Vikram continued, his tone grave yet certain.
"Long ago, the Reeva Vanshi used it as a hideout. It's a place no dark force can trace. Not even Mohana."
Dilruba nodded slowly, confirming the truth in his words.
Kiara's fingers tightened around Yuvaan's as Vikram added,
"Kiara can stay there. But she must stay alone. If anyone goes with her, a trail—any trail—can be detected. Mohana will find her."
The statement dropped like a stone into water—deep, heavy, irreversible.
Yuvaan's jaw clenched.
"How can she stay alone? She's pregnant! Someone should be with her. I should be with her."
"Son…" Vikram said softly, "Kiara is not alone."
He looked at her stomach, then back at Yuvaan.
"She carries your child.it's presence will protect her more than any of us can."
Kiara gently touched her belly, drawing strength she barely had.
"Yuvaan," she whispered, turning to him, "our baby is with me. I won't be alone. And it's only until the birth."
Her voice trembled, but she forced a small smile.
"I'll be fine… for our baby."
Yuvaan studied her face—really studied it—looking for even a hint of fear she wasn't saying. Her eyes were brave, but he saw the shimmer of pain beneath.
He shook his head, breath unsteady.
"I'm still not convinced."
Kiara reached up, cupping his cheek with trembling fingers.
"I know."
A small pause.
"And I'm scared too."
Her voice cracked, but she kept going.
"But for our baby… we have to do this. Mohana won't stop. And if this is the only way to keep them safe… then…"
She swallowed hard.
"…then I need to be stronger than my fear."
Yuvaan shut his eyes for a moment, fighting the storm inside him.
The family watched in silence—feeling their heartbreak, their courage, their sacrifice.
Bhoomi whispered, "God give you strength, children…"
Angad looked down, fists clenched tightly.
Chandrika wiped her tears quietly.
Aakash placed a hand on Vinod's shoulder.
Even Dilruba's purple eyes shimmered with sympathy.
And in the middle of them all—
Kiara stood brave.
Yuvaan stood shattered.
And their unborn child… now carried the weight of everyone's hope.
The decision was made.
The separation had begun.
The highway stretched ahead like a silver ribbon, empty and eerily quiet. The sky was overcast, clouds hanging low as if mirroring the heaviness in the car.
Yuvaan sat beside Kiara in the back seat, his arm wrapped protectively around her shoulders. She leaned into him, fingers threaded with his, her small suitcase placed between their legs like a physical reminder of the journey neither wanted to take.
In the front, Vikram kept checking the rear-view mirror, tension etched across his face.
"We need to reach the seaport as soon as possible," he muttered, eyes fixed on the road. "Once we get Kiara onto the boat, she'll be hidden from every dark tracker."
Varun nodded, gripping the steering wheel tighter than necessary. "I'm driving as fast as I can, dad."
A thick silence settled in the car—Kiara's steady breaths, Yuvaan's quiet anxiety, Vikram's stiff posture, Varun's alert eyes. Every second felt like time borrowed.
Kiara shifted slightly. "I… I wish this didn't have to happen today."
Yuvaan squeezed her hand gently. "I know."
A pause.
"We'll get through this, okay? I'll come for you the moment it's safe."
She nodded, eyes glistening.
But the moment of fragile comfort shattered in an instant.
The road ahead cracked.
Then heaved.
And before Varun could even react, something—no, someone—rose out of the very ground, pulling herself up from the asphalt like a nightmare tearing through reality.
Kiara gasped.
Yuvaan's eyes widened, horror flashing across his face.
Vikram whispered under his breath, "No… no, not now—"
Mohana stood in the middle of the road, her hair a dark storm behind her, her eyes glowing with triumphant malice.
The witch tilted her head slowly, lips curling into a cruel, knowing smile.
"Going somewhere?"
Varun slammed the brakes, the car screeching violently—
but Mohana simply flicked her wrist.
All four tires burst simultaneously.
A deafening BOOM—BOOM—BOOM—BOOM rang out.
The car lurched, skidding sideways, forcing Varun to wrestle it under control as Kiara clutched her belly and Yuvaan shielded her with both arms.
Smoke rose from the destroyed tyres.
The car stopped dead in the middle of the highway.
Heartbeats pounded in the cramped space.
Varun whispered, sweating, "She… she blew out the tyres with one gesture… one!"
Vikram reached for his Reeva knife. "Get ready. This was the moment she was waiting for."
Mohana took a single step toward them—slow, confident, terrifying.
"Did you truly think," she purred, "I would let you take my child away?"
Kiara's blood ran cold.
Yuvaan's hand tightened around hers.
There was no escape.