Entangled Fates – Episode 8: Ashes of Trust (Extended)
"The world didn't care when I fell. I had to rise alone. And I did." — Riya Agrawal
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Six months had passed. Six months of silence, of pain, of fire.
After Meera's warning, after Sana's return, after Ryansh's absence, Riya had been left alone. Alone to fight everything. Alone to survive everything. Alone to rebuild herself from pieces she didn't even know were broken.
Those six months weren't easy. They weren't magical. They were long nights, tears she thought nobody would ever see, and days where every smile she gave the world was fake, rehearsed, and cold.
Her parents had been gone. Storms had taken them, left her with an apartment full of silence and memories. Ryansh didn't know. He hadn't asked. He had no idea. She hadn't told him, and she never planned to.
She had learned to do everything alone. She had learned to trust no one. And slowly, she had learned to fight with her own hands, her own mind, her own strength.
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The first day after the leap, Riya walked into the office, and people noticed immediately. She was different.
Her hair tied back in a sharp ponytail. Heels clicking against the floor. Blazer pressed perfectly. Eyes cold, focused, calculating. She walked into the boardroom and everyone went silent. Whispers stopped mid-sentence. Investors froze. Employees stopped moving.
The girl who once faltered under pressure, who hesitated in meetings, who depended on guidance, was gone.
Now there was Riya Agrawal, bold, fearless, beautiful, stylish, untouchable.
She made decisions instantly. She spoke sharply. She could insult anyone politely. She didn't wait for anyone to approve. She wasn't humble. She wasn't polite. She was all fire and steel, and she wore it like a crown.
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Ryansh noticed immediately.
He walked into the boardroom, papers in hand, ready to speak, to offer suggestions, to reconnect. He saw her, standing tall, commanding the room, and he froze.
This wasn't the girl he had known. This wasn't the girl who had once needed him.
"Riya," he said cautiously. "Can we talk?"
She didn't even glance at him. She didn't acknowledge him. He tried again, moving closer. Her eyes flicked to him, cold, sharp.
"I'm busy," she said bluntly.
Ryansh's heart twisted. He wanted to reach her, to explain, to understand, but she was untouchable now. He left the room, confused, frustrated, realizing that she had grown in ways he couldn't comprehend.
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But Riya wasn't happy. Not really.
She went home to her apartment—her sanctuary, her prison. The place that held memories of parents who would never return.
She sat by the window. The city lights mocked her. She cried silently. She missed them. She felt alone. She felt small. She felt the weight of everything they had taken from her.
No one could see this side. No one could understand it. She had built a mask of confidence, of boldness, of fearlessness. But underneath it all, she was still broken, grieving, lonely.
She whispered to herself:
"I have to survive. Alone. I can't trust anyone. I have to do everything myself."
She pulled out her phone. It was late. Harvester's name appeared on the screen.
"You awake?" she typed.
"Always. You?" came the reply.
"Barely. Can't sleep. Everything's a mess. I can't… I just can't. Six months. Alone. No one cares. No one notices. Ryansh… he has no clue what happened."
"Breathe," Harvester replied. "Tell me everything. I'm listening."
Riya closed her eyes, held the phone tight. "I'm scared. I'm tired. I cry alone every night. The apartment feels empty. I can't hear my parents' voices anymore. And the world… the world doesn't care."
"I know," Harvester said. "I know. But you're still standing. You're stronger than all of this."
"Doesn't feel like it," Riya whispered. "I put on this mask at work. Bold, confident, sharp. People see a fearless woman. But I'm just… broken. I do everything alone. I can't trust anyone. I have to survive myself."
"You're not alone," Harvester replied softly. "Even if Ryansh doesn't know, even if no one else sees, I do. And I know who you really are."
Riya laughed bitterly. "Who I really am? Right now? A girl who lost everything, who cries in silence, who fights her own battles and smiles like it's nothing. That's me."
"You're also Riya Agrawal," Harvester said. "The woman who walks into a boardroom and owns it. The one they all fear. That's you too. Pain doesn't erase power."
Riya took a shaky breath. "Sometimes I hate that I have to be both. Strong outside, shattered inside. I wish someone could see the real me and not just the fire."
"Then let them," Harvester replied gently. "Ryansh will see eventually. Just not yet. He doesn't know. He never knew. But soon… he will."
Riya didn't answer immediately. She stared at the dark ceiling. The tears she had held back spilled freely now. "I don't know if I can ever trust him again."
"He'll have to earn it," Harvester said. "Like everyone else."
They talked for hours. Harvester listened to every fear, every regret, every hidden tear. And for the first time in months, Riya felt understood. Felt heard. Felt… human again.
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Meanwhile, Ryansh had been talking to a colleague in the hallway. Casual conversation. But the colleague mentioned, almost casually, "Riya called Harvester last night. Talked for hours. She's… not okay. She's barely sleeping. She's been doing everything herself."
Ryansh froze. His heart sank. The whispers he had ignored, the changes he had observed—this was the truth. The real Riya. The side she didn't show anyone at work. The side he had no clue about.
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The next morning, Ryansh didn't hesitate. He went to her apartment.
Riya opened the door, hair perfectly tied, blazer sharp, heels precise. She looked like someone untouchable, but he knew there was more behind the mask.
"Riya… I…" he started.
She cut him off. Her eyes sharp, cold. "Go away."
He stepped forward. "I didn't know… I didn't know about your parents."
Her hands shook slightly, just barely. She looked at him, full of anger, pain, and grief.
"I don't care if you didn't know. You weren't here. You never asked. You weren't there!" Her voice was sharp, but her heart cracked inside.
"I tried… I wanted to reach you," he said, voice soft.
She laughed bitterly. "Try all you want. I did everything myself. Alone. And you think a few words will change that? Go."
Ryansh stayed silent. He could see the storm behind her eyes. The grief. The loneliness. The pain. The strength. All at once.
Riya closed the door. Alone again.
She sank to the floor, tears falling freely.
She remembered everything—the storm, the betrayal, the months of fighting alone, the nights crying for parents, the days building herself into someone untouchable.
She wept silently, painfully, and for the first time in months, let herself break completely.
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This is why the leap happened.
Six months were needed for Riya to survive, rebuild, and rise alone.
She became bold, fearless, strong, stylish, and untouchable in the world. But inside, she was still broken.
Ryansh began to understand her real self through Harvester—the one person who truly knew her. He realized she had been alone, fighting, grieving, surviving all this time.
Their paths had collided again. He saw her at work, untouchable. He came to her apartment, only to be met with anger, grief, and blunt truth.
Riya had changed. Ryansh had changed. But the storm inside her wasn't over.
She cried. She remembered. She fought. And she was ready for whatever came next.
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💬 Author's Note – Ashes of Trust (Extended)
This extended episode shows the full impact of betrayal, time, and survival, with Harvester added as the person who understands Riya's inner world. The six-month leap allowed Riya to rebuild herself alone, but also shows her hidden grief, loneliness, and exhaustion.
The Ryansh-Harvester connection gives him insight into Riya's private pain, making their confrontation real, raw, and emotional.
Enemies may have lit the first match. Riya may have risen bold and fearless. But the human side—the grieving, lonely, broken side—remains. And this is where the story turns.
Next episode: "Reckoning of Shadows" — Riya will face the world, Ryansh, and herself. She will decide who she trusts and who she lets in, finally showing her strength beyond fear.
—Your unapologetically messy author, Aarya Patil