The afternoon was unusually quiet.
Sathyamoorthy had just finished organizing his notes while Lakshmi Rajyam prepared tea in the kitchen.
For a brief moment, the apartment almost felt normal.
Then the television broke the silence.
A loud breaking news alert flashed across every news channel.
Red banners.
Urgent music.
Anchors speaking over one another.
Sathyamoorthy picked up the remote and increased the volume.
Both of them turned toward the television.
The headline froze them.
Breaking News
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Lakshmi Rajyam Reportedly Dies in a Car Accident Near Nellore.
The cup slipped from Lakshmi's hand.
It shattered on the floor.
Neither of them noticed.
On the screen, visuals showed a completely burnt SUV lying beside a highway.
Emergency vehicles surrounded the scene.
Police officers had sealed the area.
Reporters were broadcasting live from a distance.
Sathyamoorthy looked at Lakshmi.
Then back at the television.
Then at Lakshmi again.
She was standing right beside him.
Alive.
Breathing.
Watching her own death being announced.
The anchor continued reporting.
According to preliminary information, the Chief Minister's convoy met with a fatal accident near Nellore during an alleged secret movement. Authorities have neither officially confirmed nor denied the reports. Identification is underway.
Lakshmi slowly sat down.
Her face showed neither fear nor grief.
Only disbelief.
This...
is impossible.
Sathyamoorthy muted the television.
The apartment fell into complete silence.
After nearly a minute, Lakshmi spoke again.
No.
This is not an accident.
Sathyamoorthy nodded.
I agree.
She looked directly at him.
Someone has officially declared me dead.
He began thinking aloud.
If the country believes you're dead...
then the search ends.
Media stops asking questions.
Witnesses stop looking.
People move on.
Lakshmi finished the thought.
And whoever planned the attack gains time.
She stood and walked closer to the television.
The footage replayed again.
The burnt vehicle.
The smoke.
The damaged road barrier.
Everything looked convincing.
Too convincing.
She narrowed her eyes.
That is not my official vehicle.
Sathyamoorthy immediately looked closer.
You're sure?
Very sure.
The registration number is different.
The emergency communication antenna is missing.
And the armour configuration isn't the same.
He quickly paused the television and zoomed in.
She was right.
The vehicle resembled the Chief Minister's convoy SUV.
But it wasn't identical.
Someone prepared this.
He whispered.
Lakshmi nodded.
Days in advance.
Not hours.
The television resumed with another update.
Opposition leaders expressed condolences.
Party workers gathered outside government buildings.
Crowds began lighting candles.
Social media was flooded with tribute messages.
Across Andhra Pradesh, people had already started mourning.
Lakshmi stared at the screen.
People...
are crying for me.
Her voice trembled for the first time.
Not because of fear.
But because she was witnessing thousands mourn a person who was still alive.
Sathyamoorthy turned off the television.
Enough.
The silence returned.
He opened his notebook immediately.
At the top of a new page, he wrote one sentence.
Who benefits if Lakshmi Rajyam is officially declared dead while she is actually alive?
He looked at Lakshmi.
This isn't just a fake death.
It's a political operation.
Lakshmi slowly nodded.
If the public believes I died...
someone can take decisions in my absence.
Files can disappear.
Evidence can be destroyed.
Power can be rearranged.
She paused.
Then another thought struck her.
Or...
someone wants me to remain hidden forever.
Because a dead person cannot return without shaking the entire political system.
Sathyamoorthy closed the notebook.
Which means...
your biggest enemy didn't fail.
They changed the battlefield.
Outside the apartment, Chennai continued as if nothing extraordinary had happened.
But across Andhra Pradesh, thousands of people had already begun mourning their Chief Minister.
Inside one small apartment...
the supposedly dead Chief Minister sat silently, watching her own obituary spread across the nation.
And both she and Sathyamoorthy understood one terrifying truth.
The person behind this operation was no longer trying to kill Lakshmi Rajyam.
They were trying to erase her existence.