His Ruthless Vow

Chapter 6: The Truth That Bleeds

The air changed the moment Kabir spoke.

Not subtly.

Not slowly.

It shifted—like something invisible had just tightened around Meher’s chest.

“It’s about your sister.”

Those words didn’t just land.

They cut.

Meher didn’t wait.

“What about her?” she asked immediately, her voice sharper than intended.

Kabir glanced briefly at Aarav.

Not fearful.

But cautious.

Measured.

“I think we should talk somewhere else,” he said.

Aarav’s gaze hardened.

“No.”

One word.

Cold.

Final.

Kabir exhaled slowly, running a hand through his hair.

“Bhai, this isn’t something you control.”

A dangerous silence followed.

Meher looked between them, her pulse quickening.

“What is going on?” she demanded.

Kabir’s jaw tightened.

Then—

He made a choice.

Looking directly at Meher, he spoke.

“I’ve seen her.”

Time stopped.

Not metaphorically.

Not emotionally.

But completely.

Everything around Meher blurred for a second.

Her ears rang.

Her heartbeat spiked so violently it almost hurt.

“What…?” she whispered.

Kabir didn’t look away.

“I saw Aanya.”

Her breath hitched.

A thousand thoughts crashed into each other.

Impossible.

Unreal.

Too much.

“Where?” she asked, stepping closer. “When? Are you sure it was her?”

“I don’t forget faces that easily,” he replied. “And I know what I saw.”

Her hands trembled slightly.

“She’s alive…” she whispered.

But before the hope could fully settle—

Aarav spoke.

“You’re assuming too much.”

The words sliced through the moment.

Meher turned to him sharply.

“Assuming?” she repeated. “He just said he saw her!”

“And I’m saying,” Aarav replied calmly, “that seeing someone doesn’t mean understanding the situation.”

Her anger flared.

“Stop talking in riddles!”

A beat.

Then—

Aarav stepped closer.

Not aggressive.

Not loud.

But commanding.

“There are things you don’t know,” he said.

Her eyes burned with frustration.

“Then tell me!”

Silence.

Heavy.

Intentional.

He didn’t answer.

And that—

That broke something.

“You don’t get to do that,” she snapped. “You don’t get to hold information about my sister and act like it’s nothing!”

“It’s not nothing,” he said quietly.

“Then prove it!”

Her voice cracked this time.

Just slightly.

But enough.

Enough for Kabir to notice.

For Aarav to notice.

For her to hate it.

Kabir stepped forward gently.

“Hey… breathe,” he said softly. “We’ll figure it out.”

Meher let out a shaky exhale.

But her eyes—

Still locked on Aarav.

Accusing.

Demanding.

“You knew,” she said again.

Not loud.

Not dramatic.

Just—

Certain.

Aarav held her gaze.

Unflinching.

And that was the answer.

Not words.

Not explanations.

Just that steady, unreadable look.

And suddenly—

She understood something terrifying.

He had known.

Maybe not everything.

Maybe not clearly.

But enough.

Enough to stay silent.

Enough to control the narrative.

“You lied,” she whispered.

“I didn’t tell you everything,” he corrected.

Her chest tightened painfully.

“That’s the same thing.”

A pause.

Then—

“No,” he said. “It’s not.”

Something in his tone—

Low.

Almost strained—

Made her hesitate.

Just for a second.

But it wasn’t enough.

Not anymore.

“Why?” she asked.

And this time—

It wasn’t anger.

It was hurt.

Raw.

Unfiltered.

Real.

Aarav’s jaw tightened.

His gaze flickered briefly away.

Then back.

“Because you weren’t ready.”

Her laugh came out hollow.

“You don’t get to decide that.”

“I do when it involves you.”

The words hit harder than expected.

Her heart skipped.

Confusion mixing with everything else.

“What does that even mean?”

But Aarav didn’t answer.

Again.

Always—

Silence.

Kabir stepped in, his voice cutting through the tension.

“Okay, enough. This isn’t helping.”

Meher turned to him.

“You said you saw her. Tell me everything.”

Kabir nodded slowly.

“I was at one of Aarav’s sites,” he began. “Not official. Just… checking things out.”

Aarav’s expression darkened slightly.

But he didn’t interrupt.

“There was a woman,” Kabir continued. “Being escorted out. She looked weak. Tired.”

Meher’s heart clenched.

“And?”

Kabir hesitated.

Then—

“She looked exactly like you.”

Her breath stopped.

“That’s not possible—”

“I thought the same thing,” he said. “But then she turned. Just for a second.”

A pause.

“And I saw her face.”

Silence fell again.

But this time—

It wasn’t heavy.

It was suffocating.

“Why didn’t you tell me before?” Meher asked.

Kabir’s gaze flickered briefly to Aarav.

Then back.

“Because I wasn’t sure… and because—”

“Because it wasn’t your place,” Aarav finished.

Kabir’s jaw tightened.

“Maybe not. But it’s hers.”

That word again.

Hers.

Ownership of truth.

Of pain.

Of reality.

Meher looked between them.

And suddenly—

The lines became clearer.

Kabir offered warmth.

Honesty.

Space.

Aarav offered control.

Silence.

Power.

And right now—

She didn’t know which one was more dangerous.

“Take me there,” she said suddenly.

Both of them froze.

Kabir blinked. “What?”

“To the place you saw her,” Meher repeated. “Take me there.”

“No.”

Aarav’s response was immediate.

Sharp.

Unyielding.

Meher turned to him, fury rising again.

“You don’t get to say no.”

“I just did.”

“She’s my sister!”

“And that’s exactly why you’re not going.”

Her hands clenched into fists.

“Move.”

Aarav didn’t.

Didn’t step aside.

Didn’t even shift.

“You’re not ready for what’s there,” he said.

“I don’t care.”

“I do.”

The words came out stronger this time.

Not controlled.

Not distant.

But real.

And that—

That shook her more than anything else.

For a second—

Just a second—

She saw something else in his eyes.

Not power.

Not calculation.

Something deeper.

Something almost—

Protective.

Her breath hitched.

But she forced herself to ignore it.

“You don’t get to care,” she said quietly.

Aarav’s expression hardened instantly.

Walls going back up.

“Fine,” he replied coldly. “Then don’t expect me to stop what happens next.”

A warning.

Clear.

Dangerous.

Kabir stepped between them slightly.

“Okay, this is getting out of hand,” he said. “We need to think this through.”

“I have thought it through,” Meher snapped. “I’m going.”

Kabir looked torn.

Between logic.

Between loyalty.

Between them.

And Aarav—

Watched.

Silent again.

But not calm.

No—

There was something beneath the surface now.

Something darker.

Something close to breaking.

“Please,” Meher said, softer this time.

Not to Aarav.

To Kabir.

“I need to see her.”

Kabir exhaled slowly.

Then—

“Alright.”

The word dropped like a spark.

Aarav’s gaze snapped to him.

“You’re not serious.”

“I am.”

“You have no idea what you’re doing.”

Kabir met his eyes.

“For once… neither do you.”

Silence.

Charged.

Unstable.

And right there—

Something shifted.

Not just in the room.

But between them.

Between all of them.

Lines were being drawn.

Sides being chosen.

And Meher—

Was standing right in the middle of it.

As they turned to leave—

Aarav’s voice stopped them.

Low.

Cold.

Final.

“If you walk out that door with him…”

A pause.

Then—

“Don’t come back.”

Meher froze.

Her heart stuttered.

Because something about the way he said it—

Didn’t sound like a threat.

It sounded like—

A breaking point.