The Lie Between Stations at the Residency Gate at First Light

By Adeeba Rashid

When Rizwan Mirza arrives at a wildlife research camp in the Western Ghats for a routine six-week archiving assignment, a key to a room that does not exist on any building plan pulls him into a conspiracy older than his own arrival. Alongside an ex-best friend who carries secrets about why they both left town, Rizwan races to expose a hospital trial that kept running long after its dangers were known, all while a viral benefit concert spins the story into a public spectacle faster than any private truth can travel. The person Rizwan is falling for has known everything from the start, and the tattoo that seemed like a clue leads somewhere that shatters every assumption he built his trust on. In a world where a single post can rewrite a reputation overnight, Rizwan must choose between the story the world is watching and the truth only he can still protect.