was Sunday evening. Arundhita descended the stairs after freshening up, only to be met by the horrific sight of her father. He sat on the sofa, one leg casually crossed over the other, a gun resting in his hand. His face was a mask of cold fury – jaw tight, eyebrows deeply furrowed, etched with long lines that spoke of simmering anger. Though nearly fifty-five, he appeared much younger, perhaps due to his well-maintained physique, or as the saying goes, because monsters age slowly.
ARUNDHITA'S POV
As I reached the bottom step, a sweet-faced woman, perhaps forty, approached me with a sorrowful expression. I hadn't fully stepped down before his voice, cold and sharp as a knife, sliced through the air. "Where do you whore around, hussy? Do you truly think you'll survive after ruining my reputation? Hmm?" His harsh words felt like daggers. I turned to face him, meeting his enraged gaze, and a shiver of dread ran through me, anticipating his next move.
"On your knees, NOW!" His command was ice. My limbs betrayed me, collapsing beneath me. "Ahh!" I cried out as a wooden stick sharply connected with my back, tears immediately springing to my eyes. After fifteen or twenty strikes, he grabbed my hair, yanking me to my feet with a brutal jerk.
"Please, leave me... I did nothing," I begged, the pain unbearable, intensifying with every passing second. "So, after whoring around, you claim you did nothing? I told you, didn't I, that you're not supposed to run around with boys?" I knew arguing would only fuel his rage, so apologizing was the only path to escape this daily torment. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry... It won't happen again." I didn't know what had triggered his fragile, fabricated reputation this time, but for my safety, I had to play along. He threw me violently to the floor, my tears now an uncontrolled torrent. Then, his voice boomed, "NAVIN! BRING THE MOTHERFUCKER HERE!"
I moved my head to look, my eyes widening in terror. Two men held Devesh, my only childhood friend – the one person who truly knew what I was enduring, save for the murder part – while Navin punched him.
FLASHBACK
It was nearly evening. I had just finished work and was heading back to hell... or rather, my home. I slumped onto a bench, replaying the miseries of my life. I longed to end it all – the suffering, the pain, the guilt of having killed someone with my own hands. I didn't deserve a peaceful life, not after taking a life. I remembered his words, "He will find you soon," the way he had begged me in a cracked voice to spare him, but...
I hadn't realized I was now walking heedlessly into the relentless traffic when I was suddenly pulled back by my arm, stumbling into someone's chest. I didn't bother to look up; instead, I simply broke down crying. The person flinched slightly, then I heard a familiar voice say, "Don't worry, everything will be fine soon." I looked up, recognized him, and hugged him tightly, bursting into fresh sobs. "De...dev...devv, every...thing is gone... I don't want to live...any...anymore," I choked out, finally finding a shoulder to lean on after so many years. "Shhh... don't cry! I'm here now. No more tears. I'll take you with me, far from this pain, okay?"
Suddenly, my senses returned. I remembered the monster who kept men watching me. I pushed Devesh hard, making him stumble back a little. "Go, Dev... go from here, he'll kill you too. Please, go!" He moved back to me, pulling me into a tight embrace. "No, nothing will happen to me. I won't leave you in this hell. I'll come back in a few days to get you, okay?" I nodded, accepting his firm voice, a glimmer of freedom stirring in my heart, even as a part of me worried about risking his life. For a brief moment, his arms around me assured me I wasn't entirely alone. Then, with a mix of fragile joy and lingering fear, I continued toward the mansion.
PRESENT
Seeing him in such a terrible state, my tears began to stream freely. I rushed to him, cupping his face. "Dev, Dev, Dev, look at me please, Dev!" A strong force pulled me away. I turned to my father, clutching at his feet. "Please, spare him! Please, I'll do anything you say, just please leave him, leave him please!" I sobbed, but instead of a reply, I heard a gunshot. My heart stopped. I looked at Dev, who now lay motionless on the floor, dead. I crawled to him. "Dev, Dev... Dev, please open your eyes, please don't leave me! PLEASEEEE DEVVVVVV!" My grandmother held me back as they began to drag his body away. "Noooo, please don't do this! Take him to the hospital, please save him, please!"
AUTHOR'S POV
Meanwhile, Adityraj was torturing a young man, barely twenty-seven, who had betrayed him by attempting to leak his company's information. (Indeed, Adityraj had built numerous companies not only in India but across other countries. He meticulously maintained both his underworld and public image, driven by an unfulfilled revenge, not just for his parents' deaths but for Arundhita's betrayal as well.)
ADITYRAJ'S POV
A bloody fucker tried leaking my company's information. He had the audacity to betray me. Now that I knew my most trusted man was a traitor, I wanted to show him the consequences.
"Ahhhhhh... Please, please leave me, I'm sorry, please ahhhhhhh!" he shrieked as I broke his fingers with the back of a hammer. Blood splattered everywhere as I relentlessly hammered his hand, reducing it to a mangled mess.
I left the scene, heading back to my mansion, a smirk spreading across my face. Tomorrow was going to bring so much joy.
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TBC
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VOTE AND SUPPORT ME BY FOLLOWING
WHAT DO YOU THINK ADITYRAJ WILL DO?
HOW WILL HE TAKE REVENGE FROM MANISH VARDHAN ? WILL LOVE TURN INTO HATE? WHAT WILL ADITYARAJ DO WITH ARUNDHITA