Meera Verma stood frozen in front of her locked door.
Her heart was beating so fast it hurt.
Outside…
silence.
Then again—
A knock.
Slow.
Deliberate.
Like whoever stood there already knew she couldn't escape.
"Meera Verma," the voice repeated.
Cold. Unknown. Unforgiving.
She stepped back slowly, her hands trembling.
"W-who are you?" she asked, trying to sound strong.
A short silence followed.
Then—
"You don't need to know."
Outside the house…
Footsteps shifted.
Someone was circling.
Watching.
Waiting.
Meera grabbed her phone—but her hands shook too much to unlock it properly.
Her mind screamed one name.
Kabir.
But he wasn't here.
Not this time.
Then—
A loud crash echoed outside.
Not her door.
Something else.
Glass breaking.
Metal hitting ground.
Chaos began in seconds.
Meera froze.
What was happening?
Another voice shouted outside.
Angry. Commanding. Powerful.
"Search every corner!"
Her breath stopped.
This was not rescue.
This was war.
Suddenly—
Silence again.
Heavy. Sharp. Broken.
And then…
the front door didn't open.
It was destroyed.
Meera stepped back instantly, eyes wide.
Footsteps entered her home.
Slow.
Controlled.
Not like before.
Different energy.
Dominant.
Familiar… in a terrifying way.
And then she saw him.
Kabir Rajvansh.
Standing at her broken doorway.
Rain on his shoulders.
Blood on his knuckles.
Eyes burning like fire held back for too long.
Meera's breath shook.
"K-Kabir…"
Kabir didn't respond immediately.
His eyes scanned the room first.
Checking every corner.
Every shadow.
Every possible threat.
Only when he was sure—
did he look at her.
"You're late," Meera whispered.
Her voice was small… but honest.
Kabir stepped forward once.
Only once.
"I know."
A silence fell between them.
But this time… it was different.
No distance.
No pretending.
No ignoring.
Meera's voice cracked slightly.
"I thought… you wouldn't come."
Kabir's jaw tightened.
"I said I wouldn't run."
A pause.
"And I didn't."
From outside…
shouts faded.
Footsteps disappeared.
The danger was gone.
But the tension between them remained.
Stronger than before.
Meera slowly asked—
"Who were they?"
Kabir didn't lie.
"People who want to reach me… through you."
Her hands clenched.
"So I really am just a target…"
Kabir interrupted instantly.
"No."
A pause.
"You are not a target."
His voice lowered.
"You are the reason I'm ending this world."
Meera looked up at him.
Confused.
Shaken.
But something inside her shifted.
Because for the first time…
he didn't sound like a mafia boss.
He sounded like a man who had already chosen a side.
Kabir stepped closer again.
This time, no distance left.
"If I stay away," he said quietly, "you get hurt."
"If I stay near," he paused, "they come for you."
His eyes darkened.
"So I choose what I should have chosen from the beginning."
Meera's voice was barely a whisper.
"What is that?"
Kabir looked at her.
And for the first time…
he didn't hide it.
"I choose you."
Silence.
Everything stopped.
Even the world outside seemed to freeze.
Meera's eyes widened slightly.
And Kabir… for once… didn't look away.
Because the mafia boss who once ignored her…
was no longer running.
Not from danger.
Not from love.
Not from her.
And this time…
he was ready to face everything.
Even if it destroyed him.
To be continued… 💔