Chapter 32
Reyansh
I pace the living room, struggling to keep my frustration in check . The moment Kavya came straight to my house from work, I knew something was wrong. And when she told me about Suman’s visit and Akash’s watch, I saw red. The thought that she might be working for someone responsible for all that was happening made my skin crawl. There is no way I am letting her set foot in his office again — but that’s a discussion for later. Right now, we needed answers.
That’s why I called Officer Viraj and Sidharth to my house to run through this new lead. Kavya tried reaching out to Suman but couldn’t get in touch with her. And when Sidharth sent his men to check Suman’s house, they reported back saying Suman had suddenly left the city without informing anyone about her whereabouts. What’s more frustrating is that the evidence against Akash was turning out to be weak. The whole damn situation felt like a tangled web which we were struggling to untangle.
“I still can’t believe that neither of you has answers for me while that asshole is walking around freely,” I snap at Officer Viraj and Sidharth, who are on the couch with their laptops, sifting through information. Meanwhile, Kavya is in my room. Damn! It was gut-wrenching not to have her within sight. But witnessing Kavya going stir-crazy, knowing that despite the clues, we’re falling short in catching the culprit, was even more difficult for me to handle. She needed a breather, and I couldn’t bear the thought of her adding more stress to her plate. That’s why I urged her to rest in my room while we continued our hunt for the truth.
“Something isn’t adding up,” Sidharth’s brow furrows in deep thought as he closes his laptop and rubs his temples. “We have done a thorough investigation, but Akash looks innocent,” he comments as I slump on the couch opposite them.
My gut too tells me we were missing something crucial. That what our eyes are seeing is not the whole picture; it’s like looking at the tip of the iceberg, knowing there’s more beneath the surface. It’s clear that someone is trying to throw us off the trail. But my only question is... who could it be and why?
“What about the damn watch Kavya found? Isn’t that enough proof?” I hiss, locking eyes with Sidharth. His neatly styled black hair and that perfectly tailored suit give him such a professional appearance , but right now, all I care about is answers.
“Yes, the watch does belong to Akash. However, our investigation found no evidence linking him to the accident. We’ve triple-checked everything ,” Sidharth answers calmly, unfazed by my frustrated tone.
Officer Viraj leans forward, shutting his laptop, his hands on his knees. “I also agree with Mr. Sidharth. The watch proves it belongs to Mr. Akash, but it doesn’t prove he is the culprit. In fact, we found out that the watch was gifted to Mr. Akash by a secret admirer shortly after the accident.”
“ So, it could’ve been planted by the real culprit to throw us off,” Sidharth adds bluntly.
I run a frustrated hand over my face. “I don’t care; all I know is that we need to get to the bottom of this, no matter what.”
“And we will, we just need a bit more time. These things can’t be rushed, nor can we just pin the blame on someone out of frustration . We just have to keep looking until we find the right answer,” Sidharth states flatly, his black eyes holding mine.
My body tenses, and I shoot him an irritated glare. “We fucking can’t keep on searching endlessly. Don’t you understand? This person is capable of harming the woman I love. What if he reaches her before we can catch him?”
“ But that doesn’t mean we can go after every single person we’re suspicious of ,” he counters firmly, taking a breath. “Reyansh, Akash isn’t our guy.”
“Mr. Kundra, we’ll track down the culprit,” Officer Viraj states, repeating his usual mantra that only serves to fuel my frustration.
“Can you two stop making sense and just give me a damn answer?” I snap, barely able to contain my impatience .
“Well, we don’t have a name yet, but we do have something for you,” Sidharth says, and I shoot him an impatient look, cursing him for putting me through an hour of torment and not saying it sooner.
I raise my eyebrows at him , my voice dripping with annoyance. “ Do you mind telling me what it is?”
Sidharth takes a moment, then says, “ After going over the video footage, we couldn’t make out the face, but we’ve identified the location. It was shot in the storage room at Nisha’s college .”
I throw my hands up in frustration. “How does that help? That doesn’t narrow anything down. It could be anyone from the college who has access, which means thousands of people, including students, teachers, and staff.”
“We’re not dealing with thousands of people here; our focus has narrowed down to the staff members,” Sidharth says.
“How can you be so sure we’re heading in the right direction?” I ask, my uncertainty evident in my tone.
“ Come on, Reyansh, have some faith in me. I’ve got a reputation for cracking tough cases ,” Sidharth quips.
“Can you fucking focus on the case and set aside the bragging?” I grumble.
“Fine, if you don’t want to hear my praise, I’ll stop. But mark my words, you’ll sing a different tune once I crack this case for you. You see, I’m…” he starts again, but I glare at him, daring him to continue his nonsense. He quickly lifts his hands in surrender. “ Alright, alright , coming to the point, we found a staff ID badge fall out of the guy’s pocket in the video. It’s only partially visible, but we’re tracing it as we speak .”
“ And when we checked the staff records , we discovered that one staff member was previously detained from college for inappropriate behaviour, although the college has yet to reveal his name,” Officer Viraj adds.
“This is a damn good lead,” I agree.
“It is, but don’t get your hopes up too high. We still don’t have the name. And the college won’t give us the name easily either. Apparently, t hey were paid a hefty amount to keep it under wraps. Also, the college didn’t want their reputation tarnished by that staff, so they secretly resolved the matter without getting the news out,” Sidharth cautions, tempering the hope with a dose of reality.
“We are currently questioning the students, staff, and anyone else who might know something . Hopefully, someone will be brave enough to provide answers,” Officer Viraj mentions soberly. The room falls silent for a moment before he rises to his feet and stretches slightly. “I think we are done for tonight. I will take my leave now,”
Sidharth and I rise as well to bid goodbye as he leaves. We then walk to the bar in the corner of the living room, pour ourselves a glass of whiskey, and take our seats again.
“It must be really hard for Kavya. How is she coping with everything?” Sidharth asks, taking a sip of his whiskey.
I down my whiskey in one go before answering. “She hates that every lead we get turns out to be a dead end. But she’s strong, not breaking down completely and handling it incredibly well.”
“I never thought I’d see the day you’d settle down,” he says with a grin. “With a different woman in your bed every night, I figured you were a lifelong bachelor. But now it’s surprising to see you so committed.”
I flinch. My past is that chapter of my life that I am not proud of, yet it’s also something I can’t change. I regret the choices I made and how I lived during that time. But then, if I dig deep, I wouldn’t have changed nor regretted it if it hadn’t been for Kavya.
“It’s Kavya who changed everything for me,” I admit.
“I can see that, man,” he replies with an understanding nod. “When someone comes into your life and makes that kind of impact, it’s hard not to be changed by it. By the looks of it, you’ve found something special with Kavya.”
“Trust me, I have. Kavya is truly one of a kind and precious, and I consider myself lucky to have her in my life,” I lay it all out there, holding nothing back. “She’s unlike anyone else I’ve ever met. She gets me in a way no one ever has. Now, I’m more possessive than I ever thought I could be. I used to laugh at guys who couldn’t let go of their girls, but now I get it. She’s my world, and I can’t imagine my life without her. She keeps me grounded and inspires me to be a better man every day.”
“Wow, man, you’ve really got it bad, getting this invested and worked up,” Sidharth chuckles.
“You have no bloody idea how fucking crazy I’m about her.”
“I think I’ve got a sense of it. Man, she surely is stunning,” he remarks, glancing over my shoulder.
My head snaps back to see Kavya descending the steps. My eyes drink her in —she’s changed into my track pants and t-shirt, looking effortlessly gorgeous .
“I wish I had your luck, man, having her in my life,” he says dreamily.
My head turns back to him, and I see a touch of envy on his face. “She’s off limits, asshole. Keep those thoughts in check, or I might forget we’re friends ,” I warn him sternly, narrowing my eyes at him.
“ Relax, man, I wouldn’t dare mess with you ,” he laughs, raising his hands in mock surrender , but I shake my head, not in the mood to entertain his nonsense and turn my attention back to Kavya.
“All good?” Kavya asks as she comes to sit next to me, and my hands automatically wrap around her shoulders, pulling her closer to me, I kiss her forehead.
“We still don’t have a clue who it is, but Akash is ruled out as a suspect,” I tell her. “Apparently, it’s someone from the college, a staff member.”
She lets out a breath and drops her head on my shoulder. “I feel guilty for doubting Akash. I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions,” she admits softly, and I smooth my hand up her arm while Sidharth places his glass on the table and shakes his head.
“It’s all good, Kavya,” he assures her gently. “Anyone in your place would be cautious. Don’t blame yourself for being vigilant. Trust me, in my line of work, doubts and suspicions are normal. That’s how we handle things daily.”
She gives a quiet nod.
“I really think you should take a few days off from work and stay home until we figure out who it is,” I suggest, desperately hoping she agrees. Even though Akash is no longer a suspect , I can’t shake this feeling of unease. I just don’t want to take any chances, not even if there’s just a fraction of a possibility that our assumption is wrong.
Kavya lifts her head and looks me straight in the eye. “I’m doing no such thing,” she declares firmly. I open my mouth to protest, but she shakes her head, not letting me speak. “I appreciate your concern, and I understand where you’re coming from, Reyansh, but quitting my job and staying at home isn’t something I’ll consider. Sure, I’ll take all the necessary precautions and stay vigilant, but it’s important for me to carry on with my responsibilities and not let fear cage me.”
“I agree with Kavya,” Sidharth chimes in, and I turn to glare at him, knowing he will never understand how hard it is for me to know my heart, my life is out there as bait. “Staying locked up is not the answer,” he continues. “And more importantly, she has Karan with her to protect her if anything happens.”
“I didn’t ask for your expert advice,” I tell him through gritted teeth.
“Hey, calm down,” Kavya says, gently squeezing my arm, making my gaze shift to her. “I know you’re worried, but Sidharth means well. He understands that quitting my job isn’t the right solution.”
“Kavya — ”
She cuts me off. “Please, Reyansh, staying locked at home will suffocate me,” she pleads.
“Fine,” I agree, letting out a long sigh .
Sidharth’s laughter makes me growl, but then Kavya smiles and leans into me, kissing my cheeks, instantly melting away my irritation.
“Thanks,” she says softly.
Sidharth rises to his feet. “It’s time for me to hit the road and give you two lovebirds some alone time.”
“Thanks for coming,” Kavya stands up, and I follow suit, wrapping my arms around her.
“I’ll keep you posted if we make any progress,” he says, giving her an assuring nod, then gives me a chin lift as he steps out of the door.
Once we are alone, I wrap my arms around her, and she reciprocates by wrapping her hands around my waist, resting her cheeks against my chest.
“I love you,” I tell her softly, holding her tightly against me.
“I love you too,” she whispers back.
I don’t know how long we stay like this, but I can’t bring myself to pull back, unable to let go of her. With my eyes shut, my thoughts grow fierce— I’ll protect her no matter what. I won’t let any jerk take her away from me. I’m going to protect what Kavya and I share, and I won’t ever let it slip away .