The cool, sterile air of the Pandya mansion was a sharp contrast to the burning pain laced across your arms. You sat stiffly on the couch, wincing as Ritika carefully dabbed antiseptic onto the raw, red welts.

Ritika’s hands trembled slightly as she worked, her jaw clenched in anger. "You have to leave him," she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. You could hear the suppressed frustration beneath her words. "You can't keep letting him do this to you."

Just then, the front door swung open. The heavy thud of sports shoes against marble filled the quiet room.

Hardik Pandya stepped inside, his tall, athletic frame exuding exhaustion from the long practice session. His sharp eyes flickered between the two of you.

But today was different.

Hardik’s gaze locked onto your arms. The bruises. The fresh cuts Ritika was tending to. His brow furrowed, confusion flashing in his eyes before something darker settled in.

"What the hell happened?" His voice was sharp, laced with something dangerous.

Ritika hesitated, biting her lip. "Bhai… it's—"

"Don't even think about lying," he cut her off, his voice firm.

You felt the weight of his gaze pressing against you, but shame kept your head down. What could you even say? That your boyfriend was a monster? That you had tried to leave once and paid the price in bruises and scars? That fear had wrapped itself around your soul so tightly that you couldn't breathe?

Ritika exhaled shakily. "It’s her boyfriend, bhai… He—he does this to her."

Hardik blinked. His mind struggled to process the reality laid out before him.

Her boyfriend? The man who was supposed to love and protect her?

He looked at you again, this time not just as Ritika’s friend but as someone trapped in something horrifying. Someone who didn’t deserve this.

And for the first time, he really saw you.

“Give me his name.” His voice was calm. The kind of calm that came before a storm.

“I said. Give me. His name.” His voice was steel, eyes burning with an unspoken promise.