Khamoshiyan aawaaz hain

Tum sun'ne to aao Kabhi

Chhukar tumhe khill jaayengi
Ghar inko bulaao Kabhi
Beqarar hain baat karne ko
Kehne doo inko zaraa.
═❋═❋═

The silence in the room, noises in my head was eating me alive I tried shutting all of it out but whatever they said on the call was repeating in my head like a broken record if this continues how I will ever find out who killed Anay. It is becoming so hard to look at them that way but I have to be careful now because that person knows I'm looking around and if they know this then they are very well aware of what kind of a person I am. I won't stop until we all know who Anay's murderer is.

A knock on the door pulls me out of my thoughts wiping all my tears I got up open the door revealing Viraj "what happened Mihika?" He asks frantically concerned.
"I...I uh was going through Anay's study and then I got a call from the same... a man who threatened me in the market " words came out stuttered, my voice trembling.
"What did he say?" He asks quietly.
"That they will kill me or my parents if I don't stop looking" the words leave my mouth along with a loud sob, my heart thumping like crazy against my chest.

And then the next thing I know warm tears start to flow down my cheeks covering my face with palms I moved away from him a little.
"Mihika this is getting intense we should inform your family" he suggests.
"Are you serious right now, Lord knows who is behind this murder and you want me to tell them?" I look at him in disbelief.
"Oh, not your in-laws, your mother, and father they'll be careful if they know," he says.
"So they can live in constant fear for their life and their daughter's life, no thank you" I almost yelled at him.

"So what do you suggest to do?" He asks disgruntled at what I said but I don't care.
"Keep it discreet and work with your friend Kabir found out who is it, and I'm going to be more careful on this" I infer. One thing is also sure that person is very resourceful and clever if we don't look over our shoulder we will have to face consequences because I have a feeling that person hired someone to do the job. After all, even now he/she isn't getting their hands dirty.

"Okay, fine but please any more than this happens you will inform your parents," he says and leaves the room.

After he left I sat in front of the mandir I had set up in our room started to pray for the betterment of everyone and to give me strength so I find the killer of my husband.

Later I start to go through the list of people who might have a motive to hurt Anay but came up with nothing, letting out a humourous laugh at me I thought how would I come up with a name when no one hated him, or maybe they all have been putting up a facade behind that someone has to be there who hated him so much to kill him, all the answers can be found if I know who did the embezzlement.

Can it be any employee?

But if it is someone from our family, Papa, Chacha Ji and Jai only goes to the office beside Anay. I don't think they would do something like this because the company has been founded by Papa Ji and Chacha Ji.

Why would they do something like this to their own company? And as for Jai he hardly goes there because he is already trying to build his own business of textile, but he has shown interest in the company recently. He has started to going to the office very frequently since Anay's death.

I'm running out of reasons for this embezzlement or maybe I'm missing something and someone.

Praying is all have left I think because being here in this house I cannot do anything maybe I should tell Papa Ji or Maa, at least one of them they wouldn't do something like this to their son, but then who would, clutching a chunk of my hair I groaned loudly these questions are eating me from inside, taking my sanity away bit by bit.

I laid down on my bed looking at the ceiling going over every moment I had with each family member this past few days, there might be something suspicious about someone but obviously, if this person is so clever and smart to keep an eye on me then he/she wouldn't give away any hint of being a culprit. My eyes start to droop and sleep started to engulf me.

∆∆∆∆

A loud knock on the door jerked me from my sleep rubbing my eyes to come back to my senses I opened the door it was Maa staring at me furiously" what happened Maa?" I ask confused.
"We believed you, we thought you would never do something to disgrace our family," she says angrily through her gritted teeth.
"What are you talking about Maa?" I asked.
"What Viraj was doing in your room?" She whispers yells at me closing the door behind her.

"He wanted to talk about something on Anay's case" I lied, which I'm not that good at.
"You know that Mihika even your mother doesn't know when you are lying but I know," she says scoffing.

I inhaled sharply, I have to tell her this is wrong and I can't have that for her thinking I did something wrong "Maa you should sit for this" I said softly whilst trying to muster up my strength to tell her.
"What is it Mihika you are scaring me now?" She says scrutinizing a look on my face.
"Viraj was here because I called him since I got the news of Anay's murder I have been getting threat calls, one day some goons threatened me in the market I didn't say anything because everyone is so happy for Aaryah I don't want everybody's undivided attention to myself and spoil it for Aaro, plus I don't know whom to tell or what to do" I let out in a low voice Maa looked at me in disbelief.

"And someone called today earlier giving me a threat they will kill me or my parents, I'm scared Maa," I said shakily as fear is starting to take over me.
"What, why didn't you tell us earlier?" She questions.
"They threatened me not to, they confessed they will kill me just like Anay was killed," I spoke, as tears start to brim at the corner of my eyes.

"Oh Mihika, I'm so sorry I should have known you would never do something to disgrace our family" Maa comforted me.
"But we can not tell about this to anyone Maa it can be dangerous" I pleaded.

"But beta we should tell your Papa Ji, he will increase the security around the house and we will arrange something for your parents too," she says keeping her hands on mine.
"No, Maa you don't understand that person will know that I told you and Papa Ji about it, please let me handle this my way trust me on this" I begged as one rebellious tear streamed down my cheek.

Maa doesn't speak for a moment "okay, I trust you but keep me updated on this just be careful" she smiles at me gently.
"I will be careful Maa, and you too do not discuss this with anyone," I said, my tone holding a warning for her because this is no joke I cannot even tell her that Viraj thinks someone in our family could be behind Anay's murder besides I cannot tell about the embezzlement.

There is one question that is nagging me doesn't Papa Ji and Chacha Ji know about the embezzlement or maybe they haven't come across that yet, Anay also found in the audit before he could disclose someone killed him.

I texted Viraj informing him about Maa, he should know that there is someone who will support us, it feels like a weight is been lifted off my chest now even though she doesn't know the whole thing but at least she knows and when the time comes I will tell Papa Ji also.

Tomorrow, I will go again to Anay's study, now that everyone will be busy with the preparation of other rituals and functions as Aaryah's wedding is at the end of the week no one will even have time to take a breather. I have to be careful though because if that person was able to find out once they will find that out again.

I'm not going to sit quietly until I find out the murderer.

It was getting late so I took a shower a long one and decided to sleep.

∆∆∆∆

The next morning, the whole house was running here and there busy with the preparation of the functions. It is Pitthi Dastoor today, Aaryah is already taken to the salon it is lunchtime already and soon the function will start Dado and Dada Ji are instructing everyone on what to do and what not, I have been working with the cook's duty assigned by Chachi Ji.

(Pitthi Dastoor is a Haldi Ceremony in Rajasthani culture)

I have noticed some weird change in her behavior though I don't know I should be alerted or not maybe I'm just being paranoid.

She is been with me the whole time, even though she hates me which she has said to my face once, and I also saw her around Anay's study and I heard her talking on a call with someone a very cryptic one.

"Mihika, come here" Maa calls.
"Ji Maa?" I ask.
"Did you get any information from Viraj?" She mutters lowly.
"I haven't got a chance to talk to him yet" I replied.

"Maa, don't worry please," I said giving her hand a little squeeze.
She gives me a soft smile and headed towards her room.

I drowned myself in work, soon it was time for the ritual, and I was back in my room the whole house was filled with dholak's sounds and everyone dancing hooting in excitement looking for a chance I went back to Anay's study room.

I started looking around again, and that drawer when I unlocked it with the help of a bobby pin it was empty.

Only one sticky note was there "How stupid of you to think that you can catch us".

What the hell?

Who could it be? Did someone break in here?

But how is it even possible no one has keys to this room besides me and Papa Ji?

That person is so clever and one step ahead of us, he/she knows how to play this game almost giving away a feel as if that person is no new player in this. I should look for something else too maybe there is something which is hidden from everybody but first I should inform Viraj about this.

"What happened Mihika?" He picks up the call on the first ring itself.
"I was in Anay's study again, I told you about a drawer remember I tried opening it and found a note, I have sent you a picture of what was written on it" I explain frantically, my voice low so no one knows that someone is in here even though the sound outside is loud.

"Okay, I'll give it to Kabir he will run a test on the handwriting, by the way, do you recognize it," he says.
I took a good look at the strokes and the way every letter was written but no "No I don't recognize" I reply and we hung up the call. I went back to my room.

Can it be Chachi Ji? No, no what is wrong with you Mihika, she loved Anay more than Jai she doesn't like you but with Anay, it was nothing like it.

Are the murderer and the embezzler the same person?

All of this making me lose my sanity, how am I supposed to solve this when I don't even know who to trust, or where should I start looking as the study room is just a dead-end now, is it possible Viraj is lying about all this maybe he is the one behind all this and trying to cover up by being supportive.

That can't be what would he get by all this? They had different businesses, plus there is no motive then who has the motive, who would be profited the most by the death of Anay.

Then I realized there is only one person in our family who would be profited from all this and that is Jai, if something was to happen to Anay company will go to Jai, raking my hands through hair pulling on a chunk of them in frustration.

I don't know if it's amazing or stupid that how our mind can wander off to the darkest places when the situation takes place, or how our mind is capable of jumping to such conclusions which we won't know exist deep down we all are filled with the darkness and it is something which is sitting right there inside our mind sipping coffee, or drinks just waiting for something like this to happen so it can take over and destroy us, and the irony is we let that happen to ourselves happily.

With each step as I start to pace back and forth in the room my demons were taking over, I was giving in access to every perilous thought which was just waiting to be in the limelight it felt like my mind and my thoughts aren't mine at this moment, unknown fear start to grip on me my stomach started to churn into uneasy feeling just by thinking someone from our family would murder Anay, and all because of money. I closed my eyes tightly keeping my hands on my ears hoping all of it would go away.

Praying all this is just a nightmare and just now Anay will wake me up "Mihika make some tea for me please" he would say.

I want this to end, this feeling which feels like my whole body is in pain, my heart is wrapped in something tight and any time it will burst into diminutive pieces falling out of my body like bread crumbs, I want this lump at the back of my throat to go away which has taken place like some unwanted person. Everything around me seems to be mocking me right now and laughing at my condition.

Pain is a very strange emotion, a human can feel sometimes it pierce through your body leaving you paralyzed, and this pain has pierced through my body leaving me powerless.

*****

Hello, Lovelies!

First things first I want to apologize for not updating for so long, I wasn't just in the mood to write this book for a while mostly it is because I feel it is not going to what I had planned when I initially thought of this story I was excited to write and thought oh I'm going to rock this book but now I'm just confused and nervous.

So, that's why I'm taking so much time in publishing the chapters, but don't worry I'm not taking it down or anything I might not have thought through the whole plot which I never do by the way but I will keep working on it because I want to complete this book.

Also, I hope the chapter was nice, up to your expectations.

Anyone has any guesses yet about who could be behind the murder?

What do you think about Mihika's reaction to the situation?

Are you guys liking her character?

Not going to ask about Viraj right now because there isn't much of him in the book soon he will be needed no worries.

Please share your thoughts on the chapter. As I posted in my other book please guys if not anything at least leaves a heart emoji and if not that also at least vote on the chapter it is what keeps us going.

That is all for now.

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Love. A.K💋💋