A Voice Outside the Gate
1171 Words
The mansion had too many rooms.
Too many corridors.
Too many doors that opened into spaces Meera didn’t belong to.
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By afternoon, the silence had turned restless.
It wasn’t peaceful anymore.
It watched her.
Followed her.
Pressed in from the walls.
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She moved through the hallways slowly, her steps careful, as if the house might react to her presence.
Every corner looked perfect.
Every surface untouched.
Every detail planned.
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But something about it felt… incomplete.
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Like a place designed to impress.
Not to live in.
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Meera paused near a long corridor lined with portraits.
Her eyes moved from one frame to another.
Generations of Malhotras.
Powerful.
Composed.
Untouchable.
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Then—
Her gaze stopped.
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Aarav.
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A younger version.
Still serious.
Still distant.
But there was something different.
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He was standing beside another man.
Older.
Sharp features.
Same eyes.
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His father.
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Meera tilted her head slightly, studying the picture.
There was no warmth between them.
No visible bond.
Just presence.
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“Sir doesn’t like that one.”
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The voice came from behind.
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Meera turned.
Ramu stood there quietly.
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“Why?” she asked.
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Ramu hesitated.
Then gave a polite, practiced answer.
“Some memories are better not revisited, ma’am.”
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The words lingered.
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Meera looked back at the portrait.
Something about it felt… familiar.
Not the faces.
Not the moment.
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But the feeling.
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She turned back to Ramu.
“Does he… live here?”
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Ramu understood immediately who she meant.
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“No, ma’am.”
A pause.
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“He hasn’t for a long time.”
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Meera nodded slowly.
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Just as she was about to ask more—
A sudden noise broke the quiet.
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Voices.
Raised.
From outside.
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Meera frowned.
“That doesn’t sound like the staff.”
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Ramu’s expression changed instantly.
Alert.
Tense.
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“I’ll check, ma’am.”
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But Meera was already moving.
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Curiosity pulled her forward.
Something about the sound felt… urgent.
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She reached the main hall.
Then the large glass doors.
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And stepped outside.
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The front gate was open.
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Two guards stood in position.
Firm.
Unmoving.
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And just beyond them—
A man.
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Messy hair.
Unshaven.
Eyes burning with something raw.
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Desperation.
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“Let me in!” he shouted.
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Meera’s breath caught.
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The moment she saw him—
Something inside her shifted.
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Not a memory.
Not yet.
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But recognition.
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The man’s eyes suddenly locked onto her.
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Everything stopped.
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For him.
For her.
For the air itself.
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“Meera…”
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Her name.
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Spoken like it mattered.
Like it meant something real.
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Her heart skipped.
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“I knew you were here,” he said, stepping forward before the guards blocked him again.
“I knew they brought you here.”
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Meera’s lips parted slightly.
“I… do I know you?”
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The words landed like a blow.
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The man froze.
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His expression changed.
From desperation…
To disbelief.
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“You don’t remember me?”
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The question wasn’t angry.
It was broken.
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Meera felt that c***k somewhere deep inside her again.
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“I’m sorry… I—”
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“Enough.”
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The voice cut through everything.
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Aarav.
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He stood at the entrance now.
Still.
Controlled.
But his presence alone shifted the entire atmosphere.
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The guards straightened instantly.
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The man outside clenched his fists.
His gaze snapped toward Aarav.
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“You,” he said, his voice darkening.
“What did you do to her?”
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Aarav walked forward.
Unhurried.
Unbothered.
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“What I had to.”
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The man let out a bitter laugh.
“You think you can just erase everything?”
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Meera’s chest tightened.
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Erase…?
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Aarav stopped a few steps away from the gate.
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“Leave,” he said calmly.
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“No.”
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The response was immediate.
Unshaken.
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“I’m not leaving her here with you.”
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Meera’s heartbeat grew louder.
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“Who are you?” she asked again, her voice softer now.
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The man looked at her.
Really looked.
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And something in his eyes…
Broke.
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“I’m the one who loved you,” he said quietly.
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The words hit differently.
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Not like a claim.
Not like a demand.
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Like a truth.
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Meera felt her breath falter.
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Loved…?
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Aarav’s expression hardened.
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“That was before,” he said.
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The man laughed again.
This time sharper.
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“Before you ruined everything.”
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The tension snapped tighter.
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Aarav stepped closer to the gate.
His voice dropped.
Dangerously calm.
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“You have five seconds.”
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The man didn’t move.
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“Or what?” he challenged.
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Aarav’s eyes darkened.
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“Or I remind you why you disappeared in the first place.”
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Silence.
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The threat wasn’t loud.
But it was real.
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The man’s jaw clenched.
His eyes flickered toward Meera one last time.
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“You really don’t remember…” he whispered.
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Meera shook her head slowly.
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Something inside her twisted.
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Because she wanted to.
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She should.
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But she couldn’t.
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The man stepped back.
Reluctantly.
Painfully.
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But before leaving—
He spoke again.
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“They lied to you, Meera.”
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A pause.
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“About everything.”
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Then he turned.
And walked away.
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The gates closed.
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The silence returned.
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But this time—
It was different.
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Because now—
There was a c***k in the truth.
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Meera turned slowly toward Aarav.
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Her eyes filled with questions.
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“Who was that?”
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Aarav didn’t answer immediately.
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He watched the gate.
As if making sure the past had truly left.
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Then—
He looked at her.
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And for the first time—
There was no coldness.
No anger.
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Only something heavier.
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“Someone who should have stayed gone.”
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Meera’s chest tightened.
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“That’s not an answer.”
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Aarav stepped closer.
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“It’s the only one you need.”
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But this time—
It didn’t work.
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Because Meera wasn’t just confused anymore.
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She was starting to question everything.
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And everyone.
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Including him.
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“Did you really erase my memories?” she asked.
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The question hung between them.
Sharp.
Unavoidable.
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Aarav didn’t respond.
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But his silence…
Said enough.
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Meera’s heart dropped.
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Because now—
The truth wasn’t just hidden.
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It was controlled.
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And the man who controlled it—
Was standing right in front of her.
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Aarav Malhotra.
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Her husband.
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Her captor.
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Or maybe—
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The reason she forgot everything in the first place.
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[END OF EPISODE 5]
- Writer
