story: Mujhko ye zindagi_last part pg 25 - Page 7

~~~

"kal bhabhi ka birthday hai... kya karoon?! Haan... pranav se baat karti hun. He is good at selecting gifts..."

"ye...switch off?! Meeting mein honge. Main bhi naa..." payal mumbled to herself and pressed door bell. She was surprised when she heard no bell ringing. She tried again. But in vain.

She panicked and tried to open the door.

She received a call which she could not avoid.

"jaihind sir."

'details chahiye the human trafficking ke baare mein '

"sir I have left a copy for you in main database"

'payal, if I got that would I not be doing better job than calling you?!'

"sir, I understand but... well, you know to access my computer right?"

'yeah... you ll get a copy there too.'

'fine. I ll see. Jaihind'

"jaihind sir"

She kept her mobile in her bag and she heard a shriek.

"bhabhi..."

She tapped the door but there was no response.

she moved towards back door and her eye caught some movement in kitchen through the glass. She was shocked to see pranav holding roshni by her arm, and a knife in another hand.

Roshni was screaming and calling for help. She heard few words of conversation between them

"agar tum maan gayi hoti to aaj ye naubat naahin aati."

"you moron leave mee..."

Payal went numb.

"I don't know how did Arjun get a gem like you. You would be bid with high price or be like a queen with me..." he glided knife along her cheek. Roshni closed her eyes.

"you disgust me pranav. I don't know why you are doing this to payal.."

"aaa... good question lady.. now that you know about me, me being sikander and all, you SIL is beautiful I ll marry her, use her and them... she will be sold. No one will know. I ll show her as a old digger, cheater who betrayed me and ran away with someone. Cool eh!!"

Roshni spat at him and he grabbed her hair in anger.

"you bitch..."

"I ll tell arjun and payal abiout your real face pranav. They will not leave you.."

"tum unhe tab bataogi naa jab tum zinda rahogi.. ye lo..."

He stabbed her in right side of stomach, twisting it in and drawing blood.

He saw her last breath leaving her in satisfaction...

Payal went numb. Her voice betrayed her. She fell on her knees.

She fumbled through her phone and saw it dead.

She took steps towards door and knocked. She heard some ruffling sound inside and then nothing. She called for help and when they entered the kitchen, everything was over. Roshni was no longer alive.

Payal fell on her knees as someone called police.

All the time she spent with pranav swam before her eyes. his care, love, friendship... all fake. Just to have her, and make money.

She had believed him and he trampled it under his sole. Love, it felt alien to her now. no she would not cry. She knew what she had to.. she would not tell anyone anything she saw. The scene when he stabbed her played in front of her and she screamed again...

"NOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"payal... honey aankhein kholo... its just a bad dream...utho..."

She heard pranav's voice and she slowly blinked. She just jerked away from him and ran to bathroom, retched. She was his wife, in every sense but from heart. Her heart had died when he saw his other side. Yet she had to keep up the pretense to be his wife madly in love with him. he was next to her in an instance.

She cleaned herself and buried her face in his chest.

"I saw... I saw him killing you..." she lied smoothly.

She wanted to kill him, but not just that but to expose him in front of the world.

Pranav laughed out loud making her raise her head and look at him.

"he cant harm me Payal. He can never. Relax..."

"I love you..." She died thousand times saying those words

"I love you too..." she felt disgusted at his honey coated words.

~~~

Arjun was livid. He was not sure what he should consider of his so called brother in law, the person who killed his wife and god knows with what intentions married his sister.

But he was sure of one thing, what ever he had in store for his sister, was not a good thing.

He showed that he is no longer concerned about his sister, he could not deny he cared for her. He was mad at her for believing a third party, who unfortunately turned to be her husband over him, her brother. He still wished these were some sort of nightmare where he get up and woah!!!! He is still on bed rubbing his eyes and everything around him was normal, as it was before... but he knew it was impossible even to wish...

He rubbed his tired eyes. It was a hectic day for him with absence of ETF chief due to some case and he being acting chief.

He went up to Sameer's cabin and turned on the computer. He was supposed to mail some important documents to the higher authorities, which were only in this particular computer.

He surfed through various confidential documents and sent the one he was supposed to.

Something very interesting caught his eye. He clicked open the file and read the contents. Each and every word drained color from his face. He broke into sweat and swore under his breath.

"what the...!!!! this cant be true... why was I kept in dark????!!!!! Frack!! I need to rush!!!!"

He immediately shut down the system and stormed out.

~~~

Payal had some time before her husband made his way back home. She was relieved that she did not have to be close to him from the day of arjun's visit. She poised to be very much upset and depressed. Payal mentally thanked Arjun for showing up that day. He had unknowingly saved her from a monster.

She attached the photos and videos to the mail she wrote to sameer. She was lucky that he had not realized what she was doing behind his back. the last thing she had to do was to get his confession, by hook or by crook.

She clicked the send button and leaned against the chair closing her eyes for a brief second.

~~~

"payal... paayu... arre payalia... uth naa..."

"ummm... bhaiyya sone do naa..." she covered her face with the quilt. She felt it slowly slide down and suddenly she jumped up to sitting position trying to pry arjun's hands away from tickling her.

"bhaiyya... haha... no nooo... hahaha... stop it bhaiyya... please...hahah" she rolled on the bed with Arjun tickling her. She punched his gut playfully and he acted to be hurt.

"oww!!!!" and he mimicked the action of hitting her jaw.

"bhaiyya... gudiya ko maaroge?!!!!" payal asked with a pout.

"shaitaan ko superman ne maara..." 12 year old Arjun stood on bed showing his non existing muscles.

"aap!!! Aur superman?! Shakal dekhi hai apni? Superman meri jooti.." she struck her tongue at him.

"teri to main..."

They ended up rolling on bed pulling each other's hair.

Mrs. Raute, their mom came running to the room...

"Deva, kya karun inka? Arjun chodo payal ko.. choti hai wo usse lag jayegi..."

"maa usne mujhe maara..." Arjun pulled her hair.

"aaa!!!! Bhaiyya ne maara... choti chodo bhaiyya..."

Payal gave him a shove and he was on floor, rubbing his elbow.

"jaa... aaj main tujhse rakhi nahin bandhwaunga..."

"bhaiyya..."

Arjun stormed out of the room.

Payal stood teary eyed.

"maa...main..."

"gudiya, jao aur nahalo. Go.."

Arjun and payal took bath and went to pooja area. Arjun ignored her completely.

He had wrapped bandage around his elbow.

Payal tried to talk to him.

"dard ho raha hai?!" Arjun turned his face.

"bolo naa bhaiyya... dikhao mujhe..."

"mujhe nahin dikhana.."

Payal got all teary. She held rakhi in her hand and waited for him to hold his right hand forward which he did not do.

She kept rakhi in thaal and went to her room crying.

Arjun was hurt to see her tears. He hated that.

He immediately made his way to her room with thaal.

Payal was sobbing her eyes out, holding the pillow. Arjun kept a hand on her head and she lifted her red and puffy eyes.

"bhaiyya ko rakhi nahin baandhegi gudiya?"

She leapt and hugged him tight. He stroked her hair and kissed her forehead lovingly. He wiped her tears and held thaal in front of her. Payal gave him a watery smile and tied rakhi around his wrist and fed him sweet. He stuffed an entire piece in her mouth and laughed when she struggled to eat it.

"kya gift chahiye tujhe?"

"yahi ki you will be with me always... promise?!"

"pakka promise. Main kabhi tujhe chodke jaaunga kya? Haa... tu mujhe zaroor chodke jaayegi apne pati ke ghar..." he said with tongue in cheek holding back laugh.

Payal took pillow and threw at him

"bhaiyya..."

Arjun pilled out a box wrapped in glittery paper. Payal's eyes twinkled at that.

"mere liye?"

"naa... tujhe to gift mulgaya. Ye to padosi ke liye hai..." he winked and payal pouted.

"naa... wo mera hai..."

"haa baba tera hi hai. Khol ke dekh..."

She hurriedly opened the gift and saw a cute teddy bear with a pillow in its hand wit words

'I love you sis!!'

8 year old payal hugged him and squealed

"its cute... thanks bhaiyya..." and kissed his cheeks..

She felt her cheeks drenched in her own tears, her eyes still shut.

"I am sorry to hurt you bhaiyya.. sorry to say those words which I never meant... kaash aaj main aapko rakshabandhan pe raakhi baandh paati... kaash main iss haivan ke saath naa hoti... kaa..."

She was roughly pulled out from her place.

Her eyes flew open only to face a maddened Pranav. His brows, furrowed, eyes red and his form shaking due to uncontrolled rage.

~~~~

ll be continued (hopefully)

next part ll be posted only on page 16 and not before that -Payal

i agree too... meet ya with next part on pg 16... -pari