A Life Of Lies | ✔

Hansika • 8

Present: April 16,2018

There she is.

I swallow down the anxiety fastly forming inside me as I walk towards Mrs. Manasvi Mishra. She adorns a white studded saree and a long-sleeved blouse, her hair in a flawless updo and her face oozing sophistication. Gosh, everything about her is intimidating. She sees me approaching her, but she stares at me unfazed. I look to the ground as I stand next to her. Jogi comes out of his cabin and welcomes us both inside.

It turns out that Mrs. Mishra has already been proceeding with her own lawyer and a detective to find her son. Shilpa got to know of it only when she met the other lawyer. So, they decided we all need to come together and proceed with the situation.

"Hello, Mrs. Mishra," Shilpa greets as we both turn to face her. Shilpa raises her eyebrows as her lips form a little oh. She reframes her greeting. "Hello, Mrs. Manasvi Mishra and Mrs. Hansika Mishra. Please take your seats."

I wait for my mother-in-law to take her seat. She sweeps past me and settles down, her chin up high. Then, she turns to me and raises her hand towards the empty chair next to her.

"Come, sit here, Hansika."

It takes me everything to hide the jump my heartfelt. Her voice is enough to give me nightmares. I don't know why, but I feel one hundred percent scared when I'm around this woman.

You know exactly why this woman sends chills to your spine, Hansika. Who are you kidding?

I close my eyes and count to three as I suppress the memories of meeting her for the first time. It was two days right after I got discharged from the hospital. He told me he needed me to meet someone and I was pretty much lost without him, so I never said no to anything he put on the table. He brought me to his mother. The Manasvi Mishra. She walked up to me, eyed me top to bottom, and when I opened my mouth to wish her, she interrupted me with these five golden words: "No, Ayansh. She's not it."

Thank God for the cushions against my back, for they hide my shivers pretty well. Ayansh's mother could be hated easily, but my crazy mind chooses to fear her. Maybe it's because I fear what she saw in me. Maybe she saw right through me.

By the way she's staring at me even right now, by the way I feel her eyes piercing into my epidermis even if I'm not directly looking at her, I know she sees something; something that would completely strip me of the entire life I've built.

"Good morning, everyone. Let's just jump into it now that everyone has arrived, shall we?" Mrs. Mishra's lawyer, Ajay Kumar speaks. He's a tall man with a wide frame like he was made to dominate and tower over people. His eyes are narrow and small, and he seems to have them narrowed a little bit more as he scans me. I cower under his gaze.

God help me get past this meeting.

Shilpa clears her throat. "Ayansh Mishra has been gone missing since - "

Ajay interrupts, "the morning of April 12. His phone was in his car which was parked at the office parking lot. He last met Mrs. Manasvi Mishra at 9:30 AM in Garware Clubhouse. He has left the clubhouse by 10 AM according to the CCTV footage in the parking lot. He did not arrive at the office, however, even though his car was found in the parking lot."

I look at Shilpa. She's focusing on the lawyer speaking, but her hands are fidgeting under the table. It did feel a little rude that he interrupted her and finished the words she had to say.