Meera's POV
The silence stretched, thick and suffocating. Aryan's fists clenched, his entire body coiled like a wire about to snap.
Reyza tilted her head, her gaze sharp and amused. "Oh, don't look so tense," she cooed. "I haven't done anything yet."
Yet.
Aryan took a step forward, his jaw tightening. "Then let's talk about what you have done."
Reyza let out a soft chuckle, slow and deliberate. "You're so curious, Aryan. That's what I like about you." She glanced at me, her eyes gleaming. "And Meera, always so quick to label me the villain."
I swallowed hard. "You made that choice yourself."
"Did I?" She placed a hand over her chest, mockingly feigning innocence. "Or did you decide that for me?"
Aryan cut in, his voice low and steady. "Aarohi's not like this. You are."
Reyza's smirk didn't waver, but something in her expression shifted—just for a second. "And yet, here I am." She took a slow step forward. "Ever wonder why?"
A cold chill crept down my spine.
Aryan didn't flinch. "Tell us."
Reyza studied him for a moment, then sighed. "Fine. Since you're both so eager to understand me." She turned slightly, walking around the room as if she belonged there.
"I exist because Aarohi is weak," she said simply. "She doesn't know how to fight back, how to take what she deserves. She lets people walk over her." Her lips curled in distaste. "But I don't."
I took a step forward before I could stop myself. "You don't protect her. You manipulate her. You destroy everything she cares about."
Reyza turned to me, her smirk widening. "And yet, here you are, afraid of me."
I hated how right she was.
Aryan exhaled sharply, shaking his head. "If you're so in control, why are you here now? Why show yourself?"
Reyza's eyes flickered with something dark. "Because I wanted to see the two of you." Her voice dropped lower. "And because something interesting is about to happen."
A sinking feeling twisted in my stomach. "What do you mean?"
She smiled. "You'll see soon enough."
Aryan stepped in front of me, blocking her path. "Enough with the games, Reyza." His voice was firm, unwavering. "Whatever you think you're doing, it stops now."
Reyza let out a soft laugh, leaning in ever so slightly. "Oh, Aryan. You still think you can stop me?"
Her eyes locked onto his, and for a brief second, the room felt impossibly still.
Then, she whispered, "Watch me."
And just like that—she was gone.
Aarohi's body sagged slightly, her breathing uneven. Her eyes fluttered, confused and dazed, like she had just woken up from a nightmare.
"Meera…?" Her voice was small. Lost.
I rushed forward, catching her before she could stumble. "Aarohi, I'm here."
Aryan's expression was unreadable, but I could see it in his eyes—the same realization settling over him like a weight.
Reyza wasn't done.
The room felt too small. Too cold.
Reyza's smirk lingered, but this time, there was something different in her eyes. Something… deeper.
"You think I just appeared out of nowhere?" she said, her voice almost amused. "No, Meera. I was made."
Aryan's jaw clenched. "What are you talking about?"
She exhaled, tilting her head slightly, like she was deciding whether to entertain us with the truth. Then, her lips curled into a smirk.
"My father built me like this," she said smoothly. "Aarohi is just a version of my mother." She rolled her eyes. "Soft. Fragile. Always looking for a way to fix things, to make people stay."
Her gaze darkened as she took a slow step toward us. "But me?" She placed a hand on her chest. "I'm him. I know how the world really works. I know how to survive."
A sick feeling curled in my stomach.
Aryan's voice was tense. "You're saying Aarohi—"
"—was never meant to last," Reyza finished for him. "She's just a reflection of my mother's weakness. And I?" Her smile widened. "I'm everything my father wanted."
I shook my head, something inside me rejecting her words. "No. That's not true. Aarohi isn't weak."
Reyza let out a sharp, mocking laugh. "Then why am I here?"
Silence.
I swallowed hard. "So what, Reyza?" My voice was steady, even though my hands weren't. "You're saying you're just a version of your father?"
For the first time, the smirk on Reyza's face faltered.
Just for a second.
Then, she chuckled, shaking her head. "Nice try, Meera. But I'm not like you. I don't question who I am."
I took a step forward. "No? Then why are you still here, trying to prove something?"
Her gaze snapped to mine. Sharp. Calculated.
And then she whispered, "Because I don't lose."
Aryan moved slightly, positioning himself between us. "If you're so in control, why are you even telling us this?"
Reyza exhaled, as if she were bored of this conversation. "Because," she said, turning toward the door, "it's fun watching you try to understand something you never will."
She glanced at Aryan one last time. "You remind me of someone, you know. So desperate to fix things." A slow smirk. "But some things aren't meant to be fixed."
And with that—she was gone.
Aarohi's body wavered. Her hands trembled as her breath came out in shaky gasps.
"Meera…?" Her voice was small. Lost.
I caught her before she could fall. "I've got you."
Aryan's fists were still clenched, his eyes dark with something unreadable. But we both knew the truth now.
Reyza wasn't just another personality.
She was a legacy.
And if we didn't stop her…
She would become the only one left.