LOVE, LIFE, SECRETS: Answers lie within – CHAPTER 17

CHAPTER 17: Decisions

(Day when Tia’s postmortem reports arrive)

Shivaay and Anika were sitting in Shivaay’s cabin…. They both were completely shocked hearing about Tia being poisoned for about a month…. Prachi and Ranbir had come with the documents from the police station…. Ranbir broke the news about Tia’s postmortem reports….

Shivaay could not believe that something like this was happening in front of his eyes in his own house…. How could this happen, Tia had been living with his family for quite a long time now…. They had their meals together most of the times…. His family also ate the same food…. Then how the poison did enter her body…. Was it someone in Oberoi mansion…. Was his family also in danger…. Several thoughts were running through his mind….

Anika was reading the reports carefully…. She did not understand the medical terms but from her experience she had learnt to decipher whatever was written…. She was not able to understand how this was even possible…. Tia belonged to a well-known family living in tight security…. Her food was being poisoned for over a month and none found anything different with her health…. Didn’t she have any effects of the poison on her…. Did nobody care to notice this…. How did someone manage to poison her food everyday…. Finally she voiced her questions….

Anika: How is all this possible?

Shivaay: I don’t know, all this was happening in my house and still no one had any clue.

Anika: She was being poisoned, how could no one notice any change in her health, she must have had at least some effects of the poison.

Shivaay: Tia never complained about any health issues, she looked completely fine.

Prachi: The reports clearly reveal that her body was very weak and that is why she died soon after being stabbed. It only indicates that the killer knew that her health was vulnerable and he/she wouldn’t have to make many efforts to kill her.

Anika: Yes, the killer had planned everything accurately, choosing the correct day to execute his/her final step.

Shivaay: We have to find the killer soon, we don’t know if the person only wanted to kill Tia or there is more to his/her plan. The families can be in danger too.

Prachi: I think we need to check everyone and every place that Tia had visited in the past few months, may be we’ll get some clues.

Ranbir: You are right, we need to check everything, leaving even the slightest detail could be dangerous for us.

Anika: Right, Prachi, you and Ranbir find about Tia’s phone records while Shivaay and I’ll find about the places she has been to over the past months.

Ranbir: Yes ma’am, we’ll get the needful.

Anika: I am sure you’ll do that but please don’t call me ma’am, just like Shivaay, you also call me Anika, I am not used to being called ma’am.

Ranbir: Okay, Anika.

Anika smiled at him and Ranbir smiled back…. Prachi knew Anika’s nature and felt proud that her friend was such a down to earth person…. Ranbir and Prachi took their leave and walked out…. Shivaay was looking at her surprised at her simplicity and humble nature…. Anika looked at Shivaay for a moment but diverted her gaze and took her phone to call someone…. Shivaay could sense that she was still ignoring him and it was making him highly irritated…. What was wrong with her, he thought as he took out his phone…. He decided that he would make her normal again…. She couldn’t just go one with ignoring him when they were working together….

*****

Rudra was sitting in his room, they had returned back to the mansion the previous night…. He was feeling a relief to be back in his home….

His family was still not able to come up from Tia’s sudden death…. Shivaay Bhaiya did not seem to be much affected, probably because he never had any feelings attached to her…. He still wondered how Bhaiya had agreed to marry her…. Om was also busy taking care of Dadi after this unfortunate event…. His dad and Chote papa were busy taking care of the business as Shivaay was busy with the case…. His mom and Choti maa were taking care of Mrs. Kapoor….

Prinku was busy in her own thoughts…. He had noticed that she was behaving different since the investigation had started but he thought it was only because of her timid and reserved nature….

Romi was his friend but still he couldn’t talk to her to console her…. She was most of the times locked in her room…. He understood that she needed time after all she had lost her sister….

Rudra had never thought that even he could think all this…. Wasn’t he the fun loving and care-free one amongst his family…. The murder had definitely affected him and he knew that he had to be there for his family…. He had to the support of his brothers….

Amongst all these thoughts he was reminded of Soumya…. He was doing it for his family but Soumya, she was doing it for her boss cum sister…. He understood that relations were not only by birth and blood but also by heart…. He felt a kind of pride thinking about her…. She was so kind and helpful….

He was sitting thinking when he remembered the facts that he had uncovered the previous day…. Tia was cheating over his Bhaiya…. How could she do it…. What would have happened if his Bhaiya had married her…. He was very angry with her for trying to play with his brother…. No one had ever dared to think about doing so and Tia was all along doing it…. Although he was happy that she was no more a part of his Bhaiya’s life but the way it had happened was not right…. Should he tell about Tia to his family…. No, he thought…. He would after they were done with her last rites which were to be performed the next day…. He would first find some solid proofs than only tell anyone…. For the time being he had to trust Soumya and Gauri that they would not disclose it to anyone…. He had known them for only few days but still he felt that he could trust them….

Rudra sat there letting out a sigh…. He decided to some work out to divert his mind from all these thoughts…. His gym was his one solace in his life after his brothers and sister….

*****

Priyanka was sitting in her room…. She was thinking about what would happen when her family, especially her brothers would feel when they would know about Ranveer and her…. She had never kept any secrets from them, she could tell them anything in the world without a second thought but not this…. She was worried what if life made her choose between her family and Ranveer…. No, she couldn’t live without either of them…. But would her family understand….

She knew that Om Bhaiya would not have much objection apart from the fact that she had hidden it but she would make him understand….

Rudra Bhaiya, he would only take this as an opportunity to tease the life out of her not before cribbing that she had kept a secret from him….

Shivaay Bhaiya, she was scared as she knew his reaction, it would only be anger that would be vented not on her but on Ranveer thinking that he had tried trapping his sister…. She knew how Shivaay Bhaiya thought; he would never be able to look past the fact that Ranveer was a police officer whereas they belonged to a rich and reputed business family…. His beliefs, no one could change them….

The mere thought of losing Ranveer was crushing her heart…. She wouldn’t let that happen…. Whatever it took, she would make her family understand and accept Ranveer…. She would not let her love lose…. She knew Ranveer would not go against her family’s wish and do anything that hurt them…. So she would also not let anything or anyone hurt him…. Ranveer had lost his family when he was a teenager…. The only family he had was Abir and now, her…. She would never let Ranveer lose anyone else…. She wouldn’t let him break again…. She took a firm decision to always be with Ranveer…. She decided to help Ranveer in his investigation….

*****

Om was walking back towards his room lost in thoughts…. He had made Dadi have her food and given her the medicines…. Shivaay was busy with the case and Rudra was not mature enough to handle everyone so it was upon Om to look after the family…. He had to be with them taking care of them….

He had to be Shivaay’s support in this time…. He knew that more than Tia’s death it was the family reputation that would affect Shivaay…. He knew that Shivaay didn’t feel anything for Tia, love being out of question…. Om was never in favour of their marriage but he also never opposed openly seeing his family being happy that finally Shivaay had agreed to get married….

He entered his room and lied down on the bed…. He was tired…. He closed his eyes and her eyes flashed in front of him…. Om opened his eyes immediately…. Out of everyone in the world why did Ishana’s eyes come to his mind…. He felt a certain kind of relief when he thought about her…. He got up and sat on the bed…. What was he doing thinking about a girl he had met two days ago…. One who was a complete stranger to him…. Was his mind losing it after a hectic day…. But why her…. Why did his mind think about her…. Ishana…. Someone he did not know anything about…. Why was he thinking about her sitting in his room….

He remembered the first time he had seen her…. How she had entered the hotel room thinking it to be her territory…. She did not give a thought to whom she was dealing with…. All that mattered to her was bringing the truth to the world…. He could relate to her…. Wasn’t he also like her, always trying to be truthful and standing up for the truth…. A thought came to him….

Should he help her in doing so…. Should he help her in finding the truth and showing it to the world…. This way he could also help Shivaay without bothering him…. Also if more people worked the case could be solved faster and Shivaay could be relieved…. But will she take his help…. She did not have any reason to accept his help…. But he could give it try, he could ask her once…. If she disagreed he would do it himself…. However somewhere inside him he thought that maybe she would agree…. It was decided he would find the truth and solve the case….

*****

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Next chapter will have the entry of the Ranas.

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