The next day, the bustling Bandra Police Station was alive with ringing phones, hurried footsteps, and the shuffle of paperwork. Gauri parked her cab neatly outside, wiped her damp palms on her kurta, and walked with a determined stride toward the entrance.
Inside, she scanned the busy corridors until her eyes landed on the nameplate: "Vihaan Kothari, ACP." Taking a steadying breath, she pushed the door open and stepped in.
Vihaan looked up from the pile of reports on his desk. For a split second, surprise flickered across his sharp features. "Ms. Gauri? What are you doing here? Did you come to file a complaint?" His tone was clipped, professional, though faintly colored by curiosity.
Gauri shook her head. Her stance was firm, her voice steady. "No, ACP Sir. I've come to say yes."
His brows knitted together. "Yes? Yes to what, Ms. Gauri?"
"The other day," she explained, meeting his eyes directly, "you suggested I work with the police force—as bait—to help catch that hooded man. I… I agree. I'm ready."
Vihaan leaned back in his chair, folding his arms, studying her with that piercing gaze. "You understand what you're saying? This isn't some act of bravery for show. This is dangerous. Very dangerous."
Gauri's chin lifted, her resolve unshaken. "I know. But unless he's caught, no woman is safe in this city. That includes me. So yes, I am ready to act as bait."
For a moment, silence stretched between them. Then Vihaan gave a single, slow nod. A shadow of grim determination settled in his eyes as he glanced briefly toward Harsh, who had been standing near the doorway, watching quietly.
"Fine," Vihaan said at last, his voice steady, decisive. "But understand this, Ms. Gauri—you'll be stepping into fire. And if you falter even once, there might not be a second chance."
Gauri's heartbeat quickened, but she held her ground. "Then I won't falter."
Vihaan's words lingered in the air, heavy with warning. But Gauri didn't back down. She stepped closer to his desk, her voice rising with emotion.
"You think I don't know the risk, ACP Sir? Every girl in this city knows it. Every time we step out at night, every time we walk down a lonely street, we carry fear in our hearts. Fear that someone like him is waiting in the shadows."
Her hands clenched at her sides as she continued, her eyes burning with conviction. "As long as men like him roam free, no girl is truly safe. Not the student going home after classes, not the nurse finishing her shift, not the cab driver earning an honest living. Until he's caught, we're all just… waiting for our turn."
Vihaan studied her silently, his jaw tightening. There was no tremor in her voice, no hesitation in her words. For the first time, the woman he had dismissed as reckless or dishonorable was standing before him with the kind of courage he couldn't ignore.
Harsh shifted at the doorway, visibly moved by her words. But Vihaan remained still, his expression unreadable. Only the faintest flicker in his eyes betrayed that her words had struck somewhere deep.
Finally, his voice broke the silence, low and measured. "Then let's catch him. Together."
The midday sun beat down on the dusty road as Gauri approached the grand stone steps of the Devi temple. The air shimmered with heat, mingling with the faint fragrance of incense drifting from the sanctum. The rhythmic clang of the temple bell and the soft chants of devotees floated in the background, grounding her in the sacred stillness.
Stepping barefoot onto the cool stone floor, she walked toward the sanctum where the idol of the Goddess stood resplendent, draped in red silk and fresh marigolds. Folding her hands, Gauri knelt on the mat before the deity, her heart pounding a heavy rhythm against her ribs.
This was it. The moment she had been both dreading and anticipating. Raising her eyes to the fierce yet compassionate face of the Goddess, she whispered, her voice trembling but clear, "Maa… I am about to do something dangerous. Something that could cost me everything."
Her lips quivered as she continued, tears threatening to spill. "But if You are with me, if You stand beside me, then maybe… maybe I can save those girls. Innocent daughters, sisters, their light stolen by darkness. Don't let me falter, Maa. Be my shield, my strength."
With shaking hands, she took a pinch of vermillion from the small brass plate nearby and pressed it to her forehead, a mark of her silent vow. A fierce determination flickered in her eyes as she rose to her feet.
The great temple bell tolled above her, its deep, resonant sound echoing through the sanctum like a divine response. Each clang reverberated in her chest, a solemn acknowledgment of the perilous path she had chosen.
With a deep breath, her courier bag slung firmly across her shoulder, Gauri stepped back into the harsh sunlight outside. The sacred red mark still burned on her forehead, but it was the fire in her heart — unyielding and resolute — that guided her down the temple steps and back toward the dangerous mission that awaited her.