Chapter 3

The Girl Who Vanished

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The words echoed in Ruhi's mind long after Keshav left the room.

"She wasn't the only one."

Rain tapped softly against the windows as darkness settled over Bhairavpur.

Ruhi sat motionless in her grandfather's study, staring at the old letters scattered across the desk.

One missing girl was a tragedy.

Several missing girls?

That was something else entirely.

Something dangerous.

Something people had spent twenty years hiding.

She looked at the torn photograph again.

The girl whose face had been ripped away.

Maya.

Who was she?

And why did everyone become uncomfortable whenever her name was mentioned?

Most importantly...

Why had Abhiraj reacted the way he did?

The memory flashed through her mind.

The moment he had seen the bracelet.

The pain in his eyes.

The fear.

The guilt.

Whatever connection he had to Maya, it wasn't a small one.

Ruhi was certain of that.

And she intended to find out the truth.

The next morning, the village was still wet from the previous night's rain.

Ruhi woke up with only one goal.

Find answers.

After breakfast, she headed toward the oldest part of Bhairavpur.

The village library.

Calling it a library was generous.

The building looked ancient.

Dust-covered shelves lined the walls.

Stacks of newspapers sat forgotten in corners.

An old librarian looked up as she entered.

"Can I help you?"

"Do you have newspapers from twenty years ago?"

The man blinked.

"Why?"

"I'm researching village history."

A lie.

Not a very good one.

But apparently good enough.

The librarian pointed toward a back room.

"Old records are there."

For the next two hours, Ruhi searched through faded newspapers.

Most contained nothing useful.

Village festivals.

Political news.

Weather reports.

Then she found it.

A small article hidden near the bottom of a page.

Her pulse quickened.

LOCAL GIRL REPORTED MISSING

The article was brief.

Almost suspiciously brief.

Maya Shinde, age 18, was reported missing by her family. Police investigations are ongoing.

That was it.

No updates.

No details.

Nothing.

Ruhi frowned.

A missing teenage girl should have received more attention.

Especially in a small village.

She searched further.

And found another article.

Six months later.

Another girl.

Missing.

Then another.

Her stomach twisted.

Three girls.

Gone.

And every article ended the same way.

Investigation ongoing.

No arrests.

No answers.

No bodies.

Nothing.

Someone had made sure the story disappeared.

Just like the girls.

Ruhi left the library feeling unsettled.

As she walked through the village, she noticed a group of elderly women sitting beneath a banyan tree.

Talking.

Watching people pass.

The unofficial information network of every village.

Perfect.

Ruhi approached them with a smile.

"Namaste."

The women greeted her politely.

After a few minutes of casual conversation, she carefully asked:

"Did any of you know Maya Shinde?"

The reaction was immediate.

Smiles vanished.

Conversations stopped.

One woman actually stood up.

"We don't talk about that."

"Why?"

No answer.

Another woman shook her head.

"Forget the past, child."

Then, one by one, they left.

Ruhi watched them go.

Frustrated.

The more she searched for answers, the more people avoided her.

What were they so afraid of?

By late afternoon, she found herself near the village fields.

Green crops stretched endlessly beneath the cloudy sky.

The air smelled of wet earth.

For the first time all day, she felt calm.

Until she heard shouting.

Ruhi turned.

A tractor had become stuck in a muddy ditch.

Several villagers struggled to pull it free.

At the center of the chaos stood Abhiraj.

Of course.

Who else?

He barked instructions while helping push the vehicle.

Mud covered his clothes.

Sweat glistened on his forehead.

Despite herself, Ruhi paused.

This version of him looked different.

Not dangerous.

Not intimidating.

Just...

Human.

The villagers listened to him without hesitation.

Not because they feared him.

Because they trusted him.

The realization surprised her.

Eventually, the tractor lurched free.

Cheers erupted.

Several men laughed.

Someone patted Abhiraj's shoulder.

For a brief moment, he smiled.

A real smile.

Not the sarcastic smirk she occasionally received.

And suddenly Ruhi understood something.

The villagers didn't just fear Abhiraj.

Many of them respected him.

Maybe even loved him.

The thought lingered as she turned to leave.

Unfortunately, Abhiraj noticed her.

Their eyes met across the field.

Again.

Somehow it kept happening.

A few minutes later, he appeared beside her.

Ruhi pretended not to notice.

Failed miserably.

"You've been asking questions."

Straight to the point.

Typical.

Ruhi crossed her arms.

"And you've been spying on me."

His jaw tightened.

"I wasn't spying."

"Sure."

Silence.

Then:

"What did you find?"

Ruhi blinked.

"Excuse me?"

"The library."

Her eyes widened.

"How do you know I went there?"

Abhiraj immediately realized his mistake.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

A slow smile appeared on Ruhi's face.

"You've been watching me."

"No."

"Liar."

His expression darkened.

Ruhi enjoyed that far more than she should have.

"Tell me about Maya."

The smile vanished instantly.

There it was again.

That reaction.

Pain.

Raw and immediate.

For several seconds, Abhiraj said nothing.

Then:

"Go back to Mumbai."

Ruhi stared at him.

"What?"

"Leave Bhairavpur."

The words stunned her.

The same message as the note.

Almost identical.

A chill ran through her.

"Why?"

Abhiraj looked away.

Toward the distant fields.

Toward something only he could see.

"Because some truths destroy people."

Ruhi's heartbeat quickened.

"You know what happened to her."

It wasn't a question.

Abhiraj remained silent.

Which was answer enough.

"You do know."

His gaze returned to hers.

Dark.

Intense.

Dangerously unreadable.

"Stop looking for answers."

"No."

A muscle ticked in his jaw.

"No?"

"No."

For the first time, genuine frustration appeared in his eyes.

"Ruhi—"

"I'm not afraid."

"That's the problem."

The words hit harder than she expected.

Because he sounded sincere.

Not angry.

Not threatening.

Worried.

As if he truly believed she was in danger.

Before she could respond, a voice interrupted them.

"Abhiraj Bhau!"

One of the villagers came running.

Panic covered his face.

"Something happened."

Abhiraj immediately straightened.

"What?"

The man's breathing was uneven.

His face pale.

"Someone broke into the old Shinde house."

Everything changed.

Instantly.

Abhiraj's expression turned deadly.

The villager continued:

"The police are there."

Ruhi felt her pulse spike.

Shinde.

Maya's family.

This couldn't be a coincidence.

Abhiraj looked toward the village.

Then toward Ruhi.

For the first time since meeting him, she saw genuine fear in his eyes.

Not for himself.

For her.

"Go home."

Ruhi frowned.

"What?"

"Now."

"I'm coming with you."

"No."

"Abhiraj—"

"Ruhi."

His voice was sharp enough to cut glass.

The intensity startled her.

For a moment, neither moved.

Then Abhiraj stepped closer.

Close enough that she could see the storm brewing behind his eyes.

"If you trust me even a little..."

His voice dropped lower.

"...go home."

The words left her strangely breathless.

But before she could answer, he turned and walked away.

Moments later, his motorcycle roared to life.

And disappeared down the muddy road.

Leaving Ruhi standing alone.

Confused.

Frustrated.

And more curious than ever.

Because something big had just happened.

Something connected to Maya.

Something that had frightened even Abhiraj Patil.

And if the most feared man in Bhairavpur was afraid...

Then the truth was far more dangerous than Ruhi had imagined.

That night, while rain clouds gathered once again over the village, a hidden figure stood inside the abandoned Shinde house.

Watching.

Waiting.

A small wooden box sat open on the floor.

Inside were old photographs.

Letters.

Evidence.

Memories.

The figure smiled.

Twenty years of secrets.

Twenty years of silence.

And now someone was digging too deep.

First Ruhi.

Then Abhiraj.

Sooner or later, one of them would discover the truth.

The figure picked up a photograph.

A picture of Maya.

Then slowly tore it in half.

Outside, thunder echoed across Bhairavpur.

And somewhere in the darkness, a dangerous game moved one step closer to its end.

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