"I gripped the phone tightly, feeling the weight of every word from the so-called well-wisher sink deep into me, unsettling my thoughts. My mind swirled with confusion and unease, barely able to process what I had just heard. Then, Anusha’s sharp voice pierced through the haze, snapping me back to reality. 'What’s going on?' she shouted, her tone a mix of worry and frustration.

Manasa, standing beside her, didn’t waste a second. She grabbed my shoulder and shook me firmly, her grip grounding me. I blinked, still disoriented, as I struggled to focus.

'Yes' I answered, my voice shaky, betraying the tension I was trying to hide.

'What happened to you?' they both asked, their voices now laced with concern, their eyes searching my face for answers.

I hesitated, my mind racing to find the right words, but all I could manage was, 'Nothing.' I said it too quickly, too casually, hoping it would end the interrogation. But even I knew it wasn’t convincing.

Manasa crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. 'Oh, come on! Who do you think you're fooling?' she said, her tone serious, a hint of frustration creeping in.

Anusha stepped closer, her eyes narrowing. 'We know something’s wrong,' she added, her voice softer but no less determined. 'Now spill it,' they both demanded, their combined presence overwhelming, making it impossible for me to keep the facade any longer."

I took a moment to gather my thoughts. Just before Rehaan's call, I had received another one. In my groggy state, I answered without checking the caller ID.

"Divya," a man’s voice said, sounding calm yet urgent.

"Yes" I responded, still half-asleep, my voice sluggish.

"Listen to me carefully," he continued, his tone becoming more serious. "No matter what happens, don't come to India. There will be many reasons or situations that may demand your presence, but you must stay away."

His words jolted me awake, my curiosity piqued. Why shouldn't I go to India? "Why?" I asked, now fully alert.

But he ignored my question entirely. "You are safer where you are—far more than you would be in India."

Frustration started to bubble up inside me. Who was this person? And why was he so concerned about my safety? Unable to hold back, I fired off a barrage of questions: "Who are you? Why are you so worried about me? Do you even know me?"

His reply was evasive, yet unsettling. "I can't answer your questions right now. As the saying goes,  curiosity killed the cat. Sometimes, it's better to leave certain questions unasked. But I’ll tell you one thing—I'm your well-wisher, Diya."

The way he said my name, ‘Diya,’ with such familiarity and warmth, sent a chill down my spine. He knew me, somehow.

Before I could ask anything else, there was silence on the line. I pulled the phone away from my ear, confused and anxious. He had hung up.In a haze of frustration, I immediately tried to call him back, but it was useless. The call wouldn't connect. Whoever he was, he didn’t want to be reached.A few minutes later, Rehaan called, and the rest, well, you already know how that went.

"You didn’t think it was important to tell us about him?" Manasa questioned me, her brow furrowed in concern. My mind was racing, still trying to process my father’s sudden demise and the rituals surrounding it. Everything felt overwhelming, and I realized that this crucial detail had slipped my mind entirely.

"Don’t let him get to you," Anusha advised, her voice steady and reassuring. I nodded, though doubt lingered in my mind.

"What’s on your mind?" Anusha asked, her eyes searching mine for answers.

"It’s just... he knows so much about me," I began, struggling to articulate my thoughts. "He questioned everything we had believed up until now. He mentioned specific incidents—like Krishna dad’s business problems, Sitamma daughter’s accident, and even my dad’s suicide. He implied that none of these may have been accidents at all. They could be well-planned events disguised as accidents, set in motion by someone with a hidden agenda."

The weight of my words hung heavily in the air. Anusha and Manasa exchanged worried glances, clearly unsettled by my revelation.

"And most importantly, he called me Diya," I continued, feeling a mix of confusion and unease.

They both looked at me, their expressions a mixture of surprise and curiosity. "Who is she?" they asked in unison, eyebrows raised.

"It’s me," I replied softly, my voice barely above a whisper. "Only my birth mother, Padmaja, used to call me that."

Anusha's eyes widened, and she leaned in closer. "That’s significant. Why would he call you that? Do you think he knows about your past?"

"I don’t know," I admitted, feeling a chill run down my spine. "But the way he said it... it felt personal, like he was trying to connect with me in some way."

Manasa shook her head slowly. "This is getting more complicated by the minute. We need to figure out who this person is and what he wants."

"Yes," Anusha agreed, her voice firm. "But first, we need to make sure you're safe. If he knows so much about you, we can't take any chances."

I felt a sense of urgency in their words. "I just wish I knew what he wanted. Why is he so concerned about my safety?"

The uncertainty weighed heavily on us as we sat together in silence, the shadows of our thoughts mingling with the dim light of the room.