"Mrs. Kundra, are these the two who kidnapped you?" Rishab asked showing two criminals' photos. Madhu turned his laptop to her side and closely scrutinized the images. 

Rishab wanted Madhu to identify the criminals though he was already sure they were the ones who kidnapped her as the case record speaks clearly. He said he will come home and show her the photos but she insisted she will come to the station as she was on her way to her office. 

"This is Balraj... with thick beard" Madhu pointed the first photo. "And this guy is Bujang." She said with disgust and anger. "This scar in his left side cheek... I left the scar in his face." For her he was the worst among the two. He molested a 7 years old child. The bas***d! She wished she had stabbed his gut instead of just scrapping his cheek. 

"You did that to him?" Rishab asked her in surprise. 

"Yes. I... He was trying... you know..." she looked up at the other police guy standing beside the table and looking at her with interest. She felt uncomfortable and squirmed in her seat. 

"You wait outside for a minute." Rishab ordered to Inspector Joshi. He nodded and walked out of Rishab's room. 

"When he was trying to do whatever shit he wanted to do to me I took hold of a broken piece of tile from the floor and I scratched it in his cheek making him bleed. He got so mad and he slapped me and made me drink some cheap alcohol and again he forced himself on me before Balraj intervened and took him out of the room." 

"Oh but you didn't tell about this in your therapy session?" he asked curiously though he was impressed of her act.

"I don't know. May be that incident just slipped out of my mind. Only now seeing his scar I could remember my handy work." She chuckled. 

"Hmm... okay. Joshi!" he called back his inspector.

"Joshi, did you trace any information of these two after they got released from prison after their punishment period?" Rishab asked Inspector Joshi. 

"Yes, Sir." Joshi produced the report in front of him. Rishab opened the file and took a quick glance of it. 

"This can't be true." Rishab muttered as he placed the file back on his table and ran both his hands through his hair and sighed looking upward. 

"What?" Madhu asked. "If you don't mind can I see the file ACP, Sir?" she asked softly. 

"They are dead" Rishab said what he discovered from the report. "As per the records" 

"No" Madhu denied. "They are alive. I am sure." 

"How can you be so sure?" Rishab asked. Even his gut instinct said they were alive. His instinct rarely goes wrong.

"That day in the party... I felt like I was being watched. I thought I was just being paranoid & let it go... but then in the restroom... I heard the whistle sound. Balraj used to whistle exactly in that tune. He is alive!"

"But Sir, this report says they both died in a car accident soon after they got out of prison."

"I can see that, Joshi. But one can easily fake their death... And this death certificate can't be an ultimate evidence."

"So you mean to say they are living... "

"Yes and messing with me and my family." Rishab said bunching his fingers like a ball.

"Can I check the file in detail only if that's okay with you, Sir?" Madhu softly asked again to see the file. 

"Go ahead" Rishab forwarded the file to her. She smiled at him politely and took the file and closely studied in detail. Something caught her attention.

"Rish... I am sorry, ACP Sir... "

"C'mon, Madhu just to be little formal I addressed you as Mrs. Kundra but that doesn't mean you can't use my name in my office." He said with a smile. 

"Oh. Okay. I have a doubt. I wanna confirm it... Can I please use your laptop to log in to my work mail?"

"Sure. Here." he gave her his laptop. 

She quickly logged in to her work mail and downloaded a file. It was an article she prepared a month or two back. 

"I would like you to check this article I prepared sometimes back but I never got to submit" she said. Before she could finish the article and submit it she was shot by her husband and got admitted in hospital. 

"What's that?"

"You see you will know what I am hinting you"

He stood up from his seat and walked around to her side and sat on the chair next to her. He started reading the article with his undivided attention.

"Did you notice Balraj's father's name? " she asked. 

"Dutta" Rishab muttered. He quickly worked out the connection. He encountered underworld Don Dutta and his younger son Badrinath but he knew he missed out his elder son. He was hunting for him but he couldn't find any trace of him till date. 

"You said you couldn't get to his elder son as he was nowhere in picture. May be that's because he was already dead. May be these reports are true. May be we are not in trouble."

"Till there is a "may be" we are in trouble because there can be a "may not be" okay?" Rishab said. 

"hmm... You are right." she nodded. "But why can't this name thing just be a coincidence? Balraj and Dutta may not be connected right? There are thousand Dutta's and one happened to be Balraj's father." she concluded with a shrug. 

"More over Balraj is little older to be Dutta's son" she added. 

"Dutta never had sons of his own. Both his sons are adopted so in that case "age" is not an issue besides didn't your mother tell Balraj & his family were involved in criminal activities? Isn't that why she broke up with him?"

"Yeah, right. Now, I wonder where the hell he has gone all these years, hiding. Why suddenly he is back? To avenge for his father's death? If he had loved his father so much then why he left him and the business? God, this is so confusing."

"Nothing is confusing actually, Madhu. Now I can clearly see everything." Rishab said as he stood up and walked back to his seat.

"Care to explain?" she asked impatiently when he went silent just rolling the globe placed on his desk. 

"He is still very much in the picture." He said nodding his head making himself believe his theory was right. "He didn't leave his business. He is just being dormant to the outside world. He just faked his death and living in another name... As a new person... without any active participation in all the illegal business, probably." he concluded. 

She gaped at him in awe. He like a genius joined all the dots in a matter of seconds. 

"So what you are gonna do now?"

"Gonna find his current identity and tear his mask revealing his true identity."

"How you are gonna do that?"

"I have ways to find him. Now, come. I will drop you at your office."

"We are done discussing here?" she asked.

He nodded his head. "Yes. Oh and thanks. You did a good job." Rishab thanked his wife for helping him in giving a lead. She smiled and stuck her tongue out feeling overwhelmed with his praise. He laughed at her childish antics.

"Well, I guess I can go on my own. I don't want to disturb you while you work. Thanks." she stood up and collected be handbag. He didn't stop her as he had work to do so he simply walked her out of the station and asked her to drive slow and safe.

--0--

(A week later)

Madhu woke up alone in the morning like the last few days without her husband by her side on the bed. He was hell busy with his office & personal works. He hardly came home and if he came also it will be so late at night once Madhu had gone to bed and left to work before she woke up. He simply put a note to her "I have to hurry and no time to prepare breakfast. You please make something and have it. I will have from outside. Bye. Take care." on the bedside table. She found the note today also. She sighed. She missed him. Lastly they had a proper conversation on the night they made love in the dark. After that it was all professional talks. They didn't get time to sit and eat dinner or breakfast together. She once tried to take him out for lunch but he said he was in the middle of a meeting with his commissioner and he couldn't do lunch with her. She was so disappointed then. Every night she tried her best to stay awake till he gets home but she couldn't. Her pregnancy was wearing her out soon.

She ached for him. Her body ached for him and his touch. She gets so frustrated lately. Sexual frustration!

"God! This morning sickness is what I need now" she groaned and threw her covers on the bed and raced to the bathroom. Now, it was a routine for her to dance from bed to bathroom again and again to puke whatever little she eats. 

"Rishab, this is not at all fair. You are letting me face this on my own when you brought this to me." she cried holding her head with both her hands as she knelt in front of the toilet drained.

She heard the door bell ring. She quickly washed her face and hands and walked out to answer the door. It was her mother-in-law. She was coming to her house daily from the past three days. She cooks breakfast and also packs lunch for Madhu to have it in office. She wouldn't let her daughter-in-law have anything from outside or simply let her starve. 

"Mom, you know you don't have to do this. I can manage." Madhu said. She felt so bad to sit and eat when Radha did all the works for her. 

"You didn't eat last night?" Radha asked checking the refrigerator. It was stored with food. 

"I ate. Your son didn't I guess as he came home so late."

"But then there is more food stocked. Are you not eating well?" she asked. Madhu just looked at her blankly. "You should eat well dear. It's not just you now. It's your duty to take care of the little one. Don't keep my grandchild hungry." 

Madhu smiled weakly and nodded her head. 

"I am still not sure whether I hallucinated or really he slept beside me on bed last night. I rarely get to see him." she said sadly and stretched her hand on the dining table and placed her head over it as her rolled the orange on the glass table. 

"You miss him, don't you?" Radha asked caressing the back of Madhu's head. 

"I miss him badly mom. I just can't go like this. Sitting and waiting for him to come home for me... to spend time with me. I might sound so needy but I just can't help. Is he that busy that he can't spare even an hour with his wife? Is he avoiding me? Did I mess up and angered him? She started rambling, worriedly. 

"Madhu, you are just messing with your head now. He is busy right now and once he gets free he will give all the attention you need from him."

"hmm... I will be patient then."

"Good. But then why don't you call him and talk to him? Tell him how much you need him. Ask him to come home soon tonight?"

"Why? To have him rudely say "Madhu, you are not a baby to babysit so stop whining. I have work. Take care. Bye." And then he will hang up the phone on me."

"He said so?" Radha asked shocked and pissed at her son. "How mean? You better make him sleep on the couch." Radha suggested her daughter in law. Madhu laughed. 

"What's so funny?"

"You want me to punish the mighty ACP Rishab Kundra?" she laughed again. "With sex ban? Here, I am craving for him...but you are suggesting me to make him sleep on the couch? You better suggest me some seduction tricks you use on daddyji so that I can use it on your son." Now it was Radha's turn to laugh. "Your pregnancy hormones are running wild I guess." 

"Right" 

"I will talk to him and order him to take care of you... "

"Mom, please no! You don't talk to him. I don't want to put any pressure on him. Let him concentrate on his work. I will be okay." Madhu reassured her. 

"Okay. But remember you have my full support. I won't mind twisting his ear or smacking his head and order him to look after you."

"Thanks, mom." she smiled at Radha and she returned a smile of her own.

--0--

(2 days later)

"Rishab... " 

"Tell me, Madhu?" he asked over the phone answering her call. 

"I have an appointment with the Gyn. You coming with me?" she asked hesitantly. The situation was still the same. Even yesterday he came home in the early hours of morning. Madhu made sure she won't go to sleep without having a talk with him so she occupied the couch and watched 3 movies continuously but somewhere at the end of the third movie she fell asleep on the couch. She remembered her husband scolding her "Why the hell you are sleeping on the couch? Aching your back? And with TV on in loud volume waking up our neighbors?" she just drowsily opened her eyes and without saying a word she went back to sleep. Rishab sighed and picked her up in his arms and took her to their bedroom and dumped her gently on the bed and he too rested beside her for barely an hour or two before going back to work. 

"What time is your check up?" he asked. 

"11 AM" she knows already he was going to give an excuse and she just wanted to hang up her phone but she waited to hear him say. 

"Madhu, I have come to the outskirt of the city for an investigation. Even if I start now I will get late so why don't you go on your own or take my mother..." 

"I don't want to bother your mother so I will go on my own."

"hmm.. You please call me once you are done with the check up okay?"

"Okay"

"Stay safe." 

"Love you. Bye." she hung up before he could say anything. She threw her phone on the passenger seat and stared the car to the clinic.

--0--

"Hey! You were late this morning to office." Trishna said walking in to Madhu's cabin. 

"You are complaining as if you are the boss of the company?" Madhu mocked her. She was in mood to chat with her friend. 

"You okay?" Trishna asked in concern seeing her friend pressing her forehead. 

"Headache"

"Then why you came to work? You could have taken the day off right?"

"Who will take leave for a headache?"

"You wanna have coffee with me? That will ease your headache" Trishna suggested. 

"Not a bad idea." Madhu said with a smile and grabbed her car key and wallet.

"Why are you looking so gloomy? Had a fight with your husband?" Trishna asked taking a sip of her regular coffee. 

Madhu shook her head in no. "He is just busy. I miss him. That's all" 

"Oh." she paused before asking "are you pregnant?" 

Madhu spat her coffee hearing her question. "How do you know that?" 

"I saw the medical file on your table. So you went to the doctor & that's why you were late to office this morning right?"

"Yeah"

"Is that why you declined the offer to work in investigation cell and moved to editing cell?"

"Yeah... I wanna sit at one place and work... for a while. My baby is more important to me."

"Hmm... Right. But tell me why you didn't tell your best friend about the little pie?" she asked trying to keep an angry face but she failed miserably. She was so happy for her friend. 

"I am sorry but I didn't tell anyone Trish. Of course my husband and our close families know about it. My mom in law strictly told me not to tell anyone yet as I am barely a month old pregnant."

"Oh. It's okay. I can understand. Oh and congratulations. I can't wait to see your baby. Hope he is a boy and blessed with his father's devilishly handsome looks! " Trishna said with a wink.

"Thanks Trish." Madhu smile warmly. Madhu got a call and she knew it was her husband even without checking the caller ID. 

"You promised me you will call me once you are done with your check up but its over two hours and I didn't hear a word from you?" he asked straight to the point as soon as she attended his call. 

"Hello, Rishab. Yes, I had my lunch. Now, I am having coffee with my friend Trish. Hope you had lunch too... "

"Cut the crap, Madhu." 

"If you don't have time to even talk to me properly for a minute then why do you call me? Hang up the phone on me like you are doing lately and go do your God damn work." she cuts his call angrily and thrust her phone in her handbag.

... To be continued!!!

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