I see it in his eyes.
He’s going to die.
He knows it.Iknow it.
But before he does... he’s going to kill me. I see the decision taking over his disgusting face.
And I welcome it.
I always knew this was a possibility. This was the price of reentry. Of getting back in the field.
But I thought I’d have more time. Just a little. Just enough to say goodbye. Tohim.
But now?
Now I won’t get to say it.
Karim lunges. I don’t even struggle.
The blade jams into my chest—right below the collarbone, angled toward my heart.
I gasp. The pain is hot and cold at once.
My vision starts to fade, black eating the edges.
Still... no tears. No fear. Just one final thought.
I chose this.
I close my eyes before the world forces me to.
And then—nothing.
FOUR
Advik
“Again?” I ask, trying to hide my exasperation. My hand tightens over my phone.
“Yeah, man. One last hurrah before the farmhouse.” Vikram chuckles. “You’re coming, right?”
My brother. The hopeless romantic who somehow made it work. He’s finally getting married. To Ishika, no less. The two of them are proof that love survives. That it endures.
Mine didn’t.
Not just because I couldn’t hold on to it.
But because she’sgone.
It’s been nearly two years since Greesha disappeared.
Vanished.
Like she’d never existed.
So afterwards—I burned through every connection, every resource, every rupee I had chasing answers. But she left nothing behind. No digital trail. No paper trail. No clues. Nothing.
Until three months ago.
