Chapter 1

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On a drizzly morning, Ramit knocked on his wife's door. His marriage was a year old and it somehow turned into an abyss. At least, to him. Why were things the way they were? He thought about it almost all the time. His wife always said she loved peace and calm in her life but where was the line between that and how they were? Living apart and meeting once in a while. They were married, for god's sake.

He was deeply in love with her though. All he wanted was her to value him and his feelings. He did not even need her to love him back.

He moved to one side, giving up the shelter of the eave from the rain. If she finds him through the peephole, it would be a wasted journey. Whenever she found him 'disturbing,' she'd turned a blind eye and completely ignored him and his words, to keep her 'peace.' And he was there, disturbing her, or rather trying to disrupt her plans.

She bought this house when they got married with all of her savings. Few moments later, she opened the door and he quickly went in. She had a look of disapproval on her face. He didn't know if he was heartbroken yet, but he definitely felt very bitter.

"You're done packing?" He asked with a dumb expression.

"Yes?" Her reply was curt, too curt.

"I finished lining up everything. I can come with you." The last five days were the busiest he'd ever been. He chose two more assistants and decided to trust them while he'd be remote for who knows how long.

Moments passed. It was like the calm before the storm. He could feel her seething with anger.

"I don't want to live with anyone!" She shouted. It was rare for her to lose her calm like that. Her tone was always measured, no ups and downs, no holding back, and unaffected by anything.

"No, listen to me..." he tried softly. He gently caught her arms, which felt warm to his freezing hands. A part of his shirt was slightly wet.

"I told you long before that we won't live together." She slapped one of his hands away.

"I know... But I want to know why? It's been a year. Won't you still tell me?" In fact, their relationship was pretty good when they started out as newlyweds, but just for a month. In fact it was so good, he had his hopes pushed to the clouds.

She gave him a hard stare. He slowly withdrew his other hand.

"I have work to do. I should go now." She said calmly and turned away, checking her keys, passport and visa.

He took a deep breath. He was scared, but he had to put all his cards out. If hell broke loose and everything fell apart, let it! "I went to your office. Your boss told me that you chose to be transferred there yourself."

Strangely, there was no change in her countenance at all.

"Yes, I did." The tilt of her head was a precise translation of how she mocked him, without a trace of guilt.

"And you lied to everyone saying it was not in your hands..." he said in disbelief. Everyone, his parents, her parents and finally to him.

She shrugged it off. "Let's just get a divorce! I'm going!" She banged the door and left to catch her plane.

Left alone, he stood silently. He sighed and walked around to find another set of keys. He took off his shirt, wiped his arm with it and spread it out to dry. The place was relatively new to him. She never came to his house, nor did she like him in hers. Where did they meet then? Hotels. That was how bad things stood for a while now.

He carefully searched in all the corners she would keep the keys to hide them from him. But he found none and walked out with a weak smile, picking his shirt and locking the door from inside. Once down, he opened the trunk of his car. The luggage he had packed hurriedly came into view. He sighed again. Moving the luggage a bit, he made room for the potted plant that caught his attention just before while he toured the house. There was no dropper nor any other make do water facility. She left it to die in that empty house.

As he drove out of the building, he remembered he didn't have any work at all. Maybe he should use this time to break some habits, like the one ingrained in him to keep thinking of her. Why did he still love her?

∼•∽

Next month he flew to France to find her. It was enough gap for her to cool down and act like whatever happened wasn't of importance. And he... thought it was good for him, so much for breaking habits. He phoned her soon after. After many rings she finally picked up.

"What is it?"

"How are you?"

"Good."

"Oh, I came to Paris. Where are you living?"

"We'll get a hotel. Is tonight fine?"

"No." He was resolute this time. What was marriage to her, really? Just sex?

"Sure, tell me when you have time."

"Not to a hotel, take me home."

"You need me to book you a flight back? Is your account exhausted?" she said so spontaneously that it took him a moment to reply.

"Cut it out, you know what I'm saying. Give me your address."

"I don't like people in my house. I'm busy."

"Are you not people!" He said with some frustration but the call was already cut.

∼•∽

He did not leave. Before, although they were in the same city, she'd lived in her one person apartment. He lived in his own condo. All that while, whenever someone questioned, he'd cover up one way or the other, or just take the blame himself.

After a week, his itinerary there, which had meeting 3 co-founders of his company who lived in Europe, was done.

He had a baby company that he had started with a team of peers. It was in fact three years old but still in infancy. After all, he didn't rely on it. He had a stable job. By immense luck, his employer let him start his own business.

During university, a girl, Preethi asked him to join what was called 'Protectors'. He could not help but laugh at the name, after which he quickly apologised. Preethi was in the same class as him and hailed from India too. She teamed up with some seniors for a competition and the theme one of them drew was 'Protectors'. They already had 4 on the team and they were on a hunt for the last teammate. All the 4 were computer science majors. They needed someone to take care of the encryption, which was essential for the theme they picked. So Preethi had come to the mathematics college and found him, an Indian who also had computers as his minor. He agreed to join them.

For that competition, they developed a security software and ended up as runners up. However after that, Ramit proposed to work on something more instead of the team being dissolved. Each of them recognised the potential and capabilities of the other. He had himself learned quite a lot in the hours he put in for the software. They gathered more people to join in and the number finally went up to 10. As the project would need, they also had a student from journalism school on the team.

They called themselves 'Protectors 10', as fancy as it could get. The project was aimed at decentralised and anonymous journalism. Only then, would every news be seen in every perspective. That was how they were going to protect the world and make it a better place. Known for his calmness even in pessimistic situations and being the initiator, Ramit was their leader of sorts.

It was more of a hobby to all of them. But the faith they had in being 'Protectors' was everyone's fantasy. It opened their ideas with no bounds at all. Truth to be told, research went on more than any tangible work there.

It was only a year later that they finally made a program. It was an elementary version of what they dreamed of. Some of them had already graduated and he would graduate and had to leave for home soon too. It took a while for everyone to get back to their dream project.

Now, after 2 years since then everybody had graduated and had a stable life. So they brooded about taking things up a notch. Because security was involved, the first step was to establish a trustworthy entity and hire journalists for their work. He wanted to have a strategic share of the company, a 26% share so as to hold the veto right. After all, he was the one who proposed it and the one who was putting in the most effort. But when the time for the investment came, costs had shot up and he had to settle with 20%. He refrained from asking his parents for the money and simply borrowed from the bank. Rest came from the rest of the Protectors. He named the company Hidden. That name had so much weight, it was in no way only fancy.

There was a good reason as to why he did not ask for his dad's money. He had a great love for mathematics. But his family had a jewellery business, which went by another fancy name, Sapphire Stone. Both his parents wanted him to get a certificate in business management so that he could overlook the affairs of their business. But he was very stubborn. In the end, he decided to lie to them.

When he came back after graduation, he even silently walked around and lazed in Sapphire Stone for a week. The first time he attended a meeting with his father, he was clueless. He only understood what a lay man would. And that was very little. He had not signed any document and things became stagnant, while he read the legal contracts word to word, with a dictionary on corporate terms beside him.

After the second meeting, his father had a bad feeling. After all, his son had not even shown him his Masters certificate.

Finally, when Ramit reluctantly pulled out his certificate, a big feud broke out between him and his parents. The university was what they expected but both major and minor degrees had nothing to do with running a business. Mathematics - Number theory was his major and Computer Science - Cryptography and Cyber Security was his minor.

After some shock, his father raised his voice. "What do you think you're going to do with all of this?"

Ramit cowered a little but in an attempt to appease his parents, he spoke out slowly, "Papa, maa, I got a job. It pays well too. They even have a branch here."

His father's face twisted in anger. His scowl showed how mad he was.

"Then what about the business?" his mother shouted.

"Isn't Ria studying Design? She'll help you." Later on you'll marry her to a guy who can do good business anyway, he thought.

∼•∽

He called his wife again. She was more of the reason he had flown to Paris. Of course, it helped his business too.

"Let's get lunch."

"I can't come. Packed up with work." She hung up.

He called her again later when the sky turned dark. He knew if he let her go just like that, she'd take shelter of being busy with her job to avoid him many times in the future. In fact, it was what was happening already.

"Let's grab dinner."

"But I already had."

He pulled away his phone from his ear and the screen lit up showing time in one corner. It was 7:20. She would not eat this early.

"Okay, I'll come to your office." He knew where her office was. The corporation she worked for only had one branch in that country.

"What for?"

"... I'll drop you home." First, he had to find out where she lived.

"My car is here, no need."

Ramit sighed in his head. Here he was, riding a taxi. He was just visiting after all. "I'll drive you," he said.

She did not reply for a few moments and cut the call.

He had a quick dinner and went to her workplace and waited almost an hour before she showed up.

"I told you there was no need." She said before he could greet her and they walked to the parking lots.

"Just give me the keys." He took the keys from her hand and pressed a button. The car blinked its lights with a sound.

"There it is." He took a few files from her hands as they walked to the car.

She sat in the driver's seat. He was at a loss.

"Let me drive... I said I'll drop you."

"Just sit there," she nodded at the passenger seat.

He was happy. But he'd be a fool if he felt too happy. He was unsure.

"Hm."

The ride lasted 40 min. The car stopped and she got down.

He was angry and sad. Indeed, he thought. She brought them to a hotel. Again. And he knew she'd leave him there and go home and live her own life.

He walked away. He did not want that.

She seemed to understand. She muttered a "whatever" and sat back in her car. He put on his jacket when he sensed her driving away.

In the chill of the night he found himself in front of a bar. He sat there drinking alone and thinking back.

He had first seen her when she was a baby. Their mothers were friends, so when her mother went into labour, they had gone to greet with a bouquet of flowers. That time her eyes moved rapidly until they fell on him. He poked her cheek and giggled when she frowned.

As fate would have it, they went to the same highschool. He confessed in his last year of school. They dated for a week. Her face would show a deadpan expression when he said anything that went slightly beyond friendship. He didn't make a fuss and initiated a peaceful breakup.

After that, when he felt his career was stable, he reached out to her again. They met up at a restaurant and he started the matter telling her that he still loved her, to which she simply nodded and took the rose from him.

"My job might need me to work far away," she said.

He thought long distance relationships were sweet when he heard that. "We can manage."

"I don't want to live with anyone."

That sounded off to him but he was amused. "How so?"

"No reason. I just don't like it."

His amusement increased. "Well, it'll work for me."

But those words, he regretted them for a year now.

∼•∽

A/N:
Thanks a lot for giving my book a chance. Let me know what you think. This work is proofread but in case you find any mistakes at all, do let me know. (I proofread myself and since things are fresh in my mind, some errors might have skipped my attention.)

Keep the discussions civil. You may criticise me, my characters, or any aspect of my book. But refrain for criticising other readers' opinions. Vote and share with your friends. Your support means a lot to me.

So... stick around. I promise regular updates and no abandoning the story midway or going on a hiatus before this is done.

Have a great day/night/time ahead. Bye-bye. I'll see you in the next chapter!

[Edit]: This is the first book I completed writing, although I started it after A Run Home. In the process, I experimented and learnt quite a lot. So it will have a special place in my heart. I am very grateful for the successful completion of this story and I thank all the readers who gave me the motivation for it's completion.

Thank you.


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