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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Rudra's instincts just kicked in the moment he saw her body swaying and eyes closing. His reflexes didn't disappoint him at all this time too.
But the moment Ishani fell in his arms and her head lulled to the side, his mind just jumbled up with dangerous thoughts. He picked her up bridal style and rushed inside the aircraft.
Settling her on the couch in the cabin, he called to Ram.
"Get me some water," he commanded the moment Ram came.
"Ishani!" he called out to her but she didn't respond.
He pulled her into arms and instantly felt the burning heat of her skin. Tensing up suddenly, he pressed his palm to her forehead and realised that she had a fever.
"Hukum!" he heard Ram call out to him as he came near with the glass of water.
"Sprinkle some on her face."
Just as the cold water hit her face, he rubbed it slightly trying to wake her up but nothing really happened.
"Ishani!" he called out again but still nothing.
"Ishani!" he called out her name again, shaking her body a little.
But she was out cold.
He gestured towards Ram to sprinkle some more. Once he did, Rudra shook her body a little harder than before.
"ISHANI!"
This time, as his voice went some notches higher, he felt her stir a little.
Ishani blinked her eyes multiple times before she opened them groggily. She had wanted to sleep but somebody had been calling her name from the distance. And then there was this familiar touch, which awakened some lovable memories that she held dear to her heart; however, along with these memories came an ache that she didn't have a balm for.
As the bright light around her registered, she closed her eyes again trying to avoid it.
"Ishani!"
The soft call made her open her eyes and slowly the image in front merged from a series of blur edges to form the face that she wanted to avoid. But even though his face reminded her of all the pain she felt, still her eyes drank him in. Her gaze glided up from his pointed chin, his perfectly trimmed beard, his chiselled and rigid jaw line to the scar on his eyebrows.
And then as it slipped to his lips, she remembered the way they had felt on hers but along with came the sting of his last words.
"I had thought you would be different. But you are the same as everyone else."
A lone unhindered tear slipped from her eye and she instantly looked away.
"Leave us," she heard him command.
As the room emptied, she heard him call out to Ram.
"Get some food and juice."
Just as she heard him, she got up and straightened. She squirmed and felt his arms fall away. Clutching the armrest of the couch, she got and swayed a little.
Rudra was there beside her instantly but she avoided the hand he offered.
The best thing to do was to get as far away as possible from him.
You know it's not his fault, her heart reminded her.
But she was too riled up to listen to it.
It didn't matter whose fault it was; they could have worked it if he had given her the chance to explain.
Staggering to the bed, she collapsed on it and placed her head in her palms. Everything around her was whirling in circles and her eyes were flaming up like hot coals.
And on the top of all this, he was standing some paces away staring at her.
And to top it all, her eyes refused to stop shedding tears.
Oh, stop it, please, she scolded herself.
Suddenly the knock on the door interrupted her thoughts and she sat up straight rubbing her face vigorously to take away the evidence of her tears.
In the corner of her eye, she saw Ram wheel in the food trolley. But she just closed her eyes not wanting to look at anything.
She didn't want to; all she wanted to do was to curl up somewhere away from all this and close her eyes and forget about the past days.
The door clicked shut and again she knew he was staring at her but she did not have the energy to ask or say anything.
Taking the support of the bed, she got up on her feet and took a step towards the door.
"Sit!"
His soft yet authoritative command forced her to look at him but she didn't stop. She took another step towards the door but her body didn't support her this time. Her head swam and darkness again started to engulf her.
Rudra rushed towards her and picked her up in his arms. As he again settled her on the couch, he gripped her shoulders and pushed her back on the cushions, making her lie down.
But stubborn as she was, Ishani struggled to get up.
"Stay put or I swear I'll tie you to the couch," she heard him say through clenched teeth.
Holding her body still with one hand, he pulled the food trolley with the other and settled next to her.
"Eat," he ordered offering her a buttered toast.
"I'm not hungry," she choked out avoiding his eyes.
"That can't be true coz you've not eaten anything in the past 48 hours. So stop behaving like an obstinate child and eat."
Anger flared in her just as she heard him. How dare he call her an obstinate child?
She twisted and tried to free herself from his vice grip but his fingers just tightened their grasp on her wrist.
"Let me go."
"No, Ishani, I won't. You will eat and sit here till we reach Delhi."
"I have eaten."
"No, you haven't."
"How do you know?" she asked looking straight into his eyes.
"You forget that I own that hotel."
"So you know the eating schedule of all your guests?"
"No, only the ones that I take interest in. Now, EAT," he said scowling.
Ishani felt silent and took the toast from him. She took a bite and started to chew but the past events just flooded her mind, and tears slipped out. As the toast fell from her hand, she felt his arm going around her.
She buried her face into his chest as sobs of regret escaped her.
Rudra held her till her crying subsided and then when she looked up, he brushed the remaining ones tenderly.
