12. Aditi is in Danger.
"That's none of your business," I shot back, my tone sharp and filled with bitterness.
"I was just curious..." she murmured softly.
I took a deep breath to steady myself. I could see her heart racing. The tracer started beeping loudly, and I knew she was scared. Rightfully so.
"You want to know about my scars? They come from a lifetime of fighting, a history steeped in violence and bloodshed."
"I know it's tough to move past the pain," she replied gently. "But you can overcome it. I believe in you."
"Believe in me? What do you really know about me?" I didn't want pity from someone I considered a hypocrite.
"I know you've faced a lot," she said with conviction. "I see the scars on your body, but I also see your strength. You're a fighter, someone who's been through hell." Coming from her, that felt like a cruel joke.
"I think you should head back; I need to get ready fast." I could feel my rage bubbling up, and I hated her even more in that moment.
She sensed my anger and quickly retreated to her room. I rushed to the bathroom for a cold shower, hoping to cool down before I lost it completely.
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Aditi sat alone on a chair, the weight of the evening pressing down on her like a heavy blanket. The room was dimly lit, shadows creeping along the walls as the sun dipped below the horizon. She could hear the distant sounds of the city winding down for the night, but all she could focus on was the gnawing regret that twisted in her stomach. Earlier that day, she had let her curiosity get the better of her, and in doing so, she had angered Arjun. The memory of him slamming the door echoed in her mind, a stark reminder of the tension that had erupted between them.
She had never intended to hurt him, but the question about his scars had slipped out before she could stop it. It was a sensitive topic, one that she should have approached with more care. Now, as she sat in the growing darkness, she felt the weight of his resentment hanging in the air like a storm cloud. Aditi had always prided herself on her ability to connect with others, but in this instance, she had misstepped, and the consequences were painfully clear.
Determined to avoid any further personal inquiries, she tried to push the thoughts from her mind, but they clung to her like a persistent shadow. The silence in the room was deafening, amplifying her feelings of isolation. She was prohibited from speaking to anyone else, a rule that felt increasingly suffocating as the minutes ticked by. The only means of communication she had was through a special device that connected her to Arjun, and the thought of reaching out filled her with a mix of hope and dread.
The clock on the wall read 7:15 PM, each tick a reminder of the time slipping away. Aditi took a deep breath, steeling herself for what she hoped would be a reconciliation. She picked up the device, her fingers trembling slightly as she dialed his number. The sound of the ringing filled the silence, each tone echoing her anxiety.
"Hello... Arjun? Are you there?" she inquired, her voice barely above a whisper, tinged with uncertainty. She could almost hear her heart pounding in her ears, waiting for a response that felt like it might never come.
Silence followed, stretching out like an eternity. Aditi's heart sank, and she felt a wave of despair wash over her. She tried to shake off the feeling, reminding herself that he might just need a moment to gather his thoughts. With a deep breath, she tried again,
At last, he broke the silence. She felt a wave of relief wash over her as she heard his voice once more. Taking a deep breath, she prepared to respond, her heart racing with a mix of anxiety and hope.
"It has been quite some time since you departed. Are you still... upset?" she asked, her tone cautious yet probing.
"No," he replied, his voice steadier than she felt.
"I apologize for this morning. I should not have pried into your personal matters. Please forgive me," she continued, her sincerity evident in the way she spoke.
"It's alright. Just be mindful not to overstep boundaries in the future," he said, his words laced with a hint of vulnerability. His reply struck her with a sense of remorse, a reminder of the delicate balance they were trying to navigate.
"By the way, I wanted to ask, when will you be back?" she inquired, her curiosity piqued by the thought of seeing him again.
"I am close by. I'll be home in a few minutes—" Suddenly, the call ended, the abrupt silence ringing in her ears like a deafening alarm.
"Arjun! Arjun? Can you hear me?" she called out, her voice echoing in the stillness of the room. Panic began to creep in as she glanced around, noticing that all the lights had gone out, plunging her into darkness. Her device had lost connection, the screen now a lifeless void.
She stood frozen in place, her heart pounding in her chest, and the phone slipped from her grasp, clattering to the floor. The sudden absence of sound felt suffocating, and she strained to hear any sign of life outside her dimly lit space.
"Please, not now," she whispered to herself, her mind racing with thoughts of what could have gone wrong. The power outage was unexpected, and the isolation it brought was unsettling. She fumbled in the dark, her fingers brushing against the cool surface of the wall as she tried to steady herself.
With a deep breath, she forced herself to focus. She needed to find a flashlight or a candle, something to pierce through the enveloping darkness. As she moved cautiously, her thoughts drifted back to Arjun. What had he meant by being close? Was he really just a few minutes away, or was he still far from her reach?
The silence felt heavy, almost oppressive, and she could feel the weight of her own uncertainty pressing down on her.
The doorbell echoed ominously through the silence, a sound that felt more like a harbinger of doom than a simple announcement of a visitor.
"Could it be my captors have found me here? No, Arjun assured me it was impossible," she thought, her heart racing at the mere possibility. The weight of her recent trauma pressed heavily on her chest, and she fought to steady her breath.
"Who's there?" she called, inching closer to the door, her voice barely above a whisper. An unsettling stillness enveloped the air, thick and suffocating. She repeated her question, her voice trembling, the uncertainty gnawing at her resolve.
"Is that you, Arjun?" she ventured again, desperation creeping into her tone.
Just as she stood a breath away from the door, a pair of men in black boots crashed through, kicking the door down with a violent force that sent splinters flying. The door shattered, its remnants scattering across the floor like broken promises.
"How could this happen?" she thought, stunned, her mind racing to process the chaos unfolding before her.
"Not again! Why is this happening again? Just two days after leaving the hospital? Where is Arjun? He promised he would be close," but the comforting thought of his presence felt like a distant memory, slipping through her fingers like sand.
Before her stood a figure—tall, cloaked in darkness, with a chilling, calculating gaze that seemed to pierce through her very soul. The air grew colder as he advanced through the wreckage, invading her space with an unsettling confidence.
He seized her arm, his grip like iron, unyielding and terrifying. Panic surged within her as she struggled to break free, but he was relentless, a predator with no intention of letting his prey escape. Her heart pounded in her chest, each beat echoing the horrifying truth that dawned upon her—this was not Arjun.
His voice dripped with menace as he leaned closer, his breath hot against her skin. "Don't scream, or you'll wish you hadn't," he warned, the threat hanging in the air like a noose tightening around her throat.
In that moment, time seemed to freeze. The world outside faded away, leaving only the two of them in a standoff that felt both surreal and terrifyingly real. She could feel the walls closing in, the shadows creeping closer, and the weight of her fear pressing down on her like a nightmare.