The low hum of the cafe’s chatter blended with the soft clink of coffee cups and the smell of fresh pastries. Pavani wiped her hands on her apron, the worn fabric a reminder that she had long since shed the lavish clothes of her former life. The little cafe in the heart of the city was her sanctuary—a place where she could blend into the crowd and live a life she’d never known, one free from the weight of her bloodstained past.

As she took an order from a regular, she couldn't help but feel the familiar pang of loneliness. She had built this new life from the ground up, far from the shadows of her father’s empire. But as much as she relished the freedom, there was a part of her that remained in constant fear. Fear that someone—anyone—would recognize the princess of the Rai mafia family.

She passed a mirror behind the counter and caught a glimpse of herself—just a young woman with dark eyes, working behind a counter, serving coffee with a smile. But beneath that calm exterior was a storm of uncertainty. Her heart still raced when she saw a man in a suit walk in, a trace of familiarity in the way he held himself, the sharp cut of his jacket. Someone like her father’s men, someone who could unravel the lie she’d worked so hard to create.

The fear tightened her chest, but she forced a smile. She wasn’t that woman anymore. She wasn’t Pavani Rai. She was just "Pakhi" now, no last name, no ties to her past. She’d taken the first train out of India and left everything behind—the power, the bloodshed, the name that had been both her privilege and her curse.

Yet, despite the joy of starting anew, there were days when she caught herself listening for the sound of a voice, the hint of a name that would shatter this illusion of peace. Would she always be running? Could she really ever escape what she was born into?

She sighed and turned to refill a coffee cup, her mind drifting back to memories of the life she had left. The sound of high heels clicking on marble floors, her father’s booming voice as he spoke in that cold, calculating tone. The weight of family expectations had always hung over her like a shadow. She couldn’t bear it any longer. That’s why she ran—ran to this unfamiliar city, hoping no one would ever find her. But the fear always lingered in the back of her mind.

She caught sight of a group of men outside the window, their voices rising in laughter. They looked harmless enough, but something about the way one of them smiled—a flash of recognition, perhaps, or a casual confidence—made her stomach churn. She turned away quickly, shaking her head as if to dispel the thought.

"New life," she whispered to herself, staring down at her hands. "No going back."

But deep down, the fear never truly disappeared. And sometimes, just sometimes, she wondered if she’d ever be free of the past.