POV: Wishakha Bhalla / Ananya Iyer / Swara Malhotra / Kabir Bhalla / Ishaan Malhotra
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PART 1: THE PATTERN
POV: Wishakha Bhalla
Lies repeat.
Truth hides in patterns.
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I stopped reading the headlines.
Started reading between them.
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Same phrasing.
Same structure.
Same timing.
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Different stories.
Same author.
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"Found you…" I whispered.
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The media network wasn't independent.
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It was coordinated.
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Controlled.
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Every article.
Every leak.
Every "anonymous source".
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One direction.
One purpose.
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Narrative control.
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I opened Ledger_02 again.
Matched timestamps.
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And there it was—
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A hidden signature.
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Not a name.
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A pattern.
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And it led to one place.
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A private data hub.
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Off the record.
Off the grid.
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My heart raced.
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"This is it…"
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The source.
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The brain behind the stories.
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And if I could prove it—
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I wouldn't just save Ishaan.
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I would expose everything.
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But something in my gut whispered—
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They want you to come here.
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And that meant—
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This wasn't just a discovery.
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It was an invitation.
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PART 2: THE GAME BEGINS
POV: Ananya Iyer
He stopped hiding.
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Which meant—
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He wanted to be seen.
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I reopened my system.
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Didn't hesitate this time.
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"Let's finish this."
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I rerouted through three servers.
Masked everything.
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Or at least—
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Tried to.
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Because the moment I entered—
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The screen changed.
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No firewall.
No block.
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Just a message.
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"Welcome back, Ananya."
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I froze.
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Not fear.
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Recognition.
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"He knows I'd come again."
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The cursor blinked.
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Then—
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A live interface opened.
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Chat window.
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Anonymous.
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But not really.
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UNKNOWN: You're predictable.
ME: You're arrogant.
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A pause.
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Then—
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UNKNOWN: And yet, I'm winning.
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I clenched my jaw.
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ME: You're hiding.
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Seconds passed.
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Then—
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A video feed opened.
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Dark room.
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A silhouette.
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Not clear.
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But present.
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Watching me.
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UNKNOWN: Am I?
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My heartbeat spiked.
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This wasn't hacking anymore.
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This was a conversation.
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And conversations—
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Reveal things.
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"You want attention," I said out loud.
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Silence.
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Then—
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UNKNOWN: No. I want control.
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And suddenly—
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I knew.
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This wasn't just about power.
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This was personal.
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PART 3: THE MEETING
POV: Swara Malhotra
No place is safe.
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But some are less dangerous than others.
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That's what Kabir said.
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So here I was.
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An abandoned parking lot.
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Half-lit.
Half-forgotten.
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Perfect.
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Or maybe—
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Perfectly stupid.
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"You came."
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I turned.
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He was there.
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Leaning against a pillar.
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Same eyes.
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Different weight in them.
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"Talk fast," I said.
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"I don't trust this."
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"You shouldn't," he replied.
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Of course.
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Silence.
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Then—
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"Rishi is setting Ishaan up for a permanent ban."
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My breath stopped.
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"What?"
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"He's building a legal case."
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"No—no, he can't just—"
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"He can," Kabir cut in.
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"Because he controls the evidence."
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My mind raced.
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"This is insane."
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"No," he said quietly.
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"It's planned."
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I stared at him.
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"Then stop him."
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His expression changed.
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Something broke through.
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"I'm trying."
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"Not enough."
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That hit.
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Because it was true.
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And we both knew it.
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Then—
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"Why are you really here, Kabir?"
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A pause.
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Then—
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"To warn you."
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My chest tightened.
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"About what?"
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His eyes locked with mine.
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"Your brother isn't the only target anymore."
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Cold.
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Sharp.
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Real.
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"And you think I'll just stay quiet?"
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"No," he said.
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"That's what scares me."
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PART 4: THE EDGE
POV: Ishaan Malhotra
They took my jersey.
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Didn't even say anything.
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Just—
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Took it.
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Like I didn't deserve it anymore.
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I laughed.
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Because if I didn't—
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I'd break.
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My reflection stared back at me.
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Same face.
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Different person.
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"Fixer."
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The word echoed.
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Louder this time.
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Because now—
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It sounded like truth.
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I slammed my fist into the locker.
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Pain shot up my arm.
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Good.
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At least something was real.
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My phone buzzed.
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I didn't check.
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Didn't care.
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Until it buzzed again.
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And again.
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I looked.
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Unknown number.
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A video.
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I opened it.
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Swara.
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Talking to Kabir.
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In that parking lot.
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My chest froze.
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"No…"
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Audio distorted.
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But clear enough.
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Close.
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Too close.
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My grip tightened.
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"Of course…"
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Because why not?
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Everyone lies.
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Everyone leaves.
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Everyone chooses someone else.
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My vision blurred.
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Not tears.
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Just—
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Something breaking.
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Again.
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PART 5: THE TRAP CLOSES
POV: Kabir Bhalla
She shouldn't have come.
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I knew that.
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From the moment she stepped into that place.
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From the moment she trusted me—
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Even a little.
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Because trust—
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Was the one thing I couldn't protect.
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My phone buzzed.
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I didn't need to check.
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I already knew.
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Still—
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I looked.
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A message.
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From Rishi.
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"Emotional, isn't it?"
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My jaw clenched.
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Then—
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Another message.
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"Let's make it worse."
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A video attached.
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I opened it.
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Ishaan.
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Watching.
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Breaking.
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My stomach dropped.
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No.
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He crossed a line.
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Again.
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And this time—
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I wasn't going to stay silent.
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I looked up at Swara.
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Still standing there.
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Still trusting me—
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More than she should.
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"I have to go," I said suddenly.
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"What? Why?"
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"No time."
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And then—
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I did something I hadn't planned.
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Something dangerous.
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Something real.
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"Don't trust anything you see from now on."
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Her brows furrowed.
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"What does that mean?"
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But I was already stepping back.
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Already leaving.
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Because if I stayed—
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I'd choose her.
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And if I chose her—
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Rishi would destroy her.
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FINAL LINE:
The most dangerous trap isn't the one you walk into.
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It's the one built around your emotions.