A/N :- Going To Be A Very Big Chapter... ✉️...
Chapter 97 – "The House She Never Came Back To"
The mansion was unusually peaceful.
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Which was suspicious.
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Very suspicious.
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Because one person was missing.
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Care.
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At breakfast.
No Care.
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At lunch.
Still no Care.
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By 4 PM—
everyone had noticed.
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JJ looked around.
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"...where is Care?"
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Silence.
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Everyone looked at each other.
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Then toward Cole.
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Because somehow Cole always knew things.
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Cole looked up from his coffee.
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"...I don't know."
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The room froze.
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Alex blinked.
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"You don't know?"
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"No."
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Rhys looked concerned immediately.
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"She didn't tell you?"
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Cole shook his head.
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"No."
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Now everyone was concerned.
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Because Care usually disappeared for work.
But she always told someone.
Usually Lyra.
Sometimes Rhys.
Most times Cole.
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This time?
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Nothing.
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No location.
No explanation.
No message.
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Just gone.
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Meanwhile...
Ahmedabad.
Far from the mansion.
Far from the chaos.
Far from everyone.
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Care stood in front of an old iron gate.
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Rust covered parts of it.
The paint had faded years ago.
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And beyond it—
stood a mansion.
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Not Cole's.
Not Trinity's.
Not new.
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Old.
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Her home.
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Or what used to be her home.
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The house where she grew up.
The house where her parents lived.
The house where she once thought she'd spend her whole life.
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Before everything changed.
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Before funerals.
Before loss.
Before hospitals became her entire world.
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Care stared at it quietly.
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Years.
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It had been years.
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And somehow—
it looked smaller.
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The memories didn't.
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Those were still huge.
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The front garden where her father taught her to ride a bicycle.
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The balcony where her mother used to read books.
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The staircase she once fell down while chasing a puppy.
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Every corner still existed.
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Every memory still hurt.
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Care swallowed.
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Then pushed open the gate.
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The Real Reason
This wasn't nostalgia.
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This was business.
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Legal business.
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Ugly business.
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Because after her parents died—
ownership of the property became complicated.
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Technically—
the property had originally belonged to her grandfather.
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After his death—
legal control passed elsewhere.
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And now—
her uncle and aunt occupied it.
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Despite years of disputes.
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Despite documents.
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Despite evidence.
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Despite her father's wishes.
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The situation had never truly been resolved.
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Until now.
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Care walked up the pathway.
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A folder under her arm.
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Documents.
Transfer records.
Ownership papers.
Old wills.
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Enough paperwork to start a small war.
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And she was tired of losing this battle.
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Inside
The house looked different.
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The furniture changed.
The colors changed.
The decorations changed.
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But the walls hadn't.
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And somehow—
that made it worse.
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Because she remembered everything.
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Every laugh.
Every birthday.
Every Diwali.
Every family photograph.
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Gone.
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Or hidden away.
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Like her parents never existed.
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Care's jaw tightened.
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For the first time all day—
emotion cracked through the calm doctor mask.
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Just slightly.
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Because no matter how successful she became—
some wounds remained exactly where they were.
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Waiting.
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Back At The Mansion
Meanwhile—
the others were slowly becoming detectives.
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JJ sat beside Keifer.
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"This is weird."
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Keifer nodded.
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"Very."
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Aries looked toward Cole.
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"You seriously don't know?"
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"No."
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"Not even a clue?"
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"No."
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Percy gasped dramatically.
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"The mysterious doctor has mysteriously disappeared."
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Honey smacked him.
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"Not helping."
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"Sorry."
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He wasn't sorry.
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Lyra was unusually quiet.
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Rhys noticed immediately.
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"You worried?"
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Lyra nodded.
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"...a little."
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Because she knew something nobody else did.
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Whenever Care disappeared without explanation—
it usually involved her past.
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And Care hated talking about her past.
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Final Scene
As evening approached—
Care stood alone inside the old study.
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Her father's study.
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The room nobody had touched.
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Dust floated through sunlight.
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And on the wall—
one photograph remained.
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Small.
Almost forgotten.
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A little girl.
Between her mother and father.
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Smiling.
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Care stopped.
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For a moment—
she wasn't Dr. Care Patel.
Not a cardiologist.
Not a hospital founder.
Not the woman everyone relied on.
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Just a daughter.
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Standing in the remains of home.
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Holding legal documents in trembling hands.
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And wondering why reclaiming a house felt so much harder than building an entire life from nothing.
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Outside—
the first Diwali lights of Ahmedabad were beginning to glow.
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But inside that old mansion—
some ghosts were still waiting to be faced.
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The sun had already started setting.
Diwali lights glowed across Ahmedabad.
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Inside Cole's mansion—
everyone was scattered around.
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Percy was losing an argument.
Again.
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Aries was winning it.
Again.
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JJ was sitting beside Keifer.
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Honey, Ella, Mica, Freya, Rakhi were decorating one side of the living room.
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David, Felix, Rory and Eman were helping.
Or pretending to.
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Upstairs—
Lyra was answering messages.
Rhys was reviewing hospital reports.
Alex was on a call.
Cole was reading something.
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And still—
no Care.
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The worry had slowly become uncomfortable.
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Then—
a distant sound.
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A car.
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Fast.
Too fast.
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Cole looked up first.
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Aries immediately noticed.
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"What's wrong?"
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Cole was already standing.
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The sound grew louder.
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Closer.
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Then—
SCREEECH.
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A violent sound echoed through the front grounds.
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Everyone froze.
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JJ immediately stood.
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"What was that?"
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Nobody answered.
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Because everyone was already moving.
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The front doors burst open.
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People rushed outside.
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And then—
they stopped.
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Completely.
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A black car sat crooked near the entrance fountain.
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One window shattered.
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Glass everywhere.
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Deep scratches across the side.
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Blood.
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A lot more blood than anyone wanted to see.
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For one horrible second—
nobody moved.
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Nobody breathed.
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Then JJ whispered:
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"...Care's car."
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The world exploded.
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Panic
Cole was already running.
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Alex right behind him.
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Rhys.
Lyra.
Everyone.
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The driver's door opened slightly.
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Then—
Care fell out.
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Not gracefully.
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Not steadily.
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She simply collapsed.
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Keifer caught her before she hit the ground.
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The entire group froze.
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Blood stained her sleeve.
Her forehead.
Her hands.
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Bruises already darkening across exposed skin.
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Her breathing was uneven.
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Painful.
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And she looked exhausted.
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Like she'd spent every last bit of strength just reaching the gate.
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"CARE!"
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JJ's voice broke.
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Lyra dropped to her knees immediately.
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Neurologist instincts taking over.
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"Care, look at me."
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No response.
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"Care."
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A small movement.
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Barely.
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Her eyes opened.
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Just enough.
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Just enough to see familiar faces.
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Cole.
Lyra.
Rhys.
Alex.
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Everyone.
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Safe.
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She tried speaking.
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Failed.
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Then tried again.
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"...inside..."
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Rhys immediately started checking injuries.
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Alex's expression had gone frighteningly calm.
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Dangerous calm.
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"What happened?"
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Care swallowed painfully.
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"...they..."
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Her voice broke.
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"...uncle..."
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The realization hit immediately.
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Lyra's face went pale.
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Alex cursed under his breath.
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Cole's expression didn't change.
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Which somehow looked worse.
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Much worse.
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Because everyone who knew him had learned one thing.
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When Cole stopped showing emotion—
someone should be worried.
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Very worried.
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The Last Thing Before Collapse
Care grabbed Cole's sleeve weakly.
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Everyone saw it.
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The tiny movement.
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The effort it took.
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Then finally whispered:
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"...documents..."
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Cole immediately understood.
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"Where?"
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She pointed weakly toward the passenger seat.
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The folder.
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Still there.
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Still protected.
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After everything.
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She'd protected the documents.
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Then her strength finally disappeared.
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Her eyes closed.
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And she went limp.
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"CARE!"
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JJ burst into tears.
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Lyra's hands were already checking vitals.
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Rhys helping immediately.
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Alex calling for medical supplies.
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The mansion exploded into organized panic.
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As everyone rushed to save her—
Cole remained kneeling beside her for one second longer.
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One second.
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Looking at the blood.
The bruises.
The shattered car.
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Then at the folder.
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Then toward the mansion gates.
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Silent.
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Completely silent.
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And somehow—
that silence was far more terrifying than anger.
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Because for the first time since anyone had met him—
Cole looked like a man who had just decided something.
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Something nobody else knew.
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And somewhere in Ahmedabad—
people who thought they had successfully scared Care Patel away—
had absolutely no idea what they had just started.
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"The Quiet Before the Storm"
The mansion had changed.
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A few hours ago it had been loud.
Chaotic.
Alive.
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Now—
it felt like nobody wanted to breathe too loudly.
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Because upstairs—
Care was unconscious.
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And nobody liked seeing Care as the patient.
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Guest Room Turned Emergency Ward
Lyra sat beside the bed.
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Rhys stood across from her.
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Both doctors.
Both exhausted.
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Both angry.
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Care slept under the effects of medication.
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The painkillers had finally allowed her body to rest.
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For the first time since she had staggered through the gates.
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Lyra carefully checked another bruise forming on Care's arm.
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Her jaw tightened.
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"She tried driving herself all the way here."
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Rhys nodded.
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"She shouldn't have been conscious."
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"Yet she was."
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"Because she's Care."
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Neither found that funny.
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Because it was true.
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Care had always pushed herself beyond what she should.
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Always.
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Lyra looked at her sleeping friend.
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"...idiot."
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The word came out far softer than it sounded.
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Downstairs
Nobody was talking much.
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JJ sat curled beside Keifer.
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For once—
she wasn't joking.
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Wasn't causing chaos.
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Just quiet.
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The sight of Care covered in injuries kept replaying in her head.
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Honey sat beside Percy.
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Ella beside Aries.
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Mica beside Calix.
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Freya surprisingly wasn't complaining about anything.
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Even Rory had stopped talking.
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That alone was alarming.
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The Balcony
Upstairs.
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Keifer stepped onto the upper balcony.
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And immediately found Cole.
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Standing alone.
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Looking over the dark gardens.
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Hands in his pockets.
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Motionless.
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Keifer had never seen him look like this before.
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Not angry.
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Not calm.
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Something worse.
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Much worse.
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A few moments later—
Alex arrived.
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Then Aries.
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Then Yuri.
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Eventually Percy.
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And finally Rhys.
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Nobody spoke at first.
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The silence stretched.
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Heavy.
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Uncomfortable.
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Then Rhys broke it.
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"She's stable."
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Everyone looked toward him.
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Rhys folded his arms.
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"The injuries are consistent with being attacked."
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His voice remained professional.
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But barely.
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"Multiple impacts."
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Silence.
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"No life-threatening complications right now."
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Another pause.
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"But..."
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Nobody liked that word.
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"But what?"
Alex asked quietly.
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Rhys exhaled.
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"...it wasn't one person."
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The group went still.
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Rhys continued.
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"It looks like several attackers."
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Keifer's jaw tightened immediately.
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Aries looked away.
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Yuri lowered his gaze.
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Percy's hands clenched.
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Rhys continued carefully.
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"If I had to guess?"
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Nobody interrupted.
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"Local goons."
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Silence.
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"Hired."
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Everyone already knew who.
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Nobody needed names.
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Nobody needed confirmation.
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The uncle.
The aunt.
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The people who had been fighting over that house for years.
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The people who thought fear would make Care walk away.
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Cole
Nobody had heard him speak yet.
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Not once.
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Not since Care collapsed.
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Then finally—
Cole spoke.
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One sentence.
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"Did she get the documents?"
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Rhys nodded.
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"Yes."
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Silence.
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Cole looked toward the city lights.
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And for a moment—
everyone understood something.
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He wasn't asking because of property.
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He was asking because Care had risked everything for them.
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Even while injured.
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Even while being chased.
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She still protected them.
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Percy
For once—
Percy wasn't joking.
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"She could've died."
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The words landed hard.
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Nobody answered.
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Because everyone had thought it.
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Nobody wanted to say it.
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But Percy did.
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And now it was hanging there.
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Real.
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Terrifyingly real.
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Keifer
Keifer looked toward the room where Care was sleeping.
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Then toward Cole.
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"You care about her."
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Not a question.
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A statement.
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Alex looked away immediately.
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Aries suddenly found the garden very interesting.
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Yuri became fascinated by a wall.
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Percy nearly stopped breathing.
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Cole remained silent.
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For several seconds.
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Then finally—
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"She's family."
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Keifer stared.
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Everyone stared.
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Because somehow—
that answer felt bigger than it sounded.
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The group remained on the balcony.
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Watching the lights of Ahmedabad.
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Watching the city celebrate Diwali.
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While inside the mansion—
their friend slept through the pain.
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And somewhere out there—
the people responsible probably believed the matter was finished.
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Probably believed Care had been frightened enough.
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Probably believed they had won.
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They were wrong.
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Because for the first time since the attack—
Cole finally turned away from the balcony.
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And started walking back inside.
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Not hurried.
Not emotional.
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Just certain.
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The kind of certainty that made even Keifer Watson uneasy.
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And as Alex watched him leave, only one thought crossed his mind:
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Someone was about to learn that hurting Care Patel had consequences.
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And none of them wanted to be standing on the receiving end of those consequences.
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Next Morning.
Ahmedabad woke up.
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The mansion didn't.
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Most people were still asleep after the chaos of the previous day.
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But upstairs—
Care slowly opened her eyes.
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Everything hurt.
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Her shoulder.
Her ribs.
Her arms.
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Even breathing reminded her of the attack.
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She stared at the ceiling for a few moments.
Trying to remember where she was.
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Then the door opened quietly.
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Cole entered.
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A cup of water in one hand.
Medicine in the other.
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Care smiled weakly.
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"...good morning."
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Cole raised an eyebrow.
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"I've seen better mornings."
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That earned the tiniest laugh from her.
Immediately followed by regret.
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Because laughing hurt.
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"Don't."
Cole said.
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"I'm trying."
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"Poorly."
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The familiar back-and-forth somehow made the room feel normal again.
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For a few moments—
neither spoke.
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Then Care noticed something.
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The tension was gone.
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The anger from last night.
The storm she had seen in his eyes.
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Gone.
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Almost like something had been settled.
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Completely settled.
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Care studied him carefully.
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"...what did you do?"
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Cole looked innocent.
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Which was suspicious.
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Very suspicious.
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"What do you mean?"
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"Cole."
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"What?"
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"Cole."
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He sighed.
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Care crossed her arms.
Immediately regretted it because of the bruises.
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"Cole."
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Finally—
he sat down beside the bed.
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And quietly said:
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"The matter is finished."
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Silence.
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Care blinked.
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"...finished?"
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A nod.
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"Completely."
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That made absolutely no sense.
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The legal dispute had dragged on for years.
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Years.
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Lawyers.
Documents.
Arguments.
Court filings.
Endless problems.
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And now—
finished?
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Overnight?
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With no meetings?
No discussions?
No paperwork?
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Care stared.
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"What exactly does that mean?"
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Cole looked toward the window.
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"The house is yours."
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Silence.
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Complete silence.
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For several seconds Care genuinely thought she had misheard him.
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"...what?"
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"The ownership issue has been resolved."
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"Resolved how?"
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Cole simply looked at her.
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And that somehow answered absolutely nothing.
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Care laughed softly.
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Then winced again.
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"One day I'm going to get an actual answer out of you."
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"Maybe."
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"Maybe?"
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"Maybe."
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That was infuriating.
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Absolutely infuriating.
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And somehow she couldn't stop smiling.
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The Question
The room became quiet again.
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Sunlight filtered through the curtains.
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Outside—
Diwali preparations continued.
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Inside—
for the first time in years—
Care felt something she hadn't expected.
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Relief.
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The house.
Her parents' house.
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Safe.
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Finally.
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She looked down at her hands.
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Then back at him.
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And asked the question she'd wanted to ask for a long time.
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"...who are you, really?"
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The room went still.
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Cole didn't answer immediately.
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For once—
even he seemed thoughtful.
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Care waited.
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Patiently.
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Then he smiled.
Very slightly.
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The kind of smile nobody else saw often.
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And quietly said:
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"You'll know when it's the right time."
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Care groaned dramatically.
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"That's the most annoying answer possible."
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"I know."
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"You're impossible."
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"So I've been told."
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"Repeatedly."
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"Also true."
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For a moment—
they just looked at each other.
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No jokes.
No teasing.
No distractions.
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Just silence.
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Comfortable silence.
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The kind that only existed between people who trusted each other completely.
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Then Cole reached forward.
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Brushed a loose strand of hair away from her face.
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And before Care could say anything—
he leaned down.
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And kissed her forehead.
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Softly.
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Gently.
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Like she was something precious.
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Something worth protecting.
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When he pulled back—
Care forgot every sarcastic response she'd prepared.
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Her brain simply stopped working.
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Which was impressive.
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Considering she was usually the smartest person in the room.
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Cole stood.
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"Rest."
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Care finally found her voice.
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"...that wasn't fair."
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A faint smile appeared.
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"Probably not."
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Then he walked toward the door.
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Leaving a very confused cardiologist behind.
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And as the door closed—
Care touched the spot on her forehead.
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Trying very hard not to smile.
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Failing completely.
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Outside the room—
Cole allowed himself the smallest smile.
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Just once.
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Then it disappeared.
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Because downstairs waited a mansion full of chaos.
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And unfortunately for him—
Percy had already found the Diwali fireworks. 🎆✨❤️🩹