Part 36 27th May 2019
Sonal was standing far near to the window, officers sat down on near to the sofa and Dr Kaur was near to the bed. Mehak and I was sitting on the couch in the room. She was quite for some time and Officer Srikanth signed at her as he shows that he is recording the conversation and asked Mehak to talk. She slowly started.
Mehak’s POV
The horrible voice keep echoing in me and to get away from the sound I ran inside the bathroom and locking myself and my fist banged on the wall with all the force I have in me. I wailed out till I can feel my bones and muscles ripped through me. Suddenly I felt myself disgusted as I can imagine that horrible man touching all over me, I scrubbed myself off as I turned on the shower letting the “dirt” on me to go away. I scratched myself so hard till some skin on my delicate skin peel off. The cold water runs and I cried together as I slumped on the bathroom floor. I didn’t know how long I was in that position till a loud bang which break the door open and I saw Shaurya turned off the shower and carried me inside the room. Sonal and few nurses helped me to change to clean clothes and Sonal keep muffling her cry and asking me why I am behaving in such way have I gone mad or what? I didn’t bother to response to her as the turmoil in me has not subsided. I winced when the nurse wipe the fresh wounds I made on myself unknowingly. I didn’t know what I was doing till I realize it just now. That beast has made me disgusting thing that no one will ever love again. Shaurya rushed inside the room and he quickly enveloped me into a hug. Though I want to push him away but I feel secured in his hands. He caressed me slowly murmuring some comfort words, I was too focused on the incident of that night and nothing went inside my brain except for some arguments between Dr Kaur and the officers. I decided to talk about the incident so I would not be harassed again. I went through a rough physical harassment and now these officers in the name of investigation asking me how I was harassed and asking me to describe it clearly which made my inner turmoil to rise again. That’s when I said I will talk about it. I do not know after I speak about that catastrophic night Shaurya, Sonal and my family will be with me or not but I will talk.
Officer Srikanth: Mehak Khanna, tell us what happened at that night? From our earlier investigation, such as CCTV observation you and your husband didn’t come to the party together? Your husband Mr Khanna mention that you are not well so you are not attending the party but did you suddenly decided to show up?
Mehak: Yes earlier I didn’t want to go to the party but later Sonal and Vicky asked me to go and surprise Shaurya in the party so I went there.
Officer Srikanth: Then what happened after that?
Mehak: We danced and I wanted to talk to Shaurya something but he was busy with the other guests in the party. So I decided to wait for him to talk.
Officer Srikanth: Mehak Ji, the party room was on the 5th Floor and you were found at the 15th floor, did someone dragged you there or you went on your own?
Mehak stuttered as she answers.
Mehak: While I was waiting for Shaurya to be free I was standing at the corner suddenly a waiter came and pass me a note. It says, meet me at 15th Floor.
Officer Srikanth: Do you know the note is from who?
Mehak: It was initial as SK.
Officer Srikanth: So who is SK?
Mehak: its Shaurya Khanna, my husband’s initial.
Shaurya: But I didn’t send any notes that night.
Mehak quickly turned her neck to see him. She looked at him baffled.
Mehak: But it was written as SK, I thought it was you.
Shaurya: No Mehak, that night I wanted to annoy you, want you to wait longer for me so I make myself busy and talk to others but I didn’t send any notes. When I look back after sometime you were gone, I assume that you were upset with me because I am ignoring you so you went back to hotel.
Officer Srikanth: Looks like somebody used your name initial to distract your wife so she will come out from the party. He must be watching her for long time to make his move, so when he saw that both of you and made that note and asked the waiter at the party to deliver it to her. So Mehak Ji please continue.
Mehak: After seeing the note, I walked out of the party room, took the lift to the penthouse at 15th floor. I came out of the lift and saw it was quite and I walked into the penthouse, it was dim lighted and I looked around and called for Shaurya. It was eerily silent and I walked to see if Shaurya was there. But I felt someone is at my back when I look around there is no one till I face the man.
She fidgeted with her palm and fingers and to calm her down, Shaurya place his hand on her. She took his palm into hers as a support and continues.
He was wearing the scary mask, the mask we see in the TV they use during Halloween those party, it was literally scared the nerve out of me, I fell down from the fear after seeing it and I still can hear his evil laughter as he mocked me that no one is going to save me. I manage to run away from there but the door to the penthouse was locked and in between her sobs, he pulled by my hair, and slapped me which it stung my cheeks which caused my lips to tear, and when I tried to kick him away he used something to beat on my leg so that I won’t be able to move anymore and when I tried to beat him how he tied up my both hands and finally when I tried to bite him so I could make an escape it only made his anger to rise up and he ended up strangling me till black dots formed and my head started to spin as lack of oxygen, the last word I heard was I like my girls to be quite then I don’t remember what happen after that.
She burst out though she tried to hold back the seething torrent of tears to wash away her anger but finally she started to sob onto Shaurya’s chest unceasingly. He immediately held her protectively as he tries to shush her and caress her gently.
Shaurya’s POV
As she goes on telling that dreadful night’s incident to all in the room all I could do was embrace her and let the torrent of her tears to soak through my shirt. I tried to stop her talking further about it so she can calm down herself but the rage in her is visible, I can feel the pain she went through entirely. She clenched at my shirt with her fist. I could hear weeping as she muffled, why Shaurya why this happens to me. He slapped me so hard multiple times all my life no one even punished me severely, I screamed for help and no one came to help, I was screaming for you , I begged at him to leave me but he continue to beat me up. He is an animal Shaurya. I felt so helpless, I prayed to Matarani for help but She didn’t help me either. Why I was treated like that, maybe Matarani think I don’t deserve any happiness as I always been a bad daughter, bad sister, and bad wife. My heart pierced when she said that. My mind played the scene what she went through that horrific night, her raw tears and emotion made the rage in me boil like the lava from the volcano. I rocked her gently as my fingers runs through her wet hair to calm her down, I blinked my own tears away. The waves of pain she went through, how dare he did such thing to my Mehak and he is freely roaming around whereas Mehak is grieving here every day inside this hospital room. I heard another heavy breathe Mehak let out on my chest as she uttered I feel so disgusted and wished to be death. He raped me, he took my virtue away. I immediately tear her from my hold and palmed her face gently wiped away her tears and sniffled my own cry away and said no don’t ever say that till I am alive I won’t ever let such thing happened. But my words didn’t fell into her ears, she was still sobbing wiping her nose, I repeat myself again, he didn’t manage to do what he wanted to do. Do you hear me Mehak? You are fine, nothing happens like what you think? She sniffled again looked at me with her tear stricken face, she calmed her breathing but she can’t speak as she was heavily crying. I repeat myself, nothing of that sort like what you are thinking happened that night. She asked me in her croaky tone, are you telling the truth? Yes if you don’t trust me, Dr Kaur is here, she the one who did the test and all on you, she can tell you. We looked at Dr Kaur.
Dr Kaur: Mehak when you were bring into the hospital you were unconscious with lots of bruises and wounds. So we started to give you treatment for the wounds. As a procedure we checked whtr you were attacked s*xually or not, we found that you were still virgin, therefore you are still virgin.
Officer Srikanth explained to her how she was found by the guard and he rescued her and admitted her in the hospital and the rest she is aware about it. I was relieved that finally Mehak was able to speak up. I was afraid that she is not going to open up about the incident to any of us and she will bottle up her anger, her emotion and her pain latter is could lead to emotional distraught. Now I understand why she was quiet past few days as she was thinking, that she was raped. She was resting her head on my shoulder as she still whimpering in between. The officers’ gets up from their seat to take leave and they wants to talk to me before leaving. I looked at Sonal who was crying at her spot. I signed at her to come and she helped me to get Mehak from the seat to the bed. Dr Kaur injected her with sedition injection so she can sleep a bit.
We came off from the room and Dr Kaur told me to meet her in her room and I nodded as I talk to the officers. According to officers, its tough case Mehak didn’t see the criminal’s face and the note she got was initialed as me. Besides that they have search the penthouse after the incident and checked the CCTV for clue as Mehak didn’t want to talk to anyone past two weeks so high chances that the criminal would have made his escape very high. I looked at the officers and thanked them for being patience and ask them to continue to do their search. I shook my hands with them and walked to Dr Kaur’s room.
In Dr Kaur’s room, I seated as she explained some terms and scenarios that maybe affected Mehak.
Dr Kaur: Mr Khanna, from what we observe today, Mehak was very upset with herself as she assumed that she was abused s*xually and lost her virginity. As the officers tried to recall the incident she can’t handle the emotional rage in here and she locked herself in the bathroom and unknowingly injured herself. Usually some victims think themselves they feel dirty and need to wash themselves so she did like that and she scrubbed herself so hard till it became a wound. I have called in Psychologist so she can explain better so you will have an idea what is happening with Mehak.
Just then a lady in her 30s entered and introduced herself as Dr Anju and she has been observing Mehak past two weeks unofficially so she is here as requested by Dr Kaur.
Dr Anju: Well Mr Khanna, as per my observation on your wife, she is facing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). When someone has gone through something tragic which affected their life. It’s not has to be rape or molest only it could be caused by a death of their closed ones , or even when they involved in an major accident etc. So in this case Mehak went through physical abuse or molest. As an adult survivor their intense emotional response to situations and events that trigger their traumatic memories of abuse. The trigger could be in any form, maybe specific words, or even some situations or even a scent can remind them. A simple task we perform on our daily basis like cooking, gardening, reading or even talking to someone is unbearable for them. Their confidence level will be low and they try to stay away from new acquaintance or attending parties etc. is not their kind of activity. As they remember the abuse through the bodily sensation, they can’t connect with people around them this includes not having any physical relationship with you as this will trigger their traumatic incident memory.
Shaurya’s POV
After listening to Dr Kaur and Dr Anju, I can imagine the emotional rollercoaster Mehak is going through. I don’t know what else I can do apart following the therapist suggestions, whereas Mehak has to attend to some therapy and it can help her a bit to improve but no guarantee that she will be completely fine. Now I need to convince Mehak about these sessions and talk to her about the benefit having these therapy sessions, I will need to find out more about it in Delhi as we have been too long in Jaipur and my team already started to work on as usual. The thought about going back to Delhi and how to face my family is another tormenting issue. How to face her family? Will they trust me again after whatever has happened here? I wipe my face with my palms as exhale a deep breath to look at the both ladies waiting for my reaction. I told them that I have not informed my family about whatever happened here as I am afraid to know their reaction. I didn’t disclose entirely as I am afraid how they going to judge me. I only started to relive my life after Mehak back to my home, though we don’t communicate like normal couple but her presence in my house, in my room warmed my heart. Her voice with laughter filled the air and her scent is sweet like the freshly blossomed flower under the morning dew and it is my addiction which overwhelmed me. I came off from my deep thinking when Dr Anju, waved at me. She suggested that she will try talking to Mehak directly to evaluate her and let’s see how things goes from there. I nodded as an agreement and hope that everything will be alright.