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
November
Samaira's POV
"What?" I whispered in disbelief, my heart pounding with shock as Jay subtly nodded confirming the dreadful news. Glancing at Zia and then at Akash, who appeared unsurprised by the information.
Did Akash know my identity all along?
My throat felt dry as I struggled to speak, swallowing hard before turning back to Jay. "Why would he? How did he know about Aryan? We were in disguise that day, weren't we?" I asked urgently, searching for answers from all of them. Memories of our mission in Mumbai flooded my mind, and I realized how it might have led Abhishek to target Aryan. Because Aryan had got a punch here or there at Abhishek, enough moments for someone to remember their face.
"Your face was hidden, but none of ours were. Aryan knew the stakes, so he didn't disguise himself much. He dressed like a regular customer," Jay explained, his words sinking in as I recalled seeing Aryan and Vivek behind the pub that day. Not that disguised as me and Jay.
Before I could voice more questions, Karthik spoke up from behind me, his tone grave. "Moreover, we don't think Abhishek is targeting Aryan because of that day in Mumbai. If that were the case, he would have struck earlier, maybe the next day after we tried to capture him. But why now?" he reasoned.
I let go of Zia's hand to turn and face Karthik, his serious expression replacing the teasing one from earlier. "Then something must have happened yesterday to prompt Abhishek's actions," I concluded, the puzzle pieces slowly fitting together in my mind.
Karthik nodded in agreement, and a heavy silence fell over the room as we processed the implications.
"So the question is," Akash began, drawing our attention as we turned to look back at him, "what happened yesterday?" His gaze lingered on me for a moment too long, and I felt a shiver run down my spine at his intimidated stare.
We all fell silent at his question, and then, "Samaira?" Akash called my name, jolting me back to the present. "You were the last one to talk to him yesterday. What did he say?" he pressed, his arms folded tightly, his demeanour serious.
I blinked, suddenly feeling overwhelmed as I struggled to recall the details of yesterday's conversation.
I wet my lips, feeling them dry as I began recounting the events of yesterday. "Huh well, to start, I called him first," I say, glancing briefly at everyone as they listen intently. "It was past 11 when I did. He seemed annoyed or frustrated when he picked up, I couldn't tell," I elaborate, twirling the end of my saree between my fingers to calm my nerves.
"I asked if something was wrong and if he wanted to talk about it. He mentioned something about criminals or a case but said it was confidential," I continue, feeling their stares on me. "Then we talked about the pasta I made last night. He asked if I could make some for him, and I agreed. That's all," I finish, omitting the personal details of our conversation.
