I was working in my office on my laptop when my P.A, Aditya, walked in.
"Sir, it's really late, and all the employees have already left. You should go home too," he said.
"You go ahead. I'll leave after finishing some files," I replied without looking up.
"But sir—" he started to say, but I cut him off.
"Aditya, just go. I'll be done soon," I said firmly.
"Okay, sir," he nodded and left.
After some time, I finally finished my work and shut my laptop. When I checked the time, it was already 3 AM.
"Damn, it's really late. Mom might be waiting for me," I muttered.
I walked out of my office, noticing how empty and silent everything was. Reaching the parking area, I unlocked my car, got in, and started the engine. As soon as I drove out, the silence of the night was broken by the soft hum of the car.
After driving for a few minutes, the traffic light ahead turned red, so I stopped. Rolling down my window, I looked outside. The night was calm, far more peaceful than the noisy daytime.
That’s when my eyes landed on a girl standing near the sidewalk. My heart pounded in my chest.
She was wearing a white and red suit, silver jhumkas, and a small nose ring that added to her delicate features. Her long hair cascaded down her back like a wave, and her big, honey-brown eyes looked around in frustration. She bit her pink lips as if waiting for someone.
I was so lost in her beauty that I didn’t realize a large truck speeding toward me.
Before I could react, it crashed into my car. The impact was so strong that I lost control. My car skidded across the road before flipping over and landing on its side.
Pain exploded through my body. My head throbbed, and I felt warm liquid trickling down my face—blood. My vision blurred, and my entire body ached.
Somehow, I managed to unbuckle my seatbelt and crawl out of the wreckage. As soon as I got a few steps away, my car burst into flames behind me.
Everything was spinning. The world around me blurred, my strength fading fast.
That’s when I saw her—the same girl from before—rushing toward me.
She knelt beside me, her face filled with worry.
"Are you okay? You're bleeding!" she said, her voice laced with panic.
She quickly looked around, then gently lifted my head onto her lap. Without hesitation, she tore a piece of her dupatta and pressed it against my wound, trying to stop the bleeding.
"Stay awake! I’ll call an ambulance," she said, her hands shaking as she pulled out her phone.
I tried to keep my eyes open, but the pain was unbearable. My body felt heavy.
"Trust in Mahadev. You’ll be fine," she whispered, almost like a prayer.
Then, she took off a bracelet from her wrist and placed it in my hand. Through my fading vision, I saw a rudraksha bead dangling from it.
I tried to focus on her face, the girl who was desperately trying to save me.
And then, everything faded into darkness....
.
.
.
.
slowly opened my eyes, my vision blurry as I tried to adjust to the bright hospital lights. My head felt heavy, my entire body ached, and a dull throbbing pain pulsed through me. Machines beeped softly around me, confirming that I was in a hospital.
As I turned my gaze, my heart clenched at the sight of my mother. She was sitting beside my bed, her head lowered, sobbing silently.
My throat felt dry and sore, making it difficult to speak, but I forced myself to try.
"Maa..." My voice was barely above a whisper, yet she heard me.
She looked up at me, and her teary eyes widened in shock before a smile broke through her face. It was a mixture of relief and overwhelming emotions.
She gently placed her hand on my head, stroking my hair. "Beta... tu uth gaya!"Her voice wobbled as she sobbed. "Pata hai, ek mahine baad tujhe hosh aaya hai... hum kitna dar gaye the!"
(Do you know? You woke up after a whole month… we were so scared!)
A month? Had I really been unconscious for that long?
I blinked a few times, trying to process everything. My thoughts were jumbled, but one question pushed its way to the front of my mind.
"Mom… where is that girl?" My voice was hoarse, cracking as I spoke.
My mother frowned in confusion. "Which girl?"
"The girl… who brought me here," I said, struggling to get the words out.
She shook her head. "Humein kisi ladki ke baare mein nahi pata chala. Humein toh seedha hospital se call aaya tha. Jab hum yahan pahunche, tab koi ladki nahi thi."
(We don’t know about any girl. We got a call from the hospital directly. When we arrived, there was no girl here.)
I felt a strange emptiness settle in my chest. She wasn’t here? Who was she? Why did she save me and then disappear?
"Anyway, forget all this for now. You should rest. I'll call the doctor. Your father went to get your medicines, and I'll also call home to inform Anuj and Anahita that you've regained consciousness." she said and got up to leave.
After 1 month later
"Did you find anything about that girl?" I asked, my patience wearing thin.
Aditya lowered his gaze, hesitant. "No sir, we couldn't find any trace of her..."
I clenched my jaw in frustration. "What are you even doing?! I told you, I want that girl at any cost! No matter what!"
Atif, one of my most trusted men, stepped forward. "Sorry sir, we are trying our best..."
I glared at him, my voice dropping into a dangerous tone. "I don’t want efforts, I want results. That girl. Understood?"
They shivered under my gaze and immediately nodded. "Okay, sir!"
I exhaled sharply, my anger barely contained. "Now get out of here!"
Without another word, they turned and hurried out of my office...
2 years later
I slowly opened my eyes, and a small smile tugged at my lips. I saw her standing in front of the vanity, her wet hair dripping, with water droplets falling down. I walked towards her, wrapping my arms around her waist. My bare chest pressed against her back and she gasped in shock then melted in my touch as I nuzzled into her neck, inhaling her scent.
"What are you doing?" she asked softly. I could feel the warmth of her crimson cheeks. I was sure she was biting her lower lip.
"Can’t I love my wife?" I whispered against her skin.
"You can... but I need to apply vermilion first. Let me do it," she said.
I kissed the nape of her neck and murmured, " Should I apply it for you?"
"Okay," she agreed.
I gently turned her towards me, my hands resting on her shoulders. Holding a pinch of vermilion between my thumb and index finger, I carefully applied it to the parting of her hair and kissed her forehead. She closed her eyes, her breath uneven, her chest rising and falling with each inhale.
As the morning sunlight filtered through my window, warming my face, I opened my eyes.
Oh God, it was just a dream again.
It had been two years, but the first thing I thought of every morning was her—her face, her eyes, the memory of that moment.
Even after all this time, I hadn't been able to forget her. I had searched for her countless times but found no trace. And yet, I still held onto the small, torn dupatta she had wrapped around my wound and the bracelet she had given me. They were all I had left of her, and I kept them safe as if they were my lifeline.
I often wondered if I would ever see her again. It felt like fate had brought her to me that day, but now I wasn't sure what to believe anymore.
Isha pov ~
"Hey Mahadev, this is my first job. Please take care of everything. I’m relying on you. Please don’t let me get embarrassed like always," I muttered in my prayers, my eyes closed.
"If you're done praying to God, then come and eat something too," my mom said.
"Coming, Maa," I replied, quickly eating my prasad and giving some to my mom as well.
I sat at the dining table while Maa served me poha for breakfast. But I wasn’t really hungry; nervousness had taken over. My heart was racing—it was my first interview. Still, I forced myself to eat a little.
Just as I finished my breakfast, I saw Neera entering my house.
"Neeru you, here so early? Today is your first day at work too, right?" I said. Neera was the CEO of NVD Technology, a well-known company in the gadgets industry, and she was the sole heir of the business.
"I may be the boss of my company, but you have an interview today. So, I thought I’d come to wish you all the best and drop you off at your office," she said with a wink.
"Aww, thank you so much, Neeru baby," I said, touched by her gesture.
"Neera, beta, since you're here, have some breakfast. I made poha," Maa offered.
"No, Aunty, I already had breakfast. Maybe next time," Neera replied politely.
"Alright, but make sure you come next time," Maa said warmly.
"Of course, Aunty," Neera assured her.
"By the way, Ishu, I’m mad at you," Neera suddenly said, crossing her arms.
I frowned. "Why, though? What did I do?"
"Aunty, do you know what she did? I offered her a job in my company, but she refused and chose to work somewhere else!" Neera huffed dramatically.
I sighed. "Neera, my love, if I worked in your company, no matter how much effort I put in, people would always say I got the job because of you. And you know exactly how that would feel," I explained.
"She’s right, beta," Maa added, nodding in agreement.
"Ugh, fine! Since you’re saying it, Aunty, I’ll forgive her," Neera said, rolling her eyes playfully. I smiled in relief.
"Now let’s go, or you’ll be late," Neera said, grabbing my hand.
"Yeah, let’s go," I agreed and was about to leave when Maa stopped me.
"Beta, have some sweet curd before you go," she said, feeding me a spoonful of dahi chini.
With that, we left for my big day.
Neera was driving the car while I sat in the passenger seat. As always, we were chatting about random things when she suddenly said,
"Do you remember that guy from the Raizada party, Ishu?"
"Yeah, I remember. You told me you danced with him and had drinks, but you forgot to ask his name," I replied. Neera had met him at some business party but had completely forgotten to ask his name.
"Oh yeah! But listen first," she said excitedly.
"Okay, tell me what happened," I said, curious.
"That guy is actually my dad's friend's son," she revealed.
"Yeah, I know that. Tell me something new," I said.
"He’s their younger son, and his name is Anuj. And… my marriage is fixed with him!" she exclaimed.
"What?" I turned toward her in shock. "Marriage? When? How? And how did Uncle find out that you love him?"
"My dad sent a marriage proposal to their family, but it was actually for their elder son. However, he refused, saying he already had someone special and would only marry her," she explained.
"Someone special? Must be someone really important to him," I commented.
"Whatever! Him rejecting the proposal turned out to be great for me because now my marriage is fixed with Anuj," she said happily.
I hummed in response.
"By the way, Ishu, you should know that his elder brother is a bit rude. No, actually, he’s very rude," she said, rolling her eyes.
"Oh really?" I said, amused.
"And guess what? The company where you're going for an interview… its CEO is none other than Anuj’s elder brother!" she revealed.
"What?!" My eyes widened. "Is he really that rude?"
"Oh, he totally is," she confirmed.
"Oh, Mahadev, is my boss really going to be that arrogant?" I muttered to myself.
"If you get the job, it will be like those dramas where the strict boss falls in love with his employee. Imagine if he falls for you! Then our in-laws will be the same, and we’ll get to stay together forever!" Neera said excitedly.
"Your imagination is running wild," I chuckled.
"But wait, Neeru, doesn’t he already have a 'Miss Someone Special'? Why would he fall for me?" I asked sweetly, teasing her.
"Oh yeah! I totally forgot about her," she said, and I chuckled, shaking my head.
She always comes up with these crazy stories.
"By the way, when are you going to give me all the details about your love story with Anuj? How did it all happen?" I asked.
"I’ll tell you everything later," she said with a smirk.
We were still chatting when, all of a sudden, Neera’s car stopped.
"What happened, Neera?" I asked.
She tried starting it again but failed.
"I don’t know, Ishu. It suddenly shut down and won’t start again. Wait, let me check," she said and got out to open the car's bonnet.
I also stepped out. "What’s wrong?" I asked.
"We need to call a mechanic. This might take around 15 minutes," she said, sighing.
"Neeru, I should get going now, or else I'll be late for my interview," I said.
"But Ishu—" she started to say something, but I cut her off.
"Neeru, it's just a short walk away, right across the road. I'll manage. Besides, I really don't want to be late for my interview," I assured her.
"Alright, but be careful. And call me once you get selected—we’ll celebrate!" she said excitedly.
"Neeru baby, it's just an interview for now. I haven't been selected yet," I reminded her.
"Oh, but you will be! I have full faith in you," she said confidently.
"Now go, or you really will be late," she added.
"Yeah, yeah, I’m going," I said and started walking away.
I reached the red signal and began crossing the road when suddenly, a speeding car came straight toward me. For a moment, I thought, This is it. I’m done for. I squeezed my eyes shut in fear.
But… nothing happened. That means I’m still alive!
I slowly opened my eyes and saw that the car had stopped just inches away from me. My heart was still racing.
I turned and glared at the driver. He looked like someone from a well-off family, but he drove like a reckless thug. He had almost sent me straight to Yamraj's house.
And now, look at him, staring at me like a puppet.
If I wasn’t in a hurry, I would have given him a piece of my mind. But I couldn’t afford to be late for my interview. So, without wasting any more time, I walked ahead, ignoring him.
I take a deep breath and step inside the company. My heart is pounding, but I try to stay composed. I walk to the reception and inquire about the interview. The receptionist informs me that it's on the first floor.
I nod and head towards the elevator, my fingers gripping the strap of my handbag tightly. As I reach the waiting area, I see other candidates sitting there, all looking confident. The men are well-dressed, and the women are beautiful and modern in their appearance.
I glance down at myself—I'm wearing a simple blue suit. Does it even matter? I shake off the insecurity. Confidence is what truly matters. I have skills and talent, and I will give my best. Clothes don’t define my capability. I remind myself, straightening my shoulders.
After some time, a well-dressed woman walks into the room, holding a clipboard. "Isha Narayana?" she calls out.
"Yes, it's me," I respond immediately.
"Go inside," she says with a polite smile.
I nod, take another deep breath, and walk towards the cabin.
Hey Mahadev, now everything is in your hands. Please handle everything. I whisper in my heart as I push the door open.
"May I come in, sir?" I ask, trying to sound confident.
"Yes, come in," a deep voice responds.
I step inside. There are six interviewers sitting around a long table—three men and two women. One of the men gestures towards the chair.
"Please, have a seat," he says.
I thank him and sit down, my hands resting on my lap. I take a moment to look around the room, my gaze shifting from one interviewer to another.
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