Prithvi... [Vol 3]

Chapter 73

"Gone," Nandini said distantly.

It had vanished with the first few sips of tea. Along with it, all other kinds of hellish agony had reduced too. Now there was merely a beastly rage within her that was blackening out everything in her mind except the image of the girl kissing Prithvi.

She had to do something to calm down before she gave into the demands of every nerve in her body and went to the adjacent house to slaughter Prithvi, slice him into small....minuscule...bits, throw the pieces to vultures and watch the birds feed on the flesh...

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Sumer Singh kept the empty plates and glasses in the sink, wishing there was a polite way in which he could encourage the visitors to leave. And to think he'd felt delighted at the unexpected arrival of 24-year-old Rohit and 19-year-old Anika.

They'd been travelling continuously for a week, and after this sojourn in Shamli, they planned to visit many popular destinations in India before heading back to the US, where their families were settled. Early on in the tête-à-tête, making use of Prithvi's brief absence, Sumer Singh had brought up the topic of the prince's recent 'accident' and hospitalisation. Their heartfelt concern had allayed his fears that they would ask Prithvi to join the tour. Now it seemed like he had gotten worried for no reason.

Prithvi wouldn't have accompanied them even if he was absolutely fit. Because while he'd been surprised yet pleased to see Rohit, his reaction to Anika was a different matter altogether.

Anika...that wretched girl had kissed Prithvi in public, and two people had witnessed the scene.

Anxiety welled within Sumer Singh again. He had seen Jayesh Chawla hurrying away embarrassedly, and was convinced that the "news" would spread to everyone in the area by nightfall.

And that was not the worst of it. Nandini had seen the drama too. She surely would have misunderstood the nature of the relationship between Prithvi and Anika, and who could blame her for it. He himself had reservations until he'd pried the unpleasant story out of Rohit.

"That woman thinks she is God's gift to men."

Sumer Singh glanced around at the grumble. Sankatmochan was limping into the kitchen with a disgruntled air.

"What did you do, Sankat?" Sumer Singh asked sternly.

"I was simply trying to be gracious to her because I felt bad about Prithvi's behaviour," Sankatmochan insisted, settling down on a stool near the platform.

Sumer Singh remained silent.

Prithvi undoubtedly found the girl insufferable. Yet, in spite of his brutal indifference, Anika continued to look upon him with a fervent admiration.

Post the initial episode, Prithvi had glanced at her again only at the end of two hours, when he'd asked the guests to rest after their long journey. Rohit had said he wanted to freshen up first, and Anika had expressed a desire to go for a walk.