chapter 3
author pov
I carried her broken, bleeding body into the car.
Her breath was faint. Her skin ice-cold.
I drove like a man possessed.
Within minutes, we reached the city hospital.
I burst through the entrance, her body in my arms.
"Start the operation—NOW!" I barked.
The air snapped into chaos at my voice.
Nurses scrambled, doctors rushed in.
I took out my phone and dialed.
"Vipul. City Hospital. Now."
My tone left no room for argument.
Within minutes, he arrived.
"Boss..." his voice held a thousand unspoken questions.
I didn’t entertain any.
"I want the complete history of Ishni Oberoi on my desk. Tomorrow morning."
Vipul nodded and left without another word.
---
Later...
The doctor finally came out.
His face pale. His hands trembling.
"Speak."
My voice was low, deadly.
"W-We’re sorry, Mr. Rajput. We... couldn’t save her."
I clenched my jaw.
"She was... raped by two men. Her body... multiple handprints, signs of struggle. Severe internal bleeding. Her hymen was—"
He paused.
I raised a hand.
Enough.
I didn’t say a word.
Just stared through the glass window at the lifeless body.
Then, without a word, I turned and walked out.
Got in my car.
Drove.
---
THE NEXT DAY
The morning was crisp, sterile—like the air inside my office.
Vipul stepped in, a file in hand.
"The information you requested, boss."
I took it silently.
Flipped through it.
A slow, dangerous smirk crept across my face.
"It’s time to pay you a visit, Miss Oberoi."
---
ISHNI’S POV
Lately, my chest has felt heavy.
Like something inside me had shattered... but I couldn’t place it.
Days passed.
Still no sign of Preethi.
I missed her. More than I’d ever admit aloud.
Her presence had always been my quiet strength.
Footsteps echoed. I looked up, half-smiling.
Preethi.
But the smile died.
It was the woman in charge. Dressed in black. Eyes like stone.
"Someone wants to see you. Get up."
I was handcuffed.
My face covered with a black cloth.
The air grew thick. Unnerving.
We stopped. She removed the cloth.
The sudden light made me blink.
And then—
Him.
A man stood there in a perfectly tailored black suit.
Tall. Sharp jaw. Piercing blue eyes that held war in them.
"Sit."
His voice cut through the air like a blade.
I sat. The guard stepped back, leaving us alone.
"Ishni Oberoi," he said, like the name tasted like ash.
I couldn’t speak. My throat locked up.
He slid a paper toward me.
His movements were cold, precise.
I hesitated… then took it.
I recognized the handwriting instantly.
Preethi.
My hands shook as I opened the letter.
---
Ishni Oberoi,
My Ishu.
Right now, I’m sitting at our favorite café.
The one where we’d laugh over terrible coffee and stolen moments.
Without you, it feels hollow.
But don’t worry, I’m not mad. Just busy.
I’ll come soon—I promise.
Please stop punishing yourself, Ishu.
You’re not wrong. You never were.
I wish I could scream at the world that you’re not a criminal, that you're a victim.
But I believe one day... the world will know.
Don’t lose hope. I love you. Always.
—Your Preethi.
---
I don’t know when the tears came.
But they wouldn’t stop.
"Where is she?!"
I gasped.
"Why did you have this letter? How do you even know her?!"
I stood abruptly, the chair screeching across the floor.
"ANSWER ME!" I shouted.
He stared at me.
As if reading every broken piece of me in one glance.
Then, calmly—
"She’s dead."
Silence.
Exploded.
"WHAT?!"
I grabbed his collar. The cuffs clanged loudly.
"You’re lying! She said she'd come back! She promised! NO!"
My voice cracked.
Rage and sorrow burned in my veins.
"SHE SAID SHE’D NEVER LEAVE ME!"
"I found her yesterday. On the road. Raped. Beaten. Dying. She didn’t survive the bleeding."
His voice was flat. Like death itself.
My hands loosened.
The letter slipped to the floor.
I couldn’t feel my legs.
A weight pressed down on my chest like the sky had collapsed.
---
"I can get you out."
He spoke again.
"One word. That’s all it takes. One word... and you're out of this prison. Free to take your revenge. Free to burn whoever did this to her."
Then he turned and walked out.
---
I clutched the letter to my chest, sobbing so hard it felt like I was breaking.
"AHHHHHHHH!"
My scream echoed off cold walls.
But no one came.
Because the only person who ever did...
Was gone.