eyes. "Soft. Fragile. Always looking for a way to fix things, to make people stay."
Her gaze darkened as she took a slow step toward us. "But me?" She placed a hand on her chest. "I'm him. I know how the world really works. I know how to survive."
A sick feeling curled in my stomach.
Aryan's voice was tense. "You're saying Aarohi—"
"—was never meant to last," Reyza finished for him. "She's just a reflection of my mother's weakness. And I?" Her smile widened. "I'm everything my father wanted."
I shook my head, something inside me rejecting her words. "No. That's not true. Aarohi isn't weak."
Reyza let out a sharp, mocking laugh. "Then why am I here?"
Silence.
I swallowed hard. "So what, Reyza?" My voice was steady, even though my hands weren't. "You're saying you're just a version of your father?"
For the first time, the smirk on Reyza's face faltered.
Just for a second.
Then, she chuckled, shaking her head. "Nice try, Meera. But I'm not like you. I don't question who I am."
I took a step forward. "No? Then why are you still here, trying to prove something?"
Her gaze snapped to mine. Sharp. Calculated.
And then she whispered, "Because I don't lose."
Aryan moved slightly, positioning himself between us. "If you're so in control, why are you even telling us this?"
Reyza exhaled, as if she were bored of this conversation. "Because," she said, turning toward the door, "it's fun watching you try to understand something you never will."
She glanced at Aryan one last time. "You remind me of someone, you know. So desperate to fix things." A slow smirk. "But some things aren't meant to be fixed."
And with that—she was gone.
Aarohi's body wavered. Her hands trembled as her breath came out in shaky gasps.
"Meera…?" Her voice was small. Lost.
I caught her before she could fall. "I've got you."
Aryan's fists were still clenched, his eyes dark with something unreadable. But we both knew the truth now.
Reyza wasn't just another personality.
She was a legacy.
And if we didn't stop her…
She would become the only one left.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ARYAN'S POV
She broke down in my arms.
Tears fell like a quiet storm, no sobs—just the slow unraveling of someone who had held on too tightly for too long.
I held her closer, not saying a word. I didn't need to.
Because in that moment, nothing I could say would fix it.
She was trembling.
But not from the cold.
From something deeper.
And then, just like that, her body stiffened.
Her breathing slowed. Her hands uncurled from my shirt.
She pulled away.
"I should go home now," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "My father must be waiting."
I looked at her, confused. "Are you sure you're okay?"
She gave me a small smile. A broken one.
"I just… I need to rest. Be around someone familiar."
I nodded slowly, even though something didn't feel right. But I couldn't force her to stay.
She stood up shakily, dusted herself off, and glanced at the fading lights in the distance. "Thank you… for coming."
"I'll drop you—"
"No. I'll manage," she interrupted gently. "You've done enough."
And with that, she walked away, disappearing into the shadows like a dream that left too quickly.
I stayed there a while.
Staring at the space she had just occupied, wondering why my chest felt so hollow.
__________
LATER THAT NIGHT~ARYAN'S HOUSE
Ah, got it! Thanks for the correction—Aryan isn't a Vale. That changes the tension between him and the Vale family too. Let's rewrite that last part with the right dynamic.
Here's the updated, lengthened version including:
Aarohi crying
Her suddenly deciding to go home, saying her father is waiting
Aryan getting a mysterious call from Vale's rival
Tension starting to rise
---
Chapter: The Disappearing Light
Aryan's POV
She cried like she hadn't let herself in years.
Not loud, not wild—just soft, broken, as if the weight she'd carried had finally cracked something inside her.
I didn't say anything.
I just held her.
Let her fall apart quietly.
Aarohi buried her face into my chest, and for a second, I felt her hold on like she didn't want to let go. Like she couldn't.
But then, slowly, she pulled back.
Wiped her cheeks with her sleeves.
Straightened her back.
"I should go home now," she said suddenly, voice low but firm.
I blinked. "Now? Aarohi, are you—"
"My father's waiting," she interrupted, eyes already avoiding mine. "He worries if I'm late."
There was something… too calm about the way she said it.
Like a switch had flipped again.
The storm inside her had vanished, but it left behind an unnatural quiet.
I stood, still trying to understand the shift. "Let me drop you."
She gave a weak smile. "No. I can manage."
"Aarohi—"
"I said I'll manage," she repeated, more firmly this time.
And just like that, she was gone—walking into the night, shoulders squared, but steps a little too fast, like she needed to disappear before I saw through the act.
Something about it gnawed at me.
But I let her go.
---
LATER THAT NIGHT~ARYAN'S HOUSE
I had just reached my room when my phone buzzed on the table.
Unknown Number.
I picked up, frowning.
"Aryan," the voice on the other end said, smooth, calm, and full of venom.
I froze. "…Who is this?"
"You'll want to listen carefully."
The voice chuckled. "We have something of yours. Or rather, someone."
My pulse spiked. "What do you mean?"
"Arohii."
The name slammed into my chest like a punch.
"What did you just say?" I growled.
"She's with us," the voice continued, amusement slipping into malice. "She left one trap and fell right into another. Cute, isn't it?"
"What the hell do you want?"
"We want you," the voice snapped. "And we want to send a message to the Vale family."
I clenched my jaw. "I'm not one of them."
"But you're close enough to matter," the voice hissed. "Come alone. Try anything smart, and we'll make her regret it."
In the background—I heard it.
A soft, terrified whimper.
Aarohi.
"Aarohi!" I shouted, but the line went dead.
My hands shook as I lowered the phone.
This wasn't a random hit.
This was a move.
A calculated one.
They knew what she meant to me—and they were using her to strike at Vale.
I bolted out of the room.
---
LIVING ROOM
Vale's father was already there, talking on the phone, probably neck-deep in some shady deal again.
"I have to go," I said quickly, heading toward the door.
He looked up sharply. "Go where?"
I didn't answer.
He stepped in front of me. "You look like hell. What's going on?"
"Aarohi's been taken," I said through gritted teeth. "Your enemies. They want me to come alone."
His expression changed.
Not to panic—but to calculation.
"No," he said. "You're not going anywhere."
I stared at him. "What?"
"They're trying to bait us. You walk in there, and it's not just her blood on the floor—it'll be yours too. You think I haven't seen this before?"
"I don't care," I snapped. "They have her."
"You think this is about love, boy?" he barked. "This is war. She's a pawn. You're a pawn."
I moved past him.
"I'm not leaving her," I said.
He grabbed my arm. "You don't get it. If you go, you might not come back."
I turned to face him, eyes cold. "Then I'll make sure I take every last one of them with me."
He didn't say anything after that.
Because he knew he couldn't stop me.
I was already gone.
---