Before Meera could find the words to answer, the door opened again. Zahra and Isha walked in, both faces drawn with worry.
"Meera!" Isha rushed forward, kneeling beside her. "We heard you were locked in. What happened?"
"She met Suryavir," Dhriti answered before Meera could speak. Her tone wasn't just factual — it carried judgement.
Zahra's eyes widened. "You… you actually went to him?"
"I didn't go to him," Meera shot back. "Rizwan arranged it. I just—"
"You just walked into danger," Dhriti interrupted. "Do you have any idea what could have happened?"
Isha hesitated, glancing between them. "Meera… you know Abhimanyu's temper. Why would you—"
Meera's heart sank. They weren't here to stand with her — they were circling her like she was the problem.
She looked at Zahra, hoping for one last lifeline.
Zahra's lips parted, then closed again. She sat on the edge of the bed, eyes down. "Dhriti's right. It was reckless."
The weight of it hit Meera all at once — her so-called safe circle was closing ranks against her. Best friends, sisters-in-everything, and not one of them was standing in her corner.
Her throat tightened. "I see," she whispered, even though she didn't. Not at all.
And in that silence, a new thought began to form — bitter, dangerous, and growing fast:
If no one here would fight for Suryavir and Rizwan… then she'd have to do it herself.
Meera didn't say another word. She simply stood, her movements calm — too calm — and walked out of Dhriti's room without looking back.
By the time she reached her own chambers, her hands were shaking, but not from fear. She sat on the edge of her bed, eyes fixed on the floor, replaying everything that had just happened.
Dhriti's voice. Zahra's silence. Isha's doubt.
Every sentence felt like another door slamming in her face.
Fine. Let them.
She leaned back, exhaling slowly, her mind shifting from hurt to calculation. If I can't get through them… I'll go around them.
The idea came sharp and fast. She picked up the palace landline — he'd taken her phone, but not this.
Her fingers dialled without hesitation.
The line clicked.
"Tanvi speaking," came the crisp, no-nonsense tone of Abhimanyu's secretary.
"Where is he right now?" Meera's voice was flat, almost icy.
A pause. "Meera? Ma'am, is everything alright? Abhimanyu sir hasn't—"
"I asked you a question, Tanvi. Where. Is. He?"
That steel in her tone made it clear: this wasn't a request.
There was a long silence on the other end of the line.
"Ma'am… I don't think I should—" Tanvi began, her voice careful, almost apologetic.
Meera's grip on the receiver tightened. "Tanvi, I know you keep track of everything. Every call, every meeting, every movement. Don't pretend you don't know where he is."
"Still… Abhimanyu sir wouldn't want me to—"
"Tanvi." Her voice dropped to a dangerous calm. "You work for him. But right now, you are speaking to me. And I'm telling you — you will tell me. Right now."
Tanvi's hesitation cracked under the weight of that tone. "He's at the old inspection site near the river. Security detail with him… and, Meera, if you're going there—"
But Meera had already ended the call.
Meera stared at the phone for a beat, Tanvi's words still ringing in her ears. The old inspection site near the river.
Her pulse quickened. No guards. No Abhimanyu. No Dhrithi. Just one open window of time.
She slipped off the bed, moving to her wardrobe and pulling out a plain shawl. Wrapping it tightly around herself, she scanned the hallway through a narrow crack in her door. Two female guards stood posted near the main stairwell, their attention lazily drifting between each other's conversation.
Good. That meant they weren't watching the smaller side corridor.
She padded silently toward the servants' passage, her bare feet making no sound on the cold stone. Heart thudding, she ducked into the narrow back staircase, descending quickly. By the time she reached the ground floor, she was already rehearsing what she'd say if someone stopped her — but no one did.
The moment she stepped out into the courtyard, the crisp air hit her face. She didn't waste a second. A waiting supply jeep, half-loaded with crates, was idling by the gate. She slipped into the back, crouching low, hidden behind the boxes.
The driver never noticed her. And within minutes, the palace walls were shrinking behind her.
She was on her way to Abhimanyu.
Meera's hands gripped the edge of the truck as it rattled down the uneven road. The moment the driver slowed to swerve around a pothole, she leapt. Her feet hit the dirt hard, sending a jolt up her legs, but she didn't stop to breathe. She ran to the road, arm flung out to stop a passing cab.
The first one ignored her. The second slowed just enough for her to yank the door open and jump in.
"Old inspection site—now!" she ordered, ignoring the driver's startled look.
By the time the taxi screeched to a halt, she could already see it — the abandoned warehouse with its massive rusting doors and two armed guards at the entrance.
They stepped forward, blocking her path.
"You can't go in—"
"Oh, I can," she cut them off, her voice sharp enough to slice through steel. "I am Mrs. Meera Abhimanyu Rajput. If you don't let me in this instant, I swear I am done with everyone and everything here—starting with your jobs, your families, and the roof over your heads. Move!"
They hesitated. She took a step forward, eyes blazing.
"One more second and I walk over you."
The men exchanged a nervous glance and stepped aside.
Meera strode in, the air thick with dust and the metallic tang of blood. And then she saw it—Suryaveer slumped, bloodied, hands bound. And in front of him, Abhimanyu, his face carved from rage.
The instant his eyes landed on her, something primal cracked open. He shot up from his chair so fast it scraped against the concrete.
"Who the hell let her in?!" His roar ricocheted off the walls.
The guards flinched, backing toward the door.
"I gave you one job," Abhimanyu thundered, his voice booming. "Keep her in her room! And you—" he pointed at one of them, his hand trembling with fury, "—I will personally make sure you regret the day you were born."
His glare snapped back to Meera, fury and panic tangling in his expression.
"What game are you playing, Meera?! Do you have any idea what could've happened to you here?"