"I'll take care Vasisht. You please proceed. You might have a lot of work. I'm really sorry to trouble you now..." Surya said, wiping the drawer handle carefully with a cotton cloth.
Vasisht was not in a position to stay back as well. Everything now seemed making sense.

He remembered Arundhati was home alone and suddenly, a fear struck him. He dialled her number many times but in vain.
He rushed to his home only to find it locked. It certainly meant that she could be found only in one place. Her home.

He had made a correct guess.
He was not less shocked to see the dead body staring at him. The blood on the floor was still damp.

He feared about the state of Arundhati and entered. He saw her staring outside the huge window opposite to the door. Her long tresses flew with a lot of speed and collision, just as a simile to her emotional state.

He touched her shoulder.
"You have to tell me everything now. You do know who is the person behind this, dont you?"

She smiled. A sad one.
"The one who wants me."

"I don't know anything about your life. State clearly. Who wants you? Why has he been troubling you if he 'wants' you?"

"Because he is a human. He waited for me. I didn't acknowledge his wait. He is angry now." She faced Vasisht.
"He was chosen as my groom by my uncle and aunt. I requested him to respect my decisions and my plans for future. Though my uncle and aunt wanted to get rid of me my marrying me off, they chose this golden man who never raised his voice in negation for my rejection.
But I didn't know he wanted me so badly. And what led him to such hatred and madness. " She spoke dejected.

"If he loves you so much then why is he trying to hurt you?" Vasisht knew the answer to his own question, but wanted to hear from her side.

She gulped. "Because I am with you.", she replied, emotionless.

No words were exchanged for the next few moments. But Vasisht had called the cops to inform about the murder. When the cops arrived, he explained the situation, and warned that Arundhati might have to face the same fate.
They assured her security and took the corpse with them.

************
Nothing was going right in his life. When he decided to speak out his love for her, all the mishaps took place. Now she was in the police protection, in a hotel.

He had promised to meet Dr. Manjula the morning and hence left for the same.
************
"As you know, Dr. Vasisht, Arundhati is a patient of depression. Little turbulence in her life will cause a major drop in her mental health.
And now, she is facing it a lot. With whatever you told me last night, I feel that the baby's death has caused a lot of emotional turmoil in her. Therefore she must be hallucinating about it." Manjula explained.

Vasisht gave a sarcastic smile." You are repeating whatever I told you in a more of a professional language doctor. I know she is facing a lot of problem, that's why I am here. Can't we help her come back? "

" I surely can. But I have a little problem.
Arundhati is a mentally weak human. She needs a lot of time to cope up with the rules and regulations of this society. To be more frank, I don't want her to involve in issues of love or marriage at this moment."
Vasisht straightened.
" Yes. I was very happy when Aru spoke of you with so much happiness and respect. I have to admit that I felt that you might be the right one for her. But now, looking at all these, I feel, you getting out of her life would be a better option."

"I don't understand how are you linking everything to me. We are not even proper friends yet, leave alone falling in love and getting married. Yes, I love her and I want to see her happy. I know she respects my presence too, but neither of us have confessed anything yet. I strongly feel that if I step out of her life at this moment, she'll definitely loose a support to lean on. I can't let her fall. " He was surprised at his way of speaking. He never was so open about his love life.

"Vasisht, please try to understand. I know her better than you do. And the man who wanted to marry her has went to an extent of killing his own wife for Aru!"

Vasisht felt his heart skip a beat. So his speculations were absolutely right. Surya.

"And you know why?" Manjula continued, breaking his thoughts, "because he had seen her with you. He wants her now, very badly. And now that she has escaped, you are the next target.
That's the sole reason I'm asking you to step out of all these. I'll take Aru with me somewhere far. I'll make sure she is happy."

Vasisht uttered no word. He left the place immediately.

**********
Surya stared at the picture of his dead wife. He still remembered how desparately she asked him to get married to her. How badly she loved him. And how unfairly he never returned her love.

It was two years since he saw Arundhati. Her image had etched in his heart. Her beauty seemed to give him a cardiac arrest.

But this day, he sat as a groom. Sanvi was his colleague and since the day they met, she expressed her desire to marry him. Though he refused many times, she never gave up. She black mailed him that she would die if he didn't agree and he had no choice left.
He would marry her now, and when Arundhati completed her studies, he would end this marriage in a divorce.

He was sure Sanvi would be frustrated seeing his ignorance towards her.
But as time flew, he eventually got along with her. Everything was going fine when he, out of nowhere, decided to visit Arundhati's place.

He was answered with the unplasant faces of her aunt and uncle.
He smiled. "Umm... I was here on a business trip and so thought of visiting you... Where is she?" he asked, trying to peep inside the house.
"She's gone." replied her aunt.
"Gone?"
"Yeah! Gone. I don't know with which idiot she ran away! But the happy thing is she won't trouble us now. You too get lost. You have no work here."

He felt the earth below him collapse. All this while, he waited for this woman, and she ran away? Didn't she think about him once? Didn't she feel grateful that he let her complete her education?

This changed it all. He lost interest in everything, career, passion, family, friends, everything.
Sanvi felt the change. But she wasn't ready to except it. She coaxed, she argued, she shouted, she fought and did everything she could to bring him back, but in vain.

And one day, he saw Arundhati again, with his friend. She spoke so happily with him, didn't mind holding his hands while climbing the bus, and smiled at every word he spoke.
If only had she thought about him before leaving, he would have been in Vasisht's place.
And it stabbed him.
**********
All I would like to say is, the story is yet to unfold.

And why such a quick update? Because I just realised that all the genuine comments and compliments push a writer to write more.
I'm very happy with the reviews of the previous chapter and will expect the same on this as well.
And sorry to those who were expecting Arundhati-Vasisht scenes. You see, the story can't revolve only on them. :)
Please do vote and comment. We are nearing the end. :)