79 Chapter 79

Ramona listened closely and heard Ankur.

How could Mala be so irresponsible? How could she leave Ankur locked inside all alone? This isn't like her. Something important must have happened to make her act so carelessly. She could have told me. I would have watched him.

Ramona helped bang on the door and call out Ankur's name. When Ankur didn't open the door, Ramona became impatient.

"Sneha, wait here while I go home and call your father, okay?" Ramona said, walking down the stairs. "Stay right here."

"Raj," Ramona said as soon as he answered his phone. "I just found Sneha crying outside your apartment with Ankur locked inside. I don't know what's going on, but Mala isn't here."

Raj was perturbed by Mala's irrational behaviour. How could she ever treat Ankur like this?

"I'll be home in twenty minutes. Can you please stay with Sneha and make sure she's safe until I get there?"

"Of course."

When Raj arrived, he ran up the stairs and found Sneha and Ramona waiting for him. He fumbled with his keys as he opened the door, anxious to let Ankur out.

Mala lie on the floor in a pool of blood. Raj's vision became blurry. The pounding of his heartbeat drowned out every other noise. Her beautiful face was frozen, eyes open, mouth slack. The halo of crimson around her made her look ghastly. Her body looked like a ghoulish mannequin. The blood on her skin had thickened but was not yet dry. Her black hair was stained. She was gone.

Ramona wrapped Sneha in her arms.

"Don't look," she whispered into the girl's hair, but it was too late.

"What happened to Mummy?" Sneha wailed. She broke free of Ramona and walked over to Mala. She let out a long howl. "Mummy! Mummy!"

She looked at her father. His face was expressionless.

"Papa! Papa! Papa! Papa!"

Sneha cried loudly. She wanted to see Ankur. By then, he had heard everyone and was shouting even louder. He only stopped to let a sob out. He just wanted to come out of the room.

Ramona tried to open his door, only to find that it was locked. She rammed her shoulder into it, trying to break it open, but her strength failed. She left the apartment and called the guard outside and the manager of the compound. Then she made a call to the police station.

Raj dropped on his knees and lifted Mala's listless hand. He caressed it. He remembered how he used to hold it when they walked around the city together. He couldn't cry.

What will happen to her? Will she become a ghost or will she sleep forever? Where will she go? To heaven or hell or somewhere else? Will she be reborn as a bird? Will she become a star? Even though her death was painful, she was on a foggy road to finally meet the 'clear.' She didn't meet her end. It was the beginning. Is there a place beyond death?

Her entire life, she was never ready to depart. There was always a new tomorrow for her. But, today, time wasn't her friend. It just led her down a path whether her feet wanted to go there or not.

Raj sat there, knowing that the pain was tearing him apart but he couldn't feel it. His eyes burned, wanting to sob, as his stomach churned. Mala had leapt into eternal abyss of darkness, a castle in the clouds. He asked himself, "Why?"

He ran his fingers along Mala's face and closed her eyes. The breath left his body.