Was Clara in danger?
Or had she simply wandered in another direction?
The questions gnawed at Andy's sanity. His thoughts tangled into a storm that refused to quiet. He reached out through their inner link and told Siya and Ali that Clara was missing. Both of them urged him to stay calm and keep searching the area until they arrived.
Andy ran through the ruins like a man possessed, calling her name, scanning every broken wall and shadow. Then suddenly—someone covered his eyes from behind.
He spun around in alarm.
Clara.
Relief struck first. Then anger flooded in just as fast. He informed Siya that Clara had been found, and immediately lashed out at Clara, scolding her for her recklessness and childish prank.
Tears filled her eyes.
Andy turned to leave, still burning with frustration, when Clara shouted after him—
"I like you! That's why I act this way with you! When I saw how worried you were for Siya, I thought… if a man can care this much for the one who gave him life, how deeply would he care for the woman who becomes part of his life? That's when I started feeling something for you. I hoped one day you'd notice me too… worry about me too. I only asked for your love, Andy…"
Andy stopped.
He turned back slowly, his expression hard as steel.
"And that," he said quietly, "is the one thing I can never give you. Siya is my life. Even my life is too small a price for her. You will never match the love and respect I have for her. For your own sake… stop thinking about me. I have never looked at you that way."
The words shattered Clara. She stood there, broken, as Andy picked up the metal body and walked away without looking back.
When he returned, Siya immediately sensed the tension.
"Andy… where's Clara? What happened?"
"Don't ask me," he replied coldly. "Ask her."
He disappeared into the lab.
Moments later Clara arrived, wiping her tears. Siya understood everything without needing an explanation. She let them both cool down before approaching Clara.
A little while later Siya found her sitting in a corner, quietly sobbing. The sight twisted her heart. Siya knelt beside her and gently pulled her into an embrace.
"Don't be sad, Clara. None of this is your fault."
Through tears, Clara whispered, "Did I fall in love with someone who doesn't even want to look at me? What did I do wrong, Siya? If he didn't like me, he could have just said no… why hurt me like that?"
Siya spoke softly, patiently.
"There's a reason. And that reason made him lose control."
Clara looked up. "What reason?"
Siya took a breath and began.
"About twenty years ago, Andy was deeply in love with a girl named Keya. She loved him just as fiercely. They crossed every boundary for each other. They lived together, shared every joy and pain. She even introduced him to her family. When she asked to meet his… Andy realized he had none. No parents. No relatives. And he understood something else—he wasn't an ordinary human being.
The weight of that truth crushed him.
He decided to tell her everything. He even brought her to meet me. But the evening he planned to confess… Keya told him she was pregnant."
Clara's breath caught.
"He was happy," Siya continued, "but terrified. A responsibility beyond measure had fallen on his shoulders. He told me everything. I told him to live his life the way he wanted. He was ready to reveal the truth to her the next day… but before he could—there was a massive explosion.
By some miracle, both survived. They were rushed to the hospital. Andy recovered quickly. Keya didn't.
Watching her suffer broke him. He made a desperate decision—to leave her and the child, believing his existence would only endanger them. When he visited her one last time, he told her the truth. She didn't blame him. She only asked him to start a peaceful life with her.
But Andy knew peace would never follow him.
So he disappeared.
He watched them from the shadows. Protected them from afar. And when the day came for their child to be born… Keya saw him. She followed him, begged him to come back. All her anger vanished the moment she touched him. He told her to return home.
She did.
And on the way… there was an accident."
Siya's voice faltered.
"They both died."
Silence swallowed the room.
"Andy shattered. He locked himself in a dark room for nearly a year. It took us five or six more to pull him out of that grief. He built a new life… but he never forgot Keya. He's terrified of loving again. He believes anyone he loves will die because of him.
That fear pushes him away from people. But he is one of the purest souls you'll ever meet, Clara. And if anyone can pull him out of that darkness now…"
Siya held her hands gently.
"…it's you. Help him."