Dhiman Residence – The next morning
Vashti pushed the front door open with trembling hands, eyes fierce and teary. The classified file on Dr. Vivek Dhiman was clenched tight in her grasp like a loaded weapon.
Her mother, Miafel Amor Dhiman, was calmly arranging fresh roses in a vase in the living room, her back straight and eyes distant.
"You lied to me," Vashti said flatly.
Miafel turned, pausing, but not surprised. "About what, sweetheart?"
Vashti threw the file onto the coffee table. The pages scattered—photos, signatures, and red-stamped warnings.
"About Dad. About how he didn't leave us… He disappeared."
For a moment, Miafel said nothing. Just stared at the mess of papers. Then she sat down slowly, folding her hands.
"I was hoping you'd never find this."
Vashti stepped closer, her voice sharper. "You said he moved. You said he died peacefully. But he was tangled with Dr. R—he was fighting something dangerous. And you knew it."
---
Flashback – 16 years ago
Dr. Vivek Dhiman had uncovered a hidden clinical trial in Serene Hope Hospital—one that violated ethical codes, harmed patients, and was led by none other than Dr. Satvik Ramesh, known now as Dr. R.
When Vivek threatened to go public, he received a warning.
He ignored it.
The night before his press conference, he vanished. His office was found ransacked. Blood. No body. Just a file labeled "Confidential: Project Mind Trace."
And a letter on Miafel's windshield:
> "Stay silent or watch your daughter bleed."
She never told Vashti. She never could.
---
Present Day
"I thought I was protecting you," Miafel said softly. "I had already lost the love of my life. I couldn't risk losing my child too."
Vashti's fists trembled at her sides. "You let me grow up hating him. Thinking he abandoned me."
"I carried that guilt every day," Miafel whispered. "But if I told you the truth, you would've gone looking for him—just like he did. And I was terrified you'd never come back."
Vashti sat down slowly, chest heaving. Her whole identity was cracking like glass.
"So this isn't just about me," she finally said. "It's about finishing what he started."
Miafel reached into a drawer and pulled out a faded ID badge—Dr. Vivek Dhiman's hospital access card.
"Then take this. And be smarter than he was."
---
Serene Hope Hospital – Later That Night
Vashti returned to the hospital like a woman on a mission.
Shabd was waiting by the neurosurgery wing, leaning against the wall. One look at her face and he knew—she had answers.
"What did your mom say?" he asked.
Vashti placed the ID badge into his hand. His eyes widened.
"She said to finish his war."
Shabd's gaze locked with hers.
"Then it's time we go to war."
---