Bound to leave

Chapter 22: Siddharth Concedes

Pihu's wedding was beautiful, the flowers, the traditions, and the pheras but Anisha's mind wasn't fully present at the ceremony. Siddharth had gone to the extent of faking an engagement. What about Natasha? Ultimately, how was she supposed to believe the man again after he had abandoned her? 

On the other hand, Anisha was apprehensive about what Abhir was up-to. Was he capable of hurting Siddharth for his brother's murder? Perhaps, vengeance was a strong emotion. She wanted the truth to come out but the last thing she wanted was anyone else getting harmed. 

Anisha recollected a conversation with Abhir on the flight. He had mentioned a promise he made to his father. Was Siddhesh Ahluwalia pulling all the strings? The grieving father avenging the murder of his young son. 

"Anisha, stop biting your nails!" Her mom nudged her arm. Anisha gulped anxiously. There was an avalanche of information crashing down on her. She sighed as thought about Neil and Shanaya. Anisha couldn't imagine the pain Shanaya was feeling. The man she loved was brutally taken away. 

There were so many questions left unanswered. The most crucial one being that of all the people who had entered that hotel room, who killed Neil? Dharam, Shanaya, or Sid! 

Anisha needed to find out before Abhir did anything stupid. She stepped out to make a phone call. "Sid? I need to know what happened in that room before I meet Abhir tonight," she mandated.

"Can't talk like that," his voice through the receiver crisp and cold.

"Then meet me again in that room." Anisha started to make her way to the Lost and Found office.

"I left and I'm an hour away from the Mirage right now. We can talk in the evening."

"That's too late! Abhir will be with me throughout the evening."

"I'll find a way to see you alone," The line went silent for a moment. "Hey, listen!"

"What? I'm still here." Anisha grumbled.

"I'm sorry I left the room like that."

"Creature of habit, aren't you?" She hung up abruptly. Anisha snorted at her remark. She was only sharpening her claws.

Suman beamed proudly watching her daughter adjust her pink lehenga for the evening reception. They had come back to their hotel room to change their outfits. "You look so beautiful, Anu. Abhir won't be able to take his eyes off you."

"Thanks, Ma. So do you, as always."

Abhir was waiting for them in the lobby and as Suman had predicted he was spellbound. Anisha loved his blue sherwani. A corner of his mouth lifted when he caught her checking him out, making her blush. 

As Suman handed their invitation at the venue, one guard inspected the card and looked up, "Sir, you will need an invitation to pass. Their card is an invite-only for 2 members." Anisha raised her eyebrows, surprised with the beefed-up security.

"I'm sorry?" Anu butted in, "He is with us, the bride is my cousin and she invited him as well."

"I'm sorry ma'am. He needs an invitation to pass." 

"Are you serious?" Abhir intercepted.

"Ma'am, you can check with the hotel management. My boss is here and he is seated in the last office," the guard pressed his lips together. "I'm not authorized to let him pass." 

"This is ridiculous! Let me call my brother. How can you insult my guest like that?" Suman barked at the stone faced man, who kept his eyes glued on Anisha. Intentionally. 

"Ahh actually, Ma! Why don't you go find Uncle? And in the meantime, I will go speak to his boss to see what he can do."

"Shameful service!" Her mom marched away towards the lawn entrance to look for her brother. Anisha hoped it would buy her some time away from Abhir.

"I'm sorry about this. I will get it sorted." Anisha's eyes sparkled as she parted with Abhir.

Anisha trudged down the hallway, looking back to make sure no one was following her. As she entered the familiar room, Sid was sitting on the same spot.

"You seem to enchant me every time we meet," he smirked adjusting his shirt cuffs. She narrowed her eyes at his fictitious compliment. Siddharth was hard to decipher, he wasn't as easy going as Abhir. "You needed to talk to me so I bought us some time alone."

"I am ready to accept that you didn't lay a finger on Neil that night." 

"Well, thank you but I won't word it that way. See, I did lay a finger. Multiple fingers, more like a fist." 

"So you did." Anisha's face hardened. She didn't like his humor. "Who killed him? Was it Dharam because it can't be Shanaya?"

"What makes you think it was us?" The half-smile vanishing from his face. "I did what any brother would have done."

"Dharam went into the room after he saw Neil leave with... blood on his clothes." Anisha caught Sid's jaw tighten at the word, blood. "Later when Neil came back to the room, only Shanaya and Dharam left the room."

"That's not even half the fact," he shut his eyes, moving his finger over his chin like he was recollecting the details. "Neil was alive when I met him. Dharam had left him alive just for me," Siddharth sprung up from the sofa. "I enjoyed breaking every bone in Neil's body as he cried in pain...tsk tsk tsk," Siddharth smirked wickedly.

Anu gasped in horror, taking a step back. It scared her to be in the same room with the man capable to do that. This sinister side of Sid reminding her of someone from her own past.

Something flickered in his eyes as he sighed. Guilt? Shame? "I couldn't bring myself to do it... To kill him," Sid looked away like he was defeated.

Anisha froze when they heard footsteps approaching the room. "Anisha? Are you in there?" She recognized that voice, her eyes went wide in panic. Abhir was outside in the hallway looking for her.

"Dammit!" She hissed under her breath. She couldn't be found with Siddharth.