Chapter - 0 3

Old Wounds and New Clues

The air in the car felt stifling, heavy with unspoken words. Parth’s fingers gripped the steering wheel with an almost painful intensity as he drove through the quiet streets, the hum of the engine the only sound filling the space between him and Jiya.

They hadn’t spoken much since leaving the lab, the weight of their forced collaboration hanging in the air. Parth kept his eyes on the road, but his mind was elsewhere. His thoughts kept returning to the cryptic message they’d found earlier, “The judge’s secrets are buried deep.” It was an unsettling revelation, one that hinted at far more than a simple murder.

Beside him, Jiya’s silence was a stark contrast to the turmoil inside him. The tension between them was palpable, but neither of them dared to address it directly. Her focus was on the files in her lap, the quiet tapping of her finger against the folder the only indication of her agitation.

There are on the way to old warehouse of Ravi to get some clues.

“Do you think there’s more to this than just a murder?” Jiya’s voice finally broke the silence.

Parth glanced at her, his eyes briefly catching hers before returning to the road. “I don’t know, but I think we’re dealing with something far bigger than anyone expected.”

The warehouse came into view, its silhouette looming in the night, an eerie shadow against the backdrop of the city. The address had been a tip-off, a lead that seemed too significant to ignore.

Parth pulled the car to a stop at the edge of the derelict lot. The place looked abandoned, a layer of dust and neglect covering the broken windows and rusted doors. It was the perfect hiding spot for someone with something to hide.

They stepped out of the car, the night air cool against their skin as they walked toward the entrance of the warehouse.

“Stay close,” Parth instructed, his voice low.

Jiya nodded, her expression unreadable, though a flicker of apprehension flashed in her eyes. They had been working together for only a short time, but the unspoken bond between them still lingered, thick with history.

As they entered the warehouse, the smell of mildew and decay hit them. The place was a cavernous expanse of broken shelves and discarded machinery, the dim light from their flashlights casting long shadows against the walls.

“Do you feel that?” Jiya whispered, her voice barely audible in the vast emptiness of the warehouse.

Parth frowned, his instincts kicking in. Something was wrong. “We’re not alone,” he muttered.

He turned toward her, ready to say something else, but before he could, a faint noise—like a rustling movement—echoed from deeper in the warehouse. Parth’s heart rate spiked. He motioned for Jiya to stay behind him, his hand instinctively reaching for the gun at his side.

“Stay behind me,” he ordered softly.

Jiya hesitated but nodded, stepping back as Parth moved forward. The rustling grew louder, and then—a figure darted across the far side of the warehouse, disappearing into the shadows.

“Who the hell—” Parth started, but before he could finish his sentence, a shot rang out, the deafening sound echoing off the metal walls.

Instinctively, Parth dove to the ground, grabbing Jiya and pulling her with him. The bullet missed them by inches, ricocheting off the floor and hitting a nearby stack of boxes.

“Get down!” Parth barked, covering Jiya’s body with his own as they scrambled for cover behind a stack of crates.

Jiya’s breath was shallow, but she didn’t panic. She was trained for this. Still, the tension in her muscles was palpable, her heart racing as she glanced up at Parth.

“We’ve got company,” he muttered, his eyes scanning the warehouse for any sign of movement.

They remained crouched in the dark for what felt like an eternity, the sound of their breathing loud in their ears. Finally, the movement ceased, and Parth cautiously stood, motioning for Jiya to follow him.

He didn’t want to take any chances. He moved quietly, checking every corner of the warehouse as they made their way toward the back. And then they found it—another clue.

Taped to the back of a large, rusted filing cabinet was a piece of paper, a cryptic message scrawled on it in hurried handwriting: “The judge’s secrets are buried deep.”

Parth’s stomach dropped as he read the words again.

“He’s not just a murderer,” Parth said, his voice low and furious. “This is something much more sinister.”

Jiya’s eyes narrowed as she looked at him. “We need to take this back to the lab. There’s more to this case than we’re seeing.”

Before they could leave, another shot rang out, narrowly missing them once again. The figure was still watching them.

They didn’t waste any more time. Parth grabbed Jiya’s hand and pulled her toward the exit, their hearts pounding in their chests as they ran for the car.

Once they were safely inside, Parth slammed the door shut, exhaling deeply as he turned the key in the ignition. The engine roared to life, and they sped away from the warehouse, the sound of their tires screeching against the asphalt.

“I knew we were being watched,” Parth muttered under his breath, his grip tight on the steering wheel. “But I didn’t expect this.”

Jiya was silent for a moment before she spoke. “We need to figure out who’s behind this before they come after us again.”

The past loomed over them like a dark cloud, and Parth’s thoughts drifted once more to the reason their relationship had ended.

It had been months before the breakup, but it felt like years. They were at the cusp of everything they had dreamed of—a future together. Yet, Parth had been consumed by his career, his need to prove himself, to make something of the CBI that would leave a legacy.

He had missed the signs—Jiya’s growing frustration, her long silences, the way she had started to pull away from him. One evening, she had confronted him in their small apartment, her eyes brimming with unshed tears.

“You never make time for me anymore,” Jiya had said, her voice quiet but firm. “You’re always working, Parth. I’m becoming a second priority in your life.”

“I’m doing this for us,” he had replied, his voice defensive. “For our future.”

“I don’t need your career, Parth,” she had snapped. “I need you. I want to build a life with you, but you’re too busy building your empire to see that.”

Her words had stung, but the worst part was how right she was. He had chosen his work over her, over them. And now, sitting beside her in the car, Parth wondered if he’d ever been able to repair what he had broken.

Jiya’s voice interrupted his thoughts. “You said we need to figure out who’s behind this. I agree. But we also need to look closer at Rajat.”

Parth’s chest tightened at the mention of Jiya’s fiancé. He had never trusted Rajat, but now, with the way the case was unfolding, he couldn’t shake the feeling that his former friend was more involved than he let on.

Rajat had been a part of a shady land deal that involved Judge Saxena. Parth had never trusted Rajat’s ambitions, but now the pieces were starting to fall into place. Rajat’s connection to the judge—was it coincidental, or was he part of something much darker?

He didn’t know the answer, but one thing was certain: Jiya’s engagement to Rajat wasn’t as simple as it appeared.

As the car sped through the streets, the tension between Parth and Jiya was palpable, a quiet acknowledgment of everything they had lost—and everything they might still have.

Parth glanced at her, his voice barely a whisper. “I’m sorry, Jiya. For everything. I wasn’t the man you needed me to be.”

Jiya’s eyes met his, her expression unreadable. “You were too late, Parth.”

The words hit him like a physical blow, but he didn’t shy away.

“I know,” he replied softly.

The silence that followed wasn’t comfortable, but it was a shared moment of understanding—one that neither of them was ready to fully confront, but one they both knew was inevitable.

As Parth turned the car onto the main road, the weight of the night settled over them. They had uncovered clues, but they had also opened old wounds. The case was far from over, but so was their story. The question was—would they ever be able to rewrite it?

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

Let me know if the plot is interesting or not.

Words in italics are Flashback

List of Ongoing Stories.

1) Sunn Yaara (RagLak)
2) Falling For my Wife (RagLak)(os) ✓
3) The Twist of Fate (TeZain)
4) You're The One For Me? (TeVin).
5) When We Meet Again (TeVin).

Niha🖤