What's Written In The Stars [H.S]

Part 46

"Hello Aditi." Mr. Fernandez says as he takes a chair and drags it to the right side of my bed. He takes a seat and adjusts his tie and coat.

"I know you must be exhausted and this isn't really a good time. I know you want some time with your family and probably would be needing some space, but this can't be delayed further. I really must know what happened that evening. I know it must be really hard. But please....we're doing this for you." He lets out a deep sigh and looks at me with uncertainty.

Tell him everything?  I turn my head towards the window, it's dawn. The sunlight streaking through the blue sky, filling a new day with new hope. I close my eyes and sigh, as a lump forms in my throat.

"Sweetie, you don't have to do it now. If you need time, we can wait." Aliya speaks softly, as she holds my hand.

"It's fine." I say, "It's just difficult, I don't know whether I'll be able to recall the whole thing...." My eyes burn as I try to hold back the tears.

"Let me make it easier for you." Mr. Fernandez says after a while, "I think it will be better if I ask you questions. That way it will be quick and easier."

I nod my head and Mr. Fernandez starts.

"Okay, let's start easy, yeah?" I nod my head in response.

"Could you tell me where were you when you were assaulted?" He asks in a firm tone, determined to get some answers.

"The green room." I reply.

"Were you alone in the green room the whole time? Or was there someone with you?"

"No, the whole team was there. We were helping the dream team with their last minute practices."

"And then what happened?"

"One by one everyone started leaving as Karan called out their names, for their performances." I say slowly. My throat starts to feel constricted as my brain goes over the scene. The images start flashing in my mind, like a projector.

I look at Mr. Fernandez, who nods, asking me to continue. I take a deep breath in, trying to control my voice and ignoring the clenching feeling in my stomach.

"Soon it was time for the last performance and like we do in every show, the dazzlings went upto to the back stage to watch the crowd's reaction." I pause.

"And you stayed behind, right?" Questions the inspector with a anxious look on his face.

I nod my head in response.

"Why didn't you go along with them?"

"I didn't want to. I wasn't in the mood." I reply with a shrug. It was true, I didn't want to go, I was lost in thoughts about how that show was going to be the second last show, how I was going to take up the modelling offer.

"Okay....and then what happened?" He asks with a curious expression.

I look down at my fingers and start twiddling my thumbs. The lump in my throat doesn't allow me to speak further. Tears threatening to fall, I can't do this. I close my eyes shut, but it was of no use as Tom's angry, drunk face appears in my mind.

"Aditi...if you don't want to then it's fine." Aliya's soft voice reaches my ears.

I look up at them, a tear escapes my eye, "No, I-I have to d-do this." I stammer as I look up at Aliya. My eyes go over to Dad and Aditya who look like they might just break down any minute.

"I was a-alone, when everyone left. That's w-when he came in and l-locked the door. I panicked, n-not knowing what to do. I thought of c-calling someone, but m-my phone was on the other s-side of the room." I gasp for air, hiccupping slightly. I could taste the saltiness as tears start running down my face.

Aliya soon comes and stands next to me, rubbing my back in circles, trying to calm me down. With my blurry vision I look up and see both Aditya and Dad gone, with the door closing slowly behind them.

"Aditi....it's okay." She pauses, "Mr. Fernandez, is this really necessary?" Aliya says in a pleading tone.

"I'm sorry Aliya, but this is really important for us to know what happened exactly."

"But we already know what happened! We know that the Tom guy assaulted her! What more do you need to know?" Aliya argues back.

"Dear, I understand this is all very difficult. But we need to have an official report from the victim. It makes everything clear!" Mr. Fernandez says patiently.

Aliya opens her mouth to retort, but then closes it again. Her hand still on my back as she glares at the inspector.

"Aliya, you know that an hour of the footage is missing. If she tells us everything, we would have a clear picture of what actually happened. I'm trying to help here, I'm not the bad guy." Mr. Fernandez speaks softly.

Aliya nods her head and sits down beside me, holding my trembling hands in hers.

"Okay, so he came into the room and locked it, you looked for you cell but couldn't get to it. What did you do next?" He asks slowly.

I gulp and wipe my flowing tears, "I-I backed up against the wall and thought I would r-run away, but he came closer and s-started t-touching me ...." I sob harder, tears bursting like a waterfall, my whole body shaking at the thought. I grip the sheets, my fist clenching. And that's when I realise, that's when it actually hits me. I've been abused, assaulted.

"Oh Aditi..." Aliya hugs me and tries to calm me down.
I take a few deep breaths, in and out, trying to calm myself down. But the sobs don't stop.

"I-I don't know what happened a-after." I say finally.

"What do you mean?" Asks Mr. Fernandez asks sympathetically, as he hands me a glass of water.

"I r-remember getting a-away from him, but as I r-reached the door, he hit my head o-on the door and everything w-went black."

I don't know what happened after. What if he did  something more?

"So that's all you can remember?" Mr. Fernandez asks and I nod my head, wiping off the tears.

"Well if you're thinking that he might have raped you, then you should know that he didn't." Admits Mr. Fernandez.

My hiccups suddenly stop as I hear those words. What?

"No, Aditi he didn't." Says Aliya too, "The doctor confirmed it, though you were sexually assaulted, you weren't raped. There were no signs of it." She says as she smiles weakly.

I don't know what to say. I know I am grateful that the worse didn't happen. But there's something wrong.

"There's something fishy there, isn't it?" Says Mr. Fernandez, saying my thoughts out loud.

I nod my head, "Yes....the way h-he came into the room, he was d-drunk, I thought he would....."

"But he didn't." Mr. Fernandez says, "That's the fishy part. I mean he comes in all aggressive and drunk, but doesn't do anything once you're unconscious."

"Maybe he's a psychopath. Maybe he wanted you to be conscious." Suggests Aliya.

"Maybe, we don't know what kind of a person we're dealing with. We need to gather more information about him, to know what kind of a person he is. This is why I wanted to speak to you, Aditi." Mr. Fernandez explains.

I don't say anything but hum in response. I take in a few breaths as I calm down. My cheeks still wet with tears.

"Did you talk to him before? As in were you close like friends?" Asks Mr. Fernandez.

I shake my head, "No, I hardly knew him. Since he was in charge of security, we only met him when we were leaving or entering the stadium or during meetings." I answer, "You said that an hour of the security footage was missing...."

"Yes, someone from the surveillance room had deleted an hour of footage of the entire stadium, the exact time when this incident occurred."

"How come? You mean to say someone was helping him?" I look at him, my eyes widen. I can't believe this, who would do such a thing?!

"Yes, there was someone else helping him. This guy from the surveillance room is named John Kerry. Both John and Tom are on the run."