The silence didn't last.
It never did.
Aarohi had barely begun to feel the stillness of the apartment when the knock came—sharp, unexpected.
Her body tensed instantly.
For a moment, she didn't move.
Then—
Another knock.
More impatient.
She walked toward the door slowly, her thoughts already racing.
Veer said no one would come.
So who was this?
She opened it.
And instantly wished she hadn't.
The woman standing outside looked like she belonged to Veer's world.
Confident.
Composed.
Too comfortable.
"You must be Aarohi," she said, her voice smooth, almost amused.
Aarohi frowned slightly. "Who are you?"
The woman smiled faintly. "Someone who knows Veer better than you ever will."
That was enough to set something off inside her.
"What do you want?"
"To talk."
"I don't."
The woman didn't move. "You should."
Something about her tone—calm, certain—made Aarohi hesitate.
Just for a second.
Then she stepped aside.
"Five minutes."
The woman walked in like she owned the space, her eyes scanning everything before settling back on Aarohi.
"I'm Naina," she said. "Or… I was."
Aarohi crossed her arms. "Get to the point."
Naina's smile didn't fade—but it changed.
Less friendly.
More knowing.
"You think you're different, don't you?"
Aarohi's expression hardened. "I don't think anything."
"That's the problem," Naina replied. "You don't know what you've walked into."
Silence.
Aarohi didn't respond.
But her attention sharpened.
"I've been where you are," Naina continued. "Same place. Same man. Same… illusion."
Aarohi's jaw tightened slightly. "Say what you came to say."
Naina stepped closer—not threatening, just deliberate.
"Veer doesn't do attachments," she said. "He doesn't do loyalty. He doesn't do anything that lasts."
"That's your experience," Aarohi replied coldly.
"It's not just mine."
A pause.
Then—
"I stayed longer than I should have," Naina added. "Believed things I shouldn't have."
Aarohi looked away briefly, her thoughts shifting despite herself.
"I left," Naina continued. "And do you know what happened?"
Aarohi didn't answer.
Naina smiled faintly. "Nothing."
That word lingered.
Heavy.
"He moved on. Like it meant nothing."
Aarohi's chest tightened.
Not because she believed her completely—
But because part of it made sense.
Too much sense.
"You're lying," she said, though her voice wasn't as firm now.
Naina tilted her head slightly. "Am I?"
Another step closer.
"Ask him," she said softly. "Ask him how many times he's promised something he never meant."
Silence filled the room.
Aarohi's thoughts were no longer steady.
Images. Words. Moments.
Everything started overlapping.
"And when you're done asking," Naina added, turning toward the door, "ask yourself one more thing."
Aarohi looked at her.
"What makes you different?"
The door closed behind her.
And just like that—
She was gone.
---
The silence returned.
But it wasn't the same.
Not calm.
Not quiet.
It pressed in from all sides.
Aarohi stood still for a long time, her breathing uneven, her mind running faster than she could control.
What if it was true?
What if—
Everything she thought she understood… wasn't real?
She sat down slowly, her hands trembling now.
"This is stupid," she whispered to herself. "You don't even trust him."
But that wasn't the problem.
The problem was—
She didn't know if she wanted to.
Her chest tightened, the weight building again, stronger this time.
Confusion.
Anger.
Doubt.
And something deeper—
Something that felt too close to breaking.
"Why does it matter?" she said under her breath.
Why did it matter what he was?
What he had done?
What he might do again?
She let out a shaky breath, pressing her hands against her head as if that would stop the thoughts.
It didn't.
Nothing did.
Because for the first time—
She wasn't just questioning him.
She was questioning herself.
Her judgment.
Her choices.
Her feelings.
And that—
That hurt more than anything else.
---
Outside, Veer stood near the building, unaware of what had just unfolded.
But something felt off.
Wrong.
Like a shift he couldn't see—but could feel.
His gaze moved toward the apartment.
And for the first time in a long time—
Uncertainty crept in.
Because whatever had just happened inside—
He knew one thing.
It wasn't going to be easy to fix.