Samaira Lakshmi Deshpande is caught between two worlds, two masks. Amidst the hunt for her missing twin and the pressure to fit her family's mold of the perfect daughter facade, she's trapped in a life she despises.
Everything shifts when a strange...
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Bangalore, India September
Samaira's POV
The oppressive darkness in the room mirrors the weight in my chest. I lift my gaze towards the ceiling, finding solace in the lack of light. The persistent pricking sensation in my eyes has subsided, and the sharp pain in my head is slowly dissipating.
With deliberate intent, I move my left hand back and forth, grounding myself in the physicality of the moment. The creak of the door pierces the silence, and a soft glow from the corridor spills into my room. I instinctively shut my eyes, allowing the soft footsteps to draw closer. The door locks again, prompting me to reopen my eyes.
"Hey," a gentle voice breaks through the quiet, and I instantly recognize it.
"Aryan," I acknowledge him, uttering his name as if testing the waters of our interaction. No further words are exchanged as an unspoken understanding settles between us.
Time stretches in the ensuing silence, neither of us compelled to initiate conversation.
"I-I wanted your statement," Aryan's voice breaks the hush, carrying a hint of hesitation. My eyes, though veiled with residual blurriness, flicker open. I turn my head slightly in his direction, seeking clarity in the shadows.
"Why?" I respond in a hushed tone, my curiosity piqued.
"To file a case on those men," Aryan states, revealing a glimpse of determination beneath the surface.
"I don't want to," I respond in a firm tone as I clench my right hand and turn away from him as I lie on my left side.
This time he is surprised by my answer as his response comes a few seconds later, "Why?" He questions me and his tone seems bitter about my decision.
"I guess that's up to me and that's my decision," I reply just staring into the dark room. The darkness that's seems to become my only comfort in life.
"But those men tried to ra- misbehave with you." He says, disbelief evident in his tone.
"I was vulnerable at that moment. Otherwise, I swear I would have-" I stop myself from raising my voice as my head starts to pound. "Otherwise I can assure you I would have been safe," I say through my gritted teeth as I curl myself into a ball.
"Yeah, I can see that." Aryan scoffs behind me. Sarcasm is evident in his tone.
I scramble in my bed to look at him. The audacity of this man. But a sharp pain shoots through my veins in my left hand at the needle injected in me and a hiss leaves my lips. "Careful." Aryan murmurs coming to my side immediately to see what it is.
I gesture him a stop sign behind me and he doesn't move after that. After making sure I didn't move it a lot, I sharply turned to see him so close to me that my breath hitched.
