No.
No, no, no—
I push it further and step in, my eyes scanning the space too quickly, trying to make sense of something that already feels wrong. “Ishika!”
Only silence answers me. The kind that shouldn’t exist here. The kind that presses in from all sides. My chest tightens. I move through the apartment fast, checking rooms without really seeing them. Bedroom. Bathroom. Kitchen. She’s not here. “Shit.”
My voice comes out rough. I stop in the middle of the living room, forcing myself to slow down. To look properly. To think. Her bag is there. Her shoes. Everything exactly where it should be if she was…here. So she didn’t go somewhere on her own. My gaze catches on something on the dining table. Her phone. My stomach drops further, something heavy settling in my chest.
She wouldn’t leave without it. She never leaves without it.
Not unless—No. I force the thought down before it can take shape. Don’t jump.
Think.
Think.
Her phone. Her things. Door open.
No signs of a struggle.
No broken furniture.
No noise.
Which means—My jaw tightens.
Someone took her. The realization doesn’t explode. I close my eyes for a second. My hand is already reaching for my own phone, fingers moving faster than my thoughts as I unlock it, open the app.
There.
A small blinking dot.
Moving.
Relief and fear hit at the same time, crashing into each other in my chest so hard I have to brace myself against the table.
“Don’t ever take it off, Sunshine.”My voice echoes in my head, the memory sharp.
The ring. It wasn’t just a gift.
It was—Protection. A precaution I hoped I’d never need. I was going to tell her. Once I had answers. Once I knew who was behind everything—the break-in she brushed off, the car that failed too conveniently, the feeling that something wasn’t right. I was going to explain to her that why I thought she needed a tracking device. Make her understand without scaring her. But they got to her first.
And I—My hand curls into a fist so tight it hurts. I left her alone. I knew something was wrong. I felt it.
And I still—“Fuck.” Guilt claws its way up my throat, heavy and suffocating. This is my fault. Every part of this. I should havestayed. Should have insisted. Should have—I drag in a breath. Then another. Forcing my lungs to work. Forcing my brain to catch up. This is not the time to fall apart.
She needs me. Right now. Not five minutes from now. Not after I’ve finished blaming myself. Now.
I look back at the screen. The dot is moving. Fast. Heading away from the city.
My heart kicks harder. They’re not wasting time. Neither am I. I turn on my heel and move, not bothering to close the door behind me as I rush out, my steps faster now, more focused.
Every second matters.
My phone is already in my hand again as I head down the stairs, pulling up my messages, switching to voice notes because typing would take too long.
“Rudra, Siddhant—listen carefully,” I say, my voice steady even though my pulse is out of control. “Ishika’s been taken. I’m tracking her location right now. Sending it.”
