Alright, second update today!
Chapter Ten - Avnesha
"Mehra naam hai Avnesha..."
"Haath meh talwar...ankon meh tezaab...apka naam toh sirf Brij Handa ho sakta hai..."
"Tumari behen ko meh jaanti hoon...Geet? Geet Handa...Lekin aaj kal woh Handa naam istamaal nahi karti...kethi hai...sharam athi hai..."
"Usse mehri shaadi hone wali thi, lekin jabse woh ladki aay hai...Maan mujhe dekta nahi hai...! Apko patha nahi apki behen besharmo jaise harqat karti hai..mehra bas yahi kaam tha...uski sachay jaan ke meh Maan ko batao woh kitni charitarheen larki hai! Phir usko chod kar woh mehre paas aajaye gaa... Aap mujhe uske bare meh batao...sabh kuch...aur badle meh apse vaada karti hoon keh meh uska patha apko doongi...phir aapko jho bhi karna hai kariye..."
"Haan...lekin aapne aise kiya tho meh apko nahi bataaongi...Woh mar gayi phir Maan puri zindagi uske gham meh mujhe bhool jayega...lekin uski sachay batha kar phir woh use nafrat karega!"
"Kaun?"
"Bas aise..."
Chor kar challa gya...
Challa gya...
Dev....uska naam tha.
Aik raath guzarkar...
He pounded his flesh against Dev's cheek again...and again...but to no avail. There was no satisfaction.
Maan flung Dev halfway across the room and slammed both hands on the bedside drawers and dug his nails into the wood as his guilt overwhelmed him. He shut his eyes tight as he recalled the days of Hoshiapur.
She'd ripped the property documents in his very face.
Screamed her pain...she wouldn't sign.
She was tired of everyone's words...tired of trusting her own family.
He hadn't cared.
Teen din woh dhoka deh kar chala gya...aur aap sabh kethe hai...bhool jhao!?
Mujhe maat maro veerji...maat maro...maine koi galti nahi khi...
Dev held his battered body between his hands and gasped open mouthed. He had ran and fallen at the feet of Maan begging for forgiveness...but had received what he truly deserved. There was no hatred in him for this...only complete and utter shame for his actions...but now as he listened to the tape horror creeped up his spine.
Alexandra had crossed all limits.
The recording device slipped out of Maan's hand and the play button hit the marble ground.
"Marne kiliye jhab nikla tabh woh jungle meh apne yaar keh saath bhag gayi...woh Maan...uska patha kya hoga?"
"Kyunke uska bhi hisaab karna bhaki hai bewakoof ladki..."
Noises of Alexandra running...panting...yelling...being dragged...her shrieks of pain...and then a roar indicating her fighting back.
"Panch mard ho kar pakar nahi paa rahe ho aik ladki ko?! Mujhe woh zinda chahiye! Oye! Uske haath meh kya hai? Bachne nah paaye! Pakro!"
Brij Handa falling...one sickening thud...heavy breathing, a sigh of relief then a pained grunt as the jeep door opened and closed.
Maan frowned and bent down towards the recorder, his eyes wide and searching. "This is how she got injured...that ******* went after her because she wouldn't give up our address..." He looked across with a deathly glare at Dev and hissed. "This is all because of you. Geet...Alexandra...mujhe...Daadima...sabko...sabh kuch hatham kardiya tumne!"
Maan growled and stopped the tape, rubbing a hand all over his face as a soulless look slipped into his eyes. "Dev...Go call Choti-ma, Pammi and Naintara back from Canada...give them any excuse...just get them back now."
Dev flinched at his brother's cold voice but crawled to the doorway before getting up slowly.
"Don't even think about running out of this house Dev...varna tumara itna bura hashar karunga...tumari puri duniya hill jayegi." Dev nodded fearfully and escaped to his room instead...whatever would happen, at least one thing was for sure. His two-faced wife would go down with him.
Maan clenched his fists and breathed out fire before stalking out, barely noticing a panting Nakul running behind him as he strode towards the stairs.
"Saab! Rukiye!"
"WHAT?!" Maan whipped around nearly toppling Nakul to the floor.
"W-woh...Pinky maam ka phone hai..." He whimpered.
Maan blistered instantly, "Usko kaho mehre paas waqt nahi hai uski baqwaas sune keliye." He had to find Geet somehow...
"W-woh Geet maa-"
"Give me the phone." Maan snatched the white cordless phone from Nakul's hands. "Geet kya? Kahan hai woh...?"
"W-woh sir...apko abhi usko rukna hoga...woh aaj raath Mumbai jaa rahi hai train keh zariye...You have only twenty minutes s-sir." Pinky's voice uncertainly told him, torn between betraying her friend and hoping for the miracle that was Maan. "P-please sir...woh hamesha kiliye jaa rahi hai."
Maan dropped the phone and for the second time that night, he tore through the mansion and sped out of the gates in one of the Khurana cars.
She wasn't going to leave...not now...not ever.
Savitri Devi hurried to the staircase and watched her grandson go like a hurricane. "Maan beta ruko! Kya huwa?! Maan!" She placed one hand on her chest and breathed in with great difficulty...what was going on?
---
Geet held her ticket and suitcase tightly in her hands and shivered in the night cold; wrapping her shawl tightly around herself she looked down at her unborn child. "Phikar math karo. Tumari maa tujhe kuch bhi nahi hone deh ghi...kal seh hum dono phir seh aik nayi zindagi shuru karenge..." She promised and bit her lip as her train came to a screeching stop in front of her. "Chal Geet...himmat phir seh juta...aur chal..." The station was mostly deserted at this time of night (or well...early morning) so she didn't bother asking for anyone's help and instead took small tiny steps forward and started lifting up her suitcase onto the train holding her stomach protectively.
"Iss halat meh...yeh kaam tujhe nahi karna chahiye Geet."
Geet froze.
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