“Ah! Faster, more faster! I have to run faster before they catch me,” Seana panted, her heart pounding as she sprinted through the narrow alleys of Mandvi, a beautiful city nestled by the beach in Gujarat. The night was cloaked in an eerie silence, only the sound of her footsteps echoing in the dark. Her mind raced back to the events that led her here.
The next morning, the scent of blooming flowers enveloped Seana as she opened the sliders of her flower shop. “Good morning, Seana,” greeted Eviana, her best friend who ran a café across the street.
“Good morning, Eviana,” Seana replied, trying to shake off the lingering fear from the previous night. As she busied herself arranging bouquets, a strange man entered the shop, examining the surroundings. Their eyes met, and he frowned. Seana’s heart skipped a beat. Did he recognize her? She quickly dismissed the thought and resumed her work.
That evening, as Seana walked home, she felt someone following her. She turned, but there was no one. The streets, usually bustling, were eerily quiet. At home, her family was watching TV, oblivious to her anxiety. After dinner, she went to bed, hoping for a dreamless night.
But the nightmares persisted. “No, no, I didn’t do it, please leave me,” she screamed, waking up her parents and grandmother. They comforted her, but the fear lingered. The next day at the shop, a policeman arrived, summoning her for another round of questioning about the old case of her friend Vihaan’s disappearance.
At the station, none of the suspects matched the culprit, but one man stood out to Seana. He seemed familiar, yet she couldn’t place him. Deciding not to mention it to the police, she returned home, trying to ignore the unsettling feeling.
That night, a thunderstorm struck, and the power went out. Someone banged on the door, and her family tensed up. Three masked men burst in, demanding to know where “Harry” was. Her father tried to protect them, but the men were relentless. Just as they were about to harm him, Jivan, a police officer and Seana’s old friend, arrived with backup, arresting the intruders.
Despite five years passing since Vihaan’s disappearance, the fear and uncertainty still haunted Seana’s family. The next morning, Seana was back at her shop when a woman with a familiar tattoo on her wrist entered. It was Rihana, their friend from school, but she acted as if she didn’t recognize Seana and hurried away. Puzzled, Seana shrugged it off and continued her work.
Days later, Seana saw Rihana again at the supermarket, this time with a man. Unsure whether to approach her, Seana decided against it. Returning to her shop, she received a call from Jivan, who had found new evidence in Vihaan’s case. At the station, a CCTV footage revealed a man wearing a distinctive watch. Seana felt a pang of recognition but couldn’t pinpoint it.
That evening, Jivan insisted on taking Seana out to dinner. During their meal, Jivan received a call, becoming visibly agitated. After the dinner, he dropped Seana home, leaving her wondering about his strange behavior.
The following day was Vihaan’s birthday. Seana visited his parents, sharing their grief. On her way home, she heard cries and muffled voices from an apartment building – the same building where Jivan lived. Ignoring her curiosity, she went home, but the unsettling feeling persisted.
Delivering flowers to a customer in the same building a few days later, Seana heard the strange noises again. She was about to investigate when Jivan entered the lift, startled to see her. When his watch got caught on her dress, she recognized it as the one from the CCTV footage. Jivan’s nervous reaction confirmed her suspicions.
One day at the vegetable market, Seana saw a disheveled man shouting, chased by people including Jivan. The man seemed familiar, and Seana’s heart told her it was Vihaan. Ignoring Jivan’s attempt to shoo her away, she decided to find out the truth.
Seana confronted Jivan at his apartment. “What’s going on, Jivan? Who was that man? Why are you behaving differently?” she demanded. Jivan’s evasive answers fueled her anger. Just then, one of Jivan’s men entered, announcing that Vihaan had been moved to a new location.
“What? Vihaan? Where is he?” Seana shouted, realization dawning on her. Jivan confessed that Vihaan was alive but in hiding to protect him from Harry’s gang. Seana was furious. “You kept this from me? How could you do this to Vihaan, to me?” she cried.
Jivan, overwhelmed, admitted his jealousy over Seana’s close bond with Vihaan. “You always prioritised him over me. It hurt,” he said, his voice laced with bitterness. Seana was stunned. “We were all friends, Jivan. You should have talked to me,” she said.
The final blow came when Rihana called Jivan, discussing Vihaan’s relocation. Seana felt utterly betrayed. “Even Rihana knew? You all kept me in the dark, thinking I’m too soft to handle the truth,” she said, her voice breaking.
Retreating home, Seana felt a profound sense of betrayal and defeat. For two days, she locked herself in her room, refusing to eat or talk. The realization that those she trusted had manipulated her left her shattered.
Seana’s story is a harsh reminder that the world can be unforgiving. Being selfless and expecting the same from others can lead to heartbreak. The twisted ending reveals the painful truth that sometimes, the people closest to us can become our greatest enemies.
In the beautiful city of Mandvi, amidst the fragrant flowers, Seana learned the hardest lesson of all – trust is fragile, and the world is often far from fair.
As she reflected on the events, a bitter thought crossed her mind: “There is no such thing as a friend; it’s all about their benefits from you.” The realization cut deep, leaving her with a profound sense of betrayal and a heart hardened by the truth.
The Momma Clan 
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