Chapter 67

The Truth Beneath the Surface

Five Days Before the Wedding – Late Evening

The palace was quiet now.

Guests had retreated to their rooms. The lights in the courtyard dimmed. Somewhere, the soft sounds of a flute drifted on the wind. But inside the guest suite, Rhea sat on the bed, her back to Manik, her fingers trembling slightly as they clutched the edge of the blanket.

He watched her in silence, waiting.

She had asked him to come alone. No family. No distractions. Just the two of them.

When she finally turned around, her eyes were glassy, and her voice low.

"Do you remember the day we met ?" she asked.

Manik nodded. "Of course. Two years ago. Jaipur. You were—"

He hesitated.

"You looked lost."

"I was," she whispered. "I didn't tell you everything. I couldn't… not until now."

She looked down, breathing slowly.

"I left India three years ago. I thought I was going for a work retreat in Vienna. But something happened after that. Something I can't remember. Not clearly."

Manik's eyes darkened. He didn't interrupt.

"I was missing for over a month," she said. "No records. No contacts. No location data. And when I woke up… I was in a clinic in Montenegro."

Her hands clenched on her lap.

"They said I was found unconscious in an abandoned house outside a village. There were bruises. Cuts. And no memory of how I got there."

Manik stepped forward, voice gentle. "You think someone… took you?"

Rhea's voice cracked. "I know someone did. I just can't prove it."

She stood now, crossing the room slowly, as though the weight of it all was too heavy to carry.

"I came back to India because I couldn't deal with the fear. The missing time. The questions. And then I met you again. You didn't ask anything. You just… helped me feel normal. Safe."

She turned to him, eyes filled with gratitude.

"You gave me space to breathe, Manik. I'll never forget that."

He looked away, jaw tight. "You don't have to marry me, Rhea. Not to say thank you."

She smiled softly. "I'm not doing this out of guilt."

And then, slowly, she placed her hand over her belly.

"Rhea…"

She nodded, her voice just above a whisper.

"I found out a week ago. It's early. But it's real. And I don't know who the father is. It could be Lex. It could be—someone else. From that lost month."

Tears gathered in her eyes.

"I don't even know if I'm safe. If the baby is. But I need to protect it. I need to find out the truth."

She looked up at him. "That's why I agreed to this wedding. Because if someone out there still wants to find me, to finish what they started—then a ring might slow them down."

Silence.

Then, slowly, Manik walked up to her and rested a hand on her shoulder.

"You're stronger than you think," he said. "And you're not alone in this."

Rhea closed her eyes and leaned into him, just for a moment.

"Thank you," she whispered. "For being my shield… again."

---

Somewhere in Mumbai – That Same Night

Lex sat on the rooftop of a quiet hotel, a bottle of water in his hand, staring at the moonlit sky.

His phone buzzed.

A message from Siddharth.

> You were right. There's a blank in her records. A vanished passport entry, international crossing, and a hospital file sealed by Cartwright. Want me to dig deeper?

Lex's heart pounded.

Cartwright.

They were involved.

Which meant Rhea wasn't just running from her memories.

She was running from them.

He stood, eyes sharp.

"I'm coming back for you, Rhea," he muttered.

"Before they do."