CH 36 Leave me
The Day had turned heavy, the wind carrying the faint scent of rain as four luxury black cars sped down different roads across the city.
Inside the first car, Aarav sat behind the wheel his jaw locked, eyes burning with determination. The Bluetooth device in his ear blinked blue, connected to the other three.
"Anything?" his voice came, low and commanding through the line.
Aditya's reply came first, from the second car. "Negative. I checked the bus stands near her usual route nothing yet. But I'm not stopping."
Kabir's gruff voice followed, "I've got my men checking CCTV feeds from the streets around the mansion. If she's out there, we'll find her."
Raghav, calm but tense, added from the fourth car, "I've hacked into nearby railway station cameras. If she tried to leave the city, I'll know within minutes."
Aarav's grip on the steering wheel tightened. His car sped faster through the rain-slick streets, headlights slicing through the darkness.
"Keep the comms open," he ordered, his tone colder than steel. "She can't have gone far."
Kabir, trying to lighten the tension, said, "Bhai, relax. We'll get her. You know how stubborn she is maybe she's just cooling off somewhere."
But Aarav's voice was unyielding. "She's not the kind to vanish without a reason. Something's wrong."
Aditya's tone softened, "She was broken last night, Aarav. I saw it. The girl's carrying too much pain."
Aarav closed his eyes for a second, the memory of her tearful face flashing before him her voice trembling, "Everyone I love leaves me..."
His jaw clenched harder.
"Not this time," he said quietly, almost to himself, but the line caught it. "I won't let her leave me."
The cars fanned out across the city one near the riverside, one towards the highway, one near the old market streets, and Aarav's heading toward the outskirts.
The Bluetooth crackled again. Raghav's voice came through, sharp, "Bhai, I think I've got something. A woman matching her description near the old bus depot, walking alone."
Aarav's engine roared to life as he turned the wheel sharply. "Send me the location."
Rain had started to drizzle softly, turning the dusty bus depot into a blur of wet cement and flickering yellow lights.
The place was nearly empty just a few stray dogs, the faint hum of a generator, and rows of abandoned buses parked at odd angles.
Aarav stepped out of his car, eyes scanning every corner with predatory focus. His coat swayed slightly in the cold wind as Aditya, Raghav, and Kabir joined him, all equally tense.
"Check every bus. Every waiting area," Aarav ordered sharply. His voice carried a weight that made even the depot guards straighten immediately.
They scattered, calling her name each echo disappearing into the hollow night.
Minutes passed. Nothing.
Then Kabir's voice cut through the silence. "Bhai!"
All three turned instantly. Kabir was standing near the far end of the depot, crouched near a broken light pole. On the ground beside him lay Ashiana's suitcasemud splattered, half-open, her clothes spilling out.
Aarav's eyes darkened as he walked toward it, crouching down beside Kabir. His hand brushed over the small pink charm tied to the handle. "It's hers," he said, his voice dropping to a growl.
Aditya's eyes moved further down the path. "There's more," he said grimly, pointing.
A few feet away, tangled in the wind, was her scarf, caught near the edge of a drain. Aarav walked over and picked it up, the soft fabric damp and torn slightly at the edge. His knuckles went white as he held it.
And then Raghav spoke quietly, his tone cold but edged with dread. "Aarav... look here."
He was kneeling near the end of the platform, shining his flashlight at the ground. Faint but visible under the thin layer of mud were tire marks, deep and uneven like a car had screeched suddenly and sped off.
Aarav's entire body stiffened. His eyes followed the marks until they disappeared into the dark road leading out of the depot.
Kabir kicked a piece of gravel hard, his jaw tight. "Someone took her, bhai. There's no other explanation."
Aditya stepped forward, his voice low and serious. "This wasn't random. Whoever it was—they knew where to find her."
For a long second, Aarav said nothing. The rain dripped down his face, mixing with the fury in his eyes. He looked at the scarf in his hand the only trace of her left and then back at the road.
When he finally spoke, his voice was deep, controlled... but deadly.
"Find out every vehicle that left this depot in the last two hours. I want CCTV, eyewitnesses, everything."
Raghav was already pulling out his tablet. "On it."
Kabir cracked his knuckles. "And when we find them?"
Aarav's gaze hardened into something lethal. "We burn them down."
The car sped through the empty highway, its headlights slicing through the night. The rain still poured outside, hitting the windows in a rhythmic fury.
Inside the car, chaos reigned.
"Leave me, Samar!" ashiana screamed, struggling desperately as his fingers dug painfully into my wrist. My voice cracked, but I kept trying to pull away. "I said leave me... or else—!"
"Or else what, huh?!" Samar snarled, his eyes burning with anger. He twisted her arm tighter, making her flinch in pain. "How dare you vanish for days, Ashiana? You thought you could just run away from us and hide?!"
In the front seat, herstepmother turned around sharply, her eyes full of disgust, her lips curling into a bitter sneer. "Aur tumhe lagta hai humein pata nahi tha tum kahan ho?"
she spat. "Ham tum par kabse nazar rakhe hue the. Pata nahi kya kya karti rahi tum apne uss boss ke ghar mein..."
"Stop it!" ashiana yelled, her voice trembling with both rage and fear. "Don't you dare talk about him like that!"
But that only made her smirk deepen, venom dripping from every word. "Oh, toh sach mein kuch tha tum dono ke beech? Main toh pehle hi samajh gayi thi. Ek anath ladki, ek ameer aadmi ke ghar... aur fir "
"Bas!" ashiana shouted, tears welling up as Samar slapped her hard across the face. her head jerked to the side, the sound echoing in the confined car.
"Shut up!" he growled. "You'll speak when we tell you to."
ashiana stared at him, her cheek stinging, her eyes wide in horror and disbelief. "Why are you doing this?" she whispered. "Why can't you just let me live?"
Samar's grip tightened again. "Because you're ours. You belong to this family, and you'll do what we say."
ashiana shook her head fiercely, tears streaming down her face. "No! I'm not your puppet anymore! You've taken everything from me already my peace, my childhood, my dreams! But not this time..."
The car suddenly jerked as Samar hit the brakes. He turned to her, his voice low and dangerous. "You still haven't learned, have you?"
her stepmother looked at him coldly and said, "Ab ye khud nahi samjhegi toh samjhana padega, Samar. Ab ye bhool jayegi bhagna kise kehte hain."
ashiana heart pounded in her chest.
Samar's grip only tightened, his face twisted in fury.
"You still haven't learned, Ashiana!" he growled, digging his fingers deeper into her wrist. I cried out in pain as his nails cut through her skinblood slowly trickled down her wrist, staining his hand and my dress.
"Samar... please... leave me..." ashiana sobbed, trying to pull back, but he only squeezed harder. her body trembled, her breaths coming in quick, panicked gasps.
"Run away again, will you?" he shouted, his rage uncontrollable now. "Let's see how far you go after this!"
Before she could react, he grabbed the back of her head and slammed it against the car window glass.
A sharp crack rang out.
"Ahh—!" ashiana flinched, her vision spinning, everything blurring into a dizzy haze. she tried to speak, but no words came out only a broken breath.
her fingers weakly touched the side of her head, warm blood already seeping through her hair.
her eyelids fluttered. The world tilted. The muffled sound of her stepmother's cold voice faded into the distance
"Now she'll learn not to run."
And then
everything went black.