The Sun & the Stars Aligned

33: Lies

TARA

"Are you not going to the office today?" I asked while scribbling in my diary, my thoughts drifting to the note from last night.

"I'm leaving after I finish checking the emails," Arjun bhaiya replied, his eyes fixed on the laptop screen. I nodded, still lost in my thoughts.

"What are you thinking about so deeply?" he asked, pulling me from my reverie. 

The note about my mom kept replaying in my mind. Who is sending me these notes, and why now, eight years after her death? I need to find out who is behind this and if there is any truth to what they're saying. If someone is hiding things from me, I need to know.

"Princess, is everything okay?" Bhaiya asked, his concern evident as he focused on me.

I nodded, giving him a gentle smile. Should I talk to him about this? 

"Okay then, I'm heading to the office. And don't eat this junk, I made you lunch, it's in the fridge," he said looking at the table filled with different flavours of chips, and I nodded.

Nanu and Nani aren't home; they have gone to seek blessings of Shivji in Mahakaleshwar and will be back in two days.

"Bhaiya," I called out before he could leave, and he turned to face me.

"Yes, princess," he replied, as I walked closer to him.

"I've been wanting to ask you something for a long time but couldn't find the right moment," I said, fiddling with my fingers, unsure if I should go ahead with my question.

"You don't have to wait for the right time to ask me something, princess," he said, placing a comforting hand on the side of my head. I nodded, taking a deep breath.

"Bhaiya, are you or Dad hiding something from me about Mom?" I asked, looking at him expectantly. His eyes darkened, and the muscles in his face tensed as if I threw him off the guard with it.

"Why are you asking this all of a sudden? Is everything okay?" he asked, avoiding my question.

"No, Bhaiya, it's just a feeling. You're not hiding anything from me, right?" I asked again, trying to read his expression.

"No, princess, why would we hide something from you?" he said, caressing my head. I nodded, holding his hand in mine. "Take care and eat on time," he said, kissing the top of my head as I hugged him.

Lie.

He is lying to me.

Ever since we were kids, there was one thing we shared—a knack for sensing each other's lies. Whenever I sneaked ice cream from the fridge at night, Bhaiya always caught me and saved me from Mom's scolding. But this time, he seemed to forget that even though we've grown up, I can still read his face and tell when he's hiding something.

I need to find out what he is hiding from me.

After Bhaiya left, I sat down with my diary, the weight of the note heavy on my mind. "Your mother didn't die in a car accident. She was killed." The words echoed in my head. What if it's true? What if someone did kill her? And why now, after all these years, are these notes starting to appear?

I had to dig deeper, to uncover the truth. If they were hiding something from me, I would find out, no matter what.

'Lies' I looked at the word written on the page.

***

"Who's sending you all these flowers?" Ishani asked, glancing at the table in my office. I searched through the flowers for a note, but there was none. I've received them five times in the past week, and the last three times, there was no note at all.