"Ayien?" The word escaped her mouth as she looked at him, her brow furrowed in confusion.

 "Bhai, subhe subhe pii li kya?" (Brother, did you drink so early in the morning?)

The man quickly shook his head, waving his hands in denial. "No, no! I-I... Bhabhi! If you are alive, why don't you come home?"

Jhanvi blinked, her confusion turning to irritation. "God, stop calling me Bhabhi! Humari abhi tak ek bhi shaadi nahi hui toh main tumhari Bhabhi kaise hui?" (We haven't had a single wedding yet, so how am I your sister-in-law?)

The man stammered, his face reddening. "After marrying my brother!"

Jhanvi cursed under her breath, muttering, "Ab ye bhai kahaan se aa gaya?" (Now where did this brother come from?)

The man, still flustered, answered earnestly, "Mummy se." (From Mom.)

"God, listen! I don't know you—you don't know me—and I am not your Bhabhi, for God's sake!" Jhanvi snapped, her voice sharp with frustration. She turned on her heel, fully intending to leave the absurd conversation behind.

But before she could take a step, Aahan moved swiftly, blocking her path. His face was a mix of desperation and confusion as he looked at her.

"Bhabhi, why are you saying this?" he asked, his voice trembling slightly. 

"Where were you for the past four years? Do you have any idea what we went through? Arushi and I... we tried everything. We didn't give up. We searched for you everywhere. But in the end..." He paused, swallowing hard, his Adam's apple bobbing as he struggled to control his emotions.

"In the end, we had to accept the harsh reality that you were gone... that you were dead."Jhanvi stiffened, her fists clenching at her sides, but she said nothing, her expression unreadable.

"And Bhai..." Aahan's voice cracked, and he took a shaky breath. 

"He—he lost himself, Bhabhi. He became ill. Mentally ill. He just... he just stares at your photo all day, every day. It's like he's stuck in time, waiting for you to come back."

Jhanvi's expression faltered for a brief moment, but she quickly masked it with an air of confusion and defiance. "I think you've made a mistake," she said firmly, though a flicker of unease passed through her eyes. 

"I'm not the person you're looking for. Stop calling me Bhabhi. And stop following me!"

Aahan's brows furrowed deeply, disbelief etched across his face. 

"Mistake? How can you say that? You're standing right in front of me! How can you deny who you are?"

"Because I'm not her!" she shot back, her voice sharp and rising with frustration. 

"The woman you're talking about—whoever she is—she's not me. I don't know you, your brother, or anyone else. Just leave me alone!"

Her words hit him like a physical blow, but Aahan wasn't ready to give up. "If you're not her," he said, his voice quieter now but no less intense,

 "then why do you look exactly like her? Why does seeing you make me feel like I've found someone I thought I'd lost forever?"

Jhanvi's breath hitched at his words, but she quickly composed herself, her face hardening with resolve.

 "You're delusional. Find someone else to pin your hopes on." Her tone was cold, cutting through the air like ice. Without another glance, she brushed past him, leaving him standing there, his heart pounding and his mind racing with questions.

Aahan's POV:

He stood frozen, watching her retreating figure disappear into the crowd. His chest felt heavy, a mixture of emotions threatening to overwhelm him—relief at seeing her alive, confusion over her denial, and disbelief at her cold demeanor.

How could she deny it? he thought, clenching his fists at his sides. It was her. It had to be her.

But then, why was she acting like this? Why was she pretending not to know him? What had happened to her in the last four years that made her this way?

His phone buzzed in his pocket, snapping him out of his thoughts. He fumbled to answer the call, barely registering the voice on the other end as his gaze remained fixed on the direction she had gone.

"Yes, I'll call you back," he said curtly before ending the call.

When he turned back, she was gone. The realization hit him like a punch to the gut. He looked around frantically, scanning the street for any sign of her, but it was as if she had vanished into thin air.

"Bhabhi..." he whispered, her name barely audible as it left his lips. His jaw tightened, and his eyes burned with determination. "I'll find out the truth. No matter what it takes."

Meanwhile, at the Café:

Jhanvi pushed open the door of the café, the familiar aroma of coffee and pastries wafting over her as she stepped inside. Her heels clicked against the tiled floor as she made her way to the counter, her expression carefully neutral.

Reva, her friend and co-worker, glanced up from her laptop and raised an eyebrow. "You're late, Miss Boss," she teased, a smirk tugging at the corners of her lips.

Jhanvi rolled her eyes and dropped into the chair across from her. "Don't start, Reva. I've already had the most annoying morning."

Reva leaned forward, intrigued. "Oh? Do tell."

Jhanvi let out an exasperated sigh, running a hand through her hair. 

"Some lunatic followed me and kept calling me 'Bhabhi.' Can you believe that? And then he had the audacity to spin some sob story about his brother being mentally ill—like his so-called Bhabhi died, and after that, his brother supposedly became like this. Ugh!

Reva's smirk faded, replaced by a look of concern.

 "Wait... what? That sounds intense."

"Intense? Try insane," Jhanvi muttered, shaking her head. "I don't even know these people, but he acted like I was some long-lost family member."

Before Reva could respond, Jay sauntered over, his trademark mischievous grin firmly in place.

 "What's this? Drama so early in the morning? And you didn't invite me?"

Jhanvi groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Not you too, Jay. Stop irritating me. I've had enough for one day."

Jay chuckled, pulling out a chair and plopping down beside her. "Oh, come on. You love me.""Love to strangle you, maybe," Jhanvi shot back.