Khushi woke with a start. For a few seconds, she simply stared at the ceiling. Sunlight filtered through the curtains, painting golden streaks across her bedroom walls.

Normally, mornings felt peaceful.

Today felt different. Heavy.

As if the air itself was warning her.

She rubbed her tired eyes and sat up slowly. She hadn't slept well.

Every time she'd closed her eyes, an uneasy feeling had settled deep inside her chest. The same feeling still lingered.

"Why do I feel like something is about to happen?"

A loud thud interrupted her thoughts.

"Mommy!"

Before she could react, a small body launched onto the bed. Khushi groaned dramatically.

"It's Sunday."

Aarav grinned.

"Exactly."

His eyes sparkled mischievously.

"Important day."

Khushi raised an eyebrow.

"Oh?"

"And what exactly makes today so important, Mister Aarav Sharma?"

Aarav proudly pulled two folded tickets from behind his back. Like a magician revealing his greatest trick.

"The fair!"

Khushi blinked. Then laughed. The excitement on his face was impossible to resist.

"The fair?"

"Mommy, you promised!"

His lower lip immediately poked out. The famous weapon. The pout. Khushi surrendered instantly.

"Fine."

Aarav jumped off the bed.

"YES!"

And just like that, the strange feeling disappeared. Or at least...she thought it had.

An hour later, the carnival was bursting with life. Bright balloons danced in the wind. Music echoed through the grounds. Children raced between game stalls.

The smell of popcorn, candy, and roasted corn filled the air.

Aarav practically dragged Khushi from one attraction to another.

"Mommy, look!"

"Mommy, come here!"

"Mommy, faster!"

Khushi laughed so hard her cheeks hurt.

"Slow down, baby!"

Impossible. The six-year-old had enough energy to power the entire city. At one game stall, Aarav somehow managed to knock down every target.

The stall owner handed him a small superhero action figure. Aarav immediately sprinted back.

"LOOK MOMMY!"

Khushi knelt beside him.

"My hero."

The little boy beamed. That smile. That innocent, proud smile. It made every difficult day worth surviving.

Across the carnival grounds—

A black SUV rolled into the parking lot. Its polished exterior reflected the colorful carnival lights. The engine shut off. Silence.

Then the driver's door opened. Expensive black shoes touched the pavement. A tailored black suit. A silver watch. Confident footsteps.

The kind that commanded attention without asking for it.

Arnav Raizada had arrived.

Neither he nor Khushi knew it. But after six years...they were less than a hundred yards apart.

Near the cotton candy stall, Aarav bounced excitedly.

"Blue one!"

Khushi laughed.

"Blue? Since when do you like blue?"

Aarav pointed dramatically.

"Because superheroes like blue."

The vendor handed over the cotton candy. Aarav immediately took a giant bite. Half his face disappeared beneath sugar. Khushi burst out laughing.

"Oh my God."

"Don't laugh."

"You look ridiculous."

"I look powerful."

Khushi shook her head.

"My mistake."

At that exact moment— Arnav walked through the crowd nearby.

Only a few yards away. Close enough that fate could almost touch them. Close enough that one turn of a head would change everything. But neither looked. Neither saw. The crowd swallowed them whole.

Then it happened. Aarav's superhero toy slipped from his hand.

"Oh no!"

The toy bounced once. Twice. Then rolled away. Straight through the crowd. Straight toward a man walking in the opposite direction. The toy stopped beside a polished black shoe. Arnav looked down. For a moment he simply stared. Then he bent down and picked it up. His fingers brushed the tiny plastic figure.

A strange smile appeared on his face. Small. Rare. Almost forgotten. The toy reminded him of something. Of simpler days. Of dreams he once had. Of a future he once believed in. For a brief second...the hardness disappeared from his eyes.

"That's mine!"

A cheerful voice called out.

Arnav turned.

A little boy was running toward him. Fast. Excited. Arnav instinctively crouched slightly. Ready to hand back the toy. And for one impossible moment...time seemed to slow.

Before Aarav could reach him—another hand grabbed the boy's wrist.

"There you are."

Without looking ahead, she pulled Aarav toward her.

"You keep disappearing."

"But Mommy—"

"No arguments."

"My toy—"

"I'll buy you ten more."

Aarav gasped.

"Twenty?"

Khushi sighed.

"One."

"Fifteen."

"Two."

"Deal."

The boy immediately accepted. And together they disappeared into the moving crowd. Never looking back.

Arnav remained frozen. The toy still in his hand. Something felt...

strange. Familiar. The woman's voice. The way she spoke. The way she laughed. His eyes followed the direction they'd gone. But there was nothing to see now. Only hundreds of strangers. Families. Children. Noise. Yet an odd feeling settled in his chest.

A feeling he couldn't explain. His jaw tightened. Why did that voice feel familiar?

Far ahead, Aarav now sat on Khushi's shoulders.

Laughing hysterically. Pointing toward the Ferris wheel. From Arnav's position, only their backs were visible. The little boy's face remained hidden. The distance swallowed every detail.

Another missed chance. Another cruel trick from fate.

Suddenly— Arnav's phone rang.

His expression instantly hardened. The screen displayed a familiar name.

Investigator.

Arnav answered.

"Speak."

The man's voice came through immediately.

"We found her."

Everything around him disappeared. The music. The crowd. The carnival. All of it faded into silence.

Arnav stopped walking.

His grip tightened around the phone.

"What did you say?"

"We found Khushi Sharma."

Six years. Six long years.

And finally—a lead.

For several seconds, Arnav said nothing. The carnival lights reflected in his dark eyes. Eyes that had once loved her. Eyes that had spent six years hating her.

Missing her. Searching for her. Remembering her.

He slowly turned toward the glowing Ferris wheel. His voice came out cold. Dangerously calm.

"Send it."

High above the carnival— Khushi and Aarav sat inside a Ferris wheel cabin. The city stretched beneath them. Lights sparkling like stars. Aarav pressed his face against the glass.

"Mommy!"

"What?"

"We can see everything!"

Khushi smiled.

"Almost everything."

Aarav leaned against her shoulder. Safe. Happy. Completely unaware. And for the first time all day—that strange feeling returned. A chill ran down Khushi's spine. She looked out across the city. Something felt wrong. Very wrong.

As though the past had finally woken up. As though it was coming for her. She didn't know why. She didn't know how. But somewhere deep inside— her heart already knew.

Far below, Arnav stared at the address that had just appeared on his phone screen. A slow smile touched his lips. Not a happy smile. Not even close. The smile of a man who had finally found the ghost that haunted him.

His eyes darkened.

"Be ready for your destruction Khushi ."

And for the first time in six years...fate stopped missing.