When the Whole World Moved On
Six Months Later - Gupta Residence
The monsoons had come and gone. So had Durga Puja. Winter crept in slowly over Kolkata, with foggy mornings and sweaters coming out from old trunks. But in the Gupta house, time hadn't just slowed—it had frozen.
It had been six months since Rihi vanished.
No letters. No calls. No sightings.
Aashna still remembered that morning. The folded note. Shubman's hoodie. Her sister's room with the bed perfectly made, like she had planned it all. And maybe she had. Maybe Rihi knew she wouldn’t return.
For the first month, Aashna had burned through every ounce of energy she had. Posters. Police stations. Visiting train stations. Following leads with Abhishek Sharma. Calling old friends. Checking social media. Creating burner accounts. Anything.
But as days became weeks, and weeks turned into months, even Abhishek had started drifting.
"World Cup aa raha hai yaar, team mein selection ho gaya hai," he'd said one night. "Main zyada travel kar raha hoon. But keep me posted, okay?"
(World Cup is coming..I have been selected in the team ...I am travelling more but keep me posted,okay)
He helped for the first month—truly did. Calling his sports contacts. Sending Rihi’s photo to journalists. But after that, the calls stopped.
And slowly, Aashna stopped calling too.
---
Aashna's Birthday - February 3rd
The house was silent. No balloons. No cake. No sibling banter.
Aashna turned 19.
She sat at the edge of her bed, scrolling through old Instagram memories. Last year, Rihi had thrown her a surprise party with a handmade cake and a reel that went viral. They had laughed all night.
This year? Her parents had bought her a dress she didn’t wear. Friends sent texts she didn’t reply to. She didn’t even cut the cake.
She missed her sister. Her personal stylist. Her secret keeper. Her protector.
The world outside kept spinning. Inside her? Nothing moved.
---
Rihi’s Birthday - March 27th
Rihi turned 23 this year .
This one hurt more.
It was the day the house cried.
Her father wept openly. Her mother placed a diya next to Rihi’s childhood photo.
Even Aashna's parents sat numb that day .
And Aashna? She locked herself in the bathroom and screamed into a towel until she couldn’t breathe.
She didn’t post. Didn’t reply. Didn’t even scroll that day.
Until a month later, when the world punched her in the gut.
---
April - The News that Broke Her
It was a lazy Sunday afternoon.
Aashna was on the couch, flipping through channels absently when a headline froze her hand.
"BREAKING: Indian cricketer Shubman Gill engaged to long-rumoured girlfriend Sara Tendulkar in an intimate ceremony."
Aashna’s hand fell.
She stared.
There it was. On screen.
A photo of Shubman and Sara, smiling softly, hands intertwined. A large diamond ring sparkled.
The same hand that once held her sister's.
The same man who kissed her sister.
The same man her sister had once broken for.
Aashna sat up, heart pounding. Her face went hot. Her body trembled with a cocktail of emotions—shock, rage, grief.
She grabbed her phone and dialed his number.
Ringing. Ringing.
"The number you are trying to reach is currently switched off."
She redialed. Again. And again.
"Switched off."
"Coward," she muttered. "How can you? How can you move on like that? How dare you be happy when she's still missing?"
She paced the room, tears welling up. Her breathing became sharp.
"Was she just a phase? A distraction until you got who you really wanted?"
She collapsed into a chair, gripping her head. Her phone buzzed with Instagram notifications. Her fingers moved on autopilot.
Until the next blow arrived.
A paparazzi photo. One of those blurry, mid-walk shots.
"Abhishek Sharma and model Laila Faisal spotted leaving Shubman Gill’s engagement party together."
The caption said:
"Looks like it's official! Cricketer Abhishek Sharma and influencer Laila Faisal confirm romance as they step out hand-in-hand from close friend Shubman Gill’s engagement bash in Mumbai."
The picture showed them smiling. Laila’s hand in Abhishek’s. His head slightly tilted toward hers. Comfort. Ease.
It broke something in Aashna that she didn’t even know was still intact.
The one person who'd stood with her. Who knew how much Rihi meant. Who promised he would care. Who spoked like he loved her.
He was there.
With them.
At a party.
Celebrating.
She dialed his number. Hands shaking.
Ringing.
Voicemail.
She tried again. Five times.
All voicemail.
---
Later That Night
Aashna lay curled on her bed, eyes wide open.
She stared at the ceiling, Rihi’s laughter echoing in her head.
"Didi... tu kaha gayi? (Where did you went) You left me alone here. And they... they just forgot you. Like you were never real."
She looked at her cracked phone screen.
A text she’d never sent:
To Abhishek Sharma: "I trusted you. You knew how much she meant. You said you wouldn’t stop looking. You said she mattered. And now? You’re partying with the man who broke her? With someone else? I hope one day you realize what you lost."
She never pressed send.
She just let the screen dim, like every piece of light in her world had.
Outside, the wind rustled. A lonely dog barked in the distance.
And inside Aashna’s chest, a deep, hollow silence grew.
Her sister was gone.
Her best friend had moved on.
Her hope?
Dying.
___________________________________________
Here is another update Hope you all will like it ...
Where did Rihi go ?
And Abhishek and Shubman did they use both sister's as a time pass?..
May god give strength to the deceased of the pehlgam incident families 💔
Om Shanti 🙏🏽
Until next take care 💙
YOU ARE READING
"Beyond The Boundary "
Fanfiction"To the girl who took my six like a queen-Stay strong, always! - S G." ??nocturnefable 2025 Short chapters but feelings
