Sera's POV – Office
I didn't look up when Raghav walked in.
"Did you get what my plan was?" I asked.
Raghav closed the door behind him. "I did," he said. "It's tricky. Dangerous. I'll have to blend in professionally—completely. If I'm noticed even once, this collapses."
I nodded. "Don't get caught."
He gave a thin smile. "Don't worry, Sera. I'll handle it."
Raghav's POV – Arvind's Estate (Later That Day)
The uniform fit perfectly.
Insurance audit. Routine inspection. Clipboards make people invisible.
Security scanned my ID twice. Once at the gate. Once inside. No reaction.
Good.
I moved with purpose—never rushed, never hesitant. People ignore confidence.
I was heading back when I noticed the door.
No label. No camera. Too quiet.
That's what gave it away.
I opened it.
And froze.
Rayan.
Tied to a chair. Bruised. Conscious.
His eyes widened when he saw me—fear first, then something worse.
Recognition.
I didn't speak.
I took photographs. Quickly. Cleanly.
Then I closed the door and walked out like I had never seen a thing.
Sera's POV – Office, Night
"So," I said when Raghav entered. "How was it?"
He exhaled. "Not easy. For you, at least. Security checks. ID scans. I barely slipped through."
He reached into his pocket and placed a tiny chip on my desk.
"But I managed," he continued. "Look at this."
I inserted it into my system.
The screen lit up.
My brother.
Bound.
Beaten.
Alive.
Something inside me went very still.
"He knows something," I said quietly.
Raghav nodded. "Yes."
I didn't hesitate.
"Then we kill him."
The words didn't sound like mine.
Raghav stared at me. "What?"
"If," I corrected calmly, "he raped Nehra."
Raghav's voice hardened. "Sera, that's—"
"I won't kill him if he didn't," I said, eyes fixed on the screen. "But if he did... I will break every blood relation I have."
Silence stretched between us.
"That's not justice," Raghav said finally.
"No," I replied. "That's consequence."
Raghav searched my face. "You're talking like them."
I turned to him slowly. "No. I'm talking like someone who's running out of time."
I looked back at Rayan's image.
"Blood doesn't make you innocent," I said. "And I won't let my name protect a sinner."
Raghav swallowed. "If you cross this line—"
"I already have," I interrupted. "The moment I chose truth over family."
The screen went dark.
And for the first time, I didn't know who I was becoming.