The room was silent.
Vivek sat in front of Lilly.
Waiting.
Because every word she spoke—
was uncovering the truth.
Lilly took a slow breath.
Then she continued—
"I revealed only one truth… to the society members."
Vivek looked at her.
"That Ramesh was behind the children's kidnappings."
A pause.
"But that wasn't everything."
Her voice grew heavier.
"I found something else…"
"Something much darker."
Vivek leaned forward.
"What?"
Lilly's fingers tightened.
"The children…"
"They weren't just kidnapped."
"They were being controlled."
Silence.
"A strange medicine… drugs…"
"They were given to them regularly."
"That's why their behavior changed."
Vivek's expression hardened.
"That explains everything…" he murmured.
Lilly nodded slowly.
"But even that wasn't the end."
Her eyes filled with fear.
"Ramesh wasn't alone."
"There were others."
"A group."
Working with him.
A pause.
Then she said—
"They were involved in human trafficking."
The words hit hard.
"They kidnapped children…"
"And sold them."
Silence filled the room again.
Heavy.
Dark.
Because now—
this wasn't just a mystery.
It was something far worse.
Because the truth Lilly knew—
was bigger than anyone imagined.
Lilly's voice trembled slightly—
"But I couldn't tell everything…"
Vivek looked at her carefully.
"Why?"
Lilly lowered her gaze.
"Because someone didn't want the truth to come out."
Silence.
"I wanted to tell everyone…"
"I was searching for more proof…"
"But before I could…"
She paused.
Fear slowly returning to her eyes.
"I used to come home late…"
"Because of my investigation."
Vivek listened without interrupting.
One wrong detail—
could change everything.
"Then one night…"
Her fingers tightened.
"When I was on my way back to my flat…"
She stopped.
Her breathing uneven.
"I felt it."
Vivek leaned forward.
"Felt what?"
Lilly whispered—
"Someone was stalking me."
Silence.
Cold.
Unsettling.
"I tried to ignore it at first…"
"But the footsteps…"
"They were real."
"They were following me."
Vivek's eyes sharpened.
"What did you do?"
Lilly swallowed.
"I walked faster…"
"But so did they."
A pause.
"And then…"
She looked up at Vivek.
Fear clearly visible now.
"That night… everything changed."
Lilly's voice shook—
"Then… I started running."
Her breathing grew uneven—
as if she was reliving everything.
"But the footsteps…"
"They suddenly stopped."
Silence.
"My heart was pounding…"
"I wanted to look back…"
"But I couldn't."
A pause.
"Then…"
"I saw someone."
Vivek's eyes locked on her.
"In front of me."
"But I couldn't see his face…"
"He was standing in the dark."
The room felt colder.
"And before I could react…"
She touched the back of her head slightly—
"I felt a sharp pain…"
"As if someone hit me…"
"From behind."
Vivek's jaw tightened.
"With something heavy."
"An iron rod…"
Her voice dropped.
"And then…"
"Everything went black."
Silence.
Heavy.
"When I opened my eyes…"
"I was there."
"In that room."
"No sunlight…"
"No sound…"
"Nothing."
A pause.
"Every day…"
"A man came."
"Wearing a mask."
"He brought food…"
"And left."
Vivek frowned.
"You never saw his face?"
Lilly shook her head.
"Never."
Tears rolled down her cheeks.
"The room was suffocating…"
"I felt like I would die…"
"Every single day."
A pause.
Her voice broke—
"I wanted to die…"
"But I couldn't."
Silence filled the room.
Because what she went through—
was worse than death.
And the most terrifying part—
the person who locked her…
was still out there.
Lilly wiped her tears slowly.
"But I never lost hope…"
Her voice was weak—
but steady.
"I always believed…"
"That someone would come… and save me."
Vivek looked at her—
silently.
Then he asked—
carefully—
"Did you ever see anyone else there?"
Lilly paused.
Her expression slowly changed.
"Yes…"
"A few times…"
"That man came…"
"But he wasn't alone."
Vivek's eyes narrowed.
"Who was with him?"
Lilly swallowed.
"A girl."
Silence.
Vivek leaned forward.
"A girl?"
Lilly nodded.
"But…"
"She was wearing a mask."
The tension in the room increased.
"I couldn't see her face…"
"But…"
Her voice dropped.
"She wasn't scared."
A pause.
"She was the one giving orders."
Vivek froze.
"And the man…"
"He listened to her."
Every time.
Silence.
Heavy.
Because now—
everything had changed.
The real power—
was not the man.
It was her.
And somewhere in the shadows—
the masked girl was still watching.
Lilly lowered her gaze.
"That's all I know…"
Her voice faded.
Silence filled the room.
Vivek stood up slowly.
His mind was racing—
connecting every piece.
"Okay," he said calmly.
"You should rest now."
Lilly nodded weakly.
Vivek turned towards his team.
His expression now serious—
and sharp.
"Listen carefully."
All officers stood alert.
"Half of you stay here right now."
"No one enters or leaves this flat without my permission."
A pause.
"And the other half…"
"They'll take over at night."
The team nodded.
"Keep a close watch on her."
His voice turned colder.
"Because I don't trust anyone in this society."
Silence.
"Not after what we've discovered."
He glanced once at Lilly—
then back at his team.
"Stay alert."
"Because if someone locked her for ten years…"
"They won't let the truth come out so easily."
And somewhere in the shadows—
someone was already planning their next move.
Vivek left the society—
with new truths…
and even more questions.
Who was that masked man?
And who was the girl controlling everything?
This time—
it wasn't just curiosity.
Vivek had a purpose.
To protect the people of Gitanjali Society.
To save the children.
But deep down—
he knew this was far from over.
Because ahead of him—
many more challenges…
and shocking truths were waiting.