Episode # 6:- (Moth and a fire doesn't belong together.)

"What do you want to talk about?" Saraya asked, fidgeting with her fingers nervously.

Raf got up from the stool and settled on the couch in front of her, across the center table.

"You said you want to go, isn’t it?" Raf asked. Saraya nodded.

"Where will you go? You know very well that the people who kidnapped you and the people who sold you must still be out there somewhere. Do you have a place to go, where you can live and be away from their eyes at the same time?" Raf asked. Saraya stayed silent, not having an answer.

Her shoulders slumped in defeat, and she stared at her hands.

"I don't know you; how can I trust you?" Saraya murmured, looking up.

"Your brothers came to me for help. Isn’t that enough to prove I’m trustworthy?" Raf asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Who are those people? And why did my stepfather sell me?" Saraya asked, frowning. The thought disturbed her repeatedly. Questions ran through her mind: How did Austin and Justin know? Why did they die? But she couldn’t answer them right now.

"Leave these matters for later, Honey Bee," Raf replied. Saraya, leaving aside other matters, pondered the word Honey Bee.

"Have we met before?" Saraya asked. Raf shook his head and got up.

"You need rest," he said.

"By looking at you, nobody would ever believe you’re this generous," Saraya exclaimed.

Raf smirked. "Believe me, Honey Bee, I’m not at all generous," he said, and the way he said it sent chills through her entire body.

"Then why this kindness toward me?" Saraya whispered, tilting her head toward him.

"This world is full of demons, Honey Bee. Angels like you get tainted if they come into contact with them," Raf said, stepping backward.

"This line… I’ve heard this line. You…" Saraya raised her finger, but suddenly everything went dark.

Saraya woke up with a jerk and looked around. This time, she found herself in a bedroom, not a hospital room. She slumped back on the bed and stared at the ceiling, her mind numb. Leaving this place seemed difficult—but what about school? Her high school would end in a month or two… now?

"Can he allow me to attend school?" Saraya murmured, settling against the bedpost. Her eyes fell on the neatly kept clothes at the other corner of the bed. Suddenly, she realized she had been unconscious for ten days, and a feeling of disgust passed through her.

"Yuk, I haven’t showered in so many days," she murmured, got up, and picked up the clothes. She looked around for the bathroom and found a door. Stepping inside, her mouth dropped in astonishment—it was a huge walk-in closet.

"Wow," Saraya mumbled, examining the closet filled with garments and accessories. "But it’s not mine," she thought with a sad pout, imagining the lucky girl it belonged to.

She opened the door beside the closet, and luckily, it was the bathroom.

About half an hour later, Saraya emerged from a warm, refreshing shower.

"Now what?" she thought, when someone knocked and entered. Saraya saw a girl, who looked like a house help.

"Mr. Blackthorn sent me to check on you. He said that if you are awake, I should bring you to him," the girl said softly. Saraya nodded and went out with her.

"Is this some palace?" Saraya wondered, seeing the oversized furnishings.

They walked for an unknown distance. The girl stopped at a door and knocked.

"Come in," a voice called. Saraya felt nervous—Raf’s voice.

"Ma’am is awake, sir," the girl said, appearing scared. Saraya frowned, realizing the girl was nervous. She herself felt no fear toward Rafael.

"You can go," Raf ordered, and the girl left. Saraya gulped and entered.

She found herself in a large study. Raf sat behind a table that looked like a royal desk.

"How long was I out?" Saraya asked, breaking the silence. Raf, reading a file, didn’t look up.

"For a couple of hours," he replied.

"Sit," Raf said, pointing to a chair in front of him. He looked at her for the first time. Saraya took a step toward the chair but stopped when the door banged open.

"Oh my God, RB (Rafael Bro), this fussy ball is something! How do you manage him?" Vidhant entered, babbling, but Saraya’s eyes were elsewhere.

She was focused on the little fella Vidhant held, a cotton ball whining continuously.

"Here, keep your son. I won’t take him in my arms again. He bit me many times today," Vidhant said, placing the baby in Rafael’s lap. As soon as the baby settled, he was quiet.

"Baby? He’s married?" Saraya thought uneasily, but the feeling vanished as the baby looked at her with tear-filled eyes. Suddenly, he squealed loudly, jumping in Raf’s arms.

Vidhant and Raf followed his actions and saw him staring at Saraya, cackling loudly.

"Wow, Saraya! For the first time in six months of his life, he liked someone other than his father this fast," Vidhant said cheerfully.

Saraya didn’t reply; her attention was on the baby trying to reach her. She looked at Raf, who stared at her.

As she cuddled him, Zehaan wriggled slightly and held onto her fingers like he had known her forever.

"See that grip? That’s mine," Vidhant said jokingly, pointing to the baby’s tiny hand clinging to Saraya. "He doesn’t trust easily, but I see… he likes you."

Zee let out a joyful squeal, kicking his legs in the air and pointing at a stuffed toy nearby. Saraya laughed softly, handing it to him.

"He’s playful… and stubborn," Vidhant continued. "Just like me, apparently. You better not spoil him too much, or he’ll think you’re his personal assistant."

Zee, seemingly understanding, leaned closer to Saraya and rested his head on her shoulder, sighing in contentment. Saraya felt a warm glow in her heart.

"What's his name?" she asked while sitting with him in her lap.

"Zehaan Rafael Blackthorn," Raf replied, picking up his file.

"Where is his mother?" Saraya asked, but Raf didn’t answer.

"She died just a month after his birth," Vidhant said sadly. Saraya felt terrible. Zehaan, on the other hand, rested his head on Saraya’s chest contentedly.

"You bipolar creature," Vidhant said to Zee, hands on his hips. "With me, you act like I’m your decade-old enemy, and here? You’ve met her once and act like you’ve known her for years," he exclaimed.

Zee ignored him, playing with Saraya’s hair. She giggled, glancing at Vidhant. Raf looked up from his file and saw her happily playing with Zee.

"VD, take Zee from here," Raf said. Saraya’s face fell, but Vidhant took the baby.

"Don’t worry, you’ll get time with him," Vidhant murmured. A wide grin spread on her lips.

"You already know you can’t leave for a while," Raf said. Saraya nodded.

"But my high school? Only two months left," she mumbled. Raf placed the file on the table.

"Allowing you to go outside would render your brothers’ struggle in vain. Stay inside until things stabilize," Raf said.

"Has their funeral been done?" Saraya asked emotionally, controlling her tears. Raf nodded silently.

"To pass time, you can check the library and roam inside the palace," Raf suggested.

"Can I spend time with Zehaan?" Saraya asked nervously. Raf paused, then nodded.

"Thank you," Saraya said happily.

"You can leave. One guard will take you to Zee’s room," Raf said. Saraya exited.

Zehaan’s room:

"Zehaan’s room?" Saraya asked the guard. She entered and saw him sitting on a play mat, playing with stuffed toys. Vidhant sat on a nearby couch using his phone.

"Can you stay here with Zee?" Vidhant asked. Saraya nodded. Zee, hearing him, looked up and smiled brightly, tossing the toy aside and crawling toward her.

Saraya chuckled and picked him up. Vidhant smiled and left the room.

Raf’s study:

“Will you now send her away, even after seeing her with Zee?” Vidhant asked, his voice sharp with frustration.

Raf, still engrossed in the files, didn’t look up. “She doesn’t belong to this world. Once it’s safe, she has to leave.”

Vidhant slammed his palm on the table, leaning forward. “Zee’s mother said he’d choose his mother himself! You saw it today—so why are you being so stubborn?”

“You’re not old enough to understand,” Raf replied coolly, eyes still fixed on the papers.

“I’m 21—only four years younger than you. Not decades,” Vidhant shot back, irritation rising. Raf remained silent, his jaw tight.

Vidhant leaned back, voice lower but edged with intensity. “It’s not wrong to be selfish for your own happiness. The world sees you as a cold-blooded monster, but I know it’s a façade. Everyone fears you, thinking thousands of times before opening their mouths—but she didn’t. And you know she won’t. You’re scared of losing control, and that’s why you’re pushing her away.”

Raf’s fingers tightened around the pen, and for a moment, his calm façade faltered. Without another word, he threw the file onto the table and strode toward the door.

“At least I tried,” Vidhant murmured, running a hand through his hair. He exhaled slowly, his mind racing. “He wants to keep her away… but fate has brought them together. RB, I know you won’t let her go. You’ll see—Saraya will give Zee the love of a mother herself. And when you realize it, there’ll be no turning back.”

Raf paused in the hallway, his hand on the door handle. A moth and fire don’t belong together, he thought, voice low in his mind. But they can’t stay apart either… and if I let her close, everything I’ve built could burn.

He closed his eyes for a moment, gripping the doorframe, a silent storm brewing within him. Tension coiled tight in his chest—danger, desire, and inevitability intertwined.

To be continued…