The road had turned silent.
It was three in the morning…
On that dark and empty street, a car was cutting through the night like lightning.
It was Aditya’s car, and beside him sat Aniket.
Aditya said abruptly, frustration in his voice, “You should’ve stayed in the hospital… with Saaniya.”
Aniket shook his head instantly, “No. I don’t think that was right. Saaniya is out of danger now.
Right now finding Anamika is more important.
And besides… when Saaniya wakes up, the first person she’ll want to see won’t be us— it will be Anamika.”
Aditya accelerated harder, the engine growling like a storm.
“I don’t know why… why all of this is happening!”
Aniket understood his frustration without needing an explanation.
The car sped up even more, rushing through the darkness like a desperate heartbeat.
On the other side, at Anamika’s house…
Rivan and Ira were moving from room to room like detectives.
Everything felt scattered—disturbed—wrong.
Suddenly Rivan found a paper bag.
Inside were letters… and a photograph from 6–7 years ago— a school group photo.
Rivan stared at the picture.
In the back row, among the boys, sat Aditya and Aniket.
But in the front row, among the girls… Anamika sat alone—far at the corner—silent and separated.
While Saaniya sat comfortably in the centre.
Rivan showed the picture to Ira.
He whispered, shocked, “Big bro and Anamika knew each other since school!”
Ira inhaled deeply before she spoke, “My brother liked her since childhood… one–sided.
But what could he do? That delicate flower never even looked his way.
When they met again in the hostel, he said hi… but she didn’t even raise her eyes to see who was speaking.
School passed like that.
He spent years watching her from afar.
On the last day of school he gathered courage and confessed— but she rejected him.
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And even during the rejection, she never looked up to see who she was rejecting.
He once told me… Anamika doesn’t even remember they ever studied together.”
Ira was still speaking when Rivan’s eyes landed on something else— a drawing book lying nearby.
He picked it up, flipped it open, and his eyes widened.
The pages were filled with paintings.
“Does Big Bro really think his love was one-sided?”
Rivan muttered quietly.
Ira frowned, “What do you mean?”
She glanced at the sketchbook — and froze.
Her breathing faltered.
It was a drawing of Aditya — at the age of ten.
Ira whispered, “This is brother… when he was ten… around fourteen years ago.”
Rivan handed her the sketchbook
and continued examining the paper bag.
Inside were countless letters — and even more surprising— many photographs of Anamika.
In almost every one of them, in some corner or reflection — Aditya appeared.
Sometimes blurred, sometimes in the background, but always present… unknowingly captured in her frames.
Rivan opened the letters and began reading— his expression slowly turned serious, shaken.
Ira was still lost in the paintings.
Then her eyes stopped on a two-page drawing.
On the left page, a girl painting the broken walls of a castle with the colors of her imagination and on the right Page, a boy watching her lovingly from the castle window… and behind him — a dark shadow lurking.
Ira’s voice trembled, “This… this is my brother's favourite shirt.
That means — this IS him. She drew him.”
She turned to Rivan, shocked, “She liked him too. She watched him.
She drew him in her book. She—”
She stopped mid-sentence.
Because when she looked at Rivan — his face was serious, shaken, almost disbelieving.
Ira noticed and asked, worried, “What happened?”
Rivan lowered his eyes and silently handed her the letter.
Ira read it— and her face turned pale.
“What nonsense is this!?” she gasped.
Rivan exhaled, “Only Anamika can answer that. But where is she?”
Both sat down in the middle of the wrecked room —
Meanwhile…
Ruhi sat beside unconscious Saaniya.
Moonlight fell softly through the window, touching Saaniya’s face— She looked like a sleeping beauty.
Yet the bandages over her wounds felt like knives scraping Ruhi’s heart.
Ruhi stared at her and thought, “When will your eyes open? I don’t like you to be silent like this.
When we first met—you had fire in your gaze. You taunted me, you argued… I got used to it.
But this silence… it’s terrifying.”
Just then she heard footsteps.
They stopped at the door.
She turned— and saw Rudra standing there with a soft, gentle smile.
He leaned on the doorframe casually and teased, “Why that crease of worry on your forehead, sweetheart?”
Ruhi didn’t waste time, “What did the police say?”
Rudra froze inside.
He recalled the scene at the police station moments earlier— All CCTV footage of Anamika’s area had been deleted.
Only one short recording remained:
A mysterious figure leaves a paper bag outside Anamika’s door.
Anamika picks it up and goes inside.
No truck number.
The truck itself was built from mixed company parts— untraceable.
He was lost in thought when Ruhi’s voice dragged him back, “Lady Boss is missing!”
Rudra’s eyes widened. “She—she’s missing!? Since when?”
Ruhi answered quickly, “A while ago Rivan called Aditya sir.
He sent Rivan and Ira to check if lady boss was too shaken about Saaniya.
But when they reached her house— she was gone.bAnd the house was a wreck.”
Fear flickered in Rudra’s eyes.
His voice trembled, “No… this can’t be happening.
What if… Saaniya’s accident, Anamika’s disappearance, and that paper bag— are they all connected?”
Ruhi looked at him, confused and worried.
For the first time ever— Rudra’s real emotions shattered through.
A tear slipped down his cheek.
Ruhi instantly stood up and stepped toward him, “What happen-”
Before she could finish— Rudra pulled her into his arms.
In a trembling whisper he said, “I love you… I love you, sweetheart.”
Ruhi froze—speechless— but happy.
Inside, Rudra was breaking.
“Please… say it back. Even if after knowing the truth you never say it again…”
Ruhi finally whispered, “I love you too, Rudra.”
Rudra stepped back, wiped his face and said firmly, “We need to go. We’re going to Anamika’s house.”
Ruhi blinked, confused.
His behaviour was different — urgent — heavy.
She pointed at Saaniya, “But what about her?”
Rudra held her hand tightly, “My staff will take care of her. Right now, we must find Anamika.
And before that— I need to tell Aditya something.”
He looked at the night sky as they reached the car.
A single star shone faintly.
“Tonight I will find out whether people like us get love in this world… or if only darkness belongs to us.”
He sat in the car, Ruhi beside him— and they drove toward Anamika’s house.
