Ayaan and Zara with the CSO and the man’s family arrived at the man’s house late evening. They had been casually chatting with the man and his wife on the way, maintaining the façade of being family friends. All three were dressed in extremely simple clothes. Ayaan and the CSO sported heavy beards to conceal their identities, while Zara wore a saree draped in a North Indian style, her face half-hidden by the pallu.
While they spoke politely, Ayaan and the CSO’s eyes quietly scanned every passerby, every neighbor who greeted the man, gauging threats, memorizing faces.
The man unlocked his home and as they stepped in, his wife hurried forward to dust the couch for Ayaan and Zara to sit.
” My brother Baskar’s place is just around the corner. We can go whenever you want,” the man said nervously.
Ayaan gave a subtle nod to the CSO and within minutes, the CSO began sweeping through the house methodically. Every drawer, every cabinet, every hidden corner was checked.
Two hours later, when he found nothing Ayaan rose to his feet, “Let’s go look at your brother’s place.” he said and gently took Zara’s hand.
The man led the way. Zara’s fingers trembled with every step toward the house where her nightmare had begun. Ayaan’s thumb stroked her palm, silently urging her to stay strong.
Baskar’s house was a simple two bedroom home with a small hall and a narrow kitchen. The moment the man opened the door, the CSO stepped in first, followed by the man, then Ayaan and Zara. As soon as the door shut behind them, the real search began.
Zara walked in to the room where she had been held hostage and started searching randomly. When she noticed Ayaan was facing to other side she flung open the wooden cupboard where she had once found the diary. Her hands shook as she pulled out every box, every bundle of papers. Her eyes kept darting to Ayaan, terrified of what might happen if he ever discovered what she was actually looking for.
She shoved aside another stack of newspapers but found nothing. Her breath hitched and she muttered a curse under her breath.
Ayaan noticed immediately. “What happened?” he asked, stepping toward her.
“No… nothing, Just… the place. My father and I were here that night.” Zara said quickly, swallowing hard and Ayaan stroked her back, grounding her gently.
Meanwhile, the CSO had practically torn the two-bedroom house apart but still found nothing.
Ayaan snapped. He grabbed the man by the shirt, slapped him and pressed a gun to his temple. “Stop playing games with me. I swear I’ll blow your head off.” he barked gritting his teeth.
The man collapsed to his knees, trembling violently, “Sir, I swear, I know nothing. I really thought you would find something. Please believe me,” he cried, palms pressed together.
Ayaan’s jaw clenched. “Let’s go.”, he said tossing the gun to the CSO.
They returned to the man’s house only to freeze at the sight of a furious woman standing inside, a child propped on her hip.
“Who are these people? Are you fucking supporting that damned party now? Have you no shame? They killed your brother ” she screamed. Before she could speak further the man rushed to her, grabbing her arm.
“Shanthi, enough. They’re my friends from Delhi. Go home, I’ll come later.” he said and tried to push her out but before she could step out, Ayaan kicked the door shut with a resounding thud.
Ayaan looked at the woman. “Who are you, and what is your relation to Baskar? What do you mean when you said, the party killed him?” he asked, voice calm but edged with steel.
The woman glared back at him, fury bright in her eyes. “Who the hell are you? Why do you ask about Baskar ? If you’re from any political party, you better get out of here before I make your life miserable. Worthless pieces of shits ” she snapped, spitting the words like venom.
Zara stepped forward, jaw set. “Mind your language, woman ” she began. Before she could finish, Ayaan moved beside her. He wrapped an arm around Zara’s waist and pulled her back, his hold possessive and protective. His chest rose with a slow, dangerous pride as he kept Zara safely at his side.
“Sir, Shanthi is my neighbor, she’s not in her right mind. Please don’t mind her,” the man pleaded, moving to shield her.
Ayaan shoved him aside and turned to the woman, whose eyes were blazing. “Listen we’re not with any political party. We’re here to find the truth about Baskar. We don’t mean any harm. If you help us, I’ll make sure you’re compensated.”
Shanthi erupted into a wild, bitter laugh. “You expect me to trust you? I know your kind, you use people like us and dispose of them when we become useless, just like Baskar was killed” she spat, and lunged for the door.
Before she could get out, the CSO stepped forward and leveled his pistol at her. She froze, chest heaving yet her gaze remind the same.
Ayaan tightened his grip on Zara’s hand and led her back to the couch. They sat side by side.
“Tell me who you are, tell me what you know and I’ll make sure you and your child are safe. No one will touch you. I’ll see that you’re protected for the rest of your life. Also give me any price, land, money, a house and that will be yours.” Ayaan said, his voice was steady and commanding.
Shanthi stared at him for a long moment, then took a tentative step forward. Her eyes were hard, suspicious. “I need one crore to leave this place and save my child,” she demanded.
Ayaan shook his head. “Name any place in the world, I’ll offer you a home in that place. I will offer you ten crores, plus your son’s education will be covered. Once he graduates, I’ll offer him a job. Live wherever you want. Be safe. That’s my offer.” he said and a stunned silence fell over the room.
“Baskar and I were supposed to be married, This child is ours… mine and Baskar’s. What do you want to know?” Shanthi said finally, her voice was gentle and raw.
Ayaan’s questions came out blunt and controlled. “Six years ago, Baskar kidnapped a man and a girl and held them at his place which was very unusual for someone kidnapping a person. Why did he do it? Who was he working for? What happened to the man?”
Shanthi flinched at the questions. Her face crumpled. “Those who were involved in it were killed. Very few people know the truth about me and that’s the only reason I’m alive. You can’t fight them. They’ll ruin anyone who tries. Forget meeting me again. Leave now if you want to live.”
She turned as if to walk away. This time Zara stepped in front of her.
“I’m the girl who was kidnapped, that man was my father. I want to know the secret that destroyed so many lives. Don’t you want justice for Baskar, even if what he did was a crime? Don’t you want a safe life for yourself and your son?” Zara asked her.
Shanthi stared at Zara as if the ground had slipped beneath her feet. Her breath hitched, her eyes darted to Ayaan and froze when he removed the fake beard.
“I’m sure you’ve seen me in the media, I’m the youngest son of former Central Minister Vaishnavi Rey. You can trust me, Shanthi. I will protect you and your child. Just tell me everything you know.” Ayaan said, voice was firm but calm.
A wave of relief washed over Shanthi’s face, quickly followed by guilt and fear. She lowered her son from her hip and took a shaky breath.
“Baskar was stressed for months. Wouldn’t talk to me or anyone. I got tired of being shut out and decided to leave him. That’s when he told me the truth. That mission he had taken wasn’t small. Someone in the ruling party framed a man as a terrorist with false reports… all fake. They sent him to Baskar to kill Minister Vaishnavi a year before the Lok Sabha elections. But that man backed out and he escaped. Baskar found him but it turned out that the man was the twin of the man who had agreed to work on the mission. Baskar held him hostage and even kidnapped his daughter to threaten him but she escaped. I respected your mother a lot so I tried to stop him but Baskar wouldn’t listen.” Shanthi whispered and gulped for what she was about to say next.
Zara felt the blood drain from her face.
“Then suddenly, Baskar changed. He started treating the man better. One day he cried to him, sought forgiveness and promised to help him. He said few men were following his daughter and the man believed him. Baskar promised to help him and his daughter to leave the city safely. Two days before the bomb blast Baskar gave him a letter. He said that letter contained the truth… everything about the threat to your mother. He begged the man to give it to Vaishnavi madam at any cost and convinced him that only she could save him and his daughter. Baskar even gave him money, clothes, food. I thought he had done the right thing. But I was wrong.” she said and her voice cracked.
Zara’s heart hammered painfully. Ayaan’s fingers curled into a fist.
“Baskar had placed a bomb inside the food box he gave the man. That poor man didn’t know. He only wanted to save your mother… and himself. He went to the airport desperate to deliver the letter. Your mother was lucky her PA took the letter instead. But the bomb… that blast… it killed so many.” Shanthi said, tears streaming down her face.
The words hit Zara like a physical blow. Her knees buckled and she collapsed onto the floor, a strangled sob escaping her. Ayaan dropped to his knees beside her instantly, one arm wrapping tightly around her shaking shoulders and pulled her into his chest.
“Zara…” he breathed, voice heavy with grief and disbelief.
She clutched his shirt with trembling fingers, crying so hard, she couldn’t breathe and Ayaan held her tighter, as if anchoring her to the world that had just turned upside down.
Both Ayaan and Zara were too shattered to ask anything further, so the CSO stepped forward, taking control of the situation.
“What happened to Baskar, and why was he killed?” the CSO asked.
Shanthi took a shaky breath. “Two days after the bomb blast, Baskar met me. He didn’t say what happened but he cried… he said he had dragged me into a life I didn’t deserve. A week later, he died in an accident but it was staged. Everyone involved in that mission died one way or another within a month. After his death, someone broke into his house. They turned everything upside down. I don’t know what they were looking for… but Baskar’s phone went missing.” Shanthi confessed, her fear and grief finally spilling over.
“Do you know who Baskar was in contact with?” the CSO asked her.
Ayaan and Zara momentarily raised their heads to know the person who was behind everything.
“I don’t know who else was involved, but once, when Baskar was drunk, he blurted out a name, ‘Advik’. I kept asking who he was and Baskar said, ‘he rules the country.'” Shanthi’s voice trembled as she spoke.
Ayaan froze hearing the name. For a moment, he felt the air leave his lungs. His pulse spiked and his mind refused to accept what he had just heard.
It took him several seconds to process that she was referring to Advik Raghavkar, the son of the Prime Minister, the head of the party his mother had given her blood and sweat for more than two decades.
Ayaan’s expression shifted from shock to cold fury. He immediately grabbed Zara’s hand and pulled her close, his protective instinct blazing in his eyes.
“We’re leaving. And she’s coming with us. Keep a watch on this man and his family ” Ayaan ordered sharply, shielding Zara against his chest as if the world had suddenly become a battlefield.
The CSO nodded at once. He instructed Shanthi to quickly pack only the essentials.
Ayaan adjusted his beard and they casually said goodbye to the man’s family. When a neighbor asked why Shanthi was leaving, she calmly replied that she had gotten a new job and was shifting immediately.
They slipped into the cabs and were driven to a safer location, where Ayaan’s car was already waiting for them.
Ayaan guided Zara into one vehicle while the CSO helped Shanthi and her child into the other. As the cars pulled away, Ayaan kept Zara pressed to his side, his jaw clenched, his eyes burning with the fury of the truth unraveling far faster and far darker than he had ever prepared for.
Zara, who had been holding herself together all this time, finally broke down. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she leaned her head against the window, her shoulders trembling. Ayaan’s heart sank. He had prayed the truth would prove Zara innocent, but now, faced with her shattered state, he didn’t know how to mend the pieces. He felt helpless his chest tightening with the guilt of not trusting her, of ruining her.
“I will fix us, I will confess my truth” he whispered to himself, a vow carved into his conscience and silently waited for them to reach home.
****************************
A/N:
Please like and comment
Take care and Thank You
