14.

3𝐫𝐝 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐩𝐨𝐯

The splash of water rips through the garden like a scream. A second of stunned silence follows, just long enough for dread to bloom.

Then...gunshots. Bullets tear through the air like wild animals, ricocheting off stone, shredding flower pots, splintering wooden railings. The sound doesn’t come from one direction but rather from everywhere, making it impossible to predict, and...impossible to escape. Death is no longer standing at the gates... It’s inside the garden, breathing.

Yuvraj reacts before fear can claim him. “ANDAR JAO, SAB LOG! ABHI!” His voice is sharp and commanding, not loud with panic, but edged with authority, the kind that cuts through hysteria. He moves fast, grabbing arms, pushing backs, guiding every family member toward Vivaan’s house, calculating safety in seconds.

(Get inside, everyone! now!)

“Don’t stop. Don’t turn back. Inside, NOW.” Vivaan’s parents get confused only for a fraction of a second before obeying. Yuvraj positions himself like a shield, his eyes constantly scanning, body angled toward danger.

Then he reaches Aarohi’s parents, as they are not moving. Not because they don’t understand the danger, but because of the years of bitterness standing between them and Vivaan’s family. For one terrifying moment, hesitation almost kills them. But fear overrides pride easily, as bones matter more than ego when bullets are flying. “This is not the time,” Yuvraj snaps, voice breaking through their pause. “If you want to stay alive, get inside that house. NOW.” Another gunshot cracks the air, close enough to feel the vibration under their skin. That’s all it takes. Fear wins and they run.

All of them disappear into Vivaan’s house fortunately, doors slamming shut, locking out the madness.

Except...

Aliya.

She’s still in the garden as she stands right in the middle, not close enough to the house door to dive inside, not near enough to the pool to act without thinking. Just stranded, caught between two forms of death. Panic slams into her like a physical force. Even the sharpest mind breaks under terror. Her heart pounds violently, each beat hammering against her ribs as if trying to escape her chest. Logic, once calm and analytical shuts down completely, locking its doors and abandoning her. She wasn’t prepared for this. No one ever is.

Her breath turns shallow, ragged. The edges of a panic attack curl tight around her lungs, squeezing, threatening to black out her vision. But when death is flying through the air, when it is actively hunting, standing still is suicide. And then her mind snaps onto something worse.

Aarohi can’t swim.

The thought slices through her panic like glass. Aarohi doesn’t just fear water but fears sinking, the helplessness of it, and the way it steals control. Aliya turns, already running toward the pool, dread screaming through her veins. But bullets don't let her reach there.

“AAROHI!” Vivaan’s voice shatters the air, raw, desperate, animalistic. Aliya turns just in time to see him jump. He showed no hesitation, no calculation. He dives straight into the pool and the water closes over Vivaan’s head violently.

Gunshots echo above the surface, distorted but still deafening. Chlorinated water burns his eyes as he forces them open, panic surging when he sees Aarohi beneath him, arms flailing with erratic movements while fear turning her body rigid. She’s fighting the water, choking, inhaling panic more than air.

Her eyes are wide, wild, not seeing him, not recognizing anything. Her phobia has taken over completely. The water has become her enemy.

Vivaan grabs her, but she struggles violently, nails digging into his arms, pushing him away in blind terror. She doesn’t know it’s him. She only knows she’s sinking. “It’s me,” he tries to say, but water steals his words. She thrashes harder.

Gunshots crack above them, one bullet punches into the pool wall, sending a violent ripple through the water. Vivaan tightens his grip despite the pain, forcing himself between her and the surface, anchoring her.

Look at me.

Please.

He presses his forehead against hers underwater, desperate, refusing to let go even as his lungs burn.

Back in the garden... Aliya collapses behind the low wall near the main gate, dropping to her knees as bullets rain in from outside. Stone chips explode beside her face. She presses herself against the wall, heart pounding so hard that it hurts.

Then...a cry. A high-pitched, broken and terrified cry. Aliya looks up, and her chest caves in.

Ananya.

Vivaan’s daughter.

She’s running blindly, sobbing, tears streaming down her face as gunshots thunder around her. Old enough to know danger exists but too young to survive it alone. She crashes into Aliya, clinging to her desperately, tiny fingers fisting into her clothes. Her hands fly to her ears as if she can shut the world out. Aliya wraps her arms around the child, holding her tight. The realization hits like a punch that this will live inside her forever. This fear. This sound...

“When I say run,” Aliya whispers, voice trembling despite her effort, “you run to the door, bacha. Don’t look back.” Ananya shakes her head violently, terror locking her body,  until another gunshot cracks so close she screams. She nods then. Fast and desperate. She will obey.

Aliya rises suddenly and sprints to a thick pillar, at the same moment, she signals. And Ananya? She runs. Yuvraj sees her instantly. He grabs her, lifts her, shields her body with his own as he rushes inside. But his eyes don’t leave the garden, because every bullet has now shifted direction. They’re aiming at Aliya... and only Aliya.

She presses herself behind the pillar as breath gets frozen while her body is trembling. The second Ananya is safe, Yuvraj turns back. And he runs. A bullet flies straight toward him, so close it slices the air beside his face. But h doesn’t stop. He reaches Aliya and pulls her into his arms, wrapping her so tightly it’s as if he’s trying to fuse her to his chest, to protect her with his own body.

Her face presses against him, and she feels his heart, beating violently and uncontrollably. Two hearts crashing together in the middle of gunfire.

The sound of gunshots slowly faded. Not abruptly, no. They thinned out, one by one, until the echoes dissolved into an eerie stillness that rang louder than the bullets ever had.

Yuvraj pressed his back against the pillar, his chest rising and falling sharply. His grip around Aliya tightened instinctively, his body still positioned in front of hers like a shield. Carefully, too carefully, he peeked out. Three… four Indian police cars stood across the road, red and blue lights flashing silently now, bathing the entire area in sharp bursts of color. Armed officers surrounded the place from every possible angle, guns raised, eyes alert. Near the gate, six or seven men were handcuffed, forced onto their knees, their faces pressed down with resistance crushed.

A minute passed with no shouting, no gunfire or no screams, just silence. “It’s safe,” someone murmured, almost afraid to say it out loud.

The surface of the swimming pool stirred. Vivaan slowly emerged, water dripping from his hair, his arms locked tightly around Aarohi’s fragile body. For a second, only their upper bodies were visible above the water. His heart was pounding violently, so loud it felt like the water itself was echoing it back. Aarohi’s heartbeat fluttered against his chest, uneven, frantic, and somehow… their rhythms began to merge. Two terrified hearts, beating as one.

In that moment, that sound became the second most calming thing Vivaan had known all night.

The first...was her being alive and safe. Aarohi clung to him unconsciously, her fingers still locked in a death grip against his kurta, her body refusing to let go even now. He pulled himself and her out of the pool with trembling strength, water splashing loudly as they collapsed near the edge.

She was barely conscious. Vivaan sat her down carefully, keeping one arm firmly wrapped around her waist. His hands came up to cup her face, fingers brushing her wet cheeks. “Aarohi…” he whispered. She was breathing, but too fast and too shallow. Her body flinched violently at his touch, reacting the same way it had fought the water moments ago. Her eyes were open, but vacant, empty in a way that screamed she was no longer here. That she was still drowning. Her mind hadn’t left the pool.

Tears slipped down her cheeks silently as her body began to shake. She clutched her chest desperately, gasping for air, coughing midway as if her lungs were still filled with water. Vivaan froze as he noticed her lips were turning bluish. Her skin started losing color. Her oxygen levels were dropping. His breath caught painfully in his throat. “Breathe,” the word left his mouth unconsciously, barely louder than a whisper. He quickly shifted her posture, making her sit upright, slightly leaning forward, one hand firm against her back.

“You’re safe,” he said, his voice breaking despite his effort to stay steady. “You’re safe. Just… breathe slowly with me.” His own breathing was uneven, cracked, but he exaggerated it, slow, deep, hoping she’d follow.

For a terrifying second, he thought he might need to perform CPR. But then,  Her chest rose. Once. Twice. She followed him. Her hands loosened their death grip on herself and instead clutched his arms tightly, as if anchoring herself to reality through him. Their foreheads fell together, water dripping from both of them, breath mingling, syncing. The open air helped, the night breeze, the oxygen, the calm. Her condition stabilized, just enough to pull her back from the edge. But Vivaan didn’t move, idn’t blink, and didn't’t breathe unless she did.

Yuvraj slowly stepped out from behind the pillar with Aliya still protected beside him. Only when he sensed the danger had fully passed did he loosen his stance.

Inside the house, doors creaked open hesitantly. Family members began stepping out slowly, faces pale with eyes wide, trying to understand how celebration had turned into terror within minutes.

Yuvraj’s eyes immediately searched for Vivaan and found him sitting near the pool, holding Aarohi. Fear was written all over Vivaan’s face, not loud or not dramatic but raw and exposed, fear that comes when you almost lose something you didn’t even realize you couldn’t live without. Yuvraj rushed toward him and crouched beside them. He gently rubbed Vivaan’s back, silent reassurance passing between them.

Suddenly, tiny feet rushed out of the house. Ananya... she was crying, her small body trembling as she ran, looking for safety, for familiarity. But as she stepped into the open air, something changed. The air felt… calm. Her wide eyes moved around, Aliya standing near the pillar where she had protected her earlier, Yuvraj beside her father who was sitting near the pool holding a woman tightly. Her gaze shifted again, toward the entrance.

A man walked in, slightly injured, clothes dusty, eyes scanning everything rapidly. Vansh.. the moment he saw Ananya, he rushed toward her and dropped to his knees in front of her, exhaustion etched into every line of his face.

“Hi, princess,” he said softly, his voice tired but warm. “Hi, hero,” Ananya replied without hesitation. He smiled faintly. She knew him, because her father had once shown her his pictures, telling her stories from college, laughing about old memories.

Her eyes shifted back to the girl in her father’s arms. “Is she okay?” Ananya asked quietly. “My sister?” Vansh asked and blinked, surprised and then smiled. “Yes,” he further said gently. “She’s safe.”

“She’s your sister?” Ananya asked, her big brown eyes curious. “Yes,” Vansh nodded. “Her name is Aarohi.”

Ananya thought for a second, then asked again, “Is everyone else okay?” Vansh’s smile softened even more. “Yes, princess. Everyone is okay.” He paused. “But tell me… are you okay?” Ananya nodded firmly and vansh stood up.

His eyes landed on Aliya, still standing there, scanning her surroundings, the weight of what she had just prevented settling slowly onto her shoulders. Vansh’s mind drifted, just for a second. Something tugged at his thoughts, faint but persistent, like an unfinished sentence echoing at the back of his head. Instinct, suspicion, a feeling he couldn’t quite name. But he forced himself to steady his breathing, grounding himself. Not now, he told himself. He turned his face toward the pool.

His steps were slow, deliberate, eyes scanning everything without seeming obvious, trained, alert, controlled. And as he walked, he noticed something else. Yuvraj... yuvraj’s eyes were fixed on Aliya.

There was something unsettled in his gaze, not fear exactly, not relief either...but wonder. Like a thought had lodged itself in his mind and refused to leave. Vansh caught it immediately. That look. The kind people get when pieces don’t fit, yet feel dangerously close to forming a picture.

But the moment Yuvraj noticed Vansh looking at him, he shifted his focus, instantly. Too quickly. Like a man who didn’t want to be caught thinking. Then, a sharp, sudden and piercing scream follows. It sliced through the fragile calm like glass shattering. Every single face snapped toward the sound. Hearts jumped into throats. Breath hitched collectively. And what they saw, made the world stop again.

A man. One of the men who had been handcuffed minutes ago was now free, standing right behind Aliya with a knife pressed against her throat. Cold, sharp and merciless. Aliya stood frozen. The metal kissed her skin.

Yuvraj’s body reacted before his mind could. Panic surged through him like electricity. His chest tightened violently, breath tearing out of him as he lunged forward. But suddenly, a hand gripped his arm, hard. Yuvraj turned sharply, rage and terror colliding in his eyes...Vansh was holding him back, his grip firm, unyielding. He shook his head slowly.

“Don’t,” Vansh said quietly, but there was iron in his voice. “Or he’ll hurt her.” Yuvraj froze as his entire body trembled, muscles screaming to break free, to run, to shield her, but he stayed. Barely. Around them, every police officer raised their guns instantly. All weapons aimed. One wrong move away from bloodshed.

Everyone saw the knife. Everyone saw Aliya. But Vansh saw something else. The man’s lips were moving. He was whispering. Right into Aliya’s ear. So close his breath brushed her skin.

And Vansh noticed it, the exact moment Aliya’s breathing hitched. Not just fear. Something deeper. Something that landed inside her like a wound. Her fingers curled slightly as her jaw tightened. Whatever he had whispered, wasn’t just a threat. Yuvraj noticed it too. The way Aliya stiffened. The way her fear shifted. And something inside Yuvraj cracked.

“Leave her,” Vansh commanded, his voice echoing through the silence. “Surrender yourself. Now.” The man laughed softly. “How long are you gonna keep me behind bars?” he sneered. “It won’t even take me a day to walk out. You don’t scare me, stupid officer.” Vansh’s jaw clenched. The weight of responsibility pressed down on him, heavy and suffocating. An innocent life balanced on seconds. On precision. On restraint.

Aliya’s eyes lifted. They locked with Vansh’s. And she didn’t look scared instead looked intent, focused and as if she was telling him something, without words.

Her face tilted back ever so slightly, creating a fraction of distance between her skin and the blade. And then, In one swift, explosive movement, her elbow flew back straight into his eyes. So fast and so precise. So unexpected that the man screamed. Aliya dropped instantly, bending down on one knee, and the gunshot tore through the air.

Vansh fired. One shot. It hit the man’s arm, sending the knife clattering to the ground. He screamed in pain, collapsing yet alive.

Yuvraj didn’t think, didn’t breathe, didn’t hesitate. He was already running. He reached Aliya in seconds, maybe less, wrapping her into his arms so tightly it felt like he was trying to merge her into himself. Like if he let go, she’d disappear.

“You’re okay,” he whispered over and over, voice shaking violently. “You’re okay. I’ve got you. I’ve got you.” Aliya’s body finally gave in. She trembled and collapsed into him... alive.

. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁

The situation was handled swiftly after that. Police took control. Arrests were finalized. Statements began. Vansh stayed, firm, alert, refusing to leave until everything was secure.

Vivaan carried Aarohi gently to the guest room, calling a doctor immediately. She was checked thoroughly, treated and monitored. Vivaan’s parents and Aarohi’s parents exchanged heavy, unspoken, layered with forced hatred and fear and things words couldn’t hold glances. Ananya stayed close to Yuvraj and Aliya, quiet now, clinging. Everyone was exhausted. Drained and shaken.

Vansh instructed them not to leave the house till morning. Police secured both houses, floodlights illuminating the surroundings, officers stationed everywhere.

Two hours passed. “You all should try to sleep,” Vansh said finally. “No one is allowed to leave, so you’ll have to stay here. I hope that’s okay, Vivaan Oberoi?” The use of the full name made his tone professional. “Of course,” Vivaan replied, matching it. “I'll guide everyone to the guest rooms.”

“I have a suggestion,” Deepak Oberoi, Vivaan's father said suddenly as everyone turned. “I know tonight has been… overwhelming,” he continued carefully. “But now that things have calmed a little, how about we stay together? Maybe watch something. Or sleep here, together, on mattresses.”

His wife shot him a look.

“That’s… not a bad idea,” Shivansh said slowly.

Yuvraj’s tauji sighed. “Too much optimism is… hard.”

“I agree,” Vansh said. “Distraction helps. Togetherness helps.” So they stayed. Mattresses laid out in the living room, with soft lights. A strange, comforting contrast to the terror earlier. Aarohi slept in the ground-floor guest room. Vivaan left the door open, so if she woke up, she’d see everyone there, safe.

When Vansh finally returned from outside, briefing officers, everyone was asleep. Only one mattress remained. Vivaan lay there, awake with eyes open but silent. Vansh sat down awkwardly. Too close, too strange. He stood up but Vivaan’s hand reached out as he held his arm. A silent gesture screaming... stay. Vansh hesitated but then lay down beside him.

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How’s the chapter? yawr, my exams are near, and instead of studying, I’m doing literally everything else. Pray for me 🥀 i hate exams yawr. Anyways, I love you guys, mwah <3