Episode ------45
Rain turned the warehouse roof into a restless drum, each drop whispering dread into the dark.
Aria hunched over yellowed pages, candlelight catching in her tired eyes. Ink smudged her fingertips, her healer's hands learning the shape of vengeance.
Ayan watched her work, ribs bound tight beneath his shirt, pain hidden behind steady breath.
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Outside, in the storm‑slick alleys:
Bashir moved like an old wolf through the wet night, coat pulled tight.
At the corner near a shuttered tea stall, a man waited — hair plastered by rain, camera bag hidden under his jacket.
"Dev," Bashir rasped. "You came."
The journalist lifted his chin, water running down his cheek. "Truth doesn't wait, Bashir. What have you got?"
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Bashir opened the folder, damp edges curling.
"Names, accounts, shipment routes. Malik's empire, page by page."
Dev's breath caught. "Enough to burn him?"
"Enough to light the whole city on fire," Bashir growled.
---
Dev hesitated, fear dancing behind tired eyes. "And the girl? Aria?"
"She knows what this means," Bashir said. "Either freedom… or a grave."
---
In the prison, past iron and mildew:
Raian sat on the cold stone, back against the wall. Rain dripped through cracks above, each drop tapping his shoulders like slow torture.
His thoughts twisted back to that night:
Blood. Rajveer's stunned eyes. His own shaking hands.
And Aria's voice, trembling but alive: "I won't leave you."
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Guilt gnawed deeper than iron chains. What if saving me destroys her?
His fists clenched. Knuckles bruised, skin split, but pain barely reached him.
Through memory's fog, another face returned — his mother's.
Voice like dusk: "Don't let darkness be your only language, Raian."
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His breath rasped out, rough as gravel.
Too late, Mother. But maybe she can still speak for me.
---
Back at the warehouse:
Aria capped the pen, breath trembling.
Ayan knelt beside her. "You've copied enough. If Malik finds the original ledger gone, he'll burn half the city to find us."
Aria's eyes glistened. "What if this isn't enough?"
"Then we fight another way," Ayan murmured, voice hoarse. "But it's more than Raian had yesterday."
---
Lina touched Aria's hand, silent strength in the gesture.
"Truth cuts deeper than knives," she whispered. "Malik knows that."
---
Near dawn:
Bashir returned, coat soaked, eyes burning with quiet urgency.
"Dev will run the story," he rasped. "But you must meet him tonight. Face to face. His editor won't move without seeing the source."
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Aria's stomach tightened. "Me? Why?"
"Because you're the living proof," Bashir growled. "A doctor. Not a thug. A woman who saw what Raian did — and why."
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Ayan's hand curled into a fist. "Too dangerous."
"And letting Malik keep the judge isn't?" Bashir shot back. "This is your best shot. Your only shot."
---
The room fell silent, only rain speaking.
Aria swallowed hard, pulse loud in her ears. "Where?"
"An old print shop by College Street," Bashir said. "Midnight. Bring the ledger. And pray Malik's dogs don't find you first."
---
Later, alone by the broken window:
Aria stared at the rain‑washed street.
Raian… she thought, I don't know if you can hear me. But I'm not running. Not now.
---
In the cell:
Raian's head dropped back against stone, eyelids heavy with exhaustion.
For the first time in days, he let memory rise unguarded:
Aria's hands, warm on his skin. Her voice, trembling: "I'm not leaving you."
The way fear lit her eyes, yet never turned them away.
---
His chest tightened until breath barely came.
Let her live, he prayed — to no god he believed in. If one of us must burn… let it be me.
---
Evening fell.
Bashir handed Aria a battered satchel. "Keep the ledger hidden. If Malik's men catch you, burn it. Ashes tell no tales."
Aria nodded, throat dry.
---
Ayan's gaze locked onto hers. "You don't have to do this alone."
"But I do," Aria whispered. "They need to see me — not you, not Bashir. A doctor who chose truth over fear."
---
Lina hugged her, arms tight, silent promise in every heartbeat.
"You come back," she murmured. "No matter what."
---
Night settled over Kolkata.
The city felt different — every shadow stretched longer, every alley whispered betrayal.
Aria clutched the satchel, breath fogging in the damp air. Bashir led the way, coat flapping behind him. Ayan and Lina stayed behind, unseen in the dark — backup, or last hope.
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At the print shop:
Dust and ink hung thick in the air.
Old machines stood silent, iron frames like sleeping giants.
Dev waited under a sputtering lamp, notebook in hand.
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He looked up, relief flickering across weary features. "Doctor Aria?"
She nodded, voice barely steady. "I have what you need."
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She handed him the ledger. Pages yellowed, ink smudged by rain and trembling hands.
Dev flipped through, eyes widening with every name, every number.
"This… this will bury him."
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Aria's voice cracked. "It must. Before Malik buries Raian."
Dev's pen hovered, words catching in his throat. "You love him," he whispered.
Aria swallowed, tears stinging. "Enough to risk everything."
---
Outside, footsteps scraped on wet stone.
Shadows moved beyond broken glass.
Bashir's voice dropped to a knife‑edge whisper: "They've found us."
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Dev's hand tightened around the ledger. "Then we move. Now."
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A crash — the door slammed open.
Three men, blades flashing under the broken lamplight.
"Find the girl!" one barked.
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Aria's heart thundered. Run? Or finish this?
Her voice rose, louder than fear: "Take the ledger. Print it. Even if I don't make it out."
---
Dev hesitated, eyes wide.
Bashir roared, body blocking the doorway: "Go!"
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Dev bolted into the night, ledger clutched to his chest.
Aria turned to face the men, breath shaking — but hands steady.
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One lunged, blade aimed at her ribs.
Before it struck, Bashir's arm hooked around the attacker's throat, dragging him back.
The two crashed into dusty shelves; paper flew like startled birds.
---
Another man advanced, knife glinting.
Aria stumbled back — foot caught on loose boards — fell hard, pain cracking through her shoulder.
The man raised his blade.
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And from the doorway, a figure blurred forward.
Ayan — ribs bandaged, face set in stone — crashed into the attacker, blade meeting blade.
---
Steel clanged; sparks lit the dark.
Aria scrambled up, breath ragged, eyes wide with terror — and wonder.
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Teaser for Episode 46:
Dev runs with the ledger as Malik's men give chase. In prison, Raian faces the warden's demand: betray the woman he loves, or watch her fall. And Aria must choose — escape now, or stay and risk everything.