“Good morning, honey! Wake up! Breakfast is ready,” a young man said softly to his wife after kissing her on the forehead.

“Good morning,” she murmured, grabbing him and pulling him into a warm hug.

“Did you sleep well?” his voice tender with concern.

“Yeah, what about you? You seem happy today. Did something interesting happen?” curiously, a suspicious smile playing on her lips.

“Nothing special. After a long time, I finally slept peacefully. The case today will finally be over. The court will make its decision, but as a detective, my work is already done. I just have to wait for the results,” he explained while sitting next to her on the bed.

“I see, that's the reason,” nodding. “Anyway, help me get up. I can’t do it myself.”

“Yeah, yeah, sure. Just be careful; you might wake the baby!” helping her up gently.

“You already started teasing me this morning. Don’t you have anything else to do?” her face scrunched in annoyance.

“Hahaha, no! I love teasing you! Anyway, today marks six months. We have to go for the routine check-up. Once I get back from work, okay?” he said, glancing at the calendar.

“Okay, fine! If I had known pregnancy was such a pain, I wouldn’t have let it happen,” frustration, her voice tinged with annoyance.

“Honey, you shouldn’t say that. We are fortunate to be having a baby. Other couples are suffering from not being able to have one,” gently placing a warm hand on her head.

“But carrying this heavy belly is really painful!” her voice filled with irritation.

“Yeah, I understand. Just a few more months, and then you’ll be free,” holding her gently in his arms.

Suddenly, his phone rang. He glanced at the screen and saw that it was Abhinav, his partner. He answered the call, “Yeah, yeah, I’ll be there soon. You go ahead, I’ll catch up with you. Yes, bro, I know today is March 16th. I’ll bring the case file, don’t worry. Okay, I’ll be there soon!” With that, he hung up the call.

“Who was that?”

“ ohh that, It was Abhinav,”

“When will you introduce me to him? I’ve never met any of your friends.”

“Sorry, but I can’t. I can’t risk your life. The work I do is too dangerous and risky. Every day, someone tries to kill me. If anyone finds out you’re my wife, your life will be in danger. I can’t even let my friends know about you,” explained with a serious face and tone.

“I know, and I promise I’ll never ask you about your work. But still, I should at least know who you’re working with,” she insisted.

“I understand your concerns, but I can’t do anything about it right now. However, I promise that when the time comes, I’ll introduce you to them. But for now, don’t stress yourself. It’s not good for your health. Just relax, okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, fine. You annoy me so much sometimes. Anyway, you should leave now, or you’ll be late,” she instructed while eating breakfast.

“Yeah, you’re right. I need to hurry up.”

“Don’t move around too much! Take the medicine on time...” He began to give instructions, but she interrupted him.

“Yeah, yeah, I know everything! If I feel anything unusual, I’ll call you. If you don’t pick up, I’ll press the button under the table. After taking the medicine, I’ll take a nap. See? I know everything, so go now,” cutting him off.

“Damn, Amala! Okay! But you forgot one thing—you have to do your stretching exercises,” correcting her with a chuckle.

“Yeah, yeah, now leave already,” looking annoyed.

“Yes, I’m leaving. Hey, you, whoever you are inside my wife, don’t you dare bother her, got it?” pointing his finger at her stomach.

“Bye, honey. Love you! I’ll get home early today; we have to go to the hospital!” kissed her before leaving.

“OK! Ok! Love you too! Leave nowww!” pushing him outside the house and closing the door with a soft click.

Once alone, Amala set about her daily routine with a determined efficiency. She cleaned the house, washed the dishes, took a refreshing shower, watched some TV, did her stretching exercises, took her medicine, and finally, slept peacefully.

After two hours, she woke up abruptly. “I slept too much today,” she whispered to herself, glancing at the clock. She freshened up, then settled down to do some crochet while watching TV. Suddenly, the doorbell rang. She got up from the sofa and headed towards the door to open it. As she opened...

---

Meanwhile, at his office, Amay was lounging on the sofa, engrossed in an episode of Tom and Jerry. His laughter filled the room. Suddenly, the office door swung open, and Abhinav stormed in, his face a mask of anger and frustration.

“Why didn’t you come to court?! My boss was asking about you!” Abhinav demanded, standing over Amay.

“Hahaha! Hahaha!” laughed, barely acknowledging Abhinav's presence.

“Are you even listening to me?!” his voice rising with aggression.

“Hahaha! Huh? I don’t want to hear it. Now leave and stop hovering over me like that,” irritation evident on his face.

“Did you bring the case file? Where is it?” frustration seeping into his voice as he seated himself at the study desk.

“Huh? It’s on the right-hand side, at 2 o'clock. There’s a bag inside it,” still laughing.

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“Did you analyze the file?” flipping through the pages.

Suddenly, someone knocked at the office door. Abhinav went to open it, revealing a middle-aged man in a black suit, leaning on a walking stick. "Is this Detective Amay's office?" the man asked, his face etched with arrogant and hatred.

“Yeah, get in!” Amay shouted.

The man limped into the room and seated himself on the sofa, facing Amay, who was still watching TV and laughing. “I’m Rajesh. Are you Detective Amay?” his voice filled with anger and arrogance.

“Yeah, it’s me. What’s the case?” eyes still on the TV.

“Someone murdered my wife. This is a copy of the original case file. And What's your fee?” throws the file on table.

Amay took the case file in a rush, flipping through it quickly. “Do you have any suspects?”

“Yes, my driver has been missing since that day,”

“Can you pass me that pencil?”

Rajesh handed the pencil to Amay and began filling out the check to pay him. “Here is a check of 20 million,” offering it towards him.

“Mr. Rajesh, we can't take your case. You can leave now,” throwing the file onto the table.

Rajesh tore up the check and started filling out another one. “Here, 50 million.”

“Hahaha! Hahaha!” ignoring Rajesh's offer.

Determined, Rajesh ripped up the second check and filled out a third one. “Take 80 million, but please take this case,” he pleaded, extending the third check to Amay.

“Hahaha! Hehehe! Mr. Rajesh, I told you, we are not taking this case. You can leave now. Staying here is just wasting your time.”

Frustrated, Rajesh began to tear up the check again, but Abhinav stopped him, holding his hand. Rajesh looked at Abhinav, got up, and walked to the door. As he headed downstairs, Abhinav called after him.

“Wait! Give me that check. We will find the murderer,” Abhinav said.

Without a word, Rajesh handed over the check and continued heading downstairs, his steps heavy with resignation and determination.

---

“Are you an dumbass?! We were about to get 80 million! How can you reject such an offer?” Abhinav demanded aggressively, his voice filled with anger.

“Whattttt?!” Amay responded, irritation evident on his face. Suddenly, he noticed the check in Abhinav’s hand. Instantly, he stood up and snatched the check from Abhinav. “Why did you take this case and the check? You’re the dumbass!” scolded, his anger palpable.

“Why don’t you want to take this case?” his voice lowering with curiosity.

“Because he’s the one who killed his wife.”

“Huh? What makes you think he’s the killer?”

“In the case file, his alibi is fake. He confessed that he was on a business trip, but in the original case file I read a week ago, he claimed he was hospitalized because of a broken leg. That’s why he was limping when he entered the room. That’s the true confession, but he got hospitalized the day after the murder. He had no sorrow over his wife’s death; instead, he had anger and hatred. When I examined the photos of the dead body, I noticed the cut on her neck was from right to left, and her mouth was shut with a left hand, indicating the neck was cut by a right-handed person. When Rajesh entered the room, he was holding the walking stick with his left hand, but when he left the room, he held it with his right hand. That might be a coincidence, but when I asked him to pass me a pencil, he used his right hand, even though the pencil was closer to his left hand. Only a right-handed person would do that. Not only that, but his shoelaces were tied like a right-handed person’s. He knew he had to appear as a left-handed person.” Amay explained everything, sitting on the sofa while scrutinizing the case file.

“Oh, I see. However, one thing I don’t understand is why he came to us if the police are handling the case?”

Amay rose from the sofa, his movements deliberate as he approached the window. He drew back the curtain, observing Rajesh heading towards his car below. Amay placed his thumb between his teeth, chewing thoughtfully as his eyes followed Rajesh’s progress.

“I can't make sense of it either,” he mused, his tone laced with suspicion. “Perhaps he’s trying to elicit our sympathy, to flaunt his love for his wife. He must believe that by offering such a substantial sum, we’ll be convinced of his genuine concern and that money is no object to him. It's possible he’s already paid someone off to frame them as the murderer. But he’s made a crucial error,” Amay said, glancing disdainfully at the check in his hand. “That’s why I was against taking it in the first place, but you, you idiot.”

“Sorry, broo. But now that we have the check, why not split it between us?” Abhinav’s eyes glinted with greed.

“No! You greedy ass, I'm donating this money to charity,” Amay responded with a forced smile. “I didn’t become a detective for the money. I became a detective because of...” His voice trailed off, lost in thought.

“You're such a bore, bro,” Abhinav groaned.

Amay moved to his desk, pulling out a notepad. He began scribbling something, his expression intent. Abhinav watched curiously, trying to see what Amay was writing but unable to discern the words. As he finished, Amay folded the note neatly, slipping it into a drawer.

“Anyway, Abhi....” he began, turning to his friend.

“Yeah?”

“I’m going on a solo trip. Don’t call or message me. I’ll reach out when I feel like it. I don’t know when I’ll be back, so don’t bother me,” Amay said firmly, still fiddling with the drawer.

“Is there any chance I can...”

“No! You can’t come with me. I don’t want any unnecessary distractions,” Amay interrupted, his tone final.

“You’re too mean, bro,” Abhinav whined.

“Alright, I’m leaving now. Take care of yourself and the office. See you soon, dumbass!” Amay said, an evil smile playing on his lips as he headed out the door, his steps echoing in the quiet room.

As the door closed behind him, Abhinav remained, staring at the drawer where Amay had placed the note. Suspicion and curiosity gnawed at him, but for now, he had no choice but to wait.

“Oh damn, it’s almost 4 o’clock! I have to get to the office as soon as possible,” Abhinav exclaimed, his eyes widening in surprise as he glanced at the clock. Grabbing both files hastily, he rushed out of the room.

Abhinav had barely made it out of the office parking lot when a sense of urgency seized him. The files clutched in his hand felt like a ticking clock, counting down to some inevitable disaster he couldn’t yet name. The city streets blurred past as he drove, but his mind was anchored in the office, the clock, the damn files.

Meanwhile, Amay's drive home was supposed to be routine. The hum of the engine and the rhythm of the road usually gave him space to unwind, to let his mind wander to simpler things like the note he'd left for Abhinav. He was sure his friend would find it, probably laugh at his absentmindedness. He even thought about the charity check he still hadn’t donated, making a mental note to take care of it later.

But as he neared his street, the sight of a crowd and the acrid smell of smoke shattered his tranquility. His home, his sanctuary, was on fire.

Everything happened in a blur. The car screeched to a halt, and before he knew it, Amay was running, legs moving on instinct, heart pounding with fear. The closer he got, the more the heat and chaos overwhelmed him. Firefighters yelled, hoses snaked across the ground, and the air was thick with smoke and panic.

Amay's mind struggled to process the scene. His home, the place where he had felt safest, was now a blazing inferno. He saw the fire through a haze of tears, his throat constricting with unspeakable dread. Words failed him as he approached a firefighter, the smoke stinging his eyes and stealing his breath.

The world seemed to narrow to the point of a needle, his vision darkening at the edges. He slapped himself, hard, forcing clarity back into his thoughts. “S... Sir! Wha... what happened?” The words came out as a strained whisper, barely audible over the roar of the flames.

“A huge blast happened here!” The officer's shout cut through the noise. “Stay back!”

But Amay couldn't stay back. “Si... Sir! Is my wife safe? She’s pregnant!” Desperation laced his voice, his fear turning to horror as the officer's face shifted.

“What The Fuck!? We didn’t see any pregnant women come out of the house!” The officer’s alarmed shout sent a fresh wave of panic through Amay. “Shivprasad! Someone’s still in there!”

The crowd murmured, their anxiety palpable. Time stretched painfully as more emergency vehicles arrived, sirens blaring. Finally, a firefighter emerged, exchanging grave words with the officer before approaching Amay.

“Sir, I’m sorry, But Your Wife Is No More. someone Murdered Her. We Found The Bodies Of A Young Woman And A Child Inside.”