Chapter 32:Cracks in the Sky
The air was heavy with tension in the office, like a storm waiting to explode. Computers hummed. Lights buzzed overhead. Conversations felt forced, shallow, like people knew something was off but couldn't place it. And in the center of it all sat Zayan Khan, the CEO, the enigma, the man known for his unbreakable composure.
But today, he couldn't focus.
Not on the report in front of him. Not on the string of numbers Aryan was reading out from across the desk. Not even on the investor call he abruptly canceled. His eyes kept drifting.
Toward her.
Andaleeb.
She was sitting stiffly, pale, her hands trembling slightly as she typed. Every so often, she would pause, press her fingers to her temples, and take slow, shaky breaths like she was fighting something invisible.
Something was wrong.
Zayan's jaw tensed. He stood up, sharp and silent.
"Andaleeb," he said, voice quieter than usual.
She looked up quickly, startled. "Yes, sir?"
"My office. Now."
Her eyes flickered with something—was it fear? hesitation?—before she nodded and rose. Her legs wobbled slightly, but she steadied herself and followed him inside.
---
Inside the Glass Walls
The door clicked shut.
The moment it did, she swayed.
Zayan moved faster than thought. He caught her, his hands gripping her arms as she sagged against him.
"You're burning up," he muttered, guiding her gently to the leather couch. "And shaking."
"It's nothing," she whispered, trying to brush his hand away. "Just tired."
"You fainted in front of a dozen employees. That's not nothing."
Her breathing was shallow. Her skin was unnaturally warm. He pressed the back of his hand to her forehead again.
"Why won't you let me in?" he asked, kneeling beside her. "Why does it feel like you're disappearing inch by inch?"
Her lips trembled. "Because I am."
He stiffened. "What?"
She blinked. "Nothing," she quickly said, forcing a hollow smile. "Bad metaphor. Lack of sleep makes me weird."
Zayan's eyes narrowed. He wasn't buying it.
He moved to the mini-fridge, grabbed a chilled bottle of water, and handed it to her.
"You either tell me what's going on or I shut this whole company down until I find out myself."
"Zayan—"
"No games. No jokes. Not today."
Her hands trembled as she held the bottle. She looked so fragile. So… unlike herself.
And it terrified him.
---
At the Hidden Lab – Café Basement
Eman slammed her palm against the console. "Her vitals are off the charts! Her core readings are destabilizing. This isn't supposed to be happening yet!"
Haroon leaned over, his face unreadable. "The breach protocol… it's accelerating?"
"It's triggering early. She's too emotionally entangled."
"The bond with Zayan?"
Eman nodded, biting her lip. "She loves him. That's not just poetic—it's dangerous. Her emotions are feeding her energy core instead of suppressing it. The system thinks she's ready to be recalled."
"Then it's time. Tell Zayan."
"No!" she snapped. "If we tell him, the Council will locate her faster. Emotional confirmation through confession strengthens the trace."
Haroon clenched his jaw. "He deserves to know the truth."
"Knowing won't save her. Loving her won't stop the Recall."
"Then what will?"
Silence.
No answers.
---
Zayan's Spiral
Later that day, Zayan barged into the security room.
"Pull the elevator footage from two weeks ago," he ordered the tech.
The employee hesitated. "Sir, that was already—"
"I want to see it again."
The video played.
The elevator. The glitch. And there—
A faint, unmistakable glow.
Her fingers.
Blue light. Almost electric. The elevator shuddering unnaturally as if reacting to her touch.
Zayan leaned back, stunned.
"What are you hiding, Andaleeb?"
He scrubbed through other moments. Paused. Enhanced.
Small inconsistencies. Missing time stamps. Security footage that skipped seconds.
She wasn't just sick. She wasn't just scared.
She was something else entirely.
---
Aleena's Plan Advances
In her glass-walled corner office, Aleena Hashmi sipped a martini as she stared at the encrypted message glowing on her screen.
"Confirmed anomaly. Eyes on her. You bring her in, and you're rewarded."
She smiled thinly.
A few clicks later, she was staring at Andaleeb's HR file, the one she'd had her assistant quietly pull weeks ago.
"So neat. So humble. So fake."
She picked up her phone and texted a private contact:
"Follow her. Stay hidden. Report anything strange. She's not what she seems."
She looked at a blurry zoomed-in image of Andaleeb's hand mid-glow.
"I'll get to the bottom of you, girl. And when I do, even Zayan won't be able to protect you."
---
Rooftop Talk
Evening fell over the city like a soft blanket. The rooftop garden of Khan Global glimmered with fairy lights.
And there, leaning against the railing, stood Andaleeb.
Zayan found her easily. She always came here when overwhelmed.
"You should be resting," he said quietly, walking over.
She didn't look at him. "I can't. Not tonight."
He stood beside her, gazing at the same stars. "Talk to me."
She closed her eyes. "What if you hated me for what I am?"
"I won't."
"You don't even know what I am."
"I don't care. I don't need to know your origin to know your heart."
She gasped softly.
He turned her gently to face him, cupping her cheeks in his hands. "You said you loved me. But you're still hiding. I can see it—in your smile. In your hands. Cracks in your sky."
Tears welled in her eyes.
"I don't want to lose you," she whispered.
"Then don't. Stay. Fight. Whatever this is, we face it together."
She leaned into his chest, trembling.
He held her tightly, like the wind might carry her away if he let go.
---
Final Scene – 72 Hours
The city had gone quiet.
Andaleeb walked home alone. Each step heavier than the last. Her head buzzed. Her chest ached. Her mind raced.
Streetlights flickered above her like blinking stars. A chill danced through the air.
She reached her apartment, locked the door behind her, and sat on the edge of her bed. Her eyes landed on the velvet box Zayan had given her. The ring shimmered inside.
Her pendant—once silver—glowed an ominous red.
A soft hum filled the room. Her body tensed.
A holographic message projected from the pendant:
"72 hours until full Recall. Emotional threshold exceeded. Prepare for extraction."
Her breath caught.
"No… not now. Not yet…"
She clutched the pendant, knuckles white.
"I just found him. I just started to live."
Across the city, Zayan sat in his room, flipping through her old sketches. He stopped at one—a cartoon of him frowning with the words Mr. Heartless scribbled below. Next to it, a drawn heart.
He smiled to himself, unaware of the clock counting down.
Outside, a man stood under a streetlamp across from Andaleeb's apartment.
Camera in hand. Smile on his face.
Aleena's contact.
Watching. Waiting.
Recording everything.
And in the sky above, the stars flickered like they were about to break.
---
End of Chapter 32