Kumkum: Ties of Love and Lies

Chapter 1

The evening sky was painted in streaks of gold and crimson as Sandhya sat by her window, nursing a cup of tea. The aroma of cardamom filled the air, calming her nerves after a long day. Just as she began to relax, her phone buzzed, jolting her out of her thoughts. It was Shravani.

"Sandhya?" Shravani's voice sounded off—strained and unusually quiet. 

"Can you come over? I need to talk to you. It's urgent." 

"Is everything okay? You sound... different." Sandhya frowned.

There was a pause, followed by a barely audible sigh. "I'll explain when you get here. Please, just come." And with that, Shravani hung up.

Sandhya stared at the phone, unease creeping into her chest. Shravani was her best friend—closer than a sister—and this cryptic behavior was unlike her. Usually, Shravani was bubbly and open, sharing every detail of her life without hesitation. What could possibly be so important yet so difficult for her to say over the phone?

Not wasting another moment, Sandhya grabbed her bag and keys and headed out. The streets were bustling, as they always were in the early evening, but Sandhya barely noticed. Her thoughts were consumed by Shravani's strange call.

By the time she reached Shravani's apartment, the city had begun to quiet down. The building stood tall, its exterior lit by a series of dim, flickering lights. Sandhya climbed the stairs to the third floor, where Shravani lived, but as she approached the door, a strange feeling settled in her stomach. The door was slightly ajar, creaking softly as it swung back and forth.

Sandhya hesitated. "Shravani?" she called, her voice echoing down the hallway. No answer. She pushed the door open and stepped inside, her heart pounding. The living room was still, eerily quiet except for the faint hum of the refrigerator. The faint scent of jasmine incense lingered in the air, a scent she knew Shravani loved.

And then she saw her.

Shravani was lying on the floor near the couch, her body unnaturally still. Her long hair fanned out around her head, her once lively eyes staring blankly at the ceiling. Sandhya's breath caught in her throat. 

"No... no, no, no," she whispered, rushing to her friend's side. She shook Shravani's shoulders gently at first, then harder, her voice breaking. 

"Shravani! Wake up! Please, wake up!"

But it was no use.

A scream tore from Sandhya's throat, raw and filled with anguish, reverberating through the apartment. Her hands trembled as she reached for her phone. Fumbling to unlock it, she dialed Gautham's number.

"Sandhya?" he answered almost immediately.

"Gautham," she sobbed, struggling to form the words. 

"Come to Shravani's apartment... she... she's..." Her voice cracked.

"Sandhya, what happened? Is Shravani alright?"

"Just come. Please, hurry!"

Gautham didn't ask any more questions. "I'm on my way."

Sandhya sat on the floor, tears streaming down her face as she clutched Shravani's cold hand. Minutes felt like hours until Gautham arrived. He burst through the door, his face pale with worry. One look at Shravani, and the color drained completely.

"No," he whispered, shaking his head in disbelief. He knelt beside her, his hands trembling as he checked for a pulse. Finding none, he let out a shaky breath, his eyes filling with tears. 

"How... how did this happen?"

Before Sandhya could respond, the wail of sirens filled the air. A neighbor must have heard her scream and called the police. Soon, the apartment was swarming with officers, paramedics, and forensic teams. The lead investigator, Inspector Varma, was a middle-aged man with sharp eyes and a no-nonsense demeanor.

"Who found the body?" he asked, his gaze sweeping over the room before landing on Sandhya.

"I... I did," she stammered. Her voice was barely audible, her throat dry from crying.

"You live nearby?"

Sandhya nodded.

 "Shravani called me... she said she needed to talk to me. When I got here, the door was open, and I found her like this."

Inspector Varma's eyes narrowed slightly. 

"Did you notice anything unusual? Anyone hanging around the building, anything out of place?"

"No," Sandhya replied, shaking her head.

 "I didn't see anyone."

As the police continued their work, Sandhya sat in a corner of the room, her mind spinning. She couldn't believe Shravani was gone. Just that morning, they'd exchanged messages about meeting for coffee later in the week. How could this happen so suddenly?

Her thoughts were interrupted when her eyes fell on the coffee table. Among the scattered papers and clutter, a small, worn diary caught her attention. It was Shravani's. Sandhya recognized it immediately. She'd often teased her friend about being old-fashioned, jotting down her thoughts in a physical diary instead of using her phone.

Sandhya's heart skipped a beat. Could there be something in there? Something that explains what happened? Her gaze darted to the police, who were busy examining other parts of the apartment. Without thinking, she reached out and slid the diary into her bag. She didn't know why she did it—she only knew she didn't trust the police to understand Shravani the way she did.

"Sandhya." Gautham's voice pulled her from her thoughts. He was standing over her, his expression hollow. 

"Do you have any idea why this happened? Did Shravani say anything to you?"

"No," Sandhya whispered, avoiding his eyes. 

"She just asked me to come over. She sounded... upset."

Gautham nodded slowly, his jaw tightening. 

"I should have been here. I should have protected her."

"You couldn't have known," Sandhya said, though her own voice wavered with doubt.

The night dragged on as the police continued their investigation. Sandhya and Gautham were questioned thoroughly before being allowed to leave. As she stepped out into the cool night air, Sandhya clutched her bag tightly, the weight of Shravani's diary pressing against her side.

Once home, Sandhya locked the door and sat on her bed, pulling the diary out of her bag. Her fingers hovered over the cover. Did she have the strength to open it? What would she find inside? She took a deep breath and flipped it open, her eyes scanning the pages filled with Shravani's neat handwriting.

The entries started innocently enough—notes about her day, musings about her future. But as Sandhya read further, the tone shifted. Shravani wrote about her boss and how he was always suspicious.  One entry, in particular, made Sandhya's blood run cold:

"If something happens to me, it won't be an accident."

Sandhya's hands trembled as she closed the diary. Shravani had known she was in danger, but from whom? And why? Could it be her boss?  Sandhya's grief was now mixed with something stronger: determination. She couldn't let this go. Shravani deserved justice, and if the police couldn't find the truth, then she would.

The night stretched on, but sleep was impossible. Sandhya sat in the dim glow of her bedside lamp, the diary open in her lap. She didn't know what lay ahead, but one thing was certain: she wouldn't stop until she uncovered the truth about what happened to Shravani.

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Hey y'all, 

I'm back with a new story after ages. lmk if you like it and your comments on chapter 1. Thank you for the support