The call ended… but its impact stayed.
Aanya stood frozen.
One sentence kept repeating in her mind—
"I created the version of you she is breaking."
Rudra slowly put the phone down.
For the first time… his hands weren't steady.
Aanya stepped closer.
"Rudra… tell me the truth."
A pause.
"Who was that woman?"
Rudra didn't answer immediately.
He walked toward the window instead.
Like he was looking at a past he didn't want to see.
Finally, he spoke.
"Her name was Meera."
Aanya repeated softly.
"Meera…"
Rudra nodded once.
"She wasn't just anyone."
A pause.
"She built me."
Aanya frowned.
"Built you?"
Rudra turned slightly.
Eyes darker than before.
"Before I became Rudra Rathore… I was nothing."
A pause.
"A street ghost surviving under different names."
Aanya stayed silent.
Rudra continued,
"Meera found me."
"She trained me… gave me structure… turned me into what the world fears today."
Aanya whispered,
"And then?"
Rudra's voice dropped.
"And then I chose my empire over her control."
Silence hit hard.
Aanya's eyes widened.
"So she's revenge?"
Rudra shook his head slightly.
"No."
A pause.
"She never believed in revenge."
Aanya frowned.
"Then what does she want?"
Rudra's expression tightened.
"Correction."
A pause.
"She thinks I became unstable because of emotions."
Aanya's heart sank.
Suddenly—
The room lights flickered.
Security system alarm beeped once.
Then silence.
Rudra's face changed instantly.
"She's here."
Aanya stepped back.
"What?! Inside your building?!"
Rudra already moved.
"Not inside."
A pause.
"Above it."
He rushed to the control panel.
Screens turned on automatically.
Security cameras loaded.
Aanya saw it.
A rooftop.
A woman standing alone.
Black coat.
Still as stone.
Her face partially visible.
Cold eyes.
No emotion.
Just control.
Meera.
Aanya whispered,
"That's her…"
Rudra stared at the screen.
For the first time…
he didn't look like a gangster.
He looked like someone facing his origin.
Meera spoke through the building's hacked speakers.
Her voice filled the room.
Calm… but powerful.
"Rudra."
A pause.
"You are deviating again."
Rudra responded coldly.
"You crossed a line."
Meera replied softly,
"I am correcting it."
Aanya grabbed Rudra's arm.
"Don't go out there…"
Rudra looked at her.
For a second… something soft passed his face.
Then it disappeared.
He gently removed her hand again.
Not rejection.
Protection.
"I have to."
Aanya whispered,
"Why?"
Rudra looked at the screen one last time.
And said the truth that changed everything—
"Because she didn't come for me…"
A pause.
"She came for what I chose instead of her."
Aanya froze.
"…Me."
Rudra didn't deny it.
He walked toward the door.
Meera's voice echoed again.
"This ends today, Rudra."
And Rudra replied quietly—
"No."
A pause.
"It begins again."