Abhinav arrived at the deserted old astronomical observatory at 2:00 AM, the cold air thick with menace. The building was a relic of the past, matching the ghost of Mareena that haunted him. He was alone, his nerves stretched taut.

A figure emerged from the deep shadows of the dome—tall, clad entirely in a black hoodie that obscured their face. The figure moved with calculated silence.

The stranger didn't speak. He simply lunged forward, delivering a hard, unexpected push to Abhinav's chest. Abhinav stumbled back against the cold stone wall.

The stranger thrust a tightly folded letter into his hand.

"Don't dare to enquire about her," the voice, muffled and distorted, commanded. "Or else you will lose her."

The threat hung heavy in the silence. Abhinav’s heart pounded with a terrifying certainty: this was not a phantom. The conspiracy was real, and Mareena was alive, or at least being used as bait. Abhinav watched as the figure vanished back into the shadows without another word.

Abhinav sped back to **Roy Mansion**, his mind racing with the contents of the letter. The demand was impossible; he couldn't stop now.

He arrived to find his home swarming with police. The Commissioner was still there, now directing officers to search the mansion's private financial records.

Before Abhinav could process the scene, two officers emerged, escorting his father, Mr. Roy, who looked defeated and grey.

"Father!" Abhinav yelled, rushing forward.

"Abhinav, I'm sorry," Mr. Roy mumbled, his eyes unable to meet his son's gaze.

The Commissioner intervened, his voice firm. "Mr. Roy is being detained. We found evidence linking his digital correspondence to key financial records Mareena Sharma allegedly accessed shortly before her disappearance."

Abhinav watched in shock as his father was placed in the back of a police car. Both his parents were now under arrest, their cover-up exposed.

Overwhelmed by Priya's absence, Abhinav checked the mansion’s tracking app for Priya. She was not home.

Simultaneously, Priya's black sedan pulled up to the secured entrance of a high-end **IVF Clinic** miles away. She dismissed her driver and walked inside, her determined expression betraying her outward calm. Her purpose was clear: secure the future of the Roy dynasty, regardless of the chaos.

---

## HIS MOURNING BRIDE - Chapter 9: The False Legacy

Priya sat in a sterile, private room at the IVF clinic. The air conditioning was cold, a chilling contrast to the warm chaos of the Roy family's crumbling world.

A doctor entered, holding a small, chilled vial.

"Mrs. Roy, the sample is viable and has been prepared," the doctor stated, referring to the vial containing **Abhinav's sperm sample**.

Priya nodded, a cold, satisfied look in her eyes. The sample had been collected in the dead of night, using a sterile kit immediately after she had drugged Abhinav and trapped him under her weight—the night his mind had confused her with Mareena. She had needed his DNA to legally conceive the **Roy Heir**, confirming her position in the family forever.

Priya left the clinic and drove to a secluded, modern apartment complex. She was met by **Aryan**, her partner, a man with lean features and a quiet, watchful intensity. He pulled her into a protective embrace.

Aryan, who had transitioned from female to male and was Priya's true confidant and love, held her tightly. Aryan is a transman. (Transman: A woman who gets operated and changes her gender biologically to become a male. After surgery they become a male.) Priya and Aryan (earlier known as Arnabi) were childhood friends. They fell in love with eachother as teenagers. Priya’s parents couldn't accept their relationship because they were conservative. Arnabi didn't have the money to get operated at that time.

Priya's parents had fixed her marriage with Abhinav. Arnabi was devastated and Priya was depressed. Priya had tried to accept the marriage and still tried to move on but couldn't. Priya knew that Abhinav also couldn't move on, so she decided to secretly continue her relationship with Aryan formerly know as Arnabi. Arnabi had converted to a male five years ago. Priya wanted to settle with Aryan but failed. Aryan was not financially stable and Priya was chained by the marriage.

Priya has a different plan now. She wants to convince the Roy family's heir to get a heavy sum of alimony after she divorces Abhinav. That would be possible after Aryan gets a job.

"It's done, Aryan," Priya whispered, burying her face against his neck. "The sample is collected and processed. The heir is secured."

Aryan pulled back, searching her eyes. "Did anything... happen with him? That night?"

Priya shook her head emphatically, gripping his hands. "No. Nothing. He was completely out of it, confused, calling for her. I collected the sample and left. I told you, **I love only you, Aryan.** I would never betray you with that man. Abhinav is just the conduit to power."

Priya added,"I don't want anything from a man who never cared for me. He had always neglected me. So i decided to convince through IVF so that I don't have to get in touch with that Scoundrel ".

Their secret relationship, hidden beneath the perfect surface of Priya's marriage, was the engine of her ultimate ambition: securing the Roy empire's fortune for herself and the man she truly loved, using Abhinav's DNA as the means.

Abhinav sat alone in his study, the chaos of the police search finally subsided. The mansion felt emptier, colder, haunted. He was deeply worried about his father, unable to understand why he would be arrested. He had believed his father was just weak, not actively criminal.

His phone vibrated with an urgent notification from an unknown, encrypted number.

**STAY AWAY FROM HER. YOU WILL LOSE THE GAME AND THE GIRL. THIS IS YOUR FINAL WARNING.**

The message was aggressive, tying his pursuit of Mareena to a high-stakes "game." The threats were escalating, confirming the conspirators were closing in.

Abhinav walked over to the window, pulling back the heavy velvet curtains. The tension was suffocating.

*Clatter.*

A small, rolled-up piece of paper wrapped around a stone struck the thick glass of the window, falling onto the carpet inside. Abhinav snatched it up.

He unrolled the paper to find a single, chilling word scrawled in bold black ink:

**TRUST.**

Abhinav stared at the note, his mind reeling. Was this a new threat? Or was it a desperate plea from someone trapped inside **Roy Mansion**—perhaps his father, or even Priya—telling him to trust no one? The very core of his reality had been hollowed out.