"Hello bhaia," Ishan spoke into his phone, pacing the balcony, the city lights of Mumbai shimmering in the background.

"Hello Ishan," came the reply from Raj's old friend. "Sorry I was so busy, I couldn’t reply earlier. Yes, the photo you sent... that was the boy with Raj at my art exhibition four years ago."

Ishan's heart raced. "Bhaia, did you talk to him?"

"No, unfortunately, I couldn’t even greet Raj that day. My art was sold to the queen of the country, and I was so busy with all the royal paperwork. I just saw Raj with someone briefly, and when I was free, Raj was gone."

"Thank you, bhaia," Ishan said, trying to keep his voice steady.

"Don't worry, Ishan. You will find Raj. I have a feeling,"Raj's friend  reassured him.

Ishan ended the call and walked back inside to where Aditi was waiting at the laptop table.She could feel the tension in the air as he approached.

"So Shubman knows Raj,bhaia's friend confirmed it," Ishan said, taking a deep breath. "He saw them together at his art exhibition"

"Strange," Aditi mused, "why hasn’t Shubman told us anything?"

"I don't know," Ishan replied, shaking his head. "But we need to dig deeper. Let's watch the sessions."

They both sat down, and Ishan navigated to the folder labeled "Sessions." He clicked on the first video.

"Why are there only two videos?" Aditi exclaimed.

"Maybe he only had two sessions recorded," Ishan suggested, his finger hovering over the play button. He clicked it, and the video began.

It was video session of Shubman and the therapist in zoom.

"Tell me about how you met Raj," the therapist said gently.

Shubman took a deep breath, his hands trembling slightly,We met at streets as unknown person actually.

"At first, I thought his name was Ishan,Because I had a locket with his picture, where " Ishan" was written" Shubman continued. "He never corrected me because he didn’t trust me fully. We started seeing each other more often, and I fell for him hard. But after a year of living together, he finally told me his real name was Raj."

"How did you react?" the therapist asked.

"It was a shock," Shubman admitted. "But I loved him, so I tried to accept it. He was always so stubborn, though. We had so many fights because he wouldn’t open up completely. I felt like I was losing control."

The video cut off, and Ishan felt a chill run down his spine. He clicked on the second video, his hands shaking.

The screen showed the same room, but this time Shubman looked even more distressed. The therapist leaned forward, concern etched on his face.

Shubman looked down, his voice barely a whisper. "Raj was becoming too difficult to handle. He wasn’t in my control. He threatened to leave, and I couldn’t bear the thought of losing him."

"What did you do, Shubman?" the therapist asked softly.

Shubman’s eyes filled with tears. "I... I needed to get rid of him. I couldn’t see any other way. So... I killed him."

The words hung in the air like a dark cloud. Ishan and Aditi sat in stunned silence, unable to process what they had just heard. Ishan's mind raced, a whirlwind of emotions threatening to overwhelm him.

"No," Ishan whispered, his voice breaking. "He can’t have..."

Ishan stood frozen, his mind reeling from the horrific confession he had just heard. Shubman's words echoed in his head, and a wave of nausea washed over him. He felt disgusted with himself. How could he have been so blind, so foolish, to make out with his brother's killer? Rage and grief swirled within him, threatening to consume him entirely.

It was already morning, and with no sleep and the weight of the video, Ishan's brain felt like it had stopped working. He bolted for the door, his heart pounding. Aditi called after him, running to catch up, but it was too late. Ishan had already jumped into his car and sped off towards Shubman's house.

******

Shubman woke up with a smile on his face, feeling a warmth he hadn't felt in a long time. He touched his chest, feeling the love bites Ishan had left, and his swollen lips curled into a shy grin as he recalled the night before. He felt a strange mixture of happiness and nervousness. He was deeply smitten with Ishan.

Shahneel noticed his brother's flushed face and teased him as they had breakfast. "Someone had a good night," she said, winking. "Your neck looks like it’s been attacked by a vampire."

Shubman laughed, a bit embarrassed. "Yeah, I guess you could say that."

Just then, the doorbell rang. Shahneel got up to answer it, still smiling. "I wonder who that could be this early?"

She opened the door to find Ishan, his eyes bloodshot and his face twisted with fury. "Hello, Ishan. We were just talking about—" Before she could finish, Ishan brushed past her, storming into the house with a single-minded determination.

Shubman, still sitting at the breakfast table, looked up in surprise. "Ishan? What’s going on?"

Ishan didn't respond. He grabbed Shubman by the neck, his grip tight and unforgiving. "You fucking killed my brother," he snarled, his voice a mix of rage and anguish.

Shubman’s eyes widened in shock. "What are you talking about?" he choked out, struggling to breathe.

"I saw your picture with Raj in your house,You knew who Raj is and you pretended you know nothing about me,I saw video of the therapy session," Ishan spat, his grip tightening. "You admitted to killing Raj!"

The realization hit Shubman like a freight train. "No, Ishan, wait—" But before he could explain, Ishan slammed his head against the wall, the impact leaving a gash that started to bleed.

Shahneel rushed forward, trying to intervene. "That's enough, Ishan! You can't just come here and hurt my brother!" she shouted, her voice filled with panic.

Ishan, blinded by rage, didn’t listen. He was consumed by the need for vengeance. Shahneel, seeing no other option, grabbed a knife from the kitchen and brandished it, her hands shaking. "Stop, Ishan! I will use this if I have to."

The threat made Ishan pause, but he didn’t release his hold on Shubman. Shubman was nearly unconscious, his head slumped forward, blood dripping onto the floor.

Shahneel's voice was trembling but determined. "Are you this daft, Ishan? Why would my brother, a public figure, confess to murder on a recorded session?"

Ishan's grip loosened slightly as doubt began to creep into his mind. Shahneel took the opportunity to pull Shubman away, supporting his limp body as she moved towards the door. "We’re taking him to the hospital," she said firmly. "I don't have time to entertain your stupid idea now.But think about what I said, Ishan. Something doesn't add up.Catching a murder isn't this easy."

Ishan stood there, his chest heaving, as Shahneel drove off with Shubman. The confusion and rage inside him twisted into a knot of unresolved emotions.

Ishan stood in the now-empty living room,he heard the door slam as Shahneel and Shubman drove off, the sound reverberating through the stillness of the house. Just then, Aditi burst in, her eyes widening in horror at the sight of the blood smeared on the wall and the floor.

"Oh my God, Ishan! What did you do?" she gasped, rushing to his side.

Ishan crumpled to the floor, tears streaming down his face. "I didn’t want to hurt Shubman," he choked out between sobs. "But what if Raj is no more? Shahneel said why would he confess murder on a recording..."

Aditi knelt beside him, her voice soothing. "That makes sense, Ishan. We need to think this through. We’ll confront Shubman, but peacefully. Let him recover first. Come on, let’s go home. You need sleep."

Numbly, Ishan allowed Aditi to help him up, and they made their way to the car. The drive back to his grandfather's house was silent, the weight of the morning's events pressing down on them. As they pulled into the driveway, Ishan’s grandfather came out to greet them, a warm smile on his face.

"Ah, there you two are! I thought you were on a long drive. Come inside, I’ve just made breakfast."

Both Aditi and Ishan forced smiles, trying to mask their turmoil. They sat at the breakfast table, eating silently to avoid raising suspicion. Ishan’s grandfather chatted happily, unaware of the storm brewing beneath the surface.

After breakfast, Aditi gently tugged on Ishan’s arm. "You need sleep," she said firmly. "I’m going to the hospital to check on Shubman. Call me when you wake up."

Ishan nodded, too drained to argue. He watched as Aditi left, then trudged up to his room. He lay on his bed, but sleep eluded him. His mind kept replaying the violent encounter, the blood, the look in Shubman’s eyes.

Unable to rest, he got up and began pacing his room. As he walked, he noticed a shadow moving past his door. Once, twice, three times—the person seemed to be lurking, trying to be stealthy. Ishan's heart began to race. He tiptoed to his door and, with a sudden burst of courage, yanked it open.

The person outside jumped, startled.His hand frozen mid-air, holding a letter he was about to push under Ishan's door. Ishan snatched the letter from his hand, his eyes narrowing as he recognized the handwriting.

"Don’t you learn, Ishan?I said trust no one and stop digging. Run away."-the note read.

Shock coursed through Ishan's veins. "YOU!... You are the one sending all those cryptic notes to me!" he exclaimed, his voice barely a whisper.