A Chance to Love

Chapter 35

Preeti

I spent a couple of hours waiting and discussing a rough plan of action with the doctor on how to take up things with Ms. Chaudhary, before she woke up. Doctor gave us some space and went to the separated area of the room set up for staying help. I gave him a grateful look before proceeding towards her bed to take a seat besides her. Thankfully, her attention was on me rather than the doctor and she didn't mind his presence in the room at all.

I approached her slowly and took a seat beside her. She immediately caught hold of my hand as if it was some sort of lifeline of her. I gave her hand a reassuring squeeze before I tried to start a conversation.

"Umm... Ma'am ... I.. I wanted to ask...Uh..." I have no idea what to say.

"He caught me unawares" she started to speak as if understanding my turmoil. I can't even imagine the pain she is feeling to recount those events. "I... I went home that day after classes a little later than usual because I had to visit a friend of mine" she started talking in pained whispers. I had to lean in to be able to understand but I couldn't bring myself to ask her to speak out loud.

"My friend was helping me to get something... something from h...h...him...m" she was trying very hard to be brave. I gave her hand in mine another squeeze.

"Was it the same thing that made you stay quite till now?" I asked her slowly. I had to know what was so important to her that she tolerated that vile man until now. "What was so important Ma'am? Why did you bare with... with him?" I know how painful the mention of that man is, but this question was necessary.

She took a deep breath like trying to stop herself from breaking down.

"He... he had his... he had my father's ashes" she said and broke down. I was rendered shocked by the revelation. How cruel was that man to not even let the dead lie in peace?

I held Ms. Chaudhary as she cried her heart out. She was not only crying for what befall over her, she was also crying for the loss of her father which she never got a chance to do earlier due to that man.

***

I couldn't tell her. After she heard that the man was arrested, she was so relieved that I couldn't bring myself to tell her. She told me that the friend she met with was that man's secretary, who was previously her father's as well, and that was how they became friends. That man never fired any of the old employees, as he knew he couldn't be capable to find replacements. In fact, it was because of the staff's loyalty and dedication towards the company and their previous boss that the company managed to survive until it did.

Ms. Chaudhary told me that the secretary informed her that the ashes were stored in the study room of the house in her father's safe and that the house was not yet sold as it was in her name so the man couldn't sell it. The woman was going to connect her with the old lawyers of the company who had the documents of the house as she had lost all her contacts when she married that man. She was planning to file a suit so she can at least get a chance to enter the house one last time and just get the ashes before she left for abroad. She said, now that the man was not here she was just planning to sell the house once she gets the ashes and pay all those loyal employees some compensation for all that they suffered in the hands of that man.

After listening to all that and seeing how she broke down while recounting the bad things, I can't bring myself to tell her that she has been left with a memoir of that mishap. I will have to try again, but maybe after tomorrow. We can't take a risk with tomorrow.

***

The event was successful, with everything else sorted; everyone enjoyed the function and media coverage really gave a boost to Devarji's goodwill. From yesterday, every news channel is playing his name on replay and we he even received a few interview calls that he denied being the shy person, he is. To think that he goes around flirting with every woman he knows, he really is too shy to be real. Anyways, maybe this boost will give him more opportunities to get out of his shell.

However, things on my part relating to confessing the truth to Ms. Chaudhary are still nowhere proceeding. Ms. Chaudhary has been keeping quiet and is not talking. Every time I try to start a conversation, she ends up crying, so we decided to start on her prenatal vitamins without telling her for now. The doctor said we could still give her a couple weeks if she ever ends up deciding to abort. Though the mere thought of killing an innocent life sends chills to my heart, this is no place for me to decide.

I've convince her to visit the court and even have discussed this with our lawyer. We have agreed that as long as she doesn't know this, we need not disclose it to the court. I know we are breaking a few laws here, but it is given in the law itself that lack of knowledge of a fact not commonly known is no breach of it. Therefore, we are hoping to use this loophole on this matter and have agreed with the doctor that he will plead the confidentiality and best course of action for the patient in case things go awry.

***

As was expected after the whole confession ordeal, we got the judgment in our favour. It wasn't easy to manoeuvre the whole case regards divorce, since rape is not something our laws recognise in marriage. However, we managed to make use of the grounds of long separation, violence and physical abuse. Not only did we manage to get him behind the bars and get them divorced, we also managed to get Ms. Chaudhary the possession of the house legally and she has already rolled the ball for the sale of the property through a trust after she got her father's ashes back. We have made the trust through our most trusted people so what she desired works out and tomorrow, she is leaving to complete final rituals for sending her father to rest in peace.

I will be having the long pending talk with her today and we hope she takes things well.

***