Virat had just gently placed Eva into the cradle, her tiny fingers still curled as if holding onto a dream. He stepped back, eyes lingering on her peaceful face.
That peace shattered in seconds.
The door flew open.
Ritika entered first, face pale, followed closely by Rohit, then Anushka — and Athiya, her breath sharp, eyes darting straight to Rahul.
“Tia?” Rahul asked, brow furrowing. “What happened?”
Athiya stumbled slightly as she reached him, her voice catching. “The IPL—” she began, her words tumbling out, “it’s… it’s been called off. Temporarily.”
Virat turned sharply. “What?”
Rahul blinked. “So? Tia, why are you so worried about a postponement—”
But it was Anushka who stepped forward, finishing the sentence with a grim tone.
“It's been called off due to rising tensions between India and Pakistan. Border standoffs again. Things are… escalating.”
A hush fell across the room, dread hanging like thick fog.
Athiya turned fully to Rahul now, her voice no more than a whisper, trembling at the edges.
“Where’s Meera, Rah?”
Rahul’s breath hitched.
He didn’t answer immediately.
Because he didn’t know.
____________
Athiya dropped onto the couch like the ground had been pulled out from under her.
Her breath came in sharp bursts, hands trembling in her lap. “No,” she whispered, shaking her head, her voice barely there. “No, no, this can’t be—”
Rahul was at her side immediately, Eva still nestled in his arm. “Tia—hey—breathe, okay? It’s just a precaution. They always—”
“You knew, didn’t you?”
The accusation hit him before he could finish.
Her tear-filled eyes shot up to his. “She told you before she left, didn’t she?” Her voice cracked. “And you didn’t tell me?”
Rahul froze.
The others fell quiet too. Anushka’s hand, which had just touched Athiya’s knee to steady her, halted mid-air. Rohit straightened from where he’d crouched near the cradle. Virat held Eva a little closer, his eyes quietly moving between them.
“You promised me, Rahul,” Athiya said, voice rising, trembling with more than just fear now. “You promised there would never be secrets between us again. And you knew she was going. You knew she’d be deployed—and you let me smile, and laugh, and sleep, while she walked straight into that hell—”
“She made me promise, Athiya!” Rahul finally said, guilt washing over his face. “She made me swear not to tell anyone. She said it was protocol. And she didn’t want you—” he swallowed hard, “—to worry if there was nothing to worry about.”
“But now there is!” Athiya shouted, wiping at her eyes roughly. “Now there is something to worry about! And I don’t even know when her last message was, Rahul! I should have hugged her tighter, called her more—” She broke off, chest heaving.
Anushka knelt in front of her, firm but gentle. “Hey. Tia. Listen to me. Don’t let this spiral. Meera’s one of the most trained, most precise people out there. She’s not just out there surviving — she’s leading. You know her. She’s probably rolling her eyes at all of us panicking right now.”
YOU ARE READING
Shadows Of The Stumps
WerewolfAfter years of searching, cricket star KL Rahul finally discovers the truth about his long-lost sister, Meera, a secret agent whose life is shrouded in danger and mystery. As he grapples with her traumatic past and the weight of family secrets, Rahu...
