Prologue

Rain had been falling for hours.

Panah Akhtar stood alone in the quiet house, the sound of thunder echoing through the empty rooms. This place used to feel like home once. Now it felt like a museum of memories she never wanted to revisit.

Dust covered everything.

Every step she took stirred the silence.

She had only come back to collect a few old things—nothing more. At least, that was what she told herself.

Panah opened the wooden cabinet that had belonged to her mother. The hinges creaked softly, as if the past itself was waking up.

Inside were old books, photographs, and a small locked box.

Her fingers paused.

She had never seen this box before.

Curiosity slowly replaced hesitation. After a moment, she forced the fragile lock open. The metal snapped easily, like it had been waiting for years.

Inside the box was only one thing.

A single envelope.

The paper looked old, slightly yellow from time. On the front, written in fading ink, were words that made Panah’s heartbeat stop.

“For Panah Akhtar. Only when the truth begins to chase you.”

Her hands trembled slightly as she opened it.

The letter inside was short.

But every word felt heavy.

If you are reading this, it means the past has finally reached you.

The Shaikh family knows what happened that night.

Trust no one, Panah.

Not even Cabir Raza Shaikh.

Panah stared at the name.

Cabir Raza Shaikh.

A name she had never heard before.

Yet somehow… it felt like the beginning of something dangerous.