I stared at the USB drive for a long time.
It rested in my palm like an answer I had spent three years searching for.
OPEN ONLY IF YOU REMEMBER HER.
The words, written in my own handwriting, felt strangely personal.
As if a version of me from the past had reached across time and left behind a final message.
A warning.
Or maybe a confession.
Outside, the city had fallen silent. The rain had finally stopped, leaving the streets below shining beneath the streetlights.
My heartbeat quickened as I plugged the USB drive into my laptop.
For a second, nothing happened.
Then a single folder appeared on the screen.
Its name was simple.
FOR ARJUN
My mouth went dry.
I clicked it.
Inside was only one file.
A video.
Recorded three years ago.
My hands trembled slightly as I pressed play.
The screen flickered.
For a moment, there was only static.
Then the image cleared.
And I saw myself.
Three years younger.
Sitting in what looked like a hospital room.
There was a bandage on my forehead.
Dark circles beneath my eyes.
But what shocked me wasn't my appearance.
It was my expression.
I looked terrified.
Not confused.
Not injured.
Terrified.
The version of me in the video stared directly into the camera for several seconds before speaking.
"If you're watching this..."
His voice cracked.
"...then you remembered her."
I stopped breathing.
The video continued.
"I don't know how long it took."
A sad smile appeared on his face.
"Days. Months. Years."
The smile disappeared.
"But if you're here, it means you found Meera again."
Every word felt like a punch to the chest.
Because the man on the screen wasn't a stranger.
He was me.
And yet he knew things I didn't.
Video-Arjun looked away briefly before continuing.
"I wish I could tell you everything."
A heavy silence followed.
Then he shook his head.
"No. That's a lie."
His eyes filled with guilt.
"I can tell you everything."
The room around me felt smaller.
The version of myself on the screen inhaled deeply.
Then said the words that changed everything.
"The accident wasn't an accident."
My pulse stopped.
For several seconds, I forgot how to breathe.
The younger me looked exhausted.
Like someone carrying a burden too heavy for one person.
"Someone wanted information that didn't belong to them."
He spoke slowly.
Carefully.
As if choosing every word.
"You and Meera got involved in something we were never supposed to see."
My mind raced.
Information?
What information?
Who?
The questions multiplied instantly.
But the video kept moving.
"I can't explain all of it here."
Frustration flashed across his face.
"They're still watching."
A chill ran down my spine.
Even through the screen, I could see genuine fear.
Not paranoia.
Fear.
Real fear.
The video suddenly shifted.
The younger me leaned closer toward the camera.
"Listen carefully."
His voice became urgent.
"Whatever anyone tells you..."
He paused.
"...don't trust the official story."
I felt my stomach tighten.
Official story.
Accident.
Memory treatment.
Dr. Malhotra.
Nothing felt simple anymore.
Then the video-Arjun looked down briefly before continuing.
"When I woke up in the hospital, they gave me a choice."
A strange feeling settled in my chest.
Because somehow...
I already knew where this was going.
"The memories or Meera."
My eyes widened.
No.
No.
That wasn't possible.
The younger me nodded slowly.
As if answering my disbelief.
"I know how insane that sounds."
He laughed bitterly.
"But that's exactly what happened."
The room became completely silent.
Even the ticking clock on the wall seemed distant.
The younger me rubbed his eyes.
For the first time, he looked broken.
Not injured.
Broken.
"I thought forgetting her would keep her safe."
The words hit harder than anything else.
Because suddenly—
Everything made sense.
Not completely.
But enough.
The note.
The goodbye.
The train station.
The tears.
The promise.
I hadn't forgotten Meera because I stopped loving her.
I had forgotten her because I was trying to protect her.
The younger me looked directly into the camera.
And for a moment, it felt like he was looking directly at me.
"You're probably angry right now."
I laughed humorlessly.
He wasn't wrong.
"I was angry too."
A long silence followed.
Then his voice softened.
"If you found her again..."
A faint smile appeared.
"...then I guess I failed."
The smile somehow made my chest ache.
Because it wasn't a happy smile.
It was relieved.
Suddenly, the hospital door behind him opened.
The younger me immediately turned around.
The fear on his face returned instantly.
Someone had entered the room.
But the camera angle didn't show who.
Only a shadow.
A silhouette.
Tall.
Motionless.
Watching.
The younger me froze.
Then quickly looked back at the camera.
"We're out of time."
His voice dropped.
"If you're seeing this..."
He swallowed hard.
"...it means they're moving again."
My heartbeat accelerated.
Who were "they"?
The younger me reached toward the camera.
As if trying to get closer.
"As soon as you finish this video, call Meera."
His voice trembled slightly.
"Don't waste any more time."
For the first time in the entire recording, tears appeared in his eyes.
Because whatever happened next...
He already knew he wouldn't remember it.
And somehow, that realization was devastating.
Then he said something that made my entire world stop.
"Also..."
He hesitated.
A sad smile appeared again.
"You should know this."
The room felt unbearably quiet.
The younger me looked directly into the lens.
And whispered:
"Meera never told you the whole truth either."
My heart slammed against my ribs.
What?
Before I could process the words, the screen suddenly glitched.
Static exploded across the monitor.
The image distorted.
The audio crackled.
And then—
The video ended.
Just like that.
No explanation.
No answers.
Only more questions.
I sat frozen in my chair.
Unable to move.
Unable to think.
For nearly ten minutes.
The glow of the laptop illuminated the dark apartment while the city slept outside.
My phone suddenly vibrated on the desk.
The sound made me jump.
Unknown Number.
A text message.
Only one sentence.
No name.
No explanation.
No greeting.
Just six words.
"You were never supposed to find her."
My blood ran cold.
Because attached beneath the message—
Was a photograph.
Taken only hours ago.
A photograph of me and Meera sitting together in the café.
Someone had been watching.
Again.