The ICU corridor was deathly silent. Aryan stood by the window, staring out at the lashing rain. His sister's life was hanging by a thread. Suddenly, the sound of footsteps echoed from the far end of the hallway—slow, steady, and terrifyingly confident.
As Aryan turned around, his heart stopped. Standing in the dim light was Abir Khan. The bloodstains on his white shirt had dried into a deep crimson. The wound on his forehead made him look even more feral and dangerous.
"Abir!" Aryan gasped in disbelief. "How... how are you here? The police took you!"
Abir didn't say a word as he closed the distance. Every step he took was regal, almost predatory. He stopped inches away from Aryan and calmly lit a cigarette. Smoking was prohibited in the hospital, but in Abir's world, rules were meant to be broken.
"I told you, Aryan," Abir whispered, exhaling a cloud of smoke. "Chains cannot hold me. Your officers are currently lying in the dust. I have returned to my angel."
Blinded by rage, Aryan grabbed Abir by the collar. But in a split second, Abir twisted Aryan's arm and pinned him against the wall with superhuman force.
"Aryan," Abir hissed into his ear, "Arisa is in a world where she sees only me. When she opens her eyes, my face must be the first thing she sees. If you stand in my way, this hospital will turn into a graveyard tonight."
Suddenly, a frantic beeping erupted from inside the ICU. Arisa's heart rate was skyrocketing. Doctors rushed inside. Abir let go of Aryan and stared through the glass partition. Arisa's eyelids were twitching. Could she feel his presence?
Abir placed his hand on the glass. For a moment, his eyes held a strange, haunting tenderness meant only for her. "Wake up, Arisa..." he whispered. "Your darkness is waiting for you."
Aryan realized with horror that no one had the power to stop Abir now. Could he still save Arisa from this beast? Or would Arisa wake up and embrace Abir as her everything?
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