The cold wind howled against the dimly lit alley where Haider and Abrish stood, the weight of their past pressing between them like an invisible force. The documents in Abrish's trembling hands carried a truth neither of them had been ready to face.
"He was murdered," she whispered, her voice barely audible over the rustling pages.
Haider's jaw clenched, his fingers twitching at his sides. Murdered. The word sliced through him like a knife. He had spent years burying questions he never dared to ask.
"My father..." Abrish took a shaky breath. "He was never just missing, was he?"
Haider didn't answer. He couldn't.
The man who had given them the file had disappeared into the darkness, leaving them with nothing but a trail of secrets. Secrets that led back to Haider's own bloodline.
"Who do you think did this?" Abrish's voice was edged with a mixture of fear and determination.
Haider swallowed hard. His father had built an empire, one that thrived in the shadows, and now, piece by piece, it was all unraveling.
"We need to find out who else knew about this," Haider finally said. "And why, after all these years, this is coming to light now."
Abrish turned to him, her eyes filled with something he couldn't quite name. "Do you even want to know the answer?"
Silence. Because deep down, he already knew—some truths were never meant to be unearthed.
Three Years Ago – The Betrayal
"You knew... and you said nothing?" Abrish's voice shook with betrayal, her hands balled into fists.
Zayan stood in front of her, his expression unreadable. The man she had once trusted with everything was now just another stranger in the crowd.
"Abrish, you don't understand—"
"No! I understand perfectly!" she cut him off, her voice raw. "You lied to me. You stood there and watched while I searched for answers, knowing all along—"
"It wasn't that simple!" Zayan's voice cracked, desperation creeping in. "I was trying to protect you!"
"Protect me?" Abrish let out a hollow laugh. "You destroyed me."
She turned to leave, but Zayan grabbed her wrist.
"Please... just listen."
For a second, their eyes met—years of friendship, of love, of everything unspoken hanging between them.
Then she yanked her hand free.
"We're done, Zayan."
And just like that, the boy she had once trusted became the man she could never forgive.
Back to Present Day
As Abrish and Haider walked down the abandoned docks, the weight of the past still lingered in the air.
"I don't know what's worse," Abrish murmured, staring out at the dark waters. "Not knowing the truth, or knowing that it will destroy everything."
Haider exhaled slowly. "Sometimes, the truth is the only way forward."
But as they stepped deeper into the mystery, neither of them realized—they weren't the only ones searching for answers.
Someone else was watching. Waiting.
And soon, the past wouldn't just be a memory.
It would come for them.