Chapter 2: The Search for Zoya

Ayaan sat at his desk, the letter trembling in his hands. The name Zoya echoed in his mind like a forgotten melody. He didn't know her—at least, not in this lifetime. But the moment his fingers touched the paper, a strange feeling washed over him.

It was as if he had lost something precious without even knowing he had it.

Taking a deep breath, he opened his laptop and began his search. Zoya… March 17, 1974.

The database loaded, and he entered the name into the archives. News articles, birth records, death certificates—he searched every possible source.

Nothing.

It was as if she had never existed.

Frustrated, Ayaan leaned back in his chair. His research into time-travel theory had always suggested that the past and present were connected in ways beyond human understanding. Could this be a case of time displacement? A memory erased by the flow of time?

Suddenly, an idea struck him.

He scanned the letter again, looking for hidden details. His eyes landed on a faintly scribbled address at the bottom:

"Rosewood Bookstore, Lahore."

Ayaan's pulse quickened. That was a real place. An old, historic bookstore that had stood in the city for decades. If this letter truly came from the past, perhaps that was where Zoya had been.

Without hesitation, he grabbed his coat.

If there was even the slightest chance that Zoya was real…

If there was a truth hidden in the past waiting for him to uncover…

He had to find it.