The morning sky was a dull shade of grey.
A strange, heavy silence hung in the air.
Aarav stood silently amidst the crowd… yet, he felt utterly alone.
It was his mother's funeral.
One by one, people approached his father to offer their condolences.
"What an unfortunate accident..."
"Accidents like these keep happening on that flyover..."
"The government really should do something..."
The murmurs continued.
But Aarav remained silent.
His gaze was fixed on the rising flames.
With every passing second, it felt as if a part of his own life was turning into ash and vanishing forever.
Just then, a hand rested on his shoulder.
Aarav turned slowly to look.
"Satyam..."
It was his best friend. From school until now, Satyam had always stood by him.
Satyam was simple—loyal, intelligent, and someone who never let Aarav feel isolated.
"I was going to come to the hospital last night," Satyam said softly.
"But then I heard... it was already over."
Aarav didn't say a word.
For a few seconds, they both just stood there in silence.
Then, Satyam asked in a low voice, "Did the police say anything?"
A sharp flash of seriousness flickered in Aarav's eyes.
"They're calling it an accident."
Satyam paused, thinking for a moment. "But how did an accident happen on the flyover?"
Aarav replied flatly, "The road suddenly merged from two lanes into one."
"There weren't even proper warning signs."
Satyam's expression shifted. "You mean... negligence."
Aarav's fist tightened slowly.
One thought kept echoing in his mind: If the system had done its job properly... Mom would still be alive today.
As the funeral concluded, the crowd began to thin out.
Aarav was about to leave when he overheard two men standing nearby.
"This flyover project belonged to that contractor, didn't it?"
"Yeah... but I heard a lot of money was siphoned off during construction."
"That explains why the road design is so flawed."
Aarav froze in his tracks.
He listened intently as they continued.
"It was a government project... corruption is bound to happen."
In that moment, everything became clear in Aarav's mind.
This couldn't have been just an accident.
Perhaps...
This was the direct result of corruption.
He looked up at the vast sky and whispered under his breath—
"Mom... I will find out the truth."