"THE DETERMINATION THAT BETRAYS."

___________________________

The room was tense. Two people were sitting on their knees, looking down, hands joined, trembling in fear. They dare not look at the person in front of them, who was sitting on the chair, taping his fingers on the armrest, looking at them intently. His face was expressionless, yet there was something stoic about it. He was wearing white kurta and pajama, with a shawl elegantly wrapped around his shoulder.

Virendra Dev Chowdhary, the president of the zilla Committee of Ajmer Districts. He is the most powerful and respected man in all of the 12 villages under him. He also owns an ancestral cotton mill, making him the most wealthy man as well.

Right now, a panchayat was being held in the hall room of his haveli, where usually such hearings take place. His word is the last word. No one dares to oppose him. As kindly as he governs, at times, there can be some brutal decisions as well.

Faint murmurs could be heard by the people standing at the back. A man, Harish Das, one of his trysted man and asvisor, cleared his throat, gaining everyone's attention.

"Chowdhary Sahab," he began. "These two were the ones who burned Manav's harvest. Those harvests were going to feed his family and help send his children to school. They were his whole year's hard work." He concluded, motioning the man named Manav to come ahead.

"J-Ji sarkar.. these two in malovolence destroyed my everything. How will I feed my wife and children now? Mai toh puri tarah barbaad ho gya sahab." Manav cried.

[I'm ruined in all ways, sir]

The man on the chair finally spoke, his voice echoing in the whole room. "What did you two do it?" His voice was cold, making shivers run down their spines.

"S-Sarkar.. W-Woh.." One of them began with trembling voice.

[S-Sir.. w-we..]

"Do not fumble." Virendra's voice exhoed again.

"H-Hum toh b-bas.. Manav, Divesh, and I, we started sowing at the same time. Yet his were growing rapidly while ours were getting spoiled. We suspected that maybe he had something to do with it." He turned and gave Manav a dirty look.

"But when we confronted him, he denied, and we got into an argument. " The other man, Divesh, continued. "We were so sure that he's the reason our crops weren't showing the growth as his were. Aur dwesh aur irsha mein, humne.. humar ko maaf kar diyo sahab." He said with a low voice, but then his expression changed to one of assusing.

[We did all that in envy and grudge. Please, forgive us, sir]

"Lekin, sarkar mana humar galti thi aur ee, ee bhi koi doodh ka dula naahi hai. Iski wajah se humar khet upjajao naahi rahe." He pointed at Manav assusingly.

[Yes, we admit we were at fault. But he, he isn't squeaky clean either. Because of him, our crops were no more fertile]

Manav shook his head rapidly. "No, they are wrongly assusing me, sir. I did no such thing! Their crops were spoiling because of the excess use of the pesticides that were provided to us last year by the officers. I tried to warn them, but they didn't listen, and now they are blaming me." He pleaded before Virendra.

"Manav is relling the truth, Chaudhary sahab." Harish, spoke, supporting him.

"Do you all agree that Divesh and Farid are at fault here?" His voice bloomed through the hall again as he addressed the audience at the back and the panch of the 12 villages. A surge of agreement ran through the hall, making the two men gulp in fear and dread on what was about to come.

"You heard them. For the crime you did, I should be cutting off your hands right now for disrespecting harvests and ruining a farmer's hard work..." he said. The two men were now visibly trembling, sweating their glands off. They knew the man before them wasn't the one to make empty threats. "..But I won't do that."

Murmurs of confusions spread through the hall, and the men visibly relaxed.

"But don't think you'll be let off the hook so easily. I'm not cutting off your hands because your family's survival depends on you. But you will pay every single penny worth damage you've caused Manav by the end of the month." He declared.

The men tensed visibly. "Sarkar, ee se accha toh aap humar hath ki katva dete. Hum itna dhan itne kaam samay mein kaise bharenge? Apni toh khet se bhi itni humaai naahi hoti. Daya, Sarkar, Thodi daya dekhaiye." They pleaded, bowing more, joining their hands.

[Sir, you could've cut our hands instead of this. How will we pay such a sum in such a small amount of time? Even our farms don't produce that income. Please, have some mercy on us]

"Living in here for so long. You should've known I don't have mercy. You have to deal with your consequences on your own. Humne jo keh diya so keh diya. Kisi ko koi aapatti?" He asked, scanning his eyes across the room. The room felt silent, showing their acceptance. "Dismissed." He said and stood up to leave. Harish and a few other men following him inside.

[I said what I said. Anyone, any problem?]

___________________________

A sound of anklets filled the room. As a girl gracefully moved to the beats of the rhythm playing in the background. A mischievous smile on her face, as she twirled, making faces to match the song. Her blue lehenga-choli spinning with her gracely.

Three women who were sitting on the cot in front of her shook their heads watching her antics. While the man sitting on the ground, with one of the women applying oil on his hair, chuckled.

Padmini Devi, her grandmother.

Pallavi Virendra Chowdhary, her mother.

Ragini Vanraj Chowdhary, her chachi [aunt]

Garv Dev Chowdhary, her second elder brother, Ragini's son.

She did a dramatic spin but grinned when a mischievous idea popped up in her mind. She slowly approached her grandmother, who raised her eyebrow, looking at her.

She pulled her grandmother with her and started mimicking the lyrics with her, making her forcefully sway, too, while the old woman just made displeased sounds of protests and tried to move back.

Garv had to bite his palm in his mouth to stop himself from bursting out laughing like an animal, looking the elder woman's stingy expressions. While the other two ladies bit their lips, hiding their own smiles.

The music stopped, and the old woman held her ear, twisting it. "Ae chori, bohot masti chadi hai thare ko? Bata, mare se naach karvayegi?" Shee twisted it sharply.

(Hey, girl, aren't you getting mischievous day by day? Tell me, you’ll make me dance, huh?)

"Wahi toh Amma dekho toh iss MEERA ko, iski itni himmat ki ye aapko naachva rahi thi." Garv provoked Amma more, giving Meera a sly smile, who in return glared at him.

[Exactly, nanny, see this MEERA, she's getting so daring. Look at her, making you dance]

Meera whined once again when Amma twisted her ear once again. "Amma, Amma, Amma, humari pyari Amma, maaf kardo hume. Hum toh bas aise hi thoda mast-majak kar rahe the. Chodo bhi ab, dard ho raha hai." She pleaded, giving Amma her best puppy eyes. But who was she even kidding?

[Nanny, Nanny, Nanny, my dear Nanny, please, forgive me. I was just teasing and having a little fun. Now, leave my ear, it's hurting]

Amma glared at Meera, twisting her ear more, making her wince. "Majak-masti, woh bhi mare se? Amma hu thari, koi thari umar ki sakhi-saheli na hu jo tu mare saath majak-masti kare."

[Teasing and fun? With me? I'm your grandma, not some girl of your age group for you tease]

"Haa, haa, Amma, maan gaye, galti ho gyi humse. Hume dhyaan rakhna chahiye tha ki iss umar mein kamar vagera lachak jati toh afat ho jati. Is umar mein sharir naajuk hota haina. Samjhte hai, chinta mat karo. Lekin, ab chodo bhi, humara kaan thodke manogi kya ab." Meera wiggled out of her hold, rubbing her now red ear. Garv chuckled but hid it with a cough, pretending the oil bottle was much more interesting than stuff.

[Yes, yes, nanny, I admit. I was at fault. I should've been careful, for you would've sprained your waist or something. And at this delicate age, it would've been a blunder. Your body must be fragile at this point. I understand, don't worry. But leave my ear now. It's seriously hurting]

Amma gasped and turned towards Pallavi, assusingly. "Dekh rahi ho aapni chokri ko, Pallavi. Kaise kaichi jaisi jabaan ho gyi hai. Manne toh pehle kahi thi ki mat bhejo isse padhne ke lane bahar Garv ke saath. Lekin mari kisine ek na suni tab. Sun lete toh chori aise muh na chala rahi hoti. Satyanash, gyi na ab thari santan haath se." She ranted to Meera's mother. While Meera looked at her, flabbergasted.

Kahi ka kahi le ja rahi hai, ye amma bhi. Umar such mein sar par chadh gyi hai lgta.

[She was taking what, where? Age is a hell lot messing with her mind]

"Chodiye na, Amma, bacchi hai abhi, bachpana gya nhi hai abhi iska. Mai badmein samjha dungi." Pallavi tried to defend her daughter.

[Leave it, nanny. She's a child. Her childishness hadn't gone yet. I'll make her understand later]

"Child?!" Amma looked at her horrified. "Iski umar mein mai shadi karke iske baap ko paida kar rhi thi. 22 ki ho chuki hai, iske liye rishte aane shuru ho jayenge abhi thode dino mein. Tab kya sabko yahi samjhati phiregi?"

[I was a married woman giving birth to her father at her age. She is already 22. Alliances would be coming at the doorstep in a few days. Will you go on explaining them, this too?]

Meera looked at her in disbelief. "Haa, haa, karado, karado, humara bhi baal biah karado aur bhej do yaha se kahi dur. Arre, abhi-abhi toh jawani shuru hui hai humari. Aur apke samay mein baal biah chalta hoga, ab ka jamana alag hai, Amma. Desh itta pragati kar raha hai, thodi pragati aap bhi karlo." Meera taunted in a not-so-subtle tone.

[Yeah, yeah, do it, do my child marriage, and send me away from here. My prime days of youth have just started. Child marriage would have been valid in your age, but not anymore. The world is involving so much, ypu should work on yourself a little, too.]

"See! Look at this girl. Getting shameless day by day. Jyada jawaani chadh rahi hai isse." Amma exclaimed.

[She’s getting high on her youth]

"Meera!" Pallavi scolded her, giving her a look that said pretty much 'shut up'.

"Haye, mera bacha, thare ko hum dur kyun bhejenge? Tu toh humara pyara baccha hai, kahi dur nhi jane denge." Ragini stated lovingly.

[Aww, my child, why would we send you away, huh? You're our sweet child. We'll let you go so far]

Meera made a pouty face and walked towards Ragini in a child like manner. "Bas humari chachi hi hai jo humse pyaar karti hai. Aur koi humse pyaar nhi karta. Nhi karta na?" She side hugged Ragini, who patted her head affectionately.

[Only my aunty loves me. No one else loves me. They don't,  right?]

"Hey, drama queen, enough now. NoBOdY lOveS mE." He mimicked her in a high pitched voice. "Go make tea for me." He said with smug expression.

"Kyuu? Abhi abhi toh baithe the hum." Meera whined.

[Why? I had just kept my feet still]

"Oh really?—" he was about to say when a servant came there.

"Malkin, sarkaar, is back from his meeting, and chote sarkaar and Bade Sahab are also back from their inspection to the villages." She addressed Pallavi after bowing towards Amma first.

"Okay, you go, ask the others to prepare a light meal for them." Pallavi said and dismissed her. The servant left from there. Pallavi turned towards Meera and spoke. "Meera, go make tea for your baba. Don't know why, but he only likes tea from your hand nowadays." Meera nodded and stood up to walk towards the kitchen.

"I'll come too. What will I do with the ladies now." Garv said and stood up to follow behind her. They both made their way towards the kitchen.

On the way, Garv smacked her head. Meera winced and gave him a questioning glare. "What was that for?" She questioned.

"Did you decide how will convince the rest of the male species in our family about the little secret of yours?" He asked. They reached the kitchen, and Meera took out a utensil to start making tea.

Meera huffed. "They should stay in the house for me to talk, if one is at home, the other is out, if the other is out, one is home." She complained.

"Really? Is that the real reason of are you just chickening out? Finding reasons to justify your cowardness, Meera dear?" He teased, taking an apple from the fridge to eat.

"I'm not a coward, okay. You just wait and watch. They all must be together right now. I'll talk to them today itself. Aayi samjh?" She declared.

[Understood?]

"Sure, let's see if you can keep this brave act in front of them. Warna toh bade baba ke samne muh mein dahi jam jata hai tumhari." Garv said, looking at her with a challenge. A surge of determination flushed through Meera as she inhaled deeply, making a fixed decision.

[You can't even open your mouth in front of him]

"Aap bas dekhna, baba ke samne jayenge, ankho mein dekh kar bina ruke, ye express train ki tarah sab bol denge." Meera stated, making a determinated face. Garv chuckled at her, making her glare at him again. "Yeah, yeah, let's see."

[You just see. I'll go there, look into his eyes, and spit everything out like bullet train]

____________________________

As said, they both made tgeur way towards the living room with the cups of tea on a tray in Meera’s hands. They could hear soft murmurs of talk. It seemed serious. And now the determined Meera was having second thoughts. They stopped outside the door.

Garv looked at Meera and gestured her to knock. Meera looked at him deadpanned and gestured towards the tray in her hand. Garv bit his tongue and knocked on the door.

They heart a little 'come in' . Garv turned to Meera and gestured her to go. Meera shook her head. Garv glared at her. "Jaa na." He hissed. She again shook her head pleading. Garv huffed and gently pushed her in, stepping in after her.

[Go in]

Meanwhile, the men inside were wondering why no one was coming in, even after knocking. But their expressions softened as soon as they spotted Meera. Meera cleared her throat, giving Garv a look, who smiled innocently. Meera put on a bright smile and went towards them.

In the room, their were 6 men present. Virendra Dev Chowdhary, her baba. Hemish, Dhanraj, and Kulkarni, her father's trusted men and advisors.

Vanraj Dev Chowdhary, her chacha [uncle], also known as Bade Sahab.

Vikram dev chowdhary, her eldest brother, son of Virendra, and Pallavi, also known as Chote Sarkar.

She gave tea to the three men, who she had seen by her father's side since childhood, who smiled at her. Then she turned towards the men of her house, serving them the tea."Aur ye rahi Sarkar, aapki chai, ye bade sahab ki aur ye chote sarkar."

[And this is Sarkar, your tea, this is Bade sahab's tea and chote sarkar's]

Virendra and Vanraj patted her head lovingly as she bent down to touch their feet. And went towards Vikram, who gave her a small gift box. Her eyes beamed with excitment. Garv, watching this, stepped forward. "Where is mine?" He asked.

Vikram turned to look at him. "What yours? You're not little anymore. Aur tumhare hote huye humari gudiya kyu chai lekar aayi?" Vanraj spoke before Vikram could say anything else and asked the last part, narrowing his eyes.

[And why did our doll bring the tea while you were there, too?]

"Wahi toh, dekhiye na chachaji pura samay jab hum chai bana rahe the aap sab ke liye. He was disturbing and taunting me in the kitchen." Meera made a fake distressed expression, looking utterly innocent. Hearing her, the other two men also started at looking at Garv.

[Exactly, look at him, uncle, the whole time I was making tea for you all]

"Nhi, bade baba, baba, bhaiya, ye bas apni masoom si shakal ka fayda utha rahi hai, maine aisa kuch nhi kiya." Garv quickly defended himself. But who was he kidding, Meera was the youngest and the most pampered in their house. Even he couldn't resist anything when she made that face. "Okay, fine, sorry." He spoke gruffly.

[No, she's just taking advantage of her innocent face. I did no such thing]

"Aapke sorry ka hum aachar dale. Just sorry isn't enough." Meera said, flipping her hair slightly. Garv narrowed his eyes at her, a expression she gladly reciprocated.

[Do hell with your sorry]

"So? Do you expect me to bow down for you? First, I apologized even when I wasn't at fault and accused wrongly, and now you’re showing tantrums?" Garv retorted. Vikram shook his head, looking at them.

"Okay, enough." Virendra said. Garv and Meera immediately straightened up. "Everyone, let's discuss the later tomorrow." He said. Hemish, Dhanraj, and Kulkarni nodded and left the room.

Meera came and sat beside Virendra, keeping her head on his shoulder, encircling his arm.

"What did you both come here?" Vikram asked, looking at them. As much as he knew them, they definitely had something going on in those mischievous brains of theirs. Which may or may not be so decent.

"Meeru wanted to talk to bade baba about something." Garv said with a tight-lipped smile. Meera head wipped in his direction, staring at him with disbelief for putting her in the spot like that.

Garv nodded at her in encouragement. She shook her head, he urged again, she again shook her head, he urged her again, but she again shook her head.

He nodded.

She shook her head.

He nodded.

She shook her head.

While the three other souls present there were looking at them with dumbfounded expressions. "What did you want to talk about, Meera?" Virendra asked her.

"I.. actually.. I.. I.. wanted to.. ask.. something.. no, tell something.." Meera fumbled.

"Why are you hesitating? Say it clearly." Virendra, Vanraj, and Vikram simultaneously frowned. One thing about Meera; she never hesitated to ask what she wanted or what was on her mind. She was an outspoken, speaking her mind ever so bluntly type of person. Her, fumbling and hesitating, meant the thing was bigger than they thought.

"I.. I.. want to.." Meera fidgeted with her scarf.

"You want to what, Meera?" Virendra urged a little firmly this time. Meera bit her lips. No, she can't do this.

"I want to.. I want to go to... shopping!" She blurted. All the four men looked at her dumbfounded. Especially Garv, whose head snapped in her direction so fast, Meera feared if any ligament can detached from there.

"Shopping?" Virendra inquired.

"Shopping?" Vanraj asked in confusion.

"Shopping?" Vikram asked, in suspicion.

"SHOPPING?!" Garv exclaimed in disbelief.

"Shopping." Meera nodded in resignation.

"You were doing all that... just to ask for shopping in the end?" Vikram looked at her suspiciously. There was no way this was what she wanted to say. Meera nodded quietly. This was the stupidest excuse anyone could've come up with. But this was Meera. And Meera was Meera. How can she spend her day without doing anything stupid? She mentally scolded herself.

"Why were you hesitating so much to ask for it this time, when you never hesitated before?"

"Because.. because.. because.. I want to go shopping.." Meera looked at all of them one by one. "...in Delhi!" She exclaimed. All heads whipped in her direction again.

"Delhi?"

"Yeah."

"Why delhi?"

"Offho bhaiya kya aap bhi jaga jasoos ban rahe ho. Chodo mujhe toh baat hi nhi karni aap sabse." She huffed and stood up dramatically.

[Oh god, why are you suddenly so interested in becoming sherlock holmes. Leave it, I don't want to talk to you all]

"Chalo bhaiya hum chalta hai, hume bohot kaam hai na? chaliye jaldi." She took Garv's arm in his and dragged him away from there.

[Let’s go, Garv, we'll leave. We have so much in our hands. Let's go quick]

"Am I the only one confused with what just happened?" Vanraj asked turning towards the other two men. "Leave it, Chachaji you know how they are." Vikram said, dismissing his query. But deep down, he knew that behavior was strange. He was having his uncertainties, and he wasn’t the only one in the room feeling that way.

"Vikram, talk to them later." Virendra said, and Vikram nodded. They started discussing their earlier conversation.

"Are there enough resourses like pesticides and fertilizers available for the farmers, and what about the laborer wage issue? Did you contact the capitalists?" Virendra asked.

"Yes. We personally reviewed everything and inquired every farmer. But there is one issue." Vanraj said. A line of frown crept Virendra's face. "What is it?" He asked.

"The southern districts may suffer from water scarcity in a while or so. Their resourses are meager, and the pipelines that were their constant water supply had been cut off for a new pipeline to fit in. We'll have contact the collector regarding this issue as soon as possible."

Virendra nodded. "I'll have to make sure to give the collector one personal visit again."

____________________________

"What was that in there?"

"What was what?"

"The blunder you caused."

"You're one to talk. Putting me in a spot like that and not even uttering a word of help. Toh aap toh rehne hi dijiye Garv babu. Ye pravachan kisi aur ko jake sunaiye hume nhi. Aayi samajh?" Meera narrowed her eyes at the man, keeping her hands on her hip, her 'big' brother, who was supposedly the one to protect her, who put her in lion's den just like that, who then cowarded like a hyena in the background letting her take the kill.

[You quit it, Mr. Garv. Give your this lecture to someone else. Got that?]

"I did that to help you. If not now, if not you, then when, and who will tell them? I was just doing you a favor, okay. Be grateful, you ungrateful brat." He did the same, narrowing his eyes, putting his hands on his hips.

"What didn't you just say the truth? But no, you had to go with if anything.. SHOPPING!" He threw his hands up in disbelief.

"If you so much of had a better save, then why didn't you say anything?"

"Because it wasn't mine to say, it was yours, Meera. At the end, you are the who has to fight your own battles. I can help you, but I can win it for you. You do you. Why didn't you just say it?" His expression softened. Long gone was the Tom to her Jerry. The big brother care and concern showing in his tone.

"I.. I got scared. What if they said no? I don't think I'd be able to take that. The two things I love, standing facing each other." Meera’s shoulder slumped in defeat. Why did she had to be such a coward?

She sat on the terrace, leaning against the railing in the back. Garv sat beside her, keeping his hand on her shoulders.

"Meeru, listen to me. Firstly, no, you're not a coward." Did she say that out aloud?

"Secondly, you have to tell them. And it's better sooner than later. You don't want to have a future of regrets. You have to do it. Fight for what you love, Meera. Don't let fear cloud your determination."

Meera nodded. He was right. She can't let her demons hold her back. She was better than that. She would be better if she wasn't. "You’re right. I have to do this." She smiled in determination.

The same determination she felt just a few moments ago, that betrayed her quicker than she'd anticipated...

No, this time, it is different.

Is it?

IT IS!

Okay.

OKAY.

Yeah, okay.

Yeah, OKAY.

You sure it's not the betraying determination?

Yes.

Sure, Sure?

SURE, SURE.

Good, that's quite the determination.

DAMN, RIGHT.

____________________________

MEANWHILE,

"The body is found in a jungle, sir. Near an abandoned cabinet." The inspector informed the authorities in front of him. "Although, his body was found in Nareli, the stuff they found in his wallet, shows that his resident is in here, in Agra. The Nareli Thana SHO wants to transfer this case to us, they say only the body was found there, but there's nothing more."

Harsh Dixit, DSP of Agra police, sat in the head of the table with his team, lost in thought. "What is the cause of his death? And personal details?"

The inspector forwarded a file to him. "All the information is in here, sir. His name was Vikas Gupta. He was a real estate agent, age 36, married with 2 kids, his wife is a homemaker, his son is in nursery, and the elder daughter is in standard 5th."

Harsh nodded. "Is there any shady history to him?" He asked, looking at his dead photograph in the file. Multiple brutal stabs. The precision looked professional.

"No, Sir. Not anything official. He seems like a typical married man. There were no reasons to kill him that showed."

"What about the body? When are they sending it here?" Harsh asked, closing the file and looking up at him.

"They aren't, sir." The inspector said with uncertainty.

"What? They want us to take over the case, so why aren't they sending the body?" Harsh said, a little agitated by the situation.

"They already admitted it for postmortem. But stopped when they handed it over to us. The body isn't in the condition of traveling." He informed.

"How can they be so stupid?" Harsh muttered in frustration, running a hand through his hair. "So, clearly, we have to send our forensic team there." He stated. The inspector nodded, much to his irritation.

"Alright. I'll ask the forensic team. Out now, everybody. Try to dig his background as deep as you can." His team nodded, and everyone went out the meeting room. He looked the dead body again intently. There was more to it than just stabs.. he thought.

He dialed a number, which went unanswered. He dialed again, which again went unanswered.. talk about his BP increasing today, with the amount of frustration he was feeling. He dialed again, and a deep, rugged voice came from the other side. "What?"

"Saale, itna time lagta hai phone uthne mein? Tesri ring thi ye. Tera har baar ka yahi hota. When will you start taking me seriously? What if this something serious? What if I was dying and asking for help?" He went out in irritation.

[Idiot, who takes this long to answer? This was the third ring. You always do this]

"Why did you call?" The voice spoke—calm and composed. Completely contrasting to that of the him. Which only made him mpre annoyed.

"Why? Can't I call my best friend without any specific reason?" He snapped.

"I'm busy."

"Yeah, and I'm peeling onions here, right?" Harsh remarked sarcastically. He might actually need a doctor today.

"Good for you."

"You! Seriously, Dhruv Saxena? Do you even consider me your best friend, or am I just any man for you?" He snapped.

"If you weren't my best friend, this call would've ended long ago."

"Not like this is any better." He muttered, sighing. Who was he even kidding? This was Dhruv, the most unhinged, uninterested, unsociable man he's ever known. Remind him again how they became best friends? That's right. Him tailing behind Dhruv in collage.

"Why did you call? Who dead?"

"A real estate agent." Harsh informed, relatively in a  calmer tone this time.

"And the reason you're calling instead of barging in here with the body is?"

"Those idiots..." He informed the whole situation to Dhruv. "...and now because of that, we have to send someone there."

"Okay. I'll ask someone to go."

"No. I would've done that by myself, but I want you to go," Harsh said, in a serious tone.

"You do know I'm a senior Forensic Scientist and the head of the department, right? I am not free to attend such matters."

"I know. I know. But it's not just a murder by stabbing. I think there's more to it." Harsh said, staring the dead's photograph in his hand.

"What do you mean?"

"I'll send you the picture of the dead body." Harsh said and sent Dhruv the picture. "Do you know what I mean now? Tell me if I am wrong but his chest..." Harsh said cautiously.

Dhruv studied the picture. As much as he could tell from it, it indeed wasn't just stabs. "You’re right. His chest is yellow-green.. it may seem like usual blood swelling or infection, but it's not. It can't be, especially when he is dead."

Harsh nodded, even though he knew Dhruv couldn't see him. "That's what I thought. How can his chest be still like that when his whole body had gone pale." He said. The line went silent for a while, confusing him. "Dhruv?.. Dhruv? What are you thinking?"

"I think I might know what this is, but I hope it isn't."

"What is it?"

"Billrubin."

_____________________________

Yeah.

This was the very first page, and now here the storyline begins...

Any thoughts? And opinions?

Votes and Comments section ko apna hi maal samjhke, spam it!

This is a threat.💀🔪

Or a harmless request.🥺

Anywayyyyyy,

Do you guys know Dimpi from 'heropanti' and Nandini from 'Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam'???

Ofc, you do.

So their wardrobe is exactly how I imagine Meera's wardrobe to be.

So, please make sure to vote and comment and follow.

Adios, mis mariposas 🦋

Till next chapter...