After the attack, Leyla tried to pull back.
"I didn't come this far to die next to a fighter," she told him.
"You won't," Aarav said. "You'll live next to a man who fights for people, not just against them."
Their first kiss wasn't cinematic. It was scared, raw, passionate—like two survivors clinging to each other through the storm.
It wasn't perfect. They argued. She challenged his pride. He challenged her isolation.
But it was real.
And it made both of them stronger.
They got intel that one of the biggest illegal child-fighting operations was running a secret "tournament" in Eastern Europe, recruiting boys under 15 for blood matches.
Aarav couldn't stand still.
With Leyla, and contacts from his global work, they exposed the ring, working with journalists and Interpol.
The mission nearly cost them everything—reputation, health, sanity.
But it ended with over 40 children rescued, the ringleader arrested, and Aarav testifying in front of the United Nations Human Rights Council.
Back in India, Aarav finally walked into his gym—now expanded into 3 cities, run by his original team.
The boys and girls he'd trained were now mentors themselves.
One of them asked, "Sir, are you still a fighter?"
Aarav smiled.
"No. I'm a builder now. Of fighters."
Leyla joined him on stage at a TEDx talk in Mumbai, and together they shared their journey:
From self-hate to purposeFrom options to legacyFrom pain to protection
Epilogue: The Mirror
Late one night, Aarav stood in front of the mirror. Not flexing. Just standing.
No filters. No medals.
Behind him, Leyla walked over and wrapped her arms around him.
"Do you miss the fights?""No," he whispered. "Now, I just fight for peace."