Page 125 of Reckless Dare

Four more days passed and she didn’t see her tormentor.

Even though she didn’t see him, just like she had predicted, it was hell on earth. Every moment spent reminded her of him. Whether she was awake or asleep, thoughts of him and their memories together haunted her.

She took up extra shifts at the hospital, so she didn’t remain idle. But that didn’t help either. The only thing that helped somewhat was speaking with her family. She deliberately kept the calls brief, so that her mother or sister wouldn’t sense her heartbreak.

She had just wrapped up her shift at the hospital and was back in her housing unit when her phone started to ring. It was her father. Her spirits lifted just from seeing her father’s smiling face flash on the video call.

“Papa, how are you?” She forced a bright smile.

Her father beamed. He looked excited and happy about something. “I’m doing great, Ava. Thanks to you!”

She was confused. Did he mean he was proud of her attending Simha University? Or maybe, he got a chance to look at her grades where she had topped her class.

“What did I do, papa?”

He laughed out happily. “I still cannot believe I spoke to Raghav after such a long time.”

The name her father mentioned was not a familiar one. “Who is Raghav, papa?”

“Raghav Simha is my best friend! I owe everything I have to his family.”

Shock passed through her as the name became familiar. Raghav Simha was her tormentor’s father. She had read about him and his philanthropic work as the chairman of Simha Pharmaceuticals.

“Y-you talked to him?” She could not believe her father was mentioning something that her mother had told her was extremely painful for him to even talk about.

“Yes. Thanks to your friend, Abhiram. I’m so glad I responded back to him when he emailed me.”

Another shock ripped through her. “Abhi…” Even saying his name hurt deep inside. “He reached out to you? When?”

She wondered if it was another attempt by him to get her to speak with him.

Her father nodded, the smile on his face brightening even more. “A little over a week ago, I got an email from the Simha student council president. I thought it was a random alumni email, but it turned out to be a life-changing note. You won’t believe how happy I am, Ava.”

A million confusing thoughts ran through her mind. “Why did Abhi reach out to you?” From the timing of when her dad mentioned, she knew it had to be when he was at home for his aunt’s death anniversary.

Her father took a deep breath. “To tell me that I was not responsible for his aunt Vaishnavi’s death. I held on to that guilt for years.”

Vaishnavi? Did he mean Vaishnavi Simha? The one whose memorial was in the Simha Hospital? She was Abhi’s aunt?

Ava was lost. She had no idea why her father was making a reference to Abhi’s aunt’s death and how he could be responsible. “What happened in the past, papa?”

“Ava, I grew up in the Simha household. I was their family accountant’s son. Even though I was an employee’s child, I was always considered a part of the family. Raghav was my childhood friend and when my parents passed away in an accident, I grew up in the household with the three Simha brothers and Vaishnavi, their only sister.”

Her father paused and he appeared to be reminiscing about those days. “I got into Simha University through a scholarship quota. Even though Vaishu was four years younger than me, she became my classmate. She was a gifted student who was passionate about medicine.”

Her father looked sad. “Jairam Simha, Vaishu’s father had mentioned to me a few times about wanting me to marry Vaishu. I never took it seriously. I left for America right after graduation and met your mother and fell instantly in love with her.”

Ava could only listen in shock as her father continued to speak.

“Jairam Simha was so upset when I told him I loved someone else, he swore he would never let me set my foot back in India for not wanting to marry his daughter. Even if I had not fallen in love with your mother, I could not have married Vaishu. I thought of her as my younger sister just like she was to Raghav and others…” Her father looked devastated. “When I heard the news a few years later that Vaishu passed away, and that she ended her life because of the marriage that didn't happen, I was devastated to the point I could not even talk to my best friend when he reached out many times.”

Her heart ached for her father and the rest of the Simha family. What happened was a huge tragedy.

“Abhiram told me what really happened,” her father continued.

“A-Abhi?” Her voice shook.

Her father nodded. “Yes. He called me to tell me that his aunt’s death was an accident. She slipped into the river and drowned. He also told me that until Vaishu’s recent death anniversary, even he had thought she had died by suicide due to heartbreak.”

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