FF: Betrayed by Love ~(Note pg 151)~ - Page 13

Originally posted by: -juhi-lily-

amazing update 👏

so arjun thinks ki priya too is responsible for roshni's death...thats sad...

Originally posted by: angelirebelli

Another great update Lady S.. ⭐️

You managed to keep me hooked.. loved the interaction between Arjun n Priya and it was as bristly as one could expect... I am glad the other members of the team aren't as prickly as Arjun and are warming up to her.. 😊😊

Is there a love triangle of sorts ?? I am curious about their history,. and am already looking forward to the next installment... 😉

Originally posted by: ARHI-SKLOVERS

nice

Originally posted by: Pumpkinn

Awesomee update ...

Loved it ...

Waiting for next ...

Update soon ...

Thnx for pm ...

Originally posted by: haruhi26

sorry for late comment dear

lovely story

so Priya is somehow linked with Roshni's death and Arjun hates her

But i feel that Priya had a very good reason, and she's not to be blamed

Loved the chemistry between Arjun and Priya, its explosive actually

please update soon😊

Originally posted by: additive_monaya

nice update

Part 4

Five years ago, Maharashtra Police Academy, Nashik

Priya Banerjee concentrated on keeping her breathing even as she jogged around the training track of the Academy. She was alone on the track as usual but knew she will be soon joined by academy's two of the best and brightest officers.

It has been a month since she came to the academy after going through vigorous examinations and scoring top scores in order to get selected for the best training academy in India.

She was finally on her way to fulfill her father's dream of becoming a police officer, not just any police officer but one who is trained with multiple investigations skills and be good enough to join special investigation unit like Emergency Task Force. She has worked hard to get to this point but she has to work even harder now to be where she dreams of being.

She made sure she never strayed from her goal hence the early morning exercises before starting the various training classes that each officer had to go through in order be hired for a special unit.

While other female officers preferred to sleep the extra few minutes Priya's strict nature did not allow her to indulge in such luxuries. From an early age she had trained herself to not give into her basic desires. She kept to herself and took her training seriously. Her strict nature also didn't win her many friends but she did not care if they though she was being a snob by turning down their various invitations to join them at a club on a off day or go on a picnics with the various male officers. Most people left her alone after she rejected their invitations two or more times accept for the two officers she met on her first day at the academy.

Arjun Raute and Sameer Rathore had the reputation of being the best of the best and from what she noticed it wasn't just a rumor but the truth. For some reason Arjun had ignored her invisible "leave me alone" sign and approached her several times to join him and Sameer at various functions but Priya had always found one excuse after another to decline. Her excuses never deterred Arjun and he continued to cross her path at every opportunity.

Sameer had soon joined Arjun in trying to persuade her to relax once in a while but her introvert nature made it difficult for her to give into their requests. Since her parent's sudden and tragic death, when she was sixteen, Priya had learned to depend on herself only and not let anyone get close to her. Only her best friend Swati had managed to penetrate through the barriers erected around her heart.

It isn't that she didn't like the two men, that is far from the truth but Arjun makes her nervous. Whenever she looks at him her heart flutters and her stomach becomes full of butterflies and those feelings were alien to her. She understood what it meant but she was also smart enough to realize that her personality could never match his vibrant and fun filled nature. She also didn't understand his and Sameer's persistence in wanting to be friends with her.

So far she has been successful in not giving into the need to have friends to make it through some of the difficult tasks during training but if she ever needed a friend while in training she knew she could count on Arjun and Sameer.

She increased her pace as she approached the end of the track so she can avoid running into the two men as they started their morning jog. As soon as she had noticed them ahead of her one day she had changed her time of run to avoid them, so far they hadn't realized that she also made few rounds of the track early in the morning.

Priya didn't understand at the time that some things are destined to happen, we can avoid them for a while, we can even run from them for a while but eventually they will catch up with us.

Rathore dropped the file on the table little too loudly to break the sudden silence and tension in the room, making Priya jump slightly and snap out of her thoughts.

He looked around and decided it is time to push his team a little more. "Shree you go with Raute and Priya at Mrs. Tiwari's house and find out everything you can about her activities for the last month. Chottu and I will go to Kanak Mehta's home and office and do the same. We can compare notes once we all return." His tone left no room for arguments from his two senior officers.

Shree quickly put his laptop in his bag and swung the bag over his shoulder. Chottu waited until Arjun, Priya and Sameer parted the room before leaning over the table to whisper to Shree. "Shree best of luck."

Shree gave him a confused look, "for what?"

Chottu grinned, "you will needed it since you are going to accompany Arjun sir and Priya. We thought Arjun sir and Rathore sir were bad enough with butting heads with one another but Priya and Arjun sir seems to bring out the worst in each other."

Shree instantly panicked and plopped back down in his seat. "Yeah I didn't even think about it. Why is Rathore sir after my life yaar?" He asked worriedly.

Chottu walked out with a huge grin on his face thinking that will teach Shree to not mess with him. He stopped grinning once he was outside and saw Arjun and Rathore waiting by the SUV impatiently.

"Shree hurry up, we don't have all day." Arjun said impatiently.

Chottu turned and couldn't help but smile at the fear on Shree's face. Pay back is hell Shree, he thought to himself as he joined Rathore.

Shree quickly picked up his pace and got in the back leaving the front seat for Priya. He flinched when Arjun honked the horn impatiently to get Priya's attention who seemed to be having an intense conversation with someone. She turned to glare at Arjun then quickly hung up the phone and walked towards them. She got in the car without a comment and banged the door shut.

The tension in the car was thick enough to cut with a knife and Shree said a silent prayer and hoped that the two people in the front seat didn't start arguing over trivial things again. He wished Riya was there with him and he instantly became sad when he thought of his best friend. He missed her so much; things had been so much better with Riya beside them when on a case. At least she had kept Arjun sir calm and not explosive like he was now.

Half-hour later they arrived at Tiwari resident without any mishap to Shree's relief.

Priya glanced around the neighborhood of Tiwari resident and had an uneasy feeling that they were not going to like what they would find in the small, cottage like house. She stood back as Arjun knocked on the door.

Arjun turned to look around also when no one answered the door. "Shree," he said as he signaled him to go around the back to check. Few minutes later Shree returned and shook his head letting them know silently that there was no one in the back either.

Arjun thought about it for a minute then glanced at the house next door. "Shree see if someone is at home next door and ask if they have seen Mr. Tiwari." He instructed Shree then pulled his phone out to call Tiwari resident. He sighed impatiently when no one picked up the phone. He was also feeling uneasy now; he knew Mr. Tiwari had been grief stricken to find his wife in pool of blood and knew he wouldn't leave his house in the middle of the day especially since it's only been two weeks since his wife died.

Shree rushed back, "Sir the lady next door said they haven't seen Mr. Tiwari since they finished all the last rites yesterday. As far as they know he hasn't left the house at all." He informed them.

Arjun's uneasiness increased, he decided to break down the door. It only took two kicks to break open the door. He pulled out his gun and entered the house quietly signaling Shree and Priya to do the same.

Priya instantly knew that they would only find Mr. Tiwari's body in the house. She was proven right within few minutes when they entered the master bedroom. Mr. Tiwari was lying on the bed in pool of blood with a hole in his head and the gun in his hand.

Arjun cursed under his breath and put his gun back. He walked closer to the bed; it was obvious case of suicide but they still had to process the scene as a procedure. Arjun moved to the table next to the bed and read the note left by Mr. Tiwari. It simply stated that it was too hard to go on without his wife so he is taking his own life to be with his beloved wife.

Shree had already started processing the scene and informed the local police so they can finish rest of the procedure.

Priya decided to stay quiet when she saw the anger intensify on Arjun's face. She knew that he was remembering his own grief when he lost Roshni and at this point it was best if she stayed out of his line of vision. She walked out of the bedroom to wait in the main hall.

Three hours later Arjun, Priya and Shree returned to ETF office with what they could from Tiwari resident to retrace Mrs. Tiwari's movements for the past month.

Rathore and Chottu also returned to ETF office with what they could from Kanak's home and office since her friends and co-workers were unable to help them retrace Kanak's activities of past month.

The atmosphere of ETF office became somber as they contemplated over the case. Mr. Tiwari's death made them even more determined to find the killer and punish him for not only taking two lives intentionally but also for causing Mr. Tiwari's death.

"Shree were you able to find any similar cases in other cities?" Priya asked Shree.

Shree tapped the keys on his laptop then looked up. "No not exactly the same but I did find two similar cases. One case in Delhi, few years back that has similarities to our case. The victim was a single 30 years old woman. She was killed with the knife from her own kitchen, in this case the knife was left behind and there were few hair strands found around the victims body but the case was never solved."

"And the other case?" Arjun asked before Priya could open her mouth.

"The other case was in Goa two years ago, again some similarities. Woman was single, 25 years old, Murder weapon was missing in this case but they were able to scrape some skin samples from victim's fingernails. Case remains unsolved." Shree concluded.

"Shree this could be the same guy. Contact Delhi and Goa police and get any and all details you can on the two victims and cases." Rathore instructed.

Priya stood up and added the small details to the fact board. "I think it is the same guy, I am sure there could be more cases in other places. As I said before he couldn't have perfected his technique in just two murders, he has learned from his past mistakes. There is only one thing that could get him caught and that is the way he picks his victims."

"What kind of a sick person does what he did to those poor women? Chottu asked.

"A person who has no conscious Chottu," Priya replied. "You can call him a Sociopath. This person, whoever he is, will appear perfectly normal citizen but underneath it his basic personality lies a whole new personality that does not come out until something triggers it."

Arjun swirled his chair around to face her and the board. "This is all fine but your analysis won't bring any comfort to Kanak's family who will be arriving tomorrow to claim her body. They will want to know how come we have not yet caught the man that killed their daughter." Arjun taunted Priya.

"Perhaps your analysis would have been comforting to Mr. Tiwari who loved his wife so much that he took his own life because he couldn't go on without her. Let me assure you Ms. Priya that the victims' loved ones don't want to hear this but you wouldn't understand this would you? How could a person who has never loved another person like Mr. Tiwari loved his wife understand what it is like to lose someone who is the other half of them?" Arjun's asked angrily.

Priya inhaled sharply and smiled bitterly, she knew that the taunt would come sooner or later but still couldn't help but feel the pain that his words caused. She felt Sameer move close to her and glanced towards him to give him a reassuring look. She glanced at the board then at Shree and Chottu, who were frowning at Arjun, to buy her few more seconds to compose herself before answering Arjun.

"Yes I know that my analysis won't bring any comfort to the family but it will get us much more closer to understanding the mind of the killer and perhaps also help us when we eventually catch up with him. Not all cases can be solved so easily, some cases require for us to get into head of the killer to understand what makes them kill, there will always be that one criminal who will try his best to prove that he is smarter than the police ACP Raute." She turned away then stepped back and looked straight at him.

"Just one other thing ACP Raute, the Priya that you knew died long time ago and you don't know anything about this Priya to know what type of life experiences she has had, so next time think before you assume things about my life." Her words had no affect on him but may be he will think before speaking next time. Before she could continue on the profile her cell phone vibrated against her waist. She stiffened when she saw that the number was blocked. She quickly walked out of the room to answer the phone leaving the four men in different state of confusion.

Sameer glared at Arjun and wished he could knock some sense into the stubborn man. "Raute how many times will I have to tell you to keep your personal feelings aside and let Priya do the job she is here to do?" He cursed under his breath when Arjun ignored him. Sameer shook his head and walked out of the conference room to check on Priya.

Arjun kept his face blank on the outside but inside he was cursing himself for losing control. Seeing Tiwari's dead body in the same exact spot his wife was found in and then reading his note had brought back memories of Roshni to front of his mind. He had been unable to push those memories to the back of his mind with Priya's constant presence and he had lashed out when he couldn't take it anymore. He knew he had stooped to his lowest by taunting her unnecessarily but the more she was around him the more he was reminded that she had abandoned him when he needed her the most.

He needed to distance himself and get his mindset right before he faced her again. He decided to go for a drive to settle his nerves. "Shree tell Rathore I went out for a while." Arjun walked out without waiting for Shree's acknowledgement.

Shree and Chottu both breathed a sigh of relief when Arjun left. "Shree what do you think might have happened to break the very close friendship between Priya, Rathore sir and Arjun sir?" Chottu asked.

Shree shook his head slightly. "I don't know Chottu but if they keep butting heads I am sure I am going to develop ulcers from all the stress." Making Chottu feel bad for the joke he played on Shree earlier.

Priya dropped the phone on her desk and rubbed her temple to ward off the headache that was threatening to turn into a migraine. She had hoped for some good news but looks like she was meant to hear nothing but negative comments today.

Sameer stood at the door and observed her tensed form, "Priya?" He walked into the room to stand in front of her. "Is everything okay?"

Priya shook her head then turned to lean against the desk. "He is playing games with us Sameer; just when I think we have positive lead into Sikandar's location it turns out to be something completely different."

Sameer hated to see her so defeated; he cursed Sikandar and everyone that had helped him on the day that had shattered so many lives. "You knew it was not going to be easy to track him after he went underground on that day Priya."

Priya nodded her head, "where did I go wrong Sameer? How could I have done things differently to prevent what happened?"

Sameer joined her at the desk and place his arm around her shoulder to comfort her. "Stop rehashing the past Priya, it was not your fault, you paid the biggest price in the whole fiasco."

Priya looked down at the floor. "Sameer are you sure about involving Arjun in this? I could have continued to track Sikandar from Delhi and dealt with him with help of various agencies."

"According to the commissioner we have no choice anymore. Sikandar is after Arjun as well as you and he is not going to be so easy to catch this time." Sameer answered quietly.

Sameer hesitated then decided to say what was on his mind. "Priya I know it is not easy for you to be around Arjun but.." He trailed off when Priya stood up straighter and shook her head.

"It's okay Sameer, don't worry about it. If hating me and baiting me gives him peace then let him keep hating me, his hate will be easier to handle then his pity." Priya said with a sad smile.

Just then object of their discussion walked into Priya's office. "If your private meeting is finished then Chottu and Shree has something for us." Arjun saw Priya turn away from him and felt a small bit of regret for the harsh words he spoke earlier.

Arjun was watching Rathore who was looking at Priya with regret, his eyes full of concern, and wondered if he had interrupted an important discussion between the two. He clenched his jaw when neither moved so he walked out without saying anything else.

*~+~*

*edited