THE FORGOTTEN COUPLE: ARHANA

EPISODE 24

Shahana woke up to find herself in an unknown place. She analyzed her surroundings. It was a dark and filthy godown with a window as its only source of light. She tried to get up and found that her hands and feet were tied. She wondered how she had reached there. Slowly, she began remembering everything.

Flashback:

Shahana was running after Prachi when someone pulled her inside a room.

"You! Why have you come here?" she shouted after seeing who the person was.

"I have come for you sweetheart. I love you and want to marry you." he said.

"Listen Bittu, I have told my answer earlier and it remains the same now too. I'm not interested in you. So, for God's sake stop bothering me." she said and proceeded to walk out of the room.

"You won't get Aryan ever. His mother will never accept you. Even Prachi has Ranbir but you are single. Come with me, I'll accept you whole heartedly as my wife." he tried to persuade Shahana.

The mention of Aryan's name made Shahana stop in her tracks.

"I and Aryan are only friends and anything related to us need not concern you. It's better to remain single than marry a creep like you." she retorted.

"You are too stubborn. I tried to be nice to you but looks like I have to use force." Bittu said grabbing her hand.

She tried to resist him and get out of his grip, but he pressed a chloroformed handkerchief on her face making her unconscious.

Flashback ends

"So, you have woke up. Make yourself comfortable here. Don't worry, I'll not keep you here for long. Tomorrow is our marriage and after that I will take you to my home." Bittu smirked.

"I WILL NOT MARRY YOU!" Shahana bawled. "Everyone must be searching for me by now. They will surely rescue me."

Bittu led out an amused laugh. "Do you think that they will be able to find you here? It has been too long since we departed from that mansion."

Shahana began screaming her lungs out seeking help.

"How much do you shout! Keep your bloody mouth shut." he said and tied a cloth on her mouth to muffle her voice. "That's better. Good night." 

He locked the door, leaving Shahana behind crying and praying for someone to come and rescue her.

-----

"What did the police say? Did they find her?" Aryan asked impatiently as Purab cut the call of the inspector.

A few more hours had passed since they had come to know that Shahana was not with Prachi. They had informed the police. Almost everyone was worried about her. Aryan was restless.

"They are trying to trace her." Purab informed.

"How much more time do they need! I think they are not searching properly." Aryan said in anger.

"Calm down. We will surely find her. They are trying their best. It's a hard work since we don't have a single clue."

Alia was standing in a corner and listening to everything. She was praising herself for her plan.

She had deliberately planned the kidnapping of Prachi on the same day by the idiotic Sanju. Everyone would bee busy rescuing Prachi and in the meanwhile, Alia and Bittu would have enough time to delete the CCTV footage and escape easily. And voila! Her plan had worked. Prachi's kidnapping had served as an excellent decoy.

"If I were you Purab, I would not be giving false hopes. I think it's impossible to find that girl. I can't understand why are we worrying so much for that middle class girl." Alia spoke haughtily.

"Alia! Mind your language. Shahana is not a middle class girl. She has a name. Since she is related to Pragya di, she is also related to us." Purab reprimanded her.

Pragya and Prachi were crying inconsolably. Aryan could not sit idle any longer and dashed out.

 "Aryan.....Wait....Where are you going?" Ranbir called him but he was already gone.

Purab, Abhi and Ranbir followed him.

-----

Shahana didn't sleep the whole night. She was trying hard to free herself. There was a piece of broken glass lying nearby. She propelled herself forward with great difficulty. When she was finally near it, she got to work of cutting her ties. It was not an easy task as her hands were tied and the piece of glass was hurting her hands.

At about dawn, her work was done. Now she only needed a way to escape. The door was locked from outside and the window was too high for her. She began inspecting the area fast. Her heart was pounding fast as she feared the consequences if Bittu arrived there.

Luckily, she found a trapdoor leading to a cellar. She entered into it. It was so dirty that Shahana got covered in soot, but she was least bothered about her appearance then. Walking blindly, she reached another door. It was jammed. She used all her strength to open it. Just as she was outside, she could hear voices of people entering the room where she was held captive.

"Where did she run away now!" Shahana heard Bittu scream.

She started running away from the godown in the direction of the town.

-----

Aryan was driving the car. He didn't know why he was so concerned for Shahana, nor was he bothered to find about it. All that mattered to him at the moment was her safety. He prayed to God to give him even a small hint to find her.

Just then his phone rang. It was an unknown number.

He picked up the call. The voice surprised him.

(Conversation muted)

He thanked God for listening to him and prayed that he should be on time.

Precap: Shahana and Bittu's wedding starts.