Finally, the boss starts speaking, his voice calm, steady, and controlled, yet carrying a certain weight and authority that instantly draws everyone's full attention in the room, making all side conversations slowly fade into silence. The quietness in the room slowly deepens, and even the faintest sound seems to disappear under the pressure of anticipation.
"Alright, now I will announce the names of those who will go to Japan."
The boss slowly and deliberately opens a file in his hand, flipping through a few pages carefully, and then takes out a neatly printed list from it. He adjusts his glasses slightly, taking a brief pause as if to build anticipation, before preparing to read, his eyes scanning the names one by one.
"So, the first person who is going to get this incredible and well-deserved opportunity is—
Vikram Chowdhury."
"Congratulations, Vikram."
Vikram stands up immediately with a bright and confident smile, a mix of pride, excitement, and disbelief clearly visible on his face. He walks forward confidently, trying to remain composed, and shakes hands firmly with the boss.
"Thank you so much, sir. This truly means a lot."
His voice carries sincerity and gratitude.
Everyone else around him immediately begins to congratulate him as well, some patting his back, others smiling warmly and offering kind words. The entire room fills with loud and cheerful applause, claps echoing through the space, creating a lively atmosphere of celebration, success, and shared achievement. The energy of the room rises noticeably.
The boss raises his hand slightly, signaling for quiet, and then starts speaking again in the same calm and composed tone, waiting for the noise to settle completely.
"Next is—
Payel Banerjee."
Once again, the room bursts into applause. Payel looks surprised for a brief moment, almost as if she didn't expect her name to be called, then smiles widely, clearly overwhelmed with happiness and excitement. She stands up slowly, her eyes shining brightly, and nods gratefully as everyone congratulates her. A few colleagues cheer softly, making the moment even more joyful and memorable, filling the air with warmth.
"Alright," the boss continues, pausing slightly for effect and looking around the room,
"can you guess who the third name is going to be?"
Everyone exchanges curious and excited glances, a few people whispering guesses among themselves, before finally saying almost in unison,
"Sir, you tell us."
Their curiosity grows stronger.
The boss smiles slightly, a subtle, knowing, almost teasing smile, and looks down at the list again, taking his time as if enjoying the suspense, stretching the moment longer than expected.
At that exact moment, Yalini quietly closes her eyes, her fingers lightly clenched, her breath held for a second longer than usual.
To Yalini, it feels like the boss is taking forever to say the third name. Each passing second stretches endlessly, becoming unbearably long. Her heartbeat grows louder and louder in her ears, her breathing slightly uneven, her fingers tightening just a little more as she waits. Hope and fear mix within her, creating a deep and overwhelming tension she can hardly contain, almost suffocating her.
"So," the boss finally says, his voice breaking the heavy silence,
"the third lucky person is—
none other than Meenakshi Bose."
"Congratulations, Meenakshi."
"Thank you, sir," Meenakshi replies, her voice filled with excitement, pride, and gratitude, her face glowing with happiness.
The entire room once again fills with applause and happiness, louder and more energetic than before, as if celebrating the final and most anticipated announcement. Smiles, laughter, and cheerful voices echo all around, filling the space with warmth and excitement.
But inside Yalini's chest, a storm suddenly rises, strong and uncontrollable, shaking her from within.
Everything in front of her seems blurry, as if her vision is slowly fading away. The smiling faces, the clapping hands, the bright office lights—all of it becomes unclear, distant, almost unreal, like a fading dream.
Her heart feels like it is breaking into countless tiny pieces, each one falling silently and painfully within her, leaving behind a deep emptiness.
None of the surrounding noise is reaching her ears anymore. The applause, the voices, the laughter—it all fades into a dull, distant silence, like a world she is no longer a part of.
Everything feels dark, heavy, and suffocating.
Somehow, almost mechanically, without truly thinking, she finishes her work at the office. Her movements are slow, automatic, almost robotic, as if she is no longer fully present in her own body, just moving out of habit.
After the office hours end, she quietly steps outside and starts walking on the road, her steps soft yet directionless.
Reha notices something is clearly wrong and tries many times to talk to her, calling her name softly at first, then a little louder, trying to get some kind of response. But Yalini says nothing. Without even looking at her, without stopping for a second, she quietly walks away from the office, leaving everything behind.
Reha stands there for a moment, watching her leave with growing worry, and then quickly takes out her phone. She calls Yalini again and again, multiple times, but Yalini doesn't answer the phone even once, as if she has disconnected from everything.
She keeps walking on the road, completely lost in her thoughts, her mind heavy with emotions she cannot control, cannot escape from, her heart weighed down by silent pain.
She has no idea where she is going.
Her steps are slow, uneven, almost aimless, as if she is simply moving without direction, without purpose.
Her eyes slowly start to fill with tears, the world around her becoming even more blurred and unclear, fading into soft shapes and shadows.
Suddenly, the sky fills with dark, heavy clouds, spreading rapidly across the horizon, covering the fading evening light. A strong wind begins to blow, and a storm rises, building intensity with every passing second. It feels like it will rain any moment.
But none of this catches Yalini's attention.
She is still walking absentmindedly in the middle of that storm, her hair slightly moving with the wind, her clothes rustling softly, yet she doesn't react at all, as if she cannot feel anything anymore.
She doesn't know where she is going.
Time passes quietly, slowly, almost unnoticed, slipping away like grains of sand.
Evening slowly turns into night, the sky growing darker and darker with every passing minute, streetlights flickering on one by one, casting dim yellow light on the wet road, creating long shadows.
But Yalini doesn't care at all.
Suddenly, without any warning, it starts raining.
At first, it is light, soft drops falling gently from the sky, but within moments, it turns into heavy, relentless rain, pouring down endlessly.
The rainwater and Yalini's tears seem to merge into one, completely indistinguishable from each other, flowing together.
Maybe her sorrow is falling as rain, silently expressing what she cannot say.
Yalini keeps walking in the rain, completely drenched, her hair sticking to her face, her clothes soaked through, clinging to her skin, making her feel cold yet numb.
Meanwhile, seeing how late it is, along with the storm and rain, and the fact that Yalini still hasn't returned home, her parents become deeply worried and anxious, their hearts filled with fear.
They keep calling her again and again, their concern growing stronger with each passing second, unable to stay calm.
The phone rings repeatedly, over and over again, but Yalini doesn't answer.
Even the continuous ringing doesn't bring her back to her senses.
Helpless and anxious, Yalini's mother finally calls Reha.
Reha answers immediately and, with a worried and slightly trembling tone, tells her everything that happened in the office. She explains the announcements, the names, and also mentions that Yalini had left the office long ago without saying anything to anyone, which increases the concern.
Hearing all this from Reha, Yalini's mother becomes even more anxious and fearful, her heart tightening with worry, because she knows very well what Sakura means to Yalini—how deeply she had wished, hoped, and dreamed for this opportunity, how important it was to her.
On the other hand, Yalini is completely drenched in the rain.
Even though she has an umbrella safely inside her bag, she doesn't once think of taking it out or using it to protect herself from the rain.
She keeps walking, soaked to the bone, as if the rain doesn't matter at all, as if nothing matters anymore, as if she has given up on everything.
Her steps continue, slow and unsteady, almost dragging forward.
Suddenly, the yellow headlights of a car appear in the distance and then fall directly on her face, the bright, sharp light momentarily blinding her vision, making her freeze for a second.
As the car comes closer, something unexpected happens—it hits something on the road, causing a sudden jolt and a screeching sound that breaks the silence.
In that very moment, Yalini loses her balance and falls right in front of the car, her body giving in.
Her body hits the wet, cold road with a dull impact, the surface pressing harshly against her, sending a shock through her.
Lying there, on the road, Yalini finally turns her head slightly and looks around once, as if trying to understand what just happened, what is going on, what led her here.
People from all sides start running towards her, their hurried footsteps splashing through the rainwater, their voices filled with shock, fear, and urgency, calling out to each other.
Everything around her feels distant again, fading slowly, becoming quieter and quieter.
And slowly… very slowly… her eyes begin to close.
She can no longer see anything; only faint, indistinct sounds continue to drift into her ears.