Mahesh’s heart pounded as the phone kept ringing, unanswered. A deep sense of unease settled in his chest. Why wasn’t she picking up?

Without thinking, he grabbed his keys and rushed out of the house.

It was late, the streets eerily quiet, but he didn’t care. He had to find her.

As he drove, memories of Supriya flashed in his mind—her quiet patience, her soft smile, the way she always waited for him, even when he never looked back at her.

A cold fear gripped him. He should have stopped her. He should have never let her leave.

Reaching the last address she had given before leaving, he knocked on the door frantically. A middle-aged woman answered, her face solemn.

"Supriya… where is she?" Mahesh asked breathlessly.

The woman’s expression changed. There was pity in her eyes.

"You don’t know?" she asked softly.

Mahesh’s blood ran cold. "Know what?"

The woman took a deep breath. "She’s gone."

The words hit him like a thunderbolt.

"What… what do you mean gone?" His voice cracked.

The woman looked at him, eyes filled with sorrow. "She… she met with an accident a week ago. She didn’t survive."

The world around Mahesh blurred.

His knees felt weak as he stumbled back. No. This couldn’t be true.

His heart pounded in his chest, but it wasn’t just panic—it was something deeper, something that tore at his soul.

He had spent years ignoring her, pushing her away. And when he finally realized what she meant to him… it was too late.

Tears burned in his eyes, but he didn’t wipe them away.

For the first time in his life, Mahesh felt the weight of true loss.

The loneliness, the emptiness, the suffocating darkness—this was what she had felt all along.

And now, she was gone… forever.

______

Mahesh’s breath hitched, his hands trembling. His mind refused to accept what he had just heard.

"Where is her body?" he asked, his voice hoarse.

The woman sighed, hesitating for a moment before answering. "Her family took her."

Mahesh’s heart pounded. Her family? But why didn’t they contact me? Why didn’t anyone tell me?

His fists clenched. "Who took her?"

The woman thought for a moment. "I think it was her brother… he looked well-off, dressed formally. He introduced himself as Ravi Kumar."

Mahesh’s head snapped up. Ravi Kumar?

Mahesh froze in his tracks. An orphan?

His mind raced back to the past. That’s what Supriya had told my mother. She had no family, no one to call her own.

Then who was this Ravi Kumar claiming to be her brother?

A sudden chill ran through him. Something was wrong.

His heart pounded as he turned back to the woman. "Are you sure he said he was her brother?"

The woman hesitated. "Yes… he introduced himself as Ravi Kumar and handled all the formalities."

Mahesh clenched his jaw. This wasn’t adding up.

Without another word, he rushed to his car, gripping the steering wheel tightly.