(Adhira's POV) - past

I woke up groggy, my head heavy and thoughts tangled. Blinking against the soft morning light, I pushed off the covers and shuffled toward the bathroom, still half-asleep, scratching at the wild nest my hair had become overnight.

And then—
Smack.
I collided straight into a wall.

"Oof—excuse me, I need to pee," I muttered instinctively.

Except—
There was no wall.
And when I blinked again, really blinked this time, everything around me shifted.

The cool, minimal décor of my current apartment was gone.
In its place was... soft pink walls, shelves cluttered with old stuffed toys, and a faded poster of a boyband I used to swoon over at eighteen.
No.
No, no, no.

My heart skittered in my chest as I turned in slow circles, taking it all in.
This was my childhood bedroom.
The one back in India.
The one I hadn't seen in years.

"What the—" I whispered. "How... when...?"

Panic started to claw at me. I rushed to the mirror, bracing myself against the dresser, and came face-to-face with—
Her.
Me.
But younger.

My eighteen-year-old self stared back.
Wide eyes. Softer cheeks. Not a single scar in sight.
I stumbled back from the mirror.

"What the actual hell is happening?"

Before I could process it, my phone buzzed.
I fumbled through the bedsheets and finally grabbed it.

"Hello?" My voice was shaky.

"Darling, are you ready yet?"
Raj Gupta.
His voice slithered through the speaker like a ghost from a life I didn't want to remember.

"What?" I croaked.

"Girl, we're going out today—what do you mean what?" he chuckled. "Don't you wanna come with us? We've planned everything."

My throat dried up. My mind screamed that something was wrong, but my mouth said, "Uh... yeah. Pick me up in fifteen."

I ended the call and just stood there, staring at the phone in my trembling hand.
This couldn't be real.

Moving on autopilot, I dragged open the wardrobe, grabbing the white sundress I used to love back then. Slipped it on, belted it at the waist. My hands shook as I tied my hair into a low ponytail.

I scrubbed at my face with cold water, slapped on a bit of light makeup—like muscle memory.
It felt like I was watching myself from far away.
Like I was trapped inside this younger body, unable to stop the motions.

Then I heard it.
The sharp honk of a car outside.

I peeked out the window and there he was — Raj.
Leaning against his shiny car, sunglasses perched on his head like he was the king of the world.
Three of his friends sat inside the car — Jay, Paras, and Vicky.

I always hated them.
Always got a bad feeling when they were around.
But they never touched me. Not when Raj was there. Not then.

I grabbed my small bag and rushed downstairs, feet moving without my permission.
Everything inside me screamed don't go.
But my body smiled and waved like everything was normal.

"Are you ready?" Raj grinned as I approached.

I forced a smile back. "Yeah."

Sliding into the passenger seat, I mumbled a polite hello to the guys in the back.
They grinned too wide.
Too long.

Raj revved the engine, and we pulled away from the house.
Empty.
Siddharth Bhaiya and Bhabhi had gone to Madhya Pradesh for a month, taking their kids with them.
Mumma and Papa were buried in work at the hotel.
Ahaan Bhaiya was out with his friends.
Atharva had locked himself in his painting room again.

No one was home.
No one to stop me from stepping into whatever this was.

As Raj turned up the music and laughed about the plans for today, my chest squeezed tight.
Because deep down... I remembered this day.
I remembered where this ride was going.
And I remembered how everything shattered after it.

But I couldn't stop it.
Not yet.

"So... where are we going?" I asked, glancing sideways at Raj.

The morning sunlight spilled through the windows as we drove through Kharghar, Navi Mumbai — my city, my home. The posh streets glowed golden in the early light. I'd always loved living here. The hustle, the energy. Shops lining the roads, people weaving through traffic, all minding their own business like cogs in a living, breathing machine.

But then—
Raj took a different turn.
Not the usual route.

A sharp unease curled in my stomach. I turned to look at him.
"Where are we going, Raj?" I asked, voice tight.

He glanced at me and smirked. That smirk I always hated.
"Aree, aap kyun itni chinta karti ho, bhabhi?" Paras, Raj's friend from the back seat, chimed in.

The word bhabhi made my skin crawl.
What the hell did he mean by that?

I clenched my jaw, ignoring him.
I was only tolerating Raj because he was Papa's best friend's son.
Nothing more.
Never more.
I didn't like him that way — not in any way.
But until now, he'd been harmless.

"Oh, don't worry, Adi," Raj grinned, flashing his teeth. "We're just going to have some fun."

Something about the way he said fun made my heart spike with cold fear.
I stared at him. "What do you mean by that?"

Raj just laughed. "What I mean is... give me your phone."
His hand shot out.

I clutched my purse tighter. "No. Why do you need it?"

"Aree, bas de do. Chill," he said.

Before I could protest, Jay — the one sitting behind me — reached forward and snatched my phone out of my bag.
"Raj, what the hell are you doing?" I snapped, panic rising.

Raj waved my phone in the air, still grinning.
"Relax, yaar. We're just going to text your parents. Tell them you're out with friends and don't want anyone disturbing your peace."

"I'll text them myself!" I lunged forward, trying to grab my phone back.

But before I could reach it, Vicky — sitting right behind me — leaned forward and grabbed my shoulders, yanking me back against the seat.
"What the fuck?!" I cursed, struggling against his grip.

Raj laughed.
Laughed like this was all a joke.

"Raj!" I screamed his name, terror now flooding me.

But then Paras moved.
I caught the flash of a white cloth in his hand — and before I could fight him off, he pressed it hard against my face.
A sharp, chemical smell flooded my senses.

I thrashed.
Kicked.
Tried to scream.

But the world spun.
My limbs turned heavy.
And everything faded into black.

Someone save me...
That was the last thought I had before I slipped into a dreamless sleep.

I jolted awake, gasping.
Sweat drenched my skin as I clawed at the sheets tangled around me.

The familiar walls of my bedroom in Scarsdale came into focus.
I was back.
In my 24-year-old body.
In my present.

But the terror clung to me like a second skin.
My heart raced like I was still trapped in that car.

I looked around wildly, trying to ground myself, my breath ragged.
It was just the nightmare.
Again.

The same damn nightmare I'd been seeing for the past three nights.
Every time I closed my eyes, it dragged me back to that day — the day everything changed.
The day I lost... everything.

I pressed my hands to my face and exhaled shakily.
But the phantom hands still felt like they were holding me down.
And that laughter...
It echoed in my ears.

____________________________________________________________

Looking at the watch, I noticed it was already 10 a.m.

"Subah ka sapna hamesha sach hota hai, bachaa..."
My mother's voice echoed in my head — her old belief that morning dreams always come true.

A shiver ran down my spine.
No. No, no. That couldn't be true. Not this dream.

I exhaled slowly, pushing away the panic.
But still, the unease clung to me like a shadow.

I had overslept.
Damn it.

Today I was supposed to go with Ahaan Bhai to attend the meeting — to finally learn how our hotel chain works.
I wasn't officially working yet, but lately, I had taken an interest. I was tired of feeling like a caged bird at home, always stuck inside, watching life pass me by.

Dragging myself out of bed, I walked toward the dining room, only to find it empty.
Quiet. Too quiet.

I grabbed my phone and dialed Ahaan Bhai.
The call connected, and his warm voice answered on the second ring.

"Bhai, aap kahan ho?" I asked.
I didn't even realize I had switched to Hindi.
We rarely spoke it at home — usually mixing English and Hindi — but after the dream, everything inside me seemed to flip back to my roots.

"Bachaa, I saw you were sleeping, so I came for the meeting myself," Bhai said, his tone light, casual. "You must be tired after yesterday's party. Don't worry, take rest. Watch your Princess Diaries movie, I'll handle everything."

I closed my eyes, his words soothing the panic a little. Trust Bhai to know exactly what comforted me.

But then—

"And yeah, today we're going to have guests over in the evening," he added casually.

My brows furrowed. "Who?"

There was a pause.
Then he said the name.
The name that had been circling my head since yesterday.

"Lorenzo."

My breath hitched.
Of course.
Of course it would be him.

The universe had a twisted sense of humor.

____________________________________________________________

There gies chapter 4.

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