𝐌𝐚𝐟𝐢𝐚 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐠'𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐛𝐢𝐰𝐢

"19. From Confusion to Clarity"

"Dimaag ne kiya jisse inkaar
Dil ne usi ka kiya ikraar
Tumhe pass na paake jaana
Tumhare bina kitna hu main bekaraar"

-fictionflare_

Rishwik: "Bhai vo Angel nahi mil Rahi."
(Brother, Angel is missing.)

The light smile that had graced Rudraksh's face, born from the thought of surprising Ruhanika with the flowers he had bought for her birthday, instantly vanished. A cold wave of fear replaced it, tightening his chest. His heart raced as he saw the urgency and worry on Rishwik’s face. Rudraksh’s mind began to spin with anxious thoughts—had something happened to Ruhanika while he was away? His grip on the bouquets tightened as the fear in his eyes grew more evident. Without wasting a second, he hurried towards Rishwik.

Rudraksh: "Na..nahi mil r..ahi matlab??"
(Mi...missing? What do you mean??)

Rishwik: "I don't know bhai, kuch waqt ke liye yahi living room me chod ke gaya tha, uske baad se kahi nahi hai"
(I don’t know, brother. I left her in the living room for a while, and after that, I can’t find her anywhere.)

Rudraksh: "Kaha hi jayegi, yahi kahi hogi Ashvik, Kartavya bhai ya Aman ke sath."
(Where could she have gone? She must be around here somewhere with Ashvik, Kartavya Bhai, or Aman.)

Rishwik: "Vo bhi use hi dundh rahe hai bhai."
(They’re looking for her too, brother.)

The color drained completely from Rudraksh's face as panic began to settle in. His once light steps now felt heavy with dread. Kartavya rushed over, panting and out of breath, his expression matching the same tension and concern that Rishwik had. Seeing both of them like this only deepened Rudraksh’s fear.

Kartavya: "Rishwik, Little sunshine mili??"
( Rishwik, did you find Little Sunshine?)

Rishwik shook his head, as words seemed to escape him. Before Rudraksh could press further, Ashvik came running towards them, his face equally tense, drenched in sweat from the constant running. He was panting heavily, barely able to catch his breath. Rudraksh's anxiety spiked seeing Ashvik in that state.

Ashvik: "Kuch pata chala??"
(did you find anything?)

Kartavya and Rishwik shook their heads in concern, their expressions mirroring Rudraksh’s mounting panic.  Rudraksh felt a lump form in his throat.

Ashvik: "Kahi Vijaypratap...."
(Could Vijaypratap have...?)

Rudraksh: "Nooooo"

Rudraksh shouted in desperation, his voice echoing through the halls, startling everyone in the house. The flowers he had bought for Ruhanika—red and white bouquets—slipped from his trembling hands and fell to the floor, forgotten in his panic. His heart pounded wildly as fear overtook him, his mind racing with a thousand worst-case scenarios. Kartavya and Rishwik exchanged worried glances but stayed silent, knowing there was nothing they could say to calm him down.

Rudraksh: "Kahi nahi gayi hai meri Ruhh, yahi hogi tum log ne dundha nahi hoga. Main dekhta hu."
(There’s no way my Ruhh is gone. She must be here. You all just haven’t searched properly. I’ll look for her.)

Rudraksh's hands trembled as he quickly pulled out his phone, desperate to check the baby monitor he had set up to keep an eye on Ruhanika. His heart pounded louder when he saw that the bed was empty, and Ruhanika was nowhere to be found on the screen. Panic surged through him. Without pausing to hear Rishwik or anyone else, he bolted up the stairs, sprinting toward their room with a single thought racing through his mind—he had to find her. Bursting into the room, his eyes darted frantically, scanning every corner. First the bed, then the closet, then the washroom—each place he checked was empty. Even the balcony was silent, void of Ruhanika’s presence. The more he searched, the heavier his chest felt. His heartbeat thudded wildly in his ears, growing louder with each passing second as fear tightened its grip on him. He fought to push away the worst thoughts, desperately trying to maintain a semblance of calm, but the anxiety was overwhelming. Frustrated, he left the room and frantically searched the entire floor, his heart racing with each empty space he encountered. He darted to the terrace, but it was just as barren—no sign of Ruhanika. Panic surged anew as he rushed downstairs, his mind racing with dread.  When he hurried back downstairs, his heart sank at the sight of Rishwik, Ashvik, Amandeep, and Kartavya scouring every corner of the house. Their faces were etched with concern, and it only amplified the dread building inside him. Then he heard it—Rishwik’s voice breaking through the tension. Those words shattered Rudraksh’s heart into a million pieces, echoing the very fear he had tried to suppress.