Author’s POV:-
The engagement ceremony had officially come to an end, but the celebration was far from over.
The hall, which had moments ago echoed with sacred chants and blessings, was now filled with cheerful laughter.
The aroma of freshly prepared traditional delicacies drifted from the dining area, while children chased one another around the decorated pillars, their laughter blending beautifully with the soft melodies of the nadaswaram.
The photographer, however, had only one mission.
"Family photo! Andaru stage meedhaki randi!"
(Family photo! Everyone, please come onto the stage!)
Within seconds...
The beautifully arranged stage transformed into complete chaos.
"Babai... konchem mundhuku. (uncle come front)"
"Atta... smile please!"
"Kushal... phone pocket lo pettu! (Kushal keep your phone aside)"
"Kushi... bunny ears cheyyaku! (Kushi stop those bunny ears)"
"Bujji ni pattukondi! (Catch Bujji)"
"Chiku stage meedha ekkesadu! (Chiku don’t go down the stage)"
The photographer let out a dramatic sigh.
"Meerandharni arrange cheyyadam engineering entrance exam kanna kastam."
(Arranging all of you is harder than an engineering entrance exam.)
The entire hall burst into laughter.
Standing in the middle of the stage, Raghava smiled politely at every camera.
Yet...
His attention wandered, almost instinctively.
Across the hall...
Aravinda was laughing softly as Khushbu adjusted the edge of her saree once again, while Vishaka gently brushed away a few strands of jasmine that had slipped from her braid.
She looked up.
Their eyes met.
Neither spoke.
Yet both smiled.
It was a quiet smile.
One that only they understood.
Arjun, standing beside Raghava, noticed it immediately.
Without looking at him, he murmured,
"Five years lo first time..."
(For the first time in five years...)
Advik completed the sentence.
"...nee smile forced ga ledhu."
(...your smile isn't forced.)
Raghava didn't respond.
He simply continued looking at Aravinda.
Vivaan folded his arms and smiled.
"Good."
Just one word.
But all three understood what he meant.
On the other side of the hall...
Yuvika quietly helped one of the decorators rearrange a flower arrangement that had come loose.
Unlike everyone else, she preferred staying away from the centre of attention.
If someone needed help...
She would quietly do it.
Without expecting appreciation.
She lifted a silver tray filled with fresh jasmine flowers.
Just as she turned around—
She accidentally bumped into someone.
The tray tilted.
The flowers were about to scatter across the floor.
Before she could react...
A steady hand caught the tray.
Another gently supported it from below.
Not a single flower fell.
Startled, Yuvika looked up.
Standing before her was a tall man dressed in a navy-blue silk kurta.
His calm eyes met hers.
A gentle smile appeared on his face.
"Looks like these flowers wanted to make a grand entrance."
His voice carried a quiet warmth.
Yuvika couldn't help smiling.
"I think I almost ruined the decorations."
"I don't think so."
He carefully handed the tray back.
"You saved them."
She accepted it with a grateful nod.
"Thank you."
"My pleasure."
A brief silence settled between them.
Neither awkward...
Nor uncomfortable.
Just...
Unexpected.
Someone called from across the hall.
"Rohan! Photographer pilusthunnadu!"
(Rohan! The photographer is calling you!)
He looked towards the stage.
Then back at her.
"I should go."
Yuvika nodded.
"And... thanks again."
He smiled.
"I hope the flowers don't attack you again."
She laughed softly.
"I'll try my best."
As he walked away...
She unknowingly watched him for another second.
Only when he disappeared into the crowd did she realise she had been looking.
A tiny smile touched her lips.
From a distance...
Rithvika witnessed the entire scene.
She slowly walked beside Ruhani.
"Choosava?"
(Did you see that?)
Ruhani nodded with a mischievous grin.
"I saw."
Kushal joined them.
"What happened?"
Rithvika smiled knowingly.
"Nothing..."
She glanced towards Rohan.
"...yet."
The three exchanged amused looks before pretending nothing had happened.
"Raghava! Aravinda! Couple photo!"
The photographer called enthusiastically.
The couple stepped forward.
"Sir... konchem daggara nilchondi."
(Sir... please stand a little closer.)
Both obeyed.
There was still a respectful distance between them.
The photographer frowned.
"Ayyo... engagement aipoyindhi kadha..."
(Come on... you're engaged now...)
The hall erupted into laughter.
Aravinda lowered her eyes shyly.
Raghava smiled helplessly.
He took one small step closer.
Not enough to make her uncomfortable.
Just enough to make the photographer happy.
"Perfect!"
Flash.
Another photograph.
"Sir... madam vaipu choodandi."
(Sir... please look at madam.)
Raghava turned.
Aravinda looked up at the exact same moment.
Click.
The photographer lowered his camera.
"This..."
He smiled proudly.
"...is today's best picture."
The photo session continued.
Parents.
Grandparents.
Cousins.
Friends.
Even Bujji and Chiku managed to steal a few pictures with the couple.
The atmosphere was filled with warmth.
With togetherness.
With the comforting feeling that this was no longer two separate families.
They had already begun becoming one.
While everyone gathered near the dining hall for lunch...
Vivaan quietly looked towards Raghava.
Their eyes met.
No words were exchanged.
Only the slightest nod.
One that no one else noticed.
Raghava immediately understood.
Something important had come up.
Without attracting attention, he excused himself.
The laughter inside the hall slowly faded as both men walked towards the quiet corridor behind the convention hall.
The sounds of celebration became distant.
Only silence remained.
Vivaan stopped near an old wooden door.
He looked around carefully.
Satisfied that they were alone...
He reached inside his kurta.
Slowly...
He pulled out a thick brown envelope.
His expression had completely changed.
No smile.
No celebration.
Only seriousness.
He handed the envelope to Raghava.
Without saying a word.
The moment Raghava saw the faded handwriting visible through the slightly opened cover...
His heartbeat slowed.
It was...
His mother's handwriting.
He looked at Vivaan.
Vivaan spoke quietly.
The laughter from the banquet hall slowly faded as Raghava followed Vivaan through the narrow corridor behind the convention hall.
Every step took them farther away from the celebration.
The sounds of children laughing...
The nadaswaram...
The conversations...
Everything slowly disappeared.
Only silence remained.
A cool breeze drifted through the open backyard, carrying with it the faint fragrance of jasmine from the mandapam.
Vivaan stopped beneath an old neem tree.
He didn't speak immediately.
Instead...
He looked around once.
Years of working beside Raghava had taught him one thing.
Never discuss the investigation unless you were absolutely certain no one could hear.
After satisfying himself that they were alone...
He turned.
The brown envelope remained in his hands.
For a brief second...
Neither of them spoke.
Because both knew...
Whatever was inside that envelope...
...had the power to change everything.
Raghava slowly took the envelope.
His fingers hesitated.
Not because he was afraid.
But because every new clue carried hope.
And hope...
Had disappointed him many times before.
He carefully opened it.
Inside were three things.
A photocopy of one page from Vasanthi's diary.
A twenty-three-year-old hospital visitor register.
And...
An old photograph.
The edges of the photograph had turned yellow with age.
It looked as though someone had folded and unfolded it countless times.
Raghava picked it up first.
Only half of a man's face was visible.
The remaining portion had been deliberately torn away.
He looked at Vivaan.
"Where did you get this?"
Vivaan folded his arms.
"Arjun traced the hospital's retired record keeper."
Raghava remained silent.
"He refused to talk initially."
Vivaan continued.
"But Advik managed to convince him."
A faint smile appeared on Raghava's face.
"Convince...?"
Vivaan smirked.
"You know Advik."
"Tea..."
"Three plates of mirchi bajji..."
"And two hours of listening to his life story."
Raghava let out the smallest laugh.
Only Advik could solve an investigation by becoming someone's grandson in fifteen minutes.
The smile disappeared just as quickly.
His attention returned to the documents.
Vivaan pointed toward the visitor register.
"Look at the date."
Raghava lowered his eyes.
His expression froze.
It was the same date.
The same day.
The day Vasanthi Reddy had supposedly died in a tragic accident.
His grip around the paper tightened.
Vivaan continued quietly.
"Hospital records show only family members visited your mother."
He paused.
"Except..."
He slid another paper forward.
"There was one more entry."
Raghava read it aloud.
Mr. Anand Varma.
Address...
Unknown.
Phone number...
Blank.
Signature...
Unreadable.
He frowned.
"Who is he?"
Vivaan slowly shook his head.
"He doesn't exist."
Silence.
"What?"
"We checked."
"No Aadhaar."
"No voter ID."
"No employee records."
"No property."
"No passport."
"Nothing."
Raghava looked up.
"So someone walked into the hospital under a fake identity."
Vivaan nodded.
"Exactly."
Raghava immediately reached for the diary page.
The handwriting...
Even after so many years...
Still felt alive.
His mother's words echoed inside his mind.
'If something happens to me, remember one thing... I was never afraid of death. I was afraid of the truth dying with me.'
His heartbeat became uneven.
He had read this sentence hundreds of times.
But today...
For the first time...
It no longer sounded like fear.
It sounded like a warning.
Vivaan spoke softly.
"We always believed this diary was emotional writing."
He looked directly into Raghava's eyes.
"I don't think that anymore."
Neither did Raghava.
Footsteps echoed nearby.
Both men instinctively fell silent.
A worker carrying water bottles crossed the corridor.
He greeted them politely.
"Sir."
Raghava nodded.
Only after the man disappeared did Vivaan continue.
"I didn't tell anyone."
"Not even Arjun?"
"He knows we found something."
"But only you know what."
Raghava slowly closed the diary page.
"No."
Vivaan looked confused.
"Tonight..."
"We tell Arjun and Advik everything."
"This investigation stopped being mine alone a long time ago."
Vivaan smiled.
"They'll be happy you finally admitted that."
Raghava looked toward the celebration hall.
Through the open doors he could see Aravinda.
She was speaking to Khushbu, smiling as Bujji circled around her feet.
For a brief moment...
The weight on his shoulders became lighter.
Vivaan noticed where he was looking.
"You should go."
Raghava remained silent.
Vivaan smiled knowingly.
"She'll start looking for you."
A faint smile appeared on Raghava's face.
"Probably."
Vivaan laughed.
"Definitely."
Just as Raghava was about to place the documents back into the envelope...
Something slipped out.
A small folded piece of paper.
Neither of them had seen it before.
Raghava slowly unfolded it.
There were only six handwritten words.
The ink had faded.
But they were still readable.
"Don't trust the man in white."
The handwriting...
Was Vasanthi's.
Both men stared at the note.
Neither spoke.
Because there was only one person wearing white throughout the day Vasanthi died.
The doctor.
Elsewhere...
Several kilometres away...
In an old colonial bungalow hidden behind overgrown trees...
A grandfather clock struck noon.
Tick...
Tick...
Tick...
The room was dimly lit.
Dust floated lazily through narrow beams of sunlight.
One entire wall was covered with photographs.
Newspaper cuttings.
Hospital records.
Business reports.
Family pictures.
Every photograph was connected by thin red thread.
At the very centre...
Hung a smiling photograph of Vasanthi Reddy.
Below it...
A recent engagement photograph of Raghava and Aravinda.
A pair of aged hands slowly reached forward.
The fingers gently touched Vasanthi's picture.
For several long seconds...
Nothing happened.
Then...
The hands moved to the engagement photograph.
The thumb slowly brushed across Aravinda's smiling face.
A low voice broke the silence.
"Five years..."
A pause.
"You came closer than I expected, Raghava."
The old man smiled.
Not warmly.
Coldly.
Almost proudly.
He picked up another photograph.
This one showed a little boy...
Barely ten years old.
Standing beside Vasanthi.
Young Raghava.
The old man looked at it for a long time.
Then whispered—
"Just like your mother..."
The room fell silent again.
Suddenly...
A mobile phone vibrated.
The screen displayed only one word.
UNKNOWN.
He answered.
"Yes."
The voice on the other end spoke only one sentence.
"The engagement is over."
The old man looked once more at the board filled with photographs.
His eyes settled on Aravinda's picture.
A slow smile spread across his face.
"Good."
Another pause.
Then...
"Phase Two begins after the wedding."
The call disconnected.
The clock struck once more.
And somewhere...
Without knowing it...
Raghava had just stepped one step closer to the truth.
While the truth...
Had already started walking towards him.
.
.
.
that's it for today byeeeeeeee
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