Ananya smiled a faint, mysterious smile. Standing soaked in the rain, she lifted her head and said—
Ananya: "Sometimes, to destroy a demon, you have to embrace it. From today, you will slowly perish, Henry, driven mad by your love for me. Your reign is over; from now on, your life will be spent only searching for me."
Soaked to the skin, Ananya walked slowly back toward her apartment. Meanwhile, young Henry sank to his knees in the middle of the rainy street. For the first time, there was no trace of his former demonic arrogance—only a deep emptiness and unending yearning in his eyes.
As Ananya moved toward her apartment gate, a cry echoed behind her.
Henry: "Hey! Listen to me!"
Ananya didn't stop, merely glancing over her shoulder. Her navy-blue shirt clung to her drenched body, hair plastered to her face. She saw the towering, once-powerful Henry, now standing lost in the middle of the road. The pride he once carried was gone, replaced by a profound void and anguish.
Henry (shouting over the sound of the rain): "Do you know what you've done today? You haven't just trapped me—you've trapped yourself too! Wherever I go, you will be in my shadow. This body, this youth, is now enslaved by the single kiss you gave me. Why did you do this? Why didn't you hate me?"
Ananya turned fully to face him. She brushed the wet hair from her forehead with her hand, her eyes carrying a bittersweet victorious smile.
Ananya: "Because if I had destroyed you with hatred, you would have been lost—but never gone, Henry. You wanted immortality, didn't you? Today, I gave you an eternal thirst. From now on, every moment you will ache for my touch, yet I will remain beyond your reach. That is your greatest punishment."
Henry: "Ananya! Come back! I will give it all up… this reign, this power… everything! Just take away this yearning from my chest!"
He tried to step toward her, but his feet felt rooted to the ground. The lingering effect of Ananya's kiss spread through his mind like a fatal curse. He realized that the "condition of love" in the mystic pact was actually a trap—one that Ananya had just used.
Ananya spoke no more. She stepped inside the gate. As it closed behind her, Henry stretched his hand toward her in the rain, still yearning.
Once inside, Ananya leaned against the wall. Her eyes shed a few tears. She thought to herself: "Rehan… Sara… today I buried the devil alive. He will survive, yes, but each of his days will be more painful than death."
From the balcony, Sara watched, seeing the so-called "father demon" helpless in the rain, like a stray dog. She understood that her mother hadn't just taken revenge—she had left a monster to suffer the torment of being human.
Night deepened. The rain outside drummed a steady rhythm. Henry returned to his grand royal bedroom, but it now felt like a prison. All the lights were off, only the faint bluish glow from a streetlamp outside filtering in. He threw his shirt onto the floor, soaked from rain and sweat.
He stared into the mirror. His muscular young body glistened, but in his eyes, he no longer saw himself—he saw Ananya's calm, unwavering gaze. Her words from the previous night echoed in his mind.
Henry (whispering): "What have you done, Ananya? You didn't free me—you trapped me in an eternal thirst."
He grabbed a heavy bottle of liquor from the bedside table, drank, and smashed it on the floor. Glass shards scattered everywhere. Clutching his chest, he felt his heart pounding unnaturally fast, each beat reminding him of Ananya's lips. That kiss was no mere kiss—it was a spell, a deathly intoxication. The mystic had warned that falling into love would make his power eternal, but now that power was consuming him from within. He could no longer hate, could no longer seek revenge—his entire being now ached for her.
He collapsed on the bed, staring at the ceiling. He imagined her glasses-clad face floating there. He reached out to touch the apparition, but his hand grasped nothing.
Henry (to the dark ceiling): "You've won, Ananya. I didn't kill you twenty years ago, but today… you spared me and yet defeated me. Every time I close my eyes, I see you—this navy shirt, these glasses…"
Suddenly, Ananya stirred slightly in her sleep, murmuring, as if caught in a nightmare. Henry froze, sensing the delicate fragility of her unconscious state.
Ananya (murmuring, brokenly): "Henry… don't… look at the children… Sara will be alone… why did you do this?"
Hearing this half-conscious plea, Henry's chest twisted in pain. He thought Ananya had returned merely for revenge, but he realized her unconscious mind still carried those old wounds. She murmured again:
Ananya: "I loved you… I left everything for you… and you buried me alive, Henry…"
Henry could no longer restrain himself. Tears filled the eyes of a man who had never cried for anyone. He leaned over, taking her icy-cold hands into his.
Henry (tearfully): "Ananya… forgive me. I was blind in my greed for power. I didn't realize I was destroying my own heaven."
At that moment, Ananya's eyelids quivered. Her sleep was breaking, and she felt her hand held tightly. Slowly, her eyes opened. There was no fog, no glasses—she saw Henry, his eyes brimming with tears.
Startled, she tried to sit up, adjusting her navy shirt that had slipped from her shoulder. For a moment, fear flickered in her eyes, then hardened.
Ananya: "How dare you enter my bedroom? Where are the guards?"
Henry did not let go. Kneeling on the floor, he said:
Henry: "No one can stop me, Ananya. I didn't come as a killer today. Your murmured words last night shattered all my pride. Even in dreams, it was me you sought. Kill me, Ananya, but don't imprison me in this jail of love."
Ananya sat still as stone, unsure if this was another trick or if his heart had truly changed.
Just as she began to soften, Henry forcefully pulled her into his arms. His embrace was so strong it nearly suffocated her. She had thought he might cry, might repent—but when his face neared her neck, she saw his reflection in the mirror.
There were no tears—only the familiar devilish smirk. He was using her weakness, trapping her once again in his web.
Henry (coldly, near her ear): "Ananya… did you really think I had changed? Did you think your whispered words in sleep would make me abandon twenty years of power? You are far too emotional."
Ananya froze. She realized that his kneeling, his tears, were all part of a perfect performance designed by his "youthful" body.
Henry (smiling wider): "When you murmured, I understood you still needed me. My body, my youth… they pull you in. By the pact, you are now mine. Didn't you give me your lips last night? That kiss granted me your freedom."
He lifted his face to meet hers. His eyes glowed red again, demonic and unyielding.
Henry: "Now rise. Wear your glasses and navy shirt. Today, you will go to my office. Show the world that Ananya, or Laboni—whatever you are—is ultimately under Henry's command. And if you don't…"
He pulled a remote from his pocket.
Henry: "I've already hacked a gas pipeline in Sara's room. With one click, I could blow up the entire apartment. Will your motherhood prevail, or your revenge?"
Ananya felt her chest freeze again. Unwittingly, in acting as if she had fallen in love with a demon, she had plunged herself into the fire of her own making.