"Marriage," Bharat said.
Ayesha stared.
"Excuse me?"
"Not real marriage. Fake. Strategic."
"I'm aware of what 'fake marriage' means. What I'm not aware of is how that solves anything."
Bharat pointed at the Codex.
At Ayesha's name.
Ayesha Kaur — ACTIVE (14 days)
"The covenant says you become the bride in fourteen days."
"Correct."
"Because you're unmarried."
"Also correct."
"So if you get married—to someone who isn't the god—the contract voids."
Silence.
Ayesha's expression didn't change.
"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard."
"But is it wrong?"
Pause.
"...No."
She walked to the table.
Flipped through the Codex.
Found the clause.
Covenant of the Bride — Nullification Conditions:
Death of contractorMarriage to mortal (if completed before claim date)Divine intervention (rare)
"It's theoretically possible," Ayesha admitted.
"Then let's do it."
"With who? You're already married to Mira."
"Peacock."
"What?"
"He offered a fake love contract. Same principle."
"Bharat—"
"He owes me. I'll call in the favor."
Ayesha closed the Codex.
Slowly.
"You're seriously suggesting I marry a man I've never met, to void a divine contract, based on a legal loophole that might not even work."
"Yes."
"That's insane."
"I know."
"And reckless."
"I know."
"And—"
She stopped.
Looked at him.
"And it might actually work."
Bharat pulled out his phone.
Texted Peacock.
[BHARAT]: Need a favor. Urgent.
Response came in seconds.
[PEACOCK]: Define urgent.
[BHARAT]: Life or death.
[PEACOCK]: Whose?
[BHARAT]: Everyone's.
[PEACOCK]: I'm listening.
[BHARAT]: Your fake marriage contract. Can you deploy it in 24 hours?
[PEACOCK]: For who?
[BHARAT]: Ayesha Kaur.
Long pause.
[PEACOCK]: The same Ayesha who threatened to shoot me if I ever contacted you again?
[BHARAT]: Yes.
[PEACOCK]: And you want me to MARRY her?
[BHARAT]: Fake marry.
[PEACOCK]: Still.
[PEACOCK]: What's in it for me?
[BHARAT]: I'll owe you two favors.
[PEACOCK]: Three.
[BHARAT]: Two and a half.
[PEACOCK]: Deal. But I'm billing you for trauma counseling.
Bharat looked up.
"He's in."
Ayesha's face was unreadable.
"When?"
"Tomorrow. He'll fly in with the paperwork."
"Paperwork."
"Contract. Witnesses. Everything legal and binding—at least on paper."
"And the god will accept this?"
"The Codex operates on rules. If the rule says marriage voids the contract, it doesn't care if the marriage is real."
Pause.
"Probably."
"Probably?"
"I'm ninety percent sure."
"What about the other ten percent?"
"We improvise."
Ayesha exhaled.
Long.
Slow.
"I hate this plan."
"Me too."
"But it's the best we have?"
"Yes."
"Fine."
She walked to the window again.
Stared at the city.
"If this works, I'm married to a tech billionaire I've never met."
"It's fake. You can annul it in a month."
"And if it doesn't work?"
"Then you're the god's bride in fourteen days."
Silence.
"When you put it that way…"
She turned.
"Tell Peacock to bring champagne. If I'm getting fake-married, I'm doing it drunk."
Behind them, Mira's voice:
"No."
Soft.
But absolute.
They turned.
She was sitting up.
Pale. Weak. But conscious.
"Mira—"
"No," she repeated.
Stronger now.
"You can't do this."
"It's the only way to save Ayesha."
"It's a trap."
"What?"
Mira swung her legs off the bed.
Stood.
Swayed.
Ayesha moved to steady her.
"You shouldn't be—"
"I'm fine."
Not fine.
Obviously not fine.
But standing.
"The Codex has a secondary clause," Mira said.
"What clause?"
"Substitution marriages require true intent."
"We're faking intent. That's the point."
"No. Listen."
She walked to the table.
Flipped through the Codex.
Found a page Bharat hadn't seen.
Marriage Nullification — Additional Requirement:
Oath must be sworn in truth. Deception voids protection. Contractor remains bound.
Silence.
"True intent," Mira said quietly.
"Meaning?"
"Meaning if Ayesha marries Peacock without actually meaning the vows—without genuine commitment—the Codex will reject it."
"And she stays bound."
"Worse."
Mira's finger traced the next line.
Attempted deception accelerates claim. Deadline reduced by 50%.
"Fourteen days becomes seven," Ayesha said.
"Exactly."
Bharat stared at the page.
"This wasn't here before."
"It was. You just didn't look deep enough."
"How do you know?"
Mira tapped her wrist.
The Mark wound.
"Because the god showed me."
"When?"
"When I was unconscious. It… spoke to me."
Her voice dropped.
"Showed me what happens if you try to cheat the contract."
Pause.
"What happens?"
"Everyone dies. You. Me. Ayesha. Even Peacock."
"The god can't kill Peacock. He's not part of this."
"He will be. The moment he signs a marriage contract with intent to deceive."
Silence.
Heavy.
Suffocating.
Ayesha sat down.
"So we can't fake it."
"No."
"And a real marriage is…"
"Out of the question," Mira finished.
"Why?"
"Because I won't let Ayesha sacrifice her life for mine."
"She's not sacrificing—"
"Yes, she is."
Mira's voice was cold.
The coldest Bharat had ever heard.
"A marriage to save me from the god means she's trapped. Forever. Bound to Peacock—or whoever—just so I can live."
"That's her choice."
"It's not a choice. It's coercion."
"Ayesha—"
"Agrees with Mira," Ayesha said quietly.
Bharat turned.
"What?"
"I won't trap myself to save you. Either of you."
"But—"
"I've spent my whole life fighting for freedom. I'm not giving it up now."
Pause.
"Even to live?"
Ayesha smiled.
"Especially to live."
Silence.
Then Mira's voice:
"There's another way."
"What way?"
"The god wants a bride."
"Yes."
"Give it one."
Bharat stared.
"You're not suggesting—"
"Not me. Not Ayesha."
"Then who?"
Mira pulled out her phone.
Scrolled through contacts.
Stopped.
Showed the screen.
One name:
Priya Desai.
Inspector Desai's daughter.
The one already on the list.
Priya Desai — PENDING (21 days)
"She's already claimed," Mira said.
"Her contract is active. Deadline in three weeks."
"So?"
"So if we accelerate her claim—"
"You want to sacrifice her?!"
"I want to give her a choice."
Pause.
"What choice?"
"Marry the god. Willingly. In exchange for something she wants."
"Like what?"
"Her father's life."
Bharat's blood went cold.
"Inspector Desai is dying?"
"Cancer. Stage four. Peacock's files mention it."
"And you think she'd trade her life for his?"
"I think she loves him enough to try."
Silence.
Ayesha shook her head.
"That's not a choice. That's manipulation."
"It's strategy."
"It's monstrous."
"It's survival."
The two women stared at each other.
Tension crackling.
Bharat stepped between them.
"We're not doing this."
"Then what?" Mira asked.
"We find another way."
"There isn't one."
"There's always—"
"NO."
Mira's voice cracked.
"There isn't always another way, Bharat. Sometimes people just die. Sometimes you have to choose who lives and who doesn't."
"I won't choose."
"Then the god will choose for you."
Pause.
"And it'll choose everyone."
The room went silent.
Outside, sirens.
Distant.
Getting closer.
Ayesha pulled back the curtain.
Looked down.
"We have company."
"Rajan?"
"Worse. Bounty hunters. Three cars. Professional."
"How long do we have?"
"Five minutes. Maybe less."
Bharat looked at Mira.
At Ayesha.
At the Codex.
At his countdown:
29 days, 6 hours.
He made a decision.
"We run."
"Where?"
"Anywhere but here."
"Bharat—"
"I'll find another solution. I promise."
"You can't promise that."
"Watch me."
Mira grabbed his arm.
"If we run, we're just delaying the inevitable."
"Then we delay it."
"For how long?"
"Long enough to find a real answer."
"And if there isn't one?"
Pause.
Bharat looked at her.
Really looked.
"Then we make one."
Downstairs, doors slammed.
Footsteps.
Voices.
Professional. Coordinated.
"Back exit?" Bharat asked.
"Fire escape. West side."
"Mira, can you walk?"
"Can you carry me if I can't?"
"Easily."
She smiled.
Weak but real.
"Then I can walk."
They moved.
Fast.
Ayesha grabbed the Codex.
Bharat grabbed Mira.
Out the back.
Down the fire escape.
Into the alley.
City swallowed them.
Lights. Noise. Anonymity.
For now.
Bharat's phone buzzed.
Peacock.
[PEACOCK]: Saw the bounty. You're trending.
[BHARAT]: Not helpful.
[PEACOCK]: I have a safehouse. Off-grid. Interested?
[BHARAT]: Location?
[PEACOCK]: Goa. Beach property. Very private.
[BHARAT]: We'll take it.
[PEACOCK]: One condition.
[BHARAT]: What?
[PEACOCK]: I'm coming with you. We need to talk.
[BHARAT]: About?
[PEACOCK]: The Unmade City. I found the entrance.
Bharat stopped walking.
Stared at the phone.
"He found it."
Ayesha and Mira stopped too.
"Found what?"
"The place where gods die."