In the days that followed, Arjun moved Kabir to a hidden location where he was tied up and beaten every day by different men. Arjun was careful to keep Kabir alive—at least until he could ruin the relationship between Shivika and Samar.
To set his plan in motion, Arjun sent a message to Samar from Kabir’s phone:
Kabir: "Bhai, I’m going to an important meeting for a few days. Please don’t disturb me."
Samar read the message and didn’t think much of it. Kabir sometimes took time away for work, so this wasn’t unusual. It was the first time he hadn’t just sent a quick text, but Samar trusted his brother and let it go.
The next day after smara Shivika's date, feeling frustrated and jealous, Arjun tried to create tension. He approached Shivika casually.
"Listen, I want to confess something..."
"Haan haan, batao?"
"You know the plan for yesterday? That was all Kabir's idea. He asked me."
"Hmm, okay…"
"Okay? That’s your reaction?"
"Well, Samar told me he helped Kabir with it."
"Oh, okay… That’s really sweet."
Shivika’s trust in Samar didn’t waver, which surprised Arjun. She even told him to mind his own business, making him more irritated. Determined to gather more information, Arjun started spending time with Samar. Unaware of Arjun’s true intentions, Samar was excited to bond with Shivika's childhood friend, just as he had done with Shivika’s mother and other friends.
Meanwhile, Ishaan and Naina’s relationship was getting better. Naina was slowly healing from her emotional and physical wounds. With Ishaan’s support, she began to regain her strength and started walking again. Ishaan was focused on making her comfortable, and in the process, he found himself developing feelings for her—though he didn’t realize it yet.
Still, Ishaan couldn’t shake the worry about Kabir. He had tried calling him several times, but there was no response. The last time he saw Kabir was when he left to meet Arjun, and since then, Ishaan hadn’t heard a word. A sense of unease gnawed at him, especially with Kabir’s sudden silence. The feeling only intensified with each passing day. He knew something wasn’t right. Desperate to find out what happened, Ishaan made the decision to look into it. Little did he know, Kabir was in far more danger than he could have imagined—Arjun’s sinister plan was already in motion.
At night, Arjun and Samar sat in the dimly lit bar lounge, the soft hum of the crowd around them blending with the clink of glasses and low music. They were sharing drinks, the air thick with an unspoken tension, the kind you feel after a few too many rounds of conversation.
Samar took a slow sip of his drink, his eyes narrowing slightly as he looked over at Arjun.
"Wese, how come you're not in love with her?" Samar asked, looking at Arjun with curiosity. (By the way, how come you're not in love with her?) "Batao naa..." (Come on, tell me...)
Arjun took a slow sip from his glass, his voice calm and distant. "Kya hi farak padta hai," he said, shrugging. (What difference does it make?) "Usse to tum pasand ho na..." (She likes you, right...)
Samar raised an eyebrow, teasing him. "So, you do love her?"
Arjun paused for a moment, then spoke with a hint of a smile. "Who wouldn't? Everybody loves her. Wo hai hi aisi." (Who wouldn't? She's just like that.)
"Smart ho," Samar said, laughing a little. (You're smart.) Just then, his phone buzzed, interrupting their conversation.
"Ishaan here, sir. Kabir sir se baat huyi apki?" Ishaan asked, his tone sounding a little worried. (Ishaan here, sir. Have you spoken to Kabir sir?)
Samar frowned and thought for a moment. "Nahi, wo kisi kaam se gaya tha. Usne msg kara tha," he replied. (No, he went somewhere for some work. He had sent a message.)
"Toh abhi kabse usse baat nahi huyi?" Ishaan asked, his concern growing. (So, you haven't spoken to him since then?)
Samar sat back in his chair, thinking. "Ek hafta ho gaya hai... Kyun, usne tumhe kuch nahi bataya?" he asked, a bit confused. (It's been a week... Why, didn't he tell you anything?)
"Nahi sir," Ishaan said. "That's strange..."
Samar’s frown deepened. "Sir, mujhe apse zaroori baat karni hai," Ishaan said, sounding urgent. (Sir, I need to talk to you about something important.)
"Theek hai," Samar said, standing up. "Main yahi Polo Lounge mein hoon, aa jao." (Alright, I'm at the Polo Lounge. Come here.)
Ishaan paused for a second, then spoke again, his voice sounding tense. "Sir, ap Fortis hospital aa sakte hain? Wo actually main yahi hoon... I can't leave." (Sir, can you come to Fortis Hospital? Actually, I'm here... I can't leave.)
Samar raised an eyebrow. "Fortis mein kyun ho? Tumhari tabiyat kharaab hai kya?" he asked, a bit worried. (Why are you at Fortis? Is your health bad?)
"Nahi sir," Ishaan replied quickly. "Ek dost ka accident ho gaya hai... Ap aa sakte hain?" (No, sir. A friend of mine had an accident... Can you come?)
Samar’s face softened a little. "Abhi toh main bhi ek dost ke saath hoon. Kal subah aata hoon," he said, trying to reassure him. (Right now, I'm also with a friend too. I'll come tomorrow morning.)
"Thank you so much, sir," Ishaan said, sounding relieved.
"It's okay," Samar said, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right.
Beep...
The call ended, and Samar put his phone down slowly, his mind spinning with questions. He couldn’t help but feel uneasy.
Arjun watched Samar closely, his eyes sharp and calculating. Samar looked troubled, but Arjun remained calm, a faint smile on his face.
""Kya hua, Ishaan theek hai?" Arjun asked, his voice tinged with a note of genuine concern. (What happened, is Ishaan okay?)
Samar, still distracted by the call, glanced over at Arjun with a frown. "Haan, usse kuch important batana hai... Kabir se related." (Yes, he needs to tell me something important... related to Kabir.)
"mmmm" he replied, a little evasively. But Arjun could see the worry on Samar's face. It was unlike Ishaan to call for something minor.
"Uske liye hospital mein bula raha?" Arjun asked, his heart skipping a beat. The thought of Ishaan, someone who usually kept his distance from anything too dramatic, calling him to a hospital didn't sit right. (Is he asking you to come to the hospital for that?)
Samar nodded, his eyes serious. "Pehli baar ese bulaya hai, toh important hi hoga." His voice was low, almost like he was trying to convince himself. (He's calling me for the first time like this, so it must be important.)
Arjun stared at him for a moment, his thoughts racing. "True," he muttered, but the unease in his chest grew.
A few more drinks and small talk later, Samar decided to head back home. Arjun, however, couldn't shake the gnawing feeling in his stomach. Why had Ishaan called Samar to the hospital? What was going on there? He felt a strange pull, a need to understand what had happened, to dig deeper.
He excused himself from the bar and made his way to the hospital. His mind raced with possibilities—what if Ishaan had found out something? Or worse, what if Ishaan had already started piecing together the puzzle of Kabir’s sudden disappearance?
The hospital’s sterile, quiet atmosphere only heightened Arjun’s growing sense of unease. He walked to the reception, trying to maintain his composure despite the tight knot in his chest.
"Hey! I want to find someone!" He said
"Name?" the receptionist asked, looking up from her screen.
"Ishaan" Arjun said, his voice low. He waited for the receptionist to type it in, but when she glanced back at him,
"Naina gupta?" She asked
His face froze for a moment before he spoke "y..yes"
"Room 302," she said, her tone almost too neutral. But it was enough to make Arjun’s heart stop in his chest.
His mind raced. Naina Gupta. That name. It couldn’t be—it couldn’t. Naina was supposed to be—dead.
His stomach churned as he processed the realization. Naina was alive. She’s alive? How was that possible? And if she was, that meant Ishaan must know. If Ishaan knew, then everything Arjun had carefully built—everything he had planned—was falling apart.
Arjun took a step back, his head swimming with the sudden weight of the truth. This wasn’t just a coincidence. Ishaan must’ve figured something out, maybe connected the dots, or worse—maybe he had already started asking questions about Kabir's disappearance. What if Ishaan had suspicions about what Arjun had done?
He had to act fast.
Arjun stepped outside the hospital, his mind a storm of confusion and fear. He couldn’t just sit here and let everything unravel. Not now. Not when so much was at stake.
He collapsed onto a bench outside, his body feeling heavier with each passing second. His chest tightened, and before he realized it, tears were running down his face. He wiped them away quickly, ashamed of the weakness, but the anxiety inside him was relentless. His mind went over everything—the lies, the manipulation, the people he’d hurt.
He had taken too many risks. And now it felt like everything was coming apart. Shivika’s trust on samar? It was like steel—unshaken, unmoving. Arjun needed a better plan, and more time.
He thought of Naina. She had to be kept out of this. She couldn’t—she wouldn’t—get in the way of everything he’d worked for. If Ishaan knew she was alive, if she was in a hospital bed, then the whole thing could come crashing down.
Arjun wiped his tears with his sleeve, his expression hardening. "Ab bura ban hi gaya hoon toh, puri tarah se ban jata hoon," he whispered to himself. "There’s no going back now.''
He took out his phone, his fingers shaking as he dialed a number. His men needed to be here. Fast. It was time to make sure that things didn’t get out of control. And that Ishaan... well, Ishaan had no idea what he was about to get involved in.
-------------------------In the hospital--------------
""Ab theek lag raha hai?" Ishaan asked, his eyes softening as he looked at Naina. (Is it feeling better now?)
"Haan," Naina replied, her voice still a little shaky, but she gave him a small nod of reassurance. Then, her face softened, her eyes searching his with a hint of something unspoken. "Ishaan..."
"Kya hua?" Ishaan asked quickly, his voice sharp with concern. "Sab theek hai na?" (What happened? Is everything okay?)
Naina hesitated for a moment, her gaze shifting away from him. Then, she finally spoke, her voice barely above a whisper. "Kabir sir ka kuch pata chala?" (Has there been any news about Kabir sir?)
Ishaan’s face darkened slightly, his jaw tightening. "Nahi," he replied, though there was a clear tension in his voice. "Samar sir ko bhi bas ek message kara tha. Ek hafta ho gaya hai, pakka Arjun ne kuch kiya hai." (No, he just sent a message to Samar sir. It's been a week, Arjun must have done something.)
Naina closed her eyes briefly, taking in his words, the gravity of the situation settling heavily in her chest. She had suspected something was wrong, and now, hearing it from Ishaan made it all feel much more real. "Mujhe bhi lagta hai," she whispered, her voice faltering. "Samar sir ko sab bata dena kal shuru se..." (I feel the same. We need to tell Samar sir everything, from the start, tomorrow...)
Ishaan nodded, his expression resolute. "Haan, maine bhi yahi socha hai." (Yes, that's what I thought too.)
Before they could discuss further, a nurse walked into the room, her tone polite but firm.
"Excuse sir, doctor ne apko bulaya hai. Apne cabin main, patient se related kuch discuss karna hai." (Excuse sir, the doctor has called for you. He needs to discuss something related to the patient in your cabin.)
"Theek hai," Ishaan said, standing up. "Thodi der main aata hoon, tum jao." (Alright, I'll be there in a bit. You go ahead.)
Naina looked up at him, a flicker of vulnerability in her eyes. "Mera bhai theek hai na?" (My brother is okay, right?)
Ishaan smiled reassuringly, though it didn’t reach his eyes. "Haan, wo ekdum safe hai. Tum tension mat lo, aram se so jao." (Yes, he's completely safe. Don't worry, go ahead and sleep peacefully.)
She took a deep breath, the weight of everything still heavy on her. "Ishaan... Thank you."
"No..." Ishaan’s voice softened as he gave her a quick smile. "Thank you for letting me help you. Chalo ab so jao. Good night." (No... Thank you for letting me help you. Now go sleep. Good night.)
"Goodnight," Naina whispered as he left the room.
As the door clicked shut behind him, Naina closed her eyes again, feeling her body finally relax, the sharp pain in her wounds now easing. Her eyelids fluttered, the fatigue from the pain and everything weighing on her pulling her towards sleep. She was just about to drift off when she heard the door open again.
Raat baakii...baat baaaki...
Her eyes snapped open, her heart racing. She froze, every muscle in her body going rigid.
There, standing in the doorway, was Arjun.
And behind him, five or six men—silent, looming shadows. Naina’s breath caught in her throat. Her pulse shot up, and in that instant, her body was thrust back to that night. The memories, the fear, the helplessness. She couldn’t move, couldn’t scream.
Arjun’s smile was the same as it had been then—cold, calculating, like a predator watching its prey.
""Meri pyari girlfriend toh zinda hai," he said, his voice filled with dark amusement as he stepped closer. (My dear girlfriend is still alive.)
Naina’s body refused to move. She was frozen with fear, the horrible memories of what he had done to her rushing back.
She tried to scream, to fight back, but her throat was tight, and her limbs felt trapped.
Arjun didn’t seem to care. He was too calm, too focused. "Chalo, zyada takleef nahi denge," he said almost kindly, as if doing her a favor. (Come on, I won’t cause you too much pain.) He pulled a syringe from his pocket. Naina’s eyes widened in terror.
"Dekho," Arjun continued, his voice still unnervingly calm, "Agar zyada hilogi toh zyada dard hoga. Warna... seedha lag jaega." (Look, if you move too much, it will hurt more. Otherwise, it’ll go in easily.)
His words made her blood run cold. No. Not this. Not again.
Arjun’s hand was outstretched, and before she could react, the needle was pressed into her skin. The sharp sting shot through her body, and Naina’s vision began to blur, her limbs going numb as the cold liquid poured into her. Her heart pounded in her ears as the darkness took hold, creeping in like a thick fog. Her mind screamed at her, desperate to wake up from this nightmare, but the weight of the drug and the fear pressing down on her was too much.
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