Chapter 23: Chapter 23

"One day you're going to remember me and how much I loved you, then you're gonna hate yourself for letting me go."

Dhruv had reached Chandigarh in the twilight after familiarising his family about Ayushi's location but his men didn't get any trace where Ayushi went because her phone was found in the hands of a pickpocket who was bellowing unusually miserably now. After all, Dhruv's men had beaten him to black and blue.

"Because of you, I cannot find where my wife is! Why the hell did you steal her phone? Just kill him already," they were currently near a secluded road near the railway station from where that pickpocket was leaving for his house.

The thief begged for his life, "Please leave me, sir, I'll never steal, please leave me," and eventually Dhruv let him go but he didn't go much far as the police already arrived on the spot and carried him with honour towards the prison.

"Where will we find her?" Dhruv asked in an agonized tone and even all his men were scared and worried too, how'd they find their master's wife.

"Sir, I think we should check out the nearby hotels, ma'am might be in any one of them as the train too had arrived just thirty minutes ago from Bangalore in which our ma'am was in?" his private investigator suggested to him and even Dhruv agreed to that.

"But it would take so much time that we don't have. Chandigarh has many hotels in it, where would we find her?" another of Dhruv's PI asked in a worried tone.

"Just start the search goddammit. At least start from the nearby hotels, she wouldn't have booked the hotel far away from here," Dhruv shouted out loudly at his men in rage, they were getting on his nerves now.

"Sir, but what if she boarded another train? Even this is possible," his other PI spoke out in a timid tone, contemplating how his master would react to this.

"The railway station must have CCTV cameras installed everywhere? Isn't it? Let's go to the Stationmaster of Chandigarh, he'd surely help us," Dhruv ordered his men and roared his Mercedes followed by other SUVs towards the railway station which had arrived the moment when Dhruv landed on Chandigarh by his staff working in his hotels of Chandigarh. He had formed three teams, one team would go towards the railway station with him and another two for searching Ayushi in other hotels.

Eventually, they got the CCTV footage which was a very easy task as the stationmaster knew how big and rich of a businessman Dhruv was but the footage wasn't much clear. But he recognized his Ayushi and the footage showed him that she had left the station with a girl and a man in a car. He clenched his jaw in anger and jealousy that who'd be that man with whom Ayushi left. He saw the way that they had left and immediately called up his team to go to that road and search Ayushi in all the hotels they found in their way.

But alas, the whole night they searched but didn't get any clue where she went away. Dhruv was getting more and more frustrated now, he knew that he needed his wife anyhow otherwise he wouldn't be able to live with this guilt and agony in his life where every day he was dying. He even called up the police for blockading all the routes outside of Chandigarh and warned them for it to be confidential as he had his contacts with the Director General Of Police of Chandigarh, hoping that he'd somehow get his wife, who might be going away to some other city other than Chandigarh. But he got no results.

This time the whole universe conspired against him for getting his wife and his unborn baby inside her womb.

At last, Dhruv had to return to Bhopal empty-handed, where his whole family was waiting for their Ayushi to come but she never came.

Whereas on the other hand, Ayushi, Ananya, and Keshav left Chandigarh the next day in the early morning and started their journey to Chamba in Keshav's car. They had to cross the blockade too, but eventually, nothing happened as the poor police were busy snoring out.

It took them nearly ten hours to reach Chamba which also included few breaks in between. That day, Ayushi realized one thing, that it was Dhruv's fault who had let her go away from his life and not hers, she had been everything a perfect wife should be, but he wasn't even a good husband, forget about being a perfect husband, she realized that she should just let go of the past and forget him like he never existed. A new life was growing inside her and she had decided that she'd give her child all the happiness and love that it deserves. She wanted her child to be away from the cruel and monstrous shade of his/her father.

Finally, when she reached Chamba, she was in awe of the scenic beauty of Chamba. The air was so refreshing and chilly that made her shiver even when the sun was up, blaring at the earth. The river Ravi was flowing steadily with pure and serene water in it, making the aura around it more icy and refreshing. All in all, Ayushi loved Chamba.

"Welcome to Chamba, sis," Keshav welcomed Ayushi wholeheartedly with a wide smile and Ayushi too smiled at him in return.

"It's such a beautiful place, literally heaven it is on earth," Ayushi breathed out in the chilled air which was making her tendrils flow out of its place.

"Of course it is, I'm so lucky to get a Himachali as my husband otherwise even I'd have been choking myself if I were to live in Delhi," Ananya whispered out in a dreaming manner putting her hands on her heart and Ayushi and Keshav just laughed at her antics.

Ananya was basically from Delhi and because of her father's job in central government, she always had to change her place every three years. She had spent her childhood and even her adulthood in many beautiful parts of India, Bhopal was one among them where she had met Ayushi when they were in their tenth standard. Eventually, they were again transferred and now she was in Chamba but that was her father's last posting as he retired from Chamba three years back only but Ananya lived there as she didn't want to return to her hometown Delhi, she had always felt an unknown connection with Chamba so she completed all her post-graduation from here at the age of twenty-two only and done her B.Ed too from here and later joined as a primary teacher as she had always loved teaching the small children.

Whereas, Keshav was a known businessman of Chamba. Their love story was very cliche and filmy but they loved each other so much. They met a year ago and were engaged just a few months ago after talking about their relationship with their parents.

It was already evening when they finally reached inside Ananya's independent house which she had bought with her salary and with her father's help too.

They relaxed on the sofa and called the nearby restaurant for ordering the delicious delicacies of Chamba which they wanted Ayushi to taste which included dishes like Rajma Madra, rice, and some other sweet dishes.

Ayushi just loved the house and its interior design. She had always liked to live on the top of hills inside a beautiful house. She was going to enjoy a lot here in the fresh air of Chamba, away from all kinds of troubles and tortures.

****

Ayushi was now three months gestating and recently she got to know that she was carrying twins inside her womb. She was over the moon when she had heard that piece of happy news. Her bump was bigger than usual and she was bouncing in excitement when she had apprehended the doctor giving the most delightful news of her life. If Ananya wouldn't have been there in the clinic with Ayushi, don't know how much more she would have danced in her enthusiasm and joviality.

Her life here was full of optimism and gladness and it was all because of her best friends - Ananya and Keshav. She couldn't thank them enough for it. Although every night she used to miss Dhruv, her unborn babies had always supported her, accompanied her and given her strength to live this life as a single mother. She'd sing lullabies for her unborn babies, and even Ananya was now accustomed to hearing her best friend's lullaby. Even she used to snore the moment Ayushi would be in the middle of her lullaby. Her voice was so soothing and sweet like a cuckoo.

Here, as she couldn't find a job according to her education as Chamba was still a growing city and not much companies invested here but still she didn't want to be a burden on anyone, so she used to teach as a lecturer in a nearby Computer Institute where students loved her as a teacher as her way of teaching was very affluent. And being a teacher to those kids was not that much of a difficult job, they always supported her, cheered for her as well as for her baby whenever she used to feel some pain or nausea in between. Her salary was salutary too, as it was quite a big institute where students from many areas used to come. She used to spend her salary on buying the necessities of the house as Ananya had already declined her offer to pay the rent when Ayushi had asked her once. All in all, everything was going well. Ayushi was content with her job as well as her life here in Chamba.

But Dhruv was a complete mess, his family too were in a distorted and shattered state. Every day, their private investigators' sad and solemn voice greeted them, informing them about getting no information about Ayushi. To avoid the unnecessary questions of the media, Dhruv was still holding up the position as the CEO which his father didn't want him to but eventually, he had to. Because it would've been fatal for Ayushi too wherever she was as they had too many rivals too and knowing that the daughter-in-law of Rajputs had been missing, they'd have certainly harmed her which they didn't want at any cost.

Everyday Dhruv would shout at his employees, at his private investigators, everyone, as he was broken from inside, his soul was dying from inside every day in the guilt of the crime that he had committed. He missed his wife, his unborn child but he was compelled to live such a miserable life. This loneliness, this seclusion was the punishment he was getting as the payback for what he did with his wife. Even Chandani couldn't be found although much information about her was out. Nothing was going his way, everything was against him.

But one day after months of unsuccessful searches for Ayushi, something happened which brought a ray of light in Dhruv's darkness filled life.

It was Ayushi's fifth month now and her baby bump had turned into a big round shape. She was still working at the Computer centre as she'd feel so bored at her house but Ananya would every time warn her to take leave for the upcoming months, but Ayushi never listened to her. She loved to teach those kids. But eventually, Ananya made her leave that job but that too didn't stop Ayushi from teaching those students. The director of the institute, seeing the condition of Ayushi as well as the devotion of his institute's students for Ayushi as their teacher, made him take a decision, and now those students used to go to Ayushi at her house for their studies. She was so thankful to the director. She was saving the left money for the better future of her unborn kids, she wanted to give them the best of everything.

Ananya's wedding date too arrived in between all these, which was happening in one of the famous hotels of Chamba where many famous politicians, businessmen, celebrities too arrived as Keshav's father was a big politician of Himachal Pradesh.

And this time, the universe too conspired the meeting of Dhruv and Ayushi.

Dhruv too had arrived here in Chamba as Dhiraj was the childhood friend of Keshav's father but due to the tensions and sadness, he couldn't attend the wedding. But Dhruv did, as his company was very soon going to build the biggest hotel in Chamba whose plot had been already bought and designs had been already decided.

He was not enjoying the wedding party at all, he was just sitting at the most secluded corner of the wedding venue from where nobody could notice him but he could eventually see every one as he didn't want to interact with anyone. He didn't want to indulge in any kind of talks. No media were allowed in here, so he was safe from any paparazzi and he was glad for that but what he didn't expect was that he'd see his wife here, smiling from ear to ear with a big baby bump, gaining all his attention on her and her only.

Kehte hain Khuda ne iss jahaan mein Sabhi ke liye,

kisi na kisi ko hai banaaya Har kisi ke liye, Tera milna hai uss rab ka ishaara,

Maano mujhko banaya tere jaise hi kisi ke liye.

Ananya arrived with her cousins and her best friend Ayushi who was five months pregnant now, taking small baby steps towards the wedding dais with her hands placed securely around her tummy. When Dhruv saw his wife and her big baby bump, he just stood up from the chair in shock and amazement. He couldn't believe his eyes that he was finally seeing his wife after four freaking months!

"Ayushi!" he whispered in a low tone with his eyes widened like saucers. He couldn't believe his eyes so he pinched himself and even rubbed his eyes, but even after that he saw Ayushi who was smiling so brightly, dressed in a beautiful orange coloured lehenga, her skin looking as radiant as ever, like a full moon night, she was glowing, her baby bump was so big that even Dhruv had to count that was she in her eighth month or what! But even his calculations told him that she was just five months pregnant and not eight.

He didn't want to make her upset, he now knew that the bride was the same girl with whom Ayushi had walked out of the Chandigarh railway station, she must be dear to her. He stood at a great distance from Ayushi although he wanted nothing but to hold her tightly in his arms and twirl her around, but he didn't want to make her unhappy and agonized. He knew that if she'd see him, her smiles will go away and he didn't want anything of that to happen.

All the other guests around them recognized Ayushi and congratulated her for her pregnancy, but what they didn't know was that she was divorced as per by Ayushi. She instantly went away towards Ananya's mother and sat beside her, she didn't want to think about all those things again, it was just past, a past, she tried to calm herself down.

"Ayushi Singh Rajput, wife of Dhruv Singh Rajput? Isn't it? Nice to meet you," a foreign voice greeted Ayushi and she looked at the intruder. It was none other than the father of Chandani who too was invited to this wedding as he had some connections with Keshav's uncle who too was a politician himself. Ayushi just looked at him perplexed because she didn't know this man, she hadn't seen him anywhere.

Dhruv just looked in horror when he realized who that person was who was currently talking with his wife. Chandani and her story behind her revenge were out, Dhiraj had explained everything to him when they searched more about Chandani in these four months. He had got to know everything about Chandani and her history. He clenched his jaw and was going towards Ayushi when an inner voice stopped him and he just sat with a thud on the chair again.

"What is this man doing over here?" he asked himself, gritting his teeth.

"Keep that man away from my wife, I'm leaving," he commanded his bodyguard, Uday Singh in a hard tone and left the wedding ceremony while calling up his private investigator on his way towards the exit.

~**•**~

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