She actually did it. Broke his heart. Chose someone over him and use him too.
Archie stared her with a pain in his chest. He wasn't just rejected but cheated and used too.
They were standing close. He was touching her and she was just standing like statue, staring him in shock.
"Wonderful, Ava." Archie whispered brokenly.
The way they still stood sticking to each other hurt him. She wouldn't even be near to him and here they stood so close.
Pushing away the guy, she turned to him. The shadow covered the man from his view but he didn't care either. What mattered was Ava.
"Archie," Ava called rushing towards him.
His heart had enough though. He wasn't in state for any explanation or consolation. Turning his back to her, he rushed as far from her possible as possible.
She have his man to take care of her. Archie thought as his heart reminded him why he had returned. He shouldn't have returned at first place. The sight that he witnessed was burning his heart.
"Archie wait," Ava called from behind.
Archie shut his eyes for a second but continued striding away from her. He slowed his pace a little to make sure she was behind him and safe but he was quick in not letting her catch up to him.
Strong wind slapped his face, his eyes stung with unshed tears and biting coldness but he continued walking away.
So many of dreams and so many of wishes. All were lost. He wouldn't be able to spend his entire life with her now. The imagined moments of spending the cold evening in each other arms were a dream now. She wouldn't be his wife or happiness. Her words wouldn't soothe his heart and his surprises wouldn't bring smile on her face.
It was all a beautiful dream that he weaved in the evenings of ignorance. All his fault.
"Archie, you have... to listen to me..." Ava called from behind, her sentence breaking due to the heavy breathing.
Archie looked at the hotel that had appeared in his blurry sight. He wouldn't allow her to make a joke out of him. His fingers balled into a fist and he turned around to face her.
"Archie, I..." Ava started out of breath.
"Just shut up," Archie shouted, his feelings finding the easiest way to channel out. "I don't want to listen anything. Your and my relation is over. Don't even try to come near me now."
Ava stared him in shock. There were tears in her eyes but Archie couldn't be sure whether they were due to cold, his words or due to the embarrassment. All he knew they might be to fool him again.
Disgusted, Archie turned his back to her and stormed in the hotel.
_________
"Done with your romance?" Ashley asked as soon Archie entered.
"No one ask you to open your mouth." Archie said looking away.
Ashley raised his eyebrow. Someone was on fire in the snow.
"Looks like she gave you a good slap. I don't blame her." Ashley said, a huge grin spreading on his face. The look that came on Archie face wasn't what he expected though.
"Where's Ava?" Ethan intervened.
"She is coming," Archie said rounding behind them and sitting on the chair beside Amelia.
Now why was he sitting with Amelia? Ashley groaned, rubbing his forehead. His friends loved to do things he didn't like.
Ava arrived on cue and a smirk appeared on Ashley face as he got the idea.
"Welcome, Ava. Come, sit here. I were waiting for you." Ashley said passing her a smile while pushing Ethan on side and creating a space beside him.
Ava passed him a smile and sat beside him without looking at anyone.
"I'm really sorry guys, I lost something precious on the way so it took me sometime." Ava said, her voice normal but her eyes speaking volume as they stared down at Archie.
"Anyways, here is what I found." Ava pulled out the diary.
"What's it?" Ashley asked taking it in his hand. The black cover with worn out edges singing a tale that wasn't easy to comprehend.
"Be careful." Ava warned. "Its really old."
"I found it in Khushi room. Either hers or Arnav's." Ava hypothesized.
"Even I found something similar." Amelia said showing the notes in her basket.
Ashley looked at Amelia waiting for her to explain.
"What's it?" Ethan asked.
"Some poetry, I don't know who's though." Amelia answered.
Poetry? Ashley eyes widened. He knew what it could mean.
"What's its importance?" Archie asked.
"Well I do know who's it." Ashley declared.
They looked at him curiously.
Ashley pulled out his smartphone and showed a blog, he had found during his research last night.
"Azaad family was a pro in business and this trait transfered genetically. Even the elder daughter was part time in business and part time teacher. Her husband was a business man too." Ashley paused and then zoomed the blog showing the picture of the blogger.
It was a candid picture of Piya.
"But Priya opted to be a poet. She made her own blog which was a huge success. It didn't earn her a lot but it seemed she was satisfied." Ashley said.
Amelia zoomed in and out of the blog, checking various things.
"But what does her poetry has to do with us?" Archie repeated his question.
He got a point. It wasn't like Piya poetry would tell them everything about her life. Or maybe it would? Ashley looked at Amelia.
"Well I think this poetry is surely important." Amelia said showing the notes. "This poetry has some hidden message."
"Of course, you'll know, only Piya can understand this, no?" Ashley passed a cheeky smile.
"Shut up." Amelia groaned.
"If you notice then she didn't posted this one online." Amelia said showing her poetry and the year scribbled on the top while the hologram showing starting words of every poetry.
Amelia was right but there was no way Ashley was going to let go this chance to trouble Amelia. She looked prettier when angry.
"Maybe she didn't get time?" Ashley said.
"Oh really? She posted a poetry just few hours before her death. How come she didn't get time to post these?" Amelia countered.
"Maybe she didn't like them?" Ashley came up with another excuse.
"She left footnotes which means she actually channeled her feelings through this poetry." Amelia said exasperated.
He liked her that look. Red nose and fiery eyes. His fiesty girl.
"Well that changes everything..." Ashley paused and a smile crept on his face. "Piya."
Amelia rolled her eyes and looked away huffing.
"Since you find it and you can understand Piya better, you'll be the one reading it." Ashley said.
Amelia narrowed her eyes at him, ready to throw some remark.
"And I'll spend my day reading this tomorrow." Ava offered her services pointing at Khushi diary.
"Cool," Ashley said and picked up the newspapers from Amelia basket. "What's this, Piya darling?"
Amelia shot him a glare but offered no words.
Ashley checked the newspapers. The articles on death of Azaad family were highlighted. The first news reported and the later leads were written in small box. There were no leads and it was stamped as an accident due to carelessness of family members.
Archie too leaned in to check them.
"These are weird." Archie remarked.
Ashley agreed. The whole reporting seemed as if there was no regard for the death of the elite family.
"Even the first news is reported as the death of entire family when younger generation was very much alive." Archie pointed.
"Exactly this whole affair is weird. We can say this news is what caused the later merging of both incidents. They didn't report it correctly so the misunderstanding later. It seemed like no one really cared for it." Amelia said.
Ashley couldn't look away from the news. The old paper and the sad highlighting by marker, it was bleeding the tale of unsaid conspiracy and unsettling indifference.
"But their kids were alive. Why didn't they force authorities to correct the errors? Didn't they care for their parents?" Ava pointed.
"Or maybe no one listened to them?" Amelia offered. "Maybe that's why they were forced to live in a burnt mansion with all the mess on ground floor."
They turned silent. All this didn't make sense. Ashley felt uncomfortable and shifted on his seat without looking at anyone.
"And by the way, I found some pictures too." Ava said pulling out her smartphone.
Ashley closed his hologram to gave Ava space as she opened hers. Pictures appeared in a heart shaped collage. Journey of Azaad family emanating from beneath and spreading upwards.
"If we notice then Arnav is missing at his child's birth and he doesn't make any appearance until Mahira wedding and Arav's engagement." Ava pointed the pictures for them to see.
"It shows T was right. There was something wrong." Archie said thoughtfully.
"There is just too much wrong with Azaad. Even their mansion was creepy." Ava said.
Did she mean that secret room? Or something else happened too? Ashley turned to Ava for explanation.
"Many of the books were ashes but some were fine other than yellowing and some damage." Ava explained her observation.
"Even I found crumbled books right beside these notes and newspapers." Amelia agreed.
Ashley clenched his fists. His mind forming images that he blocked off. It wasn't the time to zone off. He need to hear everything.
"That reminds me, I saw a picture in a room that I suppose was of Piya since this poetry was there. The picture in that room was distorted but these pictures you took are just fine." Amelia said.
"Whose picture it was?" Archie asked.
"Seemed a boy. Maybe of Abhay. But who cares." Amelia shrugged.
"But that doesn't matter, I mean air can effect different things differently. Moist and mound, you guys know all the scientific research." Ethan interfered.
Ashley looked away. He resisted the urge to speak.
"Maybe. Some books could be like really really old so turned dust?" Archie said thoughtfully.
"Anyways, let's discuss our next plan." Ethan said distracting everyone from the questions except for Ashley.
"You got any?" Archie asked.
"Ava is going to read the diary so it will take her whole morning and you can be with her. So Ash and Amelia should go to Mental hospital and talk to Misha." Ethan ordered.
Ashley looked at Amelia. The plan sounded great.
"I don't mind." Ashley agreed.
"But I have plans with Dhruv." Amelia objected.
"You went with him today, little tigress. You have to tell him you got important work or not feeling well and postpone your date for a day." Ethan said softly.
For the first time, Ashley was liking Ethan. A small smile appeared on his face as Amelia sighed in defeat.
"Fine." Amelia grumbled.
The morning couldn't be any better. Ashley smiled at the day ahead not knowing what life had stored for them.