Geet was sat in one of the rooms, her arms hugging her knees. The grassy plains fluttered in the breeze, swaying back and forth with no real sense of direction or meaning.A tap on the shoulder startled her, and she jumped. It was only when she turned back to find the little girl stood with a paper and crayons in her hand.
"Papa said you can draw. Will you draw something for me?"
She gulped, swivelling around and planting her feet onto the floor. "What would you like me to draw?"
"Um..." the girl's eyes flickered around the room, and her head bowed in sudden shyness. "I want you to draw a portrait of yourself."
Geet's eyes misted over, and it took every strength she had to compose herself. "May I ask why?"
"Because you look like a magical princess, a special princess. You don't look like any of my favourite Disney princesses, and I've watched them all." Her eyes widened and a hint of a smile peeked through, as if she were proud of her achievement.
Finding the little girl's charms irresistible, Geet patted the space beside her and she jumped on happily, handing Geet the paper.
"I think I'll need a pencil first."
"I already have one," she pulled out a pencil from the pocket of her cardigan, and watched intently as Geet began to sketch beside her.
***
"This is all your fault." Rosa trembled as she paced the floor of the bedroom back and forth, biting her nails in a fit of anxiety. "Why did you have to go looking for her? Can you not just leave us in peace?!"
"I'm sorry Rosa, I really am. But Geet isn't here to take Naiya away."
"So why is she here?"
"To see her, to meet her for the first and last time."
Rosa went to stand beside the window, her long arms wrapped around herself. "Maan Khurana, trying to be the hero." She scoffed, almost sounding disgusted by the mere mention of his name.
"What do you mean?"
"You did this to win Geet back," she turned towards him then, and found his eyes staring pointedly at the floor. "You thought you could save her, by bringing her here and taking Naiya away from me. What did you think, you were going to ride off into the sunset as a happy family?"
"No one is taking Naiya anywhere. That's my promise to you."
"You made a lot of promises to me Maan, none of which you kept." Her lower lip trembled, her eyes wide and accusing.
Maan walked towards her, but she sensed his nearing presence and asked him to leave. He did as she wished and closed the door shut behind me, leaning against it and closing his eyes - hoping this was a nightmare, a terrible nightmare that would be over as soon as he opened his eyes.
***
"Geet told me everything, as soon as she got here."
Johan stared at a piece of lint on his desk. Pari was watching him closely but he maintained a poker face, giving nothing away.
"She was already four months pregnant by then."
"Pregnant?" Pari felt the floor shift beneath her feet. "No Johan, you're mistaken. She was pregnant, but she aborted it... she told me."
He shook his head. "She had a child, Pari. A baby girl. They gave her away."
She leaned on the desk, holding her head between her hands. She suddenly felt faint, nothing appeared to make sense anymore.
"Wait, you said they gave the baby away... Was Maan here?"
Johan frowned. "Maan?"
"Tall, jet black hair, abundance of facial stubble?"
"No, the guy she was with was stocky with framed glasses... does Maan wear glasses?"
"Not that I'm aware of... Johan, you have to sketch me a portrait of the man Geet was with when she gave birth."
"I'll try but I might not remember..."
"Anything will do, please. I'm desperate."
He reached out and touched her hand. "Perhaps you should take some rest, Pari. This is emotionally draining you out, I can tell."
Pari refused. "I can't, not until I find Geet and Maan. And I will find them, whatever it takes."
She pulled her phone out and began sending a message to Dev. Johan watched her for a few seconds, a forlorn expression passing across his face before he looked away.
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