Chita walked briskly, his thoughts a jumbled mess. He knew he couldn't avoid Santu's questions forever, but the call had come at just the right moment. Or maybe it had been the worst possible timing. Either way, he would have to face her soon—he just wasn’t ready to tell her the truth yet.
As he entered the station, the atmosphere was tense. The officers moved around, their faces etched with urgency. It wasn't hard to guess that something serious had happened.
Officer Rao rushed up to him, his face grim. "Chita sir, there's been a robbery at the Governor's residence. It's a high-profile case, and we need all hands on deck."
Chita nodded, his focus shifting. The weight of his personal turmoil was heavy, but duty always came first. "I’m on it. Have we dispatched any teams yet?"
"Yes, sir. We've already secured the scene. They're waiting for you to lead the investigation."
Chita quickly gathered his belongings and headed out, but Santu’s face kept flashing in his mind. Her frustration, her desperation for answers. He knew she deserved the truth. But how could he tell her that the reason he'd been avoiding her had nothing to do with her but everything to do with the shadows of his past?
---
Meanwhile, Santu lingered in the park for a moment, her heart still racing from the confrontation. Chita's evasion only deepened her suspicion. He wasn’t just hiding something—he was protecting her from something. But what?
She looked at her phone, tempted to follow him back to the station. But no, she needed space to think. Whatever Chita was keeping from her, it had started to affect them both. She couldn’t shake the feeling that it wasn’t just about their relationship. Something bigger was at play.
Santu (thinking): "I need to find out what’s really going on with Chita. Whatever he’s hiding, it’s tearing him apart. And I can't help him if he won’t trust me with the truth."
Determined to dig deeper, she headed toward the one place where she knew she might find answers—the archives. If Chita wasn't going to tell her, she'd have to uncover it on her own.
---
At the Governor's residence, Chita arrived and immediately began scanning the scene. The place was a mess—expensive vases shattered, drawers pulled out, and documents scattered everywhere. But something about the scene didn’t add up.
One of the junior officers approached him, holding a small notebook. "Sir, the Governor mentioned something was missing, but he wouldn't specify what. He seemed very nervous, like there’s more to this than a regular robbery."
Chita narrowed his eyes. He'd seen this kind of situation before—high-profile people hiding the real nature of the crime, likely because it involved something sensitive. His gut told him this was about more than stolen valuables.
Chita: "Let’s check the security footage and question everyone in the household. We need to know what they’re not telling us."
As they began reviewing the footage, Chita's phone buzzed again. It was Santu.
Santu (text): "I'm at the archives. I know you’re hiding something, Chita. If you won’t tell me, I’ll find out myself."
Chita's heart sank. He knew how relentless Santu could be when she was determined to uncover the truth. And if she started digging, she might stumble upon things that could put her in danger. Things she wasn’t ready to know.
He quickly typed a response.
Chita (text): "Santu, stop. Please. It's not what you think. I’ll explain everything when the time is right. Just... don’t dig into this. Trust me."
