Chapter 2

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The Bracelet

The rain continued to pour long after the mysterious figure disappeared into the darkness.

Ruhi stood frozen inside the shed, her heart pounding so hard it felt painful.

Everything had happened too fast.

The open door.

The footprints.

The bracelet.

The shadow.

And then-

Abhiraj.

Why was he there?

How had he known someone was inside the shed?

The questions swirled through her mind as she stared into the darkness.

A few moments later, heavy footsteps approached.

Ruhi instinctively stepped back.

Abhiraj emerged from the rain.

His white shirt was soaked, clinging to his broad frame. Water dripped from his hair, and his jaw was clenched with frustration.

He had clearly failed to catch the intruder.

For a few seconds, neither spoke.

Then Ruhi exploded.

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

Abhiraj blinked.

"What?"

"You scared me half to death!"

"You were about to scream."

"Obviously! There was someone in here!"

"I know."

His calm response only irritated her more.

"You knew?"

Abhiraj folded his arms.

"I saw someone entering your property."

Ruhi stared at him.

"You were watching my house?"

"No."

The answer came too quickly.

Ruhi raised an eyebrow.

"You're a terrible liar."

For the first time, a faint smirk appeared on his face.

Gone a second later.

"You're standing in the middle of a storm arguing with me."

"Because you're impossible!"

"And you're stubborn."

The words hung between them.

Thunder echoed overhead.

Rain hammered against the roof.

Ruhi crossed her arms.

"Who was that person?"

Abhiraj's expression darkened.

"I don't know."

"Liar."

His eyes narrowed.

"Careful, City Girl."

Ruhi hated how that nickname affected her.

The way he said it sounded annoyingly personal.

"I'll stop calling you a liar when you stop acting like one."

For a moment, it looked like he might actually get angry.

Instead, he sighed.

A surprisingly tired sound.

Then his gaze shifted toward the bracelet still in Ruhi's hand.

His entire body went rigid.

Ruhi noticed immediately.

"What?"

Abhiraj stared at the bracelet.

The color drained from his face.

"Where did you find that?"

The change in him was impossible to miss.

Ruhi looked down at the silver bracelet.

"Inside the box."

Abhiraj took a step forward.

His eyes never left the jewelry.

"Show me."

Something in his voice made her hesitate.

Not anger.

Fear.

Genuine fear.

Slowly, she handed it over.

Abhiraj examined it carefully.

His jaw tightened.

His fingers curled around the bracelet.For the first time since meeting him, Ruhi saw something crack beneath his tough exterior.

Pain.

Raw and undeniable.

"Maya," he whispered.

The name barely reached her ears.

"Who is Maya?"

Abhiraj immediately looked away.

The walls went back up.

Just like that.

"No one."

Ruhi laughed.

A short, disbelieving laugh.

"Seriously?"

"No one."

"You looked like you'd seen a ghost."

Abhiraj slipped the bracelet into his pocket.

"You should go inside."

"I'm not finished."

"I am."

And just like that, he turned and walked away.

Leaving Ruhi standing alone.

Again.

The next morning, Bhairavpur buzzed with rumors.

Ruhi discovered this within five minutes of leaving the house.

Everywhere she went, people stared.

Whispered.

Pointed.

Something had happened.

Something everyone knew except her.

Finally, she stopped at a small grocery store.

The owner smiled nervously.

"Good morning, beta."

Ruhi got straight to the point.

"Why is everyone looking at me?"

The man nearly dropped the packet he was holding.

"No reason."

"Everyone keeps saying that."

"Because there is no reason."

Ruhi groaned.

This village was impossible.

Before she could press further, two women entered the shop.

Their conversation stopped instantly when they saw her.

One of them whispered something.

The other gasped.

Ruhi caught only three words.

"...Abhiraj... last night..."

Interesting.

Very interesting.

By afternoon, Ruhi finally got her answer.

Or part of it.

She was walking near the village temple when she heard raised voices.

A crowd had gathered nearby.

Curious, she moved closer.

In the center stood Abhiraj.

Again.

Apparently, chaos followed this man everywhere.

A middle-aged villager pointed angrily at him.

"You had no right!"

Abhiraj remained silent.

The villager continued.

"You protected her!"

Protected who?

Ruhi frowned.

Another man stepped forward.

"If outsiders start digging into old matters, everything will come out."

The crowd immediately fell silent.

Old matters.

Ruhi's heart skipped a beat.

Before she could hear more, Abhiraj spoke.

His voice was low.

Dangerously low.

"Enough."

The single word was enough.

Nobody argued further.

Nobody.

The crowd dispersed almost instantly.

Ruhi watched in amazement.

How much influence did this man have?

As Abhiraj walked away, she followed him.

Unfortunately for him.

Or perhaps unfortunately for her.

"Hey."

He didn't stop.

"Abhiraj."

Nothing.

Ruhi quickened her pace.

"You know, normal people answer when someone calls them."

Abhiraj finally stopped.

Slowly turned around.

"What?"

"What happened back there?"

"Nothing."

Ruhi threw her hands up.

"There is no way 'nothing' happens this often."

A few villagers nearby snorted with laughter.

Abhiraj shot them a look.

The laughter vanished instantly.

Ruhi nearly rolled her eyes.

Ridiculous.

Completely ridiculous.

"Tell me about Maya."

The effect was immediate.

His expression hardened.

"Don't."

"Why?"

"Because I said so."

"That's not an answer."

His patience visibly thinned.

"Ruhi."

The way he said her name startled her.

It was the first time he'd used it.

Not City Girl.

Not anything else.

Just Ruhi.

For some reason, her heartbeat sped up.

"I mean it."

His voice softened slightly.

"Leave the past alone."

Ruhi stared at him.

Then shook her head.

"I can't."

Something flashed in his eyes.

Regret.

"That's exactly what I'm afraid of."

That evening, Ruhi returned to her grandfather's study.

The torn photograph sat on the desk.

Alongside the letters.

And now...

A new name.

Maya.

The pieces were beginning to connect.

She just didn't know how.

Ruhi picked up one of the letters again.

This time she read more carefully.

Most of it made little sense.

Until she reached the final paragraph.

Her breath caught.

"If anything happens to Maya, the truth must never reach the police. There are powerful people involved."

Ruhi sat upright.

Powerful people?

Her grandfather had hidden these letters.

Someone had torn Maya's face from the photograph.

And Abhiraj had reacted to the bracelet as if it belonged to someone important.

Who was she?

And what had happened to her?

A knock interrupted her thoughts.

Keshav entered carrying tea.

His eyes landed on the letter.

Immediately, he looked uncomfortable.

Again.

Ruhi was starting to hate that expression.

"Kaka."

"Yes?"

"Who was Maya?"

The tray nearly slipped from his hands.

Silence filled the room.

A heavy silence.

The kind that carried old wounds.

Finally, Keshav spoke.

"Maya was..."

He stopped.

His voice trembling.

Then he looked toward the window.

As if afraid someone might hear.

"Maya was the girl who disappeared."

Ruhi's heart stopped.

"What?"

Keshav closed his eyes.

"Twenty years ago."

The room suddenly felt colder.

"Disappeared?"

The old man nodded.

"Without a trace."

Every instinct inside Ruhi screamed that she had finally found something important.

A real lead.

A real clue.

But before she could ask another question, Keshav whispered something that made her blood run cold.

"And she wasn't the only one."

Outside, thunder rumbled across the distant sky.

The monsoon clouds were returning.

And for the first time, Ruhi realized the mystery wasn't about one missing girl.

There were others.

More victims.

More secrets.

More lies.

And somehow...

Abhiraj Patil was connected to all of them.

Whether as a protector.

A witness.

Or something far worse.

Ruhi looked at the torn photograph on the table.

Then at the letters.

Then toward the darkening village beyond her window.

Someone had spent twenty years burying the truth.

But they had made one mistake.

They underestimated her.

And Ruhi Mehra had no intention of walking away now.

This is all about chapter 2 plz vote and comment 🫶🏻🩷

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