Raghavan eagerly opened the gift, his heart pounding with curiosity.
Inside, he found a ring.
Engraved on it were the names: Raghavan & Pallavi.
Along with it, there was a letter.
With trembling hands, he unfolded it and began to read:
"Raghavan, I don't know if you'll like this gift or not…But the reason I gave this to you is because… you should never forget me in your life.
You must wear this ring forever. No matter what happens, don't ever remove it.
Whenever you look at this ring, you should remember only one thing…You are not alone. I am here for you. I will always be with you."
— Pallavi
Those words shook him deeply.
From that moment, his heart belonged entirely to Pallavi. He wanted her to stay with him forever.
And unknowingly, Pallavi felt the same.
The next day, Raghavan went to school.
But Pallavi didn't come.
During the break, he sat under their usual tree—but her seat was empty.
He didn't know her address. He didn't know why she was absent. Even her phone wasn't reachable.
Fear crept into his heart.
The next day… still no sign of her.
Desperate, Raghavan asked her friends. They didn't know anything either—but they gave him her home address.
He couldn't wait any longer.
He immediately rushed to find her house.
After struggling for hours, he finally found it—but the house was locked.
He waited outside for a long time… but no one came.
Finally, he asked a nearby shopkeeper.
"That girl's father isn't well," the man said. "They've taken him somewhere for treatment."
"Where?" Raghavan asked urgently.
"I'm not sure."
Raghavan returned home, shattered.
He sat silently, refusing to eat.
Mahadevan noticed.
"What happened? Why are you like this?"
Raghavan told him everything.
Without saying a word, Mahadevan left.
After some time, he returned—with a plate of food—and fed Raghavan himself.
"Eat. I found out where Pallavi is. She's in Chennai."
Raghavan immediately started eating.
"After you finish, we're leaving. I've arranged a helicopter. We'll reach by morning."
Soon, they flew to Chennai.
The moment Raghavan landed, he rushed inside the hospital.
Outside, Pallavi sat crying.
The moment she saw him, she ran and hugged him tightly.
"I didn't know what to do… I couldn't even call you…" she cried.
"It's okay. Don't cry. I'm here now," he said softly.
Mahadevan spoke to the doctor privately.
"His heart is very weak," the doctor said. "He may only survive one or two days."
Mahadevan nodded grimly."Don't tell the girl. I'll handle it."
Meanwhile, outside…
"Where's your mother?" Raghavan asked.
Pallavi looked down.
"She left us… after a fight with my dad. She went abroad. My dad couldn't take it… that's why he had a heart attack."
Raghavan clenched his fists.
She continued, "My dad's colleague, Mukesh uncle, admitted him here. But he had to leave urgently. I didn't even bring my phone… I had no money…"
Her voice trembled.
Raghavan gently took her hand.
"Come with me."
He took her to a restaurant and made sure she ate something.
Then they returned to the hospital.
Mahadevan had already settled all the bills.
For two days, Raghavan didn't sleep.
He stayed beside Pallavi the entire time.
On the second morning…
Her father passed away.
Pallavi broke down completely.
Raghavan held her, trying his best to comfort her.
They took her father's body back to their hometown.
Mahadevan personally handled all the final rites.
No relatives came.
Pallavi sat alone, crying endlessly.
Raghavan packed her belongings quietly, then walked up to her.
"Come. You're coming home with me."
And he took her with him.
At home…
Pallavi refused to eat.
Raghavan, just like his grandfather, brought food and fed her patiently.
Through tears, she finally ate.
"Don't ever think you're alone," Raghavan said firmly."I'm here for you. Always. No matter what happens, I will never leave you."
Days passed.
Slowly, Pallavi began to heal.
They returned to school.
One day, while talking with Mahadevan, Pallavi asked:
"Thatha… why did you ask me about Adhitya?"
Mahadevan's expression turned serious.
"What I'm about to say… Raghavan must not know."
Pallavi nodded.
"That accident… wasn't random. It was planned."
Her eyes widened.
"It was Adhitya. He paid the truck driver to hit Raghavan."
Pallavi froze in shock.
"I tried to investigate him… but all his details are fake. We're still searching."
Pallavi was shaken—but she didn't tell Raghavan.
Time passed.
Exams came.
They both scored well and got admission to a university in Spain.
Mahadevan sent them off safely.
In Spain…
Their bond grew stronger.
Years passed.
They reached their final year.
For their research project, Raghavan wanted to discover something no one had ever proven before.
That's when he found a name—
Atlantis.
A lost city, believed to exist somewhere between Spain and Morocco.
Their university was near the border—making it the perfect opportunity.
"Let's make this our project," Raghavan said.
Pallavi agreed.
They traveled to the Doñana region in Spain, along with a group of students.
They stayed in a tower house and began their research.
Soon, they uncovered something shocking—
Doñana might be the outer region of Atlantis.
The inner city… could be beneath the ocean.
To reach it, they would have to travel by sea—and cross the legendary Pillars of Hercules.
Raghavan became obsessed with the research.
He barely slept.
One night, Pallavi sat beside him.
"Why are you pushing yourself so hard?" she asked.
He smiled faintly."I don't know… but I feel like I need to find this city."
She gently closed his laptop."Sleep. You can continue tomorrow."
Later that night…
As Pallavi went to shut down his laptop, something caught her eye.
An article.
It mentioned a mysterious book hidden deep in the Atlantic—something many had tried to find.
But what shocked her the most—
The information was uploaded by someone named…
Adhitya.
Pallavi's heart skipped a beat.
Without wasting a second, she called Mahadevan and told him everything.