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Athulya's POV
I winced as I opened my eyes, a sharp pain pulsating at my forehead. Ah, the throbbing ache. But, I'm alive. Still breathing and smelling the dried blood on my face.
My hands and waist were securely bound to the unforgiving chair, the tight restraints biting into my skin. I whimpered, attempting to free myself, but the knots held firm, rendering my struggles futile. Panic coursed through me like an electric shock, intensifying as I realized my mouth was tightly covered. My clothes bore the scars of tearing, adding to the disarray of the situation.
A surge of anxiety gripped me. Despite the rational reassurance that I was physically unharmed, my mind and heart seemed locked in discord. The room felt suffocating, the air thick with uncertainty, and the disheveled state of my surroundings mirrored the turmoil within me.
The sensation of vulnerability sank in as I recalled the events leading to my current predicament. The abrupt assault, the restraints – it all pointed to an orchestrated plan. I hope Nidhi managed to get out and reach her home.
Ah! My head..my vision is still blur..this diziness.
The distant echo of footsteps approached, sending a shiver down my spine. I strained to listen, hoping to discern any hints about the impending encounter. The anticipation hung in the air, and the unknown loomed closer, intensifying the urgency of my need to escape this enigmatic prison. But I can't, I am helpless here.
A sudden pang struck me—my bag was not with me , it contained my camera the main proof as well as a treasure trove of life's snapshots, the essence of my moments.
"TCH TCH...what have you made of this little girl. See, how she is whimpering like a bird trapped in a cage." Ajeet Shekhawat's sinister silhouette emerged from the shadows, his eyes gleaming with a predatory intensity. His dark aura enveloped the room, suffocating any glimmer of hope.
His chilling laughter echoed, slicing through the silence. His voice dripped with cruelty as he continued, "You thought you could escape, dear Athulya? Now, face the consequences of your naive endeavors. The cage has just become smaller, and the predator is here."
I tried to speak, but my mouth was tightly covered; my lips, stained with blood, betrayed the struggle. Whimpers pleaded for release as I fought against the biting ropes that bound my wrists, and my feet pounded the ground in a desperate rhythm of defiance.
"Try your heart out," he smirked at my actions and continued, "But when a bird enters my cage, it goes out only after death—a painful death."
"What Rana,unseal the lips of this delicate bird. I long to hear the haunting melody of her screams," Ajeet commanded. Grinning, one of his man approached, forcing my mouth open.
My voice, tainted with the metallic taste of blood, trembled as I gasped for air. "Why have you kept me here?"
Ajeet's response echoed through the dimly lit room, punctuated by the cruel laughter of his accomplices. "For entertainment."
The sinister chorus of laughter reverberated off the cold, unforgiving walls, intensifying the chilling atmosphere.
Leaning in with a malevolent grin, Ajeet continued, "I will record each of your screams until you die, and then, I'll gift it to your family."
His boots tapped rhythmically on the floor, a macabre beat accompanying his sadistic intentions. Defiance surged within me, and I retorted, "You've caught the wrong person. My family will never even care for your twisted gift."
My tone betrayed me while I spoke, speaking like this about your family hurts. It hurts knowing that you have no family.
Ajeet leaned in, his sinister smile inches from my face. "Oh, it is because you don't know but they will. I know exactly how to make them curious."
Ajeet's eyes gleamed with a sadistic delight as he whispered, "Your family will not only hear your screams, but they'll also feel them in their souls. A melody of suffering, a gift they won't be able to resist.
"No chance!" A triumphant smirk graced my face, well aware that all his plans were going in vain.
"Poor girl, underestimating her family," he sneered with a condescending tone.
I scoffed, undaunted. "Seriously, you don't have any other legitimate reason to keep me here?"
Ajeet leaned in, a wicked glint in his eyes. "Do I need any other reason apart from catching you entering my factory illegally?"
His words hung in the air, a chilling reminder of the dangerous game I had stumbled into, my feigned confidence concealing the palpable fear beneath the surface.
He gestured to one of his men, who approached and whispered in his ear. The man left the room with a sinister smirk.
"You know, Rana, your Prince is quite fond of this girl. Do you recall what happened when he demanded a bird in his childhood?" He man rocked his chair leisurely.
"Yes, Hukum. The Prince played with the bird, cut its wings, and eventually killed it after growing bored." His gaze was fixed on me, and I could only avert my eyes, feeling a growing sense of helplessness.
The man entered the room and exchanged a nod with Ajeet before advancing toward me, holding a syringe. Panic set in, and I instinctively tried to recoil from the impending injection. My attempts to escape were futile as he firmly grasped my arm, exposing the delicate skin. The needle gleamed ominously in the dim light as it descended towards me.
"What is this?"
"A present from me, dear. After all the hard work you've done, coming all the way here, I couldn't let you leave empty-handed. So, a present it is—the product you reviewed just a few hours ago."
Drugs? No!
"N-Nooo... Stay away..." I whimpered, my voice trembling with fear, struggling to free myself as the man approached with a sinister smile.
"NOOOO..." My desperate cries echoed, bouncing off the walls, but he callously injected the substance into my veins.
As the drug coursed through my veins, an immediate wave of dizziness and disorientation engulfed me. The room seemed to sway, and the dim light distorted into surreal shapes. My limbs grew heavy, and an unsettling numbness crept over me. Panic intensified, but my ability to resist waned. It was as if reality itself was unraveling, slipping away into a disconcerting abyss.
Ajeet's menacing smirk blurred, and the shadows in the room danced with an eerie malevolence. Every heartbeat echoed louder in my ears, creating a dissonant symphony of fear. I tried to summon strength, but the drug held me captive in its numbing embrace. The boundaries between consciousness and delirium blurred, and a profound sense of vulnerability settled in—an ominous prelude to the unknown ordeal that awaited me.
"Now your entertainment first," He declared, his voice tinged with sadistic glee. Hearing this, one of his men swiftly switched on the device, and the large screen abruptly flashed before my eyes. I instinctively closed them, refusing to let the harsh light invade my senses. The darkness behind my closed lids felt like a fragile sanctuary, a feeble attempt to shield myself from the impending torment that awaited me on the blinding screen.
"Arey, it was for you only. See it," he exclaimed. As soon as the words left his lips, water was poured over my face. I could feel it turning warm and sticky as its drops fell down, staining my vision with a reddish hue.
I focused on the screen with my blurred vision and half consiousness. The scene unfolded on an empty road, with only a few cars traversing its expanse. The camera seamlessly transitioned inside one particular car, revealing a group of men armed with rifles. They were unquestionably his men.
The camera refocused on the road, and this time, I could discern the car — the one with the ominous skeleton symbol. The very same car that haunted my dreams and appeared on my college campus. A disconcerting feeling gnawed at me; the drug was rendering me more vulnerable by the moment.
I struggled to concentrate on the screen, but my mind felt weightless, caught in a haze between reality and illusion. The images before me blurred, and I couldn't discern whether what I was witnessing was real or a distorted creation of my drugged imagination.
Within a blink, the car collided with another vehicle, dragging it into a nearby pole. Smoke billowed from the wrecked car, signaling extensive damage. The camera shifted inside the damaged vehicle, revealing a lifeless figure. I blinked repeatedly, questioning whether this surreal scene was a product of my drugged state or a harsh reality unfolding before my eyes.
"What happened? See, I can make it clear," he started the video again, and the camera zoomed in on the face. A scream escaped my lips.
"N-Noo, t-this....is...n-not...real...close t-this...no...NOOO.." I screamed my heart out, trying to free myself. I couldn't believe what I was seeing—Nidhi in the car, lifeless. It couldn't be true. I had warned her not to come, but she didn't listen. It was all because of me. I proved once again that I'm a bad omen.
Why, God? Why do you cut off every hand I try to hold? Why?
That's why I fear trusting people; they only create more holes in my heart. How selfish of her to leave me; it was my right to go there first. Even God didn't listen to me.
The weight of grief and helplessness pressed down on me, and I wondered if this pain would ever stop. Every beat of my heart echoed with the guilt of not being able to protect those I cared about. In that moment, I blamed myself for everything, every tragedy, every loss, as if I were cursed to bring suffering to those around me.
"Why?" echoed through my mind, a relentless question with no comforting answers. The revelation of my plan to Nidhi haunted me; the words I'd spoken now felt like a betrayal, a tragic mistake that had set this nightmare into motion.
In the cold, dimly lit room, surrounded by the cruel reality playing on the screen, I pleaded silently for someone to declare it all a lie. The scenes unfolding before me became unbearable, and if I'd held a gun in my trembling hands, I might have been tempted to end my suffering right then and there. The pain of guilt clawed at my soul, convincing me that I deserved every ounce of torment that fate had served.
As the echoes of Ajeet's laughter reverberated in the shadows, I questioned my worthiness of friendship. "I don't deserve any friends," I whispered, feeling the harsh truth of my own inadequacy. The darkness around me seemed to mirror the desolation within, and the flicker of hope that maybe, just maybe, this was all a nightmare, grew fainter with each passing moment.
"W-Why her? WHY? WHY?" I screamed out, my voice cracking with anguish, and a sinister smirk covered his face like a grotesque mask.
"Because of your mistakes, I can't kill the bird without a painful death. That's why I had to cut her wings. But feathers and claws are left, aren't they?" His cruel laughter echoed in the confines of the room, each callous word driving a dagger through my already wounded heart. His tone, expressions, and the malevolence in his eyes combined to create a symphony of hatred, dragging me deeper into the suffocating sea of despair. Each moment felt like a small death, and I withered under the weight of my own culpability.
He rose from his chair, walking past me. I turned to look at him, but the ropes hindered my movement. He seized my hair in his fist, yanking my head up harshly, and leaned in to whisper with a chilling threat.
"I will destroy each of your near and dear ones, one by one. A caged bird has no friends. You will face consequences for everything—for sneaking into my factory, for what your family did, and most importantly, for slapping my son." Abruptly, he pulled my hair again, causing me to whimper in pain.
"See your feathers and claws, SEE!" He shouted into my ears, and I looked at the screen with blurred vision. The images haunted me—I couldn't forget what I saw.
It displayed Aarushi and Rudra with me, a scene from an ice-cream parlor. The picture changed to include all of us—Nidhi, Aarushi, Yuvaan—but Nidhi's face had a red cross over it. I fought to control myself, refusing to scream as I gritted my teeth against the overwhelming surge of anguish.
He displayed all the images, capturing every facet of my life in India, including moments with Aarav and Aaryaveer. It seemed as if he had meticulously collected and documented my entire existence. He spared no one, not even Abhimaan. I felt a strange mixture of relief and dread, grateful that he remained unaware of Robin.
"I just have to decide who's first, that Aarushi or that little boy... umm... what was his name? ...yes, Rudransh, what about him?"
My heart raced, and my breaths came in erratic gasps as fear and dread gripped my entire being.
"N-No, please, no... no... no... please," I pleaded, my voice trembling with desperation.
The cruel satisfaction in his eyes fueled my terror, and the prospect of the impending torment sent shivers down my spine. The darkness of the room seemed to close in around me, suffocating and relentless.
"You don't know how satisfied I felt hearing your screams, but I want more satisfaction. I will make you scream until you choose death." He released my hair, and my head fell down, the weight of dread pulling me deeper into the abyss of helplessness.
"I will let you go for now, but remember, you are my caged bird—a precious one that will get me Jaigarh." Ajeet signaled his man to release my hands and legs. As the numbness subsided, I struggled to stand, feeling the weight of both the drug and the traumatic ordeal.
But how can I help him get Jaigarh? How?The question echoed in my mind, unanswered and ominous.
His man pulled me up forcefully, and I was ushered outside. Balancing myself in my weakened state, the world around me swayed with every unsteady step.
My weakened state was evident in every unsteady step I took, the dizziness overwhelming me with each movement. The drug's effects lingered, creating a surreal and disoriented experience. As his man pulled me along, my limbs felt like they didn't belong to me, and maintaining balance became an arduous task. The world around me swayed, and the air felt thick with a lingering sense of vulnerability. Every attempt to focus only accentuated the disconnection between my mind and body, making the journey outside an unsettling blur.
They made me sit in a car and sit beside me and they car started for some place, I don't know where they were taking me.
"Athulya!"
Nidhi's voice echoed in my ears, images of all the momeries we built, all those happy moments, bickering, silly fights and the coffee this morning in cafetaria.
The car's engine hummed, carrying me away to an unknown destination. Amid the disorientation, Nidhi's voice echoed, weaving through the memories we had built together—laughter, bickering, silly fights, and the morning coffee in the cafeteria. It felt surreal, as if my mind was playing tricks on me.
I still can't believe it, maybe it is just my imagination. Drugged imagination.
Can someone please pinch me and say it was lie. Please? I beg you..
The car came to a halt outside a place I had long ceased to call home, or maybe I never truly did. They tossed me onto the unforgiving ground, and I lacked the strength to even attempt standing.
Was I always this weak, or did this newfound vulnerability emerge from the depths of my shattered soul? If someone had slapped me or cursed me in that moment, the physical pain might have offered a semblance of relief compared to the throbbing ache within my heart. Emotional and mental torment surpasses the anguish of any physical wounds; it's as if my very soul is battered, and there's no medicine for such afflictions.
Could they not have taken my life instead? Cowards, treacherous bastards.
Summoning whatever remained of my resolve, I rose from the shards of my heart. Every step felt like dragging a heavy burden, and I made my way towards the door. As I approached, my feet seemed to freeze, and I crumpled to the ground with my head bowed.
Sadly, I have reached a state where I needs support for crying as well, the support I am loosing from one hand and the emotions that are wounding my heart from other.
There is an internal turmoil going inside me. My mind is fucked up.
I sat there until it was dark, all dark. My only companion, darkness. And here I am back to zero, the same Athulya I was few years back.
I don't know where to go? What to do? Cry over my fate, which I surely can't or vent out my anger and frustration over myself.
Can someone imagine a fucking billionaire lying like a homeless drunkyard.What irony! I earned so much money, but I can never earn hands to hold forever. Now stay with your money!
I kept saying I don't need anyone, even though my heart was silently crying out for a hug, for someone to hold my hand. Now, see, God granted your wish. Live alone in this hell. All alone.
"I hate myself, my body and my existence in each second of this hell called life." I muttered.
I must have been a sinner in my previous birth. Am I right, god?
They say in hindi, that were you gone for grazing, when god was distributing brain. ? All I knew is, never be absent when he's distributing fate. Fate is what you need, more than money.
Finally, after spending hours in the chilling cold, which strangely provided some warmth to my bones, I stood up, wiping the blood from my face. I had decided to confront reality.
What would I say to Aarushi? Would I ever be able to face her?
Indeed, he had cut my wings.
Taking a taxi to Nidhi's house, I sat inside, hiding my face like a criminal. After all, that's what I would be for her parents. If only I hadn't been so hell-bent on this, if only I had stopped this feud with Siddharth, perhaps none of this would have happened.
Now, I knew the immense power held by "perhaps" and "what ifs." Had life turned this cruel just to teach me these lessons?
I stood in front of her home, surrounded by a dead silence that mirrored the unbearable noise in my head. All the lights were turned off; the night seemed silent, with winds blowing like tears and the moon nowhere to be seen.
My hands shivered, not from the cold but from the weight of reality as I rang the bell. My feet felt ready to retreat, fueled by an energy that seemed to come from nowhere. What would I say? It's not that I lacked words; it's just that my lips seemed incapable of speaking them.
"Oh god! Look who's here, her so-called best friend, gracing us with her ominous presence." Her mother swung the door open, her eyes scanning me from head to toe, a silent judgment echoing in the air. The cold breeze outside seemed warmer compared to the chill in her gaze. She turned and called for her father.
"Why are you here? Is there anything left to take from us?" he continued. "Do you know why the house is dark? It's because it's her time to sleep, but thanks to you, she went into a permanent sleep. Nidhi used to speak about you all day, but who knew that you would turn out to be a poisonous snake in her life. It started with her, and next, it will be Aarushi and the others."
My eyes welled up with tears, and a lump formed in my throat, making it hard to breathe. The weight of their accusations, the pain in their words, it was all unbearable. Yet, I had to control myself. I couldn't afford to break down.
"I d-didn't mean for any of this to happen. I-I never wanted to hurt Nidhi or anyone," I stammered, my voice barely audible. The urge to defend myself battled with the realization that their pain was justified.
And why am I even justifying myself? It was all my fault afterall. Will my lame excuse be able to give their daughter back? I am reason of their sorrow, their culrprit is standing in front of them , to give a lame excuse?
"You never wanted to hurt her? You destroyed her, Athulya. You took away our daughter," her father's voice trembled with anger and grief.
I bit my lip, desperately trying to hold back my tears. The realization of the irreversible damage I had caused weighed heavily on my conscience.
"Leave! We don't want to see your face again," her mother spat out, her eyes filled with contempt.
I turned away, stumbling out of their doorstep, carrying the burden of guilt and the echoes of their accusations. The night seemed darker, colder, as if it reflected the abyss that had opened up inside me.
The night stretched endlessly, mirroring the void within me. The shadows whispered my failures, and the silence resonated with the echoes of shattered lives. In that desolate park, I remained—a broken soul, forever haunted by the consequences of my choices.
Nidhi's voice lingered in the air, a painful reminder of the promises that now lay shattered. The emptiness around me amplified her absence, and the echoes of her words only deepened the wounds in my heart.
"You're not alone in this, Athulya. We're here for you," she had said. The irony of those words struck me with a cruel force. She was supposed to be here, facing the twists and turns with me. We were supposed to navigate the storms together, not for her to become a victim of the tempest.
The promise of companionship now felt like a cruel illusion, and I found myself grappling with a reality that had become a nightmare.
In the deafening silence, I whispered to the night, "Can't I reverse back?" But the universe remained indifferent, and the echoes of my own voice faded into the void, leaving me alone in the aftermath of a heart-wrenching betrayal.
As I stumbled back towards my home, the world around me blurred into a chaotic swirl of emotions. The weight of the recent events pressed heavily on my shoulders, making each step a struggle. Lost in my thoughts, I didn't notice the oncoming car until I collided with it.
It was Aaryaveer's car. I wish, I would have came down this car, atleast I would have felt the same pain as her.
I looked up, meeting the gaze of those familiar emerald eyes. There was a stark contrast to the usual disdain I found in them – a glimmer of sympathy.
Startled, I found Aaryaveer stepping out of the vehicle, his eyes widening in concern.
I felt a strong hand reaching out to steady me. His touch was unexpected, and for a moment, the harshness in his gaze softened into something akin to concern. He helped me regain my balance and, in a rare moment, seemed genuinely compassionate. "Are you okay? What happened? I-I am s-sorry." he asked and apologised even after knowing it was my mistake, his voice reflecting a concern that I hadn't expected from him.
Had it been a normal day, I would have teased him, reveling in the joy of seeing him apologize to me. But now, those words seemed to carry the weight of apologies I should have conveyed to Nidhi, to her parents, to everyone affected by me.
"D-Do you have a gun??" These were the words that left my mouth, effortlessly.
"Gun? Why?" He was taken aback by my response.
Can you favour shooting me for both our satisfaction?
But ,I couldn't muster the strength to respond further, my dictionary went empty. Instead, I averted my gaze, trying to conceal the turmoil within me, and continued walking towards my house, leaving him standing there, bewildered.
I used to perceive him as someone cruel, an adversary, but in reality, he was just engaged in playful banter with me. At least, he never harbored thoughts of hurting my loved ones. Indeed, personal enmity should remain just that—personal, that's what I wanted.
I hesitated to enter inside the mansion, as if the very air inside would suffocate me with its weight.With a heavy heart, I stepped inside, dreading the emptiness that echoed through the familiar halls. The silence, once a companion, now mocked me with memories of laughter and warmth that had long faded away.
Dragging my feet with a force that mirrored the turmoil within, I entered the house, greeted by faces I had long stopped considering family. My eyes, devoid of emotion, remained fixed ahead as I rushed upstairs. However, my determined ascent came to an abrupt halt.
"Take this and see if you want any changes." The man I was supposed to address as father didn't bother with niceties; he tossed the card at me.
My trembling fingers traced over the letters, and despite my initial retreat, I found myself descending back to them, seeking answers. How could they be so heartless?
With a deliberate swipe, I erased a particular word on the card, dragging it beneath my shoe—the name I loathed and a surname potent enough to incite a storm of anger.
Siddharth Shekhawat.
It was a marriage card, and in a cruel twist of fate, it bore my name entwined with his—Siddharth.
"What is this rubbish?" I flung the marriage card onto the table, unable to comprehend the cruel irony of the situation. Folding my legs beneath me, I sat down, attempting to control the fractured pieces of myself that threatened to unravel.
As I flung the marriage card onto the table, the reality of my impending union with Siddharth sent a wave of anguish through me. The thought of tying my life to someone I loathed was suffocating, and the wounds of the day's events bled into my very soul.
Even the imagination of what happened few hours ago, compounded the pain, and in that moment, the house felt like a cage of heartache. The air thickened with the weight of my shattered dreams, and the tears I held back threatened to break free, mirroring the broken fragments of my world.
"Aww... see this girl is calling her own marriage card rubbish." My mother's unsettling smile only added fuel to the flames of my turmoil.
"My marriage, and that too with Siddharth? No way!" I declared, folding my arms tightly, my fists clenched. The events of the day had morphed my entire life into a surreal nightmare.
"Did someone asked for your consent or advice?" My dad's wicked smile fueled the growing fire within me.
My parents' callous behavior, orchestrating a marriage without my consent, struck a deep chord of betrayal. Their words, dismissing my agency over my own life, reverberated in my mind like a haunting melody of desolation.
"So, you can turn this cruel? Since when were you people planning this? How can you do this? Isn't it my life, my decisions?"
"You lost your right to your life, the moment we gave you space in our lives." His callous words hung in the air, a suffocating revelation that left me gasping for breath. What did he mean by giving me space in their lives?
"W-What does that mean?" I stammered, a whirlwind of emotions churning within. The heat of anger clashed with the icy grip of betrayal, and the battle within mirrored the storm that raged around me.
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Not lying, don't know about you people, but somewhere as an author, my throat was heavy while writing this chapter. I wish I could give her a tight hug.
It was not her fault really, isn'it ?
Will they reveal the truth to her?
So now the story is moving towards the final chapters , keep some patience.
Thank you!