For several seconds, I couldn't breathe.
The phone nearly slipped from my hand.
The photograph on the screen wasn't old.
It wasn't blurry.
It had been taken recently.
Very recently.
Aisha sat on a hospital bed, wearing a pale blue patient gown. Her hair was slightly longer than I remembered, and there was confusion in her eyes.
But she was alive.
Alive.
After three years.
Meera stood beside me.
The moment she saw the image, her body froze.
Kabir's eyes widened.
Professor Dev's hands began shaking uncontrollably.
And then—
The old man burst into tears.
"My granddaughter..."
His voice broke.
"My Aisha..."
Sara hugged him immediately, crying herself.
Nobody spoke.
Because words no longer seemed enough.
Three years of grief.
Three years of guilt.
Three years of believing someone was dead.
And now—
Everything had changed.
But something felt wrong.
Very wrong.
I zoomed in on the photograph.
The room behind Aisha looked unfamiliar.
No windows.
White walls.
Medical equipment.
And in the corner—
A symbol.
A silver circle.
Inside it—
Two overlapping human faces.
Professor Dev went pale.
"No..."
"What is it?" Kabir asked.
The old man stared at the screen.
"That symbol..."
"It's the original logo of Project Echo."
My pulse quickened.
"Meaning?"
"Meaning she's still inside one of their facilities."
Meera looked horrified.
"Then why send us this picture?"
Professor Dev's answer came quietly.
"Because they want you to come."
Nobody slept that night.
By sunrise, the living room had become a war room.
Maps.
Old files.
Hospital records.
Newspaper clippings.
Everything covered the table.
Kabir rubbed his eyes tiredly.
"I hate to say this..."
"But this feels like a trap."
"It is a trap," Professor Dev agreed.
"But that doesn't mean the bait isn't real."
Meera sat quietly.
She hadn't spoken much since seeing Aisha's picture.
And I understood why.
Three years ago, Aisha had sacrificed herself to protect us.
Now she had returned.
And none of us knew what that meant.
Around nine in the morning, Meera finally stood up.
"I'm going for a walk."
I immediately followed her.
The rain had stopped.
The city looked strangely peaceful.
People were buying coffee.
Children were walking to school.
Normal life continued.
As if the world hadn't just turned upside down.
Meera stopped near a small park.
She didn't look at me.
"Are you happy?"
The question caught me off guard.
"What?"
"You found her."
Her voice was calm.
Too calm.
"I should be."
She smiled sadly.
"And are you?"
I remained silent.
Because I didn't know.
Relief.
Shock.
Fear.
Confusion.
Everything felt mixed together.
Meera nodded.
"See?"
"I don't even know what I'm feeling," I admitted.
She looked down.
"You don't have to explain."
"But—"
"Arjun."
Her voice softened.
"I know."
"I know she matters to you."
"And I know she suffered because of all this."
She smiled faintly.
"I'm not angry."
But her eyes betrayed her.
Because behind that smile...
Was fear.
Fear of losing me.
Again.
I stepped closer.
"Meera."
She looked up.
"You stayed."
"What?"
"When I forgot everything..."
"You stayed."
"When I couldn't remember your face..."
"You stayed."
"When I became someone else..."
"You stayed."
My voice grew softer.
"So don't decide that you've already lost."
Tears appeared in her eyes.
And she laughed quietly.
"You know..."
"You've become much better than the old Arjun."
"Was I really that terrible?"
She smiled.
"Very."
That made us both laugh.
And for a brief moment—
The weight in our hearts became lighter.
Meanwhile...
Hundreds of kilometers away.
Inside the underground facility.
Aisha sat quietly on the bed.
Her eyes moved around the unfamiliar room.
Everything felt strange.
Empty.
Lost.
The door opened.
A woman with silver hair entered.
Ananya.
She smiled warmly.
Too warmly.
"Good morning, Aisha."
Aisha frowned.
"Who are you?"
Ananya sat beside her.
"A friend."
"Where am I?"
"A safe place."
"How long have I been asleep?"
Ananya's smile remained unchanged.
"Three years."
Aisha's eyes widened.
"What?"
Panic appeared on her face.
"No..."
"No, that's impossible."
"My grandfather—"
"Alive."
"Arjun?"
Ananya's smile deepened.
"Alive."
Aisha's eyes filled with tears.
"Meera?"
"Alive."
Relief washed over her.
But then—
A strange expression appeared on Ananya's face.
"They missed you very much."
Aisha smiled weakly.
"I need to see them."
"Of course."
"But first..."
Ananya handed her a photograph.
Aisha looked down.
And her smile disappeared.
Her breathing stopped.
Because the picture showed—
Arjun and Meera.
Holding hands.
Laughing.
Together.
And beneath it—
A single sentence.
"Life moved on without you."
For the first time since waking up—
Pain appeared in Aisha's eyes.
And Ananya smiled quietly.
Because Phase Two had never been about memories.
It had always been about hearts.
And broken hearts...
Were far easier to control.
That evening—
Back at Professor Dev's house—
Kabir suddenly ran into the room.
His face had lost all color.
"Guys!"
"What happened?"
"I found something."
He turned his laptop around.
And my blood froze.
Because on the screen—
Live CCTV footage showed Aisha's hospital room.
Someone had hacked the camera.
And Aisha—
Who had just awakened after three years—
Was crying.
Alone.
Holding a photograph.
Of me and Meera.
Then—
Slowly—
She looked directly into the camera.
As if she somehow knew we were watching.
And through her tears—
Her lips moved.
Softly.
Weakly.
But clearly enough for all of us to understand.
"Arjun..."
"Why didn't you come back?"