Meera's POV
I should've felt satisfied.
I should've felt like I won.
I kissed him.
He didn't pull away.
Aarohi saw it.
And yet…
The pit in my stomach wouldn't go away. It sat there, growing heavier with every second that passed since she ran out of the room.
Maybe I'd gone too far.
Maybe—
"Thinking of me?"
The voice came from behind.
I turned—and froze.
Aarohi stood in the doorway of the empty music room, light filtering behind her like a halo.
But she didn't look like a girl who'd just had her heart broken.
She looked like she never had one to begin with.
"Hey," I said cautiously, straightening up. "I… I wanted to talk to you."
She walked in slowly, like a cat entering a room full of mice. Unhurried. Unbothered. Her eyes didn't blink much.
That smile—
That wasn't her smile.
"You know," she said softly, brushing dust off the edge of the piano, "I used to think people like you were harmless. Desperate, yes. Predictable, absolutely. But harmless."
Meera's heart began to race. "Aarohi, listen, I didn't mean to—"
"Lie?" she interrupted, finally looking at Meera. "Steal? Manipulate?"
Meera opened her mouth, but no sound came out.
Aarohi stepped forward. "You thought kissing him would make him yours. Cute. But here's the problem." Her voice dropped. "You didn't just play your game. You played it in my house."
Meera stumbled a step back. "You're not… you're not talking like yourself."
"I'm not her right now," she whispered, tilting her head. "And I don't think you want to meet the one who is."
"Who… who are you?" Meera asked, voice cracking.
Aarohi smiled wider.
"No one you can handle."
She took a step closer. "You thought you could break her. You almost did. You broke her enough to let me out."
Meera's back hit the wall.
"I should thank you, really," Myra continued. "She kept me buried for so long. All that crying, and doubting, and longing. Ugh. But now…" Her voice turned to velvet. "I'm free."
And just like that, she closed the gap between them.
Face to face.
"Let me make something clear," she whispered, tone dripping with threat. "If you ever try to hurt my people again, I won't ruin your reputation."
She leaned closer, her breath cold on Meera's cheek.
"I'll ruin you."
Then she stepped back.
Smoothed her skirt.
And just like that, turned to leave.
Meera stood frozen, heart hammering, mouth dry.
Because for the first time in her life…
She realized she wasn't the most dangerous girl in the room.
Vayira's POV
I had already turned away. The silence behind me was delicious—her breath shallow, her confidence shattered. But then I stopped.
I felt it.
She still thought she had something left. A secret. A last scrap of power buried deep.
So I turned around.
One last time.
And when I did, her eyes flicked up—wary, broken… and still trying to look defiant.
Cute.
"Almost forgot something," I said, voice low, dragging.
She blinked. "What now?" she whispered.
I stepped closer again. Slower this time. Deadlier.
"You remember Rivan, don't you?" I said softly. "The golden boy with the bike and the smooth lies?"
The blood drained from her face.
"Oh yeah," I purred, "that one."
"I don't—"
"Don't lie to me," I snapped, and she flinched.
"I know what happened that night. All of it."
Her lips parted, no sound. Just panic.
"You got drunk. You begged him to stay. And he did. Right there, in that disgusting guest room. You thought you were alone. You weren't."
I tilted my head, voice now like cold glass. "I've seen the video, Meera. You weren't just drunk—you were gone. Your clothes hit the floor faster than your conscience. And Rivan? He didn't hesitate."
She gasped, a dry, broken sound.
"You think this is revenge?" I laughed bitterly. "Oh, sweetheart… this is justice. For every time you painted girls like me as crazy, while you played saint with secrets buried under your makeup and fake tears."
I stepped so close, she was breathing my air.
"You were pregnant. You know you were. And you handled it like you handle everything—with denial and a smile."
I held up my phone again.
"I have everything. From the moment you passed out in his arms to the morning you cried alone in the bathroom. It's not just hearsay, Meera."
My voice dropped to a whisper that still scraped like ice.
"It's evidence."
She covered her mouth, shaking, but it didn't stop me.
"And if you ever try to crawl into Aryan's arms again… if you ever come for Aarohi…"
I leaned in.
"I will make you viral. Worldwide. In ways you'll never recover from."
Silence fell again. Heavy. Dense. Violent in its stillness.
Then I smiled once more.
Not like Aarohi.
Like Vayira.
"Now run along, princess," I said. "Go find a new victim. I hear rich boys still fall for broken things—until they see what's underneath."
And this time…
I didn't turn back.