Shivaay stood still, staring at the screen of his iPad, refusing to believe what he was seeing. How could she, she... do this to him. He stared at the screen for the longest time, till his eyes blurred. He saw the familiar curve of her lips, her stubborn tilt of her chin, her doe eyed look with the song lashes sweeping over her expression, for a brief second he saw the haunted look in her eyes before she masked it with a wobbly smile that did not quite reach her eyes. He took in her lithe form encased in those skinny jeans that she favored and hugged her every curve. His eyes moved over the sliver of her waist that was exposed by the white shirt that was tied in a knot around her slim waist. His hand curved into a fist and punched the wall nearest him. His eyes narrowed as he saw the stranger stare at her, rake her form from head to toe, he wanted to rip his guts out, tear him from limb to limb, poke his eyes out. He was numb and did not feel the pain, as he was accustomed to pain these days. they seemed to be his constant companion these days. the heartache that was so familiar and yet so unfamiliar to him, a man who was the Shivaay Singh Oberoi, a businessman extraordinaire, whose rivals quaked in their boots and gave up the chase when he came raiding companies to add to his kitty. He was a ruthless predator, hunting and scenting the weak among those that wanted to conduct business with him.
Shivaay did not know how long he sat still and then snapped out of his reverie and barked orders to his hapless PA and threw the phone against the wall, where it lay broken on the floor, like he was on the inside. He was even more demanding than usual and his PA shook on hearing what his boss wanted him to accomplish. A task that took days had to be completed in a few hours.
Sleep eluded Shivaay and he forgot what it was to sleep through the night. He had barely slept the last 3 months and even when he did, it was to toss and turn, feeling Anika's presence beside him on the vast, wide bed. At times, he woke up in the night silently screaming her name out loud, a dream that turned to ashes, an ember that burned bright that turned cold in the morning. Hunger was something he did not feel and though cooking was his passion, he never had any enthusiasm for it now. His brother Om was in a coma and Rudra was trying to cope with the loss of his Anika Bhabhi and Om bhaiya. He tried his best but he was the youngest of the 3 and did not quite know how to face Trouble head on, though he was gamely trying his best.
Right from the start his head and heart had always warred over Anika and it was no different now. His heart refused to accept that she could be so cold, heartless, conniving and greedy. how could he, who prided on judging people correctly, made a huge blunder where she was concerned. He had spent time with her laughing, taken bullets for each other, shared their troubles and so much more. He a man of few words, waxed poetic when he was faced with the formidable woman who was his Anika, only HIS.
He was in a time machine where time stood still, life did go on but he went through the motions like a robot, without any feelings. he was distant, dispassionate, unmoved when his mom made her pleas on matters that did not interest him in the least.
Anika was trying to move one with her life, after committing to him a lifetime of togetherness. He would not let that happen. He knew that she would go to Chanda's house and had a CCTV camera in house when she was out attending the first of many interviews. He called the employer that dared to offer her a job and the very mention of his name was enough to make them obey his every command. She would pay, pay for every tear of his heart, his image of her shattered, as she did something no one had ever done. She had brought him to his knees. the proud arrogant man was done in by a mere slip of a girl with no background, who knew nothing of her parents or family, an orphan who had struggled against the world on her own terms and come out smelling like a rose. Anika, the name that he whispered softly and silently to himself in the deepest recess of his mind at the darkest, most loneliest part of the night when sleep eluded him.
He had seen the picture of Samar who was in Good Luck chawl where his Anika was, he had dared to speak to her. How dare she, talk to another man and shower her attention on some nameless fellow. His blood raged, his mind seething, furious at himself for feeling such rage, helpless in the face of such destructive emotion. She had made him a better man and her absence had made him twice as cold, cynical and unfeeling. He sensed the interest of the other man in HIS Anika. She belonged to him, no one else was going to walk in and swoop her away.
Shivaay knew he was close to winning as she was in despair over finding a steady job. He was closing in on her, leaving her no option but to come back to him, begging him for a job. That might give him some peace of mind.
Shivaay swung into action suddenly, got into his car and drove rashly towards the chawl. Sometimes he sat there through the night, staring at the dark window behind which she was safe from the wolfs of this cruel world. He drove back home in the wee hours of the morning to close his eyes out of exhaustion for an hour or so before he was up again.
This night, he drove to the chawl and wanted to tear it down, leaving her helpless and exposed, no choice but to turn to him for help. How he would relish crushing her yet again. He had done it once but why did his heart give a painful thud when his mind wanted to hurt her, cause her more grief even after knowing all that she had been through as an orphan. He gasped silently when he saw her outlined against the full moon night, her face shadowed as the full moon, glistening with unshed tears. She was as much a prisoner of her pain as he was of her. Her barbs on his family, demand that he move in separately with her splitting the family into two, still echoed in his ears. With her arms holding the window bars, she looked caged but stood defiant, proudly facing the moon, ready to take on the world, a fight for survival. Every breath was painful, hitched and Shivaay breathed shallowly while he drank in the sight of her. A man who never committed except on a business deal, had been dealt a cruel blow. He was in too deep, missed her like crazy, wanted to go to her, shake her by the arms and demand why she left him. He wanted answers dammit, wanted them now. He shook while taking a deep breath.
A plan formulated in his mind, a smile curved his lips after 3 long tortuous months. He would have her back, by his side, in his bed where she belonged. He was not going to let her get away. Not by a long shot. For the first time, in 3 months, he felt lighter and with a long look at Anika who stood framed by the window bars, he left the chawl to set his plans in motion.
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