Kiara thought the danger was only about her… until Vishwa showed her how close he really was.
Chapter-5:
Kiara barely slept that night.
Every small sound in the apartment made her eyes snap open.
The ticking of the clock, the distant noise of traffic, even the wind brushing against the window.
By morning, her head felt heavy.
But one thought kept circling in her mind.
Police.
She had dealt with cybercrime cases before in her career. If someone was harassing her and threatening her company's systems, reporting it would be the logical step.
Her fingers hovered over her phone as she searched for the number of the cybercrime department.
Maybe this was the right thing to do.
Maybe it was the only way to stop him.
Just as she was about to save the number—
Her phone buzzed.
Unknown Number.
Her stomach tightened instantly.
A message appeared.
"Don't."
Kiara stared at the screen.
Another message followed.
"You were about to call the police."
Her heart dropped.
How does he know?
Her fingers felt cold.
Another message appeared.
"That would be a mistake."
Before Kiara could respond, a new image appeared on the screen.
Her breath caught in her throat.
It was a photo of her mother.
The picture looked recent.
Her mother was standing in the courtyard of the small ashram where she taught, surrounded by a few children sitting on the ground with notebooks in their hands. Her mother looked peaceful, explaining something with a gentle smile.
Kiara's chest tightened.
Another message appeared.
"She looks happy."
Her hands began to tremble.
Before she could even process it, another image arrived.
This time it was her younger sister.
The photo showed her walking outside her college gate with her friend, laughing about something.
Her sister's friend, Ananya, was talking excitedly while her sister listened, swinging her bag over her shoulder.
They looked completely carefree.
Completely unaware.
Kiara felt the blood drain from her face.
Another message appeared.
"Your family is important to you."
Her breathing became shallow.
"It would be unfortunate if something interrupted their peaceful lives."
Kiara's heart started pounding violently.
Her fingers moved over the keyboard, but she didn't know what to type.
Fear. Anger. Helplessness.
All of it crashed into her at once.
Another message appeared.
"If you go to the police…"
A pause.
Then the final message appeared.
"Let's see what happens to them."
For a moment, Kiara couldn't even breathe.
Her entire body felt frozen.
Her mind screamed that this was a bluff.
But another part of her remembered something terrifying.
Vishwa had already proven he could watch her.
He had proven he could reach places she never imagined.
Kiara's grip tightened around the phone.
Her eyes burned with a mixture of anger and fear.
"How dare you…" she whispered under her breath.
But her voice sounded weak even to herself.
Because deep down, she knew something.
This was no longer just a hacker playing games.
This was someone who had entered her life completely.
And now…
He had made sure she understood one thing clearly.
Kiara wasn't the only one in danger anymore.