He started sobbing slowly. His eyes filled with tears, his body trembling as he slid down onto the floor. Sitting there, he pulled his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around them, crying quietly — making sure Aunt Mahira wouldn't hear a single sound.
Two hours passed.
A knock echoed through the room.
"Czar, open the door, dear," Mahira called gently.
She knocked again. No response.
She sighed and tried calling his phone, but it was switched off.
"Is he sleeping? Or in the washroom? Why isn't he responding? Is he fine?"
Her mind flooded with worry. After a moment, she forced herself to calm down and walked toward the kitchen.
"I'll make his favorite dish. Maybe he'll come out," she thought.
She began preparing butter chicken and chicken rolls. When he was little, she used to cook different meals just to see him smile — but butter chicken had always been his favorite.
A soft smile appeared on her lips as she cooked.
Inside the room, Czar had fallen asleep on the floor.
Suddenly, he jolted awake, his body jerking as if escaping a nightmare. He rubbed his eyes and searched for his phone, switching it on.
7:00 PM.
He stood up slowly and walked into the washroom. After thirty minutes, he came out — bare-chested, wearing only pajama bottoms. Droplets of water trailed down his skin.
He stopped in front of the mirror attached to the wardrobe.
His eyes darkened.
"The tattoo is still there…" he murmured to himself. "Should I remove it… or keep it?"
The tattoo artist had once warned him that his skin wouldn't tolerate removal.
"Or… should I change the eyes?" he whispered, staring at himself.
A knock interrupted his thoughts. He opened the door to find Mahira smiling.
"Where is your shirt, dude?" she teased playfully, noticing his abs and the tattoos lining his right arm.
She lightly yanked his arm. Czar let out a soft chuckle.
"Come soon as—"
"The butter chicken is ready," Czar cut in quietly.
Mahira blinked, then nodded with a gentle smile.
A few minutes later, Czar sat at the dining table. Mahira arranged everything carefully before sitting beside him.
He sighed.
"Something's off? Missing Lia?" she asked softly, concern lacing her voice.
Czar gave a faint smile and shook his head no.
She served him food as he stared at his plate before beginning to eat slowly.
"Eat until you're full. You haven't been eating properly these past few days," she said, gently patting his shoulder.
He nodded silently.
What should I tell you…? he thought.
The next morning.
Elaya was enjoying her favorite sandwich — extra cheese melting at the edges — while Ava sipped her black coffee. They sat at the dining table when the door opened, revealing Ayaan.
Ava looked up and smiled. "Finally."
Ayaan smiled back — but the moment his eyes fell on Elaya, everything inside him froze.
Time stopped.
"Your eyes… they make me fall in love with you all over again," he murmured under his breath.
Elaya stood up to hug him.Ayaan instinctively stepped back.
Elaya immediately facepalmed.
"I forgot. You don't like touch," she muttered in embarrassment, lightly kicking her foot against the floor.
Ava chuckled.
Ayaan cleared his throat. "How are you both?"
"Fine," Ava replied.
"Same here," Elaya added.
"Come, sit," Ava gestured toward the sofa.
Ayaan nodded and sat down. Elaya and Ava took the seats opposite him.
They began talking — about where he had been, how things were going. The conversation flowed until the maid arrived with a glass of juice and sandwiches. Ayaan politely bowed his head in gratitude.
Then Elaya's tone shifted.
"We have six months left to catch him."
Ayaan sighed, taking a sip of juice. "Dude… this is hard."
"How are we going to find him?" Elaya said. "I didn't think this case would drag on for this long."
"It's true," Ava agreed. "And if he finds out that our agency officers are coming to eliminate him, he might flee the country."
Silence settled over them.
"He's clever," Ayaan said finally.
"Very much," Elaya replied, her voice firm — but something uneasy flickered in her eyes.
"If we impose flight restrictions… shut down airports… restrict the entire country — could we trap him then?" Ayaan suggested, his eyes fixed on Elaya.
Elaya slowly shook her head.
"No. We don't know who he is or what he looks like. Even if we lock down everything, he'll just use a puppet. We'll end up catching exactly what he wants us to catch." Her jaw tightened. "His plan will always overpower ours."
She stood up, rubbing her temple as frustration crept into her voice.
"We need something real. A face. A pattern. A connection. But he never leaves evidence at the crime scenes. I've checked every report personally." Ava leaned back, letting her head fall against the sofa as she shut her eyes. "Not even an inch of a mistake. Even if he's roaming around us right now… we wouldn't know."
Silence.
Heavy. Suffocating.
Elaya's eyes darkened with resolve.
"Then we lay a trap."
Both Ayaan and Ava looked at her.
Elaya slid her hands into the pockets of her jacket.
"I'll remove my lenses," she said steadily. "If he desires to kill me… he'll come. You can plant a tracker on me. We catch him when he tries."
The room froze.
Ayaan and Ava shot to their feet instantly.
"Dude?! Are you freaking serious?" Ayaan's voice cracked with disbelief. "We could lose you if we fail to catch him!"
"We are NOT risking you as bait!" Ava snapped, grabbing Elaya by the shoulders. "Got it?" Her voice hardened on the last two words.
Elaya looked down, her expression unreadable.
"We can't take this risk," Ava repeated, her grip firm but trembling.
Elaya nodded slowly.
Ayaan exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair. "We'll find another way," he said. "We have to."
But somewhere beneath the tension, a darker thought lingered —
What if the killer was already waiting for exactly this?