Falling Destiny

Episode 22 : "What the Heart Conceals"

(Neha’s POV)

It’s been six weeks.

Six weeks since Sanchit vanished from our lives like a passing storm—no calls, no messages, no signs. At first, I kept telling myself maybe he just needed time… space. But now? Now that silence feels heavier than ever. It clings to our hearts like thick fog, never lifting.

I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve tried to call him. Every ring goes unanswered. Every message left on read—if it even shows delivered. I tried reaching out to his old college friends, some distant relatives he mentioned once… nothing. No one knows where he is. It’s like he vanished into thin air.

And Disha… something’s wrong with her too.

She’s not the same anymore. Dull eyes. Pale face. Her laugh—once loud and bright—is now hollow, like she’s only pretending. I’ve asked her a dozen times to come with me to a doctor, but she always finds a reason to say no. “I’m just tired,” she says. “It’ll pass.” But I know her too well. This isn’t just tiredness. It’s something deeper. Something darker.

Tonight, I was walking back from evening work, the usual shortcut past the old market and down the quieter lane. I had just picked up some groceries and was thinking of making Disha’s favorite khichdi, hoping it might cheer her up.

That’s when I noticed them.

A group of boys—maybe four, maybe five—started trailing behind me. At first, I thought it was just coincidence. But then one of them whistled. Another laughed.

My steps quickened. So did theirs.

My heart began to pound. I didn’t want to panic, but I could feel their presence closing in behind me. I clutched my bag tightly and started walking even faster. The road emptied ahead. No streetlights. No shops. Just a narrow, lonely street—and me, completely exposed.

Then someone grabbed my arm.

I screamed.

They surrounded me, laughter turning sinister. One of them tried to yank my dupatta. I kicked and struggled, heart racing. “Please!” I begged. “Let me go!”

And then—out of nowhere—he came.

A man, cloaked in shadow, emerged like lightning. He didn’t say a word, just moved. His punches were swift, powerful. One by one, he knocked them down like dominoes. The others ran off, scared.

I stood frozen in place, my knees shaking. And when he turned to me, I couldn’t help it—I threw myself into his arms. I was trembling, terrified, breathless. He held me gently, not saying anything, just letting me calm down.

But then reality hit. I was hugging a stranger.

I quickly pulled back, my face flushed. “Thank you… thank you so much,” I stammered.

He nodded once. “Can I drop you home?”

I hesitated. But I was too shaken to say no. I needed to feel safe.

So I said yes.

He walked me to my gate. Didn’t ask questions. Didn’t try to talk much. Just stayed by my side, silent and strong. And then—like the hero in stories—he vanished.

I stood there for a while, staring at the road, wondering who he was. I didn’t even ask his name. Didn’t invite him in. Stupid, I scolded myself. He saved your life. You could’ve at least thanked him properly.

I shook my head and went inside. I needed to check on Disha.

And what I saw shattered me.

She was in the bathroom, vomiting violently. Her face was pale, her hands trembling as she leaned against the sink. I rushed to her side. “Disha! What’s wrong? Please, let me take you to the doctor now. No more excuses.”

She shook her head, weakly. “I’m fine, Neha… just… food poisoning maybe.”

“No. Enough is enough.”

Before she could protest again, she fainted.

I caught her just in time. My heart was in my throat. “Disha!” I cried, tapping her cheek. “Wake up! Don’t do this, please!”

Tears blurred my vision as I grabbed my phone and called the doctor.

I didn’t care if she would scold me later. Right now, all I cared about was saving her.

Because I couldn’t lose her.

Not after everything. Not after Sanchit.

-------

(Veer POV)

The silence of the room was too loud.

Veer sat in his study, staring at the laptop screen, but he wasn’t really seeing anything. His phone lay on the desk, the screen dark, yet heavy with missed calls and unread messages. None of them mattered. Not right now. His world had paused few weeks ago—frozen in the moment when he heard that thud, when Sanchit’s voice went from broken sobs to… silence.

Veer had known pain. He had grown up with it, built walls out of it, even used it as fuel. But this?

This was different.

Sanchit was his brother—not by blood, but by choice. The one person who saw past his chaos and stayed. The one person who never gave up on him, not even when he gave up on himself.

Veer had torn apart every inch of the city for answers. Called every contact. Searched every CCTV. But whoever did this? They were good. Too good.

But Veer was better.

And now, finally, there was a crack.

His phone buzzed. It was his detective.

A few seconds later, the encrypted folder landed in his inbox.

Veer opened the file with trembling hands, his jaw tightening as image after image loaded on screen. The first was blurry, but he recognized the man immediately—Sanchit, smiling, placing a delicate bracelet around a girl's wrist.

The next image: the same girl, resting her head on his shoulder in a coffee shop. Both looked carefree, lost in each other’s world.

The third image cut deeper. Sanchit, holding a pink shopping bag, walking next to the same girl. She had a soft glow on her face. She was talking, smiling, and Sanchit… Sanchit was just staring at her. Like nothing else in the world mattered.

Veer stared at the girl’s face for a long time.

She was the one.

Veer didn’t know her name yet. But he knew her face now. And that was enough.

He stood up slowly, each step filled with the weight of vengeance. His heart wasn’t broken anymore—it was ablaze. Sanchit had never hidden much from him, except this. And now Veer understood why. He had kept her secret, probably to protect her.

But now?

Now Veer was going to find her. And when he did, he’d make her answer.

He picked up his phone and called the detective. “Track her,” he said, voice cold as steel. “I want her name. Her address. Her family. Everything.”

“Already on it, sir,” came the reply.

Veer walked to the window, his fists clenched as he stared out into the night. Delhi stretched before him, glittering and indifferent. But somewhere in that chaos was a girl who had said no to Sanchit. Who had made him cry. Who had pushed him to that breaking point. Who knew something.

And Veer would find her.

“You ruined my brother’s life,” he whispered into the wind. “Now I’m going to walk into yours and count the hell coming for you.”

But what Veer didn’t know—what no file or photograph could show—was the truth.

Because the truth was more complicated than he could imagine.

---

Neha’s POV

Tonight, when I got home, I expected the usual silence, the lights dimmed, maybe Disha sitting by the window pretending she’s reading. But the door was slightly ajar. That never happens. My stomach dropped.

“Disha?” I called out, stepping in quickly.

No answer.

I placed my bag down and stepped into the kitchen.

That’s when I heard the retching.

I rushed in and found her bent over the sink again, her entire body shaking as she vomited violently. I grabbed a glass of water and rushed to her side.

“Enough, Disha. This is not normal anymore!” I snapped, placing a hand on her back.

She looked up at me weakly and tried to smile. “I’m okay, Neha... really.”

“You’re not okay,” I replied, my voice trembling. “You’re pale, you’ve lost weight, and you can barely walk some days. Please… let’s go see someone. A proper doctor.”

She nodded faintly, but I knew it was just another lie.

“Let’s at least sit you down,” I said softly.

I helped her toward the couch, but after just a couple of steps, her legs buckled beneath her.

“Disha!”

She collapsed in my arms. I screamed. Panic surged through my chest like wildfire as I lowered her to the floor.

Her face had gone pale—almost ghostlike.

My hands were trembling as I grabbed my phone and dialed the emergency number of a family doctor who lived nearby.

“Please,” I sobbed into the phone. “She fainted… my best friend… she’s not responding properly. Please come fast!”

The ten minutes it took for the doctor to arrive felt like ten lifetimes. I sat on the floor, holding Disha’s limp hand, begging her to open her eyes.

“Just wake up,” I whispered over and over. “

The doorbell rang. I jumped up and let the doctor in. He didn’t waste a second, checking her pulse, eyes, temperature. I hovered nervously nearby, biting my nails.

“She’s stable,” he said after a minute. “She fainted due to weakness and stress… but that’s not all.”

I furrowed my brows. “What do you mean?”

He looked at me with a gentleness I didn’t expect. “She’s pregnant.”

My heart stopped. “W-what?”

“Almost three months in. I’d guess around twelve weeks,” he said. “You didn’t know?”

Twelve weeks?

I stood there, paralyzed. My mind was a carousel of shock, worry, and heartbreak.

“No… she didn’t tell me anything,” I whispered.

The doctor gave her some vitamins, left instructions for rest, and said he’d come back the next day for a full checkup.

When he left, I sat next to her again. Her eyes were fluttering open slowly now. She looked dazed, confused.

“Neha…” she murmured.

“I’m right here,” I whispered, taking her hand.

She blinked slowly, eyes still clouded. I didn’t say anything about the pregnancy yet. Not tonight. She was too weak. Too fragile.

But the questions were screaming inside me.

Does she know?

Why didn’t she tell me?

What happened between her and Sanchit?

This is big. Too big to carry alone.

But I will.

For her.

Until she’s ready to speak, I’ll stand guard beside her.

Because no matter what’s broken, Disha is my person. And she won’t face this alone.