The hospital room felt too small. The sterile white walls closed in on Chaya, and her thoughts raced like a stampede. The dream—or whatever it had been—still haunted her, lingering in the corners of her mind. The amulet, the pharaoh, the ancient temple... it had all been too real. But now, here she was, back in the modern world, surrounded by her brothers.
They were gathered around her bed like a wall, their concern etched deeply in their faces. Rajendra, Arvind, Vijay, and Suresh—each of them had their own way of showing their distress, but it was impossible to hide the tension that hung in the air.
"Chaya," Rajendra began, his voice rough with frustration. "What in the world were you thinking? Running off into the desert alone, without telling anyone? You could've been killed!"
Her heart tightened at the sight of their worry. They'd been through so much to get to her. But she couldn't shake the feeling that they didn't understand. That they never would.
"I'm sorry," she said quietly, her throat still raw. "I didn't know the storm was coming…"
"You shouldn't have gone off like that, not when we're all so far away. Not when you knew the dangers," Arvind added, shaking his head, his tone softer but no less firm. "You've always been reckless, but this…"
"I didn't mean for any of it to happen," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
Vijay, standing by the door with his arms crossed, didn't look as angry as the others. Instead, his face was etched with concern. "You always go off on these expeditions, but you never think of the consequences. You're not just a researcher anymore, Chaya. You're the heir to the family legacy. You have responsibilities."
Chaya closed her eyes, swallowing the lump in her throat. The weight of her duties had always been heavy on her shoulders, but now, after everything she had experienced—everything she had felt in that other world—it felt unbearable.
Suresh, the youngest of the four, walked up to her side, his face a mixture of worry and exasperation. "Do you have any idea what it was like for us? We've been scrambling to find you. We couldn't even reach you. I thought we'd lost you forever."
Chaya felt her chest tighten. They were right, in a way. Her family had always been there, keeping an eye on her, making sure she followed the path laid out for her. But what about the path she felt in her heart? The one that had drawn her to the ruins of ancient Egypt, to the pharaoh who had haunted her dreams?
"I'm sorry," she repeated, her voice trembling. "But I can't go back to India. Not like this."
The room fell silent, and she felt the weight of her brothers' gazes. Rajendra's jaw tightened. He stepped closer, his eyes narrowing.
"What are you saying, Chaya?" His voice was calm, but there was an undercurrent of anger. "You think you can just run off, abandon your duties, and pursue some fantasy? You're the heir to our family's legacy. Our company needs you. The whole country needs you."
She met his gaze, her heart pounding. "I'm not abandoning anything," she said fiercely. "But I'm not going back to India just to take up my duties without understanding who I really am. I've seen things, Rajendra. I've felt things. I can't explain it, but there's a part of me that's changed. I need to find out what it means, what it all means."
Vijay scoffed. "You're talking about dreams, Chaya. Nothing more. This is about the family, about your future, not some myth or delusion."
"I know what I felt," Chaya snapped, her voice rising. "And I'm not going to let it go. Not when it's calling to me. I can't just turn my back on it. I can't just forget."
Suresh stepped in, trying to calm the situation. "Chaya, we get it. We're not saying you should forget what happened. But you have to come back. You have to come back and take your place, or everything we've worked for will fall apart."
Chaya felt the sting of his words, and her heart clenched. She had always known her place. Always known what was expected of her. But what about what she wanted? What about the part of her that had touched the past, the ancient world, and seen a different version of herself?
"I can't," she said, her voice breaking. "I won't. Not like this. I need to know more. I need to understand…"
Rajendra's face turned hard, and he slammed his hand against the bedrail. "Then you'll have to understand this, Chaya." His voice was low, dangerous. "You're coming back to India. Whether you like it or not."
Chaya stared at him, her chest tightening. She wasn't ready. She wasn't ready to give up the feeling of belonging she had found in that other world. She wasn't ready to let go of the connection she had felt to the pharaoh.
But then, she saw the exhaustion in her brothers' eyes—the sleepless nights, the worry, the frustration. They loved her. They just didn't understand.
"You've made your choice, Chaya," Rajendra said, his voice quieter now, but firm. "But you'll come back with us. You'll come back to India. And you'll do what's expected of you. There's no more running away."
Her heart sank. She didn't want to leave, not yet. But the weight of her family's expectations was too heavy to ignore. And with the storm still raging inside her, she realized—no matter how much she longed to stay, no matter how much she wanted to chase the past, she had to face the future.
With a final, resigned sigh, she nodded. "Fine. I'll come back. But I can't promise I'll stop looking for answers."
Rajendra's face softened, and for the first time, he reached out to gently take her hand. "We're just glad you're safe, Chaya. But you need to understand—your future is here. It's time to take your place."
Chaya looked out the window, feeling a mix of frustration and resignation. The future awaited her, and she couldn't avoid it any longer.
But the past? That was something she wasn't ready to leave behind.