Episode ------51
Night wrapped Kolkata in damp shadows, the Hooghly whispering secrets to broken stone.
In the prison's belly, Raian waited.
Chains bit raw skin; breath steamed in cold air. Hope coiled tight in his chest — fragile, foolish, alive.
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Dawn bled into grey.
The guard returned, keys clinking. "On your feet, boss."
Raian's body screamed protest, bruises flaring fire, but he forced his legs to move.
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They led him through narrow halls, the smell of rust and wet stone thick. Every echo of boots sparked a pulse of fear.
If they lied…
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A door opened. Light stabbed his eyes.
And there — beyond cracked glass and iron bars — she sat.
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Aria.
Pale as dawn fog, hair unwashed, lips bloodless. But breathing.
Alive.
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Raian's breath punched from bruised lungs. His knees nearly gave.
She lifted her gaze, tears glazing hazel eyes.
Alive. We're both alive.
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Words tangled in his throat.
"Aria…" he rasped, voice cracking.
"Raian," she whispered. His name splintered in her mouth, half prayer, half curse.
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They stood divided by rusted bars and a single dying bulb, but for one heartbeat, it felt closer than skin.
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"You shouldn't have come," she murmured, tears spilling. "They'll use me against you."
Raian's jaw flexed. "They already are."
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The guard stepped closer. "Make it quick."
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Aria swallowed, voice trembling. "They hurt you."
Raian's mouth twisted. "Not enough to keep me from you."
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She reached toward the bars; he mirrored her, cold iron stealing warmth from skin.
"Why, Raian?" she choked. "Why trade everything just to see me?"
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His eyes — storm‑grey, bruised by sleepless nights — held hers. "Because living without seeing you once more… isn't living at all."
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Pain twisted in Aria's chest, guilt biting deep. I'm the reason he betrayed his own men. His empire.
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"Raian," she whispered, voice cracking, "if you give them what they want, they'll kill you anyway."
"Better me than you," he rasped.
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Tears burned down her cheeks. "Don't you dare."
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A rusted clock ticked. The guard shifted. "Time."
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Raian's hand curled around iron, knuckles white. "Listen to me. Malik will come for you. Run south. Find Bashir."
"Bashir?" Aria whispered, blinking confusion.
"He knows where to hide you," Raian said. "Promise me."
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"I can't leave you here—"
"Promise me!" he snarled, chains rattling. His breath trembled; the softness cracked, raw fear spilling out.
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She swallowed, voice barely air. "I promise."
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For a heartbeat, silence stretched. Rain tapped against the window.
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Raian's voice dropped, hoarse and breaking:
"Aria… I'm sorry. For the night I pulled you into this. For every drop of blood on your hands because of me."
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She shook her head, tears falling. "Don't. You made me see who you are behind the shadows. And I… I still choose you."
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The words lodged in his chest, cutting deeper than any blade.
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The guard pulled Raian back.
"Enough."
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Raian fought, iron biting wrists. "Aria—!"
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She pressed trembling fingers to the bars. "Raian! Stay alive. Please. I'm not done loving you yet."
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They dragged him out; the door slammed.
Light cut. Chains clinked, echoing over stone.
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Aria pressed her forehead to the bars, breath ragged.
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He's alive. He still loves me. And now, I have to fight too.
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In Malik's office:
Rain drummed on cracked glass. Malik leaned over a map, pins marking safe houses.
A blood‑stained scrap lay beside him — part of the stolen ledger, names blurred by Dev's dying hand.
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A man in black stepped in. "They met. Five minutes only."
Malik's lip curled. "Long enough for love. And betrayal."
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His gaze dropped to the paper. "Find the rest. Burn what you must. But bring her alive."
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"Alive?" the man echoed.
Malik's eyes stayed dead. "Love makes even kings bleed. Alive, she's a knife to his heart."
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At the riverside clinic:
Ayan packed battered bags. Lina tied cloth around bruised knuckles.
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Aria sat on the cot, breath shallow, sweat dampening her shirt. Guilt clung heavier than fever.
He traded names. Broke blood oaths. For me.
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Bashir stepped in, old coat dripping rain. "They're moving," he rasped. "You stay, you die."
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Aria lifted haunted eyes. "And him?"
Bashir's gaze turned away. "Prisons built by Malik rarely open again."
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Her heart cracked. But inside, something burned — grief sharpening into resolve.
Then I'll open them. Even if it costs everything.
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In prison:
Raian's chest heaved, every breath splintered by bruised ribs.
Her face stayed burned behind his eyes. Alive. Worth dying for.
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Chains rattled as he sank against stone. Thunder rolled overhead.
One breath. One dawn. I will not die caged.
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Beyond rain and rust:
Love clung to breath. Betrayal sharpened into knives. And in the city's bleeding heart, dawn whispered of a war yet to come.
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Teaser for Episode 52:
Aria flees south, hunted by Malik's men. Raian faces torture for the names he spoke. And a secret page of Dev's ledger threatens to set Kolkata ablaze.