Page 55 of Shattered

“You don’t have to do this now; it can wait until morning,” Reyansh whispers in my ear. I glance over at him and see a pained expression on his face, as if he doesn’t want me to go through this. But I know I can’t keep running away from this,no matter how terrifying it feels.

I swallow and shake my head, tearing my gaze away from Reyansh to look at Officer Viraj. “No, I want to get this over with now.”

“We found a video on your sister’s phone,” Officer Viraj says, his voice carefully measured. “It’s not clear, so we’re not sure if it’s her. We need your help to identify it.” He holds out my sister’s phone to me.

My heart clenches. Suddenly, the air feels too thick to breathe, and my fists curl tight, nails pressing into my palms.I stare at the phone as if it might be a ticking time bomb. I’m too scared to even touch it.

“Kavya…” Reyansh urges softly, and with trembling hands, I take the phone from Officer Viraj’s hand.

A chill runs down my spine, and my stomach churns as I play the video. The footage is grainy and shaky as if it had been recorded in a hurry in a dimly lit room. A man’s face briefly appears on the screen, his features partially obscured by the poor quality of the video. But what really tightens the knot in my stomach is when a woman, whose face I can’t clearly see, appears on the screen. She is on the floor, her hair dishevelled, joining her hands, pleading, begging to be left alone, while the man, with his back to the screen, slowly makes his way towards her. Then, all the air is pulled out of my lungs when I see the man force himself on her. Reyansh notices my reaction and pulls the phone out of my trembling hands and turns it off. Even though the video is now turned off, it doesn’t help. I struggle to breatheas the grainy images keep replaying in my mind.Fear clutches me tightly, making it even harder to find my calm, suffocating under the weight of what I just witnessed.

“Breath for me, sweetheart,” Reyansh says gently as he cups my face, urging me to meet his gaze.

“Could that be your sister?” Officer Viraj asks, his voice sombre.

Reyansh’s hands drop from my cheek, allowing me to turn to Officer Viraj, but he doesn’t let go of me completely.He pulls me closer, his arm wrapping protectively around my shoulders. His other hand catches mine, placing it over his heart, giving it a gentle squeeze as if to say,I’m right here.

As I look at Officer Viraj, I’m at a loss for words. The woman in the video seems familiar, yet the poor quality makes it impossible for me to be sure. Her face shifts in and out of focus, and I find myself thinking hard to pick out any defining features. Could it be Nisha?

“I... I... don’t know,” I whisper,feeling the warmth of tears as they slip silently down my cheeks.

“Does the man look familiar to you?” Officer Viraj shoots his next question.

At first, I nod, a flicker of familiarity tugging at my memory. But then, uncertainty creeps in, and I shake my head. “I’m not sure. He looks familiar; maybe I’ve seen him before, but the image is too blurry for me to confirm.”

“You don’t have to strain yourself. It will come back to you,” Reyansh murmurs, gently rubbing my arm,trying to soothe the tension building inside me.I nod weakly and attempt to take a deep breath, but honestly, I’m far from okay.

Officer Viraj seems to pick up on my distress and gives me a reassuring nod. “We’ll get the video enhanced, and perhaps once we have a clear image, we can find some answers.”

My heart begins to pound at the thought that the girl in the video might be my sister.Panic rises in my throat.

“But what if… what if it’s my sister?” I ask, my voice trembling, a fresh set of tears spilling from between my lashes. My heart breaks for my sister, of thepossibility that she might’ve gone through something so horrificif it’s really her in the video.

“Sweetheart,” Reyansh whispers, cradling the back of my head and holding me tighter.

“We can’t say for sure yet,” Officer Viraj says, looking at me with concern. “But we will find out.”

I nod, unable to utter a word. But even if I could speak, I don’t know what to say. Reyansh’s arms remain tightly wrapped around me, and I bury my face into his chest, closing my eyes tightly as I struggle to hold back a complete breakdown, though the tears continue to flow.

“Officer, I believe we’ve covered enough ground for now. Kavya needs some time to rest and gather herself,” Reyansh says firmly, leaving no room for further questions.

“Of course, we can continue this later.” Officer Virajgives a sympathetic nod. “Kavya, take care,” he adds, prompting me to lift my head from Reyansh’s chest and look at him as he stands.

“Thank you,” I say quietly, meeting the Officer’s gaze.

“Officer, if you don’t mind, I’d like to have a word with you. But could you give me a few minutes to get Kavya settled in the room?” Reyansh says. I start to shake my head to tell him it’s not necessary, but the look in his eyes tells me this is not up for debate.

Feeling drained and lacking the strength to fight, I give in and rise to my feet, with Reyansh’s steady hand supporting me. With a gentle touch, his hand rests in the middle of my back as he guides me up the stairs to his room.

As we enter his room, I sit down on the edge of his bed, feeling the weight of the day pressing down on me.Reyanshkneels in front of me, his eyes full of concern as he cups my cheek softly. “Will you be okay here while I have a word with Officer Viraj?” he asks.

My heart races, and for a moment, I want to tell him not to leave me, that I need him right here, next to me. However, I also understand how important it is for him to go out there and do what needs to be done.So, I manage a small, shaky smile.“I... I... I will be fine here,” I stammer, hoping to keep my fear from creeping into my voice.

“Why don’t you go and freshen up? It might help you relax. There are fresh towels in the bathroom. Change into something comfortable and maybe try to get some sleep,” he suggests in a gentle, almost comforting voiceas if he’s trying to take away some of my worries.

“I didn’t bring my clothes,” I admit softly.

“You can borrow something from my wardrobe,” Reyansh offers, his thumb gently rubbing against my cheek.

---