Chapter 27: Chapter 27: The Man She Forgot
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"Love before betrayal is the most dangerous kind. Because it's pure enough to haunt."
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NYRA – 11:45 A.M.
The text came through while I was brushing my teeth.
> "Your presence is expected. 2PM. Old Town Church. Bring no one."
— No name.
I already knew who sent it.
Ravian.
I didn't ask why. Didn't tell Kai. Didn't even look at Celeste as I grabbed my coat.
My heart was a ticking time bomb.
Because the last time I stepped foot in that church—
I had blood in my mouth.
And I was the bride they were burying.
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CHURCH RUINS — 2:07 PM
It wasn't a wedding.
It was a funeral.
And it wasn't someone's.
It was mine.
My own portrait stood framed at the altar, covered in black lace. Candles lit around it. My favorite flowers—white roses dipped in crimson dye—lined the aisles.
> "Sick bastard," I muttered.
A note lay on the front pew.
I picked it up with shaking fingers.
> "You were declared dead here. You deserve to see your grave. Now dig."
— R
I turned around—
And saw Celeste standing in the far shadow.
Watching.
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CELESTE – SAME TIME
She knew it was a trap.
But she had let Nyra go anyway.
Why?
Because deep down, she wanted to see what Ravian still had left.
And how far Nyra would fall… before she ran back into her arms.
But instead—someone else stepped out of the shadows.
Someone Celeste hadn't seen in years.
Tall. Scar on the brow. Sharp, gold ring on his right hand.
Sahir.
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NYRA – INSIDE THE CHURCH
The air changed.
I turned slowly.
And there he stood.
SAHIR.
My first love.
The man who taught me how to read fire in silence.
The man I had buried inside me long before I ever met Ravian.
> "You're not real," I whispered.
> "Aren't I?" he said, walking down the aisle.
> "You died in Kashmir."
> "And yet you're standing here… at your own funeral."
I couldn't breathe.
He came closer.
And I could smell it.
The same cedarwood and cardamom I used to fall asleep on.
> "Why now?" I asked, trembling.
> "Because your war started without me. And you're not allowed to die without letting me watch the world burn for you."
I slapped him.
Hard.
> "Where the hell were you when I needed you?" I screamed.
> "Fighting to stay alive."
> "You let me marry a monster."
> "You ran from me," he said softly.
> "Because I was seventeen. And you disappeared."
He nodded. Slowly.
Then pulled something from his pocket.
A ring.
My old one.
The one I threw in the lake after the wedding night Ravian broke me.
> "I dove for this. Four years ago."
My knees buckled.
> "Don't come back to finish the story," I whispered. "It's too late."
> "Then let me be your ending."
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LEO – SOMEWHERE ELSE
He threw the glass.
Then the chair.
Then the file cabinet.
> "She's with someone," he growled.
Kai stood silently. Not stopping him.
> "Kray's gone quiet. Celeste is lying. And now she's not picking up."
> "You said you wouldn't lose control," Kai said evenly.
> "I lied."
He picked up the gun from the drawer.
> "If I see Kray again—I'll shoot him."
> "And what if she's with someone else?"
Leo looked up. Eyes bloodshot.
> "Then I'll shoot him too."
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KRAY – PARKING GARAGE
He waited outside the church.
Watching.
He didn't enter.
Didn't need to.
He saw Sahir arrive.
And saw Nyra collapse into his arms.
He lit a cigarette.
> "The king is back," he muttered.
And put the gun back into the glovebox.
Because if Sahir was here—
It was no longer just about revenge.
It was about possession.
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AARAV – ???
It was cold.
Too dark to see.
His sketchbook was gone.
His shoes missing.
Only the voice remained.
> "You're just like her," the woman said. "Quiet. Clever. Pretty little hands."
He didn't answer.
> "Don't worry, sweet one," she whispered. "You'll see your mother soon."
A metal door slammed.
A light flickered.
And on the wall—
A drawing. His own.
Of his mother, crying.
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TO BE CONTINUED…