đź“– Episode 19: The Black Car in the Rain
The rain was relentless now, hammering the car roof like a thousand small fists.
Aaniya's grip on the phone was so tight her knuckles ached. Her own reflection in the wet glass looked pale… almost unfamiliar.
Suleman didn't start the engine right away.
He was just… watching her.
> "Who else could it have been?" she finally asked, her voice low.
> "I told you before," he said evenly, "Areeba is gone."
> "That sounded like her."
His jaw tightened.
> "Or someone who wanted you to think it was her."
Her mind spun. Why now? Why here?
Every instinct screamed at her to demand answers, but his calm — that steady, unblinking calm — made her hesitate.
---
Scene: The Following Car
When he finally turned the key, the engine's hum felt too loud. They pulled away from the curb, the old photo studio's flickering sign shrinking in the mirror.
It didn't take long for her to notice it.
Headlights. Low, steady… matching their speed.
> "Suleman…" she whispered, "that car—"
> "I see it."
His tone was clipped now, his hands tight on the wheel. The black sedan kept a two-car distance, never overtaking, never falling back.
> "Is it him? The man under the lamp?"
> "Maybe. Or someone worse."
The wipers smeared rain across the glass, turning the world into streaks of yellow and red.
Aaniya's heartbeat matched the rhythm of the blades.
---
Scene: The Sudden Turn
Without warning, Suleman swerved into a narrow lane, tires hissing over the wet road. The sedan followed.
> "Suleman—what are you doing?"
> "Finding out if they're really following."
They made another turn, sharp enough to throw her against the seat. The sedan stayed close.
> "Confirmed," he muttered. "Hold on."
Before she could ask, he hit the accelerator. The city blurred around them — dark shopfronts, shuttered stalls, puddles exploding under the tires. The sedan's headlights flared in the mirror, then… suddenly vanished.
> "Did we lose them?" she asked, breathless.
> "For now."
But the way his eyes scanned every shadow told her he wasn't convinced.
---
Scene: Shelter in the Old Office
They stopped at a small, unmarked building she didn't recognize. He unlocked the heavy metal door, letting her inside. The air smelled faintly of dust and old paper.
> "What is this place?" she asked.
> "An old office I used years ago. Nobody should know about it."
She wrapped her scarf tighter, still cold despite the warmth inside. Her thoughts kept circling back to the phone call.
> "What if she was warning me for a reason? What if… you're not telling me everything?"
Suleman's eyes darkened.
> "There are things I've kept back. Not because I don't trust you… but because once you know them, you can't unknow them."
Her breath caught.
> "Then tell me."
---
Scene: The File
He crossed to a locked cabinet in the corner, pulling out a thin, weathered file. Aaniya could see the label — Aaliyaan M. — Confidential — before he set it down.
> "Everything I'm doing," he said slowly, "is to keep you alive. But you have to decide right now if you want the truth… even if it destroys every memory you've been holding on to."
Her fingers hovered over the file, trembling. She thought of Areeba's call, of the black car, of Fariha's whispered warning in the diary flashback.
> "I want to know," she said.
He slid the file toward her.
---
Cliffhanger
The first page was a grainy photograph.
Aaliyaan… and someone standing beside him.
Someone whose face was only partly visible — but it was enough to make her heart stop.
It was Suleman.
She looked up at him, her voice barely a whisper.
> "You were there?"
The rain outside battered the windows harder, as if demanding an answer.
---