Ravi’s confession hits Priya like a punch to the chest as he finally admits the devastating truth in a single breath that shatters any hope she had of pulling him back into the light, telling her that he cannot return to a lawful life because the drug lord he once crossed—the same shadowy figure he spent months trying to outrun—has resurfaced with a vengeance and is now targeting him with a precision and brutality that leaves no doubt he intends to destroy Ravi piece by piece, and as Priya stands frozen in their cramped living room, the weight of the revelation crushing her ability to speak, Ravi begins unraveling the full story, explaining how after months of keeping his head down, working legitimate jobs, and trying to rebuild the fragile trust between them, he was pulled back in the moment he received a message from an untraceable number, a single photo of him with Nugget taken that very morning outside their doorway, sent as a warning, a reminder that no matter how hard he tries to escape his past, the man who once owned his life can still reach into his present with terrifying ease, and Priya feels the room tilt as she realizes this isn’t Ravi being dramatic or paranoid—this is Ravi in survival mode, explaining in low, controlled tones that if he refuses to cooperate, the drug lord will go after the people he loves, starting with Nugget, then her, then anyone else unfortunate enough to stand too close, and Ravi’s voice cracks only once when he describes the moment he understood the truth: that his attempt to go clean didn’t erase the debt he owes or the power this man still has over him, because in that world, walking away is never considered redemption—it’s betrayal, and betrayal demands punishment, so the drug lord has given him two options: return to the fold and work off his “disloyalty,” or watch everything he cares about burn, and Priya’s breath comes sharp and shallow as she tries to process the nightmare being laid out before her, remembering the promises Ravi made just weeks ago about building a future together, about being a man Nugget could be proud of, about proving to her that the darkness he once embraced no longer controlled him, and now all of it feels like a fragile illusion crushed under the heel of a man she has never met but already hates, a man whose power extends so far into their daily lives that even their home no longer feels safe, but Ravi insists that he told her now because she deserves the truth, because keeping her in the dark would put her in even more danger, and because he cannot bear the thought of this enemy using her as leverage without warning her first, and as Priya listens, anger mixes with fear in her chest like a volatile spark as she demands to know why Ravi didn’t tell the police, why he didn’t go to Jack or Suki or anyone with ties to the law who could help protect them, but Ravi shakes his head, explaining that going to the police would only escalate things, turning a dangerous situation into an unwinnable one, because the drug lord operates through layers of intermediaries and false identities, a hydra with no single head, and any attempt to expose him would be met with immediate retaliation before law enforcement could even react, and Priya realizes with sickening clarity that Ravi is trapped in a cage he cannot fight, cannot flee, and cannot legally dismantle, leaving him standing on a razor’s edge where each decision could cost someone their life, and when she asks what he intends to do, Ravi admits he has only one option left: comply long enough to keep his family safe while secretly searching for a way out, a confession that terrifies Priya because she can see in his eyes that this path could drag him deeper into the criminal world than he ever escaped from, consuming the progress he fought so hard to make, and she begs him not to go back, insisting there must be another way, but Ravi takes her hands and tells her that he isn’t choosing this life—he’s choosing her, choosing Nugget, choosing the chance to keep his family breathing as long as he can, and he cannot risk their lives for pride or morality when the stakes have become life or death, and Priya, tears streaming despite her attempts to keep them at bay, whispers that she cannot lose him again, not after everything they’ve survived, not after finally allowing herself to believe he could change, but Ravi pulls her close and admits that he fears he’s already lost himself, that every step he takes toward protecting them pulls him one step closer to the darkness he tried to abandon, and the guilt of that truth weighs on him like chains, but he refuses to let the drug lord’s threats become their reality, vowing that he will protect Priya and Nugget no matter the cost, even if it means sacrificing the lawful life he dreamed of, and as Priya clings to him, trembling, the room feels colder, smaller, suffocating, as if the shadows themselves have crept inside their home, settling around them with silent menace, and she finally understands that this revelation is not simply a setback—it is the beginning of a dangerous new chapter, one that will test not only Ravi’s strength but their relationship, their trust, their safety, and their future, because as long as a man like that drug lord is out there hunting Ravi, no one in their orbit is truly safe, and Priya realizes that the real question is no longer whether Ravi can escape this life, but whether they can survive the coming storm together or whether this threat will destroy them long before they find a way out.