What happens when betrayal mars innocent hearts in love?
What happens when innocence is destroyed and a monster is created?
What happens when judgement is ruled by the burning feeling of retribution?
This is a Quartet (4 part book) and this one bein...
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The sun had gone down the hills and the night sky had come alive with countless stars but Ishani's inner sky was laden with dark and desolate clouds that not only thundered relentlessly but also howled with every drop of heated rain that fell on the ground.
She wiped her tears and tried her best to think about something else but nothing really settled in the centre stage of her mind. Feeling miserable, she picked up her phone to dial Annie's number then just kept it back knowing that she could no way talk to her friend right now without shedding endless tears. Her head had already started to ache with all the waterworks she had had since Rudra left her room.
Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the ring of the doorbell. Ignoring it, she just went back to watching the night sky but then again it rang with greater intensity.
What if it's Rudra?
Just as the thought registered, she jumped and ran towards the door. But her excitement just faded into thin air as one of the hotel staff stood in the doorway with her dinner.
"I am not hungry. Take it away," she said in rush and closed the door not even waiting for an acknowledgement.
She can't eat not with this feeling of dread and despair in the pit of her stomach. Biting her lip, she tried to control the fresh onslaught of tears and went back to her perch on the balcony chair.
Ishani woke up with a start as the horn of a passing safari jeep sounded. Squinting she tried to adjust her eyes to bright afternoon sun but failed. She shielded her eyes and got up from the chair. The muscles of her back protested for sleeping in one position that too in a balcony chair. Groggily, she somehow stumbled to the couch and collapsed on it.
Disturbed sleep was not good for a disturbed mind and that's exactly how her night had been. She had woken up a multiple times sometimes with scary nightmares and sometimes with a feeling that Rudra was calling her. Actually, she had checked her phone countless times in the night but nothing.
No calls, no messages.
And frankly, she did not have the guts to call him.
After what happened she did not even have the courage to face him. She could only hope that someday he would forgive her. But till then she will be more than miserable and heartbroken as ever.
The venom of his last words was so potent that it had actually poisoned each and every sinew of her brain. There was nothing in her mind other than the echo of his words. Her conscience was another thing that was bickering her continuously reminding her mistake again and again.
As the guilt rose inside her, her body slanted on the couch and she pressed her face into the cushion and let her tears flow.
But that was definitely not enough. She needed to find him. She needed to say sorry. She didn't want him to forgive her; she wouldn't have done it if she were in his place.
Determined, she changed in a flash and was out of the room like lightning.
At first, she went to his tree house but he wasn't there. As per the cleaning crew, he had left his room quite early. Her heart sunk as she came to know that he had checked out too.
Not wasting a single minute, she straightaway went to the reception and asked about him but they also told her the same thing, he had checked out early. But they didn't know where he had gone.
She about to dial Ram's number when someone called her name. She turned and instantly grimaced. Samantha was sitting on one of the couches smiling at her or rather laughing at her with pity written all over her face.
"You can't find him right?" she asked getting up and coming towards her.
Ishani was about to retort but Samantha's raised hand stopped her.
"Well do you expect him to stay here after what happened yesterday?"
Scowling, Ishani let out an angry sigh and looked at her phone again to dial Ram's number.
"He has left for London with Nina yesterday night," Samantha said snickering.
Ishani's head snapped up and she looked at Samantha with confusion but as the words sunk in, confusion slowly turned into desolation.
He had straightaway gone to another woman's arms from hers.
Dejected, she turned away from Samantha and left the reception.
Every pore in her body was screaming to call him up but she just didn't listen to her instincts at all. Instead, she dialled Annie's number. Her friend was the only one who could understand the state of her heart right now.
Ishani kept the phone on the table and slumped back on the couch. Even after talking for an hour with Annie, she was still in the same state of mind.
Frankly, she wanted him back.
He can't be with Nina; no ways.
He had said he had loved her then why did he leave with her?
He could have fought with her, argued with her or did anything else but leave like this.
"You should have given me a chance to explain," she said to his picture on her phone.
"I am sorry."
Given the opportunity, she was willing to say sorry a million times, beg for his forgiveness if that's what would bring him back.
But he was gone; gone forever.
He is not coming back, Ishani. He will never be back in your life.
Fresh tears of regret started to fall and she instantly wiped them off. She was about to lie down on the couch when a loud knock on the door stopped her.
Reluctantly she got up and went to the door. When she opened it, she saw one of the hotel staff standing there with a food trolley.
"Ma'am, your lunch," she said smiling.
"I am not hungry. You can take this away."
Ishani was about to close the door when another staff appeared and handed her a piece of paper. Apparently, Rudra had arranged for her journey back to Delhi.
"Ma'am, a car is already waiting to take you to Khajuraho Airport. You can leave in half an hour.
She nodded and closed the door, crumbling the note in her fist.
