51 Chapter 51

Rohan was waiting for her in the garden. He was jealous of her father for snatching her away from him for even that short time. He wasn't in a good mood, which she could clearly see. So she went inside without uttering a word. He followed her and wanted to scold her, but Sumit came by and asked about Raj's health. This prevented Rohan from saying anything, but he couldn't contain his frustration and scolded her as soon as they reached their room.

"Why did you take so long? You should have joined us for lunch. Both Mama and Papa were waiting for you here. At least you could have informed us in good time."

"I am sorry, I didn't inform you, but what do you expect when I am with my father?" she replied.

The argument continued for a while until there was nothing left to talk about on the subject. A silence followed, which Rohan found even more frustrating. He relented and pulled Sneha towards him. "I missed you."

She smiled.

That evening he received a phone call from Mr. Gupta, which sent him into a frenzy of emotional turmoil. "Sexual harassment? How could she file a case against me for sexual harassment? I didn't do anything to her. How can I tell Sneha? What will she think? We have just closed that chapter." But even more surprising was the fact that Stella was missing or murdered. He had been called to City M for the case. The police had been probing for information about him. Mr. Gupta spoke fully about the last few days' occurrences.

"The inspector is coming almost every third day and asking the employees about your relationship with Stella. In the process some of the staff are being harassed while some of them enjoy talking about you. Since Stella is missing, we are wondering how to conduct the case that she has filed against you. I think the inspector is gathering evidence on the case. I suggest that you come here and talk for yourself."

Rohan's head was spinning, he felt nauseous. What has happened to his perfect life? He was too scared to mention this to Sneha or his parents. He thought about dealing with it himself and decided to go to City M. He was afraid that he might be thrown into jail for a crime he had not committed. But did Stella want that? Why did she file a sexual harassment case against him? And now she is missing! He was unable to put things together. His mind was tangled in a web of lies, deceit and reality. He was trying to understand his situation and draw a plan to deal with it, but nothing seemed to materialize. The frustration added to his helplessness, and he didn't notice Sneha entering the room.

"Hey there! Someone was missing me and now someone is not even responding to my queries. What's wrong?" she asked, sensing his emotional state.

"Nothing! I received a call from Mr. Gupta and was thinking of going to City M for some initial paperwork." He didn't say anything about the case or the police. He thought he could deal with it himself. There was no way he would involve Sneha or his parents in this matter.

Sneha was a little surprised, as this was a sudden development. While she was clearly upset, she couldn't do anything; office paperwork can be pretty onerous. Rohan decided to go to City M the next day. They had a quiet dinner with most of the talking being done by Ramona. Rohan announced that he had to go to City M for some official work to which Sumit and Ramona objected gently. The dinner got over and Rohan excused himself early on the pretext of preparing for tomorrow's flight.