CHAPTER XXI
"Missing… And Mine to Find"
It was evening.
The sky was turning a soft shade of indigo, and the city lights had begun to flicker one by one like nervous stars. But nothing could calm the storm brewing inside me — because once again, Sita was late. Later than usual. And something in my heart just… didn't feel right.
I stared at my phone screen. No messages. No missed calls. No replies to the ones I'd sent.
A pit formed in my stomach.
I grabbed my keys and ran to my bike, the engine roaring to life under my trembling hands. I didn't care about the traffic, the heat, or the honking chaos of the road — I had only one thought in my mind:
Find her.
I rode to her office, every second stretching like an hour. And when I finally got there, hoping to see her still working at her desk or walking out of the lobby…
She wasn't there.
"She left over a four hour and a half ago," the receptionist told me, casually flipping through a file.
My heart dropped.
"What?" I whispered, trying to keep my voice steady. "You're sure?"
"Yes, ma'am. She signed out. Didn't she reach home?"
I turned away without answering, panic clawing at my throat.
I sped through the streets, tracing the road from her office to home, my eyes scanning every corner, every turn, every stranger. But Sita wasn't there.
She wasn't anywhere.
I called her again.
No answer.
Again. And again.
Each ring felt like a needle poking deeper into my chest.
I called Shruti. "Did Sita come to your place?"
"No, Vedu. I thought she was with you?"
A sick fear started curling in my gut.
Could it be…? No. No.
But my mind was already going there.
Her father.
I knew the kind of man he was. The kind of rigid, cruel control he kept wrapped around Sita like a cage. What if he found a way to take her back? What if—
I didn't wait another second. I took a sharp turn and raced toward Sita's house.
I stormed into their driveway, slammed my bike to a halt, and ran to the front door. My voice cracked the silence of the night.
"Sita! Sita!"
The door opened with a creak, and her mother stepped out, her face worried.
"Vedehi? What's wrong, beta? Is everything okay? Where's Sita?"
Tears brimmed in my eyes. My breath was shaking.
"Mom… Sita… she's missing. I can't find her. She's not at the office, she's not home, she's not picking up her phone. I— I don't know where she is!"
Before her mother could say anything, a cold, familiar voice echoed from the staircase behind her.
"Maybe she finally came to her senses and ran away from you."
I turned sharply.
There he was.
Her father.
Descending the stairs slowly, with a venomous smirk that made my blood boil.
He reached the last step, standing eye to eye with me, and said coldly, "I wanted Sita to marry a man. Someone strong enough to protect her. But you? You're a woman, Ved. You can't protect her — and clearly, you didn't."
My fists clenched.
"You think calling yourself a protector makes you one? Having a male name doesn't make you a man. You'll always be just… a helpless little girl trying to play brave."
He stepped closer, voice dripping with disgust.
"You girls think you're equal to men? Look at your hands, Ved. They were made to cook, to type on laptops — not to fight, not to protect. And certainly not to love a girl like my daughter."
His words cut deep.
But not as deep as the fear of not knowing where Sita was.
I stared him down. "You took her, didn't you? If you've hurt her — if there's even a scratch on her — I swear I will never forgive you."
He raised a brow. "And what will you do? Cry? Call the police? What power do you think you have, Ved?"
Before I could respond, someone else entered the hall — Sita's cousin.
He charged at me with blind fury, rage on his face.
And I don't know what came over me — fear, love, desperation — but in that second, I caught his wrist mid-swing and flipped him over with all the strength I had.
He hit the floor hard.
Her father stepped back in shock.
And I stepped forward, my voice shaking but louder than ever.
"Tell me where she is. Now."
"I don't know," he barked, face hardening again. "I've been in meetings since morning. Don't try to blame me for your failures."
Her mother stepped in between us, worried and gentle. "He's telling the truth, Ved. He hasn't been home all day. I've been calling Sita too — she's not answering me either."
She looked into my eyes. "Do you want our help finding her?"
I stared past them, my heart thudding with hurt and rage and a love so fierce it burned.
And I said, softly but surely, "No."
"I will find her myself."
Because she wasn't just someone I loved.
She was my Sita.
And I would search every street, question every stranger, tear apart every cage if I had to.
But I would bring her back.
Even if the world stood in my way.
Even if her father did.
Even if I had to go through fire.
Because love… doesn't give up.
Not when the heart knows who it's beating for.
"Where Are You, Sita?"
I stepped out of Sita's house, my heart pounding louder than my footsteps. The night had deepened, but I didn't care. The sky was too quiet, the roads too empty — like the whole world had stilled just to mirror the storm inside me.
And yet… I had no idea where to go.
Where should I even begin looking for her?
I stood at the edge of the street, my eyes scanning the shadows, my mind racing. I pulled out my phone again, checked for missed calls — nothing. Opened our chat — still no reply.
Was she really gone?
The thought sent a chill crawling down my spine.
A sudden ache twisted in my chest, and I whispered into the silence,
"Sita… where are you?"
I swallowed hard, trying to gather my thoughts, but they just scattered like dry leaves in the wind.
What if she really left me?
Left me behind.
Was she that upset? That angry? Had I pushed her too far?
And then, another question crept in — one that hurt even more than all the rest:
If she's really gone… why does it hurt this much?
After all, our marriage — it wasn't real.
It was a deal. A decision. A convenience born from chaos.
So why did it suddenly feel like everything in me was unraveling?
I sat down on the steps by a closed tea shop, resting my head in my hands, trying to hold myself together.
"Sita… are you angry at me? Did I say something? Do something? Why won't you just answer me?"
I looked up at the sky, blinking back the tears that had begun to sting my eyes.
"God, please… help me. Just this once. I don't care where she is — just give me a sign. Anything."
But the stars offered no answers. Only silence.
And still… my heart whispered her name again and again.
Where are you, Sita?
Not just physically. But emotionally. Mentally. Spiritually.
Where are you, in this world full of lights and shadows?
Because wherever you are — lost, hiding, hurting —
I promise I'll find you.
Even if I have to search every corner of this city.
Even if I have to confront every demon — mine or yours.
Even if it turns out… you're trying to disappear from me.
I won't stop.
Because this pain in my chest? This ache?
It tells me that something about "fake marriage" stopped being fake… a long time ago.
And now?
Now it's real.
And I can't lose you.
To be continued…