Chapter 15: All unveiled in the matter of a single day: Predators, Premonitions and Perverted Invasions of a Persons Privacy
With firm thoughts of remedying the sickness called 'suspicion' that had taken over his soul and had been steadily decaying it for the past few weeks, resulting in turning him into the hideous creature he had become, Shivvay lay down, closed his eyes and regulated his breathing. He resolutely pushed down any thoughts that were trying to surface which would challenge the truth about what Saumya had revealed to him. He somberly realized then that doubting and judging Annika had become almost second nature to him and how easily he could slide into being that Shivvay again without a fight. This had to stop if he was going to make it right for Annika and if he was truly going to start redeeming himself of his unforgivable actions. He stubbornly willed himself to think of all the times Annika did and made things right for his family and soon found himself dozing off.
"Annika!! Please don't leave, turn around... I am right here... it's a lie ... I have not abandoned you...", I screamed in my head to stop her from leaving as I watched her walk away to my horror, dejected and broken, without a backward glance in my direction. That is when I realized that she could not see me at all. She did not even register that I was right there.
I lunged forward to rush towards her but my legs felt like lead and my body felt weighed down by a hundred stones. I tried to speak but my tongue felt like it was frozen. I could not form nor speak a word and my throat felt constricted. I panicked wondering what was happening to me.
My eyes pleaded with her but she could not see them because she had already walked out of the room and somehow I had the sinking feeling out of my life as well. I felt helpless and weak to reach out to her and assure her that I had not failed her.
I gasped for air and sat up with a start, breathing hard like I had run a marathon. I was covered in perspiration and my hands felt clammy. What the hell was that, I thought??!! It felt so real??!! Like a premonition of some kind!!
Get a hold on yourself Oberoi you are losing it I thought. I ran my fingers through my damp hair and then down my face covered in cold sweat. She is not going anywhere, not for the next 3 months at least. Just breathe!! Calm down and breathe!!!
I grabbed the USB, papers and my phone from the bedside table and cursed Daksh vehemently for whatever repulsive energy he had left behind in this room. I would have to redecorate and maybe even purify the damn room thanks to that man. I felt a cold shudder run down my spine as though someone had walked over my grave, accompanied by this sick feeling in the pit of my stomach.
"Arrgh!! Shake it off Shivvay", I said to myself loudly, "and get a grip on yourself; it's just your thoughts."
I looked at the phone and it said 3.00am - the last hour when restless spirits roamed the earth Dadi used to say before the rays of dawn scared them away. I laughed softly and thought of how it scared us boys when we were little. The 'boogie man' story kept us out of trouble and safely in bed and if that was her aim it sure worked.
As I walked out of the room I left the light on and the door ajar not wanting to plunge the room in total darkness for some unknown reason.
I made my way to the kitchen and brewed myself a cup of much needed coffee. Then I took it upstairs and settled down in the private lounge just outside our room waiting for the girls to wake up. I knew from Annika that Saumya was an early riser as well since she did her meditation and yoga early morning.
In a couple hours both girls would wake up, Saumya for her meditation and Annika for her quiet time, in her private garden. I had fitted a camera in the old Gulmohar tree opposite the bridge because private or not I was not taking any chances with her safety.
And now with this intruder thing I was becoming even more paranoid. Even though I was almost sure that it was Daksh who had frightened Saumya on both occasions I was not taking any chances with Annika's safety.
As I propped my feet up on the coffee table, finished the last of my Saira Banu'( as I had started calling it now), I smiled at the memory of Annik's funny screwed up face as she aimed the liquid straight at my designer dress shirt. Like I had mentioned to Badi Ma yesterday, she was a mini whirlwind around me, wild and completely out of control.
I checked the time once more, it was now 3.30am. Since I still had another hour and a half to go I settled down to doze off for the rest of the wait.
I must have slipped into a really deep slumber because I felt someone shake me gently and then registered Saumya's sleepy and soft voice greeting me a good morning. I stirred slowly and rubbed my hands over my face to wake me up as I saw a very apologetic Saumya sitting across from me. I assured her I had not spent the night here and that I had just woken up a couple of hours earlier.
I asked her not to mention what had happened to anyone except Om and Rudra as I did not want to alarm everyone in the house. She agreed it was a good idea, thanked me for letting her sleep with Annika and with a hug went off to her meditation hour.
I stood up and made my way to our room. I saw Annika wrapping her shawl around her as I walked in and nodded in approval at her action.
"Don't get a swollen head Mr. Oberoi", she said as she responded to the nod I sent her way, "I am taking the shawl because Dadi will be upset to see me without it. This is not to receive your nod of approval."
And with that she walked out with a toss of her beautiful proud head. Annika!!! I thought, as shook my head with a smile, never a dull moment with you is it?? I opened the locker in my wardrobe and put the stuff I found about Daksh in it and locked it for good measure to make sure it was safe.
I quickly freshened up; changed and taking just the USB from the locker I grabbed my laptop and took a seat in a hidden corner at the poolside. Here I was sure I would not be interrupted or found easily. I slid in the USB and was completely unprepared for what came next.
I am Shivvay Singh Oberoi and I have, I admit most humbly, seen, done and experienced it all in my life as a businessman of my ruthless caliber. So you can imagine that it does take a lot to shock or get a reaction out of me and to say I was astounded at what I saw would be putting it mildly.
It made the hair on the back of my neck stand and my eyes almost fall out of their sockets in shock. What the hell was this??!!! Was I seeing Annika being recorded while her stalker stalked and traumatized her or was this just a very bad dream???!!! How in the world was this possible with all the security that I had installed around her house??!!
After I had watched the two heart wrenching videos of Annika breaking down I was numb. I have no idea how long I sat there and how many times I watched the recording to convince myself that this was all true.
Of course I could not see the face of the stalker but you did not need Einstein's brain to figure that much out considering this was found in Daksh's room. I was jolted out of my thoughts when my phone buzzed and I saw it was Tia. I took her call and assured her I would be down for breakfast shortly.
It was then I noticed another recording lower down and this one had Annika up on a screen, clutching a picture of me in the newspaper to her heart as she cried in anguish. I touched her face and tears as a reflex action to try and comfort her but I could not take away her pain.
I remembered this was the outfit she wore at my Sangeet looking like she had wrapped a million stars around her that night. It was the evening she had accepted Daksh's proposal and I had felt like someone had twisted a knife in my heart. I saw the rage in his eyes and his maniacal rants as I saw him burn a picture of me claiming she would never get my love in her life. He would destroy anyone who came in his way.
I sat there for a very long time with the weight of the realization that this was my fault entirely.
Annika had Daskh in her life and was stalked, traumatized and hurt physically because I endorsed his good character by putting forward his proposal to her. I blindly trusted the boy I grew up with because, like me, he had Naam, Khoon and Khandaan'.
Between Daksh and me, we had left no stone unturned to use, abuse, humiliate, mock and move Annika from one to another like a mere pawn in our battle of egos.
I closed the screen, pulled out the USB and pocketed it as I laid my head back and closed my eyes in defeat and fatigue. I had a bad feeling that this journey of redemption was not going to get any easier with more revelations coming to light.
I rubbed my face desolately and thought, were the scales of balance of my good over evil deeds going to tip so low that my good deeds were going to show up as good as non-existent? I needed the guidance of a wise man through this journey and there was none better than our very own descendent of Raja Harishchandra.
It was high time I started confessing my sins.
Chapter 16 - page 45
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Edited by asya34 - 8 years ago
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
