Betrayal

Ishika pov

I don’t know why, but his name made me more uncomfortable.

The music was loud, people were laughing, glasses were clinking—but suddenly everything felt distant, like I was standing underwater. Every sound blurred, every face melted into noise. His smile was confident, practiced—the kind that made people fall easily, without realizing they were falling. Everyone around him seemed to orbit his presence, as if he was the center of this world and the rest were just background characters.

Avantika squeezed my hand lightly.

“Relax,” she said, almost teasing. “He won’t bite.”

I forced a small smile, even though my chest felt heavy, tight, like it was being pressed from the inside. My feet moved forward on their own, following her—even when my mind screamed to stop, to turn around, to run.

As we reached him, his eyes finally met mine properly.

Not a glance—an assessment.

Slow. Sharp. Calculating.

Like he was reading something written on my face that even I didn’t understand yet.

“So,” he said, his voice smooth, deep, almost lazy,

“you must be the new one.”

I nodded. My throat felt dry.

“Ishika.”

He smiled wider.

“Pretty name.”

I didn’t know why, but that single word made me uncomfortable instead of happy. Maybe it was the way he said it—too easily, too smoothly—like he had said it to many girls before me and forgotten them just as fast.

Avantika wrapped her arm around his, proud, possessive.

“She’s a fresher. I found her today in the hostel.”

“Lucky you,” he replied, still looking at me.

Not at Avantika.

At me.

I shifted slightly, my fingers curling into my dress without me realizing it. I could feel eyes on me again—whispers, curiosity, silent judgments crawling over my skin. I wasn’t used to this kind of attention. It felt like I didn’t belong here, like I had walked into someone else’s story by mistake.

“Drink?” Prem asked, holding out a glass.

I shook my head immediately.

“No, thank you.”

He raised an eyebrow, amused.

“Too innocent for this place?”

Maybe.

Or maybe just careful.

Avantika laughed it off.

“She’s new, Prem. Give her time.”

Time.

I wasn’t sure I wanted any.

The music grew louder, heavier. The lights dimmed further, colors blurring into shadows. People started dancing—bodies moving freely, without fear, without hesitation. I stood there, watching, frozen, feeling like a stranger in a place I wasn’t meant to be.

My dreams had brought me here.

But this moment didn’t feel like a dream.

It felt like a warning.

I told myself I was overthinking.

It was just a party.

Just people.

Just a first day.

But deep down, a quiet voice whispered

Some doors, once opened, never let you walk out the same.

And I didn’t know it yet…

But tonight wasn’t just a party.

It was the beginning of something that would change everything.

I was strolling through the place, trying to calm myself, trying to breathe—

when suddenly someone shoved me from behind.

Hard.

I lost my balance before I could even react. My foot slipped, my body tilted—and the next second, I was falling.

Cold water swallowed me whole.

The pool was deep.

Too deep.

I couldn’t swim.

Shit.

My body sank instantly, panic exploding inside my chest. Water rushed into my ears, my nose, my mouth. I kicked, thrashed, tried to scream—but no sound came out. My arms flailed uselessly as the surface grew farther away.

Through the blurred water, I saw her.

Avantika.

Standing there.

Laughing.

My vision started fading. My lungs burned, my strength vanished. The lights above the pool blurred into darkness—

And suddenly, everything turned black.

Prem pov

Oo damn… such enjoyment she is.

I laughed, taking a sip from my glass.

“Wow babe, you really brought the right girl to have fun with.”

“My girl, love you babe,” Avantika replied, smirking.

I wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer.

“Friends, let’s go inside the house,” I announced casually.

“There’s something special inside. She’ll get herself out.”

I didn’t even look back at the pool.

“Come, babe.”

I kissed Avantika’s lips, slow and careless, and walked inside with everyone else—music, laughter, drinks swallowing the moment whole.

Thirty minutes later.

A guy came running toward me, breath uneven, panic written all over his face.

“Man… th-that girl…”

He bent forward, hands on his knees.

“She didn’t come out of the pool. She’s unconscious right now. I—I just pulled her out of the water. Hurry up, we need to go.”

For a second, silence.

Then I clicked my tongue in irritation.

“Dammit,” I muttered.

“What a waste.”

I turned to Avantika.

“Come on, babe.”

And just like that—we walked toward her.

The moment I stepped back into the pool area, the noise of the party faded behind me.

The lights near the pool were still on, reflecting unnaturally on the water’s surface. People had gathered around, whispering, murmuring—no laughter now, no music reaching this side. Something was wrong. I could feel it before I even saw her.

She was lying near the edge of the pool.

Motionless.

Her hair was spread out like dark ink against the wet tiles, her dress clinging to her skin, water dripping from her clothes in slow, steady drops. Someone had placed her on her side, but she wasn’t moving. Not even a twitch.

For a split second, my breath hitched.

Not because I cared.

But because this wasn’t how it was supposed to go.

Avantika’s hand tightened around my arm.

“Prem…” her voice cracked, just a little.

“She—she isn’t waking up.”

I looked at Avantika then. For the first time tonight, her face wasn’t confident. Her lips had lost their smile, her eyes wide, fear flickering in them despite her trying to hide it.

“You said she’d get out,” she whispered, almost accusing. “You said—”

“Relax,” I cut her off sharply, my jaw tightening. “Don’t panic.”

But even as I said it, my eyes went back to the girl on the ground.

Ishika.

Her face was pale—too pale. Her chest wasn’t rising the way it should have been. A guy near her pressed two fingers to her neck, his hands shaking.

“She’s breathing,” he said nervously. “But it’s weak.”

That’s when irritation gave way to something colder.

This was bad.

Very bad.

I glanced around. Too many people. Too many phones out. Too many witnesses.

“Who pushed her?” someone asked from the crowd.

Silence.

Avantika stiffened beside me. I felt it—the way her body went rigid, the way her fingers trembled as they clutched my sleeve.

“I—I didn’t mean—” she started, her voice breaking. “It was just a joke, Prem. I swear. I didn’t think—”

I shot her a warning look.

“Not here,” I muttered under my breath. “Not now.”

I stepped forward, crouching near Ishika. Water pooled beneath her cheek. Her eyelashes were wet, stuck together. She looked fragile. Too fragile for this place, for tonight.

For a brief moment—just one—I wondered if she would die.

And that thought sent a sharp spike of annoyance through me.

“Tch.”

I straightened up immediately and pulled out my phone.

“Move back,” I ordered everyone around us. “Give her some air.”

I dialed quickly, my voice calm when the call connected.

“Yes,” I said. “We need an ambulance. There’s a girl—near-drowning.

Unconscious. Send it now.”

I ended the call and slipped the phone back into my pocket.

Avantika looked up at me, eyes glossy. “She won’t die… right?”

I didn’t answer her immediately.

Instead, I looked down at Ishika once more.

“I called the ambulance,” I finally said. “That’s all that matters.”

But inside, one thing was very clear to me.

This night was no longer about fun.

It was about damage control.

And Ishika…

she had just become a problem I hadn’t planned for.

___________________________Okay a question 3 questions:

1.who is the problem over here avantika Or ishika Or the men standing near the pool thinking that it's ishika faltu.

2.does ishika deserves this?.

3.what's going to happen next.

Sorry but i can't stop myself from asking you one more question.

Will they have something-somthing in future.

Bye💓🧿