The apartment was far too quiet without her.
Ishani stood at the threshold of Rhea’s bedroom — untouched, frozen in time. The bedsheet was still slightly wrinkled, like Rhea had just gotten up that morning. Her perfume lingered faintly in the air, a soft floral scent that made Ishani’s chest tighten.
She hadn’t stepped into this room since the accident.
Her fingers trembled as she opened the drawer beside the bed. It was filled with half-used lip balms, tangled earbuds, and an old novel with a page folded at chapter fourteen. Underneath it all, she found Rhea’s diary — the green leather one with sunflowers on the cover.
Ishani sat down on the floor, heart pounding as she flipped through it.
The entries were cheerful at first — random thoughts, song lyrics, a doodle of Ishani’s face with devil horns and the words “Drama Queen” scrawled next to it. But halfway through the book, the handwriting changed.
It grew rushed. Nervous. As if Rhea had started writing in secret.
“If something happens to me, don’t trust them.”
That one line stared up at Ishani from the bottom of a torn page.
Them? Who was “them”?
Her fingers gripped the diary tighter. She flipped through the rest — most pages blank. Torn. Removed.
Suddenly, a glint caught her eye.
Tucked behind a wooden photo frame on the bedside table was a yellowed envelope.
She froze.
Written on the front, in Rhea’s unmistakable handwriting:
“For Ishani. Only if I’m gone.”
Ishani’s throat closed up.
She sat back, holding the envelope like it was made of glass. Her breath came in shallow gasps as she carefully peeled it open.
Inside was a single folded letter and a tiny flash drive.
The letter was short, but every word hit like a storm.
“If you’re reading this, it means I didn’t survive.
I’m sorry, Ishu. I wanted to tell you everything, but I couldn’t put you in danger.”
“I got involved in something bigger than I expected. People in power — rich, untouchable — they’re hiding things. Hurting people. I saw something I wasn’t supposed to. I recorded it. It's on the drive.”
“Don’t trust anyone. Not even the ones who seem like heroes. Especially them.”
“There’s one person who knows what I found — Advit.
If he comes to you, let him in.
If he lies to you, forgive him. He’s not perfect, but he’s trying to protect you.
Even if it costs him everything.”
“Promise me one thing — stay alive.
Whatever happens, don’t give up.
Not on yourself.
Not on the truth.
And not on love.”
– Rhea 💛
Ishani’s hands were shaking. Her cheeks were wet and she didn’t even know when she’d started crying.
She looked down at the flash drive in her palm.
It was small. Ordinary. Easy to miss. Easy to lose.
And yet… it might be the reason her cousin was dead.
As the evening sun dipped behind the city skyline, Ishani sat in the middle of the bedroom floor — alone, afraid, and holding the beginning of a truth someone didn’t want her to find.
And somewhere, she knew, someone was already watching.
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