Chapter Ninety-Nine: The Disappearance
The morning after Shreya's collapse, the hospital was chaos.
Mithun hadn't moved from her side. Akshi had finally fallen asleep in Chethan's lap. Jay sat in the corner, Keifer's arm around her, staring at nothing.
Then the alarms went off.
---
Doctors and nurses flooded the room.
"Code blue! Code blue!"
Mithun was pushed aside. "What's happening? WHAT'S HAPPENING?"
"Sir, you need to step back!"
"NO! SHREYA!"
They pulled him out. The doors slammed shut.
He stood there, frozen.
Akshi woke to the commotion. "What—what's going on?"
Jay grabbed her hand. "I don't know."
---
Minutes passed.
Hours.
No one knew.
The doors stayed closed.
Mithun hadn't moved.
---
Finally, a doctor emerged.
Her face was pale. Tired. Sorry.
"I'm so sorry. She went into cardiac arrest. We tried everything, but—"
"No." Mithun's voice was flat. "No."
"We couldn't save her."
"You're lying."
"Sir—"
"YOU'RE LYING!"
He tried to push past her. Two nurses held him back.
"I need to see her! I NEED TO SEE HER!"
"Sir, please—"
---
They wouldn't let him in.
Wouldn't let any of them in.
Something about protocols. About investigations. About things that didn't make sense.
Hours passed.
Then a social worker came.
"I'm so sorry for your loss. There are some... complications."
Akshi grabbed her arm. "What complications?"
"The body... there was an incident during the resuscitation. The—the face. I'm so sorry."
Jay went pale. "What are you saying?"
"The body is not... viewable. Not in the condition you'd want to remember her."
---
The room spun.
Akshi screamed.
Chethan caught her.
Jay couldn't breathe.
Mithun stood like stone.
---
Days passed.
They were told to identify her through other means.
Jewelry. Clothing. Medical records.
Everything matched.
But they couldn't see her face.
Couldn't say goodbye.
Couldn't hold her one last time.
---
The funeral was closed casket.
A box. Flowers. Photos.
No Shreya.
Mithun stood in front of it for hours.
Didn't speak. Didn't cry. Just stared.
---
Akshi couldn't stop crying.
Chethan held her.
Jay held Keifer.
Everyone gathered.
But something felt wrong.
---
C.N. was the first to say it.
"The timing. The body. The refusal to let us see her."
Rakii looked at him. "What are you saying?"
"I'm saying something doesn't add up."
"You think—"
"I don't know what I think. But I know what I feel."
---
Mithun heard him.
For the first time in days, something flickered in his eyes.
"You think she's alive?"
"I think we shouldn't give up hope."
"She's gone. They said—"
"They said a lot of things. But they didn't let us see her."
Mithun was quiet.
Then, slowly: "No. They didn't."
---
The days after the funeral were a blur.
Grief. Silence. Empty rooms.
Akshi couldn't go into Shreya's room.
Mithun couldn't stop thinking about what C.N. said.
Jay watched it all, heart broken.
But somewhere, deep down—
A tiny spark of hope.
Refusing to die.
---
End of Chapter Ninety-Nine