Aman watched as Parvati stood silently, staring at the woman sleeping on the couch. His gaze then turned to Pia as he recalled how she came here. It was early in the morning, and she was sitting at the bus station, waiting for the bus to arrive amongst the crowd. He didn't know how he spotted her, when there were at least a dozen others there, but he did. He still remembered how he went and sat down next to her and asked her what happened. She explained everything while she sobbed uncontrollably. Aman didn't know what occurred, but the next thing he knew he was taking Pia and her luggage with him to his home. He offered her a place to stay, as long as she wanted to stay, or until she figured out where she wanted to go.
He could see how broken she was. For the last two days she had done nothing but sit and cry. Even when he came back from work, he found her sitting, sobbing. Aman could do nothing more than comfort her. Being a BSD officer, he was trained to be strong, but when it came to Pia's sadness, he felt completely shattered and helpless. Last night was the first night she was able to get some sleep. The exhaust had finally taken its toll on her.
Not wanting to disturb her sleep, Aman moved closer to Paro and whispered, "Bhabhi, can we talk in the other room. Please?"
Paro nodded and went into the hall with him. She was beyond relieved to know that Pia was safe and still within Chandangarh. Her momentary happiness was replaced by anger towards Aman. Pia was with him, and he never once bothered to inform them. She had been here, in his home, for almost three days, and he never mentioned it. As much as she wanted to be mad at Aman, she couldn't be. If Paro knew anything about him, it was that he wouldn't have kept it a secret if there wasn't a reason behind it.
"I know I should've informed you," he said.
"How long has she been here?" Paro asked.
"Since she left the Ranawat Haveli."
"You've been hiding this from Major saab all this time? Even when he asked you to help search for Pia you remained silent?"
"I wanted to contact you, bhabhi, but Pia made me swear not to."
"How has she been?"
Aman sighed, "Pia is lost. I think she wants to move passed everything, but she can't knowing that she hurt your family."
"Have you asked her if she'll come back to the haveli?"
"She won't. She isn't willing, and honestly I don't think she's ready to. Bhabhi, I've taken an oath not to disclose Pia's whereabouts. Please don't tell anyone that she's here. I promise you that, when she is ready to face everyone, I will bring her. But right now, she needs to put herself back together."
Paro looked at Aman and gave a small smile, "You really care about Pia don't you?"
Without any hesitation, he answered, "Yes, I do. A lot."
"I promise I won't tell anyone that she's here. But in return you have to take care of her. You will have to support her through this because right now, she won't come to me or Gaurav. However, if she needs us then don't hesitate to contact us. And, when Pia is ready, bring her back to the haveli. Can you do this for me Aman bhai-sa?"
"Of course I can. Should I tell Pia that you came?"
"There's no need."
Parvati walked back into the living room to where Pia was sleeping. She slowly took of her two gold bangles and placed them on the table in front of the couch. Aman observed this.
She turned to him and said, "When she wakes up, those bangles will be the first things she see. Pia will know I was here."
Aman nodded.
"I should go before everyone starts worrying where I am."
Aman opened the door and Paro walked out. The rickshaw was still in front of the bungalow, waiting ready to go. Paro stood in the entryway ready to leave, when he stopped her. Something had just struck him.
"Wait bhabhi. How did you know Pia would be here?" Aman asked.
Paro smiled, "In Pia's letter, she wrote that she would be in the safest place possible. For me, that place is with Major saab. Pia's is with you. The safest place for her to be is with the man she loves."
With that answer, she walked away, leaving Aman with a huge grin on his face and a blush creeping up on his cheeks. While she made a quick stop to buy vegetables before heading home, Paro felt relieved knowing Pia was alright. She knew she wouldn't be able to bring her home unwillingly, but she had to accept that Pia would come of her own accord. Paro wanted to at least tell Gaurav where his sister was, but she had made a promise not to. So she would have to continue the charade that she didn't know where Pia was.
The minute Parvati entered the haveli she was greeted by Gaurav. He seemed completely taken aback by seeing her, when she was actually feeling that way about him. The first thing that came into her mind was the thought that he knew where she really was. She was waiting for him to confront her, but she knew her guilty conscious was getting the better of her.
"Where have you been?" he asked.
"I had to buy vegetables," Paro answered quickly, relieved that he wasn't on to her.
"I managed to convince maa-sa to talk to us."
"What? How?"
"It doesn't matter. What matters right now is that you and I have to go talk to her."
Parvati agreed. She quickly dropped the vegetables off in the kitchen before following Guarav to Mala's room. The door was already unlocked. They entered and closed the door behind them. Mala was sitting patiently on the bed. It seemed that she had been waiting for them. She was lost somewhere in her thoughts however because she didn't notice them sitting on the bed with her until Gaurav placed a hand on her shoulder. She jumped as she was startled.
Gaurav spoke, "Maa-sa, I brought Parvati."
"Why did you want me and Gaurav?" Paro asked.
"Because I know that despite everything that's happened, you still care about Pia," Mala said. "You want to know the truth, but don't know where to start."
Gaurav asked, "Paro and I feel that what the reports said were true, but only to some extent. Is this true?"
Mala looked back and forth between the two of them. She felt her heart warm as she realized Gaurav and Parvati doubted what really happened. They believed what they heard was only half true, and that was true. Everyone went around asking what happened, but no one bothered to get her side of the story. Perhaps if she told them the truth, then they would be able to get through to Rudra and Pia. She just wanted them to understand what happened. She didn't have to be forgiven, but she had to make sure they knew her side before they judged her. But would Gaurav and Paro believe her? Mala was willing to take the risk.
She took a deep breath and began to tell them everything, "I had made a grave mistake. It's true that I had an affair while I was still married, and I am ashamed of it. I left the haveli, not just because my husband used to beat me, but because I became pregnant. He and I hadn't been close in awhile, so I knew he couldn't be the father. It had to be Tejawat's child I was carrying. After I left, I married Tejawat. He was thrilled to know he was going to be a father. He was looking forward to it. I regretted leaving Rudra behind all those years, and there wasn't a day when I didn't think about it. I was determined to give the child growing inside me all of the love and affection I was unable to give Rudra. But my happiness was short-lived. In the privacy of Tejawat's home, I gave birth to a baby girl. I was so happy when I heard her cries, knowing she had entered the world. I still remember how I held her in my arms and showered her with kisses. When Tejawat took her in his arms, he looked concerned. I asked him what was wrong, and he said the baby was breathing funny. Being in a state that made me unable to take care of her, I told him to find help. He left the room with our daughter in his arms, but came back without her. He said that she died. I couldn't believe it. It hadn't even been a day. I hadn't given her a name. I only held her once, and she was already taken from me. I was shattered."
Mala sobbed, "That's why I was left speechless when I read the reports. It just wasn't possible for my daughter to be alive. The more I contemplated it, the more I blamed Tejawat. He had to have done something to her. Then that Officer Amandeep said that Tejawat stated they didn't want daughters, only sons. That's when I realized why he had gotten rid of Pia. Having a son was more valuable than having a daughter in his eyes. It was not how I felt. I wanted Pia. I felt blessed at having received a daughter. I wouldn't have traded her for the entire world. I would've given my life for her. Had I known she was still alive, I would have searched every corner of the earth to find her. This entire time, however, she was right under my nose. I loved her like a daughter, little did I know she actually was mine. Please, you have to believe me. I love Pia just as much as I love Rudra. Despite my absence in her life, I still love her. A mother's love for her child will never falter."
Parvati held onto Mala as the tears flowed from their eyes. She knew her maa-sa wasn't lying. She truly loved her children. It was all that Tejawat's fault. It was all beginning to make sense. He didn't want a daughter, so he got rid of Pia. He wanted her killed, not Mala. He hired the couple to dispose of Pia, but they didn't. They left her at the temple. That's why she was still alive. Mala knew nothing about this. She wanted to keep Pia, but Tejawat didn't. That's why Mala never went searching for her daughter because she thought she was dead. Parvati looked towards Gaurav, who was wiping the tears from his eyes. They were both thinking the exact same thing. Tejawat wasn't afraid to stoop so low as to separate a mother and child.
"You have to tell Rudra and Pia this," Mala sobbed. "Please. They won't look at me, or talk to me, or listen to me. Someone needs to tell them this. They have to know that I love them both, and I never meant to hurt them. It's true that I made a mistake during my marriage, but there isn't a day when I don't regret leaving. I don't regret having Pia. Please. Tell them."
"We will maa-sa," Paro said. "Don't worry. We'll tell Major saab. We'll tell Pia once we find her."
Gaurav wiped Mala's tears, "Everything will be okay. Please stop crying, and trust us. Paro and I are your children too, and we will set this right."
Mala put her faith in their hands. If they weren't able to convince her son and daughter, then no one would be able to.
It was late at night and Rudra was still at the BSD. Apart from his search for Pia, he had other work he needed to attend to. He had been putting in extra hours just to get it all done. He was getting angry that there still hadn't been any information about Pia. He was growing impatient. He didn't think she would be this good at covering her tracks. Even Tejawat slipped up, which resulted in his arrest. Maybe that was a trait she had inherited from Mala. Rudra tossed the file that was in his hand on the desk and rubbed his eyes.
Aman had been with Rudra in his cabin going through files and reports for the last three hours. He couldn't even walk out without the Major getting upset with him. He hadn't stayed at work this late since Pia's arrival in his home, and he hoped that she was alright. He didn't want her to panic that he wasn't home. Aman saw the tired expression on Rudra's face. He wished he could at least tell him what was going on. He was, after all, Pia's half-brother. But because of the promise Aman could do nothing but remain silent and let Rudra go on his wild goose chase.
"Sir we should stop for today," Aman said. "We've haven't receive any new information, and I doubt anything will come up. It's best if we just call it a day."
Rudra nodded, "Yes, but we need to go through these reports. Be here early tomorrow so we can get this done. Understood?"
"Yes sir."
Aman saluted the Major and exited the cabin. Rudra sighed. He was exhausted. He looked at his phone to find no missed calls. Paro would be awake. She refused to go to sleep until he came home safe and sound. She wouldn't budge, not even when he scolded her not to. He shook his head, his wife would never change. Rudra began heading out the door when he heard a phone ring. He stopped and looked at his mobile. It wasn't ringing. He went back inside and answered his desk phone. That wasn't it either. It was coming from underneath the scattered papers on his desk. Rudra moved them around and found Aman's mobile. It had stopped ringing by the time he found it.
He grabbed it, "Aman sometimes. He can-."
Rudra couldn't complete his sentence because of what he saw. There, on the screen of Aman's phone, read: One missed call from Pia. He blinked in disbelief. Pia? It couldn't be, could it? Aman was in contact with her all this time? He then saw a message pop up: One new voicemail. Rudra put the phone to his ear and listened to the message.
It was Pia's voice, "Aman, I know I shouldn't be worrying, but it's late and you're not back yet. I just wanted to know if everything is okay. If you get this message, please call me back so I know you'll be home. Bye."
That's how she's been under the radar. Pia has been staying at Aman's home. And Aman, he knew where she was all this time and he never once bothered to tell him? He and his family had been worried for the last four days, and Aman has been coming to work acting like he didn't know where Pia was. Rudra was furious. He wanted to hit something, but he was going to wait until he confronted Aman. Rudra grabbed his keys and headed towards his jeep. He drove with lightning speed to Aman's home. Of all the mistakes Aman had made, this was the biggest. The Major was determined to get answers, and Officer Amandeep Singh and Pia were going to have to give it to him.
**********
Goodness! What will happen now? Confrontation? You will have to wait and find out in the next chapter!
Let me know what you think by leaving your comments and feedback below! Thanks for reading!!
