“Gussa ho?”

“Allowed hai mujhe gussa hona?”

She asked sarcastically and he sighed.

“Kya hua?”

“Bataya nhi aapko aapke guards ne? Maine bahar jaane ki koshish kri thi. Aapke orders ke against. Pr ofcourse mujhe bahar jaana allowed nhi hai.”

He didn't like the way she spoke. As if he was caging her. It was for her own safety.

“Sanskriti-”

“No! Don't! Aap hamesha aise krte hai. You'll say something else and I'll agree with your words. Why did you even bring me here? Saza de rhe hai mujhe? Kis baat ki Abhi?”

She wiped the tears that had started falling from her eyes and his heart clenched.

“Kabhi dekha aise pure din ek hi jagah rehkar. Na bahar jaa skte na kisi se baat kr skte. Dum ghut ta hai mera yaha. Aisa feel hota hai jaise mujhe kaid krke rakha ho. Kyu kr rhe hai aap aisa? Maine kuchh nhi kia Abhimanyu. Sach mai kuchh nhi kia. Maine koi papers nhi churaye-”

She was cut off when he cupped her face and kissed her softly. She clutched his hair and pulled him closer. She pulled back slightly and whispered.

“Trust me Abhimanyu. Mai nhi jaanti wo papers kaha se meri almirah mai. I didn't -”

“Shh! I'm here, right?”

He whispered and kissed her again. Her head fell back as he peppered kisses down her neck. He held her up and made her lay back on the bed while he hovered over her.

His hands, having a mind of their own, moved all over her body, wanting to explore every part of her.

His hands invaded her top but at the very moment, his phone rang making him groan. His mood changed seeing the name of the person he had appointed to find the truth calling him.

He immediately got up and straightened his clothes.

“I have to go. It's important. Get some sleep. It might take time. I don't know when I'll be back.”

He said and moved out after kissing her head. Sanskriti fell back on the bed and sighed.

He still didn't say that he trusted her.

Well, not verbally. But she, being in a vulnerable state, failed to understand his actions and unspoken words. The way he cared for her even after the allegation. Maybe because she didn't know what Abhimanyu knew. His parents didn't like her much.

Two days later, Abhimanyu was sitting in his cabin with the person he hired for finding the proof.

“I've looked into every aspect you've provided sir. But the person who has done this is very careful. They've not left even one clue.”

He knew that. It was his own father. He was obviously very smart. But he had to find something.

“I'm sorry sir. But now the only way that I see is if somehow we could know the person who planted those papers in Mam's almirah. An eye witness or something else.”

Abhimanyu sighed but then recapped the man's words. He looked at him with surprised eyes making the man looked at him like he was a deer caught in headlights.

“You're a genius!”

Abhimanyu exclaimed and the man stuttered.

“S-sir?”

“You're a fucking genius!”

Abhimanyu repeated and the man smiled weirdly not knowing what he had done.

“Th-thank you sir?”

Abhimanyu remembered the little camera he had installed in one of his portraits in his room after their marriage to keep an eye on Sanskriti during the initial months of their marriage.

He had stopped using that camera after the fourth month of them being married and hence he forgot about it being there at all.

But he still had that installed. If someone did plant those papers, the camera would have recorded it. 

He opened his system and logged into the camera access.

He played the recording of the day of the alleged theft first. He watched each minute, each second of it with utmost concentration. There was nothing on that day. No papers. Nothing.

He then played the footage of the day of their date. Everything was clear until he and Sanskriti left the room for their date. It was about two hours after that, that he saw his mother enter the room clutching the papers in her hands.

She opened Sanskriti's almirah and kept the papers there. And again, after about two and half hours more, she came back and retrieved those papers.

Abhimanyu sighed and closed his eyes.

There! He's done it! He has proof of his wife being innocent.

He first went to his parents and without a word connected the pendrive where he had the footage saved in the tv. 

He saw the color being drained from his parents' faces and looked dead into their eyes.

“I know how you did it. I want to know why you did it?”

There was silence for a few minutes before Abhimanyu banged the table loudly and yelled again.

“WHY THE HELL DID YOU DO IT?”

“Kyunki kuch jyada hi kareeb aa rhe the tum dono. Wo ladki sirf ek business merger ke taur pr ghar aayi thi. Usse uski aukat yaad dilana zaruri tha.”

His mother said and Abhimanyu snickered.

“How are you even a mother? Apne bete ka ghar baste huye nhi dekha jaa raha tha aapse?”

“Uss ladki ke saath nhi! She is still our rival's daughter.”

It was his father this time. Abhimanyu felt his anger reach its peak.

“Toh phir shaadi kyu karayi thi? Oh right! Business merger tha wo toh. Lekin shaadi toh hui thi na! Biwi hai wo meri! Usko kabhi accept nhi kr paaye lekin mai kuchh nhi hu kya aap dono ka? Ki mujhe bhi khush nhi dekh paa rhe?”

His mother opened her mouth to speak again but he held his hand up.

“I don't want to listen to anything now. I'm going to bring my wife back with the respect and dignity she deserves. Aur ab wo hi decide kregi what she wants to do with the two of you. Whatever she would want, I'll make that happen. And that's a promise.”

He said looking at them with a harsh look in his eyes and stormed off. He took deep breaths as he sat in his car before driving off to her.