Chapter 45
KAVYA
The walk back from the academy was quiet, the crisp air of Switzerland clinging to my skin.
Basel was alluring, almost like a dream I hadn't quite woken up from yet.
Even though it had only been a month, the cobblestone streets and the rhythmic flow of the Rhine made me feel as if I had lived here for ages.
I was enjoying this new life, or at least, I was trying to.
But I would be lying if I said I didn't miss them.
Every evening, the silence of my apartment reminded me of my friends and my husband.
I had cut ties with everyone back home; no one had my new contact information except Abhiraj.
He had visited me three weeks ago, a brief bridge to a life I had left behind, but since then, the silence had returned.
Suddenly, a sharp ache of longing hit me.
I wanted to see Saurav. I wanted to hear his voice, even if it was just to hear him say my name.
Abhiraj had mentioned that Saurav visited his office the very day I left, and for a moment, a tiny flame of hope had ignited in my chest. I foolishly thought he would chase me.
I imagined him landing in this country, searching every street corner until he found me.
But he didn't come.
The hope was slowly being replaced by a cold realization: maybe he had moved on. Maybe, in his world, I was already playing the role of air.
I pulled my keys from my purse, the metal cold against my palm, and opened the door to my apartment.
People here might call it small, but to me, it felt like a sanctuary.
It was big enough for me to dance when I was happy, to sing when I was lonely, and it even had a small corner for the plants I was trying to keep alive.
I dropped my bag on the sofa and slumped into the cushions, exhausted. My hand moved instinctively to my phone. I opened the gallery, scrolling until I found the folder from Bali.
The screen glowed with images of us. In those videos, Saurav looked so happy, so incredibly alive.
Looking at his smile felt like looking at a sun that had already set.
A wave of "what ifs" washed over me, heavier than usual.
I wished I had chosen to tell him the truth.
I wished I hadn't been so focused on the competition.
I wished I had spent more time with Mr. Chauhan and my sister while I still had the chance.
My life was a map of regrets, but as I stared at Saurav’s face, I knew there was one thing I would never regret: marrying him. Even if our time was limited to two years, those were the best years of my life. That was my golden era.
I swiped to the photos of my sister, and the breath hitched in my throat.
My chest felt tight, a familiar physical pain blooming behind my ribs.
Seeing her lying in that hospital bed broke me all over again.
I had moved across the world thinking I could save her, thinking I could find a way to get her out of that bed.
I didn't know she would stay there forever.
The doctors had warned me that her chances were slim, but I had taken the risk anyway.
Now, it felt like it had all been in vain.
I should have tried harder, I whispered to the empty room.
I scrolled further to a photo of Mr. Chauhan. It was taken the night he took me to a party and introduced me to everyone with such pride. He did exactly what a father was supposed to do. He was the warmest, kindest man I had ever known, more of a father to me than my own ever was.
Finally, I looked at the photos of Avni, Noor, Rhea, and Ira. My girls. The distance between Switzerland and India felt like a thousand miles of lead. I missed them so much it hurt.
The screen suddenly changed. An incoming call from Abhiraj flashed across the display. I answered immediately, a strange sense of dread settling in my stomach.
"Kavya… "
The moment I heard his voice, I knew something was wrong. It wasn't his usual calm tone; it was thick with tension.
"Yes? Abhiraj, what is it?"
"It's Saurav… " He paused, taking a long, shaky breath. "Actually, Saurav’s jet…"
His voice trailed off, leaving a terrifying silence on the line.
"What about his jet?" I asked, standing up from the sofa. My heart began to race, my fingers gripping the phone so hard they turned white. "Abhiraj, tell me!"
"It was in Assam," he said, his voice barely a whisper. "During training... his jet crashed."
The world seemed to stop. The air in my apartment turned into ice. "What?"
"Kavya, listen to me… "
"Are you joking, Abhiraj?" I cut him off, my voice rising in desperation. I couldn't breathe. "If this is a joke, it’s the worst thing you’ve ever said. It’s not funny. Stop it."
"You need to come home," Abhiraj said, and the finality in his voice was louder than any scream. "You need to come to India, Kavya. Now."
My world shattered in a single moment. Outside my window, the vibrant colors of Basel drained away, replaced by a dull, suffocating gray.
I didn’t pack a suitcase; I simply threw a few essentials into a bag, my hands shaking so violently I could barely pull the zipper shut.
Every breath felt like I was inhaling shards of glass.
A deep, hollow gloom settled into my bones.
I had no idea what would happen next or how I would survive.
First Saurav’s father, then my sister, and now…
I quickly pushed the thought away. I couldn't, wouldn't, think that about Saurav.
The flight back to India was the longest journey of my life.
I spent hours staring at the clouds, thinking of my husband.
He belonged in the sky, but not like this.
Tears threatened to spill, but I wiped them away fiercely.
I couldn't break down. Nothing had happened to him. He was okay. I knew he was okay.
When I finally arrived, Abhiraj was waiting. His face told me everything I didn't want to know, everything I wasn't ready to face. His eyes were bloodshot, and his shoulders slumped as if he were carrying the weight of the world. He looked like he hadn't slept in days.
"Where is he? Is he at the hospital?" I whispered the moment I reached him. Abhiraj didn't answer. He silently took my bag and led me toward a dark SUV. "We aren't going to the hospital, Kavya. We’ve been summoned to the Air Force station."
We took a flight he had already booked and reached Assam.
The drive to the base was silent and terrifying.
When we arrived, the heavy iron gates swung open, and the sight of officers in uniform made my heart race.
Abhiraj led me into a sterile, quiet briefing room.
Maps were spread across a large table, and an officer with graying hair stood waiting for us.
"Mrs. Kavya Chauhan?" he asked softly. I could only nod.
"I am Group Captain Sharma. Please, sit down."
"I don't want to sit," I said, my voice trembling. "Just tell me where my husband is. What happened to him?"
The Captain sighed, his eyes fixed on the map. "Three weeks ago, Saurav was on a high-altitude training mission over the dense forests of Assam. His jet suffered a catastrophic technical failure, and communication was lost instantly."
"Three weeks?" I gasped, clutching the edge of the table for support. "Why am I only finding out now?"
"It was a classified mission, and the search area is incredibly difficult terrain," he explained. "We sent out rescue teams immediately. They located the crash site ten days ago."
He reached into a drawer and pulled out a small plastic bag. Inside was a charred flight suit patch with the name SAURAV stitched onto it, and a metal watch with a cracked dial.
"The jet hit the mountainside at a very high speed," the Captain continued.
"The wreckage is scattered across a deep ravine.
We found the shattered remains of the aircraft, but.
.." He hesitated, glancing at Abhiraj before looking back at me.
"We have combed the entire area. There is no sign of a body. "
"Then he's alive," I said, a spark of hope igniting in my chest. "If there’s no body, he must have ejected! He’s out there waiting for help!"
The Captain’s expression didn't change; it remained painfully professional.
"The ejection seat was found within the wreckage, still partially attached.
The fire was intense. In these cases, sometimes.
.. there is nothing left to find. We are continuing the search for another week, but officially, he is being listed as Missing in Action. "
I stared at the watch in the bag. The hands were frozen at the exact second the jet had gone down. I wasn't allowed to go to the site; it was too dangerous, too remote, and too painful to see. I was stuck here, in a cold office, looking at a broken watch instead of my husband’s face.
Abhiraj placed a hand on my shoulder, but I pulled away. A strange, hollow coldness was spreading through me. Saurav wasn't dead, but he wasn't here. He was lost in a forest thousands of miles away, and I was trapped in a reality where I didn't know whether to mourn him or keep waiting.
"He’s coming back," I whispered to the empty room, clutching the cold plastic bag against my heart. "Saurav always finds his way home."
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