Arjun didn't react immediately after Vikram said the number.
"Ten lakh."
The room felt quiet for a few seconds. Not heavy. Not dramatic. Just clear.
"Since when?" Arjun asked calmly.
Vikram looked uncomfortable. "About eight months."
"Before she reconnected with you?" Arjun asked.
"Yes."
"Before the relocation?" Arjun continued.
"Yes."
Arjun nodded slowly.
"So the rental agreement wasn't just about housing," he said.
Vikram shook his head. "No."
"It was about financial stability," Arjun said.
"Yes."
Arjun leaned back slightly.
"Loan sharks?" he asked.
"No," Vikram replied quickly. "Personal credit. Cards. Private borrowing."
"From who?" Arjun asked.
Vikram hesitated.
"Friends. Some unofficial lenders," he admitted.
Arjun didn't like that word.
"Unofficial how?" he asked.
Vikram looked at the floor briefly. "High interest. Cash transactions."
Arjun processed that.
"That's why she needed a guarantor," he said.
"Yes."
"And that's why she needed my salary slip," Arjun added.
"Yes."
Arjun's jaw tightened slightly.
"She told me it was temporary," Vikram said. "Just until she stabilized."
"And you believed her?" Arjun asked.
"I thought I could manage it," Vikram replied.
"But you didn't sign," Arjun said.
Vikram didn't answer.
"You made her sign," Arjun continued calmly.
"She agreed," Vikram insisted.
"She forged," Arjun corrected.
Silence filled the room.
Vikram finally looked up.
"She's scared," he said quietly.
"So was I," Arjun replied.
After Vikram left, Arjun sat alone for a few minutes.
Ten lakh wasn't small.
Not something you hide casually.
It explained urgency.
It explained recklessness.
But it didn't excuse it.
At 11:04 p.m., his phone buzzed.
Unknown number.
Unknown:
He told you.
Arjun typed back.
Arjun:
Yes.
Pause.
Then:
Unknown:
There's more.
Arjun stared at the screen.
Arjun:
What more?
The reply came slower this time.
Unknown:
It's not just ten.
Arjun's fingers paused.
Arjun:
Be clear.
The response came.
Unknown:
That's the official number.
Arjun leaned back slowly.
Unofficial lenders.
Interest stacking.
The real amount was probably higher.
The next morning, Arjun called his lawyer before work.
"She has significant debt," Arjun said.
The lawyer was quiet for a second.
"Source?" he asked.
"Indirect confirmation," Arjun replied.
"Debt explains motive," the lawyer said. "But doesn't remove criminal liability."
"I know," Arjun replied.
"Be cautious," the lawyer added. "Debt leads to desperation."
"I understand," Arjun said.
At noon, Riya messaged.
Can we meet?
Arjun didn't respond immediately.
Another message followed.
It's about the case.
He replied after a minute.
Public place. 5 p.m.
She sent a location.
A quiet café.
She was already there when he arrived.
No makeup.
No dramatic expression.
Just tired.
"You know about the debt," she said without greeting.
"Yes," Arjun replied.
Vikram had clearly spoken.
She looked at him carefully.
"You think that justifies what I did?" she asked.
"No," he replied.
Silence.
"I didn't plan for it to get this bad," she said.
"It did," he replied.
She stared at the table.
"They're calling me daily," she said quietly.
"Who?" he asked.
"Lenders," she replied.
Arjun's expression didn't change.
"How much is the total?" he asked.
She hesitated.
He waited.
"Seventeen," she said finally.
"Seventeen lakh?" he asked.
She nodded.
Arjun exhaled slowly.
"That's not relocation money," he said.
"No," she admitted.
"What did you spend it on?" he asked.
She didn't answer immediately.
"Lifestyle," she said finally. "Investments that failed."
Arjun watched her face carefully.
"Crypto?" he asked.
She looked surprised.
"Yes."
"And?" he asked.
"It crashed," she replied.
Arjun nodded slowly.
"So you tried to cover it," he said.
"Yes."
"With my name," he added.
She looked down.
"Yes."
Silence.
"You could've told me," he said calmly.
"I thought you'd leave," she whispered.
"I did," he replied.
She swallowed.
"If I withdraw everything and accept responsibility," she said slowly, "will you drop the case?"
Arjun didn't answer immediately.
"That's not how it works," he said finally.
"It can," she insisted.
"Criminal investigation doesn't disappear because you're scared," he replied.
She leaned back in her chair.
"I'll lose my job," she said.
"You already did," he replied.
"I'll lose everything," she said.
"You chose that risk," he replied.
Silence.
Her phone buzzed.
She glanced at it and quickly turned it face down.
Arjun noticed.
"Who?" he asked.
"No one," she said.
"Lender?" he asked.
She didn't respond.
Another buzz.
Then another.
Her breathing grew uneven.
"They're threatening," she said quietly.
"What kind of threatening?" Arjun asked.
"Visits," she replied.
Arjun's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Have they visited?" he asked.
She hesitated.
"Yes."
"When?" he asked.
"Last night," she whispered.
Arjun felt a shift.
"Did they hurt you?" he asked.
"No," she said quickly. "Just warned."
"Warned about what?" he asked.
"Payment," she replied.
Arjun leaned back slowly.
Seventeen lakh.
High interest.
Public scandal.
Criminal investigation.
Pressure stacking.
"You involved yourself deeper than forgery," he said.
She didn't deny it.
"They think I still have access to funds," she added quietly.
Arjun understood the implication.
"They think I'm backing you," he said.
She didn't answer.
"That's why you kept my name active," he said.
Silence.
She looked up at him finally.
"I didn't want them coming to you," she said.
"They already are," he replied calmly.
She froze.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
Arjun didn't respond immediately.
He simply looked at her.
"Last night," he said slowly, "someone was outside my building."
Her face drained of color.
"They asked the guard about me," he continued.
She gripped the edge of the table.
"I didn't give them your address," she said quickly.
"They got it," he replied.
Silence.
Her breathing became uneven again.
"This isn't what I wanted," she whispered.
"It never is," he replied.
At 8:42 p.m., Arjun returned home.
He checked with the security guard.
"Two men came," the guard confirmed. "Asking about you."
"Did they say why?" Arjun asked.
"No."
Arjun nodded slowly.
His phone buzzed again.
Unknown number.
Unknown:
They've started moving.
Arjun typed.
Arjun:
How do you know?
Pause.
Then:
Unknown:
Because they came to my place too.
Arjun's fingers tightened slightly.
Arjun:
Who are you exactly?
There was a longer pause than usual.
Then the reply came.
Unknown:
I'm one of the lenders.
And she put your name down as secondary contact.
Arjun stared at the screen.
Because that meant—
This wasn't just emotional fallout anymore.
His name wasn't only in forged documents.
It was now tied to dangerous people.
And they believed he owed them money.