17-09-2026, 09:10 PM
Chapter - 20
Mohan woke earlier than usual.
For several minutes he simply stared at the ceiling, remembering the previous night.
The theatre.
Rajan sitting beside Padma.
Padma’s discomfort.
And finally, the message Mohan had seen at four in the morning.
He turned toward Padma.
She was still sleeping.
For the first time, Mohan couldn’t decide whether he wanted to wake her up and ask what she was thinking—or pretend that nothing had happened.
When Padma finally woke, she looked at him normally.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
Mohan smiled.
“Nothing.”
She studied his face for a moment.
“You didn’t sleep properly, did you?”
“Office tension.”
Padma nodded but didn’t seem convinced.
They had breakfast together almost normally.
Yet Mohan noticed something different.
Padma was unusually quiet.
Not frightened.
Not angry.
Just thoughtful.
Before leaving for work, Mohan asked casually,
“About yesterday… are you okay?”
Padma paused.
“Yes.”
“Are you sure?”
She looked at him.
“I said I’m okay.”
Then, after a few seconds, she added quietly:
“Don’t ask me about him.”
Mohan nodded.
“Okay.”
He left for work.
But while driving, one thought kept returning to him:
Why had Padma specifically asked him not to talk about Rajan?
Was she trying to forget him?
Or was she trying to hide something?
Mohan hated himself for even thinking about it.
At the office, he couldn’t concentrate.
Then his phone vibrated.
A message from Rajan.
“Don’t ask her anything. Let her think.”
Mohan stared at the screen.
Rajan had somehow anticipated exactly what he was doing.
Another message arrived.
“This is only the beginning.”
Mohan locked his phone.
For the first time, the excitement he once associated with Rajan’s messages was mixed with something else.
Mohan woke earlier than usual.
For several minutes he simply stared at the ceiling, remembering the previous night.
The theatre.
Rajan sitting beside Padma.
Padma’s discomfort.
And finally, the message Mohan had seen at four in the morning.
He turned toward Padma.
She was still sleeping.
For the first time, Mohan couldn’t decide whether he wanted to wake her up and ask what she was thinking—or pretend that nothing had happened.
When Padma finally woke, she looked at him normally.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
Mohan smiled.
“Nothing.”
She studied his face for a moment.
“You didn’t sleep properly, did you?”
“Office tension.”
Padma nodded but didn’t seem convinced.
They had breakfast together almost normally.
Yet Mohan noticed something different.
Padma was unusually quiet.
Not frightened.
Not angry.
Just thoughtful.
Before leaving for work, Mohan asked casually,
“About yesterday… are you okay?”
Padma paused.
“Yes.”
“Are you sure?”
She looked at him.
“I said I’m okay.”
Then, after a few seconds, she added quietly:
“Don’t ask me about him.”
Mohan nodded.
“Okay.”
He left for work.
But while driving, one thought kept returning to him:
Why had Padma specifically asked him not to talk about Rajan?
Was she trying to forget him?
Or was she trying to hide something?
Mohan hated himself for even thinking about it.
At the office, he couldn’t concentrate.
Then his phone vibrated.
A message from Rajan.
“Don’t ask her anything. Let her think.”
Mohan stared at the screen.
Rajan had somehow anticipated exactly what he was doing.
Another message arrived.
“This is only the beginning.”
Mohan locked his phone.
For the first time, the excitement he once associated with Rajan’s messages was mixed with something else.


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