Episode 70 — The Betrayal That Came Home
Moonlight washed the old plantation house in ghostly silver, shadows stretching long across crumbling tiles. Inside, Aria stirred from uneasy sleep, her hand instinctively reaching for Raian beside her.
His breathing was shallow, strained by pain and exhaustion, but steady. She brushed damp hair from his brow, whispering, "You're safe… at least for tonight."
Down the corridor, the broken shutters rattled in the night breeze. Saira leaned against the wall, phone hidden in her palm. The message still burned on the screen: They're here. For now.
Every breath felt heavier than the last.
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An hour before dawn, a sound cut through the stillness — gravel crunching under tires, faint but unmistakable.
Raian woke instantly, pain tightening his jaw. His hand closed over Aria's, voice hoarse. "Someone's coming."
She listened, heart thudding in her chest. The low hum of an engine, headlights briefly brushing moss-choked columns before dying.
Aria's breath caught. "Maybe it's—"
"No," Raian rasped, eyes turning cold, sharp. "No one should know we're here."
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Saira entered the room, her expression locked between regret and resolve. "They're here," she murmured, voice brittle.
Raian's gaze pinned her. "Who, Saira?"
She hesitated. Then the door burst open — and three men stepped into the ruined hall. Suits dark as oil, guns drawn, faces set with ruthless calm.
Aria's heart lurched as recognition struck Raian's face. "Ishaan," he spat, voice raw with betrayal.
The man in front — Ishaan — tilted his head, a mockery of affection. "Brother," he drawled, voice silk over steel. "You always did hide in ruins."
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Saira stepped back, guilt flickering in her eyes. "I had no choice," she whispered.
Raian's jaw clenched so hard the scar on his cheek whitened. "We always have a choice," he rasped.
Aria's breath tangled in her chest. "Why, Saira? After everything?"
Saira's voice broke. "Because they would've killed all of us," she whispered. "I thought—maybe if I gave you up, they'd let us walk away."
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Ishaan's gaze slid over Aria, cold and calculating. "And this must be the doctor who made you soft." His smirk didn't reach his eyes. "Funny, Raian. I expected your weakness to wear a prettier mask."
Raian moved, stepping slightly in front of Aria despite the pain in his ribs. "Leave her out of this," he rasped.
"I'm afraid that ship sailed," Ishaan replied, voice mild as poison.
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One of Ishaan's men raised his gun, barrel steady. The click of the safety releasing echoed too loud in the ruined hall.
Aria's pulse roared in her ears. She felt Raian's hand tighten around hers — scarred, trembling, but alive.
"You always were good at running," Ishaan murmured, gaze locked on his brother. "But tell me, Raian… where do you run, when your past has nowhere left to go?"
Raian's breath rasped, pain twisting his words. "Away from you."
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A flicker of anger cracked Ishaan's calm. His hand twitched — and in that heartbeat, Saira moved.
"Enough," she whispered, stepping between them. "No more blood."
"You had your part," Ishaan hissed. "Step aside."
Her gaze didn't waver. "I won't let you kill them."
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A gun barrel swung toward her. Saira flinched — but didn't step back.
Aria's voice, small but steady, rose into the silence. "Please… don't do this."
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Raian's chest heaved, breath tearing through cracked ribs. His gaze locked on Ishaan — once brother, now executioner. "If it's me you want," he rasped, "let them go."
Ishaan's smirk returned, colder than stone. "And lose the leverage you hand me by loving them? You disappoint me."
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A beat of silence. Then, from the shadows behind Ishaan, more footsteps echoed: half a dozen men, weapons drawn.
Aria's breath turned to ice. Raian's hand gripped hers tighter, pain searing across his features — but resolve burning brighter.
"If you're going to kill me," he rasped, voice raw, "do it. But touch her — and I promise you, I'll haunt your last breath."
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Ishaan stepped closer, breath brushing Raian's face. "I don't want you dead, brother," he murmured. "I want you broken." His gaze flicked to Aria. "And nothing breaks you faster than watching what you love fall."
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Saira's voice, trembling but fierce, cut through the dawn-touched ruin. "Then you'll have to go through me."
Ishaan's gaze sharpened. "Gladly," he hissed.
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The first gunshot cracked through the ruined hall. Dust rose, birds scattered from broken rafters — and dawn's first light spilled across the stone, painting the living and the damned alike in cold gold.
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Teaser for Episode 71:
With bullets flying, Raian and Aria must fight not just for survival, but for the fragile bond that betrayal now threatens to shatter.