More than six months had passed since Dushyant had disappeared, and not once during that time had he been seen, heard from, or traced in any meaningful way. It was as though he had erased himself completely, leaving behind nothing but questions that refused to settle. For Priyanka, those months had not been easy. The pain had not disappeared, but it had changed its form. It no longer came in loud bursts of emotion; instead, it lingered quietly, settling into her routine, into her silences, into the way she had learned to carry herself without expecting answers.

What troubled her the most was not just his absence, but the lack of clarity. There was no way for her to prove anything, no way to defend what she believed in, because the one person who could have spoken the truth had chosen not to appear at all. At times, the thought unsettled her deeply. Not because she doubted herself, but because uncertainty had a way of weakening even the strongest convictions. There were moments when she found herself wondering where he was, what he was doing, and more importantly, why he had never tried to come back and explain.