Chapter 35: Run Before the Time and hope fades

The forest was darker than it should have been.

Twilight faded quickly, and the clouds above choked out the moonlight, as if the world itself wanted to hide what was about to happen. Aarav sprinted through the overgrown trail, branches slashing at his arms, thorns tearing at his sleeves — but he didn't stop.

He couldn't.

Not when Mira was out there.

Not when she had walked into danger for him.

"Come on, Mira…" he whispered, breath sharp in his throat. "Please be okay."

Behind him, Rehan struggled to keep up. "We need to stay sharp. If this was a setup, they may be leading us into a trap."

"I don't care," Aarav snapped. "She's in this because of me."

"But if we both walk into it unprepared, she loses us both."

Aarav stopped, his chest heaving. Rehan was right — but logic couldn't quiet the storm in his chest.

"She said something last night," Aarav muttered, eyes scanning the trees. "She remembered the ruins. The old stone place I showed her once…"

"That's west of the ridge," Rehan said. "Near the drop valley. You think she'd go that far?"

"She'd go wherever she had to if she thought it would protect me."

Without another word, they took off again, this time with purpose.

Back at the safe house, the silence had returned — except for the quiet click of a door closing.

Someone moved through the kitchen, slow and composed. They opened a locked drawer in Aarav's study and pulled out an old envelope — one Aarav had forgotten.

Inside was a list of names. Codes. Coordinates.

The informant snapped a photo of the list, then tucked it back as if nothing had happened.

They whispered under their breath, almost fondly:

"Sometimes, love makes you blind."

Meanwhile, Mira's wrists burned against the rope binding them. Her blindfold was damp from sweat and fear, and though she couldn't see the figure near her, she could feel him — circling like a predator.

"You thought you could draw me out," the man sneered. "How romantic. And how foolish."

Mira's voice shook, but it didn't break. "If you came for me to punish him… you've already failed."

There was a short laugh. "Aarav took something from me — something priceless. So now, I take something irreplaceable from him."

"You're wrong," she said, lifting her chin. "He didn't lose me. Because I'm not afraid of you."

Silence followed.

Then — footsteps.

Closer.

Sudden.

A sound of something being drawn from a holster.

A blade?

Her breath quickened.

But so did the crashing sound of feet through the brush — rushing toward them.

"Mira!" Aarav's voice exploded through the trees.

The man cursed and moved fast. But Aarav was faster.

He burst into the clearing, eyes landing on Mira — blindfolded, tied, and pale.

"Step away from her," Aarav growled, rage pulsing through his blood.

The man didn't flinch. "You always did like dramatic entries."

Aarav didn't respond with words. He lunged.

The two clashed in the center of the ruins. Blows exchanged. Dirt kicked up. Mira could hear the struggle, feel the earth tremble beneath their weight. All she could do was believe.

Rehan arrived moments later, tackling the man from behind. Between them, they brought him to the ground — breathless and pinned.

Mira sat still, listening.

Then she heard it:

Aarav's voice, closer now. Softer.

"Hey… it's me."

He tore off her blindfold, and their foreheads met.

"I told you," he whispered, trembling. "I'd come back for you."

She touched his face, smiling through tears. "And I told you… I'm not going anywhere."

But as they held each other in the silence, Rehan stood a few steps away, staring at the unconscious man.

Something about him was off.

Too professional. Too well-equipped.

Not a lone attacker. Not a hired thug.

Rehan slowly turned, eyes scanning the edge of the woods.

Someone had tipped them off.

Someone from the inside.