Heartbeats Across Time

I stand here now, my chest heaving as I look down at her grave, my heart weighed down by words that will never reach her.

“I let her go...” I choke out, my voice barely audible. Tears blur my vision, but I don’t care.

And despite never fully saying it to her, I knew I loved her. She knew it, too—every unspoken word, every shared glance. We didn’t need to say it to feel it. My fists clench, and regret claws its way through every piece of me, bitter and unrelenting.

“I should’ve stayed.” My voice cracked, barely a whisper, as I stared at the ground beneath me.

“Maybe... maybe things would’ve been different if I hadn’t left her behind.” I hated myself for every step I’d taken away from her, every single choice that pushed her further out of reach.

Lost in grief, I barely noticed someone approaching—Praveen. His face was hard, the warmth in his eyes replaced by a sharp, cold anger. He just stared, not saying a word. Maybe he could see it—how nothing he said could cut deeper than the ache I was already feeling.

Then, I feel Prem’s hand on my shoulder, grounding me, and Praveen glances over, his expression shifting slightly as Prem stands there with a woman and a child.

Prem looks at him and begins to introduce them, saying, “This is...” but his words barely register as I see Praveen’s shock ripple across his face.

It hit me then, cold and sharp

I feel my face drain as the realization sets in. I swallowed hard, my voice low and broken. “She... she thought I’d left her for someone else... that I’d betrayed her.”

Praveen’s eyes finally met mine, his voice reluctant but firm. “Akhil... Ciyana’s death... it wasn’t just because of a broken heart.”

He hesitates, struggling with the weight of his words. “Her last wish... was for me not to tell you more.”

His words cut deeper than I thought possible. Despite my success, I couldn’t give her what she needed most. I wasn’t there for her.

Praveen turned away, his silence heavier than any words could be, and walked toward his car.

Desperation rises in me as I rush after him, my voice trembling with questions. “Why didn’t she reach out? Why didn’t she want me to know?”

Before I can reach him, blinding headlights pierce the darkness, racing toward me.

The impact slammed into me like a wave, shattering everything inside me as darkness swallowed the world—pain surges, sharp and unrelenting, blurring my thoughts. I couldn’t move—could barely breathe—just lay there. The cold seeps into my body, deeper with every passing second. Regrets, hopes, everything I’ve held onto slips away.

In the fog of it all, I couldn’t shake the thought that this might be the end. Everything hurt, but somehow, there was this weird calm settling in. It wasn’t peaceful—it was heavier, like the pain had faded into the background, leaving just this crushing weight that I couldn’t escape.

A figure appears, their voice firm and steady.

“𝑨𝒌𝒉𝒊𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒉,” they said, “𝑰 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒐𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂 𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆 𝒊𝒕 𝒂𝒍𝒍..𝒕𝒐 𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒍𝒂𝒊𝒎 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖’𝒗𝒆 𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒕.”

“𝑨𝒓𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒊𝒕?”