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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Ishani felt sick as her heart twisted with bitterness.
Had he really meant it when he had said that Nina didn't mean anything to him?
As she looked at his face, her doubts were confirmed.
Rather than avoiding Nina's touch, he was basking in it.
There was still something between them.
So he had lied to her. But why?
Feeling like a fool, she started to move away but was stopped by their clasped hands. She started to pull her hand away but instantly felt him tighten his grip. Piqued and vexed on his double standards, she jerked her hand off.
As Manna saw her walking towards the door, he stopped her.
"Ma'am, you need first aid."
"No need, I can take care of it."
"Ishani, it's a huge cut. Get the first aid done and then Manna can drop you home," she heard Viman say as he gestured Rudra to shed his shirt.
But Rudra was looking at her with eyes that had a myriad of emotions flashing through them.
But none of them was love, and frankly, she was thankful, for right now she couldn't handle it.
She straightened her back and opened her bag. Then pulling out the cheque she offered it to Viman who took it from her hand looking bewildered.
"That's the whole amount of 10.5 lakhs, which SGH invested in the NGO. I am giving it back."
Viman was about to say something when her raised hand stopped him. He looked at Rudra and found him watching her, his face absolutely blank. The only show of emotion was the twitching of his clenched jaw.
"You guys still own the land, so I'll have to pay you guys rent. Let me know the monthly amount."
Saying this, she turned and started to leave.
"Ishani!"
Rudra's voice boomed in the room and she stopped at the door.
"Leave us. I need to speak to her alone."
Turning, she looked at him and smiled acerbically as her vision fell on Nina's arm around him.
"No, there's no need."
"Unlike you Mr Sangawat, I don't have people tending for me. I have to do everything on my own. My time is precious. And, right now neither do I have the time nor do I have the inclination to speak to you."
His eyes flared with anger but it did not deter her.
"In case you do need to speak to me, Mr Sangawat, then ask one of your staff to call me and fix a formal meeting. And, frankly, I don't think there's anything to talk about. You are my landlord and I am your tenant. That is the only relationship we have. Let's just stick to it."
Saying this, Ishani turned and briskly strode out of the suite without a backward glance.
She reached downstairs and started walking towards the bus stop where her booked cab was standing. As she boarded the cab, she instructed the driver to drive fast. Just as the cab reached her home, she paid him and jumped out of it and took the steps in double to get to her door.
And, the moment the door banged shut behind her, she crumbled to the floor. Tears of heartache mixed with fear just propelled out in great torrents as the incidents of the day played in her mind one by one.
What if the bullet had hit him?
What if she hadn't seen the man?
What if the glass had crashed on him?
Those are a lot of what ifs, Ishani, her mind told her. But nothing happened and he is safe. Can you not be happy with that?
No, I cannot be happy with that. There's a difference in hearing about all this and being there in the middle of it.
But death is not something new to you.
Yes, it is not. But every time someone close to me is hurt or dead, there is a part of me that dies. It pains like hell.
Ishani bit her lip to stop herself from crying out loud as howling madly will only worsen the situation. But her body wasn't listening to her signals at all. Even though it had held onto its nerves then, now it started to shiver dreadfully.
Ishani tried to stand but again collapsed on the floor as her legs refused to support her. To regain her strength, she hugged herself and rocked her body but somehow the shivering didn't stop instead it just increased by manifolds.
"ISHI!"
Pain and anger zipped through her as him screaming her name resounded in her ears.
No, please she begged her mind.
But the images started to take shape slowly. Without thinking, she started to crawl towards her bedroom. As she reached it, she somehow managed to open it. Her tear drenched eyes and fuzzy brain located the Shivling at the mini temple in the corner. Gingerly she got and instantly felt her legs wobble a little but still she managed to reach it.
As she grabbed it in her palms, her body shivered again and the images in her mind became more vivid. She could feel the onset of the nightmares again.
Shakily she opened her mouth and said in a panting voice, "Please Mahadev, help me."
And then started chanting Om Namah Shivaya till her throat started to become numb. But the images kept coming back.
Veera smiling at her while striding down the hill.
Him pulling her pigtail trying to cheer her up.
Him holding her in his arms as she cried over the way her family treated her.
"Ishi, I'll come back."
"For you."
But he never did. He left her.
She clutched the Shivling tightly trying to brush away the memories but her mind did not listen at all.
"Mahadev, please," she cried out as her back collided with the wall.
She again began the chanting and this time slowly the images started to subside. As she felt her body coming back to normal, she pressed the Shivling to her head and kept it back in the temple.
Clutching the bed, she got up and closed her eyes breathing hard.
But the moment she did, her mind threw her back on the street in front of the hotel.
She saw Rudra walking towards the gun and then heard that ear-splitting sound of breaking glass.
"RUDRA!"
Her scream rang through the room as her body collapsed on the floor, darkness engulfing her.
