By the time they reached the house, the afternoon had already begun to fade.
Rajveer stepped out of the car and paused briefly. "You can go home."
Karan nodded. "Okay, sir."
This time, he didn't take the car.
He left it there and walked.
—
The market was crowded, noisy, alive—but Karan moved through it like a shadow. He bought what was needed without wasting time.
A packet of cigarettes.
Vegetables.
Shampoo. Soap.
A small tube of cream.
Sanitary pads.
Everything went into a thin plastic bag, hanging from his hand as he turned back toward home.
By the time he left the market behind, evening had settled in.
The road ahead grew quieter.
Darker.
And then—
Voices.
"Look… look who's here."
Karan's steps slowed.
Three boys stood by the roadside. Older now—but the same faces. The same mocking smiles.
Drunk.
One of them staggered forward, laughing. "His mother ran away… remember?"
"Ha… ha… ha…"
Another joined in, louder, crueler. "And now what?" he sneered. "Now his girlfriend has run away too!"
"Ha… ha… ha… nobody wants to stay with him!"
Their laughter echoed in the empty road.
Something snapped.
Karan stopped.
The plastic bag slipped from his hand, vegetables spilling across the ground.
And then—
He ran.
Before they could react, Karan grabbed a beer bottle and smashed it across one boy's head. Glass shattered. Blood followed.
He caught the boy by the collar, dragging him forward, his voice raw, shaking with something far deeper than anger.
"She hasn't gone anywhere—do you understand?!"
The other two rushed him from behind, trying to pull him away—
Karan turned.
The broken bottle drove into one boy's stomach.
"She didn't leave me!"
Another strike.
Another boy collapsed, clutching himself, screaming.
"She is with me… you hear me?!"
The third one fell next.
Silence followed.
Heavy.
Broken only by their groans.
The road was empty.
No one had seen.
Karan stood there, breathing hard, chest rising and falling violently. Rain began to fall—slow at first, then heavier.
He looked around.
No one.
Quickly, he picked up the plastic bag with shaking hands and ran.
—
The rain poured down as night swallowed everything.
Karan reached his house, fumbling with the lock before pushing the door open and stepping inside.
Darkness.
His breath was uneven.
"Ananya…"
No answer.
"Ananya!"
He moved through the house quickly—too quickly—his movements restless, almost frantic. Room after room.
Nothing.
"Ananya!" his voice broke slightly now.
Silence.
He turned again, searching like a man losing control—
Then—
A soft sound.
A giggle.
Right behind him.
Karan froze.
"…Ananya?"
Her voice came, light… playful… yet something about it felt wrong.
"Find me, Karan…"
A pause.
"I'm here."Laughter filled the corridors of a large, beautiful house.
Sunlight streamed through tall windows, reflecting off polished floors as two small figures ran past, their footsteps light, carefree.
"Count properly!" the little girl's voice echoed, playful and teasing.
Karan stood near the wall, his small hands covering his eyes. "…One… two… three…" he counted, trying to sound serious—but the excitement in his voice betrayed him.
By the time he reached ten, the house had gone quiet.
Too quiet.
He turned.
"I'm coming!"
His steps were cautious at first, then quicker as he moved through the rooms, peeking behind doors, under tables, around corners.
Nothing.
A faint giggle echoed somewhere deeper inside the house.
Karan paused.
Listening.
Then—
A soft rustling sound.
Behind a large curtain.
His eyes lit up.
Slowly, he walked toward it, trying to stay quiet—but his small feet betrayed his eagerness. As he got closer, he saw it—
A tiny hand, just barely visible from behind the curtain.
He smiled.
Without hesitation, he reached out, grabbed the hand, and pulled."Got you—"
The curtain shifted.
Time broke.
The small hand in his grip—
Was no longer small.
The girl who stepped out—
Was no longer a child.
Ananya stood before him.
Grown.
Her hair falling over her shoulders, her eyes locked onto his—familiar, yet different… deeper.
The laughter was gone.
Only a quiet smile remained.
Karan didn't let go.
For a moment, he just stared at her—caught between what was… and what is.
As if the past had reached forward—
And refused to let him go.Karan didn't hesitate.
The moment he saw her—really saw her—he pulled Ananya into him, holding her tightly, as if letting go would make her disappear again.
His grip was firm. Desperate.
"I thought I lost you…" he said, his voice low, almost breaking. "I thought I'd never find you again."
Ananya didn't pull away.
She stayed in his arms, still… until something caught her attention.
Blood.