But I Won't Forget Ongoing G

Chapter One

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‘I will destroy Arnav Singh Raizada. I will take from him that which he holds most
dear and watch his world disintegrate. What he has done to me, I will do onto him.’

Arnav impatiently waited for someone to open the door. His heart thudded in his chest while an intense sense of anticipation again took hold, they were going to break the news to the family. The type of news most would have expected sooner after their sudden, and utterly unexpected, contract marriage two years prior.

On her sudden arrival in his life, he had known, deep within his soul, that he would marry none other. Her pending departure, and an unsolicited marriage proposal from another, had forced his hand. And while almost everything in their lives had since changed, a restless excitement filled him at the thought of what awaited them.

He heard the bolt on the door shift moments before the door opened to reveal Hari-Prikash. The servant stepped out of the way and allowed him to enter, turning to bolt the door again as Arnav asked, ‘Hari-Prikash, have you seen Khushi?’

The servant turned to him with a confused expression on his face, moments before answering, ‘I have not seen Khushi madam since morning.’

A frown formed on Arnav’sbrow. Everyone was well aware of his aversion to Khushi’s unchecked meanderings about the city. While her absconding habits, sometimes for hours, had dissipated to some extent, the fear of her abrupt departure from his life remained ever present.

Arnav thought back to their interaction that morning, Khushi had conveyed her intention of visiting the temple. She could therefore also have visited her friend Preeto or aunt’s home, possibly even both, since they both resided close to the temple. But even so, she should have returned long before him.

‘Did Mohan take her?’Arnav asked as he pulled out his phone.

‘No, she went with her own vehicle.’ Hari-Prikash answered just as Arnav hit the speed dial on his phone and then lifted the device to his ear. He waited for the call to connect,but instead felt a flutter of irritation when it went to voicemail. Even with her somewhat capricious temperament, Khushi always answered his calls, or returned them as soon as she became aware of them. She will return my call, he thought and ended the call.

Arnav turned to Hari-Prikash and said, ‘Take a black coffee up to my room.’

The servant nodded and then moved away.

Later, Arnav made his way to the sitting area, where Nani and Anjali were already seated. Nani tilted her head in obvious bafflement, while the concern in her voice fed his disquiet, ‘Arnav dear, you are here, but where is dear Khushi? I have not seen her the whole day.’

Arnav’s his concern and disbelief were evident as he demanded, ‘Has Khushi not been home?’

‘She left to go to the temple this morning but she has not returned. We thought she might be with you,’ said Anjali.

Arnav’s brow again furrowed as he pulled out his phone. He flipped it around and hit the speed dial, before lifting the device to his ear. He waited for the call to connect,but it again went directly to voicemail. He ended the call and then searched his contacts for Madhumati’s number. He hit the call button and waited for the call to connect.

‘Hello?’ Madhumati’s familiar greeting came across the line.

Arnav kept his enquiry to the point, ‘Greetings Aunt, it’s Arnav. Is Khushi there? She’s not answering her phone.’

‘No my dear, Khushi is not here. That silly girl probably forgot her phone somewhere again. Hai re Nand Kishore, you should know by now, that she can be very absent minded about these things.’

Arnav could feel his ire increase but fought to maintain his composure, ‘Yes Aunt,’ he said hoping to break her tirade before she really got going, adding, ‘Have you seen Khushi today?’

‘Sometimes I think you have already spent too much time with her, hey! Why would she have come here,you silly boy? There is no reason for her to come here today.’

‘She went to the temple this morning, I thought she might have gone to see you.’

‘No, she was not here today… although I did go to the market earlier and could have missed her.’

He thought over his options and then asked, ‘Sashi and Gamina are still in Lucknow?’

‘Yes.’

‘She would not have gone there,’ Arnav dismissed audibly, ‘So where can she be?’

‘Try Preeto, she might have gone there.’

‘Thanks Aunt, I’ll call Preeto’s house,’ Arnav said and ended the call. Lowering his phone again he irritably went through his contacts list again. Not finding the number he wanted he hit the speed dial for Aman. The man quickly answered and Arnav demanded Preeto’s husband’s number.

Three calls later, Arnav tapped the correct number into his phone, hit the call button and irritably waited for the call to connect.

After several rings a hesitant voice answered, ‘Hello?’

‘Is this Preeto?’ Arnav demanded.

‘Y-Yes,’ the hesitant answer came across the line.

‘This is Arnav Singh Raizada , Khushi’s husband, is Khushi there?’

A slight tremor was audible in the girl’s voice as she said, ‘No.’

‘Have you seen her today?’

‘No?’ came a firmer reply, this time laced with concern.

Arnav cut the call, uncaring if she thought him rude.

Nani’s voice was hesitant, as it always was whenever Arnav seemed angry, but also filled with apprehension and concern as she asked. ‘Arnav, what is the matter? Khushi?’

Irritated, Arnav replied, ‘She’s not answering her phone.’

‘Chote, did you and Khushi have an argument again?’ Anjali asked, causing Arnav to look in her direction. ‘You two really should not argue so much.’

Arnav blankly stared at Anjali before answering, ‘No we didn’t. And even if we had, she would not disappear like this.’

‘Where is who I ask?’Aunt Manorama asked

Nani however answered,‘Khushi dear.’

The woman sauntered over to Arnav as she said, ‘That imprudent, I mean impractical girl has probably lost all track of time again. She likes to forget that as the daughter-in-law of this house she has responsibilities.’

‘Manorama, that is enough!’ Nani reprimanded.

Arnav turned from the conversation with a heavy sense of foreboding hanging over him. He again hit the speed dial on his phone and waited several moments before it connected, ‘Aman, check with the police for any reports of vehicle accidents and then check all the casualty rooms at hospitals, clinics and nursing homes.’ He remained silent for several moments, listening, before he answered, ‘My wife.’

‘Arnav?’ Anjali questioned, a mixture of disbelief and concern evident in her voice. ‘You don’t think she…’

Arnav’s shoulders drooped as he answered, ‘We have to start somewhere.’ He then pulled himself up to his full height and said, ‘I’m going to the temple to see if anyone there saw her.’

Arnav got out of his car and looked about the street. Within moments his gaze landed on a familiar vehicle. A sense of relief flushed over him, allowing him to breathe freely for the first time in nearly an hour. He approached the vehicle and checked the registration number. Relief was immediately replaced by anger, this time a by-product of his concern, as he turned and stomped towards the temple’s entrance way.

Only those attending evening prayers were still within the temple grounds. He searched the courtyard leading up to the temple. He could not find her within the courtyard, neither in the temple itself nor at the tree where she usually sought solace. His skin tingled with the irritation he felt as he moved about the area.

His phone rang, halting him as he pulled it from his pocket. His heart raced as he checked the caller id and accepted the call, lifting the device to his ear.

Making no attempt to mask his irritation, Arnav said, ‘Yes Aman!’

The man’s voice was hesitant as he said, ‘It will be another twenty-four hours before all vehicle accidents are reported to the police, but so far there is nothing to indicate she was in an accident.’

‘Forget that,’ Arnav irritably replied, ‘Her car is here at the temple near Lakhsmi-Nagar.’

‘You found her?’ The man questioned, sounding relieved.

‘No, Aman, I found her car.’ Arnav bit back. Arnav looked about him for a few moments, trying to think of the next step. ‘She might have fainted, so first check all the hospitals,nursing homes and clinics in the Lakhsmi-Nagar area.’

‘Is she sick?’ Aman asked, his voice conveying his confusion.

Arnav irritably replied,‘No. But, like Anjali, she is stupid enough to fast for God knows what reason.’

Arnav could hear the tap of keyboard keys over the line moments before Aman replied, ‘There are over twenty medical institutions listed in the area, I will get the guys on them,’and then ended the call.

Ending the call, Arnav seethed, ‘Khushi, where the bloody hell are you?’

Three hours later, Arnav’s niggling sense of disquiet had morphed into full-blown rage. The search for Khushi had yielded no results, thus everyone kept a safe distance from him,addressing him only if it was absolutely necessary.

The sky had already darkening by the time he entered the police station. The sergeant on duty took one look at his seething expression and gestured him to his desk. For more than an hour Arnav answered questions and conveyed to the man what he knew of the situation. He also produced the required photograph as well as a description of what Khushi had been wearing the day.

The officer took Khushi’s mobile number and contacted the service provider. After providing them with the legal details, the provider pinged her phone, however when the office returned to look at Arnav, Arnav already knew the answer.

‘Unreachable.’ Arnav said even before the officer placed the phone back on its cradle.

The man nodded but said,‘According to the provider, there is no power to the simcard.’

‘Meaning?’ Arnav demanded.

‘That the battery of her phone has been removed.’ The officer held up his hand to silence Arnav’s reply,and continued. ‘In most instances, even if the phone is switched off, it can be traced. But in this case it is obvious that whoever has the phone wants it to remain untraceable.’

Arnav shot up out of his chair and angrily demanded, ‘What the hell does that mean?’

‘In our line of work it means one of three things – the most likely being that her phone was stolen and the thief removed the simcard, but since she is missing as well it could imply that she had run away…’

‘Not bloody likely,’ Arnav angrily interjected.

‘Then the third option would be most likely, she was abducted.’

‘What the!’ Arnav exclaimed in disbelief, ‘Who would be crazy enough to abduct Khushi?’

The officer lifted the photograph Arnav had supplied and said, ‘Your wife is a beautiful woman, you are a wealthy business man, so there is no reason not to come to such a conclusion.’

‘Do you even know my wife?’ Arnav demanded, and when the officer shook his head Arnav continued, ‘She’ll talk their ears off and create such commotion they’d be only too happy to return her.’

‘Or they will simply gag her.’ The officer deadpanned, and then gestured for Arnav to sit down again.

‘What!’ Arnav said in disbelief.

‘Look at the reality of the matter,’ the officer continued, ‘You are a successful business person, with money: motivation enough for someone to kidnap a family member. Usually it is children, but in this case it is your young wife.’

‘So what now?’ Arnav demanded, his level of irritation had once again simmered to an all out rage.He remained standing, glaring at the officer before him.

‘Do you have any large business deals under negotiation? Has there been any recent threats? Is there anyone you can think of that would want to harm either your business or your wife?’

Arnav remained silent for several long moments before shaking his head, ‘No, nothing comes to mind.’

‘Has there been any discord between your wife, previous girlfriends or ex-wife?’ the officer calmly asked.

‘What the!’ Arnav demanded in disbelief.

‘No one is above suspicion in these cases.’

Arnav remained silent for several moments as he tried to regain control of his temper, ‘My previous girlfriend lives in London, Sheetal was arrested and charged for fraud, and I have only ever had one wife!’

‘This Sheetal person, would she have any reason to harm your wife?’

Arnav thought it over for a moment before replying, ‘…she would be stupid if she tried.’

‘From your wife’s side,are there any past lovers or fiends that stand out?’

With sheer disbelief Arnav replied, ‘Are you mad, do you even know my wife? She is considerate to a fault, caring and compassionate to the point of utter madness, Granted she talks a lot and can be as stubborn as a mule.’

‘So no one comes to mind?’

Arnav shook his head.

‘We will need a list of names and contact details of everyone you have been in contact with for the last year.’ The constable said producing a sheet of paper and holding out a pen.

Arnav looked at the man in disbelief and said, his irritation evident in his voice, ‘I’m a businessman. I see hundreds of people in a year. Most of them I do not see more than once in my life, and you want me to list them?’

‘Just list the ones who had contact with your wife, or met her.’

‘What?’ Arnav demanded in obvious disbelief, ‘She’s my wife not some show horse on parade.’

‘Whoever took her would have needed to identify her, or at the very least knew her routine and where she goes.’ The constable countered.

Releasing a heavy sigh Arnav pulled out his phone and hit the speed dial. A few moments later he said, ‘Aman, I want the guest lists and contact details of everyone present at any event Khushi attended, include the caterers, staff members, venues and all suppliers.’ He remained silent for several moments, his body stiffened just before he replied, ‘I know the list is long, just get it done for the police!’He then cut the call and turned to the constable, ‘I’ll have Aman submit the list as soon as he is done.’ Placing his phone on the sheet of paper, he said‘I’ll give you the details of those who have regular contact with her.’

‘Add any friends and family members – they may know of others,’ the constable said.

Arnav irritably replied,‘That’s what I’m doing.’

Once Arnav was done with the list, he handed it to the constable, who checked it and said, ‘We will assign the case to one of the detectives to investigate. Please keep us informed if you remember or come to know of anything related to the matter. And contact us immediately if anyone phones you demanding ransom. Do not try to negotiate or deal with them yourself, these people are dangerous and you will be putting your wife’s life in danger.’

Arnav could feel his rage escalate and he demanded, ‘Is that all?’ He shot up out of his seat and glared at the man in disbelief.

‘This is a big city,’the constable stated, ‘…sending officers to knock on doors or search homes is impractical. One must wait for the investigators to find something or a call from the kidnappers.’

‘Unbelievable,’ Arnav murmured as he turned from the officer and stomped out of the police station.

It was close to midnight when Arnav returned home. He had expected Shantivan to be cast in shadows but was not entirely surprised to find it illuminated. Pushing open the door, he steeled himself against the inevitable series of questions he would face.

Everyone shot up from their respective seats the moment he entered the foyer, although Nani was the one to pose the question on everyone’s mind, ‘Chote, any news?’

Arnav simply shook his head in reply and continued walking. The distraught expressions on Nani, Mami and Anjali’s faces were indication enough of what awaited him, should he stay.He did not trust his voice nor was he ready for their words – even if they were of support or comfort.

Both his heart and feet grew even heavier as he climbed the stairs towards their room. He looked at the doors with great reluctance, knowing that beyond them there was nothing other than an empty room, a room that had earlier held his entire life. Closing his eyes for a moment and he released a heavy sigh. A tight band contracted around his heart, as if restricting its movement and function. Swallowing the rising bile, he reached out and pushed open the door and entered their room. Instantly an all to familiar piercing sensation took hold of his chest, one that stole his breath and made walking impossible. He knew the sensation only too well… just the thought of her leaving or being in trouble was enough to trigger it.

Closing the doors behind him he allowed the sensation to overtake him. Gasping, he stumbled to the recliner, unceremoniously stumbling onto it. Dropping his forehead into his palms, he forced himself to take slow measured breaths to fight not only the tightening sensation in his chest, but also the powerlessness that overwhelmed him.

His phone rang, for a moment pulling him out of his stupor.

Remembering the constable’s words, Arnav tried to suppress the overwhelming emotions as he fished the phone out of his pocket. He checked the screen but then shook his head before tossing his phone onto the bed. He had no desire to speak with aunt just then. If it was important he knew she would contact the landline and someone else could deal with it.