Anika walked briskly down the quiet street, the early morning light stretching across the pavement. The weight of the night’s family argument still lingered in her chest, but she was determined to push through it. The hospital shift awaited, and it was her escape—her distraction.

As she walked, her mind wandered back to the unresolved tension with her brothers. She couldn’t shake the sense that something was wrong—something more than just the grief they were all grappling with. The house had felt cold, despite all the warmth of their past.

She turned the corner, her thoughts tangled, when something—or someone—caught her eye. A figure stood across the street, leaning against a lamppost, almost as if waiting for her.

Her breath caught.

It was him.

The man who had been involved in Mira’s abuse.

Anika’s body froze. She hadn’t seen this man in months, not since that horrible night. She remembered his face—vivid, sharp, and full of malice. He hadn’t been the one to deliver the fatal blow to Mira, but he had been part of the group that had hurt her.

Her heart raced, and a sickening wave of panic flooded her chest. She couldn’t breathe. Every inch of her body screamed at her to run, to hide, to get away.

Without thinking, she fumbled for her phone, her fingers trembling as she tried to unlock it. Her mind screamed for her to call Ayan or Arjun, but her hands were too shaky. The man’s presence seemed to close in on her, his dark eyes locking with hers, almost as if he recognized her too.

Finally, her phone clicked open, and she tapped Ayan’s name. The call rang once… twice…

Nothing.

Her chest tightened, and her pulse thudded in her ears. She couldn’t think straight. It wasn’t just fear—it was the haunting memory of that night, the night when everything had shattered. Her sister-in-law’s screams, the desperation in Mira’s eyes, the silence after the attack—it all rushed back.

Her hand was still pressed to her phone, but Ayan wasn’t answering. Arjun’s number flashed in her mind, but would he even be able to help her? She felt so far away from her brothers, so distant despite the connection they shared.

The man across the street took a step forward, and Anika snapped back into reality. She had to move. She had to get out of there.

She turned and began walking faster, trying to shake the feeling of being followed. Her legs felt heavy, but she forced herself to keep moving. The sounds of the city seemed to blur as she focused on one goal—getting away.

Just as she turned another corner, she collided with a figure.

"Hey, slow down there."

She looked up, her breath still erratic.

It was a man—tall, with broad shoulders and an easy smile. His presence was calming, like a solid rock in a storm.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice concerned but soft.

Anika couldn’t speak, the panic still clawing at her throat. She took a step back, her hand still clutching her phone as if it might provide some kind of safety.

"I-I’m fine," she stammered, though she wasn’t.

The man’s gaze flicked toward the street behind her, but when he saw no one there, he turned back to her. "You sure? You look like you’ve seen a ghost."

Anika nodded quickly, her heart still racing. "I—I just... I’m fine. Thanks."

She forced herself to walk away, but something about this stranger’s gaze lingered in her mind.

By the time Anika reached the hospital, her heart had calmed, but her mind was still reeling from the encounter. She couldn’t stop thinking about the man she had seen on the street. What did he want? Why had he been there?

And what if he came back?

She had managed to shake off the panic for now, but the feeling of unease was still there, gnawing at her. It wasn’t just the trauma that was haunting her anymore—it was the fear of something she couldn’t control.

As she stepped into the hospital, she glanced around, half-expecting to see shadows lurking in every corner. She knew she couldn’t outrun the past. But for now, she had to keep moving forward.