Kavya must have read that message by now. The thought sent a sharp pang through Arjun's heart. That girl, who always lingered somewhere between his 'yes' and 'no', who hovered uncertainly in the delicate space of his hesitation—would this very uncertainty one day carry her away from him?
His mind, ruthless as ever, reminded him once again: "You cannot decide anything yet."Arjun's fingers remained frozen on the phone screen. His heart longed to send her another message—warm, hopeful, and brimming with the same eager curiosity that defined Kavya. But the words rose only to die at his fingertips.
In some relationships, silence itself becomes a kind of answer. It is also a kind of fear—the fear of making a promise one does not yet have the strength to keep. Kavya must have smiled when she read his message. A quiet, understanding smile—one that tried to comprehend, that accepted, yet somewhere deep inside, bled a little too.That message had been a door for her—half open, half closed. And Arjun?
He himself did not know in which direction he would step through that half-opened door."Sometimes it is not love, but uncertainty that breaks hearts. Yet sometimes, it is within that very uncertainty that a deeper hope and a profound love begin to take root."
He stepped out of Suyash's chamber and walked slowly toward the tea stall, craving a cup of tea and something to eat. In his haste to meet Suyash early that morning, he had left without having anything. His phone suddenly vibrated in his hand. Kavya's name flashed brightly on the screen.
For months, he had mostly avoided dialing that number. Such was the strange truth of their relationship:"Sometimes, we try our hardest not to disturb the person we love the most. And this very act of protection slowly transforms into distance."
When he did not answer her call on the way, a message from Kavya arrived:"Are you okay?
Are you still outside?
Will you come to meet me today? You didn't even pick up my call."
His fingers hovered motionless over the screen. He wanted to tell her the truth, but the weight of his inner turmoil held him back. Finally, he typed and sent:
"I'm fine. Just a little tangled up inside. I'll meet you in the evening and tell you everything."
The moment the message was sent, his heart felt slightly lighter, though true peace still seemed far away.In that same heavy silence, Shreya's face suddenly rose before his eyes—like the long shadow of a person standing in the sun, stretching unexpectedly across the ground.
Why did you cast a shadow over my life?
What enmity did you have with me?
What could Shreya possibly have to do with Lalkothi?
How could she have known the address?
Lost in these thoughts, Arjun did not even realize when his feet began leading him toward Lalkothi. When he knocked on the door, Dadi came out.
"What is it, Arjun?" she asked gently.
With great politeness, Arjun said, "Dadi, if any letter or post arrives for me, please keep it safely. Call me and I'll come to collect it." Dadi looked at him with mild suspicion. "Why doesn't the sender send it to your own house address?
It's not some girl trouble, is it, Arjun?"
"I don't know, Dadi," he replied. "I don't even know who is sending the letters?
I only know they will come to this address."Then, hesitantly, Arjun asked, "Dadi… did you ever meet Shreya?"
Dadi's eyes narrowed with doubt. "Why are you asking all these questions?"
But her expression soon softened, and she spoke with warmth:"
She used to praise you a lot. When I heard about her murder, I simply couldn't believe it."Right here, in the park opposite our house, she had been jogging. She got tired and was talking to someone on the phone. I was trying to get up from the bench when my leg suddenly twisted badly. She immediately ended her call and rushed to help. She massaged my knee and the nerves in my leg with such care. Then she even walked me home. For a whole week, she came every day to treat my leg and taught me some exercises before leaving. Since then, I haven't had any pain in my knees or calves.
Every winter, I used to suffer terribly from knee and leg pain, but this time, nothing happened.Tell me, beta (son), who goes to such lengths for a complete stranger?
She never took even a single rupee from me. She was such a good girl. Even thinking about her murder makes my heart tremble. God knows why the Lord called her back so soon? As if the world could not bear her goodness.
Dadi continued, her voice soft with memory, "Arjun, looking at her always reminded me of Rani. If Rani were alive today, she would have looked exactly like Shreya. The same way of speaking, the same bright, ringing laughter, and that same readiness to help others."
"You remember our dear parrot, Mitthu? He would often call Shreya 'Rani'. I once scolded him, 'Quiet! She is a physiotherapist,' and he got so upset that he didn't speak properly to me for two whole days."Mitthu had become very attached to her. After she stopped coming, he refused to eat properly for many days."
Whenever Shreya visited in the evenings, he would get so excited. The first thing she would do was go to his cage, and Mitthu would lovingly call her 'Rani' every single time."
Shreya would laugh and say, 'Let him be, Dadi. Let him call me whatever he wants. After all, what's in a name?' "
She was such a warm, friendly girl. She never felt like a stranger. Sometimes I even felt as if she was our Rani."Dadi added gently, "I had taken your phone number from your mother. I thought I would speak to you one day and share my doubts. But then the matter slipped from my mind."
The moment Arjun heard these words from Dadi's lips, something inside him jolted violently—as if a blinding flash of light had pierced through a deep, long slumber. He woke with a start. A storm stirred within him, and the hazy memories of the past began rising, one by one, in his mind and heart.
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