dead girls don't love [dgdl]

chapter 33 \e

HEIR TO THE PEARLS AND DIAMONDS DIES IN A HOME ACCIDENT. 28 years old Shekhar Rajvansh was the only heir to the Pearls and Diamonds, a growing business authority trading imported pearls and precious diamonds, in Pune. Saturday afternoon, he slipped and fell from the parapet of his house terrace, succumbing to injuries. "Shekhar had returned early from work and brought me roses," said his wife, Mrs. Ivanya Shekhar Rajvansh as she spoke about the sad accident. The family of the deceased mourns the young son's death, wife is still in shock. Shekhar lived with his wife who is now left devastated in his absence. An ambulance was quickly called but unfortunately, Shekhar died before they could reach the hospital. God rest his soul in peace and provide strength to the family. 

6 March 2021
Vasubha Maitri
Editor.

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"It's only good that their business is not too famous," Emilia comments as she throws the newspaper on the bed at her side, after reading an article among numerous mentioned in the 'City News' section, "it would have been much more complicated to draw Ivanya clean." 

Avinash silently nods at Emilia who is busy packing her suitcase, keeping all her stuff and clothes inside. 

"Are you going to your father's?" Avinash asks even when he knows well that she is. Emilia hums, looking up to smile at him, who is the one now reading the article sitting on the side of the bed. 

"And you?" 

"I am, -" Avinash hesitates, "I am thinking to stay a little."

"That's good," Emilia says. "And Avinash," she says as she chains the suitcase close and then sits beside it, "tell Asha her sister needs help."

Avinash swallows and nods, looking down as he fists the newspaper in his hand. 

"I had never seen her, and I don't know her at all, but you know, the first moment I saw her when the warden was taking her down the stairs, it looked like I was looking at a dead woman, she did not react." Emilia sighs.

Avinash listens to her and says nothing. For everyone who could understand even a little bit what pain could be like, they would know what Ivanya was going through. But she did not even feel a thing, it hurt too much at once and then it all succumbed to nothingness. 

"It will take time," Avinash says and Emilia nods as she replies, "I only hope she recovers." She smiles at Avinash and he smiles back at her hopefully as he whispers, more like prays, "Same." 

"But you really pulled me into an almost crime scene, I am a divorce lawyer," Emilia complains playfully. 

"Well, what can I do," Avinash sighs, "come, I will drop you," he proposes. 

Emilia stands, rubbing her hand on her jeans and sighing, she denies him, "No thanks! You can rest, student, you still gotta pass law," she makes a face at him and grabs her bag pulling it down on the floor, grabs her purse kept on the bed and then walks to the door. 

Avinash comes to drop her at the door, greets her bye and hugs her. Emilia replies teasingly, patting his back, "Bye, loverboy!" 

~

"I asked papa and mummy too, to take her with us, but both of them let her go with her in-laws," Ashna tells Ivan, anger in her voice.

The melting sun spreads various shades of red, orange and pink as twilight marks its onset, the sun and the moon on opposite sides of the sky, bidding each other goodbye; the moon rising to shine the light of the dying sun. 

Ashna and Ivan are sitting side by side, turned a little towards each other to come face to face, on the stoned platform around the large tree present on the flooring of the hill, from where the stairs lie. 

"They had no choice, she is their daughter-in-law after all and their son just died," Ivan iterates what her mother has explained to her last night after the three of them, Ashna and both her parents, returned home from Ivanya and Shekhar's apartment. 

Among everything which was mostly chaotic yesterday, Ashna was happy to see her father forget all his grudges when he hugged his devastated daughter but ironically, Ivanya was too gone to feel this happiness.

"So you are leaving today?" Ivan asks as he holds Ashna's hand on his side into his hands on his lap, drawing circles on her wrist or patterns on her palm, looking down at her hand. 

Ashna hums before she says ahead, "I don't want to leave Ivanya alone, not now mostly, " her brows frown. Ivan hums assuringly, and Ashna continues, "We can't, for the least, take her back until the tervi is done and in fact, mummy said it would be odd if we took her back right after the tervi." She sighs. 

Ivan does not say a thing but pulls her hand up to his lips and kisses her palm, making Ashna swallow a gulp down her throat. 

"Ivan," Ashna breathes his name. Ivan hums and looks up at her, dark eyes meeting middle-dark eyes, while he interlocks his fingers with hers. 

"I love you," Ashna says, a certainty bound with her words, in a way as if she wanted him to say it. 

And he repeats them back, meaningfully, as he pulls her in his arms, holding her carefully as he caresses her back and head softly. Ashna finds solace in his embrace, holding him tightly. Ivan kisses her cheek and Ashna nestles closer in his arms.  

Love lies in truthfulness, acceptance, support and care. 

Love lies in what brews, in bits and pieces of growing affection and care, between Ashna and Ivan, as the stars become visible to shine for them. 

a/n: with this, the story is almost at the end!! the next part deals with the epilogue_; 

Tervi is the last rite performed for a person who has died in which a dinner is hosted. It is on the thirteenth day after death so the name tervi (Terah is 13 in Hindi).