Author’s POV
Ruhi’s head throbbed violently. The pain pulsed through her temples, sharp and relentless. She clutched her head as her knees gave way beneath her, her body folding in on itself.
She stumbled and almost fell. But strong arms caught her just in time.
They didn’t let her collapse. Instead, they held her upright, steady, grounding her as the world threatened to slip away again. Whoever it was didn’t let go, even when she leaned into them, trembling.
Slowly, her breathing began to even out.
The pounding in her head softened enough for her to lift her gaze.
She looked up and froze.“Aayansh…” she whispered, disbelief threading through her voice.
He was right there. His arms still around her, his face tight with fear and relief tangled together.
Behind him stood Rishabh bhai, vikrant and Shrey.
Both looked shaken. Both looked like they had been running against time itself to reach her.
Her vision shifted past them.
Uniforms.
Police officers and an entire team had surrounded the terrace now. Commands were being barked, radios crackling with urgency.
Two officers had the man pinned down.
Her stalker.
His mask was gone. His wrists were cuffed behind his back as he struggled weakly, his earlier calm completely shattered.
The same man who had haunted her from the shadows. The same voice that had tried to claim her past.
Now held down under bright daylight.
Reality crashed in.
Ruhi’s fingers tightened into Aayansh’s jacket, her body finally giving in to the weight of everything that had happened.
This time, she didn’t fall.This time, she was standing and he was the one being taken away.
Ruhi pulled away from Aayansh slowly.Not because she didn’t need him but because she needed to face him.
Her legs felt weak, her head still pulsing, but she forced herself to stand on her own. The officers had Rakshit on his knees now, his hands cuffed behind his back. Blood trickled from the corner of his lip, yet his eyes were still fixed on her.
Waiting.
Ruhi stepped forward.
Every step felt like walking through years of memories.
“Why?” she asked.
Her voice was soft but it cut deeper than any scream.
Rakshit lifted his head slightly.
“Why did you kill my father?” Ruhi continued, her breath shaking now. “Why?”
Her eyes burned, tears spilling freely as the words finally broke loose.“I trusted you,” she said, her voice cracking. “I thought you were my friend.”
She pressed a hand to her chest like it physically hurt to breathe.
“You and Vikrant… you both protected me. You were the only friends I had there.” Her shoulders shook. “I told you everything. I cried with you. I laughed with you. I shared things with you I never told anyone else.”
Her knees nearly buckled but she didn’t stop.“Then why?” she cried. “Why would you do this to me? To my father?”
Rakshit’s jaw tightened. For the first time, something flickered in his eyes, regret no, anger, or something darker.
“I never meant”
“Don’t,” Ruhi whispered sharply. “Don’t lie now.”Her strength gave out.The weight of betrayal crashed down all at once.She broke.
A sob tore out of her as she covered her face, her body folding inward, years of buried grief ripping back to the surface.
Before anyone could reactVikrant lunged forward.
The officers barely had time to shift when Vikrant’s fist connected with Rakshit’s face.
The sound echoed across the terrace.Rakshit’s head snapped to the side.
Vikrant grabbed him by the collar, hauling him up despite the cuffs, his entire body shaking with rage and heartbreak.
“You destroyed everything!” Vikrant roared. “Do you know how many nights I cursed myself?”
He shook him violently.
“I thought you were dead,” he screamed. “I thought I failed you! I hated myself for not protecting you!”
His voice broke.
“And then I saw Ruhi like this empty, broken and I told myself at least I’ll protect her. At least I’ll keep her safe.”Tears streamed down Vikrant’s face now, mixing with fury.
“And all this time,” he snarled, pulling Rakshit closer, “you were the reason for everything.”
His grip tightened.“You were the one who killed her father. You were the one who destroyed her life.”
His voice cracked completely as he shouted“WHY, RAKSHIT? WHY DID YOU DO THIS?”
The terrace fell silent.Even the wind seemed to stop.
Ruhi stood frozen, watching two people from her past collide in the most devastating way possible, friendship rotting into betrayal, protection turning into destruction.
Rakshit finally looked up.Straight at Ruhi.
Rakshit laughed.Not loud. manic.It was low. Bitter. Twisted.
The sound alone made Ruhi’s stomach churn.
He lifted his head slowly, eyes burning with rage as he looked straight at her. Then his gaze shifted to Vikrant.
“Yes,” he said calmly. “I killed him.”
The words hit like a gunshot.Ruhi flinched.
“I killed your father,” Rakshit continued, his voice rising now, sharp with obsession. “Because he was taking my doll away from me.”
Ruhi’s breath hitched violently.“My… what?” she whispered.
“My Doll,” Rakshit repeated, eyes never leaving her. “You were mine.”
Aayansh stiffened instantly, stepping forward, but the officers held him back.
Rakshit smiled at that.
“I loved her the moment I saw her,” he said. “She was quiet. Broken. Lonely. Just like me. And I knew she belonged with me.”
Ruhi shook her head, tears streaming. “No… you’re lying.”
“You don’t know,” Rakshit snapped. “But I do.”
He turned back to Vikrant, hatred pouring out of him.“And then you came,” he spat. “Always with her. Always stealing her attention. Laughing with her. Protecting her.”
His jaw clenched.“But that wasn’t even the worst part.”
Vikrant’s fists tightened.
“You went to her father,” Rakshit continued, venom dripping from every word. “You told him how her mother beat her. Touched her. Hurt her.”
Ruhi’s sob caught painfully in her throat.
“Because of you,” Rakshit screamed, “he took her away from that house. Away from me!”
Vikrant’s voice shook. “I was trying to save her.”
“You ruined everything!” Rakshit roared.His chest heaved as years of madness spilled out.
“If you hadn’t opened your mouth,” he snarled, “I would’ve stayed with her. I would’ve protected her. Loved her.”
Ruhi cried out. “That’s not love!”
Rakshit ignored her.“So I made sure you stayed away,” he said coldly. “I told everything to your father. Every lie I needed to tell.”
Vikrant froze.
“And he sent you abroad,” Rakshit smirked. “Just like I planned.”
Vikrant staggered back as if punched.
“But then,” Rakshit’s face twisted, eyes wild, “I found out her father promised something worse.”
Ruhi looked up slowly.
“He promised that you and my Doll would marry,” Rakshit said, his voice dropping into something dangerous. “That was the moment I lost it.”
The officers exchanged tense glances.
“I met her mother,” Rakshit continued, laughing darkly. “She hated him already. All I had to do was promise her one thing.”
His eyes gleamed.
“That if she helped me kill him… ill give money and whatever help she needs and in return she needs to give Doll back to me.”
Ruhi screamed.
“No!”
Rakshit laughed louder now. “But things didn’t go the way I wanted.”
His smile faltered slightly.
“She forgot,” he muttered. “She forgot everything. The memories. Me.”His gaze snapped back to Ruhi, burning.
“Your family sent you abroad,” he said. “To erase me.”
His eyes darkened further.“And when you came back…”He slowly turned his head.And looked straight at Aayansh.
“He came in between.”
The air went deadly still.
Rakshit’s lips curled into a snarl.
“Every time someone gets close to my doll,” he hissed, “they disappear.”Ruhi collapsed to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably.
Aayansh broke free of the officers, rushing to her side, pulling her into his arms as she shook violently.
Vikrant lunged again, screaming, but the police dragged Rakshit backward this time.“You’re sick!” Vikrant shouted. “You never loved her you wanted to own her!”
Rakshit laughed even as they pulled him away.“You can lock me up,” he called out. “But she’ll remember.”
He looked at Ruhi one last time.“She always does.”
The police forced him down the stairs, his laughter echoing long after he was gone.
Ruhi clutched Aayansh’s shirt, sobbing into his chest, her entire world reduced to shattered memories and unbearable truth.
Aayansh held her tighter than ever, his voice breaking as he whispered
“I’m here. I won’t leave. I promise.”
But Ruhi knew now. This wasn’t just about loss. This was about survival.
And healing would be the hardest battle of all.
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