Meanwhile, at the chawl, Charvi stood by the window, her brows furrowed. The rain outside mirrored the heaviness in her heart. "Didi should have been back by now," she murmured to herself, worry clear in her voice. She reached for her phone, dialing Gauri's number once again, but the robotic tone of "not reachable" only deepened her unease.
Behind her, Gayatri's mocking tone cut through the tension. "Don't worry so much, Charvi. Your sister must be enjoying a good time with one of her clients," she sneered.
Adrija smirked, joining in. "Exactly. Gauri knows how to keep herself busy, you don't have to sit here like a watchdog."
Charvi turned sharply, her eyes blazing despite her gentle nature. "Enough, Ma. Didi is not like what you're saying. And you too, Didi," she added, her voice trembling but firm. "You should be ashamed of yourself for speaking about her like that."
Gayatri and Adrija were taken aback by her sudden defiance—the youngest in the family daring to speak against them. But Charvi didn't wait for a response. Her temples throbbed as a wave of dizziness washed over her. She pressed a hand to her forehead and stumbled back toward her desk.
Sinking into the chair, she grabbed a pen and paper almost instinctively, her fingers moving on their own. Within minutes, an image began to take shape: her elder sister Gauri... and a dark figure in a hood.
Charvi blinked at the drawing, confusion clouding her mind. "Why... why did I draw this?" she whispered. Her hand trembled slightly as she traced the outline of the hooded man. "What does this mean? What danger is surrounding you, Didi?"
Out on the rain-swept highway, the rhythmic rumble of her cab's engine was Gauri's only companion. She gripped the wheel tighter, her eyes fixed ahead through the curtain of rain. But as she rounded a bend, her blood froze.
There, standing ominously in the middle of the road, illuminated by her headlights, was the hooded man. In his hand, he brandished a thick metal pipe.
Fear constricted Gauri's chest, but adrenaline surged through her veins. Not again, she thought, teeth gritting as she pressed her foot harder on the accelerator, determined to run him over.
But before the cab could reach him, the vehicle shuddered violently and screeched to a halt, mere inches from the hooded figure. The engine whined angrily, refusing to move. The man's hands were stretched out toward her, as though he had stopped the cab with nothing but sheer force.
Terror clawed at Gauri. This wasn't normal. This wasn't human. With a strangled cry, she scrambled out of the cab, her feet splashing into the rainwater pooling on the road. She staggered backward, trying to keep distance between herself and the hooded figure as he began to walk toward her, slow, deliberate, like a predator savoring the chase.
Panicked, Gauri turned and bolted down the highway. Her heart pounded, her wet hair clung to her face, and her sandals slapped against the slick asphalt. But the man was faster—unnaturally faster. One moment he was behind her, the next he appeared ahead, blocking her path.
Her legs gave out, and she fell hard onto the cold, wet ground. "God, please save me," she whispered, her voice trembling.
The hooded man raised the pipe high above his head, rain dripping off its edge. Gauri squeezed her eyes shut, bracing for the blow—when suddenly, another hand shot out, catching the weapon mid-air.
The sickening thud never came. Instead, there was a metallic clang.
Her eyes flew open to see Vihaan Kothari, his face set in grim determination, wrestling the pipe from the hooded man. With one powerful shove, Vihaan flung the attacker backward. The hooded man skidded across the slick road, crashing hard.
Relief crashed over Gauri, overwhelming and raw. Before she could stop herself, she stumbled to her feet and threw her arms around Vihaan. Her body shook as she clung to him tightly, her sobs muffled against his chest.
Vihaan froze, startled. For a moment his arms hovered awkwardly at his sides, but the feel of her trembling against him, the desperation in her hold, stirred something unfamiliar. Slowly, almost cautiously, he brought his arms around her.
The hooded man began to stir again. But Vihaan's eyes darkened, glowing faintly with an unnatural crimson light. The discarded pipe trembled on the ground, then shot up into the air, hurtling toward the hooded figure with terrifying speed.
The weapon struck. And just like that—the hooded man vanished into thin air, leaving only the echo of the impact behind.
Gauri, still sobbing into his chest, hadn't seen the impossible act. She only knew that the danger was gone.
"He… he tried to…" she stammered through her tears.
Vihaan's gaze lingered on the empty spot where the hooded man had been, his mind clouded with questions. Yet his grip on her tightened protectively. "He's gone," he murmured roughly. "You're safe now."
Gradually, her sobs slowed. She pulled back, blinking up at him, rain dripping from her lashes. Their eyes locked—her vulnerability meeting his guarded intensity. For a moment, the downpour, the fear, even the world itself seemed to fade, leaving only the unspoken connection between them in that fragile, rain-soaked silence.