LOVE, LIFE, SECRETS: Answers lie within – CHAPTER 63

CHAPTER 63: Hidden truth

(Three months after Pankhuri’s arrest)

“Agar yeh soch kar wapas aayi ho ki iss baar jawaab badal jayega, toh chali jao yaha se, kuch nahi badalne wala hai” (If you have come here again thinking my answer will change, then go from here, nothing is going to change here)

Daksh said without turning to look at Ishana and Om…. It had been the same since the past few weeks…. Ishana and Om had been coming to meet Daksh every week in a hope that he would disclose the truth to them…. In the initial times they had come, Daksh had refused to meet the two and did not want to talk to them…. However sensing that Om and Ishana were determined to not give up anytime soon; Daksh had talked to her a week ago and had clearly stated that he had nothing to tell her and that whatever had happened till date was his fault…. Ishana and Om however not convinced by his words as he was just repeating the same thing that it was his fault and Ishana should now stay away from all these matters…. Today yet again, the two of them had come with a hope that maybe Daksh would tell them the truth and help them find answers to the questions that were going on in their minds….

Ishana: Daksh please, why are you not telling me the truth? I know that you are hiding something and there are many things that I am not aware of.

Daksh: Look Ishana, I had told you everything very clearly last time itself. You are just wasting your time and nothing more.

Ishana: Daksh….

Daksh: Why are you not letting it go Ishana, why are you creating these unnecessary problems for yourself?

Ishana: I will not, I’ll not let of anything until and unless you tell me the complete truth. Tell me….

Daksh: There is no other truth, whatever has happened is the truth. I am responsible for all the problems in your life, I am responsible for whatever happened with Devika and I am only responsible for whatever happened with you. That’s all there is no other truth than this.

Ishana was about to say something when Om signed her not to say anything…. She wanted to try more but Om signed her to keep quiet…. Ishana moved back….

Omkara: Daksh, we know that you are hiding something and we are sure that one day you’ll definitely tell us everything.

Daksh: That day will never come Om.

Omkara: Don’t be so sure of it Daksh. Life is unpredictable; you never know what may happen.

Daksh turned to look at Om hearing him…. Om gave Daksh a smile and held Ishana’s hand…. Daksh looked at their hands and then at Om, he smiled back at Om…. Ishana looked at the two confused not knowing why they smiled at each other…. Ishana wanted to say something but before she could Om walked out of the cell and Ishana had to follow him as he was holding her hand…. Ishana turned to look at Daksh once but he only smiled at her…. She did not know what to interpret from their smiles….

*****

Ishana was pacing around the living room while Om sat on the sofa looking at her antics…. Since the time they had left the prison, Ishana had not spoken a word and Om did not know why she wasn’t asking him anything nor was she arguing upon why he did not let her talk to Daksh…. The Ishana he had known in the past months would not keep quiet until and unless she got the answers to all her questions…. He was waiting for her to start with her questions so that he could talk to her…. He knew if he started talking without her asking him to talk, she would think that he is justifying his deeds and then she would not understand his point of view regarding the entire matter…. After some more minutes, Ishana stopped walking and stood in front of Om….

Ishana: So….

Omkara: So….

Ishana: What was all that in the cell, I was talking to him, why didn’t you let me talk to him? If you would have let me talk to him, he would have told us everything.

Omkara: No he would not have told us anything….

Ishana: How can you be so sure?

Omkara: I have known him for years; I know if he wants to hide something from people, he would do it at any cost, no matter what.

Ishana: But….

Omkara: I have known him for years, yet I was not aware of his engagement with your sister, neither did Riddhima know about any of this.

Riddhima…. This was yet another time when Om had called her Riddhima instead of Ridz…. Ishana had been noticing these little changes in Om’s behavior regarding Riddhima…. Earlier Om used to get her calls every now and then but now he hardly received any calls from her…. Neither would he call her…. He did not even talk about her…. Ishana had even noticed that the few times Riddhima had called, Om had ignored her calls…. Ishana wanted to ask him if everything was fine between them but she could not…. Something stopped her from talking to Om about Riddhima….

Om snapped his fingers in front of Ishana and her chain of thoughts broke….

Omkara: Where are you lost?

Ishana: Nowhere, just thinking about what you said. You are right that Daksh can hide many important things if he wishes to hide them.

Omkara: So you get my point, right?

Ishana: Okay, I get why you didn’t let me talk to him, but why did you both smile at each other? What was all that for?

Omkara: That….

Om did not know what to tell her…. He had done all that back in the cell to show Daksh that he was with Ishana no matter what and that he would protect her from anything and anyone who tried to harm her…. Om wanted Daksh to know that Ishana was not alone and that he would always be with her…. But now he did not know what to tell Ishana….

Ishana: What are you thinking now, tell me what was all that about, tell me.

Omkara: Oh that, that was nothing.

Ishana looked at him surprised…. All that was nothing….

Ishana: Nothing, all that was nothing?

Omkara: Yes, it was nothing. Anyways, leave all that we have so much to find and we have not yet reached anywhere.

Although Ishana wanted him to tell her what was going on in his mind but now that he did not want to tell her, she did not want to force him into telling her everything….

Ishana: You are right, we have to find so many things and we have found out nothing in the past months.

Omkara: You are right, we tried to talk to Daksh but it did not work out and even Riddhima knows nothing about any of this. And nor did we find anything about Daksh that could help us.

Ishana: So what do we do, we have to do something, and we even don’t know what to do.

Ishana sat down on the sofa keeping her head between her hands….

Three months….

It had been three months and still all her questions were unanswered….

Why did Daksh attack her in the broad daylight knowing that she lived in a relatively crowded area…. Why did he not break or switch off her mobile when he knew that Abir could trace her location using the same…. Why did he not give her strong drugs to keep her unconscious for hours…. As far she remembered she must have lost conscious only for an hour or two…. He did not even tie her hands or legs nor did he lock the room she was in…. There was no one to even keep an eye on her…. It felt like he had only pretended to kidnap her…. And from what Mishti and Abir had told her she felt like Daksh did not even try to escape from the police and surrendered…. Why did he do all this…. He did not even do anything to her…. Something was there which was missing…. And she had to know what it was….

Om sat in front of her and took her hands in his hold…. She looked at him….

Omkara: Don’t stress yourself so much, we are trying and I am sure we will definitely succeed.

Ishana: How will we succeed, the only person who knows everything is not ready to tell us anything. There is no other way.

Om was about to say something when something struck him and he got a way that could lead them to the truth….

Omkara: There is a way we can find the truth.

Ishana: What way, what can we do?

Omkara: Start from where it all began….

Ishana: Matlab?

Omkara: I mean we should start finding answers from the place where it all began, from your hometown, I guess that is where Daksh met Devika and he entered your lives, isn’t it?

Ishana got into thinking hearing Om’s words…. He was right…. It had all started from the time Daksh had met Devika…. If she had to know the entire truth, then she had to start from the beginning….

Ishana: You are right, we should do this. Yes, this is what we should do.

The hope in Ishana’s voice made Om happy…. Happy that finally he could do something that helped her….

Ishana: I have to go to Pune, yes, I have to leave as soon as possible.

Om looked at her surprised hearing her words…. She was talking about going alone…. She was not going to go with him….

Ishana stood up from her place when Om held her hand…. He too stood up…. She looked at him surprised….

Ishana: What happened Om, leave my hand, I have to make the arrangements, and I’ll leave for Pune tomorrow itself.

Omkara: So you are planning on going alone, without me?

Ishana realized what she was saying…. Om had been with her in all this from day one and now she could not take him with her….

Ishana: Om….

Omkara: What, we had decided to work together and now you want to do it all alone.

Ishana: Nahi Om, it’s not like that. It’s just that I cannot take you with me, I mean….

Omkara: What are you saying Ishana?

Ishana: Om, just understand that this one time we cannot work together, I cannot take you to Pune. It is not right….

Om looked at her confused not knowing why she was talking like this…. He did not understand what she wanted to explain him….

Ishana knew if she went with him, her parents would not take long to understand her love for Om, and then their already complicated lives would get more entangled, keeping Om away from her parents was the only thing she could do to stop these complications….

Omkara: What are you saying Ishana? I do not understand anything, why cannot I come with you?

Ishana: Om, I cannot explain you all this now. Just understand one thing; you cannot come to Pune with me. We’ll continue working together after I come back from Pune.

Omkara: And why do you think I’ll follow whatever you tell me to do.

Ishana: Om, this is not the time for all this.

Omkara: You are right, this is not the time for all this. And so, I am coming with you.

Ishana: No, you are not….

Omkara: Yes, I am….

Ishana thought for some time…. Om looked at her not knowing what she was going to say next….

Ishana: Om, how can you come with me, are you forgetting tomorrow is Priyanka’s sangeet.

Om looked at her surprised…. She was right…. How could he forget that…. He could not leave Prinku’s sangeet…. But he could also not let Ishana go alone….

Omkara: You are right, but then what will you tell Ranveer and Abir.

Ishana: Oh, don’t worry about them, I’ll make some believable excuse.

Ishana smiled thinking her problem was solved…. Om thought something and smiled…. Ishana looked at him confused….

Omkara: And what if I tell them the truth about you missing the sangeet….

Ishana: No, you won’t tell them….

Omkara: Yes, I will….

Ishana: Om….

Omkara: Well, I may not tell them anything, if….

Ishana: If….

Omkara: If we go to Pune together, after the wedding.

Ishana looked at him shocked…. Om smiled seeing her…. Ishana thought for some time…. She had no other option than agreeing to him….

Ishana: Okay fine, we’ll go together.

Omkara: Good, this is better.

Om smiled seeing her agree while Ishana sighed seeing her plan failing miserably….

*****

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

Daksh is stubborn to not let the truth out, will he succeed in keeping it from Ishana and Om? Will going to Pune help Ishana and Om find the truth about Daksh? How will Ishana react when the real truth will be out in front of her?

I never wished to say this, but I have to, I have been observing it over the months, people only comment and react when the chapter is about their favorite couple, otherwise you all don’t share your views, and hence I am unable to know if the story is being liked or not. Don’t do this people, please share your views on the chapter, and not just the couple you like.

Keep reading and smiling!!!
Take care and stay safe!!!