As soon as he stepped inside, his chest tightened. On the table lay the bracelet—the one he had given her with so much care—resting lifelessly beside a folded piece of paper.

His hands shook as he picked it up.

“Be happy with your new girlfriend.”

The letters cut deeper than any knife. His throat went dry. He sank onto the sofa, clutching the bracelet like it was the last piece of her left with him.

“No… Aarya, no,” he whispered, his voice cracking.

He dialed her number—blocked. Tried again, and again. Same result. His heart pounded louder than the rain that had started tapping at the windows.

Turning to his sister, his eyes burned with desperation. “Listen, take her number. Save it. But don’t call her now. If I ask you later, then only you’ll call, understood? She might block you too if she thinks you’re helping me.”

His sister nodded, seeing the seriousness in his eyes. “Okay. But Hiten… calm down, maybe—”

But he was already on his feet, storming out of the house with the bracelet clenched tight in his fist.

---

The first place he ran to was her house. The door was locked. He rang the bell thrice, knocked, even called her name under his breath, but nothing. The empty balcony stared back at him.

“Where are you, Aarya…” he muttered, kicking the step in frustration before running again.

At the park, silence. The swings creaked in the breeze, the slide glistened with rainwater, but there was no trace of her. He sat on their usual bench for a moment, staring at the wet wood. The memories started flooding—

Her goofy face when she had first stolen his fries here.

The way she’d rested her head on his shoulder on a tired evening.

The teasing arguments they’d had right at this spot.

Each flash of memory felt like a punch to his chest. He shook his head and got up, unwilling to drown in them.

---

Meanwhile, at her friend’s house, Aarya sat curled up with her knees to her chest. Her phone was tossed aside, her face buried in her palms.

Her friend handed her water, but she pushed it away. “I don’t want anything.”

“You have to calm down first,” her friend said softly, sitting beside her.

“I can’t.” Aarya’s voice cracked as tears slid down. “Do you know what I saw? He was hugging her like… like she was everything. And he was laughing, so happy. Like I was just a joke all along.”

Her friend sighed, brushing her hair gently. “Aarya, you’re assuming too much. Hiten isn’t that type. You should have at least asked him who she was—”

“No!” Aarya shot back, her voice trembling but sharp. “I saw it with my eyes. Do you know how that feels? To see the person you trust most smiling like that with someone else?”

Her friend stayed quiet. She knew Aarya’s stubbornness. Words wouldn’t break through now. She just hugged her tightly as Aarya cried into her shoulder.

---

Hiten’s search continued. He ran through lanes, past streetlights glowing in the drizzle. He checked the café they used to visit, peered into the bus stop where they’d once stood sharing an umbrella, even the corner shop where she always bought her favorite chocolates.

Empty. Every place was empty.

His legs finally dragged him back to the beginning—the road where it had all started. The rain had softened into a drizzle, each drop tapping against his face as if reminding him of that first evening.

He stopped in the exact spot where he’d first noticed her under the rain. The same faint smell of wet earth lingered. He could almost see it—the way she’d brushed her wet hair out of her eyes, the way her laughter had echoed.

Now, only silence.

He stood frozen, the bracelet in his palm, his heart screaming silently. Memories flooded harder—

Their mall trip, her wide smile in the game zone.

The sports day, her high-five when they’d won together.

The Diwali lights glowing in her eyes when she’d whispered back to him.

The rain photoshoot, her laughter, her shock at his kiss.

And now this—emptiness.

His chest felt hollow. He closed his eyes, whispering brokenly, “Where did we go wrong, Aarya? From where it all began… and how did we end up here?”

The drizzle thickened, soaking his hair, but he didn’t move. For the first time, Hiten felt powerless—caught between hope and despair, past and present.

And there, at the place of their beginning, he stood waiting in silence, not knowing if tomorrow would bring her back… or take her further away.

To be continued.

---