The Shadows of the Past

A Call Home

Veer tightened his grip on the steering wheel, his mind heavy with unanswered questions. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, trying to shake off the uneasiness creeping into his chest. He knew he couldn't bring a stranger home without informing his family first—especially his father.

He pulled out his phone and dialed her mother's number. The ringing sound filled the car, making Zara glance at him from the passenger seat, her expression unreadable.

Within seconds, Mahi's sweet, familiar voice from her mother's phone, filled the air.

"Hello, Bhayiya! Where are you? I was just about to call you again!"

Veer smiled slightly.

"I'm on my way home, Mahi. But listen—I'm bringing a guest with me."

There was a brief silence on the other end before Mahi's excited voice responded.

"A guest? Who is it? A girl? Brother, do you have a—"

"Shut up, Mahi," Veer interrupted, rolling his eyes.

Zara chuckled softly beside him.

"She's someone who needed help. Her car broke down near the Vast Forest, and there were no service centers nearby. She'll be staying over for the night."

Mahi hummed suspiciously.

"Hmm… okay. I'll get a guest room ready. Just come home soon."

"I will."

As Veer hung up, he caught Zara looking at him with an amused smile.

"Your sister sounds adorable," she remarked.

Veer smirked.

"She's annoying."

Zara chuckled again but didn't argue.

A Name That Carries Weight

As they drove in silence for a while, Veer couldn't ignore the nagging thought in his head.

"How did you know my name?" he finally asked.

Zara turned her gaze towards him, her lips curling into a knowing smile.

"Who doesn't know Veer Khanna?" she said smoothly.

Veer frowned.

"What do you mean?"

Zara tilted her head slightly, as if she was surprised he didn't realize it himself.

"Veer, your family is one of the richest in India. The Khanna Family Business isn't just some small venture—it's an empire. Your family's name is in the top ten richest families in the country. You supply goods all over India, export to other nations, and manufacture everything from medicines to weaponry and automobiles. Your father's name is on the lips of every businessman in the industry. Of course, people know about you."

Veer felt his chest tighten.

He knew his family was powerful, but hearing it laid out like this by a stranger felt… different.

For a moment, his mind wandered back to Seraphina.

Did she know his name for the same reason?

Was that why she had called out to him in the Vast Forest?

Why would a supernatural being be interested in human business?

The thought sent a chill down his spine.

But he pushed it aside for now.

"You seem to know a lot," he said carefully.

Zara shrugged.

"I like to be well-informed."

Veer didn't know why, but her answer felt off.

A Pain Buried Deep

The road stretched ahead, long and empty under the moonlit sky.

Veer decided to dig deeper.

"Where did you come from?" he asked.

Zara's playful smirk faded instantly.

Her eyes darkened, and the warmth in her expression vanished.

Veer noticed the way her fingers tightened around the hem of her dress, how her posture stiffened, as if she was bracing herself for something painful.

He regretted asking—but at the same time, he wanted to know.

Zara exhaled softly and turned her gaze towards the window, staring into the darkness outside.

And then—she spoke.

"I was born into a family of gangsters. A family that never really felt like one."

Veer's grip on the steering wheel tightened.

"My father was a violent man—a drunkard who used his fists more than his words. My mother… she was kind, but weak. She bore the bruises of his anger in silence, never fighting back, never resisting. And my elder brother?" She let out a dry chuckle, void of humor. "He was worse than my father. A monster in human skin."

Veer glanced at her, noticing the way her hands trembled slightly.

"I wasn't just beaten in that house—I was broken. Every single day, my brother would find new ways to torment me, to remind me that I was nothing more than an object for him to control. But it didn't stop there. No… he went further. He started taking me to his friends' houses—four or five of them. They treated me like a toy. Tied me like a prisoner. Played with me as if I were a doll. An object made for their cravings, feeding on their twisted hunger, used however they pleased."

Veer's stomach twisted violently.

His knuckles turned white as he gripped the steering wheel.

"And my father?" she continued, her voice hollow. "He did the same thing to my mother. Every night, while he was drunk, he tortured her. Harassed her. Treated her worse than an animal. And one night…"

She swallowed hard.

"One night, my father and my brother got so drunk that they lost all sense of control. They took turns… torturing, harassing, and playing with her in the ways they wanted. She screamed. She cried. But no one came to help. And by the time the sun rose, she was gone. Dead."

A heavy silence filled the car.

Veer could feel his blood boiling.

His chest ached with rage, sorrow, and an unbearable weight of emotion.

He clenched his jaw, forcing himself to stay calm.

"That was the night I decided I couldn't stay there anymore," Zara said, her voice barely above a whisper. "I ran. I didn't know where I was going—I just kept running until my legs gave out. And when I woke up the next morning, I saw two people in front of me."

Her expression softened slightly.

"A man and a woman. A married couple. They lived at the border of the Vast Forest. They took me in, gave me a home, treated me like their own. For the first time in my life… I felt safe."

She paused, a shadow crossing her face.

"But fate is cruel. Both of them had a rare form of cancer. It spread through sexual contact—that's why they never had children. And in their last days, they handed everything they owned to me—their house, their savings, their love. And then… they were gone too."

A single tear slid down her cheek.

Veer felt something inside him break.

This girl… she had survived hell.

He didn't know what to say.

So he simply drove in silence.

After a long pause, Zara wiped her tear and smiled faintly.

"But life goes on, right?" she said softly.

Veer looked at her, his expression unreadable.

And in that moment, he knew—

Zara wasn't just another stranger.

She was a survivor.

A warrior scarred by her past.

And somehow, she had crossed paths with him.