The Mastermind Show Himself

Rania plunged the knife into Rahil's abdomen. A sharp gasp escaped his lips as his body jerked in shock. His eyes, wide with disbelief, locked onto hers, searching for answers through the haze of pain. A trembling whisper left his mouth.

"Why…?"

Rania's face remained cold, her grip on the knife tightening. "You really thought I had forgotten?" Her voice was steady, but her eyes burned with fury. "I remember everything, Rahil. Every lie. Every betrayal. You deceived me in that cave. You took my father's life. Did you really think I would let you walk away so easily?"

Rahil staggered, his breath ragged. "Danish… Mehwish… Did you kill them too?" His words were laced with agony, not just from the wound, but from the storm of emotions raging inside him.

Rania's expression shifted, confusion flickering across her face. "What? What happened to Mehwish?"

Rahil let out a bitter chuckle despite the pain. "So, that's what surprises you? That something happened to Mehwish? What about Danish?"

Rania's jaw clenched. "Danish was part of this too. But no, I haven't killed him—yet. And if he's dead already, then good. One less traitor to deal with." She took a step closer, her voice dropping to a whisper filled with venom. "Even Javed… you dragged him into this, didn't you?"

Rahil's face twisted in confusion. His fingers clutched at the wound, blood seeping through them as he tried to steady himself. "What are you talking about?" he gasped. "Javed… Danish… we betrayed you? How?"

The room was heavy with tension, the weight of past sins pressing down on them both. The truth was still tangled in shadows, waiting to unravel.

A voice echoed from behind them, sending a chill down Rania's spine.

"How would Rahim even know?"

Both Rania and Rahil turned sharply, their eyes widening in shock as they saw the man standing before them.

Rahil's breath hitched. His fingers trembled as he whispered, "Mohim?"

The man before them smirked, his face identical to Rahim's—every feature, every line, a perfect reflection. Rania felt her blood turn cold. This was impossible.

"Yes, brother," Mohim said, his voice laced with eerie calm. "It's me."

Rahim's voice cracked as he took a step forward. "But… you—" He swallowed hard, his mind racing. "You were dead."

Mohim let out a low chuckle, shaking his head. "That's what you thought, didn't you? That you killed me that day?" He took another step closer, his eyes gleaming with something sinister. "No, brother. You were wrong. The one lying in that bed wasn't me. It was my friend—the fool who took my place."

Rania's heart pounded against her ribs. This couldn't be real.

Mohim's smirk widened as he added, "Shall I give you another shocking truth?" He leaned in slightly, his voice almost a whisper. "It was me… I killed Mom and Dad."

Silence fell over the room like a heavy storm.

Rahim staggered back as if he had been struck. His face twisted in sheer disbelief. "What…?" His voice barely escaped his lips. "You… killed them?"

Mohim simply smiled, enjoying the horror painted on their faces. "Yes, dear brother," he said softly, his words dripping with malice. "And now, you're next."

Mohim let out a slow, deliberate breath, his eyes gleaming with dark amusement. "I met a man once," he began, his voice eerily calm. "A man who knew the secrets of black magic." He took a step forward, his gaze locked onto Rahim's. "He gave me a potion—one with a terrifying power. Whoever drank it would believe whatever I wrote down before giving it to them."

Rania's breath caught in her throat, her mind reeling from his words.

Mohim tilted his head slightly, watching Rahim's reaction with satisfaction. "And you, dear brother… you drank it. You believed you killed Mom and Dad."

Rahim's body trembled, his fingers curling into fists. His mind raced back to that night, the blood, the horror—the unbearable guilt that had crushed him ever since. It had all been a lie?

"Why?" Rahim's voice was barely a whisper, raw with pain. "Why would you do this? Mom and Dad loved you."

Mohim's expression flickered, for just a moment, with something almost human—regret? But it was gone in an instant, replaced by cold, merciless resolve. "I never wanted to," he admitted, his voice devoid of warmth. "But they found out the truth. They knew how I tormented you, how I framed you for hurting me. And they were going to disown me—transfer everything to you." His jaw clenched. "I couldn't let that happen. I had no choice, Rahim. I had to kill them."

A slow, suffocating silence filled the room.

Then, with a roar of rage, Rahim lunged forward. "I'll kill you with my own hands!"

Pain tore through his body, the wound in his abdomen burning like fire. He stumbled but forced himself forward, his fury giving him strength.

Mohim simply smirked, stepping back effortlessly. "You?" he scoffed. "You can barely stand." He leaned in slightly, his voice dripping with mockery. "How do you plan to kill me, brother, when you're the one bleeding to death?"

Mohim chuckled darkly, his eyes gleaming with cruel satisfaction. "Rania, would you like to hear some good news?" he said mockingly.

Rania's jaw tightened as she glared at him, fury burning in her eyes.

Mohim smirked. "It was me… I killed your father."

A sharp gasp left Rania's lips, but it was quickly replaced by a storm of rage. Her vision blurred with red-hot fury as she grabbed the knife, her hands trembling with unrestrained wrath.

"You bastard!" she screamed. "I'll kill you!"

She lunged forward, her grip on the knife tightening, her only desire to plunge it deep into his heart. But before she could reach him, a strong hand grabbed her wrist.

Sonali.

With a swift motion, Sonali wrenched the knife from Rania's grasp and pulled her back, locking her arms around her. Rania thrashed in her hold, pure hatred burning in her eyes.

"Let me go, Sonali!" she shouted, struggling against her grip. "He killed my father! He didn't even deserve to die that way! What had he ever done to him?"

Mohim tilted his head, his smirk never faltering. "He found out the truth," he said simply, as if explaining the weather. "He knew everything… that I killed them all."

Rahim, still weakened from his wound, staggered slightly. His breathing was ragged, but his mind reeled with shock. "What…?" His voice was barely a whisper. "You killed… all of them?"

Mohim smiled, his eyes gleaming with something almost inhuman. "Yes," he said, his voice dripping with sick amusement. "And now, there's no one left to stop me."

Mohim let out a low chuckle, his eyes glinting with wicked amusement. "I have so much to tell you," he said, his voice laced with satisfaction. "Rahim… you've never actually killed anyone."

Rahim's brows furrowed in confusion. His breath came out in ragged gasps. "What…? What are you saying?"

Mohim smirked, stepping closer. "You didn't kill them. I did," he said, his voice steady and cold. "Every single one of them. And then… I made you believe you did."

Rahim's hands trembled as the weight of Mohim's words sank in. His entire body stiffened, his mind racing back to the nightmares that had haunted him for so long—the blood on his hands, the screams, the unbearable guilt.

"You see," Mohim continued, his tone almost playful, "I fed you that black magic potion, the one that makes people believe whatever is written before they drink it. So, while I was the one who slaughtered them all… you thought it was you."

Rania's breath hitched, her entire body frozen in disbelief.

Mohim turned his gaze toward her, his smirk widening. "And Rania," he said smoothly, "do you remember that night in the cave? That wasn't Rahim you saw."

Rania's heart pounded violently in her chest.

"It was me." Mohim's voice was almost a whisper now, laced with cruel satisfaction. "The ones with me weren't Danish or Javed either. Those were my men, wearing their masks." His chuckle was cold, void of any remorse. "And you… you were trying to kill Rahim."

Rania's world shattered in that instant. Her breath caught in her throat, and before she could stop them, hot tears spilled from her eyes. She shook her head slowly, refusing to believe the horror unfolding before her.

"No…" Her voice broke. Her knees threatened to give out beneath her. "No… I… I tried to killed Rahim?"

Mohim tilted his head, his gaze amused as he watched her crumble. "Yes," he whispered. "The only man who ever truly loved you… and you stab with your own hands."