The metallic tang of the espresso Abhinav usually savored that morning tasted like ash. Dawn had bled into the sky, painting the east in hues of bruised purple and blood orange, but in the polished, silent grandeur of Roy Mansion, Abhinav felt only the cold, hard slap of unreality.

He hadn’t slept. Not a wink. Every time his eyes closed, he saw her—Mareena. Not the vibrant girl from his memories, nor the ghost in his nightmares, but the woman, older, etched with the cruel hand of time, raising a finger to her lips. *Silence.* The word echoed in the cavernous space of his mind, louder than any scream.

Had he imagined it? The anniversary dinner with Priya had been… *pleasant* enough. Priya, with her composed elegance, her understanding smile, her quiet strength. She was everything a man in his position needed. And yet, the flashback, triggered by some innocuous comment, had ripped through his carefully constructed composure. The ice cream parlor, the engagement party – the memories were so vivid, so real, that the present often felt like a poorly directed play.

He moved through the mansion like a stranger in his own home. The scent of Priya's expensive perfume lingered, a gentle reminder of his other life, the one built on the ashes of Mareena's supposed grave. He ran a hand over the cold marble countertop in the kitchen, its pristine surface reflecting his haggard face. He hadn't touched the gourmet breakfast the cook had left. The idea of food churned his stomach.

His phone buzzed, a sharp, intrusive sound. It was his assistant, reminding him of the morning’s crucial board meeting. The launch of the new tech initiative, a project he had poured two years of his life into. A project that symbolized everything he had become: decisive, ruthless, unburdened by sentimentality.

He looked at his reflection in the steel toaster. The man staring back was sharp-suited, meticulously groomed, but beneath the façade, his eyes were haunted. He knew that face. It was the face of a man who had been shattered and had painstakingly glued himself back together with ambition and denial. But last night, Mareena, or her phantom, had chipped away at the fragile edges, threatening to unravel it all.

He had to get to the office. Routine. Logic. Those were his anchors.

***

The drive to the sprawling corporate headquarters of Roy Enterprises was a blur of city lights and the monotonous drone of the engine. His driver, Sharma, noticed nothing, lost in his own world of morning radio news. Abhinav stared out the window, his mind racing, trying to find a rational explanation. Lack of sleep? Stress? The emotional weight of the anniversary?

*No.* It had been too real. The lines on her face, the defiant set of her jaw, that quiet, insistent gesture. He could still feel the phantom chill where her finger had been.

He remembered a different kind of chill.

***

**FLASHBACK - Fifteen Years Ago, Just Weeks Before The Disappearance**

The late autumn air bit at Mareena’s cheeks, painting them a vibrant rose pink. She shivered, pulling her thin sweater tighter, but her eyes, bright and alive, never left the swirling spectacle of the Ferris wheel against the darkening sky.

"It's breathtaking, Abhinav," she breathed, her voice a soft caress against the low hum of the fairgrounds. Her hand was tucked securely in his, his thumb rubbing soothing circles on her skin.

He pulled her closer, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "Almost as breathtaking as you," he murmured, pressing a kiss into her hair. The sweet, sugary scent of cotton candy and her own unique fragrance filled his senses.

"Cheesy," she laughed, tilting her head back to look at him, "but I'll allow it." Her gaze softened. "Seriously though, thank you for bringing me here. I needed this after that torturous constitutional law lecture."

"Anything for my future lawyer," he teased, nudging her playfully. "Besides, you'll be too busy changing the world to come to dusty old fairs once we're married."

Her eyes widened, suddenly serious. "You still want me to change the world, even after we're married? You won't expect me to just… manage Roy Mansion?" A flicker of insecurity crossed her face. The vastness of his family's wealth, the expectations, sometimes daunted her.

Abhinav stopped, turning her to face him fully. He cupped her face in his hands, his gaze intense, unwavering. "Mareena. Listen to me. I fell in love with *you*. The fierce, brilliant, justice-seeking Mareena. The girl who argues passionately about everything from sprinkle taxes to human rights." He paused, his voice dropping to a raw whisper. "I wouldn't want you any other way. You will manage Roy Mansion, yes, but you will also manage the world, if that's what your heart desires. My only expectation is that you remain *you*. And that you let me be there, by your side, every step of the way."

Mareena’s eyes misted over. She threw her arms around his neck, burying her face in his shoulder. "Oh, Abhinav," she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. "I love you so much. You're the only one who truly sees me."

He held her tight, feeling the soft curve of her body against his, the rapid beat of her heart echoing his own. He inhaled her scent, a mix of jasmine and determination. "And I love you, Mareena," he murmured into her hair. "More than words.

He didn't speak. Instead, he simply rested his forehead against hers, the world narrowing to the erratic rhythm of their combined breathing. His hands moved, slipping beneath the fabric of her dress, warm against the small of her back. It was a silent, desperate surrender, fuelled by youthful passion and the sudden, terrifying certainty that she was the only thing he would ever need.

It wasn't a perfect, sweet kiss. It was desperate, clumsy, and consumed by a terrifying certainty that they belonged only to each other—a truth they tried to drown in wine, only to find it rose stronger than the hangover.

***

**PRESENT DAY - Abhinav's Office**

The polished chrome doors of the executive elevator slid open, depositing Abhinav onto the 40th floor. The air here was colder, crisper, smelling faintly of new electronics and ambition. His personal assistant, Riya, a woman of impeccable efficiency, met him with a stack of urgent documents.

"Good morning, sir. Mr. Sharma from Legal is waiting for the confidential files, and the board meeting starts in fifteen minutes. Your coffee is on your desk." Her voice was smooth, devoid of personal inflection.

"Thank you, Riya." He took the files, his fingers brushing hers. She noticed nothing. He was Abhinav Roy, the titan, the CEO. Not the man whose world had just imploded.

He walked into his vast corner office, the panoramic view of the city a shimmering testament to his power. But the city didn't matter. The power felt hollow. He went straight to his immense mahogany desk, avoiding the plush leather sofa where he and Priya sometimes had quiet, polite conversations. His coffee, a rich, dark brew, sat steaming in a designer mug. He took a long sip. The bitterness momentarily cleared his head.

He sat down, flipping open his laptop. The screen glowed, displaying a complex financial model. His world, his work, was all about patterns, logic, data. There was no data for ghosts. No algorithm for a woman returning from the dead.

He called up the security footage from last night, his fingers trembling slightly. The feeds around the perimeter of Roy Mansion were usually flawless. He scrolled through the timestamps, focusing on the exact minute he had stepped onto the balcony.

Nothing.

The gate cam showed only the empty street. The perimeter fence cams showed swaying trees. No black car. No woman in a thin coat. No Mareena.

A cold dread seeped into his bones, colder than the late November air. He wasn't mad. He couldn't be. He replayed the footage. Frame by agonizing frame. Still nothing.

Then, he remembered. The old, blind spot. A tiny section of the main gate, obscured by an ancient banyan tree and an outdated angle of a decorative lamp post. A spot Mareena had pointed out to him once, teasing him about his family's "impenetrable" security. A spot he had meant to have fixed years ago, but had forgotten.

He pulled up the blueprints for the old security system, cross-referencing them with the current camera angles. His breath hitched. Yes. There it was. A fraction of a second, an angle barely wider than a human form, where someone could stand, unseen by the cameras.

She knew. She *knew* the old blind spot. Only Mareena would remember that detail.

The phone on his desk rang, jarring him from his discovery. It was Priya.

"Abhinav? Are you okay? You left in such a hurry this morning," her voice was laced with concern, but also a hint of accusation. "I was worried after you seemed so… distant last night."

Abhinav closed his laptop, his gaze fixed on the shimmering city outside. "I'm fine, Priya. Just a tough morning. Big meeting." He hated the lie, but what was the truth? That the woman he'd supposedly buried 15 years ago had just reappeared outside his gates?

"Well, try to relax tonight," Priya continued. "Your mother called. She wants to see us both. Says she has something very important to discuss."

A familiar knot tightened in Abhinav's stomach. His mother, an iron matriarch who had helped him consolidate his empire after Mareena's death, rarely spoke of anything trivial. "Did she say what it was about?"

"No, just that it concerns... the past. And the family." Priya's voice was lighter, as if she were trying to make a joke of it, but a subtle tremor in her tone betrayed her apprehension.

Abhinav's hand tightened into a fist under the desk. The past. Mareena. His mother. And the blind spotted. The pieces, though terrifying, were starting to align.

He disconnected the call, his mind already racing. Mareena was back. She was alive. And his mother had something important to discuss about the past and the family. A past filled with secrets, a family full of power.

He leaned forward, his elbows on the desk, pressing his palms against his temples. This wasn't just about his sanity anymore. This was about a threat. A threat connected to his past, to Mareena, and now, to his family.

He had to find her. Before his mother, before Priya, before the people who had taken her 15 years ago, found *him*. The game had begun.

---

SPOILER ALERT:

"Priya I'm drunk! I don't want this!"

"You have to my darling, we need an heir for the Roy Family"

He was drunk and couldn't realise what was happening .

The love he shares with Priya is supposed to be his sanctuary, but in the oppressive darkness of their bedroom, a shocking truth about her desperation—and the lengths she will go to keep her husband—is about to be revealed. The intimacy of that night might not be a bond, but a heavy, regrettable chain.

........

Is the distance Abhinav kept with Priya for 10 years going to break?

Can Abhinav move on and forget Mareena?

Will he commit a sin with Priya and do injustice with Mareena?

What did Abhinav's mom want to tell him?

Will Mareena return? Will their forbidden love get recognized?