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My breath hitched.

The stranger didn’t raise his voice.

He didn’t need to.

There was something in the way he stood—calm, controlled—that made the air around us feel heavier.

Aarav’s grip on my wrist tightened.

“Who the hell are you?” he snapped.

The stranger didn’t even look at him.

His eyes were still on me.

Sharp. Observant. Unreadable.

“Let her go,” he repeated.

This time, slower.

More dangerous.

Aarav let out a dry laugh. “Mind your own business.”

The stranger finally shifted his gaze.

And just like that—

The atmosphere changed.

Even in my dizzy state, I felt it.

Power.

The kind that didn’t need to prove itself.

“You really don’t want to do this,” the stranger said quietly.

Something in his tone made my stomach twist.

Not fear.

Something else.

Something darker.

Aarav hesitated.

Just for a second.

But I noticed.

And so did the stranger.

“Last chance,” he added.

My vision blurred again.

The room spinning harder now.

“I… I don’t feel right…” I whispered.

The stranger stepped closer instantly.

That’s when Aarav snapped.

“Stay away from her!” he barked, pulling me back.

Bad move.

The stranger’s expression didn’t change.

But his jaw tightened slightly.

And in the next second—

Aarav’s grip was gone.

I didn’t even understand how it happened.

One moment he was holding me.

The next—

I was falling.

But I didn’t hit the floor.

Strong arms caught me.

Steady.

Warm.

Safe.

“Easy,” the stranger murmured.

My fingers instinctively clutched his shirt.

“You’re okay.”

No.

I wasn’t.

Everything was fading.

The lights.

The music.

The noise.

The last thing I saw before my vision went black—

Was Aarav’s expression.

Not angry.

Not confused.

Satisfied.

And somewhere between consciousness and darkness—

I heard the stranger’s voice again.

Cold.

Controlled.

Deadly.

“What did you give her?”

What do you think he gave her??