Meera sat on the bench, luggage by her side, watching the road for the bus. When it finally appeared, she stood and hefted her bag – then collided with someone. She looked up and froze; her heart thudded against her ribs. She stumbled back a step.

“Manav!” she breathed.

He stood before her, casual and menacing, a slow, devilish smile curling his lips.

Memories rushed through Meera like a tide – how he’d entered her life, how he’d coaxed her into loving him, how he’d drugged her that night. Hatred flared in her eyes.

“Why are you here?” she demanded.

Manav stepped closer, arrogance dripping from every word. “Oh come on – meeting the father of your child after all these years, and this attitude? TCH.” He smirked. “So angry. Calm down. I saved your sister’s life, you know. A ‘thank you’ would be nice.”

“What?” Meera’s voice cracked.

He laughed, cold and easy. “You people are so foolish. You see what’s put in front of you and you believe it. Abhimaan saw a gun in Ivaan’s hands and assumed he’d pulled the trigger. But it wasn’t Ivaan who fired the shot. I did.”

Her eyes widened. He kept talking, words sliding like knives.

“My father was a mafia man. Shooting came to me as natural as breathing. I was eight when I killed Parveen Mathur. I put the gun in Ivaan’s hands.”

Meera felt the world tilt.

“Your parents… they died in an accident, right?” he whispered.

Her eyes widened.

He smiled like someone enjoying a confession. “No. Your father discovered the truth. The DSP and his wife were coming to tell the truth to Abhimaan, and they were silenced. I killed them too.”

Tears spilled down Meera’s face. Rage flared and she grabbed his collar. “You murdered my parents?”

Manav’s laugh was ruthless. “Not only them – your sister too. She didn’t fall from that helicopter by accident; I made her fall. I used a silenced gun to shoot the rope. Then I pretended to save her. And Ivaan bowed so low in front of me that he couldn’t see what was happening…” He barked another laugh. “He was going to be the next mafia king. But he bowed to me, and I stepped into that place instead.”

Meera’s breath came shorter, her hands shook.

“You really think Tia did all of this alone?” he continued, amusement in his voice. “No. I provided her the resources.”

“So Tia is with you?” Meera spat.

Manav shrugged, almost bored. “Not like that. She was my pawn. I used her – for my gains. She doesn’t even know who I am.”

He fixed her with a cold stare. “If anyone knows anything about me, it’s you.”

Meera stared back, stunned into silence.

His face shifted into a grin again. “Why do you think I’ve told you all this now? The man who’s about to die deserves to know the truth of his life, doesn’t he?”

A chill ran down Meera’s spine.

He closed the distance between them, voice soft and poisonous. “You made a big mistake leaving the Maurya Mansion. You were safe in Ivaan’s security. But now-“

He let the sentence hang and gave her that same cruel smile.

Meera’s hands went white on the handle of her luggage as the bus idled somewhere down the road. Behind Manav’s smile, something darker hovered like a promise – and the moment ended with a silence far more dangerous than anything he’d said.

He leaned in, voice flat as winter, “This story isn’t over yet.”