LOVE, LIFE, SECRETS: Answers lie within – CHAPTER 53

CHAPTER 53: Another suspect?

(Day Tej and Shakti had been arrested)

She was walking cautiously in the hotel lobby…. Carefully looking around and hiding her face with the scarf…. She did not want anyone to notice her and recognize her…. She had come here to do her work and intended do it without anyone knowing about it…. She took the left turn at the end of the corridor and walked towards the room…. She looked around and the corridor was empty…. She sighed in relief and took out the key of the room…. She inserted the key and opened the door…. She checked once again and entered the room….

The room where it had all begun….

The room where Tia was murdered….

It had been more than two weeks to the incident…. The police had sealed the room for their investigation…. Finally when the police was sure that they had checked thoroughly and no clue was left they allowed the hotel staff to clean the room and here it was all neat and tidy again…. As if nothing had ever happened here…. As if this place had not witnessed someone getting killed….

She did not have time to think about all this…. She kept her bag and scarf on the table and started looking around the room…. She checked the drawers and the wardrobe…. She checked the washroom thoroughly…. She looked around the bed…. She knew that the room had been cleaned and even if something would have been left the hotel staff would have thrown it away…. But still she wanted to be sure…. She was sure that if the police had found anything she would have known by now…. But what if they had missed it…. She looked around the place a number of times and once she was sure that nothing was there she sat back on the bed with some relief gushing through her body…. She closed her eyes to relax and calm down her mind that had been so anxious and worried since the past two weeks….

“Bhabhi”

Mallika jerked opened her eyes as she heard his voice and turned to see him standing there looking at her…. Both of them were shocked seeing each other….

Mallika because she had not expected Dushyant to be here….

And Dushyant because of what he had witnessed in the past few minutes….

Dushyant was going to his office when he saw Mallika talking to someone near the main gate of the mansion…. He would not have given it much of thought when he saw her giving the man some money and then the man gave her some keys…. He grew suspicious of her behavior and waited to see what she would do ahead…. He was not understanding what she was doing but he was sure that she was doing it hiding it from the family…. The man walked away and Mallika walked towards her car and drove out…. Dushyant also got into his car instantly to follow her…. What if his Bhabhi was in some danger and someone was troubling her…. He had to make sure she did not land into any trouble…. He followed her car keeping a safe distance so that she does not doubt that someone is following her…. He was surprised when he saw her going towards the hotel where Shivaay and Tia were going to get married…. She parked the car and got out covering her face with shades and the scarf…. Dushyant was not understanding what was happening…. He also parked his car and followed her into the hotel…. He saw her going towards some room and when he recognized the room…. He was more than shocked….

It was the same room where he had seen Tia for the last time when she had assured him that everything would be fine and they would always be together….

He checked the door of the room and sighed as Mallika had not locked it from the inside…. He opened the door slowly and was confused seeing Mallika checking the room thoroughly…. He was not understanding what she was doing, what was she finding and why was she finding it here…. Finally she stopped checking and sat back on the bed when Dushyant entered the room and stood in front of her…. He called her and she was shocked….

*****

Ishana was in her house searching for something…. She was trying to find her mobile when she realized she might have lost it in the chaos that had happened the other day…. She sat down on the bed not knowing what she was supposed to do now…. Her parents must be worried thinking that she had not contacted them since the last two days…. She could not even call Abir or Ranveer to ask them to inform her parents…. She also was worried as her phone had some data which she was worried if fell in wrong hands would not be good at all…. She was thinking about what to do…. There were no chances she could get her phone back…. What if Daksh had already destroyed it…. No…. She remembered Mishti telling her at the hospital that they had traced her location using her phone that means it was safe and maybe it was with Abir who might have forgotten to return it to her…. She had to ask him and get it back…. She quickly changed into her jeans and kurti…. She took the keys of the scooty and walked towards the main door….

She opened the door and bumped into someone…. She was about to fall back and closed her eyes…. She opened her eyes when she felt that someone had held her and looked at the owner of those arms…. She was shocked to see Om holding her….

Time stopped for both of them as they looked into each other’s eyes….

Nothing mattered anymore….

Why were they here….

Where they were….

What if someone saw them like this….

Nothing….

Nothing mattered to them as they were too lost in each other’s eyes….

The phone started ringing bringing them out of their dreamland and they realized their position…. Om made Ishana stand properly and she moved back from him…. Ishana recognized the ringtone as it was hers and looked at Om…. Om took out the phone from his pocket and gave it to her…. She took the phone from her and saw her father’s name flashing…. Only God knew what was the number of time he was calling her…. She prepared herself for a great amount of scolding and received the call…. She was taken by surprise when her father only told her that they were going to Nasik to attend a wedding and that she should take care of herself and not get too involved in her work forgetting about herself…. She was surprised as he did not scold her nor did he enquire about her whereabouts…. She disconnected the call still in surprise seeing her father behaving normally with her….

Ishana: How can this happen? Baba did not scold me for not contacting them since yesterday nor did Aai cry over the phone scolding me…. What is wrong with them?

Omkara: Nothing is wrong with them.

Ishana looked at Om and realized that she had spoken it out loud….

Ishana: Matlab?

Omkara: Matlab main andar aakar samjha sakta hu yaa yehi bahar hi khada rahu.

Ishana realized that they were still standing at the entrance and let him come in…. She could feel that Om was behaving differently…. Something had definitely changed…. They took their seats on the sofa…. Om explained her that they had found her phone near the factory site and he had forgotten to give it to her the day before…. He also told her that he had informed her parents when they had called yesterday that she was busy in her work and had forgotten her phone in her office…. He told them that he was her colleague and would return her the phone the next day…. He smiled as he finished explaining…. Ishana looked at him surprised…. The all-time truth is truth person lied for her…. Was it even him…. Seeing her not reacting Om snapped his fingers and she came out of her thoughts….

Omkara: Where are you lost? You should say thank you, I saved you from getting scolded.

Ishana: Thanks, but I would have managed. You did not have to lie for me.

Om looked at her astonished by her reply….

Omkara: Anyways, I came here to return your phone and I should get going now.

He stood up from his place…. Ishana realized that she was rude to him when he had only tried to help her…. She mentally slapped herself for doing this…. He was about to go when she held his hand and he looked at her surprised….

Ishana: Sorry, I was rude to you when you only tried to help me.

Ishana: Mind sharing it with me?

She did not know why she even asked him…. After all why would he share it with her…. She scolded herself for asking him…. He smiled at her and then sat back in his place…. She looked at him surprised…. He took a deep breath and started narrating what had happened in Oberoi Mansion and then at the police station…. Ishana was shocked knowing the incidents….

She was lost in her thoughts…. What would happen if Tej and Shakti were actually responsible for the murders…. What would Om do then…. Will he able to handle it all…. She was only concerned about him…. Nothing else mattered to her more than that….

Ishana: Are you okay Om?

Omkara: Please Ishana, don’t call him my father….

Ishana did not say anything as she knew it was not the time to make him understand but the time to understand him…. She kept her hand on his hand…. He looked at her and she just smiled at him…. She assured him through her eyes not to worry and everything will get fine…. He felt his heart relaxing at her assurance and he smiled back at her….

*****

“What are you doing Bhabhi? Why have you come here and what were you looking for?”

Dushyant asked Mallika managing to come out of his shock…. So many questions filled his mind…. Mallika looked at him not knowing what to say…. What if Dushyant told all this to Siddharth…. Seeing her not saying anything Dushyant asked her again….

Dushyant: Bhabhi, I am asking you something? What were you doing here?

Mallika: I had come here to meet…. Shivaay…. The day before his wedding…. And….

And she sat down as tears flowed from her eyes…. Dushyant looked at her shocked…. Why was she crying…. Had she done something…. Dushyant consoled her and asked her to calm down…. After a few minutes Mallika calmed down and started narrating everything to Dushyant that had happened that day….

Dushyant was shocked hearing it as he had never expected this…. He moved back from his place…. How could she do this….

Mallika: Dushyant, I am sorry….

*****

Hello everyone, I hope you all are doing well.
Here is the next chapter of the story.