Chapter 4 – Caught Between Duty and Heart
The rain began just before dawn.
Delhi's streets were nearly empty when Akanksha stepped out of the warehouse, her hood pulled low over her face. Today was critical. One encrypted transfer remained. After that, she would disappear.
No traces.
No identity.
No memories.
But destiny had other plans.
Across the road, a black SUV stood silently.
Major Preyajeet Rathore watched her through the rain-streaked windshield.
He had tracked the signal.
He had followed the patterns.
And now—he had found her.
"Target confirmed," he whispered into his comm device.
But he didn't move.
Why?
She looked different in the soft morning rain. Not like a threat. Not like an enemy. Just… human.
Akanksha suddenly stopped walking.
Her instincts screamed.
She wasn't alone.
Slowly, she turned.
Their eyes met again.
No weapons drawn.
No words spoken.
Just silence heavy with unspoken truth.
Preyajeet stepped out of the SUV.
"It's over," he said calmly. "You're surrounded."
She gave a faint smile. "If I was surrounded, Major, I wouldn't still be standing."
A flash of surprise crossed his face.
So she knew who he was.
"Who are you really?" he asked.
She didn't answer directly.
"Does it matter?" she replied softly. "You'll arrest me anyway."
Rain poured harder.
He moved a step closer. "You hacked defense servers. You breached security lines. That's not small."
"And you think I enjoyed it?" her voice cracked—just slightly.
That small crack hit him harder than a bullet.
For a moment, the world around them faded.
No borders.
No flags.
No missions.
Just two people standing in the rain.
"You still have time," he said quietly. "Surrender. Tell me the truth."
Her eyes glistened—not from rain.
"You serve your country," she whispered. "So do I."
The words sliced through him.
Before he could react, a loud gunshot echoed from a nearby rooftop.
Both of them instinctively ducked.
Another shot.
Not from Indian forces.
Preyajeet looked up sharply. "Sniper!"
Akanksha's face turned pale.
That wasn't part of her mission.
They were silencing her.
In that split second, everything changed.
Preyajeet grabbed her hand and pulled her behind the SUV as bullets hit the road.
"Stay down!" he ordered.
She stared at him in shock. "Why are you helping me?"
"Because someone else wants you dead," he replied firmly.
The firing stopped as suddenly as it began.
The rooftop was empty.
Silence returned—but nothing was the same anymore.
Akanksha realized the truth.
Her own handlers didn't trust her.
She was expendable.
Preyajeet looked at her intensely. "Now tell me—who are you really working for?"
For the first time since crossing the border—
Akanksha felt alone.
And the only person standing beside her…
Was the man sent to capture her.