Chapter 36: The Thread That Breaks the Mirror
Supriya had always been the anchor. When Nishanth disappeared, she kept the network running. When Presence 2.0 launched, she led the volunteers. When Aaradhya left without warning, Supriya filled the silence with structure.
She gave speeches at community schools, drafted guidelines for district expansions, handled the press with calm, calculated grace. Everyone thought she was composed. But that was a costume stitched from loss.
Structure was never enough.
Not when you wake up each morning and wonder if the fire you once believed in is still burning somewhere out there, far from your reach.
Not when the people who once stood beside you begin to vanish like mist while pretending it’s all part of some noble evolution.There are disappearances that feel like abandonment, and then there are silences that feel like betrayal.
The morning was quiet. Too quiet. The sun climbed above Delhi’s skyline, pale and dull. Supriya sat on her balcony with a half-empty cup of ginger tea growing cold between her fingers. Her inbox was empty. Her phone hadn’t buzzed in hours. But her mind was anything but still.
Six days.
That’s how long it had been since Aaradhya went dark.
She didn’t leave a status log. No "on mission" alert. Just vanished like Nishanth had months before her.
Supriya had replayed the last conversation they had, a brief exchange about Presence node load-balancing in Rajasthan.Nothing emotional. Nothing memorable.Now, that emptiness was eating her from the inside.
Nishanth had at least left the illusion of closure. Aaradhya hadn’t even offered that. Supriya stood, walked to her desk, opened the laptop, and connected to the central Presence dashboard.