Sera's POV – Morning
Raghav's place was quiet in the way places are when fear has already passed through them.
The boy sat by the window, knees drawn to his chest, sunlight touching his face like it didn't belong there. He looked smaller in daylight. Less like a witness. More like a child who had seen too much.
I didn't sit across from him this time. I sat beside him.
"Do you remember anything else?" I asked gently. "Their faces. Their clothes. Their height?"
He shook his head slowly. "It was too dark," he said. "Everything was... broken. Like shadows moving."
Distorted.
Memory warped by terror.
I nodded, already knowing the answer before he finished speaking.
"That's okay," I said. "You did enough."
Enough to threaten powerful men.
Enough to stay alive.
Sera's Office – Late Morning
I stared at the board.
Photos. Maps. Timelines. Scribbled names that meant nothing without proof.
Three men.
No faces.
No plate numbers.
No cameras willing to remember.
I leaned back in my chair and closed my eyes.
Think.
That's when Raghav knocked once and entered without waiting.
"You're spiraling," he said calmly.
"I'm stuck," I corrected.
He studied me for a moment, then said, "Come with me."
The Café
It was quiet. Soft music. The kind of place that pretended the world outside wasn't cruel.
We sat by the window.
For a few minutes, we didn't talk about the case at all.
Coffee. Weather. Nothing.
Then Raghav said casually, "Do what you wish to do, Sera."
I looked at him.
"I'll handle the rest," he continued, voice steady. "If Arvind or Avinash tries to harm you in any way... I will make sure to kill them."
The sentence landed like it had been rehearsed.
I blinked. "Raghav."
"I'm serious."
I exhaled slowly. "That's fine," I said. "The law will handle that."
He gave me a look that said the law is slow.
"We don't need blood," I continued. "We need truth. We need those three men."
Raghav nodded—but something in his jaw stayed tight.
Then a thought surfaced. Quiet. Sharp.
"Raghav," I said, lowering my voice. "Can you check my brother's background too?"
He frowned slightly. "Your brother?"
"It's just an instinct," I said. "And I've learned to listen to those."
He didn't interrupt.
"They will try to blackmail me," I continued. "If there's anything—anything at all—they'll use it. Before that happens, I want to know."
Raghav leaned back, eyes narrowing thoughtfully.
"Alright," he said. "I'll look into it. Discreetly."
I nodded, relief mixing with something darker.
Because instincts don't scream.
They whisper.
And mine was whispering something I wasn't ready to hear yet.