“But what is this place?”

“This is my apartment.”

She nodded and he started leaving.

“Abhi? You trust me right?”

“I'll see you at night Sanskriti.”

He left and she broke down again. Why would he not tell that he trusted her? Abhimanyu on the other hand knew something was wrong.

He had told his parents that he didn't know where Sanskriti went and that she was missing since that night. He was surprised that his parents didn't even bother about her.

“Chali gyi hogi apne baap ke paas. Rone ki unka plan fail ho gaya.”

His mother said and his belief got stronger. His parents were involved in whatever had happened. But he needed proof. And till then, he'd have to keep Sanskriti safe.

When she asked him if he trusted her, he couldn't look at her or get a word out of his mouth. How would he tell her that it was his own parents who played this game to blame her and make him hate her.

He had to make his parents believe that he hated her and find the proof as soon as he could.

He couldn't bear to see the hurt in her eyes everytime she looked at him. Asking him to trust her. He did. He did trust her but the words somehow got stuck in his throat everytime.

Abhimanyu was never good at confessing his feelings verbally. He showed it. And he'd show it to her by proving her innocence and bringing her back home with the respect and dignity she deserved.

Over the next week, Abhimanyu was obsessively trying to pull every string to prove that Sanskriti was innocent. He knew she was. He had seen the truth in her eyes.

All this week, she was at his apartment. When his parents asked him why was spending his nights at the apartment he had lied and said that he had to forget the betrayal she had given him.

Sanskriti was getting bored at home. She thought about going out for a bit and got ready. She took her bag but the moment she opened the main door of the house, she saw two bulky men standing there holding guns.

She concluded that they must be Abhimanyu's security guards for his apartment and decided to move past them but was stopped.

“Mam! You're not allowed to leave this place.”

She turned to look at the man who spoke and frowned.

“Not allowed to leave? What do you mean?”

“Sir has strictly asked us not to let you go out anywhere. I'm sorry mam. We can't let you leave this place.”

Sanskriti was stunned. Not allowed to leave? He had asked them to keep her in place? What was she? A criminal? Kept in a prison? Was that why he brought her here? To punish her?

Tears pooled her eyes and she marched back in angrily. She banged the door shut and cried herself to sleep. 

Every night he'd come to her and sleep hugging her to himself and so she assumed that he trusted her. But no! He thought of her as a criminal.

Abhimanyu, on the other hand, was obsessively watching the CCTV footage of the alleged day of theft. True to his father's words, the footage of the time when he was in the meeting was missing.

He had watched it over and over again to find just one clue of who it really could be but in vain. He closed the screen and groaned in annoyance. 

Then, suddenly, something clicked. He immediately picked up his phone and dialled the person in charge of the CCTV footage. He asked him to send him the footage of the day when his wife was accused. The day they went on their date.

Abhimanyu smirked seeing a portion of the footage missing that night too. It was a few hours after he and Sanskriti left for their date. That meant Sanskriti was with him. And she couldn't have come again.

Which meant she hadn't done it. Or at least someone else too was involved. It was enough to get a reaction out of his parents.

“Dad? There's something weird I've found.”

He said as soon as he saw his father sitting in the living room.

“A portion of the footage is missing from a week ago. Agar chori Sanskriti ne kri hai toh ye footage wo delete nhi kr skti. Because uss din wo mere saath thi. There's someone else also involved.”

His mother who was sitting there too looked at her husband wide eyed while his father tried his best to maintain a poker face.

“Hoga uska koi saathi.”

He replied nonchalantly but Abhimanyu wasn't letting him go that easily.

“But why that day? Jab papers Sanskriti ne uske chaar din pehle le hi liye the toh uss din kya hua tha jo footage delete krni padi?”

He had no answer. Abhimanyu knew it was time to strike.

“I have a theory. What if Sanskriti never stole those papers. What if papers actually hamari date wali raat hu churaye gaye the. Aur uske chaar din pehle ki footage bhi kisi ne jaan ke delete kri thi to frame her.”

His mother looked terrified. As much as she feared her husband, she feared her son's anger more. 

His father had now started sweating but still didn't show it on his face.

“Par wo papers mile toh uski almirah se hi the na.”

He claimed and this time Abhimanyu fell silent. He had no proof for that yet.

Abhimanyu reached his apartment. He just wanted his wife. To hold her in his arms and forget everything for some time.

He entered his room to see her sitting on the bed with a poker face and skimming through the television probably to find something good to watch.

“What are you watching?”

He asked with a smile but she switched off the tv and turned her face away. He knew why she was angry. The guards informed him what had happened.

He sat before her and held her hand. She tried to get out of his grip but he held firmer.