UNIVERSITY ARC
As I walked through the university hall, Aarna hurried over to me, looking concerned.
|"Sir, I completely forgot to mention it earlier, but just a few minutes before you arrived, a young lady came in, insisting on seeing Mr. Surya raj. She wouldn't leave and even started crying. I had no choice but to let her stay. She's somewhere in this hall."|
Curiosity mixed with apprehension as I nodded to Aarna. She quickly disappeared down the hallway and returned shortly with a young woman. As soon as our eyes met, I was struck by a wave of shock.
"Oh no! Why is she here?" I thought, my mind racing.
The landline rang, its shrill tone cutting through the stillness of the night. The Assistant S.I. groaned, rubbing his temples.
"Who's calling this late at night? I already hate night shifts," he muttered under his breath.
A constable nearby chuckled.
|"Sir, our S.I. madam will be here soon, so you might want to be on your best behaviour."|
|"How dare you speak to your superior like that!" |
The Assistant S.I. snapped, but his voice lacked conviction. The constable, unfazed, simply smiled.
|"Sir, why are you shouting? If our S.I. madam hears you, she'll be very angry. I'm just looking out for you. Try to understand."|
The Assistant S.I. sighed inwardly, his thoughts clouded with frustration.
"These constables have forgotten to respect me completely since that devil transferred here as S.I. She's a beautiful woman, sure, but when she works, she transforms into something terrifying—a strict, unyielding monster."
A few minutes later, the phone rang again, interrupting his thoughts. The Assistant S.I. snatched up the receiver, irritation clear in his voice.
|"Who is this?"|
A sharp voice on the other end barked.
|"What the hell are you doing? Why didn't you answer my call, you idiot? If this happens again, I will suspend you!"|
He gulped, recognizing the voice immediately.
|"Sorry, madam. I didn't realize it was you. The phone stopped ringing just as I picked it up."|
|"Don't try to make excuses! You're a police officer, my assistant, and you should take your job seriously. Now, listen closely: an important prisoner was brought to our station this evening. Keep a close eye on him. I'll be there tomorrow to check on the situation. Understood?"|
His voice trembled.
|"Yes, madam. I'll take care of it."|
As soon as the call ended, he muttered angrily under his breath.
|" That damn f*cking bitch... What does she think of me? I swear, one day..."|
The constable laughed softly.
|"Sir, calm down. You can't do anything to her. You don't have the guts to face her, especially at your age. Just let it go."|
Desperation seeped into his voice.
|"Please, just let me vent. I can't do anything to her directly, but at least let me curse her out loud for my satisfaction."|
The constables chuckled amongst themselves.
|"Alright, sir, but keep it down. Our ears can only take a few."|
he mumbled.
|"Thank you. At least you all understand me in this world."|
I'm trying to mask the anxiety that crept into my voice. I needed to cover up the mess unfolding before me.
|"Hey! Why are you here? Is everything alright?"|
Aarna looked at me, eyes wide with curiosity.
|"Sir, did she already know you before?"|
I stood frozen, my mind racing for a response. The young woman in front of me was now openly crying, her tears flowing freely.
|"Manoj! Why are you hiding your identity?"|
she finally blurted out, her voice choked with emotion.
I tried to calm her down smoothly.
|"Geetha, please, don't cry. Why are you here? How did you find me?"|
Aarna watched silently, her face a mixture of surprise and concern.
Geetha continued, her tears relentless.
|"Manoj, I've been regretting how I treated you in the past. But now, I realize the biggest mistake of my life was letting you go without understanding who you really were."|
I sighed, forcing a smile to ease her pain.
|"It's okay, Geetha. Just stop crying. I've moved on from all of that. I don't want you to suffer anymore."|
She fell to the floor, sobbing uncontrollably.
|"I'm so sorry, Manoj. I thought I had apologized sincerely after that incident, but now I see I wasn't even worthy of forgiveness. I'm so ashamed."|
I knelt beside her, gently lifting her up.
|"Geetha, please, it's alright. I forgave you a long time ago. I'm glad you've changed. Let's just leave it at that."|
But she continued crying, her sobs echoing through the room. My patience was wearing thin.
|"Please, Geetha, if you don't stop crying, I won't be able to help you."|
The landline rang again. The Assistant S.I. picked up the receiver with a heavy sigh.
A rough, bass voice responded.
|"Hello, I'm Surya Raj."|
The Assistant S.I. straightened up immediately.
|"Yes... Yes, sir, how can I help you?"|
|"Where is Ms. Diya Mehra?"|
|"Sir, our madam went home. I'm the Assistant S.I. of this station. You can tell me anything, and I'll pass the message to her."|
He responded tersely.
"No, it's not necessary. I want to check on the prisoner. Make sure he's treated well. I have no orders to punish him. Do you understand?"|
|"Yes, sir,"We'll take care of him."|
Surya Raj hung up, leaving the Assistant S.I. with a deep frown. He walked over to the prisoner's cell, where the man sat in silence, his face drawn and pale.
The Assistant S.I. asked, smirking.
"What's your connection with Mr. Surya Raj? What did you do to get him so riled up?"
The prisoner's face tightened at the mention of Surya Raj, a flicker of fear crossing his eyes, but he remained silent.
The Assistant S.I. chuckled darkly.
|"Oh, judging by your reaction, you've really pissed him off. You're lucky he hasn't ordered us to rough you up. But let's see how long that lasts."|
The prisoner said nothing, staring ahead, lost in thought.
I questioned, my tone a mix of frustration and confusion.
|"You still haven't answered my questions. Why did you come here? How did you know about this place?"|
Geetha took a deep breath, wiping her tears with trembling hands. She seemed more composed now, ready to speak.
|"Manoj, I actually came here to talk with Mr. Surya Raj. But I never imagined you would be here, a CEO of this company. This means you must have a connection with him. So, please help me, Manoj."|
She pleaded, her voice breaking slightly at the end. I was genuinely shocked.
|"What? You came here to talk to him? But why?"|
|"Because I got a call from Rahul's mother. She said he was arrested by the police and taken to the station."|
She explained, her voice filled with urgency. I was utterly confused.
|"Hold on, what? Who is he?"|
She gave me a look of disbelief.
|"You've already forgotten about him? It's Rahul, Manoj! He's my boyfriend now."
Oh! So that's why she's here. She's trying to secure that bastard's bail.
She almost whispers, as if saying it out loud would make it worse.
|"Then how did you know about this place and that Mr. Surya Raj was here?"|
|"I asked Rahul's mother the name of the police station where he was being held. She told me it was the main district capital police station."|
|"And then what happened?"|
I prompted, sensing there was more to the story.
|"By the grace of God, I already knew the head of that station. She's not a kind person. She never lets relationships or sentiments interfere with her profession."
Geetha showed a note of fear and respect in her. I was surprised by this revelation.
|"Wait, the head of the police station is a woman?"|
She nodded again.
|"Yes, she is very strict and uncompromising in her work. She follows the rules to the letter and doesn't care who the criminal is—whether it's a minister or even a central minister."|
Oh my God! This story is getting more complicated. Let's see how many twists and turns this will take. I felt a strange curiosity building up inside me. I wanted to meet this woman directly.
I urged, wanting to hear more.
|"And then what happened next? Please continue."|
|"I had her number, so I called her. Luckily, she knew about the person behind this whole situation."|
|"Wait, how does she know who is behind this?"|
She smiled faintly, a small glimmer of hope in her eyes.
|"Because Mr. Surya Raj told her personally. According to her, they've known each other for quite some time."|
Oh! So he really trusts her. She seems to be more interesting than I initially thought. Surya Raj hadn't informed me about any of this. Probably, he thought it was a minor detail, not worth mentioning.
Geetha continued.
|"When I heard about Mr. Surya Raj, I remembered him. He is the one who saved me before. So, I thought he could help Rahul with this case. Then, I asked her for his location, and she gave me this address."|
I frowned, puzzled.
|"Wait, why would she give you this sensitive information? And if you already knew he was the one who wanted to arrest Rahul, why did you come here? It makes no sense."|
|"Yes, you are right. Let me explain. It wasn't easy to get the address from her. I begged her, told her it was just a misunderstanding and that Rahul was innocent. I promised her I could convince Mr. Surya Raj. After some time, she finally gave in and told me where to find him."|
I now understood the situation clearly. She completely trusted Rahul. But that bastard had tried to take advantage of her trust.
Geetha looked directly into my eyes, her gaze intense and filled with desperate hope. It was as if she believed I had the power to mend her broken world. Her expression reminded me of my own wounds, the deep scars left by Kusuma's betrayal for money. But here, the roles were reversed. Her love for Rahul was genuine and pure, yet Rahul was the betrayer.
I couldn't let him off so easily. The weight of her expectation was too much, and I averted my gaze.
|"Sorry, Geetha. I can't help you with your request."|
Disbelief washed over her face, her eyes wide with shock.
|"Manoj, from what you said, I understand how Rahul stole your project report. I understand your fury. But please, I'm begging you, Manoj."|
Tears streamed down her face, each one a testament to her desperation.
|"Please, Manoj, if you want anything, just ask. I'll do anything for him."|
She pleaded, her voice cracking. I remained silent, the words lodged in my throat. What could I possibly say? My silence was like a dagger to her heart.
She collapsed at my feet, sobbing uncontrollably.
|"Manoj, please forgive him. I'll do anything. I can't live without Rahul. He saved me, Manoj. Without him, I'd be dead. Back then, I couldn't imagine my future."|
She cried, her voice breaking with each word.Her voice faltered, her vision blurred with unshed tears. I knew the consequences of lying, especially in a relationship built on deceit.
She cried for what felt like an eternity, each sob a knife to my heart. For nearly thirty minutes, her anguish filled the room, suffocating me. I couldn't stand to see her like this. Her reaction tore at me, reminding me of a wound that hadn't healed. She was still trapped in her trauma—from the restaurant attack, her father's heart attack, and her suicide attempt—it was all too much for her to bear at such a young age.
I remembered the day I allowed Rahul to take the credit for saving Geetha. My thoughts were only on myself, my safety, hiding my true identity. If I had been more thoughtful, I would have stopped Rahul. Geetha wouldn't have been hurt. She was innocent, undeserving of this pain.
Lost in my thoughts, I suddenly realized she had stopped crying. She lay still at my feet. Panic surged through me as I knelt down, checking for a pulse in her neck. Relief washed over me when I felt a faint but steady heartbeat. Thank God, she was safe.
Aarna quickly grabbed a glass of water and sprinkled some on Geetha's face. After a few moments, Geetha's eyes fluttered open. As she slowly came to, I made a decision. I would help her. I didn't know how far this matter would go, but at this moment, I could do nothing but wait and hope for the best.