It was midnight when I crossed the road, completely lost in my thoughts. My mind wasn’t calm. I kept thinking about the fight I had with Navya earlier that day. Over something so small, yet my heart felt heavy.
In that quiet night, under the empty streetlights, I realized — I needed to say sorry.
Why was I holding onto my ego? Why was I making things worse for no reason?
So I picked up my phone, determined to fix things. I went to search Navya’s number… but it wasn’t there.
Deleted.
I had deleted her number in anger.
I felt angry at myself now. Angry for being so childish.
Still, I tried to recall her number from memory. Slowly… carefully… I typed it.
Yes, this is it. I felt confident.
I typed the message:
“I’m sorry. I know it was my mistake. I love you, you know.”
I hit send.
Finally, I thought, everything will be fine now.
Just a few minutes later… Navya messaged me too.
“I’m sorry too. I overreacted.”
At first, I smiled. I thought — okay, we both said sorry, everything’s sorted now.
But then… something felt strange.
Why did she say sorry first? Shouldn’t she have replied to my message?
I checked again. That’s when my heart skipped a beat.
The number I sent my apology to…
wasn’t Navya’s number.
It was a completely wrong number. A stranger.
My heart started racing. I quickly opened the chat, thinking I would delete the message before the person could see it…
But it was already seen.
Too late.
I couldn’t believe how stupid I had been.
I called Navya immediately.
“Navya… you won’t believe what I just did.”
I explained everything. How I texted some random stranger such an emotional message.
How I told a complete unknown person “I’m sorry… I love you.”
At first, Navya burst out laughing.
“Seriously? How careless can you be?”
I couldn’t help but laugh too.
“It’s so embarrassing! But I guess it’s no big deal. Just a mistake.”
We both laughed about it, thinking it was nothing serious.
We didn’t know then… how wrong we were.
---
Later at home, I tried to distract myself by making instant noodles. My rented room above Marina Tailors was tiny, empty, and colder than usual. I lived alone. No family. Just me.
As I sat down with my half-cooked dinner, my phone buzzed.
Unknown Number: I love you too.
I felt my heart skip a beat. Who was this?
And then I remembered… the wrong number.
Panicked, I quickly typed:
Sorry. Wrong number. Please forget this.
But another message came.
You broke my heart. I will broke you.
I froze. My hands trembled.
Who was this? Some psycho? A joke? Or something worse?
No… it’s just words. Nothing’s going to happen.
At least, that’s what I told myself.
When I reached my home I tried to distract myself by making instant noodles. My rented room above Marina Tailors was tiny, empty, and colder than usual. I lived alone. No family. Just me.
As I sat down with my half-cooked dinner, my phone buzzed.
Unknown Number: I love you too.
I felt my heart skip a beat. Who was this?
And then I remembered… the wrong number.
Panicked, I quickly typed:
Sorry. Wrong number. Please forget this.
But another message came.
You broke my heart. I will destroy you.
I froze. My hands trembled.
Who was this? Some psycho? A joke? Or something worse?
No… it’s just words. Nothing’s going to happen.
At least, that’s what I told myself.
It was near midnight when my phone buzzed again.
Won’t you welcome me into your house?
I shocked and freezed for moment
I didn’t even have time to panic properly.
That suddenly
Ding dong..........
The doorbell rang.
My heart stopped.
Not possible. This couldn’t be real.
The bell rang again.
Then knocking. Slow. Then faster. Then furious.
“No… no… no…” I whispered.
I tiptoed to the door and peeked through the peephole.
A boy. Black hat. Face half-hidden. Knocking like a maniac.
Tears filled my eyes.
I pressed myself against the wall, holding my breath, praying he’d think no one was inside.
The knocking stopped. Footsteps faded.
I collapsed onto the floor, shaking, crying quietly.
Somehow, with trembling hands, I called Navya.
“Navya… please… someone’s outside my house… I’m scared… please…”
Her voice tried to calm me down.
“Don’t panic. My brother’s nearby. I’ve already called the police. He’ll come right now.”
“Okay… okay…” I whispered, trying to stop my tears.
I messaged her “Please… come fast… I feel so afraid… he’s going to kill me… Navya… please… help me…”
I checked she saw it or not then again my jaw dropped it's again the same number that shranger number.
Then the voice came from outside "How can I help you"..
I dropped my phone in fear.
No… not again…
I tried to push the furniture to block the door, but I couldn’t. I wasn’t strong enough.
Before I could do anything else, the door burst open.
The boy in black stepped inside.
“You hid from me… why?”
His voice sent chills down my spine.
“Don’t you love me? I love you…”
I backed away, fell to the floor.
My eyes darted around the room.
A vase.
I grabbed it and smashed it on his head. Blood trickled down his face.
But he didn’t stop.
I grabbed a pen and stabbed it into his arm.
He screamed in pain.
Still… he didn’t stop.
He tied my hands and legs with rope he had brought. His face was too close now, his breath sickening.
I screamed. I cried. I fought.
But there was no one to hear me.
Just when I thought it was over…
A loud crack.
A bamboo stick struck his head from behind. He fell unconscious.
Someone untied me.
“You’re safe now… I’m here.”
Tears blurred my vision.
“Thank you… Navya sent you, right?”
Moments later, Navya arrived, panting.
“Are you okay? Where’s my brother?”
I pointed at the man who saved me.
“That’s your brother… isn’t it…?”
Navya frowned.
“That’s not my brother.”
I turned, confused, to the man who had rescued me.
He smiled faintly.
“I’m the wrong number. The one you called by mistake.”
My mouth opened in shock.
“What? Why… why did you come?”
He looked down for a moment, then met my eyes.
“When you called me the first time… I was standing on a rooftop. Ready to end my life. Family, work, life… it all broke me. I thought no one cared anymore.”
He gave me a small, grateful smile.
“But your words… ‘I’m sorry… I love you… I know it was my mistake’… they made me feel like maybe someone still cared. Maybe I wasn’t invisible. I stepped down from that rooftop because of you.”
Tears filled my eyes again.
“And tonight… when you called again, crying for help… I knew it wasn’t a mistake. I owed you my life. So I came to return the favor.”
Navya sat beside me, holding my hand tightly.
“Sometimes… wrong numbers bring the right people into our lives,” she said softly.
I looked at him…
And all I could say was —
I didn’t even have time to panic properly.
Ding dong.
The doorbell rang.
My heart stopped.
Not possible. This couldn’t be real.
The bell rang again.
Then knocking. Slow. Then faster. Then furious.
“No… no… no…” I whispered.
I tiptoed to the door and peeked through the peephole.
A boy. Black hat. Face half-hidden. Knocking like a maniac.
Tears filled my eyes.
I pressed myself against the wall, holding my breath, praying he’d think no one was inside.
The knocking stopped. Footsteps faded.
I collapsed onto the floor, shaking, crying quietly.
Somehow, with trembling hands, I called Navya.
“Navya… please… someone’s outside my house… I’m scared… please…”
Her voice tried to calm me down.
“Don’t panic. My brother’s nearby. I’ve already called the police. He’ll come right now.”
“Okay… okay…” I whispered, trying to stop my tears.
To confirm, I called Navya again.
But… in my panic… I accidentally redialed the wrong number.
“Please… come fast… I feel so afraid… he’s going to kill me… Navya… please… help me…”
A calm voice replied.
“Hello? Who is this? How can I help you?”
I dropped my phone in fear.
No… not again…
I tried to push the furniture to block the door, but I couldn’t. I wasn’t strong enough.
Before I could do anything else, the door burst open.
The boy in black stepped inside.
“You hid from me… why?”
His voice sent chills down my spine.
“Don’t you love me? I love you…”
I backed away, fell to the floor.
My eyes darted around the room.
A vase.
I grabbed it and smashed it on his head. Blood trickled down his face.
But he didn’t stop.
I grabbed a pen and stabbed it into his arm.
He screamed in pain.
Still… he didn’t stop.
He tied my hands and legs with rope he had brought. His face was too close now, his breath sickening.
I screamed. I cried. I fought.
But there was no one to hear me.
Just when I thought it was over…
A loud crack.
A bamboo stick struck his head from behind. He fell unconscious.
Someone untied me.
“You’re safe now… I’m here.”
Tears blurred my vision.
“Thank you… Navya sent you, right?”
Moments later, Navya arrived, panting.
“Are you okay? Where’s my brother?”
She step inside the house then she sat on ground and started looking at the killer .. I asked what happened why you looked at him she said he is my brother is he try to harm you.
I shocked... I said yes then police came she called the police and she got her brother arrested.
I turned, confused, to the man who had rescued me.
He smiled faintly.
And said I am the "wrong message guy"
I shocked how and why he came here to help me.
He sighed.
And said..
“When you sent that message… I was standing on a rooftop. Ready to end my life. Family, work, everything had crushed me. I thought no one cared.”
He looked at me, with soft, grateful eyes.
“But your words… ‘I’m sorry… I love you… I know it was my mistake’… pulled me back. Made me step away.”
Tears burned in my eyes.
“And tonight… when you messaged again, terrified… I knew it wasn’t a mistake. I owed you. So I came… because you saved me first.” Now it's my turn..
"Tonight you gave me a reason to LIVE Now I gave you a reason to SURVIVE"..
Navya sat beside me, holding my hand tightly.
Sometimes… wrong numbers aren’t accidents. Sometimes… they’re fate.
I looked at him.
And all I could say was—
I didn't feel alone anymore.........
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