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I woke up to a throbbing headache, my eyes scrunched tightly shut as if to barricade against the piercing morning light. My fingers instinctively began to massage my temples, trying to knead away the dull ache. The murmur of conversations and playful banter between Anirudh and Akshita drifted.
I struggled to piece together the events of the previous night. Fragments of memories flashed through my mind: Akshita's rants, me being embarrassed, the wine shots, and the stunned faces of everyone around me. But my recollection ended there. Desperate for answers, I tried calling Mrityunjay, but he didn't respond. I waited for a few minutes, then forced myself to get out of bed and search. I checked the bathroom, theatre room, and balcony, but there was no sign of Mrityunjay. His disappearance only added to my confusion and growing unease.
I entered the kitchen, where Anirudh and Akshita were cooking. Akshita wrapped me in a warm hug, but my eyes scanned the room, searching for Mrityunjay. Breaking free from the hug, I was about to ask about his whereabouts when Anirudh beat me to it.
"Where's Mrityunjay?" he asked.
"I was going to ask the same," I replied, my concern growing. "He's not inside. Where is he?"
Akshita chimed in, "We thought he was with you. Have you checked the bathroom?"
I didn't respond, instead dialled Mrityunjay's number which went not reachable. Then I dialled the guard's number. He confirmed that Mrityunjay had left around 5 am, in a hurry and visibly upset without his car.
At 5 am? Where could he have gone at that hour, and why did he not take his car with him? A nagging thought crept into my mind: had I revealed something about the agreement while intoxicated?
Akshita bombarded me with questions, trying to understand what had triggered Mrityunjay's departure, but my memories remained hazy.
Anirudh, meanwhile, called Maa to check if Mrityunjay was at the palace. "Don't worry, he must have gone to the office," he said, hanging up.
I dialed Mrityunjay's PA's number. After a few rings, she answered, informing me that he wasn't there either.
I slumped into a chair, sipped some water, and asked Anirudh if he knew of any other friends Mrityunjay might have reached out to. Anirudh shook his head, saying most of his friends were in the UK.
I asked Anirudh to grab Mrityunjay's car keys, and he handed them over. Akshita offered me a painkiller from her handbag, which I gratefully accepted, hoping to alleviate my throbbing headache.
"You should go with her." Akshita whispered but it was audible to me and I denied his help to not bother him.
"Call me, if you need any help. I'll call the Police Chief, we can't risk his safety." Anirudh exclaimed.
"No, it'll create a panic. Akshita trace his phone. I'm leaving." I said, my voice laced with panic. I rushed to the garage. . . . I accelerated the car and with no clue of his whereabouts, I searched for him with a hope that he'd be somewhere near. I searched him in park, restuarants, hotels even hospitals and he was nowhere. My guilt and fear of hurting him fuel with each breathe. I stopped my car near a society park and tried to recall what had happened last night and luckily a snippet of memory flashed in my mind.
