Ruhi’s POV
I shouldn’t have lied.
The moment I ended the call with Aayansh, my hands started shaking. My phone felt heavier than usual, like it knew what I had just done. I stared at the screen for a long second before locking it and slipping it back into my bag.
I wasn’t at the office.
I hadn’t been there since afternoon.
And the worst part?
I didn’t even know how to explain it to him.
The café I was sitting in was too quiet. Soft music played in the background, but I wasn’t listening. My eyes kept drifting toward the glass window checking reflections, movements, shadows.
Paranoid.
That’s what I had started feeling like.
For the last two days, I couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching me. Not openly. Not close enough to notice. But always… there.
At first, I told myself I was overthinking. Stress. Work. The police station incident. Too much happening at once.
But then it started happening more often.
A call from an unknown number “Be careful. Watch your surroundings.”
A message with my photographs pictures taken disturbingly close to me, ones I didn’t even know existed.
A car parked outside my office twice in the same week.
No proof.
Only instincts screaming that something wasn’t right.
And that was the reason I didn’t tell Aayansh. Or anyone.
Not because I didn’t trust them but because I knew them too well.
They wouldn’t stay calm.
They wouldn’t wait.
And if someone really was watching me, provoking them was the last thing I wanted.
That’s when a waiter approached my table and placed a file in front of me.
“Someone asked me to give this to you, ma’am,” he said.
My heartbeat spiked. “Did you see who it was?”
He shook his head. “No. His face was covered.”
I told him to leave.
With trembling fingers, I opened the file.And my breath hitched.
I didn’t know how to process what I was seeing. It felt like the ground beneath me cracked open, like my entire life had been built on a lie. My chest tightened so badly I thought I might choke.
Before I could even think
My phone buzzed.
Rishabh bhai.
I swallowed hard.
I knew this silence. This was the calm before the storm.
If bhai had sensed something was wrong, there was no escaping it.
Rishabh: Where are you, Ruhi?
I typed. Deleted. Typed again.
Me: Out. I’ll tell you later.
Three dots appeared instantly.
Rishabh: We need to talk. Now.
My chest tightened further.
Then another message came.
Rishabh: Meet me at the restaurant near your office.
My heart dropped.
I leaned back in my chair, closing my eyes.
This was it.Running wasn’t an option anymore.
The Restaurant
The lights felt too bright when I walked in. I spotted bhai immediately then my breath caught when I saw who was sitting beside him by the window.
Aayansh.
So they knew.
There was no way I could hide this anymore.
I sat between them, folding my hands tightly in my lap to stop them from trembling.
Rishabh bhai didn’t waste time.
“Start talking,” he said quietly.
No anger.
That scared me more.
“I didn’t lie because I wanted to,” I said softly. “I lied because I didn’t want to scare you.”
Aayansh’s jaw clenched. “You already did.”
“Please, Aayansh… trust me.”
“I do,” he said, softer this time. “That’s why I’m here.”
I looked at him then really looked at him. The dark circles under his eyes. The tension in his shoulders. The fear he was trying so hard to hide.
“I think someone is watching me,” I finally said.
Silence crashed between us.
“What do you mean… watching?” Aayansh asked slowly.
“I don’t know who,” I admitted. “Or why. But I’ve been feeling it for days. I didn’t want to say anything until I was sure.”
Rishabh leaned forward slightly. “Tell me everything. From the beginning.”
So I did.
The calls.
The car.
The uneasiness that refused to go away.
When I finished, Aayansh was no longer leaning back. He had moved closer now protective, a dangerous calm settling over him.
“You should’ve told me,” he said.
“I know,” I whispered. “But I was scared of this look.”
He exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair. “Do you have any idea how terrifying it is to know something is wrong and not know what?”
Rishabh spoke firmly, grounded.
“You did the right thing by speaking now. But from this moment onward, you don’t handle this alone.”
I nodded.
Aayansh reached out, taking my hand. His grip was tight but reassuring.
“No more lying,” he said. “No more disappearing.”
“I promise.”
But deep inside, a cold thought settled
If someone really was watching me…
They already knew I wasn’t alone anymore.
And that scared me more than anything else.
Still, I knew one thing.
With Aayansh and bhai beside me I didn’t need to be afraid anymore.
So I did what I had promised.
I pulled the file from my bag the same file the unknown person had sent me and pushed it toward Rishabh.
“Open it,” I said. “You’ll understand.”
He scanned the pages. His expression changed instantly.
Aayansh took the file next. He read, frowned then his eyes froze on a name.
HITEN RAICHAND.
“My father,” I said quietly.
Rishabh looked at me sharply. “Who gave this to you?”
“The same person who’s been calling and texting me,” I replied. “Today he asked me to meet him at the café. Said it was important. Said it was related to my family.”
I hesitated before going but something inside me told me to.
“I never met him. A waiter handed me the file. His face was covered.”
Aayansh squeezed my hand. “Give me the café address. I’ll check the CCTV.”
I nodded and sent it to him.
Rishabh’s voice was low. “Do you believe what’s written here?”
“I don’t know,” I said honestly. “But if it’s true… I won’t sit quietly. Whoever was behind my father’s death will pay.”
For years, I believed my father died in an accident. The police investigation said so.
And now after all these years someone was claiming it was planned. A murder made to look like an accident.
Aayansh held my hand tighter. “Don’t worry, Ruuh. We’re with you. But promise me one thing no hiding. No pretending everything is normal.”
“I promise.”
Rishabh nodded. “Tonight, we tell Dad and Chachu everything. They know more than we do. This investigation starts now.”
And for the first time in daysI wasn’t running anymore.
After that, we left the restaurant.
I stood up first, my legs still slightly shaky. Aayansh did too. For a moment, no one spoke. There were so many things left unsaid, but all of them were heavy.
Rishabh bhai spoke first.
“We’ll take it from here,” he said firmly. “You focus on the CCTV footage and whatever you can find.”
Aayansh nodded. “I’ll update you the moment I find anything.”
He turned to me then.
His eyes softened, but the worry in them didn’t fade. He stepped closer, lowering his voice so only I could hear.
“Don’t scare me like this again, Ruuh.”
“I won’t,” I whispered. “I promise.”
He cupped my face gently for a second just enough to remind me I wasn’t alone then pulled back, knowing bhai was watching.
“Go straight home,” he added. “And don’t switch off your phone.”
“I won’t.”
We exchanged a last look, one filled with fear, trust, and something unspoken before Rishabh bhai cleared his throat.
“Come on, Ruhi.”
I nodded.
As we walked away, I glanced back once.
Aayansh was still standing there, watching us leave, his expression unreadable, protective, tense, already planning his next move.
The moment we stepped into the car, the weight returned.
The night outside felt different now.
Heavier.
Like it knew secrets we were only beginning to uncover.
And deep down, I couldn’t shake the feeling that this was just the beginning.
The drive back home was silent.
Rishabh bhai didn’t say a word. His jaw was tight, hands clenched on the steering wheel. Aayansh’s words echoed in my head, but he wasn’t with us now this part, bhai wanted to handle himself.
The moment we entered the house, bhai didn’t even sit.
“Call Bade Papa. Call Chachu. Now.”
My heart sank.
This wasn’t something I could soften anymore.
I made the call.
Both of them were in the study when we reached. The moment they saw our faces, their expressions changed. Bade Papa straightened in his chair, Chachu frowned.
“What happened?” Bade Papa asked sharply. “Why do you both look like this?”
Rishabh bhai placed the file on the table.
“Read.”
The room went silent as they turned the pages.
I watched their faces change confusion first… then disbelief… and finally, anger.
“This is impossible,” Chachu said, voice rising. “We checked everything ourselves.”
Bade Papa slammed the file shut. “The police investigation was clear. The truck driver was drunk. He lost control and hit Hiten.”
“I know,” Rishabh bhai said calmly. “That’s what we were told.”
“No,” Bade Papa snapped. “Not told. Verified. We made sure every angle was checked. The driver confessed. The reports matched.”
I swallowed hard. “Then why is this surfacing now?”
Silence.
That question hung heavy in the room.
Bade Papa stood up, pacing. “If someone is bringing this up after so many years… it means one of two things.”
Chachu looked at him grimly. “Either someone knows something we don’t… or someone wants to destroy this family.”
My chest tightened.
“And Ruhi,” Bade Papa turned to me, his voice softer but filled with concern, “you’re saying someone has been watching you?”
I nodded. “Calls. Messages. Photos. I didn’t tell anyone because I wasn’t sure.”
Chachu cursed under his breath.
“This isn't a coincidence,” Bade Papa said firmly. “This is calculated.”
Without wasting another second, he picked up his phone.
“I’m calling the Commissioner.”
My heart skipped.
The same Commissioner bhai had mentioned earlier the family friend.
The call connected quickly.
“Yes,” Bade Papa said, his tone cold. “I need you to reopen Hiten Raichand’s case.”
There was a pause.
“I don’t care how old it is,” he continued. “Something doesn’t add up. And my niece is being targeted.”
He listened, then nodded slowly.
“Discreetly,” he said. “I don’t want to panic. I want the truth.”
He ended the call and turned back to us.
“He’ll assign a special team. Everything from the accident report to the truck driver will be reviewed.”
My throat tightened. “What if it really wasn’t an accident?”
Bade Papa walked toward me, placing a hand on my head.
“Then whoever thought they got away with it,” he said quietly, “made a very big mistake.”
Chachu added, “And until we know the truth, you’re not going anywhere alone.”
Rishabh bhai nodded. “I’ll handle security.”
I felt fear coil in my chest but beneath it was something stronger.
Resolve.Someone had dragged my father’s name out of the grave.
And now?
We were going to dig until the truth came out no matter how deep it was buried.
Unknown POV
Outside the Raichand house, a car stood parked in the shadows engine off, lights dead, presence invisible.
Inside the house, lights flickered off one by one.
A man sat in the driver’s seat, face hidden beneath the shadow of the roof, fingers tapping slowly against the steering wheel. He watched the last window go dark.
He smiled.
“Good,” he whispered.
“They’ve started digging.”
He reached into the passenger seat and picked up his phone. The screen lit up, revealing dozens of photos of Ruhi laughing, Ruhi walking into her office, Ruhi sitting in a café, Ruhi standing beside Aayansh.
His thumb paused on one image.
Ruhi… standing between Rishabh and Aayansh at the restaurant.
His smile widened, not amused, not angry.
interesting.
“They brought him in too,” he murmured. “Just like I hoped.”
He scrolled further.
A scanned document appeared on the screen.
HITEN RAICHAND CASE FILE (REOPENED)
The man tilted his head slightly.
His phone buzzed.
A message flashed on the screen:
They’re contacting the commissioner.
He chuckled quietly.
“Of course they are.”
He leaned back, eyes never leaving the dark house.
“Let them wake up the old ghosts,” he whispered.
“They’ll realize soon enough
His gaze sharpened.
“some accidents were never accidents.”
The car engine started silently.
As the vehicle disappeared into the night, one last message was typed but not sent.
UNKNOWN:
Hello, doll. This was just the beginning.
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