Page 53 of Shattered

“I know they do,” I whisper, leaning back against the headrest and closing my eyes. A feeling of warmth fills my heart. I never imagined that anyone could ever come close to filling the void left by my mom and dad until I met Reyansh’s parents. It’s a blessing I never thought I would experience again.

Chapter 26

Reyansh

I have a bad feeling about this. Something’s wrong; I just know it. As I pull into the street of Kavya’s house after our lovely dinner with my parents, my back stiffens. A nagging feeling creeps in, warning me that our joyful time together might soon be overshadowed by terrible news, threatening to wipe away the happy smile I’ve worked so hard to see on her face. Steeling myself, I park outside Kavya’s house.

“Do you also feel something is off?” Kavya asks. Her eyes follow mine as we see Karan standing next to her car with a look that says something is terribly wrong.

I glance over at Kavya in the passenger seat and gently squeeze her hand. “We’ll find out, sweetheart.”

“Okay,” she whispers, but I can see the tension written all over her face.

“Hey, relax. It might be nothing,” I murmur, leaning forward to kiss her forehead softly before unclipping her seatbelt.

She gives me a hesitant nod, reaches for the handle, opens the door, and steps out. I follow suit, and as I do, I give Karan a chin lift. Kavya comes around to stand next to me, and I wrap myarms around her shoulders giving them a gentle squeeze. Karan walks in our direction and as he gets close, I notice him, holding a piece of white paper in his hand.

“This note was on Kavya ma’am’s car,” Karan says. His tone is calm, but his eyes flicker with concern as he holds out the paper, standing in front of us.

A shudder runs through me as I stare at the note. I dread taking the paper or even reading it, knowing it will be something unpleasant and horrifying. Above all, I don’t want Kavya to read it. The urge to tear it up and spare her from going through the torment is overpowering me. However, I know that isn’t an option. We must face whatever this is without hesitation.

Reluctantly, I take the note from Karan and begin reading it.

Enjoy playing house and meeting your boyfriend’s family for now. But remember, I can ruin it all if you don’t follow my instructions. I’m glad you handled Officer Viraj, but that doesn’t mean you’re off the hook. I need your sister’s phone, and you better hand it over to me.I’ll send you the instructions on when, where, and how to give me the phone. Make sure that the mobile doesn’t end up in anyone else’s hands.

My jaw tightens as I crumple the note in my hands. “Fucking asshole,” I curse under my breath. At the same time, I hear a gasp and turn to see tears welling up in Kavya’s eyes, her breath coming in shaky gasps. It takes all my willpower to remain calm, but I manage to keep my anger in check because I don’t want to stress her further.

“Why does he want my sister’s phone?” she whispers.

I cup her face in my hands, feeling the tension creep into my muscles, but I focus on Kavya, “I don’t know, sweetheart. Maybe your sister knows something. Perhaps she has something against him. We need to check her phone to find out what he’s looking for. Let’s go and have a look at her phone. It might holdthe key to the answers we’re looking for,” I say, but she shakes her head.

“No, not here. I’ll get the phone and tell Aunty that I’m staying at your place,” she says, nibbling on her bottom lip. “Is that okay? I don’t want to do it in my house with Aunty around.”

I lean down to kiss her forehead. “It’s probably for the best, and you know I want nothing more than for you to have faith in me to handle this.”

Her eyes bore into mine and I try to gauge her emotions, but all I find is trust—pure and unwavering. It tugs at my heart, softening the edges of my frustration. With a nod, she turns toward her house. I watch her retreating figure as she takes quick steps inside, and shuts the door behind her. Rage surges through me as my mind races with all sorts of thoughts, one rising above the rest–Who the hell could this person be? And how the hell does he know our every move?Fuck! He must be watching us even now. But I refuse to be a coward and let Kavya follow his instructions like a puppet. I need to see her sister’s phone and figure out what this guy is so desperate to hide, what he fears so much that he doesn’t want it to be revealed. It’s a risk I must take for the sake of uncovering the truth and putting an end to this sinister game once and for all.

As if reading my thoughts, Karan says, “Sir, everything looks clear now. I’ve checked the surroundings and have my eyes all around. There are no signs of anyone watching us.”

“You say that, but it’s hard to believe you when I’m standing here with a note in my hand that clearly states he’s aware of every little thing,” I retort, my voice carrying a sharp edge of skepticism.

Karan grimaces. “Sir, I still don’t know how I missed the asshole putting the note,” he says apologetically.

Disregarding Karan’s apology, I reach into my jeans and pull out my phone. I’m done listening to his excuses. What Ireally want to hear is how to track down that asshole. Frustrated, I dial Sidharth’s number.When he answers, I don’t even wait for pleasantries.I ask, “Are you aware of the note?”

“Karan sent me a photo of it. I am waiting to get hold of Nisha’s mobile now,” he informs me.

“Do you have any updates or information? Any hints on who it might be?”

“No,” he replies back, and I can feel my blood boiling.

“I think you need to hire better people if you still don’t have answers for me. I don’t even know how your goddamn agency is running if it’s taking you so long to nail this case,” I hiss through the phone, my anger getting the better of me.

“I am sure you’re aware that these things take time,” Sidharth fires back.

“I don’thavethe goddamn time to wait for you to solve the case when there’s someone out there hell-bent on scaring my woman,” I snap impatiently.

“You need to calm the fuck down.I promise, nothing will happen to your girl. You have my word,” Sidharth’s voice comes through, steady but firm.

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