Chapter 4

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(Ishika's pov)

It was 12:30 in night, and we were all in the car heading home. Mayank was driving, Prachi was busy typing an email, and Ujjwal was absorbed in something on his phone.

I was just staring out the window, lost in thought, when I noticed another car driving alongside us.

Something about it felt familiar. Then it hit me- I had seen this car earlier. Its color was so unique that it had stuck in my mind.

At first, I didn't think much of it, but then that car moved behind us. A weird feeling crept over me. I kept glancing back, and soon I realized that the car was actually following us.

My heart started pounding. I told everyone that the car was trailing us, but they didn't seem to believe me at first. I felt so uneasy.

But as we took a couple more turns and the car stayed right on our tail, everyone began to see what I was so worried about. We all knew then that something wasn't right.

Ujjwal, as calm as ever, told Mayank to drive carefully. But there was nothing calm about how I felt.

The windows of that other car were completely black, and we couldn't see who was inside or what they wanted. The uncertainty was terrifying.

Prachi, on the other hand, was furious. She kept trying to call the complaint room with Ujjwal, hoping for help, but it didn't seem to be working. The tension in the car was unbearable.

As the tension in the car rose, I couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of fear.

My thoughts were racing, and the idea that we were being followed by some unknown people in the middle of the night was terrifying.

When I saw that the car had moved even closer to us, something inside me snapped. The fear that had been building up finally took over, and I instinctively reached out to Ujjwal. Without even thinking, I grabbed his hand and held on tightly.

I could feel Ujjwal's hand, warm and steady, and for a moment, that simple touch anchored me. I looked at him, my eyes probably wide with fear, searching for some reassurance.

He didn't say anything right away, but he squeezed my hand back, his grip firm and comforting. It was like he was silently telling me that no matter what happens, we are in this together.

He didn't have to say much, just knowing he was there, right beside me, made me feel a bit more grounded.

As I held onto his hand, I could sense that Ujjwal was trying to stay strong for both of us, and for everyone in the car.

Suddenly, the car that was following us got dangerously close-right next to us. We still couldn't get through to the complaint room, and I could see that Mayank was trying to focus on the road ahead while keeping an eye on that car.

Then, out of nowhere, the car swerved sharply towards us, forcing Mayank to react quickly. He had no time to think, and in a split second, he swerved our car in the opposite direction.

The car crashed into the W-beam barrier, and my heart felt like it stopped.

For a moment, I couldn't believe what had just happened. But then I realized we were all okay- no one was hurt. We checked with each other to make sure, but we were all safe.

When I looked around, the other car was gone, vanished like it had never been there.

Mayank's car wasn't badly damaged either. We were shaken, but we knew we had to report what had happened. We decided to file a complaint in the morning.

When we reached our house, Ujjwal suggested that Mayank and Prachi stay the night. We didn't know if those people in the other car might come back, and it didn't feel safe for them to go home alone.

Prachi and Mayank agreed, and I was relieved. Ujjwal decided that Prachi and I would sleep in the bedroom, while he and Mayank would sleep in the main hall.

Even though we were all together, I couldn't shake the fear that had settled deep inside me.

(Author's pov)

Ishika and Prachi went to the bedroom, and then Ujjwal and Mayank started talking about the car incident.

They both shared their thoughts. Mayank felt that Shashank was behind it, but Ujjwal disagreed and didn't believe Shashank was involved.

Ujjwal could see how anxious Mayank was and told him not to worry too much. Mayank asked Ujjwal what they would do if Shashank was indeed behind it.

Ujjwal's eyes drifted towards the dark night outside. After a moment of silence, he said, "Don't stress about it now, let's see what happens tomorrow."

Mayank took Ujjwal's advice and tried to sleep. But Ujjwal kept looking out of the window, as if deep down he also suspected that Shashank might be involved in this.

After drinking some water, Ujjwal sat on the sofa. He knew that Ishika was very scared and that she might still be unable to sleep due to fear.

Ujjwal wanted to go check on Ishika but couldn't because Prachi was in the same bedroom, and it wouldn't be right to go in.

Ujjwal sat on the sofa, feeling the cool breeze with his eyes closed and one hand resting on the sofa.

Ishika still couldn't sleep. She had a history of anxiety, so it didn't go away easily. She wanted to drink some water, so she came out of the room.

She saw Mayank sleeping and started looking for Ujjwal. When she got closer to the living room, she saw Ujjwal sleeping on the sofa. Seeing Ujjwal nearby made her feel better.

Ishika drank some water and then quietly sat beside Ujjwal on the sofa. Ujjwal was aware that Ishika was sitting next to him. Ishika sat close to him, almost as if she wanted to be embraced by him.

Ujjwal slowly opened his eyes and looked at Ishika. Ishika softly asked if her presence had disturbed his sleep, saying that it wasn't her intention. Ujjwal replied that he wasn't asleep, he had been awake.

Ishika lowered her gaze. Ujjwal realized that Ishika was still frightened. He took her hand in his and told her not to worry and to sleep peacefully.

Ujjwal let go of her hand, but Ishika wished he would hold it a little longer. She wanted to stay in Ujjwal's arms for a while.

He was tired too, his mind filled with various questions, worried about what would happen if something like this happened again.

But Ujjwal knew that if he lost courage, who would give strength to Ishika and Mayank? So, he didn't share his mental state with anyone.

(Next day)

Ujjwal and Mayank went to the complaint room in the morning to file a complaint.

When Ujjwal gave the car's number to the complaint writer, they both noticed a change in the writer's facial expressions.

When they came out after filing the complaint, Mayank said to Ujjwal, "I'm sure this is related to Shashank. Shashank is a Mafia king, which is why their expressions changed when they heard the car number."

Ujjwal replied, "Let them investigate; we'll find out later who was behind this incident."

Ujjwal messaged Ishika, telling her that they had filed the complaint and that she shouldn't worry too much now.

Ishika didn't go to work that day because she wasn't feeling well. Ujjwal knew that Ishika had anxiety, so he decided to come home from work in the afternoon.

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