marring the seclusion.
CHAPTER 8
“I think you forgot it in hospital, they called my mother…” extending the little packet he spoke.
“Sorry?” she didn’t have any idea who this man was.
“hospital…” he tried hinting at her.
“oh yeah…sorry. it seemed to just slip from my head.” the beautiful eyed but somewhat sleep-deprived girl answered.
He didn’t know why but back in hospital he was ignorant but here he wanted to know her, her sorrows and why she wasn’t taking care of herself.
Waiting for the minute she borrowed him to get him a glass of water he didn’t have any idea when the police officers stood at the gate.
“Are you Miss Krishna?” seeing her entering the living room one of them asked.
“yes… she answered the tight voice.
“We have collected some evidence about the incident and the demise of your husband and we want you to come with us.” suddenly the atmosphere turned hard in the room and she felt something coming up her oesophagus.
“wait for me a moment.” and covering her mouth she ran to the basin.
He was frozen hearing the words and the things the officer has told but her ear-piercing voices due to tough vomiting alerted him.
he kept the packet carrying her belongings on the table and waited.
He knew those moments but it was not his position to hold her while she faced the tough phase but he was unable to stop himself and on his own, his feet turned in her direction.
“are you okay? Can I come in?” he asked in a counted voice.
She knew she had met him in the hospital and if it was anything that had cut her heart then it was his sad face holding his son he could not harm her.
With that thought, she opened the latch to let him come and hold her for a while. She needed someone by her side for the time being.
Collecting her long hairs in one hand he contemplated whether to hold her from behind or just support her shoulders and the confusion ended the moment she tried to take support of the tiled wall and failed.
He collected her in his arms from the behind and helped her gain her senses before walking her to the sink and helping her freshen up.
“it’s tough these days, thank you so much.” she thanked him as they walked back to the hall.
“lemon water helps,” he muttered lowly.
“Sorry,” she asked him surprised he didn’t look like that kind of man who was interested in such stuff or who had knowledge about these things.
But wait, he did have a child ….a cute boy she saw in the hospital so he might be having experience with his wife.
“my wife said the lime water helped her feel better,” he answered as they reached the hall and she stared at his tall but somewhat dissolved frame for a moment.
“How is your son?” she asked on an impulse. Something pushed her to ask this and she did.
” he is fine though…” his words died as they spotted the police waiting for them at the door. Bitter memories were about to surface and then he saw the small bag they were holding.
“Miss Krishna, could you come to the police station with us… it would be better if there is someone with you.|” the middle-aged policeman told her in a gentle voice.
“I am fine Sir, let me make a call to my mother in law and I would accompany you,” she told them before grabbing her phone from the centre table.
“if it’s fine I can accompany you to the station.” In a hope to see something related to Priyanka or maybe some unknown force told him to do so but he asked her.
“There is no need, I can handle this.” she tried to smile but it resulted in an awkward tilt of her lips.
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She didn’t like to lean on somebody and before Ranveer, she never trusted someone to take away her worry even for a millisecond but he entered her life with a promise to ease away her worries and in return showered her with unconditional love only to crash it all with the sudden demise.
Life has left her to fend for herself one more time and she knew this time there won’t come a prince to charm her and hold her hand for every small or big step.
But this stranger who has entered her life in less than 24 hours was giving her some unnamed feeling.
Perhaps she was alone and at this time she wanted to be with a stranger who was not going to ask her about her life but just be with her for a while.
He had been considerate about her and was not speeding his two-wheeler more than 50 or 60, she smiled on his extra care.
The police bike has already disappeared but he was non-chalent about it.
She touched his shoulder to tell him to speed up the bike and in response, his neck craned to his right side.
“any problem,” he asked loudly.
“No. but you can speed up the bike if you are considering my condition,” she shouted so her voice reaches him through the evening traffic.
He did not say anything but the bike sped giving her a small jerk which prompted her to keep her one hand on his shoulder.
The hand on his shoulder was hesitant due to the thousand folds of uncomforting air and then it settled there as if the person gained trust in him
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“We have retrieved the CCTV footage from the complex and there is something strange about the behaviour of your husband, Miss Krishna.” the senior officer told them as they took the seat and she shifted uncomfortably.
“Sorry, what do you mean?” she asked them confused about the things.
“look at yourself.” turning the monitor to them he hit PLAY.
The video was hazy but she could make out Ranveer who was coming to the aisle of cookies with a packet in his hand… then he handed the parcel to a lady but the lady didn’t take it, he smiled at her and kept the packet near the cold storage unit of chocolates.
The video ended and she was confused why her husband giving a packet to someone was a big thing.
“What does it mean officer ?” she was confused and calm.
“do you know the lady?” the policeman asked her.
“No, but I don’t think even he knows her or even if he knows he might be helping the lady…what is the big deal.” she smiled uncomfortably and turned to her side where her companion has turned white.
Before she could think anything the officer opened his mouth as he turned the monitor to himself.
“in our investigation, we found the remnants of the packet and it was filled with explosives also it was one of the several planted in different locations of the mall so that the destruction is big.” with no hint of any emotion the officer informed.
For a moment she felt suffocated, it was like all four walls were closing on her… they were suspecting her husband. He was just a normal guy, a person with a kind heart… did he ever talk rudely to anyone. Her mind asked her a lot of such self-assuring questions.
“see, we are not accusing him something but we just wanted to know do you know anything about the girl or maybe she was one of your acquiescences… since you don’t know her we’ll try to work on the other footage.” the officer said in a gentle voice.
“Please sign these papers, Sir and take the lady home.” extending the papers the officer left to check some case of vandalism in the city.
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He extended the chocolate bar to her after she confirmed she had not had anything for a few hours.
It has been worsening her condition and then the news.
“you were pale back there..” she pointed when she felt better after a while.
“No… No, there was no such case.” he denied the words.
He wanted to feel the small stick between his fingers, the stress level was increasing for him but he could not risk a pregnant woman.
“it is getting late, I think we should leave for your house.” his demeanour changed abruptly.
“oh yeah… actually I’ll get a rickshaw, you have already…” she tried to mend her earlier mistake of giving a comment on his condition.
“it’s okay, let me drop you back..” he replied starting the bike and after that, there was no exchange of words between them. like that the two stranger turned stranger again.
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His mother was relieved hearing the young lady got her belongings and she didn’t ask anything about why he was late or something about the smug look on his face.
Perhaps she thought to give him his time after her unnecessary request of returning the phone to the lady.
Now on the balcony, as he took long puffs of his cigarette her mind wandered on the glimpse of a lady whose face was not visible on the tape.
She was Priyanka and sooner or later the officers were going to find it out, he could not believe she suffered this much since she was standing near the blast points.
His heart constricted thinking about her pain and his tight fist started hurting him.
And then he thought about the man who was keeping the packet on the cooling unit… Her husband.
How could he do this to his wife, how could he do this to anyone, how could he… he lost the ability to judge right and wrong for a moment but then he controlled himself. He didn’t know who was guilty but now he wanted to know who was the culprit since it was discovered that the incident was an accident but a well-planned crime.
For a moment he thought about the pregnant woman he has dropped home… she too lost her husband but was she able to grieve? she was pregnant so she had to stay strong for her baby.
He remembered how she had tried to say something but in his anger and frustration he had left her house as soon as she hopped down the bike.
Was she trying to say Thank you or maybe something else?
The big eyes were surprised and sad… he saw in his peripheral vision when he had turned the bike.
His thoughts had not stopped if the window in front of his house had not shut down with a force and in-process breaking his line of coherent and incoherent thoughts.
“she is no one, don’t think about her…” he told his brain before butting away the cigarette and making his way to the bathroom to freshen up and join his son for a restless night.
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Hey guys! Finally, after nearly 3 long years I could write this update. I am hoping to be regular which is again a big question seeing I am not able to write regular updates for the stories that are currently active.
i am thankful for roohani_ishq’s message which finally pressed my fingers to post this chapter, thank you dear and anyone who is reading the story, i have provided the link to previous chapters since it’s been years and even new readers would want a glimpse of the previous chapters.
I hope you liked the chapter, I’ll wait for your feedback. It might give me a boost to write frequently.
NOTE – this story is also available on Wattpad for a somewhat comfortable experience with me being inactive for so long.
Stay safe and stay healthy.
With love
Morusya.