Dark strings and Delicate chords [Completed]

Chapter 17: Shattered Chords, Silenced Goodbyes

Chapter 17: Shattered Chords, Silenced Goodbyes

The corridors of SPACE Academy were quieter than usual, as though they too sensed something unusual. A calm after the storm—or before one. Final-year exams had finally concluded, the tension of deadlines, viva, and sleepless nights lifted like a curtain from the stage of life.

Fab 5 had just wrapped up the last paper. The gang of glitter, fame, music, and madness was finally free. Free to breathe, free to play, and more importantly—free to perform. London awaited them. The Royal Philharmonic Hall had confirmed their two-week concert event: "Rhythms of Rebellion." It was the biggest international event of their career yet.

But in their haste to chase the spotlight, they left two hearts behind.

The Departure That Never Said Goodbye

The night before their flight, the Fab 5 and Abhimanyu were at Manik's penthouse, chattering excitedly. Lights dimmed, suitcases packed, their minds raced only with thoughts of rehearsals, travel, the grand stage. Amid the whirlwind, no one paused—not even for a second—to pick up the phone or meet the two girls who had started becoming integral parts of their once iron-clad circle.

Not even Manik Malhotra.

He had typed a message to Nandini late at night:
    "Have to leave for London, last minute rush. Will call once I land. Take care, star. –M"

Nandini had stared at the message on her screen for long. The blinking cursor of the chat box stayed still—much like her frozen expression. She hadn't expected a grand gesture. But... not this. Not silence. Not distance.

Her fingers hovered over the keyboard, then typed:

    "All the best. Take care."

She erased it.

Then typed again:
    "You didn't even come to meet me."
She erased it again.
Finally, she replied:
    "Okay. Take care, Manik."
That was it.
She didn't sleep that night. Neither did Navya.

While the world of Fab 5 sparkled brighter across oceans, back in Mumbai, a storm was tearing apart Navya Naveli's life.

Her parents—already traditional and stern—had found a 'suitable' match for her. A thirty-five-year-old businessman, widower, family friend. She was expected to marry him by the end of the month. No one asked if she was ready. No one cared what she wanted.

Navya begged, cried, pleaded—but her parents refused to budge. "You've had enough freedom," her mother had snapped. "You sing, you dance, you wear short dresses, you hang out with boys. It's time you become a woman."

That night, she packed a small bag, took her savings, and left the house silently. She had nowhere to go—except Nandini.

And Then... Silence Took Over Nandini's World

Nandini's small, quiet home suddenly felt even quieter when her father—her only family, her protector, her anchor—collapsed in front of her.

A massive heart attack.

No warning. No signs.

No goodbye.

The doctors tried.

They failed.

And Nandini Murthy, the girl who smiled despite her shyness, who laughed softly at Navya's Bollywood songs, who blushed when Manik touched her hand—was left with a void that no music could fill.

She sat on the hospital bench, clutching her father's ring in one hand and her phone in the other.

She tried to call Manik.