***Trigger warning***
We were sitting on the balcony and he brought me a cup of ice cream and a cup of coffee for himself. I could have kissed him for bringing me ice cream but I just thanked him with a grateful smile.
"Will you be able to sleep if you drink coffee now?" I questioned him, looking at the cup of black coffee.
"I function on less sleep. Don't worry about me. Tell me about him." He was looking at me waiting for me to start telling him about Neel.
"I was 21 at that time and had a friend Shreya. We were at her house just chilling in the backyard. We didn't know her parents had guests. He came over to us and started a conversation with us. Because he was a guest we were polite and soon he started flirting. When he didn't get the desired reaction from us he left. We thought it was over and continued having fun when Shreya went in to use the bathroom. She did not return for like 20 mins. When she did she was all shy and blushing. When we asked about she said nothing.
Then things started to change with her. We didn't know what was going on. She would skip college and when she did come she would have bruises and she would try to cover them with makeup. We asked her so many times what was going on but she never told us anything. But after like 5 months we stopped getting any text or calls from her for two days. Worried, Sakshi and I went to her house to check up on her and found her covered in bruises and crying.
To say we were shocked would be an understatement. As soon as she saw us she broke down completely. And started to tell us everything." I wiped my tears and looked at him watching me with an emotionless expression. He took my hand in his and gave it a light squeeze. Nodded me to continue.
"The day when he came to her house he took her number and said he wanted to know her more. He made her fall in love with him. He pretended to be in love with her. And after a while started demanding sex from but when she didn't accord to his wishes he raped her, beat her literally torture her to an extent that she would just go home and collapse in her bed from the pain. And the day before we went to her house she found out she was pregnant and went to tell him that she had enough and she was going to the police to report him.
You know what he did to her that day? He had his men rape her, beat her and what not. But they were really cautious, you know, not to hurt her much so she wouldn't die. He had one of his men drop her home and threatened her that if she told anyone or tried to go to police they would kill her whole family." I was full on sobbing remembering how much she suffered.
"Shh it's okay, calm down." He caressed my hair. His voice had a hint of softness I never heard before. When I turned to look at him his face was emotionless but his eyes told a whole different story.
"You don't seem shocked by what I told you." I was confused.
"I know what kind of person he is. She is not his first victim. He got away with a lot of horrible things as his family dealt with illegal businesses and bribed the officers. That's where their main income comes from and they clean the money by investing them in their company." I was shocked, how did he know?
"How do you know all this?" He just shrugged.
"He is my enemy. I have to do background check on them and they have been doing this for decades. And Papa told me some things."
"Why are they not caught?" I was shocked he was roaming around so freely after all that.
" Have you ever seen a criminal with loads of money going to jail? Sometimes money talks" He raised an eyebrow at me. When I was silent he continued.
"I hope your friend is well and healing now. From what you told me she had bruises right, why didn't her parents do anything about that?" Again tears gathered in my eyes when I heard what he said
"She's no more. She took her life." His expression turned to shock as his lips parted. "They were not around much, always on business, and even if they did they could care less about her. They were only interested in money and fame." I looked at the sky and released a shuddering breath. "They didn't even allow her to press charges and took away all the evidence we gathered to file a report against him fearing they would be disgraced because of her."
"Assholes. People like them are pests of society. Because of him men like Neel are getting away with everything. They care so much about others' opinions and their reputation that they forget how much the victim is suffering."He ran a hand through his hair and let out a breath and muttered something under his breath.
"The guilt sometimes consumed me so much that I wouldn't even be able to get up from bed and I just shut down. I was the one who insisted she tell her parents. I thought they would support her like any other normal parents and help her get justice but they turned against even her sister and brother too." I looked at him to see him already watching me. "There are so many what if's. What if I didn't insist her to tell her parents or tried a little harder to know what was going on with her." Shaking my head I cover my face with my palms.
"Hey stop, you did what any other person would have done. It's not your fault it's her parents who should be guilty and ashamed for failing her so much." He moved closer and hugged me to his chest.
"That's true. Even her sister thought that it's better she died so they won't have any problem in future." I shrugged
"God forbid, if that was Kavya, that asshole would have been dead by now? How can anyone see their siblings or child in pain I'll never understand. I would literally die for the three of them." He said, shaking his head.
"I would too, my brother's are my whole world." A small smile formed on my face just thinking about them.
"But what was he doing at your place? And who allowed him in?" He questioned
"My aunt thought it would be a wonderful idea to marry her daughter Amaira to him. If it wasn't for bhaiya and I that day, Amiara would have been married to him by now. Thank god bhaiya kicked him out of the house. Warning him not to come to our house ever again."
"Don't they know about him? And isn't she younger than you?" I placed my melted ice cream on the table in front of us and answered his question.
"Yes she is and no they didn't know only Dadu and Dadi knew. We told them when he came to our house for the proposal. Badi maa accused bhaiya for spoiling a potential good match for Amaira because he wanted me to marry him." I shudder just thinking about marrying him. He is a complete douchebag. And he deserves to rot in hell for the crimes he committed.
"And you know what my friends and I did two days later. We had some of the guards kidnap him while he was leaving a bar, beat him to within an inch of his life and used his exact same words and threatened him about killing his family if he told anyone" Kartavya let out a hearty laugh.
"Is that why he was in the hospital and covered it up as an accident." He smirked. Pride shining in his eyes.
"He was half conscious that day, that's why he didn't recognise me easily at the party." I yawned and felt drained from all the crying.
"Okay enough for today let's go to bed." Standing up he extended his towards me. I looked at it and him then at his hand and took it. We went into the room.
"Yeah, I'm just gonna brush my teeth." I entered the bathroom and started brushing my teeth when something caught my attention. I tied my hair up and looked at the red spotting on my neck closely and gasped out loud. Quickly washing up I stomped towards him.
"You gave me hickey?" I yelled at him astounded.
He stared at me with humour in his eyes and said in a smug tone "Let that asshole friend of yours see and maybe then he can remember that you're married." he smirked placing his hands behind his head
"Are you serious right now?" I looked at him with wide eyes. "It's been nearly a week." How petty can this man be?
"Yes, I'm serious. Doesn't matter, even if it's been two years still he can't get to be so close to you." He rolled his eyes.
"Of Course he can be close to me. He's my best friend, God you are annoying." I muttered angrily and went to my side of the bed.
"Have heard the worst." He chuckled.
Shaking my head I opened the book which I was reading and as I was about to start I remembered dinner at my brother's place.
"Acha listen." I called him.
"Haan ji, bolo." He hummed and turned to look at me.
(yes, what is it?)
"On Wednesday we have to go to my house for dinner. Dadi asked us to come."
"Okay we'll go. At what time?"
"I'll be going there directly from work at six o'clock. I want to help Dadi cause I know she's gonna make a feast. You can come at maybe 7-7:30." I suggest.
"Hmm, I'll be there ." Nodding, I went back to my book.
******
"That's enough, both of you get out right now. You're making a mess of my kitchen." Dadi pointed towards the kitchen door
"Oh c'mon baby don't be like that. We just wanted some gulab jamun you're making." Kshitij said, engulfing her in a hug from behind. And he calls her all kinds of weird nicknames.
"Chup, Saitan." She hit him on his hand, broke out of the hug and brought us three bowls of gulab jamun. "Here take this and give this to Utkarsh don't eat your brother's share, do you understand. If not, you won't get any after dinner." She still thinks of us as children and she knows he will definitely eat the Utkarsh Bhai's too.
"Bye." We both kissed her cheek and went into the living where Bhaiya, Dadu and my uncle's family were sitting. When did they come?
"Is that for me?" Before he could come and take his plate Kshitij licked the sweet and offered the plate to him.
"Here take it, it's for you." Bhai made a disgusted face and went into the kitchen to get some for himself.
"You want it too." He offered, shaking my head. I went to turn around to go to the kitchen since they are here but Dadu called me to sit beside him. Internally groaning I went and sat beside Dadu and Kshitij flopped down beside me and held my hand and gave it a light squeeze.
"Anika, where is your husband? Why is he not here yet" Badi Maa asked, looking at me with an expression I still remember and still scared off. You know there are things that you can never outgrow, my fear for her it's like that i can never outgrow it. Even when I try so hard I always end up cowering under scalding glare.
"He'll be here by 7 Badi maa." God why did Dadi invite them.Sighing, I started taking small bites of the gulab jamun
"How much are you gonna eat, you are already fat." As soon as she said that my hand stopped in the mid air and I looked at her. Amaira let out a giggle. Dadu and Dadi still didn't know about the abuse. Since we know he would cut ties with them and we didn't want them to lose another child.
"Netra how dare you? She can eat whatever she wants and how much ever she likes. Who are you to comment." Dadu rebuked her. "Hey, don't listen to her." he fed me a bite.
"But papa if she gains weight, will her husband love her anymore. I was just looking out for her. If she gains weight he will cheat on her." She acted innocently.
"You are projecting Badi maa. Not everyone is like your husband who cheats on you with much younger women who could be his daughter." Kshitij mocked. Badi maa turned red and bade papa looked like he wanted to murder Kshitij. Everyone knows Bade papa had an affair a few years ago and when Dadu confronted him he broke all ties with her and promised not to contact her again.
"That's enough. Amaira, Kshitij go help your Dadi and you too Ani." he caressed my hair and turned to look at Badi maa.
"Ani, where is Kartavya? Why is he not here yet?" Bhaiya questioned. It was 7:45 and he was supposed to be here by 7. And he's not even answering his call.
"Maybe he's stuck at work. Wait, I'll call Mihir." I dialled Mihir's number, who answered on the second ring.
"Hello Mihir. Is Kartavya still at work?" I asked as soon as he picked up the phone. I walked out to the garden.
"No Bhabhi, Bhai jaldi nikal gaye, around 6. Kyu kya hua?" He left at 6 and he was still not here. Where is he?
(Bhai left work early today. Why did something happen?)
"No he was supposed to come to my place for dinner but he is still not here and he is not answering my calls or texts." I muttered a curse when I saw Badi maa and Amaira coming my way.
"Don't worry Bhabhi I will try and get in touch with him and call you okay." I nodded as if he could see me. Realising what I did I said okay and hung up the call.
*****
Hello guys,
This chapter was a little harder for me write. Idk how it turned out. Please let me know if there are any inconsistencies.
Let me know your thoughts about the chapter.
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