Chapter 4
— Forgive Me, Rehan
“Forgive me, Rehan... and thank you for your love.” The words kept circling through Alya’s head. She stood stiffly in the middle of the living room while Rehan stared at her as if he had just heard something impossible. “Three years, Alya.” Rehan’s voice trembled. “We’ve been together for three years. What really happened?” Alya lowered her face. The tears she had been holding back finally fell. “I cheated on you.” The words felt like a knife she had turned on herself. Rehan fell silent. Meanwhile, Arshaka stood a few steps away from them, his expression cold. There was no regret on his face. Only a sharp gaze that continued watching Alya. “Alya, look at me.” Alya raised her face. “Do you really love him?” Rehan’s question made Alya’s chest tighten. She wanted to say no. Wanted to say that this was all just a misunderstanding. But she knew one thing: the longer Rehan stayed near Arshaka, the greater the danger stalking him would become. Rehan wasn’t part of that world. He didn’t know how to deal with the mafia. He didn’t know who Arshaka’s enemies were. And he didn’t know that the man standing before him might be far more dangerous than he appeared. “I want us to end things.” Alya forced the words out. Rehan seemed to lose all his strength. “Is it... because of him?” Alya didn’t answer. Her silence was enough. Rehan smiled bitterly. “Fine.” He grabbed his jacket. Before leaving, Rehan stopped at the door. “I don’t know what I did wrong, Alya. But if you ever realize that your decision was a mistake... I hope you won’t realize it too late.” The door closed. Alya stood frozen. As soon as Rehan’s footsteps faded, every defense inside her collapsed. Slap! A hard slap landed across Arshaka’s face. “Are you satisfied?” Arshaka didn’t move. “You destroyed everything!” Alya sobbed, unable to stop herself. “He doesn’t know anything about your world! He doesn’t know who your enemies are! Why did you drag him into all of this?” Arshaka stared at Alya in silence. “I never asked you to leave him.” “Liar!” Alya pounded on Arshaka’s chest again and again. “I hate you!” Her hands finally stopped. Her body weakened. Alya dropped to her knees on the floor, crying like someone who had just lost her entire life. Arshaka clenched his fists. For the first time, the man known for being cold and ruthless seemed to have lost control of the situation. Alya suddenly got to her feet. “Rehan!” She ran out of the apartment. Arshaka immediately chased after her. The building’s basement was dark and nearly empty. Alya saw Rehan standing beside his car. “Rehan!” The man turned around. But before Alya could get any closer, footsteps sounded from every direction. One. Two. Five. Ten men emerged from behind the pillars. They were dressed entirely in black. Their gazes were sharp. Alya stopped. Rehan immediately stepped in front of her. “Who are they?” Arshaka appeared a few seconds later. His expression turned cold when he saw the group. “Doni.” Doni had just stepped out of the elevator and immediately understood the situation. “Boss, they’re not our men.” One of the men stepped forward. “Arshaka Revander.” He smiled faintly. “We’ve been waiting for you for a long time.” Arshaka shrugged off his jacket. “Alya, stay behind me.” But Alya didn’t have time to answer. The attack began. Ten men charged at Arshaka almost simultaneously. Arshaka moved swiftly. One punch sent an attacker crashing to the ground. He dodged the next attack, spun around, then brought his opponent down with a short, precise movement. Doni joined the fight, taking on two others. The basement turned into a battlefield. Alya tried to find a way out. But one of the men noticed her. He raised his weapon. “Alya!” Rehan ran toward her. The sound of gunfire shattered the silence. Bang! Alya froze. Rehan stood directly in front of her. The man’s body jerked before slowly collapsing into Alya’s arms. “Rehan!” Alya caught his body. Blood began soaking through his clothes. “No... no, don’t.” Rehan looked at Alya, breathing heavily. “I... couldn’t let them hurt you.” Alya’s tears flowed freely. “Why did you do this?” Rehan smiled weakly. “Because... I still love you.” Arshaka stood several yards away from them. For the first time, the color drained from his face. His gaze shifted to the man he had always considered his rival. Rehan closed his eyes. His body grew heavier in Alya’s arms. “Rehan!” Alya’s scream echoed throughout the basement. Meanwhile, in the distance, someone watched through a phone screen. A man stood in the shadows. Indra. He smiled faintly as he watched the chaos unfold. “The game has finally begun.” Then he turned off the screen. No one in the basement realized that the night was more than just a tragedy. It was the beginning of a much larger war. And without their knowledge, Rehan wasn’t truly dead yet.