PAST

VIKRAM'S POV

"What the hell..." I muttered under my breath, staring at my phone screen.

Dad's name still glowed on it.

India.

Immediately.

No explanation.

Just that tone in his voice - cold. Serious. Final.

The office cabin suddenly felt suffocating.

The glass walls, the city skyline, the expensive furniture - everything felt distant. Something was wrong. Dad never called me back like this unless it was important. Very important.

The door clicked open.

Maya walked in.

Her heels echoed against the marble floor as she approached me, her perfume filling the air.

"What happened, Vikram?" she asked, sliding her arms around my waist. "Why is Uncle calling you to India suddenly?"

I exhaled sharply and shut my laptop.

"Dad said it's some family matter," I replied, running a hand through my hair. "Didn't tell me much. You know how he is. He only gives information when he wants to."

Maya studied my face for a moment.

"So... you're leaving?"

"Yeah." I picked up my laptop and tablet from the desk. "Let's see what drama is waiting for me this time."

She nodded casually. "Okay. You go. I have my modeling Photoshoot project, and I've got that interview coming up too."

I smirked slightly. "Of course you do."

Maya was ambitious. Confident. Bold.

And she knew how to handle me.

That was what I liked about her.

She stepped closer, her fingers gripping my shirt collar. "Don't miss me too much."

I chuckled. "Impossible."

We kissed - intense, familiar, charged with unspoken understanding.

Maya wasn't emotional.

She wasn't clingy.

She was fire - and I liked fire.

But something about this sudden trip... it didn't sit right with me.

I pulled away first.

"Take care," she said softly.

I gave her one last look before walking out of my cabin.

Outside, my PA was already waiting near the elevator.

"Sir, your luggage has been arranged," he informed professionally. "And this is your flight ticket."

I took it from him and nodded.

"Good."

Within an hour, I was seated in the back of my car, the city lights blurring past the tinted windows.

India.

Family matter.

Dad's serious tone replayed in my mind again.

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SMRITI'S POV

It had been fifteen minutes.

Fifteen long, suffocating minutes inside that tiny changing room.

My breathing was uneven. My hands wouldn't stop shaking. I was sitting on the small bench, hugging myself, praying silently.

Please God... please save me.

A sudden knock on the door made my heart jump into my throat.

I froze.

I didn't respond.

Another knock - louder this time.

My whole body stiffened.

"Hey, girl!" a woman's voice came from outside. "How much time will you take? Other customers are waiting for the trial room!"

I quickly wiped my tears with trembling fingers.

"Y-yes... coming," I replied, my voice cracking.

I took one deep breath. Just one.

Then I unlocked the door slowly and opened it a little, peeking outside to make sure it was safe.

People were standing there. Some were annoyed. Some were whispering. A few gave me strange, judging looks - my swollen face, tear-stained cheeks, messy saree... I must have looked broken.

And maybe I was.

But then-

My eyes landed on two familiar faces near the entrance.

The same men.

Dhruv uncle's men.

For a second, I couldn't believe it.

They saw me at the same time.

And immediately started walking fast... almost running toward me.

That was it.

The strength I was holding onto broke.

Tears streamed down my face again.

They reached me quickly.

"Ma'am, don't worry," one of them said gently. "We are here now. You are safe. Come with us."

Safe.

That word felt unreal.

I nodded silently.

They walked on both sides of me, protective, shielding me from the crowd as we moved toward the exit.

But the moment we reached near the mall entrance-

My heart stopped.

Chacha.

Chachi.

They were standing there.

Looking around.

Searching.

My body instinctively stepped back.

I hid behind the two men, gripping the back of one of their jackets.

"What happened, ma'am?" one of them asked in a low voice.

I whispered, my voice shaking, "Those two people... please... they will kill me."

The other man's expression hardened instantly.

"Ma'am, we know who they are," he said calmly. "Don't worry. Just stay behind us. We'll handle it."

They adjusted their stance slightly - standing like a wall between me and them.

Step by step.

Slowly.

Carefully.

We moved forward.

Chacha's eyes scanned the area, but before he could properly see me, the men blocked his view.

And then-

We were outside.

Fresh air hit my face.

They quickly opened the car door and made me sit inside.

My hands were still trembling.

One of them leaned slightly and said, "Ma'am, we will take you to the restaurant Sir mentioned. He will be there in some time. Okay?"

I nodded, tears still rolling down.

"Thank you... bhaiya," I whispered.

They smiled softly.

"It's okay. You're safe now."

The car door closed.

And as the car started moving away from that place...

For the first time since last night...

I felt like maybe-

Just maybe-

I had escaped.

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AUTHOR'S POV

Smriti was finally taken away safely by the two bodyguards - Raahil and Ajay.

The car moved fast, leaving behind the chaos, the fear, and the shadows of that house.

Within twenty minutes, they reached The Imperial Crown Restaurant - the place Dhruv had mentioned. It was a high-end, private establishment, secure and away from unnecessary attention.

Smriti was still in the same saree.

The bruises on her arms were visible.

Her hair was messy.

Her eyes swollen from crying.

She looked fragile. Broken.

Raahil and Ajay carefully escorted her inside through the private entrance and took her directly to the VIP suite upstairs.

The room was quiet. Soft lights. Safe walls.

Ajay quickly poured water and handed her the bottle.

She didn't even hold the glass.

She grabbed the bottle and drank directly from it - the entire thing - as if she had been surviving on fear alone.

Her shoulders shook.

She was still crying. Hiccupping.

"Ma'am... please," Ajay said gently, "stop crying. You're safe now."

Raahil added softly, "Sir will be here soon. Just rest for some time. No one can touch you here."

She looked at them with teary eyes and nodded weakly.

They stepped back respectfully.

"You sleep here," Raahil said. "We'll stay right outside the door."

Smriti moved slowly toward the bed.

Her legs still aching.

Her body still trembling.

The moment she lay down on the soft mattress... her body gave up.

Sleep pulled her under - not peacefully, but out of exhaustion.

She looked so small on that large bed.

So innocent.

Like a little girl who had been punished for crimes she never committed.

An abused soul wrapped in silence.

But fate wasn't done testing her.

Little did she know...

Her future held another storm.

A man named Vikram Raichand.

A man who would misunderstand her.

A man whose anger would wound her in ways different but just as painful.

A man who would burn the world for her - yet fail to understand her heart at first.

He would set fire to the enemies who destroyed her.

But...

Who will hold him accountable for the pain he causes?

Who will punish him if he becomes the villain in her story too?

Or...

Will love change him before it's too late?

Let's see...

In the upcoming chapter. ✨