đź“– Episode 18: The Man Under the Streetlamp
The rain had started again — thin silver threads slanting across the yellow streetlight glow.
Aaniya's breath caught in her throat.
The man under the lamp was still, his face hidden in shadow, but his posture was deliberate… almost like he wanted to be seen.
Her voice was barely more than a whisper.
> "Suleman… he's not moving."
Inside the car, the heater hummed softly, doing nothing to chase away the chill running down her spine.
Suleman's hands tightened on the steering wheel, his knuckles pale.
> "Keep your eyes on him. Tell me if he moves."
She wanted to ask Who is he? Why is he here? but the question stuck in her throat. The world outside had gone unnervingly still—no dogs barking, no late-night traffic. Just the faint hiss of rain and the flicker of that single lamp.
> "He's just… standing there."
Suleman adjusted in his seat, catching a glimpse of the man in the rearview mirror. Recognition darkened his expression.
> "I know that man."
Her stomach tightened.
> "From where?"
> "Court steps. Years ago. He used to work for someone I… put away."
The streetlamp above the man flickered once, almost like it shivered in the wind. The rain thickened, streaking down the glass between them.
---
Scene: Decision in the Rain
Without another word, Suleman reached for the glove compartment and pulled out a small police-grade flashlight.
> "Stay in the car. Lock the doors."
> "No."
Her voice came out sharper than intended, but she didn't take it back.
> "If this has to do with Areeba—if it has to do with me—then I'm not hiding while you go out there alone."
For a moment, he just studied her in the dim dashboard light, weighing her resolve. Finally, he exhaled.
> "Fine. But you stay close."
They stepped out into the cold, wet air. The metallic tang of rain-soaked asphalt filled her lungs. Aaniya's scarf clung damply to her neck as they approached the man.
Suleman's voice was calm but edged like a blade.
> "Can we help you?"
The man didn't answer at first. Then he stepped forward, rain sliding off the brim of his hood. Enough of his face showed for Aaniya to feel the shock — she knew him from the photograph in the metal box.
---
Scene: The Warning
> "You should stop looking," the man said, his voice low and deliberate. "Some truths aren't worth finding."
Suleman's reply was instant, sharp.
> "And yet here you are, telling us to stop. Sounds like you're afraid we'll find something."
The man's lips curled into something humorless.
> "Tell her"—his gaze shifted to Aaniya—"that if she keeps digging, she'll end up just like her friend."
> "Areeba?" she breathed.
No answer. He simply turned and walked away, vanishing into the rain-soaked darkness like he'd never been there.
---
Scene: Back in the Car – Emotional Shift
The heater's warm air filled the silence, but Aaniya couldn't stop shivering.
> "He knows about Areeba," she said finally.
> "Which means we're close," Suleman replied, eyes fixed ahead. "But it also means she's in more danger than we thought."
Her fingers twisted at the edge of her scarf.
> "What if… what if I'm not ready for the truth?"
He turned to her, voice steady and certain.
> "You've already survived worse than this. You didn't break then, and you won't now. Not while I'm here."
His hand brushed hers — deliberate. She didn't move away.
---
Scene: The Hidden Diary Page
They drove toward Suleman's office. The photograph from the box lay on the dashboard. He picked it up, frowning.
> "This was taken at night. There's someone else just out of frame. I need the original."
At a red light, Aaniya reached into the small metal box again. Her fingers moved over the cassettes until she noticed one with a folded paper wedged inside. She eased it out — a torn page from a diary, handwriting slanted and rushed.
---
Flashback (through the diary words)
The rain that night was heavier than tonight's.
Areeba sat in the corner booth of a closed-down tea shop, her hands trembling around a chipped cup. Across from her, Fariha leaned in, half her face hidden by a scarf.
> "If we go through with this," Fariha whispered, "Aaliyaan will destroy us."
> "If we don't, he'll destroy her," Areeba shot back. "I can't let him twist her life the way he's twisting mine."
Outside, a black car idled with its headlights off.
Fariha slid an envelope across the table.
> "This… this is all I have on him. Keep it hidden. If anything happens to me, find Suleman. He's the only one who might believe you."
Areeba nodded, eyes fierce despite her fear. Neither of them saw the shadow in the car raise a camera.
---
Flashback Ends
Aaniya's pulse was pounding.
> "She was working with Fariha… to protect me."
Suleman's voice dropped low.
> "And someone wanted to make sure they didn't succeed."
---
Scene: The Photo Studio
The drizzle had turned steady again by the time they reached an old photo studio. Its neon sign flickered against the wet pavement. The street was empty.
> "If we're lucky, they still have the negatives," Suleman said.
> "And if we're not?"
His reply was sharp.
> "Then we're in more danger than we thought."
Her phone buzzed — unknown number. She answered.
> "Hello?"
A faint, urgent whisper:
> "Aaniya… don't trust him."
Her blood froze.
> "Areeba? Wait—"
The line went dead.
She lowered the phone slowly, her hands trembling.
> "She just called me… and told me not to trust you."
---
Cliffhanger – Romantic Tension + Suspense
The rain outside grew heavier, drumming against the windshield.
Suleman didn't speak for a long moment, his expression unreadable.
> "Then I guess," he said quietly, "you'll have to decide for yourself whether you believe her… or me."
Somewhere in the darkness down the street, a black car's engine turned over.
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