Part -1
The rain started exactly at 11:47 PM — the same time Aarav’s phone buzzed after three years of silence.
Unknown Number: “Did you forget me?”
Aarav stared at the screen, heart thudding against his ribs. Only one person used to text him like that.
Meera.
But Meera was gone.
Or at least… she was supposed to be.
Three years ago, Meera had vanished the night before their engagement. No note. No call. Just an empty apartment and a lifetime of questions. Police searched. Friends speculated. Aarav never stopped waiting.
Until tonight.
His fingers trembled as he typed.
Aarav: “Where are you?”
Three dots appeared. Disappeared. Appeared again.
Meera: “Same place where you left me.”
A chill ran down his spine.
Midnight.
That’s when the next message came — just an address.
It was the old café near Marine Drive—their place.
Aarav should have ignored it. Every logical part of his brain screamed trap.
But love rarely listens to logic.
The café was closed when he arrived. Lights off. Chairs stacked. Rain hitting the glass like restless fingers.
And then—
“You came.”
He turned sharply.
Meera stood under the streetlight, exactly the same… and completely different.
Her eyes held secrets now.
“You’re alive,” Aarav breathed.
A faint smile. “Were you hoping I wasn’t?”
He stepped closer, emotions colliding — anger, relief, love, confusion.
“Why did you disappear?” his voice cracked.
Meera looked away.
“Because someone wanted me to.”
Thunder rolled.
Aarav’s stomach dropped. “What do you mean?”
Before she could answer, a black car slowed near the curb.
Meera’s face went pale.
“They found me,” she whispered.
“Who?”
But she grabbed his hand — cold, trembling.
“If you still love me… trust me. We have five minutes.”
They ran.
Rain soaked them within seconds as they ducked into a narrow lane. Aarav’s mind raced.
“Meera, you’re scaring me.”
She finally stopped, breathing hard.
“The night I disappeared,” she said, voice shaking, “I saw something I wasn’t supposed to.”
“Something… illegal. Powerful people are involved. They warned me — disappear or you’ll be silenced.”
Aarav’s chest tightened.
“And now?” he asked.
Her eyes met his.
“They know I contacted you.”
Footsteps echoed behind them.
Slow.
Deliberate.
Aarav turned—
But the lane was empty.
Or so it seemed.
Meera stepped closer, her voice barely a whisper.
“There’s something else you don’t know.”
His pulse hammered. “What?”
She leaned in.
And said—
“Someone close to you told them where to find me.”
Aarav froze.
Rain. Thunder. Footsteps returning.
And suddenly… he didn’t know who to trust anymore.
To be continued…