Rael stared at the photo Ananya had laid on his desk. His jaw clenched, his knuckles white as the blood drained from his face.
"This… this was the day…" he whispered.
"Yes." Ananya's voice was calm, but her eyes burned. "That man stood outside our mansion. Minutes before I screamed for help. Minutes before… our child died."
Rael sat heavily, the weight of guilt crashing over him like a wave. "I should've believed you."
She didn't move. "But you didn't. And you let them blame me."
His eyes met hers — hollow, haunted. "I'll find him. I'll kill him."
She nodded once. "Good. Because if you don't... I will."
She turned to leave the room.
"Ananya," he called.
She stopped at the door but didn't look back.
"I still love you," he said.
Her silence was deafening.
Then, without turning around, she whispered, "Then love me enough to fear losing me."
She disappeared into the hallway, the echo of her words sharper than a blade.
Rael sat frozen, staring at the photo again — but this time, it wasn't just the man's face he saw…
It was a symbol on his jacket.
Something Rael had seen before.
Something from a war he thought was over.
His breath caught in his throat.
He grabbed his phone.
"Call Damon. Now. We have a bigger problem."
---