Kevin's words still echoed in the hall.
"I killed him."
The sentence hung in the air like a blade.
Ivan stared at Kevin, unable to believe what he had just heard.
"You're lying…" he whispered.
Kevin didn't respond.
His eyes had already drifted somewhere far away — into a past he had never been able to escape.
Kirtiman Agrawal slowly leaned back in his chair.
His expression had grown darker.
"Kevin," he said quietly.
"Tell us everything."
For a moment Kevin didn't speak.
Then he exhaled slowly.
"That night… Mahira was running for her life."
---
Ten Years Earlier
The night was suffocatingly dark.
There was no moon.
The road that cut through the outskirts of the city looked abandoned.
Wind rustled through the dry trees, making eerie sounds in the silence.
And in the middle of that darkness—
Mahira was running.
Her breath came out in broken gasps.
Her feet were trembling with exhaustion, but she didn't stop.
She couldn't stop.
Behind her—
Voices echoed.
"Run faster!"
"Don't let her escape!"
Mahira looked back for a split second.
Three men were chasing her.
Their silhouettes moved quickly in the darkness.
Her heart pounded violently.
Those men weren't strangers.
They were the men who had come to collect what Hemant had lost in gambling.
Her.
Mahira's mind flashed back to what had happened just hours earlier.
---
Earlier That Night
Hemant was drunk.
Completely drunk.
The small house smelled of alcohol and smoke.
Mahira stood near the door, watching him nervously.
"Where were you?" she asked quietly.
Hemant laughed.
A cruel, careless laugh.
"You ask too many questions."
Mahira clenched her hands.
"Did you gamble again?"
Hemant slammed a glass on the table.
"So what if I did?"
"You think we have money to waste?" Mahira snapped.
For a moment Hemant looked at her with cold eyes.
Then he leaned closer.
"You're right."
"We don't have money anymore."
Mahira felt uneasy.
"What do you mean?"
Hemant smiled slowly.
A smile that made her stomach twist with fear.
"I lost the game."
Mahira frowned.
"So?"
Hemant's voice dropped.
"I didn't have money left to bet."
Mahira's heartbeat slowed.
"So what did you bet?"
Hemant looked straight into her eyes.
"You."
The room went silent.
Mahira felt as if the air had disappeared from her lungs.
"What did you say?"
Hemant shrugged.
"I gambled my wife."
"And I lost."
Mahira's hands began shaking.
"You're joking."
"I'm not."
Just then—
Someone knocked on the door.
Three slow knocks.
Hemant grinned.
"They're here."
Mahira's blood ran cold.
The door opened.
Three rough-looking men stepped inside.
Their eyes immediately fell on Mahira.
One of them smirked.
"So this is the prize."
Mahira instinctively stepped back.
"No."
She shook her head.
"I'm not going anywhere."
Hemant grabbed her arm violently.
"You don't get to decide."
The man stepped forward.
"Come quietly," he said.
Mahira suddenly shoved Hemant hard.
He stumbled backward in surprise.
And before anyone could react—
Mahira ran.
---
The Chase
Now she was running through the deserted road.
Barefoot.
Her hair disheveled.
Her lungs burning.
The night air felt sharp in her throat.
Behind her the men were getting closer.
"Stop!"
One of them shouted.
Mahira's vision blurred.
Her body had almost reached its limit.
Then suddenly—
Headlights appeared ahead.
A car.
Mahira stumbled toward it desperately.
The car slowed down.
Kevin frowned as he saw a woman running toward his vehicle.
Her clothes were torn.
Her face pale with terror.
When she came closer—
Kevin's eyes widened.
"Mahira?"
Mahira almost collapsed in front of the car.
"Kevin…"
Her voice broke.
"Please… help me…"
Kevin immediately stepped out of the car.
"What happened?"
Before she could answer—
The men chasing her arrived.
Their footsteps slowed when they saw Kevin.
One of them smirked.
"Move aside."
"This doesn't concern you."
Kevin's eyes turned cold.
"What do you want with her?"
The man chuckled.
"She's our property now."
Kevin frowned.
"What?"
"Her husband lost her in gambling."
Kevin's jaw tightened.
"Where is Hemant?"
The man pointed toward the darkness.
"Back there."
Kevin looked at Mahira.
Her face was full of humiliation and fear.
Something dangerous ignited inside him.
"Stay here," he told her.
Mahira grabbed his arm.
"Don't go…"
Kevin gave her a reassuring look.
"I'll handle this."
---
The Confrontation
Kevin followed the road back.
Rain had started falling lightly.
About fifty meters away—
He saw Hemant.
The man was sitting on a broken bench beside the road, drinking straight from a bottle.
When Hemant saw Kevin, he laughed drunkenly.
"Oh look…"
"The hero has arrived."
Kevin walked closer.
"You gambled your wife?"
Hemant shrugged.
"She's mine."
"I can do whatever I want."
Kevin's fists tightened.
"You're disgusting."
Hemant suddenly stood up.
"You think you're better than me?"
Then he pulled out a knife.
Kevin froze.
"You want to play hero?" Hemant sneered.
"Let's see how brave you are."
Hemant lunged forward suddenly.
The knife flashed in the darkness.
Kevin dodged instinctively.
The blade grazed his arm.
Pain shot through his skin.
They struggled violently.
Punches.
Grunts.
Mud splashing under their feet.
The knife slipped between their hands.
For a moment neither had control.
Then—
Kevin's hand closed around the handle.
Everything happened in a split second.
The blade drove forward.
Hemant's body stiffened.
His eyes widened.
Then he collapsed.
The rain began falling harder.
Kevin stood frozen.
He hadn't meant—
He hadn't meant to kill him.
Mahira slowly approached from behind.
When she saw Hemant's body, her face went pale.
Neither of them spoke.
The road was completely silent.
No cars.
No witnesses.
Nothing.
Mahira whispered,
"We have to leave."
Kevin looked at her in shock.
"But—"
"No one saw this," she said quickly.
"If anyone finds out… your life will be destroyed."
Kevin shook his head.
"This was self-defense."
Mahira looked at Hemant's body.
Then she looked at Kevin.
Her decision was made.
"Go," she said softly.
Kevin hesitated.
Mahira forced a small smile.
"Trust me."
Kevin finally left.
The body remained there.
Alone.
In the rain.
The world continued as if nothing had happened.
And for twelve days—
No one knew Hemant was dead.
---
Present
Kevin finished speaking.
The hall was silent.
Ivan looked horrified.
"So… the police didn't even know?"
Kevin shook his head.
"They discovered the body twelve days later."
Grandfather's expression turned grave.
"Kevin…"
"There's something else."
Kevin frowned.
"What?"
Grandfather spoke slowly.
"The man you killed…"
"He was not just Mahira's husband."
Kevin looked up.
Grandfather continued.
"He was Kunal Kapoor's younger brother."
The room froze again.
Ivan whispered,
"Oh God…"
Grandfather looked directly at Kevin.
"And Kunal Kapoor has returned."
"Not just for revenge."
His voice became heavier.
"He has come to take Mahira."
Kevin's eyes hardened.
"This time," he said quietly,
"I won't let him anywhere near her."