Third person's pov!

Siddhu sat on the edge of the stone bench in the garden, his gaze distant, fingers absentmindedly tracing patterns on his phone. Drishti sat beside him, watching him carefully, her expression concerned.

"Are you still thinking about it, Siddhu?" Drishti's voice was soft, gentle. Siddhu tried to smile, but it didn't reach his eyes. He let out a shaky breath instead.

"I can't help it, D," he murmured, glancing at her briefly before looking away. "The dream...it felt too real. I saw Shrey, lying there...in a pool of blood. My Shrey... she was calling for me, but I couldn't reach her."

Drishti placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder, squeezing it gently.

"Siddhu, it was just a dream," she said softly, her voice steady. "Dreams can be strange and painful sometimes, but they don't always mean something bad. You know that, right?"

Siddhu shook his head slowly, the worry still etched deep into his features.

"I know dreams aren't always real...but this one, Drishti, felt real. Or a warning. I can't shake off this feeling that she's out there, somewhere hurt."

Drishti moved closer, holding his hand.

"Maybe it felt real because of how much you miss her, Siddhu. And that's okay. But you can't let yourself drown in this one dream. If she's really out there, you'll find her."

"You think so?" He looked at her, a faint glimmer of hope flickering in his eyes.

"I know so. Sometimes, we need to trust that our loved ones are safe, even when we are not with them." Drishti smiled softly.

"Maybe I should go to Mussoorie again tomorrow.." Siddhu said thoughtfully.

"That we can think about tomorrow morning. Now go to bed. Shravan will reach now to pick me.." Drishti said.

Siddhu smiled. Drishti is rarely ever mature. The only time he has seen her behaving so maturely is when he is emotional about Shrey.

******

The next morning, Anjana woke up with a call from her friend, Dr Nina.

"Nina..." Anjana greeted as soon as she picked up the call.

"Anjana... I don't know how to say this. A girl was brought to the hospital yesterday. And Anjana, she is a Xerox copy of you. Her name is Shraddha..."

The phone slipped out of Anjana's trembling fingers, and she stood rooted to her place.

"What is it, Anjana?" Niranjan asked anxiously.

"Gudiya..." Anjana mumbled, still dazed.

Anjana's breath was shallow as she processed Dr. Nina's words, still gripping her phone tightly. Her vision blurred with tears, and her heart raced with equal parts fear and hope. She hadn't allowed herself to dream this moment into reality, not after so many years of grief and emptiness.

Niranjan, hearing her ragged breathing and stifled cries, immediately moved to her side, his face etched with concern.

"Anjana? What's wrong?" He asked, gently touching her shoulder. But Anjana couldn't answer right away; she seemed lost, searching for her voice amidst a storm of emotions.

Just then, Abhay, Vaiga, and Siddhu entered the room, alarmed by their mother's distress.

"Maa? What happened?" Abhay's voice was full of worry as he moved toward her, carefully guiding her trembling frame to sit on the bed. Vaiga knelt beside her, her own expression mirroring Abhay's concern.

"Maa, are you hurt?" Abhay's voice was softer now, his gaze unwavering as he tried to reassure her. Anjana took a few steadying breaths, and with tear-streaked cheeks, she finally looked up at them.

"She's..." Anjana's voice cracked, and she struggled to hold back her sobs. "She's alive." Her lips trembled as she spoke, and her words left the room in stunned silence. "My Gudiya...our daughter, Shraddha...she's alive."

Niranjan's eyes widened in disbelief, while Abhay, Vaiga, and Siddhu exchanged shocked glances.

"What?" Siddhu managed to whisper, his gaze searching his mother's face, desperately seeking confirmation. A surreal silence blanketed the room, each family member trying to comprehend the unimaginable.

"Nina called me... She said... a girl was brought to the hospital yesterday. And...she looks exactly like me. They said her name is Shraddha." Anjana's hands shook as she continued, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Oh my God..." Abhay breathed, his hand instinctively reaching for Vaiga's, grounding himself. Siddhu looked at his mother, his eyes shining with tears that he hadn't let fall in years.

"I knew it. I knew she was out there somewhere!" Siddhu's voice cracked as he spoke, and his emotions poured out uncontrollably. He looked at his family, struggling to hold himself together. "I had a dream about her... just yesterday. I saw her hurt, lying there...calling out for me, but I couldn't reach her." He covered his face with his hands as if trying to block out the haunting dream. "It felt so real, Maa. And now...she is in the hospital."

Anjana pulled Siddhu close, her arms wrapping around her son as she finally let her own tears flow freely.

"Maybe... maybe your dream was her way of calling out to us, Siddhu," she whispered, her hand stroking his hair gently. "After all these years... our Gudiya, she's trying to reach us."

Niranjan, who had been listening in stunned silence, placed his hand on Anjana's shoulder, his own voice thick with emotion.

"We never stopped hoping, Anjana. We always knew... deep down, that she was still out there. And now, by some miracle... she's so close."

"All these years...wondering if she was safe, if she was happy... I can't believe it's real." Anjana's tears spilled over as she looked at Niranjan.

Abhay's expression softened, and he spoke with a newfound resolve.

"I'll call Nina aunty right now. We need to know everything." He took a deep breath, steadying his own shaking hands as he dialed the number and stepped away to make the call.

The family watched him anxiously, clinging to every word he might utter. The minutes seemed to stretch into eternity until Abhay finally returned, his face a mixture of relief and anticipation.

"She's alright," he announced, his voice a bit steadier now, though emotion still lingered. "She was in a minor accident, but thank God, nothing too serious. They moved her to a private room this morning." His voice softened as he looked at his parents. "She is safe."

"I need to see her... now. I can't wait another moment." Anjana's hand covered her mouth as a fresh wave of tears welled up in her eyes.

"Of course, Maa," Abhay said gently, understanding the urgency in her voice. "We'll go to the hospital. I know it's best to confirm everything before barging in, but...there's no way we can wait. We have to see her for ourselves, all of us."

Vaiga, who had been quietly holding Anjana's hand, gave her mother-in-law an encouraging smile.

"Go, Maa. Go see her. I'll stay back with the kids; don't worry about anything here." She squeezed Anjana's hand reassuringly. "After all these years, she has waited long enough."

"We're going to meet our daughter, Anjana. Finally...we're going to see her again." Niranjan helped Anjana to her feet, his own face resolute.

Siddhu wiped his eyes quickly, his mind racing with a thousand emotions. He could barely believe that the dream, that hauntingly vivid vision, had perhaps been more than a coincidence.

"I never thought...I'd have the chance to see her again," he whispered, more to himself than anyone else.

"She's alive, Siddhu. And we're going to meet her. That's all that matters now." Abhay placed a hand on Siddhu's shoulder, offering him silent support. But at the same time, he was apprehensive too. There was no guarantee that she would be their sister. If she is not, the result would be more grief and heartbreak. But nothing logical he says would be accepted at this moment.

"All these years... she was out there. I can't believe we're finally going to see her." Siddhu said, a faint glimmer of hope and disbelief mingling in his gaze.

Anjana, Siddhu, Abhay, and Niranjan shared a moment of collective determination, a silent promise that nothing would stand in their way now. They were finally going to see their Shraddha—the daughter they had lost and, by some miracle, had found again.

With a last glance back at Vaiga, the four of them made their way to the car, each lost in their thoughts, yet connected by the same unwavering hope. The journey was quiet, a mixture of tense anticipation and a flood of long-suppressed emotions.

When they arrived at the hospital, they paused just outside the entrance, taking a collective breath. Niranjan held Anjana's hand, his grip firm and reassuring.

"Are you ready?" He asked, his voice soft.

"I've waited years for this moment. Nothing in this world could keep me away from her now." Anjana nodded, her gaze fierce with determination.

And together, with Abhay and Siddhu by their side, they walked into the hospital, every step bringing them closer to their lost daughter, their beloved Shraddha—the Agnihotri princess they had thought gone but who, against all odds, had come back to them.

A/N

The Agnihotri reunion in the next chapter...

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SF❤️