[][] Sunakshi's POV [][]
I slowly pulled away from the hug, wiping my damp cheeks with the back of my hand. My heart was still racing, but the moment I looked up at Kalki, everything else faded away.
His eyes were red.
Wet.
Broken.
I had seen him angry, arrogant, possessive, even ruthless. But never like this. Never shattered.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
His gaze met mine, and a strange ache spread through my chest. Whatever he was carrying had been eating him alive.
"I know you did all this for me," I whispered. "Please tell me, Kalki... what happened?"
My voice trembled.
I wasn't sure if he would answer.
A part of me feared the truth.
Another part desperately needed it.
Kalki looked away immediately.
Not because he didn't want to tell me.
Because he was afraid.
Afraid of what I would think after hearing it.
Afraid that I would leave.
I stepped closer and gently cupped his face between my hands, forcing him to look at me.
His eyes glistened with unshed tears.
The sight alone nearly broke me.
"I'll stay," I said softly. "No matter what happens."
His jaw tightened.
"But if you keep running from me like this... then I'm not sure if you'll still have me."
The words came out barely above a whisper.
For a second, silence filled the room.
The air felt heavy.
Painful.
"Kalki," I pleaded. "Please say something."
He closed his eyes briefly before opening them again.
A sad smile appeared on his face.
"Sure," he said quietly. "You want to hear the truth?"
I nodded.
My hands trembled slightly.
Without another word, we moved to the couch.
The moment we sat down, Kalki stared at the floor for a long time before finally beginning.
[] Flashback []
Kalki's POV
The night Sunakshi left was one of the worst nights of my life.
I searched for answers everywhere.
I questioned everyone in the mansion.
My siblings.
The staff.
Even Dadi.
But nobody knew why Sunakshi had suddenly disappeared.
Or perhaps they knew and refused to tell me.
By midnight, frustration had completely consumed me.
That's when I decided to check the CCTV footage.
For hours I sat in front of the screen, reviewing every recording.
Then I found it.
The last person Sunakshi had spoken to before leaving.
Noor.
At first, it seemed insignificant.
But something about the conversation bothered me.
The expressions.
The timing.
The way Sunakshi had looked afterward.
I knew Noor was hiding something.
So I went to confront her.
The hallway outside her room was dark and quiet.
As I approached the partially open door, I heard her voice.
She was speaking on the phone.
I was about to walk inside when her words stopped me.
Not because of what she said.
Because of the language.
Japanese.
I froze.
As far as I knew, Noor had never studied Japanese.
She had never traveled abroad.
Yet she spoke fluently.
Like it was her native language.
Confusion immediately settled in my mind.
I remained where I was and listened.
"'Kyōdai, watashi wa sore o shinjinai,'" she said.
Brother, I don't believe that.
A brother?
Since when did Noor have a brother?
My suspicion deepened.
Then she continued.
"I waited years for him. I'm not going to give him up now."
My fists clenched.
Something wasn't right.
The Noor I knew had never spoken this way.
There was desperation in her voice.
Obsession.
Possession.
I stepped closer.
The conversation became clearer.
"Yes, brother," she said. "We can handle her. Her parents already believe what I told them."
My heartbeat accelerated.
Her?
Who was she talking about?
Sunakshi?
The person on the other side said something I couldn't hear.
Noor laughed.
A cold laugh.
One that sent chills down my spine.
"You don't believe me?" she mocked. "They trusted every word. It was easier than I expected."
My stomach twisted.
Whatever she had done, she sounded proud of it.
Then her next words made my blood run cold.
"They won't ask questions anymore after seeing that video."
Video?
What video?
My mind immediately went to Sunakshi.
Every instinct in my body screamed that this was about her.
I wanted to storm into the room and demand answers.
But something told me to wait.
To listen.
To understand everything first.
Then Noor said something that completely shattered the ground beneath my feet.
"After I marry Kalki, nobody will know what really happened."
I stopped breathing.
Marry me?
What was she talking about?
And then came the sentence that changed everything.
"No one will know I took her place."
I froze.
My thoughts came to a complete halt.
Took her place?
What did that mean?
My heart pounded violently against my chest.
Who was she?
If she wasn't Noor...
Then who exactly had been living in this house?
Who had been pretending all this time?
Questions flooded my mind faster than I could process them.
I wanted answers.
Immediately.
But barging into that room would only alert her.
And if she truly was hiding something this big, she would destroy every piece of evidence before I could find it.
So I did the hardest thing possible.
I walked away.
Quietly.
Without making a sound.
The moment I reached my room, I locked the door behind me.
Then I grabbed my phone.
My hands were shaking with anger.
With fear.
With the terrible feeling that Sunakshi had suffered because of a conspiracy much larger than any of us realized.
I dialed my assistant's number.
The call connected instantly.
"Sir?"
I stared into the darkness outside my window.
Every muscle in my body was tense.
"I want everything," I said coldly.
"Every record. Every document. Every detail."
There was a brief pause.
"About whom, sir?"
My eyes hardened.
"About Noor."
The silence on the other end lasted only a second.
Then my assistant replied.
"Understood."
I ended the call.
[][] Next Evening [][]
I finally received the information I had been waiting for.
Or perhaps...
The information I had been dreading.
The thick file lay on my desk, untouched for several minutes. My fingers hovered over it, but I couldn't bring myself to open it.
Something inside me warned me that once I read it, there would be no turning back.
Taking a deep breath, I opened the file.
As my eyes scanned the pages, my entire body stiffened.
My jaw clenched.
My blood boiled.
Noor was indeed Noor...
But she wasn't their real daughter.
The report revealed that she had entered the family only after their biological daughter had disappeared years ago.
I slammed the file shut.
The sound echoed through my office.
"Sir, that's all we could find for now," my investigator spoke nervously over the phone.
I tightened my grip on the file.
"That's all?" I repeated dangerously.
The man fell silent.
"You know how important this is, and you're telling me this is all you've got?"
"Sir, we tried—"
"I didn't pay you to try."
My voice turned cold.
"I told you to find out everything."
Every.
Single.
Thing.
"Who she meets."
"Where she goes."
"What she does."
"Who she talks to."
"I want details so complete that even the time she eats her meals should be in that report."
The man swallowed audibly.
"Yes, sir."
"And I want everything on my desk tonight."
"Understood, sir."
The call ended.
I leaned back in my chair and closed my eyes.
Something wasn't right.
Noor was hiding something.
And I intended to uncover it.
[][] Later That Night – Watson Mansion [][]
The entire family had gathered in the main living room.
Wedding planners moved around with catalogues and samples while servants served tea and snacks.
"Kalki," Dadi called.
I looked up from my phone.
"We've decided to hold the engagement this coming Sunday."
My fingers froze.
"That way everyone important will be available."
She handed me a decoration catalogue.
"And I want these arrangements."
I glanced at the design.
For a second, my heart stopped.
The white roses.
The golden chandeliers.
The crystal pathway.
The exact same theme.
The same decoration Sunakshi had once shown me with excitement in her eyes.
The same one she had dreamed about.
A sharp pain pierced my chest.
I looked away immediately.
Across the room, Noor sat quietly beside her Mother.
Her head was lowered.
A perfect picture of innocence and shyness.
But I wasn't fooled anymore.
Not after everything I had learned.
Not after the secrets hidden behind that innocent face.
I needed answers.
Fast.
Before it was too late.
Without saying much, I handed the catalogue to Dylan and Rajveer.
"Make sure the arrangements stay exactly like this."
Dylan frowned.
"Exactly?"
"Yes."
"No changes."
Both of them exchanged confused looks before nodding.
After all...
If Noor wanted to play games with memories...
Then she wouldn't walk down the same aisle that Sunakshi had once dreamed of.
I returned to my room and opened the latest reports my assistants had sent.
Page after page.
Every movement.
Every meeting.
Every call.
Every detail.
Good.
At least someone was doing their job properly.
My eyes moved through the information rapidly.
One thing became clear.
Noor wasn't speaking about Sunakshi.
Not to her friends.
Not to her family.
Not to anyone.
Which made me even more suspicious.
Then a name appeared.
Ayesha.
My eyes narrowed.
The report mentioned several recent interactions between Noor and Ayesha.
I immediately ordered a background search.
Within an hour, another file landed on my desk.
I opened it.
And the moment I finished reading...
Something inside me snapped.
The file crumpled beneath my grip.
My blood boiled with rage.
My breathing turned heavy.
How dare she?
How could she do something like this?
I stood abruptly, sending the chair crashing backward.
The room suddenly felt too small.
Too suffocating.
Too quiet.
I grabbed my car keys.
Then stopped.
No.
Driving would take too long.
I needed to reach her tonight.
Immediately.
Without informing anyone, I headed straight for the airport.
By the time the mansion realized I was gone...
I would already be on my way.
And this time...
Someone was finally going to answer for their actions.
The jet was already waiting on the private runway.
Of course it was.
The moment I had given the order, everyone knew there was no room for delay.
No questions.
No discussions.
Just action.
The engines roared to life as soon as I settled into my seat.
I stared out of the window, my jaw clenched so tightly it hurt.
Japan.
I was flying halfway across the world for one reason.
The truth.
For years I had learned to trust my instincts.
And right now, every instinct I had was screaming that something much bigger was hidden beneath the surface.
The flight felt endless.
Yet my mind never rested.
Ayesha's file remained open on the table in front of me.
Every detail.
Every missing piece.
Every unanswered question.
And somehow, all roads led back to the same place.
I closed my eyes.
The anger inside me only grew stronger.
Someone had done this.
Someone had allowed this to happen.
And I was going to find out who.
Hours later, the jet landed.
The cold night air hit my face as I stepped onto the runway.
Hiroshi was already waiting.
The moment our eyes met, he understood.
This wasn't a business trip.
This wasn't a negotiation.
I wasn't here to talk.
I was here for answers.
Without wasting a second, we got into the waiting vehicles.
The city lights blurred past the windows as we drove through the night.
Nobody spoke.
The silence inside the car felt heavier than any conversation.
Finally, the warehouse came into view.
Old.
Abandoned.
Hidden from the public eye.
Exactly the kind of place where monsters liked to hide their secrets.
The vehicles stopped.
My men stepped out immediately.
Weapons ready.
Expressions cold.
The operation began before anyone inside could react.
Doors were forced open.
Orders echoed through the building.
Panic spread among the people inside.
Within minutes, the warehouse was under our control.
But something felt wrong.
Too wrong.
There was fear in the air.
Not the fear of criminals being caught.
Something else.
Something darker.
I moved deeper into the building.
Past empty corridors.
Past locked rooms.
Past frightened faces.
Then I heard it.
A sound.
Soft.
Weak.
Almost impossible to hear.
I froze.
The others did too.
It was a voice.
Small.
Terrified.
The kind of voice that sounded like it had forgotten what safety felt like.
I looked at Hiroshi.
He nodded.
Together, we followed the sound.
At the end of the corridor stood a metal door.
The voice came from behind it.
One of my men forced it open.
The room beyond was almost completely dark.
Only a single light hung from the ceiling.
For a moment, nobody moved.
Then I saw her.
A girl.
Curled up in the corner.
Trying to make herself as small as possible.
As if she wished she could disappear.
As if she believed the world had forgotten her.
My chest tightened.
Ayesha.
The name from the file suddenly became real.
She wasn't a report.
She wasn't a photograph.
She was a terrified human being.
And she looked exhausted beyond words.
I slowly removed my jacket and draped it over her shoulders.
The moment the fabric touched her, she flinched.
The reaction wasn't fear of me.
It was fear of everyone.
Fear that had settled so deeply inside her that she no longer knew who was safe.
The room fell silent.
Even my men looked away.
None of us had expected this.
None of us were prepared for the reality standing before us.
"You're safe, Ayesha."
My voice came out quieter than I expected.
"You don't have to be afraid anymore."
Her eyes widened.
But instead of moving closer, she tried to retreat further into the wall.
As if she could somehow disappear into it.
As if being invisible was the only way she had survived.
Something inside me twisted painfully.
No one should ever look that afraid.
No one.
I crouched down carefully.
"I'm taking you out of here."
She didn't answer.
Didn't resist.
Didn't trust.
She simply looked tired.
Tired of running.
Tired of surviving.
Tired of being scared.
Very gently, I slid one arm beneath her knees and another behind her back.
She stiffened.
For a second, I thought she would fight.
But she didn't.
Instead, she surrendered completely.
Not because she trusted me.
But because she had no strength left.
That realization hit harder than any punch.
I carried her out of the room.
The warehouse had gone completely silent.
Every man lowered his eyes as I passed.
Nobody spoke.
Nobody dared.
Because now everyone understood why I had crossed continents to get here.
Outside, the cold night air brushed against her face.
For the first time, I saw her eyes close slightly.
As if she was feeling freedom for the first time in a very long while.
I placed her carefully inside the car.
Hiroshi immediately ordered the convoy to move.
The drive to the hospital felt endless.
Ayesha remained silent the entire way.
Curled beneath my jacket.
Staring out of the window.
Watching the city lights pass by.
Like someone trying to remember what the world looked like.
When we finally arrived, doctors and nurses rushed forward.
They took over immediately.
I followed them through the hospital corridors until they disappeared behind the emergency room doors.
And for the first time that night...
I stopped moving.
The doors closed.
Leaving me alone in the hallway.
The anger was still there.
Burning.
Stronger than ever.
But now it was mixed with something else.
Guilt.
Because somewhere along the way, too many people had failed Ayesha.
And if the files were correct...
The people responsible were far closer to my life than I had ever imagined.
I stared at the closed hospital doors.
My hands clenched into fists.
The truth was finally within reach.
And when I found it—
No one involved would escape the consequences.
[][]The Next Morning [][]
The hospital corridors were silent.
Too silent.
I stood near the window as the doctor approached me with a file in his hands. The expression on his face was enough to tell me that the news wasn't good.
Not at all.
"Mr. Watson," he said quietly, handing me the report.
I took it.
My hands felt heavier than usual.
As I opened the file and began reading, the world around me seemed to fade away.
Every line felt like a punch to the chest.
The report confirmed what we had already feared.
Ayesha had suffered severe abuse and mistreatment over a long period of time.
The injuries weren't only physical.
The emotional trauma was far worse.
By the time I reached the last page, my grip on the file had tightened so much that the paper crumpled beneath my fingers.
Something inside me broke.
Not because I was surprised.
But because no one deserved to go through what she had endured.
No one.
My phone suddenly rang.
The sound echoed through the quiet hallway.
I looked at the screen.
Hiroshi.
I answered immediately.
"What is it?"
His voice was unusually strained.
"You need to come here."
The line disconnected.
No explanation.
No details.
Just those four words.
And somehow, that worried me more.
WarehouseLess than an hour later, I was back at the warehouse.
The place had already been secured.
Most of the evidence had been collected.
Yet the atmosphere felt different.
Heavier.
Darker.
Hiroshi was waiting near the entrance.
For a moment, I simply stared at him.
He looked exhausted.
As if he hadn't slept all night.
As if he had seen something he wished he hadn't.
Without saying a word, he motioned for me to follow him.
We walked through several corridors before stopping outside a hidden room.
Hiroshi unlocked the door.
The moment I stepped inside, my body went rigid.
One wall was made of one-way glass.
From here, you could clearly see the room where we had found Ayesha.
The same room.
The same corner.
The same light hanging from the ceiling.
A chill ran down my spine.
But that wasn't what caught my attention.
There were chairs.
Empty bottles.
Equipment.
And multiple surveillance cameras positioned around the room.
My jaw clenched.
It looked less like a storage area and more like a place where people had treated someone else's suffering as entertainment.
For several seconds, neither of us spoke.
Finally, Hiroshi picked up one of the recovered devices.
"We found recordings."
His voice was low.
Tired.
He pressed play.
I watched only long enough to understand what had happened there.
Then I looked away.
That was enough.
More than enough.
Rage surged through me.
Pure.
Uncontrollable.
The kind of rage that made it difficult to breathe.
The kind that made violence feel justified.
For the first time in years, I struggled to maintain control.
The room felt too small.
The air felt too heavy.
Every instinct inside me demanded justice.
And I did what I like the most.
I killed them in most brutal way possible.
Later By the time I returned to the hospital, Ayesha's condition had stabilized.
The doctors were cautiously optimistic.
Physically, she would recover.
Emotionally...
That would take much longer.
"Can I speak to her?" I asked.
The doctor shook his head.
"Not yet."
I looked through the small window in the door.
Ayesha was asleep.
For the first time since finding her, she looked peaceful.
Fragile.
But peaceful.
"She needs time," the doctor continued. "What she's been through will not disappear overnight."
I nodded.
Because I already knew that.
Some wounds couldn't be seen.
And those were often the hardest to heal.
Before leaving, I glanced at her one last time.
"You'll be safe now," I said quietly.
Even though she couldn't hear me.
HotelThat night, I finally returned to my hotel room.
The city lights glowed outside the large windows.
Normally, I would have gone straight back to work.
But today had drained even me.
I loosened my tie and sat on the edge of the bed.
My phone buzzed in my hand.
Hundreds of missed calls.
Messages.
Emails.
Questions.
Demands.
Problems waiting for my attention.
I ignored all of them.
Instead, my eyes searched for a single name.
Sunakshi.
Nothing.
No missed call.
No message.
No text.
Nothing.
A bitter laugh escaped me.
Of course.
After everything that had happened between us, why would she call?
Yet I couldn't stop looking at the screen.
As if somehow her name would suddenly appear.
It didn't.
I tossed the phone onto the table and leaned back.
Fine.
If she didn't want to message me...
Fine.
If she wanted to ignore me...
Fine.
But that didn't change anything.
Because every time I tried to push her away, she somehow found her way back into my thoughts.
And that irritated me more than I cared to admit.
Tomorrow, I would return home.
Tomorrow, I would continue uncovering the truth.
And tomorrow...
I would finally get answers from everyone who had been hiding them.