Yesterday, 04:13 PM
Chapter 27: The Villa & The Dead End
After the deals sealed with Suriya, Jeeva catched an auto to pick up Anandhi. The evening sun had dipped low, casting long orange shadows across the narrow street leading to the ladies' house. Jeeva dropped from the auto a little distance away and walked up, his steps measured. He had come to pick up Anandhi as planned—after the day's tense deal, he just wanted to get her home, let her rest, and figure out the next move quietly.
But as he approached the small, weathered gate, he heard muffled sobs from inside. The door was ajar. Through the gap, he saw Anandhi sitting on the edge of the wooden bench in the tiny living room, her face buried in her palms. Her shoulders shook. Two women, the old principal and Thilaga stood awkwardly nearby, one holding a glass of water she clearly didn't know what to do with. . The old lady’s daughter — Thilaga, the cop — still in uniform crisp, expression serious.
Jeeva knocked gently on the doorframe.
Thilaga asked whom do you want?
Jeeva said i came to pick up Anandhi, im her relative, her husbands relation. My name is Jeeva.
The room fell silent for a second. Anandhi lifted her head, eyes swollen and red, cheeks streaked with tears that had dried in salty tracks. She wiped her face hastily with the edge of her saree pallu.
"Come in," she said, voice hoarse.
He stepped inside, nodding politely to the womens.
Thilaga asked Anandhi, is it fine to speak before him?
Anandhi said yea oky, after all as a relation i only have him!
Jeeva was stunned seeing her question.
Thilaga said sit down there.
He sat opposite her on the low stool. The air felt thick with grief. On the small table between them lay an open envelope and a crumpled letter—Rahul's handwriting unmistakable even from a distance. Next to it, a thick cloth bag sagged under the weight of bundled notes. The infamous 30 lakhs.
Anandhi's gaze followed his. Fresh tears welled up.
"He... he chose someone else," she whispered, as if saying it aloud made it more real. "After all these years. I waited, Jeeva. Eight years, nine almost. I told myself he was building a life for us safeguarding us from debts.. He keep me giving hopes.. And now this letter. 'I'm sorry, Anandhi. I've found someone who understands me better.' No address, no way to reach him. Just money—like that's enough to erase everything."
She pushed the bag toward him slightly. "See this? Thirty lakhs. He thinks this settles it? Like I'm some account to be closed."
Jeeva stared at the bag.
Thilaga intervened. Mr?
Jeeva said im Jeeva
Thilaga continued: Look Jeeva your sister in law’s husband case, i have personally enquired about that. Its good you came here, because i dont think Anandhi can handle it alone.
Absolutely we are he but relations are relations right.
I just came 30 mins back with all this stuff. I used my team and team at Mumbai cop station, we enquired and got this letter and cash.
The first impression is that he chose a different life for money and he settled it for his wife. In the letter he says he is going abroad but my sources tell no person in the name or in his appearance had boarded flights around Mumbai.. Maybe he could have flown through other airports, enquiry is still on.
All we now have is The letter and the cash.
Jeeva said: Thirty lakhs was no small sum—enough to buy a decent flat in many parts of the city, or clear massive debts, or start over entirely. So my brother gave it as a good bye gift to her.
[Rahul specifically made this setup so that Anandhi can close the loan and lead a new life, but looking at atmosphere and the helping tendency of Thilaga, he thought, the lenders who are part of John team may trick Anandhi in future or trap her. What if money goes through thilaga, she can make sure to stop their traps right? An idea sparked]
An idea sparked in Jeeva's head, He said may be Anandhi you should settle the debts with the cash and put the cash for kids future.
Anandhi looked at him, confused but listening.
Jeeva stressed: "Do you still have debts?" he asked, feigning a clueless tone, though he already know the answer.
She nodded tiredly. "Yes. Twenty-one lakhs. We've been paying for eight years—interest, interest, more interest. The principal... it barely moves. The moneylender keeps rolling it over. Sometimes I think we'll die paying."
Jeeva turned toward Thilaga She was in her uniform, off-duty but still carrying that air of quiet authority.
"Madam," Jeeva said, standing up respectfully. "This is outright robbery. My sister-in-law says they've paid for eight years, and the principal amount stands the same. It looks odd. You intervene and solve it for her, please."
Thilaga's eyes narrowed slightly, assessing the scene—the crying woman, the money bag, the desperate brother-in-law.
"Why dont you inform me earlier Anandhi?" she asked Anandhi gently. "We've become friends of late, right? You could have told me earlier."
Anandhi managed a weak smile through tears. "I didn't want to burn you, Thilaga. You already helped me so much—stopping those vultures, Rahul's friends who kept eyeing me. After I complained to the principal, only after that they stopped bothering me. I Know you already done enough for me so i dont want to bother it with you.
Thilaga frowned, genuinely puzzled. "Sorry, Anandhi. I don't remember doing anything like that. Are you sure you're not mistaken?"
Anandhi blinked. "But... they stopped. After a few days. I told the principal madam—your mother—and then it just... ended. I assumed..."
"My mother never mentioned anything to me," Thilaga said firmly. "If she had, I would have handled it immediately. I had no idea."
Anandhi looked lost. "Then who was it? Did they suddenly get a conscience?"
Thilaga sighed, crossing her arms. That doesnt a matter Anandhi, if that is already solved then be free. But the reason why i wanted to speak with you is and glad your brother in law is also here. So lets make a decision.
Should I dig deeper and find Rahul? In my experience, if a man doesn't want to be found, he makes sure no trail exists. This whole thing looks fabricated.
He claims foreign location, but our enquiries show no woman visiting his house, no signs at the office. The 'new lover' is very suspicious, I mean I doubt it could be a setup by himself to mislead people. The evidence we have shows he has started a new life and settled you with money. But our instinct says it's a false setup for something else. . People nearby never saw anything unusual."
Jeeva felt a jolt of alarm but kept his face neutral. "Maybe he was very cautious. Planning this for a long time. You can't suddenly get 30 lakhs suddenly on that salary. And disappearing without a trace..."
Thilaga nodded grimly. "Last time he had that road accident—he seemed drunk. We have CCTV footage. A doctor rescued him—some scientist named Madhavan. Minor injury, he left the same day. Office has no record of formal resignation or disappearance. We spoke to the doctor; he confirmed, he saw him, he also said Rahul was telling him he is going t o get married soon.. So that one word from madhavan alone adds weight to the reality of his absconding with a woman but nothing else we get concrete.
Jeeva was stunned. The cops had dug this deep already? He was also glad that Madahavan had lied about marriage without alerting him, that saved and put a full stop in search.
Thilaga continued, voice lowering. "No other leads. Ever since his disappearance, there is no sign of him.
Until the letter arrives. I mean the letter is true
Handwriting matches, signatures match. But why the sudden vanishing? Nothing is seamless.
Normally for the case of this like a low-profile, for a powerless people and with multiple state cops involved, the case would have moved even a bit. . You got these details only because of my involvement. Otherwise, no one would even get this far."
Anandhi looked up, she said thanks but continued with aconfused. "What are you suggesting now?"
"From here, there's no lead," Thilaga said plainly. "Trusting us won't help further. They won't mobilize forces across states without a clean clue. I fear we're at a dead end. Unless Rahul himself drops a hint, we can't reach him."
Jeeva twisted her words deliberately. "So you mean Rahul planned it so well that he cant be reached? Cant be reach at all? He's hiding somewhere, went ahead with his new life?"
Thilaga hesitated. "That's not exactly—i mean but thats a possibility to , i wanted to tell that is what he wanted us to believe may be."
Jeeva question, no dont give false hope
Just tell me can we track him, are you sure his plan is something else?
THilaga said no, i cant be sure
Jeeva asked then what you are sure about
Thilaga looked at him for a minute, an unwanted rage in his eyes, she said he left her for another woman.
Jeeva realised Thilaga was reading his eyes, he quickly decided to calm the scenario.
"I know you feel bad for Anandhi," Jeeva cut in gently but firmly. "That's okay. If the security officer can't help from here, we'll try ourselves. Anandhi, let's go."
He didn't want to drag this conversation longer—too many questions, too many eyes. He helped Anandhi stand, her hand trembling in his. As they reached the door, he paused, turned back.
"Madam, if you can help... please keep that amount and settle her debt fully under your supervision. Clear the 21 lakhs completely. Give the rest back to her. If the lenders have taken more than they should, we can file a case against them."
Thilaga studied him for a long moment, then nodded. "Okay. I'll handle it personally. Come to the station tomorrow with documents."
Jeeva gave a small bow of thanks, then guided Anandhi out. They caught an auto at the corner. On the way, they detoured to the college to pick up the kids—her two little ones who ran to her with hugs, oblivious to the storm inside their mother.
In the auto, Anandhi sat silent, staring out at the passing streets. Shock, anger, sorrow swirled in her eyes, still red from hours of crying. Jeeva didn't speak either. He just held her hand tightly, letting her lean against his shoulder as the auto rattled homeward.
After the deals sealed with Suriya, Jeeva catched an auto to pick up Anandhi. The evening sun had dipped low, casting long orange shadows across the narrow street leading to the ladies' house. Jeeva dropped from the auto a little distance away and walked up, his steps measured. He had come to pick up Anandhi as planned—after the day's tense deal, he just wanted to get her home, let her rest, and figure out the next move quietly.
But as he approached the small, weathered gate, he heard muffled sobs from inside. The door was ajar. Through the gap, he saw Anandhi sitting on the edge of the wooden bench in the tiny living room, her face buried in her palms. Her shoulders shook. Two women, the old principal and Thilaga stood awkwardly nearby, one holding a glass of water she clearly didn't know what to do with. . The old lady’s daughter — Thilaga, the cop — still in uniform crisp, expression serious.
Jeeva knocked gently on the doorframe.
Thilaga asked whom do you want?
Jeeva said i came to pick up Anandhi, im her relative, her husbands relation. My name is Jeeva.
The room fell silent for a second. Anandhi lifted her head, eyes swollen and red, cheeks streaked with tears that had dried in salty tracks. She wiped her face hastily with the edge of her saree pallu.
"Come in," she said, voice hoarse.
He stepped inside, nodding politely to the womens.
Thilaga asked Anandhi, is it fine to speak before him?
Anandhi said yea oky, after all as a relation i only have him!
Jeeva was stunned seeing her question.
Thilaga said sit down there.
He sat opposite her on the low stool. The air felt thick with grief. On the small table between them lay an open envelope and a crumpled letter—Rahul's handwriting unmistakable even from a distance. Next to it, a thick cloth bag sagged under the weight of bundled notes. The infamous 30 lakhs.
Anandhi's gaze followed his. Fresh tears welled up.
"He... he chose someone else," she whispered, as if saying it aloud made it more real. "After all these years. I waited, Jeeva. Eight years, nine almost. I told myself he was building a life for us safeguarding us from debts.. He keep me giving hopes.. And now this letter. 'I'm sorry, Anandhi. I've found someone who understands me better.' No address, no way to reach him. Just money—like that's enough to erase everything."
She pushed the bag toward him slightly. "See this? Thirty lakhs. He thinks this settles it? Like I'm some account to be closed."
Jeeva stared at the bag.
Thilaga intervened. Mr?
Jeeva said im Jeeva
Thilaga continued: Look Jeeva your sister in law’s husband case, i have personally enquired about that. Its good you came here, because i dont think Anandhi can handle it alone.
Absolutely we are he but relations are relations right.
I just came 30 mins back with all this stuff. I used my team and team at Mumbai cop station, we enquired and got this letter and cash.
The first impression is that he chose a different life for money and he settled it for his wife. In the letter he says he is going abroad but my sources tell no person in the name or in his appearance had boarded flights around Mumbai.. Maybe he could have flown through other airports, enquiry is still on.
All we now have is The letter and the cash.
Jeeva said: Thirty lakhs was no small sum—enough to buy a decent flat in many parts of the city, or clear massive debts, or start over entirely. So my brother gave it as a good bye gift to her.
[Rahul specifically made this setup so that Anandhi can close the loan and lead a new life, but looking at atmosphere and the helping tendency of Thilaga, he thought, the lenders who are part of John team may trick Anandhi in future or trap her. What if money goes through thilaga, she can make sure to stop their traps right? An idea sparked]
An idea sparked in Jeeva's head, He said may be Anandhi you should settle the debts with the cash and put the cash for kids future.
Anandhi looked at him, confused but listening.
Jeeva stressed: "Do you still have debts?" he asked, feigning a clueless tone, though he already know the answer.
She nodded tiredly. "Yes. Twenty-one lakhs. We've been paying for eight years—interest, interest, more interest. The principal... it barely moves. The moneylender keeps rolling it over. Sometimes I think we'll die paying."
Jeeva turned toward Thilaga She was in her uniform, off-duty but still carrying that air of quiet authority.
"Madam," Jeeva said, standing up respectfully. "This is outright robbery. My sister-in-law says they've paid for eight years, and the principal amount stands the same. It looks odd. You intervene and solve it for her, please."
Thilaga's eyes narrowed slightly, assessing the scene—the crying woman, the money bag, the desperate brother-in-law.
"Why dont you inform me earlier Anandhi?" she asked Anandhi gently. "We've become friends of late, right? You could have told me earlier."
Anandhi managed a weak smile through tears. "I didn't want to burn you, Thilaga. You already helped me so much—stopping those vultures, Rahul's friends who kept eyeing me. After I complained to the principal, only after that they stopped bothering me. I Know you already done enough for me so i dont want to bother it with you.
Thilaga frowned, genuinely puzzled. "Sorry, Anandhi. I don't remember doing anything like that. Are you sure you're not mistaken?"
Anandhi blinked. "But... they stopped. After a few days. I told the principal madam—your mother—and then it just... ended. I assumed..."
"My mother never mentioned anything to me," Thilaga said firmly. "If she had, I would have handled it immediately. I had no idea."
Anandhi looked lost. "Then who was it? Did they suddenly get a conscience?"
Thilaga sighed, crossing her arms. That doesnt a matter Anandhi, if that is already solved then be free. But the reason why i wanted to speak with you is and glad your brother in law is also here. So lets make a decision.
Should I dig deeper and find Rahul? In my experience, if a man doesn't want to be found, he makes sure no trail exists. This whole thing looks fabricated.
He claims foreign location, but our enquiries show no woman visiting his house, no signs at the office. The 'new lover' is very suspicious, I mean I doubt it could be a setup by himself to mislead people. The evidence we have shows he has started a new life and settled you with money. But our instinct says it's a false setup for something else. . People nearby never saw anything unusual."
Jeeva felt a jolt of alarm but kept his face neutral. "Maybe he was very cautious. Planning this for a long time. You can't suddenly get 30 lakhs suddenly on that salary. And disappearing without a trace..."
Thilaga nodded grimly. "Last time he had that road accident—he seemed drunk. We have CCTV footage. A doctor rescued him—some scientist named Madhavan. Minor injury, he left the same day. Office has no record of formal resignation or disappearance. We spoke to the doctor; he confirmed, he saw him, he also said Rahul was telling him he is going t o get married soon.. So that one word from madhavan alone adds weight to the reality of his absconding with a woman but nothing else we get concrete.
Jeeva was stunned. The cops had dug this deep already? He was also glad that Madahavan had lied about marriage without alerting him, that saved and put a full stop in search.
Thilaga continued, voice lowering. "No other leads. Ever since his disappearance, there is no sign of him.
Until the letter arrives. I mean the letter is true
Handwriting matches, signatures match. But why the sudden vanishing? Nothing is seamless.
Normally for the case of this like a low-profile, for a powerless people and with multiple state cops involved, the case would have moved even a bit. . You got these details only because of my involvement. Otherwise, no one would even get this far."
Anandhi looked up, she said thanks but continued with aconfused. "What are you suggesting now?"
"From here, there's no lead," Thilaga said plainly. "Trusting us won't help further. They won't mobilize forces across states without a clean clue. I fear we're at a dead end. Unless Rahul himself drops a hint, we can't reach him."
Jeeva twisted her words deliberately. "So you mean Rahul planned it so well that he cant be reached? Cant be reach at all? He's hiding somewhere, went ahead with his new life?"
Thilaga hesitated. "That's not exactly—i mean but thats a possibility to , i wanted to tell that is what he wanted us to believe may be."
Jeeva question, no dont give false hope
Just tell me can we track him, are you sure his plan is something else?
THilaga said no, i cant be sure
Jeeva asked then what you are sure about
Thilaga looked at him for a minute, an unwanted rage in his eyes, she said he left her for another woman.
Jeeva realised Thilaga was reading his eyes, he quickly decided to calm the scenario.
"I know you feel bad for Anandhi," Jeeva cut in gently but firmly. "That's okay. If the security officer can't help from here, we'll try ourselves. Anandhi, let's go."
He didn't want to drag this conversation longer—too many questions, too many eyes. He helped Anandhi stand, her hand trembling in his. As they reached the door, he paused, turned back.
"Madam, if you can help... please keep that amount and settle her debt fully under your supervision. Clear the 21 lakhs completely. Give the rest back to her. If the lenders have taken more than they should, we can file a case against them."
Thilaga studied him for a long moment, then nodded. "Okay. I'll handle it personally. Come to the station tomorrow with documents."
Jeeva gave a small bow of thanks, then guided Anandhi out. They caught an auto at the corner. On the way, they detoured to the college to pick up the kids—her two little ones who ran to her with hugs, oblivious to the storm inside their mother.
In the auto, Anandhi sat silent, staring out at the passing streets. Shock, anger, sorrow swirled in her eyes, still red from hours of crying. Jeeva didn't speak either. He just held her hand tightly, letting her lean against his shoulder as the auto rattled homeward.
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