“Can you confirm?” came from somewhere near him.
“Not her.”
The words scraped out of him.
The officer turned away at once, voice already on the radio, the search opening again.
Abhinav stepped out before anything else could reach him.
He walked through the corridor, past strangers, through the sliding doors, into the night air.
Cold air hit his face. It did nothing.
He reached the parking area and stopped beside his car. One hand braced against the roof as his head lowered, breath uneven now, the polished black surface throwing back the harsh hospital lights.
He tried, but couldn't hold back.
It tore out of him.
A raw, furious sound, deep and violent, echoing across the empty stretch. His fist slammed against the roof, metal ringing under the force.
Not relief.
Relief meant she was safe. Found. In his arms. This was only the nightmare changing form.
She was still out there. He still could not reach her.
The officer remained a few steps away, close enough, silent enough.
Abhinav closed his eyes.
“Meera.”
Her name left him. No anger now. No control either. Only longing stripped bare.
“Where are you?”
Chapter 31
Abhinav drove away from the hospital with no destination in mind.
The city passed in fragments. Half-shut shops. Tea stalls stacking cups for the night. Vendors pulling carts across empty roads.
Eight hours.
Eight hours since Meera disappeared.
His grip on the steering wheel tightened. The cuts across his knuckles opened again. The phone beside him remained silent. No calls. No updates. Only the last words from the search teams circling through his head.
Resuming at first light. Regrouping in the morning.
Polite words for surrendering the night.
His jaw clenched.
The passenger seat remained empty in a way that hurt to look at.
It belonged to her now.
