As she put Karishma to sleep, she dropped a "Hi" to Mike.
M: Hi Shimi...
She bit her lip, wondering if he'd noticed Karishma's picture on her profile. Another message popped
M: Karishma's an adorable kid. Don't worry; she didn't bother me...
He seemed to read her mind, something only one other person had done before: Josh. Her heart skipped a little.
S: I heard you were held hostage for quite a while.
M: Lucky for me, the hostage-taker was cute and had a knack for endless interrogation...
Shivya couldn't help but smile, knowing Karishma had probably worn him out with her endless questions, yet he was far too nice to complain.
S: Try being her Shimi.
M: Shimi has set the standards sky-high. Seriously, she couldn't stop talking about you. You're doing a fantastic job, Mumma...
S: Oh, so judging a book by its cover now?
M:Nope—judging the author by the book📕📕📕
M:Ironically, this author is trying to get published, but no one's biting.
She cringed as she hit send, realizing it sounded more vulnerable than she intended. But it was too late; the double blue ticks had appeared.
M: Writer!!!!Interesting. I can share a couple of contacts...
S: Thank you, but I don't want to take any favors.
M: Oh, relax! I'm not starting a charity fund here—just pointing you in the right direction. If your book's got the magic, they'll bite...
S: OK
The text message ended with three dots. Every single message. Just like Josh used to text. It was his signature—a pattern that had once made her smile, now stirring something far more complicated. And then there were the three book emojis—stacked side by side. Josh rarely used emojis, but when he did, it was always three of the same kind. Just like this.
A wave of unease rippled through her, a sensation she hadn't felt since Josh. Her mind tried to brush it off as coincidence, but the echoes of the past refused to stay buried. She'd never met Mike, yet something about him sparked a flicker of recognition deep within her—like a shadow of someone she used to know.
Confusion swirled through her, strange comparisons flashing across her mind: Josh had always been good with kids—she could still hear him laughing as he played with their neighbor's kid—and Mike had instantly bonded with Karishma, just in one day that Karishma had started calling him dada. She still doesn't know why. Josh had been the kind of person who cared deeply about people around him, and Mike passed her the publishers number even without asking. Not to mention he sat with Karishma for hours soothing her when she cried in the school.
Her thoughts hammered against her skull as new parallels emerged. Josh had always known people—had contacts everywhere, able to make things happen with a single phone call. Like the time he got Dinesh fired within minutes, as if the universe bent to his will. And now Mike had mentioned his connections the moment she brought up needing a publisher.
Even the way Mike seemed to read her mind mirrored Josh—those moments when Josh would finish her thoughts before she could speak them aloud.
And then there was Ruth. Geeta had mentioned Anne was Italian. Which meant Mike was Italian—just like Anne. Another thread pulled tight
Her heart pounded harder, faster, a drumbeat she couldn't slow. The smartwatch on her wrist vibrated with a soft warning, the screen lighting up with a message she hadn't seen in so long it made her breath hitch: Heart rate elevated. Just like it used to happen with Josh—those moments when his presence alone made her pulse race beyond control.
Was it Josh?
The thought slammed into her chest, stealing the air from her lungs. If he were alive, he wouldn't have abandoned me... would he?
But then why... why did a stranger make her heart race like this? The heart that had only ever obeyed Josh—why was it now leaning toward someone she had never even seen? Why did her brain keep comparing them, as if searching for answers in shadows that shouldn't exist?
Her breath hitched. The walls of her room seemed to press closer as if echoing the storm inside her. She placed a hand over her chest, willing her heart to slow, but the thudding only seemed to grow louder.
Breathe... just breathe.
But she couldn't.
