𝕍𝕚𝕣𝕒𝕙

《 Prologue Two 》

"Akshara! Her name is Akshara Goenka. I have emailed her photographs and details to you. I have tried calling her, but her phone is unreachable. Please use all your resources to find my sister!" Kairav beseeched a private investigator on the phone.

"Don't worry, Sir. We will search every hospital, restaurant, hotel, and nook of Udaipur to find your sister. We will find her soon," the PI assured him.

"Do it fast! Also, remember, give any information only to me. Do not mention this to anyone else, neither the Goenkas nor the Birlas."

"Noted, Sir," the PI acknowledged and cut the call.

Kairav sat on the chair in his home office with a thud, "Kahaan ho tum Akshu?"

He had been to London for a critical business deal when he got the news of Neil's death and everything that followed. He flew back immediately, but it was, unfortunately, too late. Things had already escalated before his return, which caused Akshara to leave the Birla house. On returning from London, Kairav went to the Birla House to offer condolences, but the scene that unfolded them left him shell-shocked. Abhimanyu revealed his and Akshara's divorce and how she left the house when Kairav enquired about her. What appalled him more, however, was Abhimanyu's non-caring attitude toward Akshara. Growing concerned about her well-being and safety, he immediately employed an investigator to find her whereabouts. It had been over twenty-four hours since there was any contact with Akshara. She had left the Birla house with all her belongings, so Kairav was sure she had all her documents and ID proofs, but he was unsure about how much money she had. What if she had to seek medical assistance? Where was she living? What if something terrible had happened to her? Such negative thoughts caused a whirlwind in his mind. He thought of all the times his baby sister, his Akshu, had protected him, but he, as an elder brother, had failed to even be there for her.

"Akshu, iss baar tera bhai tere saath hai. I won't let anything happen to you."

~❈~

"That patient...Akshara? Unki family se koi contact hua hai?" a woman—dressed in a clean white doctor's coat—asked a nurse.

"No, ma'am. Not yet. Unke bag se jo documents mile thhey unpar jo numbers thhey, we tried calling on them. But nobody answered," the nurse replied.

"Hmm. Theek hain. I don't think we have an option other than to wait for her to gain consciousness. We don't know about her family and who knows about her pregnancy, so we cannot take any action. Keep monitoring her and the fetus closely and give me all updates every thirty minutes."

"Yes, doctor."

The nurse left the doctor's cabin and went to Akshara's room. A kind taxi driver had brought her to the hospital a few hours ago after she fell unconscious in his taxi. The nurses found her Aadhar card and a medical file in her bag when they looked through it to know her identity. The file had some contact numbers, but when the receptionist tried to call them, the calls weren't answered. To maintain the confidentiality of the patient's medical information, the hospital decided not to investigate further and instead wait for Akshara to regain consciousness first.

The nurse entered Akshara's room to check her vitals. Akshara lay still on the bed, unconscious. Her face had also lost all color and glow; she looked weak. She was administered several medications through an IV to help her gain strength. Akshara's condition was now stable; however, for her to be declared fit, she had to wake up. The nurse injected another fluid into the IV bottle attached to her and made a few adjustments to the monitor. Just as she was about to leave, she saw Akshara gaining consciousness. The nurse paged the doctor and waited for Akshara to be fully awake before talking to her.