CHAPTER LXIII
"I've had the divorce papers prepared."
My voice was quiet as I said it.
I slowly moved my wheelchair toward Sita. The wheels made a faint sound against the floor, but she didn't look up. She sat there silently, her hands resting in her lap.
Sita had once been completely different.
She used to be cheerful and talkative, always finding something to say or laugh about. But the woman sitting in front of me now seemed like a completely different person. She was quiet, still, almost like a statue. There was no anger on her face, no questions, no tears.
Just silence.
I moved a little closer.
Then, just as I was about to take another step toward her, a cold breeze brushed against me.
I stopped.
My eyes slowly moved toward the calendar hanging on the wall.
Today.
The same date.
The day I had first met Sita.
For a moment, the room disappeared from my mind, and an old memory came rushing back.
The bus station was crowded that day. People were coming and going, buses arriving and leaving, but among all those unfamiliar faces, one person had caught my attention.
Sita.
She had been sitting at the bus station, waiting for the person she loved—the person she believed was me.
Her face was partially hidden behind a bouquet of flowers she was holding. I couldn't see her properly. Only her eyes were visible between the flowers.
But those eyes...
The moment I saw them, something inside me stopped.
I did... Looking at who she was. I did... To know what her story was. I hadn't even seen her face clearly.
Yet her eyes were enough to steal my heartbeat for a moment. And that moment my heart she's mine... My person... My Sita...
I remember looking at her quietly, trying to see her face through the bouquet, but she remained unaware of me.
She looked just as lost in her thoughts then as she did now.
And there I was, the person who had stolen Rama's identity, standing there and watching the woman who would eventually become such an important part of my life.
Even today, after everything that had happened, Sita was still beautiful.
The memory continued.
The bus finally arrived.
Sita stood up and hurried toward it, still holding the bouquet. As she tried to climb aboard, her foot suddenly slipped.
I instinctively moved forward to help her.
But before I could reach her, a man standing nearby quickly caught her and helped her regain her balance.
"Careful," he said.
Sita steadied herself and gave him a small nod of gratitude.
I remained where I was for a moment, watching her but still didn't see her full face.
Then I quietly stepped onto the same bus, following a short distance behind her.
She didn't know who I really was.
And I had no idea that the girl whose face I hadn't even properly seen, whose eyes alone had stolen my heartbeat, would one day become the person sitting in front of me, waiting for me to let her go...
Sita got off the bus, and I quietly followed behind her.
For a while, she seemed completely unaware of me. But after walking a little distance, she suddenly slowed down.
She had noticed.
Someone was following her.
I could see her hand slip into her bag. At the same time, her walking pace changed. She started walking faster.
I followed her.
She walked faster.
I walked faster.
Then, suddenly, she started running.
"Wait!" I thought, and immediately ran after her.
But after a short distance, I lost sight of her.
She had completely disappeared.
I stopped, breathing heavily, and looked around.
Nothing.
I sighed in disappointment and pulled my phone out of my pocket. Maybe I should just leave...
I turned around.
Pssshhh!
Something hit my face.
A sharp burning sensation exploded across my eyes.
"AAAH!"
I stumbled backward, covering my face.
"What the hell?! Why did you spray me?!"
Through my burning eyes, I heard Sita's voice.
"Why were you stalking me?"
I froze.
Of all the questions she could have asked...
I didn't even feel like explaining myself.
"My eyes! Aah! You crazy girl!"
Before I could complain any further, Sita quickly placed her hand over my mouth.
"Shhh!"
Her voice became serious.
"This place is completely deserted. And we're both girls. If someone hears you screaming, we'll be in trouble."
I could only make a muffled,
"Uuu... uuu..."
Her hand was still covering my mouth.
Apparently, arguing was no longer an option.
Then, without giving me much time to react, Sita grabbed me and started helping me move away from there.
I was still struggling to see through the burning in my eyes when I suddenly heard something.
Footsteps.
Coming toward us.
Slow.
Heavy.
Getting closer.
I immediately went silent.
For a moment, one thought crossed my mind.
This crazy girl has somehow brought me straight into an underworld hideout.
Why else would there be mysterious footsteps approaching us in the middle of nowhere?
Sita pulled me toward a nearby pillar.
"Stand here," she whispered.
I followed her instructions without questioning anything.
A second later, I felt my back against the pillar.
And then I realized something else.
Sita was standing extremely close to me.
Much closer than necessary.
She pressed herself against me as she tried to keep us hidden, one hand still covering my mouth.
I could feel her breathing.
Neither of us moved.
The footsteps came closer.
My heart started beating faster—not entirely because of fear.
I couldn't see her face properly, but I could feel how close she was.
And strangely enough, despite the burning in my eyes and the mysterious people approaching us, I couldn't help thinking,
This is the same girl whose eyes had stolen my heartbeat the first time I saw her.
Only now, instead of stealing my heartbeat...
She had nearly blinded me.
And now, I still didn't want her to move away....
Suddenly, a storm of voices began echoing in my ears.
"Boss, we found a phone here!"
"Whose phone is this?"
My heart nearly stopped.
Hearing those voices, Sita leaned closer and whispered nervously,
"Please tell me you didn't drop your phone here..."
I carefully checked my pocket with one hand.
Nothing.
My phone was gone.
I slowly turned toward her.
"Yes," I whispered. "It's mine."
Then I added under my breath,
"And I'm pretty sure it fell because of you."
Sita stared at me.
"Because of me?"
"Yes! You were the one running around like a frightened rabbit and then spraying me in the face!"
She opened her mouth to argue, but I continued in a whisper,
"There are personal photos on that phone. What are we going to do now?"
I was about to say something else when a small sound escaped me.
Unfortunately, someone heard it.
"Wait!"
The voices suddenly became louder.
"There's someone here!"
My eyes widened.
Sita panicked.
Before I could react, she quickly moved closer and placed her lips against mine to silence me.
Everything went quiet.
For a moment, I forgot about the people searching for us.
I could feel her warm breath against my face, and the sudden closeness made my heartbeat jump.
Sita was clearly terrified. She pressed herself closer to me, trying to make sure neither of us was noticed.
She was slightly taller than me, so in her attempt to hide us, she practically had me pinned against the pillar.
I couldn't see her properly, but I could feel how close she was.
My mind, meanwhile, had apparently decided that this was the perfect time to stop functioning.
First she sprayed my eyes.
Then she dragged me into what looks like an underworld hideout.
And now she's kissing me to keep me quiet.
Honestly, I wasn't sure whether I was in danger or simply having the strangest romantic encounter of my life.
The footsteps came closer.
Sita didn't move.
Neither did I.
Her lips remained against mine for a few tense seconds, and I could feel her breathing becoming quicker.
Then suddenly—
A phone rang.
Everyone around us went silent.
The boss answered the call.
After a brief conversation, he ordered the others to leave.
"Come on. We're leaving."
Their footsteps slowly faded away.
I finally let out the breath I'd been holding.
Sita slowly pulled away from me.
We looked at each other.
Neither of us said a word.
Then I remembered something.
"My phone!"
We hurried toward the place where they'd found it.
But my relief lasted only a second.
They had already thrown my phone into a nearby dustbin.
I stared at it in disbelief.
Sita looked at me.
I looked at her.
Then I sighed.
"First my eyes... now my phone."
She lowered her gaze, trying not to smile.
And despite everything, I couldn't help smiling too.
Somehow, getting into trouble with Sita felt strangely less frightening than facing the possibility of losing her.