A photograph that terrifies, a grandfather who strikes out in anger, and a secret buried so deep it threatens to consume the present. Just as Elina demands the truth, a mysterious voice from the shadows prepares to reveal a past Elina never knew she had. Who is this woman, and what is her link to the predator named Nikhil?
The police team questioned David and Elina repeatedly. "Are you certain neither of you knew Nikhil before this?"
"We were in college together," David explained, his voice strained. "He was a very close friend, but honestly, I knew nothing about his family or his background."
Elina shook her head adamantly. "No. I don't know this man at all. Forget his name—I didn't even recognize his face."
She went to the wall and pulled down the old photograph she had found. Showing it to the officers, she pointed at the figure standing next to Nikhil. "But the man in this picture with Nikhil is my Uncle (Mama). He must know Nikhil very well."
"Call your uncle immediately," the officer commanded.
"I can't," Elina replied quickly. "My relationship with my uncle is strained. Besides, he lives in another country now, and we don't even have his current contact number."
The police continued their inquiry, but the investigation felt like it was hitting a wall. Later, Elina returned home, flanked by both Jack and David. Her heart was a battlefield of conflicting emotions. Jack's silent pain haunted her, while her deep, unwavering love for David kept her awake at night.
Seeking some peace, Elina stood on the balcony, staring at the vast night sky. Suddenly, she spotted a figure at the main gate, talking to someone in the shadows.
It has to be Nikhil! she thought, her heart racing.
She bolted from her room and ran toward the gate, but her grandmother intercepted her. "Elina! Where are you going so late at night?"
"Let go of me, Grandma! He's going to get away!" Elina cried, struggling.
"Who is going to get away? What are you talking about?" her grandmother asked, tightening her grip.
Elina managed to wrench her arm free, but by the time she reached the gate, the man had vanished. She stood there, breathless and frustrated. Who was that man? And who in the Smith family was he meeting in secret?
David approached her as she stood by the gate. "Someone was here, David. They were talking to someone inside this house!"
"Elina, who in this house would do such a thing?" David asked gently. Both he and her grandmother insisted that she must be mistaken—perhaps a trick of the light or her own anxiety.
Undeterred, Elina walked back to the gate once they left, but the night was silent. Whoever it was, they were cunning and impossible to catch.
Later, Jack approached her with a plea. He wanted to get married as soon as possible. He told her that even if she only ever saw him as a friend, he just wanted her by his side. Before Elina could respond, Mr. Louis arrived.Her grandfather wanted her to leave the past behind and move forward with Jack.
Elina could never deny her grandfather anything. Despite her heart screaming for David, she bowed to Mr. Louis's wishes and agreed to marry Jack.
Overjoyed, Jack decided to host a small party at his house, but the mere mention of a "party" sent a shiver of fear through Elina. Just then, David called out from outside. Mr. Louis, Jack, and Elina gathered in the dining room as the police arrived with a terrifying update.
"Nikhil is no ordinary criminal," the officer warned. "He is part of a dangerous syndicate. He has been involved in the trafficking and kidnapping of many children."
The police advised Elina to try and forget the trauma while they handled the investigation. But Elina couldn't let it go. She managed to find a way to call her uncle and asked him about Nikhil. The moment her uncle heard the name, his voice faltered. "How... how do you know that name?" he stammered.
Elina told him everything that had happened. Instead of answering, her uncle abruptly hung up the phone.
What is the truth? What is he hiding from me? Elina wondered.
She called her grandfather back to the house immediately. When Mr. Louis arrived, she ran to him. "Grandfather, did you know Nikhil before this?"
"No, I don't know him," he replied dismissively.
Elina pulled out the photograph and thrust it toward him. "Look at this! Look at his face! Do you know him or not?"
The moment Mr. Louis saw Nikhil's face in the photo, he recoiled, taking two steps back in visible horror. Elina saw the fear in his eyes. He knew exactly who Nikhil was.
"Who is he, Grandfather? Tell me!" she demanded.
He remained silent. Elina pressed him again and again, but he wouldn't utter a word. Though she didn't get a name, she now knew for certain that a dark, deep secret linked her family to that monster. Nikhil's haunting words echoed in her ears: 'You were mine, and you will stay mine.'
"Why did he say that, Grandfather? What does 'you are mine' mean? What is the secret you are keeping from me? Please, tell me the truth!"
Suddenly, Mr. Louis did something he had never done in his entire life. He swung his hand and slapped Elina across the face.
The room went silent. Elina was in total shock. Her grandfather, who had never even raised his voice at her, had struck her. What was so terrifying about the truth that he would resort to violence to keep it hidden?
Just then, a woman's voice rang out from the doorway.
"I will tell you the truth. I will tell you the truth. I will tell you exactly what your relationship with Nikhil was."
ho is this mysterious woman who knows the secrets of Elina's past? What is the dark connection between Nikhil and the Smith family? And why is Elina's own grandfather so desperate to keep her in the dark?
To uncover the truth behind the shadows, keep reading "Beneath The Truth," only on Webnovel.