He woke up on the third day.
The fever had broken. His shoulder was healing. He was weak, but he was alive.
Kavya was asleep beside him, her head resting on his chest.
He didn't move.
Didn't want to wake her.
He just lay there, staring at the ceiling, and thought about everything that had happened.
The hunters. Sharma. The files on the USB drive.
They had information now. Real information. Names. Locations. Plans.
They could fight back.
But first
He looked down at Kavya.
First, he needed to know everything.
She woke up an hour later.
"You're alive," she said.
"Barely."
"Barely counts."
She sat up. Rubbed her eyes. Looked at him with an expression he couldn't read.
"We need to talk," he said.
"About what?"
"The files. The hunters. But first..." He hesitated. "First, I need to know the truth."
"What truth?"
"Why you really came to Delhi."
She went still.
"You said you came because you heard about me. Because you wanted help. But that's not the whole story, is it?"
"Aarav—"
"I've been thinking about it. While I was sick. You knew about me before you came. You knew what I could do. But you also knew something else."
She said nothing.
"You knew about the hunters. You knew they were looking for you. But you came to Delhi anyway. You came to me."
"Yes."
"Why?"
She looked down at her hands.
"Because I needed someone who could do what I couldn't."
"What's that?"
She met his eyes.
"Trust."
The word hung in the air between them.
"I've been running for three years," she continued. "Alone. Always alone. And I thought... if I could find someone like me. Someone who understood. Maybe I could stop running."
"So you used me."
"I found you."
"Same thing."
"No." She shook her head. "Using someone means you don't care about them. I care about you, Aarav. I didn't plan to. But I do."
"How do I know you're telling the truth?"
"You don't. That's the point. Trust isn't knowing. Trust is choosing to believe anyway."
He stared at her.
She stared back.
And in that moment, he realized something.
He couldn't read her mind.
He would never be able to read her mind.
But he didn't need to.
Because he trusted her.
Not because of logic. Not because of evidence. Because of her.
"I believe you," he said.
Her eyes filled with tears.
"Thank you," she whispered.