The rooftop wind howled like a warning.
Samruddhi stared into the face of the girl in front of her—same eyes, same sharp cheekbones. It was like looking into a ghost from a life that never happened.
"You're lying," she whispered.
The girl smiled.
"You think lies only belong to enemies?" she said calmly. "Ask yourself—how much did your father really tell you?"
Samruddhi backed away, heart racing.
"No. No, he never—he would have—"
"Told you you had a sister?" The girl's voice was bitter now. "He didn't. Because I was the mistake."
Samruddhi froze.
The girl stepped closer. "He left my mother. Left me. Raised you in sunlight while I rotted in Vasundhara's basement like a cursed secret."
"No—" Samruddhi gasped.
But then the girl pulled something from her coat.
A pendant.
The same one Dhiren Khurana wore in all his photos. Broken in half.
"I had the other half around my neck since I could remember," the girl whispered. "They told me his name when I was five. Told me how he abandoned us. Told me you were the golden child."
Samruddhi shook her head, tears spilling. "He would never… he wasn't like that—"
"Then why did Vasundhara raise me in a house full of locked doors?" she spat. "Why did I learn to shoot before I learned to write?"
"I—I don't know—"
"She said the only way to find peace was to kill the lie that stole my life."
The girl raised a gun.
Samruddhi froze.
Her body refused to move.
She could barely breathe.
This wasn't a rival. This was blood. Her own blood.
But then—
"STOP!"
Arpan burst onto the rooftop, gun raised.
The girl turned, unfazed. "I was wondering when you'd show."
"Put it down," Arpan said, voice shaking. "We don't need another ghost tonight."
Samruddhi's voice cracked. "She says she's my sister."
Arpan stared at the girl. Then slowly lowered his gun.
"Your name," he said.
The girl hesitated.
Then: "Rhea."
Samruddhi blinked. "Rhea…?"
"I wasn't supposed to exist," she said bitterly. "Until Vasundhara found me. She raised me in shadows. Fed me hatred like mother's milk. I didn't even know what love looked like until now—and it disgusts me."
Tears pooled in her eyes. Real ones.
"I watched you on the screen, Samruddhi. I saw you smile. I saw you speak like you mattered. I hated you for that. I hated you because I knew…"
Her voice broke.
"…you got everything I didn't."
There was silence. A sharp, stinging silence.
Then Samruddhi stepped forward.
And hugged her.
Rhea went stiff.
Didn't breathe.
Samruddhi whispered: "Then take it. Take everything. I didn't ask for it either."
Rhea trembled in her arms.
"I don't hate you," Samruddhi whispered. "I just want you to be real."
The gun clattered to the ground.
Inside the Hideout – One Hour Later
Rhea sat between Arpan and Samruddhi, wrapped in a blanket.
She told them everything.
How Vasundhara raised her. Trained her.
How she was used like a tool. A shadow child. A blade carved from pain.
"She never called me by name," Rhea said. "Just 'Asset 9.'"
Samruddhi closed her eyes, heart breaking.
"I believed her lies. All of them. Until I saw you cry on national television."
She looked at Samruddhi.
"That's when I realized you weren't my enemy. You were just as lost as me."
Meanwhile – Vasundhara's Lair
The surveillance room buzzed.
Vasundhara watched Rhea on screen.
She didn't blink. Didn't move.
Behind her, her new right-hand man spoke.
"She defected."
Vasundhara nodded once.
"She was never meant to last."
She walked to a sealed locker and opened it.
Inside—two vials of blood. Labeled:
Subject 01: RheaSubject 02: Aarav Khurana
She stared at them.
Then whispered: "Let the real weapon wake up."
She turned to the man.
"Activate Kintsugi."
"Tonight."
Later That Night – Rooftop Again
Arpan stood beside Samruddhi as she stared at the city skyline.
"You okay?" he asked.
"No," she replied honestly. "But I'm not alone. That's enough for now."
He smiled, brushing her hair from her face.
"You saved her," he whispered.
Samruddhi looked toward the door where Rhea slept.
"No. We saved each other."
Then a loud crash echoed downstairs.
Vikram's voice roared: "INTRUDER!"
Arpan drew his gun.
But it was too late.
An explosion ripped through the lower level.
Samruddhi was thrown backward.
Smoke filled the hallway.
Then—shadows.
Figures in black storming in.
One of them grabbed Rhea and injected her with something.
She collapsed.
Samruddhi screamed, running toward her, but a blade caught her arm—slicing deep.
Blood spattered the wall.
Arpan tackled the attacker, fists flying.
Then—
A voice. Familiar. Cold.
"You keep running from the truth, Arpan."
He froze.
Turned.
And saw his father.
Alive.
Older. Scarred. Eyes hollow.
"Dad…?"
The man stared at him blankly.
Vasundhara stepped beside him, smiling cruelly.
"Kintsugi, Arpan. I didn't just break him…"
"I rebuilt him."
To Be Continued…