Chapter 10: Still Here, Still Yours

Months had passed since the final ritual for her Mamu. Life had tried to resume some semblance of normalcy, but for Mritika, the past refused to stay buried. In every quiet moment, every unoccupied hour, memories crept in—Neel’s arrest, the years of silence, and the letter he had entrusted to Swastik. She tried to immerse herself in work, drowning in spreadsheets and reports, but her mind kept drifting to the man in her Mamu’s diary and the unanswered questions that had haunted her for seven long years.

Mritika was exhausted, but her resolve was unshakable.

“I don’t care. I need to do this. He’s suffered enough. I need to see him—not just for myself, but for him. He deserves that much.”

One evening, while she was deep in a spreadsheet at work, her phone rang. It was Swastik. Odd—he never called during office hours. Still, she picked up.

“Yes, Swastik. Sorry, I’m at work. Can I call you after I log off?”

There was a whisper on the other end. “We might have found him, Mritika.”

She stood up immediately. “Where?”

“In Faridabad. A school friend, Kamal—Neel contacted him for a job. He delivers goods to Kamal’s shop whenever needed.”

She didn’t need to hear more. “I’m coming to Delhi tomorrow morning.”

She hung up, booked her flight, applied for two days of leave, and left for Delhi the next morning.