CHAPTER 43

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The afternoon sun beat down as Meera stepped out of her house, ready to leave for Vedansh's office. Her heels clicked on the pavement as she approached her car, but she froze mid-step when she saw a familiar figure standing a few feet away.

"Dominic?"

She whispered, her voice barely audible.

Her older brother stood tall, his face a mix of guilt and apprehension. Meera's hands instinctively clenched into fists, a thousand emotions rushing through her all at once-anger, betrayal, and a longing she didn't want to acknowledge.

"You look well, Meera,"

Dominic said softly, his voice cautious. She let out a bitter laugh, crossing her arms.

"Do I? Because I don't feel it. But I suppose you wouldn't care. You've had years to check in on me and didn't."

Dominic took a hesitant step forward.

"Meera, I-"

"Don't,"

She cut him off, her voice sharp.

"Don't you dare act like you care now. Where were you, Dominic? Where were you when I was trapped in that mansion, when I needed you to pull me out of Vidyuth's grasp? You knew where I was, didn't you? All these years, and you chose to do nothing."

"I did it to protect you,"

He said, his tone pleading.

"Meera, you don't understand. Vidyuth's mansion was the safest place for you. If I'd taken you away, Rohit would have found you. He would have-"

"Don't you dare use Rohit as an excuse!"

She snapped, her eyes blazing.

"You knew what he did, Dominic. You knew he murdered our parents, and you didn't tell me. You kept me in the dark while that monster roamed free, while I lived my life thinking-"

Her voice broke, and she turned away, trying to collect herself.

"I was trying to protect you,"

Dominic repeated, his voice firm now.

"I thought it was better for you not to know. You were already hurting, Meera. What good would it have done to tell you that our uncle killed our father and mother? And as for Vidyuth-"

She spun back around, her eyes filled with unshed tears.

"You left me there, Dominic! In that cold, suffocating mansion, with a man who only married me to hurt me. I kept waiting, praying, for you to come and take me away. But you never did."

Dominic's face twisted with pain.

"I made a choice, Meera. Maybe it wasn't the right one, but I thought Vidyuth would keep you safe. Despite everything, he cared for you in his own way."

She scoffed, shaking her head.

"Cared for me? He used me, Dominic. He twisted my life into something unrecognizable, and you just stood by and let it happen."

"I didn't know how to fix it!" Dominic burst out, his voice cracking. "I didn't know how to fight Rohit, how to keep you safe, how to deal with Vidyuth. I thought keeping you there would buy us time-time to figure things out, time to protect you from Rohit's reach."

"Time?"

She echoed, her voice bitter.

"You thought I needed time? I needed you, Dominic. I needed my brother to show up, to fight for me, to take me out of that nightmare. But you didn't. And I was left to fend for myself."

The weight of her words hung between them, suffocating and heavy. Dominic's shoulders sagged as he took another step toward her.

"I know I failed you,"

He said quietly.

"And I'll regret it for the rest of my life. But I'm here now, Meera. I'm here, and I'm not leaving this time. Whatever it takes, I'll fix this. I'll make it right."

Meera stared at him, her heart torn between the pain of the past and the faint hope of his promise.

"You can't change what happened, Dominic,"

She said softly.

"But if you want to make it right, then start by helping me face Rohit. Help me take back what he stole from us."

Dominic nodded, his jaw set with determination.

"I will. I promise, Meera. We'll end this, together."

For the first time in years, Meera allowed herself to believe him, even if only a little. But the fire in her heart burned brighter than ever. This time, she wouldn't wait for someone to save her. She would fight for herself, for her family, and for the life she deserved.

Meera's breath hitched as she stared at Dominic, her emotions boiling over like a dam finally breaking. She took a step closer, her voice cold and cutting.

"I know the truth, Dominic,"

She said, her tone like steel.

"I know why the Graysons are after me. And don't bother denying it-I've known for a while now. They're going to come for me, and no one, not even you, will stop them. Not because you can't, but because you won't."

Dominic's eyes flickered with guilt, but he kept his face impassive.

"Meera, it's not what you think. I-"

"Stop,"

She snapped, her voice trembling with barely controlled anger.

"Do you have any idea how it feels to be drugged? To feel your body go limp, to lose every ounce of control over yourself? To know you're conscious but completely paralyzed, powerless to fight back?"

She took a shaky breath, her hands clenching into fists.

"Because I do. I've lived it. And I know exactly who's behind it."

Dominic's expression hardened, his fists clenching at his sides.

"I didn't know, Meera. I didn't know they'd go that far. If I'd known-"

"But you did know, Dominic!"

She interrupted, her voice rising.

"You knew what they were capable of. You knew they'd stop at nothing to get what they wanted. And yet you stayed silent. You let me walk into this nightmare blind, while you played your games in the shadows."

"I was trying to protect you,"

He said, his tone defensive.

"You don't understand how deep this goes. If I hadn't kept my distance, they would've come for you sooner."

"Oh, please,"

She spat, her eyes blazing.

"Don't act like some noble hero. You joined the mafia, Dominic. Even when our parents begged you not to, you still chose this life. And for what? Revenge? Retribution against your biological father? Do you think they'd be proud of you now?"

He flinched at her words but held his ground.

"I did what I had to do, Meera. You don't know what it was like, growing up knowing that man was out there, living his life while we suffered. I had to stop him. I had to-"

"And look where it's gotten you,"

She said bitterly, cutting him off.

"You got your revenge, Dominic. But you've trapped us all in this endless cycle of violence and vengeance. You wanted to destroy him, and instead, you became everything he was. Don't you see? This loop will never stop until you stop it."

Dominic's jaw tightened, his eyes burning with a mix of anger and regret.

"I did it for us,"

He said through gritted teeth.

"For you, for our parents-"

"No,"

She said sharply.

"You did it for yourself. And now we're all paying the price. The Graysons aren't after me because of something I did. They're after me because of you. Because of the choices you made, the enemies you created. And now they'll kidnap me-by hook or by crook-and I'll suffer for your sins."

His voice cracked as he pleaded,

"Meera, I'm sorry. I thought I could handle it. I thought I could protect you-"

"You thought wrong,"

She said coldly, tears brimming in her eyes.

"All I ever wanted was for you to be my brother. To fight for me, not for some twisted sense of justice. But you were too busy chasing ghosts to see that you were losing me in the process."

Dominic took a step closer, his hands trembling as he reached out.

"Meera, please. Let me fix this. Let me make it right."

She held up a hand, stopping him in his tracks.

"You can't fix this, Dominic. Not until you're willing to let go of this life, this obsession. Until you're ready to break the cycle, nothing will change. And I'm done waiting for you to figure that out."

The silence between them was deafening, the weight of her words hanging heavy in the air. Dominic looked at her, his face a mask of pain and determination.

"I will stop it,"

He said finally, his voice barely above a whisper.

"I swear to you, Meera. I'll stop the Graysons. I'll end this for good."

She turned away, her heart aching but resolute.

"Because if you don't, Dominic, the next time they come for me... I might not survive it."

Meera's voice trembled as she broke the heavy silence.

"Dominic, you think this is about power or revenge, but it's not. The Graysons... they'll stop only when their mother walks again. Like a normal human being."

Dominic's face twisted in confusion, his brows furrowing.

"What are you talking about? Their mother? What does she have to do with you?"

She let out a bitter laugh, shaking her head.

"Everything. She's the reason they're after me, Dominic. She's the reason I can't sleep at night, why I've been drugged, kidnapped, and hunted like prey. And do you know why?"

He stared at her, a sinking feeling in his gut.

"Meera..."

"Because I'm the only one who knows how to make it happen,"

She said, her voice dropping to a whisper.

"I know how to make her walk again."

Dominic staggered back as if her words had physically struck him.

"That's impossible. What could you possibly know that-"

"Do you think I'm lying?"

She snapped, cutting him off.

"Do you think I've gone mad? I wish I didn't know, Dominic. I wish I didn't carry this cursed knowledge. But I do. And they know it. That's why they're after me. That's why they'll never stop."

He shook his head, his mind racing.

"What are you saying, Meera? How could you know something like this? What aren't you telling me?"

She met his gaze, her eyes filled with pain and anger.

"I don't owe you an explanation, Dominic. Not after everything. But know this-they'll come for me again, and this time, they won't just stop at kidnapping me. They'll do whatever it takes to get what they want. Even if it means killing me."

"Meera, no,"

Dominic said, his voice breaking.

"I won't let them hurt you. Whatever it is you know, we can figure this out together. Tell me what you're keeping from me."

She laughed bitterly, tears threatening to spill.

"Tell you? Why? So you can use me as another pawn in your game, just like them? So you can decide what's best for me while keeping me in the dark?"

"I'm not them,"

Dominic said fiercely.

"I'm your brother, Meera. I won't let them take you. I won't let them use you."

She stepped closer, her voice dropping to a chilling calm.

"Then stop pretending this is something you can fix, Dominic. The Graysons won't stop until their mother walks again. And they won't stop chasing me until they have what they need. And the cruel irony? The answer they're looking for is locked in my head. I'm the key, Dominic. And that's a burden you'll never understand."

His face twisted with anguish, but she didn't give him a chance to respond.

"This isn't a fight you can win with guns or alliances or some twisted mafia code,"

She continued.

"The only way this ends is if you step out of their game entirely. But you won't, will you? Because you're too consumed by your own vendetta, too obsessed with finishing what you started."

"Meera, that's not fair,"

Dominic said, his voice shaking.

"I've made mistakes, yes, but everything I've done has been to protect you."

"No, Dominic,"

She said, her voice soft but firm.

"Everything you've done has led me to this. And now? Now it's too late to undo it."

For the first time, he looked genuinely helpless.

"Tell me what to do,"

He pleaded.

"Tell me how to stop them, how to keep you safe."

"You can't,"

She said, stepping back.

"The only one who can stop them is me. And I'll do it, Dominic. But not because I trust you. Because I refuse to let them take my life from me any longer."

With that, she turned and walked away, leaving Dominic standing there, shattered by the weight of her words.

••••°••••

Have anice day....