The End Of Us

Chapter 13

Navya led me to the backyard where we hid behind a sturdy pillar. From there, we could clearly see Aryaman, Harshad, and the priest conversing quietly.

"Thank you, Jack, for your help," Aryaman said, his voice filled with gratitude.

Harshad chuckled and added, "I must say, Jack, you played the role flawlessly. You looked just like a priest and scared everyone," he laughed, which infuriated me.

My fists clenched involuntarily as I listened to their conversation. Finally, unable to contain my anger, I stepped out from behind the pillar.

"Wow. Harshad and Aryaman, what an incredible plan you devised! You had us convinced that the house was haunted. And, Priest Jack, I am at a loss for words. Your acting was incredible. You should consider joining Bollywood," I said through gritted teeth.

"Nandani, you are misunderstanding everything. Let me explain," Harshad said, clutching my hand. I retaliated by punching him in the face.

He rubbed his cheek, glaring at me with anger and surprise.

"What was the point of this drama?" I asked, my voice trembling with fury. "I'm certain you're responsible for Manik and his family's disappearance."

Mukti, Abhimanyu, Cabir, and Dhruv rushed to the backyard upon hearing the commotion.

"What's going on, Nandani?" Cabir asked, his face marked with concern.

"Harshad, why is your lower lip bleeding?" Dhruv asked, worried.

"Could someone please explain what's happening here?" Mukti demanded, her gaze shifting between Harshad and me.

Navya took the lead and explained everything to them. They were astounded.

"Harshad and Aryaman, why did you stage this drama?" Dhruv inquired.

"Come on, speak up!" I yelled at them.

"Aryaman is one of my childhood friends. He came to see me in the afternoon and asked me to disguise myself as a priest. He told me to convince you that this villa is haunted and scare you away," Jack explained.

"Get out of my sight, bastard, or I will kill you!" I screamed angrily, and Jack escaped the villa.

I grabbed Harshad's collar and demanded angrily, "Why did you do this?"

"Because we were scared of the caretaker and that dog," Harshad stated.

I couldn't believe what he said.

"Listen to me, Harshad and Aryaman; I deeply care about Manik and won't rest until I find him or know his whereabouts. If you fear the caretaker or Johnny, leave. I will uncover the truth, and if anyone is responsible for the Malhotra family's disappearance, I, Nandani Murthy, vow to have them punished," I said firmly before returning to my room.

I shut the door and sank into the bed.

Someone knocked on my door. "Come in," I called out.

There was another knock on the door.

"Who the hell is it? Can't you hear me? I told you to come in," I yelled angrily.

There was yet another knock at the door. I stood up and opened it to find Harshad.

"What the heck is your problem, Harshad? Why do you keep knocking on my door and annoying me?" I yelled at him, incensed.

"I only knocked on the door once," Harshad admitted.

"Whatever it is... why are you here?" I asked angrily, folding my arms across my chest.

"Nandani... I... I'm sorry..." Harshad stammered.

I looked at him, and he continued, "Please forgive me; I promise to help you find Manik and his family."

"What is wrong with you? Are you sick?" I looked at him with wide eyes. Harshad was not the type of person who accepted and apologized for his mistake. And with so much hatred for Manik, how could he suddenly change his mind?

"Nandani I despise Manik, but I adore you. I know you love him; we will search for him together because your happiness is very important to me," Harshad said.

I was stunned; everything seemed like a dream. I pinched myself and realized everything was true.

When did Harshad become such a nice person?

"Nandani, have you forgiven me?" Harshad asked earnestly, and I nodded in agreement.

He gently took my hands and expressed his gratitude.

"Shall we go downstairs for dinner?" he asked, and I nodded in response.

                                                                                           •─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────•

Following dinner, Harshad and Aryaman apologized to everyone. We were all glad that they realized their mistake. We began discussing how we could locate Manik.

"Nandani, he might have left India," Harshad suggested.

"Yes, I agree," Aryaman concurred.

"No, Aryaman and Harshad. That's unlikely. They would have taken their belongings if they had left India. They abandoned Johnny and didn't even inform the caretaker," I countered.

"It suggests that whatever happened to the Malhotra family occurred right here in this villa," Dhruv asserted.

"Yes, Dhruv, you're correct; we'll find the answers to our questions right here in the villa," I replied.

"Where's Johnny?" Mukti asked, scanning the room.

"He was here just a few minutes ago," Navya replied.

"So, where did he disappear to now?" I pondered.

We all commenced searching for him throughout the villa.

"He's nowhere; we've searched every corner," Dhruv said."Where could he have vanished to all of a sudden?" I wondered aloud.

We heard Johnny barking and followed the sound to the storeroom, where we found him sitting on the floor.

The storeroom was dusty, with cobwebs everywhere. The lightbulb on the wall flickered.

I knelt down and stroked Johnny's head. "Johnny, where were you, baby? We were looking for you. Come, let's go," I said, but Johnny kept barking loudly.

"I've heard that animals bark loudly when they see ghosts or spirits," Mukti said, tightly clutching Abhimanyu's arm.

"Mukti, shut up; it's all a myth. These ghosts and spirits don't exist," I retorted.

"They do exist, Nandani. I've heard that when a person's last wish is unfulfilled, their soul doesn't find peace and continues to wander," Navya said.

"Could you please shut up, guys? Nandani is right; it's all a myth. You guys are so educated, and you believe in such ridiculous things?" Dhruv said irritably.

Johnny started barking loudly and bolted out of the storeroom. We were about to leave when we heard something fall to the floor.

I bent down and picked it up; it was Diana's slate.

Navya, Cabir, Abhimanyu, Dhruv, Harshad, Mukti, and my names were all written on it.

"Nandani, there's a spirit here that has written our names on this slate," Mukti stated.

"Stop it, Mukti; it could be Diana's slate, and she might have written our names on it," I said.

"Nandani, the caretaker, told us that the Malhotra family went missing ten years ago. So, Diana wrote this ten years ago? She had never seen Aryaman, so why would she write his name back then?" Mukti asked.

"Mukti, I agree that Diana had never seen Aryaman, but she knew he was Harshad's brother. Maybe she heard his name while we were talking, which is why she wrote it. Let's not worry about these things and instead focus on finding Manik and his family," I said, wiping the names off the slate with my sleeve.

I put the slate back on the table in the storeroom before we went back to the living room.