Chapter 18
Naina froze at the
deathly sound of the voice from the past. But why was she surprised? Wasn’t she
expecting this? Deep down she knew this moment would arrive. For a moment she
forgot to breathe, as she stared toward the pillar in the far end of the
half-lit living room. A sense of dark déjà vu engulfed her slowly, as she felt
Adi move closer, slip his hand through hers, and squeeze. Her clammy hand
barely registered her son’s silent communication. Each cell of her body numbed
to immobility as her body tensed. And then a tall shadow moved from behind the
pillar and into the light, as the handsome, drop-dead attractive countenance of
Manmeet Dhariwal came into view. Time stood still as she faced her so-called
husband cum nemesis for the first time in years. The man whom she had once
married with hopes for a better future. The man who turned her young-girl
dreams into nightmares….He and his father. The Devil and his spawn.
“Hello Nayantara! Or
should I say Sunaina Bhatia? Fancy meeting you here…alive and well.”
His voice cut to her
bones, and she shivered. Then he smiled…the sick, evil, unpleasant smile that morphed
him into the monster that he was…the smile that was ingrained in her psyche.
And just like that, Naina was transported back to the dingy room from her past.
Back to the dark, revolting nights when his chilly laughter would break through
her miasma as he closed the door on her and…! Back to the stark, icy reality
from which she was running for years. For a brief second, all she heard was the
loud thudding of her heart. It seemed to echo inside her very being…as all
emotions and all sensations ceased.
She was shaken out of
her dead stupor as someone rang the bells from the small temple across the
road. The labored sound of her lungs as she drew in a jerky breath caused Adi
to tug at her hand. She looked at the man who epitomized hell for her and knew
that this time there was no escape. But before he reached her, she had to get
Adi out of here. She will be damned if she let him witness what was to surely
follow. She knew that Manmeet had come for only one purpose…to seek revenge.
She had seen the all-familiar maniacal rage lurking in his eyes. He had come to
punish her for escaping him and for causing his father’s death. But before that
she had to ensure Adi’s safety.
Naina reached inside herself
and pulled out all the strength she had to keep herself together and not lose
it for Adi’s sake. She needed to be in control for him…always for him. Taking a
deep breath, she turned to him and smiled, “Adi, listen to mumma. Go up to your
room, lock it up, turn on the TV loud, and stay inside. I’ll be along soon.”
“Who is he mumma?”
“Adi!”
“But mumma....”
As Adi hesitated, the
man shouted, startling him, “Didn’t you hear her? Leave.”
“Please Adi. Now.
Whatever happens, stay inside. Promise?” Something in her eyes and her posture
communicated to him, and he nodded. She kissed him once on his forehead,
steeling herself to be strong, capturing his beautiful face in her eyes. Her
hands on his shoulders, she steered him toward the stairs. His hand slipped
away from hers as he stepped back and then away, but not before turning and
giving the man a dirty look for scaring his mother. Adi stumbled up the stairs,
making a decision of his own as to what he had to do as soon as he was in his
room.
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Naina refused to look
at the man before she heard the welcome slam of the doors upstairs and heard
music drift out. She squared her shoulders and slowly turned to face him. He
was staring at her with a frenzied watchfulness. Her insides revolted as his
mouth turned up in an ugly sneer.
Manmeet’s eyes oozed
disgust and anger. He flicked his thumb toward the stairs, “Didn’t you bother
to discipline the little rascal? He lacks obedience. But then what else could I
expect from a worthless woman like you? Once I am done with you, I shall have all
the time to deal with him and turn him into the man he should be.”
“Leave him alone
Manmeet. He has nothing to do with you all.” Naina clinched her fists by her
sides.
“No? You have the gall
to stand there and lie to me? I must say you have developed some guts over the
years.”
Naina’s eyes blazed,
“Didn’t you hear what I said? Leave Adi out of this. He is not your son.”
Smack…Naina
fell down near the center table as he slapped her hard, drawing blood from her
lips. She closed her eyes in pain as he fisted her hair and pulled her head
back. Her eyes snapped open as he breathed down at her, “You think you are
smart? Did you think you could fool me with all that stupid cover up about the
boy’s identity?”
Naina gripped the edge
of the table and shot back, “I adopted Adi. He is 8 years old. You can check
the Asha Deep orphanage in….”
“I don’t have to check
anything. Have you ever looked at my photographs at that age? That boy is a
carbon copy of how I looked as a boy. He is a Dhariwal alright.”
“NO! You are wrong”
Naina tried to reach for her phone, but he was too fast. He grabbed it and
threw it against the wall, smashing it.
“Don’t you even think
about it? Did you think I would leave open any probability for you to contact
your boyfriend, you characterless w**re? The land phone is also dead, and the
guard incapacitated. The other guard is my man who has my getaway transport
ready outside at this very moment. By the time that bastard colonel douses his
stable fire, I will be gone with my son. After punishing you, that is…for
killing my father, running away, stealing my son….the list of your offenses is
endless.”
Naina got up and stared
at him fearlessly, contempt lacing her words, “Adi is not your son. He is not
going anywhere. He is only mine. As for your father, he died the death he
deserved.”
He punched her. She
staggered on her feet but stood her ground before taking a few steps backward
to the front door.
He grabbed her roughly
by her chin, “You bloody b***h! You never learn. I would have given you an
easier death if you had just given my son. But now, I am going to first cut
this tongue and then kill you slowly.”
At that moment Naina
knew that howsoever she protested Manmeet will not leave without Adi. In that
instant, all fog lifted and something inside her went deadly calm. The fear and
panic disappeared, leaving behind a sharp focus and clear intent. She couldn’t
care what happened to her, but she had her son to protect. She would kill if
she had to but she will not let this man near her son. She pushed herself up as
understanding donned, “Your threats don’t scare me, Manmeet. Now I understand.
You are the one who set the stables on fire, so that Raj would be called away.”
“That cripple is a
fool. He and his amateurish security measures…bah!!. He thought he could keep
me away from the boy. I am much better than him. You were always very slow,
Nayantara. Your complacency led you down earlier also.”
Naina wiped the blood
from her lips, ignoring the pain in her jaws and temple, and smirked, “Really?
It sure was not complacency that made me escape your prison. What was that you
had said after the first time I tried to escape? Oh yes! ‘Nayantara, my house is an impregnable fort. No one gets in and no one
goes out without my permission.’ Ha! Some Fort! I escaped, didn’t I?”
Manmeet growled
menacingly and stepped toward her. But Naina continued, all the time backing
away to the door, “Words. Ha! Mere words. You were always full of empty words,
Manmeet. You had to….after all you are not good for anything else. You are
nothing compared to Raj. He is a man to be idolized and admired and
respected…and loved. I love him for the man he is. And you? Well! You are not much
of a man, are you?”
Throwing the insulting
words at him, Naina ran out of the front door, intending to lure Manmeet away
from the house, away from Adi, and gain some time. Don’t give up…the voice
inside her screamed. A few minutes required…that’s all. She had to incite him
and delay him, and pray like hell that Adi had called Raj in his mobile. If she
could get to the garden shed in the back lawn, she could get hold of some tool
to use as a weapon.
She heard Manmeet curse
and follow her as she ran with all she had. Unfortunately, she tripped on her
saree, just a foot away from the shed, and fell down. In no time Manmeet was
all over her; he was a man possessed….kicking her, pulling her up, and throwing
her down again with slaps, punches, and more kicks. Naina kept on saying the
one word that goaded him more and more…“IMPOTENT. That’s what you are
Manmeet….Impotent. Adi is mine…all mine. You cannot sire a child to save
yourself. You are pathetic…and you know that.” The blows continued, and then
suddenly they stopped. Through a red haze Naina saw Manmeet turn toward a
shovel leaning against the shed door.
At the same time, she
heard her name being shouted in a voice that cut through the darkness and
reached her, and it was the most beautiful voice in the world. He was here. Her
Raj was here. She tried to shout for him…to call out his name one last time,
but couldn’t. Yet, she was happy. She had succeeded. She was able to protect
her son. She smiled as she saw Manmeet pick up a shovel and stand over her for
the fatal strike. It didn’t matter anymore. Nothing mattered. Adi was safe.
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Raj saw the fire from a
distance as he neared the mahal, all the time talking to first nanisa and then
to Altaf chacha on phone. He switched off the phone just as the car entered the
palace gates. Something was not right…his instincts screamed foul. But what? He
parked the car when the phone rang again.
“Uncle! Oh, uncle! I
have been trying to call you.”
“Adi! What is it? Calm
down, son. Stop crying. Tell me.”
“There is a man in the
house. He scared mumma. He shouted at me also. Please come back, uncle…please.”
Raj’s blood ran cold.
Manmeet was inside the house. It couldn’t be anyone else. Suddenly, he knew…the
fire was a distraction, to lure him away….and he fell for it. Dear God, if
anything happened to Naina and Adi. He would never forgive himself.
“Adi, where are you?
What is the noise?”
“In my room. Mumma sent
me up and told me to switch on the TV loud.”
“Right. Stay there Adi.
Don’t open the door till you hear my voice. OK? Mumma will be fine. I promise.”
Raj stepped on the
accelerator and tried calling Bahadur, the guard. No response. He knew it was a
futile attempt. If Manmeet was inside, then it could only mean one thing: the
guards were taken care of. He opened the dashboard and took out his revolver. There
was one more call to make, the police….and hope like anything there was a
patrol van nearby.
He screeched to a halt
in front of the gate and saw a loaded truck parked opposite. He had just
reached the gate when a shot buzzed past him. He ducked behind the car and saw
a man jump from the truck and run toward the tree near the fencing of the
house. Raj aimed. He had only one shot before the man left the cover of the
tree and jump the fence. He shot him before the man could reach the fence. He
had rightly guessed who he was before he registered the guard’s uniform…the
accomplice.
Raj ran inside the
house and stopped short, as he saw the signs of struggle. His guts tightened
when he saw the broken phone, the scattered jewelry, and drops of blood. He
heard a noise that came from the backyard. Without pausing to think, he ran
toward the kitchen and through the backdoor to the lawn behind. He shot Manmeet
on the run as he was about to bring down a shovel on a prostrate Naina. The shot went through Manmeet's
wrists, causing the shovel to fly away from his hands. He yelped holding his bleeding wrists and turned
around. Raj punched him away from Naina. Manmeet fell to the ground before
struggling to get up.
Raj knelt beside Naina
and touched her face, whispering, “Naina, I am so sorry love.” She smiled and
that smile gutted him. He turned toward Manmeet who was getting up. Rage consumed
Raj. All he wanted was to rip the son of b***ch from limb to limb and kill him.
He held the lowlife by the
scruff of the neck and threw him against the stone bench behind him, before
pummeling him right, left, and center with rock solid punches….his fists flying
without any mercy. His wrists bleeding, Manmeet couldn’t defend himself. In one
last burst of strength, he kicked at Raj’s prosthetic and made a run for it. As
Raj stumbled, he heard a shot and jerked back to see Manmeet falling down. The
bullet had pierced his temple.
Raj rushed to Naina,
and gently took the gun from her, pulling her head onto his lap.
She looked up at him, speaking
painfully “I had to do it Raj. He would never have left pursuing Adi.”
“Shushh! I know Naina.
It’s OK. You did good. It’s all over. My brave Naina. I love you so much.”
She
wanted to smile at him one last time...speak with him one last time….clutch
onto him one last time…one last time before he came to know everything and
leave her. She wanted her mind to be conscious for a moment more, bask in this
moment of love without the dark shadow of the past hovering over, because this
moment may not be hers tomorrow. He may no longer be hers once he knew all. Her
entire body ached and felt heavy like lead, yet she tried to smile but could
not. She heard him talk but could not fathom his words, as her eyelids grew
heavy and closed. He knew she was past hearing as finally, mercifully she lost
consciousness, yet he kept on talking, till he heard police jeep and ambulance
sirens.
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Naina’s eyes sprang
open. She turned her head slowly and found herself in a room with white walls,
with a glass wall at one end, over which green curtains were drawn, because of
which she could not see outside. She was in a hospital. She guessed it was
daytime, judging by the light in the room. She could see a row of monitors on
the other side of the bed. She saw IV taped to her hand. She tried moving her
hands and feet, and sighed with relief when they cooperated. How long was she
out? Where was everybody? Adi? Raj? As memories trickled back, Naina gasped and
attempted to sit up.
“No Naina. Don’t.” She
saw Raj stride in from the open door, even as a nurse turned right back
muttering “I’ll get the doctor.”
He came and sat beside
her, leaning forward to kiss her on the forehead and then holding her free
hand, “Hey beautiful! How are you feeling?”
She nodded and averted
her face.
“Naina! Look at me
sweetheart.”
She shook her head once
and asked in a raspy voice, “Adi?”
“He is fine, Naina.
Worried for you, but very proud of his mumma. He and beeji along with nanisa
and Tanu were here till awhile back. They will again come in the evening.”
She sniffed and asked
again, still looking away, “What time is it?”
“It’s three in the
afternoon.”
She nodded again and
tried to pull away her hand.
Raj held onto it and
arose. Very gently he cupped her face, “Why won’t you look at me Naina?”
Silent tears cascaded
down her cheeks as she whispered, “I am sorry Raj. Please leave. And don’t come
back.”
Raj stood stunned. For
a moment there was absolute stillness…and then he bent and softly pressed his
forehead against hers, his thumb wiping her tears gently. His lips moved as he whispered,
“Naina, I don’t know what is happening inside you, but I am not going anywhere.
Please don’t push me away. Time for running is over. You are free.”
She closed her eyes and
shook her head, “I don’t deserve you Raj. Why don’t you get it? Why would you
want a damaged person like me?”
Raj lifted his head and
kissed her forehead, “Because I love you. Because you are the air I need to
breathe. Because you exist, and so I exist. I love you for who you are. I love
you with all the past monsters, the ugliness, the darkness. And the beautiful,
caring, warm, cheerful, loving, and honest person that you are. All of you
Naina…all of you.”
“You won’t when you
know all.”
“Try me.”
She opened her eyes and
smiled sadly, “Stay away from me Raj. It’s what is best for you. Manmeet’s
coming here was a wake-up call for me as well as a reminder that I never
deserved you. I was never good enough. Just go and live your life.”
“Without you? Never.”
Raj stood up as the
doctor entered.
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To
be continued…………….
