Anguish & Affection

Part 19

"Have you ascertained the date and time of our voyage to the US yet, Pranav?" Diya asked in a hurry, her curiosity and eagerness overwhelming her. She wished to end the uncertainty surrounding their past quickly.

Pranav still couldn't come to terms with the answers he had uncovered, and replied anxiously to Diya: "I don't like the direction this investigation is taking. I fear that we will discover something which obliges us to rethink all of our knowledge up until now."

Diya pleaded, "Pranav, please don't make me any more scared than I already am. This suspense is debilitating as it is!" She was resolute that the animosity between Atharv and Sujith stemmed from a misunderstanding that she would take care of and liberate them both from the stress of fighting one another.

Pranav said as he rubbed his temples, trying to relieve the pressure of his headache, "I found your old passport like you had asked and checked the travel information. When you boarded their flight, Atharv's parents were still alive. But by the time you disembarked in the U.S., they had already passed away."

A few moments of profound silence passed before Diya exhaled the breath she had been unconsciously holding out of worry and disbelief. She attempted to make sense of what her friend had just shared and tried to build a theory that corresponded with her skeptical nature.

"It's possible that his family's enemies made threats to both families, and while we were able to dodge such a dreadful destiny, his parents-"

Pranav sighed sadly, knowing he had to break the news to Diya. "The cause of death is listed as a gunshot wound on the death certificate," he said. "At point-blank range. The police reports indicate they shot each other."

"Shot each other?" Diya croaked, her eyes wide with disbelief.

Pranav hummed in response without saying a word, understanding the tumult of feelings that flooded Diya after she had heard what he said.

"But why? They used to find delight in the small pleasures life gave them. Why would they end their own lives and leave their children behind? Why would they allow their kids to endure whatever was torturing them?" she asked, not able to link the bizarre conduct to the nice people she had grown up with.

"I am still trying to figure that out," Pranav said, feeling defeated and frustrated at his inability to assist Diya in the manner she desired. "Using Uncle Sujith's name would have made this much simpler, but we can't risk him learning what we are investigating—especially considering all that we have uncovered so far."

"Alright. I will be in touch soon," Diya murmured faintly before quickly hanging up the phone. She didn't possess the strength of character to finish the conversation; it was veering towards incriminating her parents in the passing of Atharv's.

Stuck between her morality and her love for her parents, she started to understand what Pranav had been saying all along—that the news would cause her to rethink what she thought she knew.

"Hey, Di is..." Atharv didn't finish his sentence upon taking in the sight of her disheveled and distressed form—a bitter frown painted on her face. Her nervous energy was evident in the way she fiddled with her fingers and jiggled her legs up and down, seemingly unable to stop. The misery was palpable.

He stood at the door, not daring to step inside. Diya jumped up abruptly when she realized he was there.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"Yes, I'm fine," she replied hesitantly. "Did you say something before?" She was still reeling from the new information she'd just learned.

Atharv scrutinized her closely with a creased brow, inquiring if she was alright. He felt a twinge of heartache that she didn't want to tell him what was wrong while part of him began to become suspicious. "Are you sure you're okay? You seem kind of jittery," he remarked.

"Yes, Atharv. I'm tired and I have a horrible headache; if you don't have anything to say, then I'm going to rest," Diya replied sharply, her conscience plagued by regret and her mind unable to come to terms with the fact that her parents may have left their friends in need. Her spirit was almost broken.

Even though she was in an emotionally troubled state of mind, she couldn't deny the subtle twitch of his leg towards her or how his features softened with worry, dispelling the initial joy on his face.

"Are you feeling feverish? I'll contact a doctor to-"

"There's no need. They wouldn't be able to do anything," Diya replied dully, as she slowly made her way back onto the bed, so that her wobbly legs wouldn't give away her uneasiness.

"I can't help but feel that something is different about you today," said Atharv, mustering up the courage to speak his mind about her demeanor. He didn't expect her to be overjoyed to see him after their disagreement last night, but he also didn't imagine that she would be so unwilling to engage in conversation with him.

"Atharv, you're really not helping my headache. You said you had something to tell me so if you could just do that and leave me alone so I can rest," Diya exclaimed, averting her gaze from him in an effort to push away the guilt bubbling inside her and the looming dark clouds that threatened to unleash an onslaught of inner turmoil as she warred between doing what was right or complying with her parents' wishes.

"Well, Di finally got discharged from the hospital, so I was wondering if you would be fine meeting her later today. But, it would have to wait because you do not seem well. She would be delighted to see you after ages."

Unbeknownst to the overjoyed brother, he had pushed her into another conflict. Diya could not understand the reasoning behind Aditi's joy to meet her - the daughter of the couple who allegedly abetted her parents' suicide - and she wondered if that anticipation was proof enough to conclude that her parents were not the reason behind Atharv's parents' death.

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