Heartbeats Across Time

𝑷𝒓𝒐𝒍𝒐𝒈𝒖𝒆

I stood there, my chest heaving as I looked at her grave, my heart heavy with words that would never reach her.

"I let her go..." I choked out, my voice barely a whisper. Tears blurred my vision, but I didn't care.

And despite never fully saying it to her, I knew I loved her. She knew it, too—every unspoken word, every shared glance. We didn't need to say it to feel it. My fists clenched, and regret clawed its way through every piece of me, bitter and unrelenting.

"I should've stayed." My voice cracked, barely a whisper, as I stared at the ground beneath me.

  "Maybe... maybe things would've been different if I hadn't left her behind." I hated myself for every step I'd taken away from her, every single choice that pushed her further out of reach.

Lost in grief, I barely noticed someone approaching—Praveen. His face was hard, the warmth in his eyes replaced by a sharp, cold anger. He just stared, not saying a word. Maybe he could see it—how nothing he said could cut deeper than the ache I was already feeling.

Then, I felt Prem's hand on my shoulder, grounding me, and Praveen glanced over to see him standing with a woman and a child. Prem looked at Praveen and introduced them, saying, "This is..." but his words barely registered as I saw Praveen's shock ripple across his face.

It hit me then, cold and sharp. I could feel my own face drain, realizing what Preethi must have thought. I swallowed hard, my voice low and broken. "She... she thought I'd left her for someone else... that I'd betrayed her."

Praveen's eyes finally met mine, his voice reluctant. "Akhil... Preethi's death... it wasn't because of a broken heart." He paused, struggling with the weight of it. "Her last wish... was for me not to tell you more."

I looked away, his words cutting deeper than anything else ever could. Even with all the success, I couldn't give her what she needed most. I couldn't be there for her.

Desperation tore through me as I rushed after Praveen, the questions pouring out. "Why didn't she reach out? Why didn't she want me to know?"

But before I could reach him, a sudden set of headlights blurred toward me.

The impact hit like a wave, crushing everything inside me as darkness swallowed the world. Pain surged, sharp and relentless, blurring my thoughts. I couldn't move—could barely breathe—just lay there, feeling the cold creep through my body, sinking into my bones. Everything I'd held onto, every regret, every hope—just... slipping away.

In the haze, I wondered if this was it, if this was the end. And somehow, through the numbness, a strange calm settled over me, a quiet that felt heavier than the pain. 

Then a figure appeared, their voice soft, steady.

"Akhilesh," they said, "I can offer you a way to change it all... to reclaim what you've lost."

ℕ𝔼𝕎 𝔹𝕆𝕆𝕂 ℂ𝕆𝕍𝔼ℝ