Salim_

Daren Sajwan was the only child raised amidst the royal habits of his wealthy father. First, he stubbornly insisted on marrying a young girl of his own choice, and later, without any hesitation, he indulged in an affair with another woman. As a result, his marriage inevitably hit a rough patch. But when he, in turn, was deceived in the same way he had betrayed his wife, he lost his mind. So much so that this immoral, wayward, and unethical man ignored even his own premonitions—his déjà vu.

second Sight

Within the next ten minutes, their conversation grew even more bitter, prompting Darren to finally decide to leave.

"You have to make a decision today, Darren," Neeta continued angrily. "You can't keep playing with my life forever!"

When Darren didn't respond, Neeta, in frustration, slapped him across the face.

"Speak up!" she cried, tears of rage streaming down her face. "Answer me!"

Amidst the tense atmosphere, Darren endured the humiliation, controlled himself, and got up from the bed. He put on his clothes and walked out of the flat, heading straight down to the central parking lot.

It was only then that he realized he had left his car keys upstairs in the flat.

Given the situation he had just escaped from, going back to the flat was out of the question. So, leaving his car parked there, Darren walked out of the building.

The sky had been covered with dark clouds for hours, yet no rain had fallen.

Darren let out a deep sigh, glanced at his wristwatch, noting the time—10:45 PM—then shoved his hands into his overcoat pockets and began walking toward the street, where he spotted a taxi in the traffic.

He quickened his pace toward the taxi.

"Friends Colony," the man in the overcoat said to the taxi driver.

"No problem," the man in the overcoat pulled out his wallet, took out two crisp green currency notes, and dropped them into the driver's lap through the open window. "Now it's free."

"I already told you, sir," the driver replied. "This taxi isn't going anywhere."

"Why not?" The man in the overcoat—Darren—was already irritated from his pointless argument with Neeta. He opened the taxi's rear door and got inside. "Is this some kind of joke?"

"Sir, please listen to me," the taxi driver tried to explain.

"I don't want to listen to anything," Darren snapped. "You drivers have made it a habit to harass passengers."

"I'm waiting for another passenger."

"Fine then," the man in the overcoat said. "I'll call the police right now."

"Listen, this taxi is already booked."

"Don't lie," Darren said. "I just saw your previous passenger get out right in front of me. Now you're free."

"If it's about money, just say so," Darren added. "But take me to my destination."

"Oh, I get it now," Darren said, raising his voice. "Just drive."

The driver glanced at the dashboard clock, which read 11:00 PM, let out a deep sigh, and, as if giving up, asked, "Where do you need to go?"

Before the man in the overcoat could reply, another person suddenly appeared out of nowhere, jumped into the back seat of the taxi, and slammed the door shut.

The incident happened so fast that Darren, who had barely convinced the taxi driver to take him, blinked in surprise, momentarily frozen. He only grasped what was happening when he saw the taxi door closing.

Darren immediately reached out and stopped the door from shutting completely.

"Don't start the car," Darren warned the young driver. "You'll regret it if you do."

The driver—who was just as uncomfortable with this unexpected situation—tried to say something, but Darren cut him off with a glare. "I booked this taxi first."

The driver hesitated for a moment, weighing his options, then made a quick decision.

"Well, sir, why don't you hop in too?" he said. "No need to get upset."

"Don't try to fool me," Darren snapped. He opened the taxi door and turned to the uninvited passenger. "Can I know the reason behind your ridiculous behavior?"

Instead of responding, the man merely looked at Darren's broad shoulders and strong build, then helplessly spread his hands in surrender.

part 21