*read the note at end*

"Did you do the work that I asked you to do?" I asked Alisha as we sat in a cozy corner of the food shop, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee mingling with the tension in the air.

"Yes, I asked my friends to help me with that. After finding the report, I went through it thoroughly. You know, I could only conclude one thing." She looked at me, her eyes reflecting a mixture of determination and sorrow.

"What is that?" I asked, a glint of hope flickering in my eyes.

"Avantika's death is definitely a murder, Sohana." My hopes shattered at her words, and I slumped over the table, punching it in frustration before looking up at the sky.

"Why, God? Why do all the bad things happen to my Ruhaan? And what did Avantika do to deserve such a fate?" I asked, my voice cracking with emotion. Alisha reached out, holding my hand firmly.

"Everything will be fine. Trust your Kanha," she said, blinking her eyes to assure me. I nodded, trying to find comfort in her words.

"But what about Rishi?" I asked, noticing her eyes moisten.

"No information. We don't know where he is," she said, her voice filled with worry. I shut my eyes, trying to calm the storm within.

"And Nitya?" I asked again, and she took a deep breath.

"She's in Mumbai. She got a job as a secretary for a well-known author," she said, managing a small smile.

Our circle of friends had scattered. Rishi had disappeared from Ahmedabad almost a year ago, shortly after I moved to Singapore. Despite our efforts to contact him, his phone remained switched off. Alisha was deeply worried, but I assured her he was okay. Wherever he was, I hoped he was safe.

"Okay, take care of yourself. Don't worry too much about Rishi. He must be okay. I need to meet Ruhaan. I need to talk to him," I said, remembering how fragile he must be feeling.

Alisha nodded, and we hugged before I headed to Ruhaan's house.

When I arrived, I saw his family sitting in the hall, their faces etched with worry. His mother looked up at me, her eyes filling with tears. I rushed to her, hugging her tightly as she broke down.

"Everything will be fine, Aunty. I promise," I said, trying to console her.

"Sohana, my son... Why is all this happening to him? What did he do to deserve this?" she sobbed.

"Don't worry, Aunty. I'll make everything right," I assured her, and she caressed my cheek.

"I trust you more than anyone else with my son," she said, and I nodded, feeling the weight of her trust.

After greeting the rest of the family, I went to Ruhaan's room. I knocked on the door but received no response. I knocked again, and this time, a voice came from inside.

"Come in," he said. I opened the door and stepped inside, closing it behind me. He was sitting on the bed, his head bowed, staring at a photo. It was Avantika.

I placed my hand on Ruhaan's shoulder, and he startled slightly before looking up at me. His face was pale, his eyes red. I quickly put my bag down and moved closer to him.

"Ruh-" Before I could say something he hugged me tightly, burying his face in my stomach. He began to cry, and I felt my own tears welling up.

"Sohana," he said, his voice breaking. He pulled me closer, his tears soaking my dress. But I didn't care about that. All I cared about was my Ruhaan.

I caressed his head and rubbed his back, trying to console him. "Ruhaan, everything will be fine. Please don't cry like this. It hurts to see you like this," I said, my voice trembling.

"What's left to be fine, Sohana? Everything is ruined," he said, looking up at me with despair in his eyes.

I knelt in front of him, cupping his cheeks. "Ruhaan, everything will be fine. Keep your faith in God. We can still find Avantika's killer and give her soul peace. If we don't act now, everything will truly be ruined," I said, trying to instill hope in him.

"But how will we find the culprit? The incident happened almost three years ago. I don't think there are any proofs left," he said, closing his eyes.

"Evidence can never be completely erased. Mistakes always leave traces. We just have to find them," I said, hugging him tightly.

"Thank you for always being there for me. I don't know what I did to deserve you," he said, his voice filled with gratitude.

"Don't worry. We will find the culprit," I said, and he nodded.

"I am so lucky to have you in my life, Sohana."

🧿

"But how can we find the culprit?" Ruhaan asked as I took a sip of tea.

"Do you remember where Avantika died?" I asked, my mind racing.

"At the Vadodara Expressway," he replied, his brows furrowing.

"There must be CCTV cameras, right?" I asked, getting up from my seat.

"Yes," he said, and we both nodded.

"Let's go."

We talked to the police officer and went to check the footage.

"Sir, tell us the date and time," the CCTV operator asked Ruhaan.

"September 26, 2021. Between 6:50 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.," Ruhaan replied, and the operator began his work.

We waited for a few minutes, and finally, the operator recovered the footage. I squinted my eyes at the screen and saw a car parked on the street. For 15 minutes, nothing happened, but suddenly, a group of men in black outfits appeared, their faces hidden by masks. And suddenly the screen went blank.

I looked at Ruhaan, who was equally confused. The operator tried to fix the issue, and after a while, the footage resumed. Avantika came out of the guitar shop, smiling. Tears filled my eyes at the sight of her.

I placed a hand on Ruhaan's shoulder, feeling his body stiffen. He composed himself, but I knew he was missing her deeply.

"Something is wrong," the operator said, frowning at the screen.

"What do you mean?" I asked, my confusion growing.

"The screen went blank when the men appeared. The cameras were new at the time. It's likely they tampered with it. I suspect those men," he said.

Ruhaan looked furious. "Officer, I need those men within 24 hours. They killed my Avni," he said, slamming his fist on the table.

I held his bicep to calm him. The officer remained composed. "Mr. Ruhaan, we can't act on suspicion alone. We need more evidence."

"What the hell are you saying?" Ruhaan yelled in frustration and I pulled him back as he was going to push the police officer.

"Mr. Raichand, behave yourself. We need to follow the procedure," the officer said, looking at me. "Please make him understand."

We left the station, Ruhaan fuming in anger. He drove in silence until he suddenly stopped the car, causing me to brace myself against the dashboard. He looked at me with concern.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice filled with guilt.

"I'm fine," I said. "I understand your feelings."

He got out of the car and walked toward a nearby lake. I followed him, standing beside him as he stared blankly at the sunset.

"Everything will be fine," I assured him, placing my hand over his.

"I thought the same," he said with a bitter chuckle. "I thought we would live happily ever after. But everything is scattered. And now your life is affected because of me. I am the cause of all this."

"What do you mean, Ruhaan?" I asked, my heart racing.

"You should leave me."

🧿

Sorry for the short chapter! But my exams are starting from tomorrow and as I have already informed that I am in 10th and I will take a break (only for 7 days).

The next chapter will be updated on 20th July (the day my exam will over). So Cutiepiess wait for 7 days only and after that I'll give you all a schedule for updates!

So yeah there will be no updates from 13 July to 19 July.

Bye Cutiepiessss! 🌺

Miss karnaaa mujhee!!!

And pray for me so that I can secure good marks in my exams!!!

Love you all! 🌺🎀

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@daisywrtss