The warehouse was dimly lit, its walls echoing with the heavy breathing of men engaged in a battle of life and death. Gunshots rang through the air, and amidst the chaos, ACP Arjun Suryakant Rawte moved like a predator, his focus unwavering as he cornered his nemesis—Sikander.
For years, Arjun had been chasing this ghost, the man who had taken everything from him. He could already feel the weight of justice pressing down on his shoulders. One final bullet, and it would be over.
Sikander smirked, blood trickling from the wound on his arm. "You're so eager for revenge, ACP Rawte. But tell me, are you ready for the truth?"
Arjun’s grip tightened on the trigger. "Your time is up, Sikander. No more games."
Sikander laughed, stepping backwards. "Oh, but you’ll want to hear this. She's alive, Arjun."
The words barely registered at first. Arjun’s breath hitched. "Who?"
Sikander's smirk widened. "Roshni."
Everything froze. The air felt thin, the world around him blurred. No, this was impossible. She was dead. He had seen her lifeless body, cradled her in his arms as the last warmth faded from her skin.
Lies. It had to be a lie.
But then, Sikander gestured towards a darkened corner of the warehouse, and for the first time, Arjun noticed a frail figure shackled to a chair. His heart pounded. No. It couldn’t be.
His legs moved before his mind caught up, his gun lowering slightly as he reached out. The woman’s head was bowed, her long, matted hair covering her face. Bruises. Scars. A tremor in her fingers.
"Roshni…" His voice was barely above a whisper.
At the sound of his voice, she flinched before slowly raising her head. The moment their eyes met, Arjun felt as though the ground had been ripped from under him. It was her.
Tears clung to the edges of her tired eyes, her lips trembling as she whispered, "Arjun…"
The next few moments blurred. His hands moved to untie her, every breath ragged with disbelief. Alive. She was alive.
Behind him, Sikander chuckled. "Oh, what a beautiful reunion. But the question is—what now, ACP?"
Arjun snapped out of his daze. He turned, his gun aimed at Sikander’s head. "You're finished."
A single gunshot ended it. Sikander’s body fell, but Arjun didn’t even watch. He turned back to Roshni, his hands hovering uncertainly before finally touching her face, tracing every bruise, every sign of pain.
"You're real…" His voice broke.
She managed a weak nod before collapsing against him.
Back at the ETF headquarters, everything was chaos. Rathore, Shree, and Chotu were all shaken by Roshni’s return. They had believed, like Arjun, that she was dead. But she had been alive all this time, a captive in Sikander’s web.
The team stood outside the medical bay, while inside, Arjun sat beside Roshni’s hospital bed, unmoving.
"She needs rest," the doctor had told him. "Physically, she’ll recover. But mentally… she’s been through hell, Arjun."
He knew that. God, he knew that. And it shattered him.
But amidst the whirlwind of emotions, one thought clawed at his mind—Riya.
For the past year, something had shifted between him and Riya. It had been gradual, subtle. She had crept into his life in ways he hadn’t expected—her laughter, her unwavering belief in him, the way she saw through his walls and still chose to stay.
Riya had never tried to replace Roshni, but she had brought back something Arjun never thought he’d feel again—hope.
And now, sitting beside Roshni, he felt a cold, suffocating guilt settle over him.
The door creaked open. He didn’t need to turn to know who it was.
"Arjun?"
Her voice was soft, uncertain.
Slowly, he stood and faced her. Riya's usual spark was gone, replaced by quiet sadness. She had known—before anyone else—what this meant.
"You should be happy," she said after a moment. "Roshni is alive."
"I am." His voice was barely above a whisper.
"But?" she prompted, her sharp gaze searching his.
Arjun closed his eyes. He had never been a man of words when it came to emotions. How could he explain the storm raging within him?
"Riya, I—" He stopped. He didn't have the words.
She gave him a small, broken smile. "I understand, Arjun. Really, I do."
Did she? Did she really understand the weight in his chest, the conflict tearing him apart?
She turned to leave, but before she could, he grabbed her wrist. "Riya, wait."
She stiffened but didn’t move away.
"I never meant… I never thought this would happen," he admitted.
Riya chuckled softly, but it was hollow. "Neither did I. But it changes things, doesn’t it?"
He wanted to say no. He wanted to tell her that Roshni being alive didn’t erase what he had started feeling for her.
But was that fair?
Roshni had been his wife. His love. A woman who had suffered because of him. Could he now turn his back on her when she needed him the most?
Riya sighed, pulling her hand away gently. "You don’t have to say it, Arjun. I already know your answer."
He took a step forward, his heart lurching, but she shook her head.
"Don’t," she whispered. "Just… don’t."
And then, before he could stop her, she was gone.
Days passed, and Roshni slowly recovered. Arjun was by her side, just as he should be.
But late at night, when silence stretched too long, he found himself staring at his phone—Riya’s name on the screen, his thumb hovering over the call button.
He never pressed it.
Because in the end, this was never a choice, was it?
Roshni was his past, his first love, the woman he had vowed to protect but failed.
Riya… was his present, the woman who had unknowingly given him back a part of himself.
And now, he had lost her.
Perhaps that was his punishment—a heart forever caught between what was and what could have been.
The End
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I love Arni but Ariya is my sukoon 🤍
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