Chapter 3: Fatal Encounters
She could feel the blood draining from her face. So he isn't dead. I haven't killed him. He is here. He will kill Rohan. He will kill my baby. I can't let him take my baby away. It felt as if her entire universe was slipping from underneath her feet. But these weren't questions. These were facts. These were things that she knew her husband was capable of doing. He had brutally taken everything she had ever loved away from her, including her freedom and those that she loved. She knew he would not hesitate even a moment to take her son away. He saw Rohan as just another means of inflicting pain on Khushi. He is not a father, he is a beast. She acknowledged for the umpteenth time, with sheer disgust. And I will protect my baby from him at ANY cost. Rohan will not fall victim to that monster. I won't let him.
"Rohan, baby, mommy can't give you this." His lips puckered, as if he had eaten a sour lemon, and then started quivering. She knew what was coming next. "No, honey, don't cry! I promise, if I can keep this lolly, I'll buy you an even BIGGER, BRIGHTER one tomorrow! How does that sound?"
Rohan shoved his thumb into his mouth. Khushi knew he was getting a bit old to still continue the sucking habits. In fact, he was maturing much later than most other kids his age. But could she really blame him with the type of father he had? "But I want THIS lolly," he whined. Khushi sighed, already feeling exhausted as a result of the trauma. In fact, she wouldn't have known how to react if Lavanya hadn't stepped in at that exact moment. Lavanya wasn't stupid. She was a woman of today. And she knew when something was wrong. Something was wrong NOW and for the sake of humanity, she knew she couldn't just sit there and watch.
"Rohan, sweetheart," she interrupted, turning both Khushi's attention and her son's toward Lavanya. "I have an idea. How about I take you to the park? Would you like that?" His eyes immediately brightened like a 100 watt lightbulb. "YES. PARK!!! Rohan wants to go to the park and play on the SWINGS! YAY!" Khushi frowned, turning immediately on high alert. She knew her husband was somewhere near. And though Rohan had stayed at Lavanya's house for nearly 2 weeks (so Lavanya claimed), could she REALLY trust her? Truthfully speaking, she wasn't at a stage in her life where she could trust ANYBODY with her son, let alone some woman she met a mere 10 minutes ago.
"Lavanya, really, you don't have to do that-"
She was immediately met with a chuckle. "Khushi, I know you don't trust me just yet, and that's understandable. But there's clearly something going on that you don't want to share, and I'm ok with that. But you need rest. You just woke up from a frigging COMA Khushi; you don't need this kind of stress. I'll admit I'm not way too accustomed to handling children, but I have a nephew of my own who is just a little older than Rohan. And the park is just around the corner. We'll be okay Khushi." She hesitated a brief moment before continuing. "Here, wait. Do you have a phone? I'll text you my number"
Khushi groaned. She had a phone - emphasis on the past tense - until her husband decided that she was having an affair with some man from her office, after which he had excluded her from any outside communication. "No, I don't have a phone," she admitted miserably.
Lavanya gasped. "WHAT, a woman of the 21st century with no phone?" Sighing, Lavanya threw her phone at Khushi. "Here. Take this. I have two phones - one for work and one for private calls. My number is the first on my contact list. I promise Khushi, we will be back in 15 minutes, safe and sound. But for now, YOU need rest. Sleep for a while - we'll be here when you wake up."
Khushi looked towards Lavanya and then towards her son, who was now jumping up and down with excitement. "Alright... I mean, you've looked after him for 2 weeks when I was...here... I trust you. But Rohan," she said, bringing forth the most serious look she could muster. "15 minutes ONLY. And then you're coming back".
Lavanya giggled, pretending to salute Khushi. "Yes Ma'am. Let's go Rohan!" She sighed, watching her son and Lavanya (her new friend?) walk out the door.
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Lavanya tapped her chin with her index finger, pretending to be deep in thought. She had lied to Khushi. She didn't hate this child. It had taken less than 5 minutes for her to fall head over heels in love with this baby boy. "What SHALL we play today, Rohan?"
"TAG!" Rohan screamed, without hesitation. Lavanya scoffed, then looked at the boy and then down at her heels, a playful smile on her lips. "Are you sure about that? I'll beat you!" He nodded, seriously. "I'm the BEST at tag. I'm fast - REALLY fast - LIKE SPIDERMAN!" He took off his brown sweater and held it around his neck like a cape. "See La, I'm a superhero!" Lavanya giggled. She had really taken to this nickname Rohan had given her during their first week. "I see! You're such a STRONG superhero!"
He smiled, his eyes shining with pride. "I know! NOW TAG!" Lavanya laughed, loosening up for the first time in years. "You won't catch me, you little twat!" She'd had enough experience walking in heels. In fact, she rarely wore anything OTHER than heels since it felt so weird to lose the extra 1.5 inches of height. She wasn't short, per say, but not tall either. So the extra height didn't exactly hurt. Before she knew it, she was running as fast as her heels would carry her, shrieking as the little boy chased after her.
She was having so much fun playing with the child that she hardly noticed where she was running - until she ran straight into him. He was tall - over 6 feet she guessed - and had a sexy build. He looked strong. His hair was ruffled messily on his head and he had the sharpest jawline she'd ever seen till date. He was exactly the type of guy she was normally attracted to. Except...there was something OFF about him. Lavanya didn't normally have those kinds of strange sensations about people...but him - he was different. As his eyes scanned her body up and down, she didn't feel hot, or aroused. She felt disgusted. Her skin felt like it was on pins and needles. I don't like him. She decided. She turned to the little boy who stood behind her. "I caught you!!!" He screamed, excitedly. She smiled, grimly. "Yes, you did honey. Now hold my hand."
She turned to the man. "Excuse me for bumping into you like that. I wasn't watching where I was going, clearly." Assuming the conversation was over, she sidestepped him. "You're Lavanya...Lavanya Kashyap, isn't it?" She froze in her tracks, slowly turning around to face him. "Do I know you?" He smiled. But it wasn't the happy, kind smile that she usually saw on men's faces when they spotted her. He was sneering. "No. But apparently you know my son." He sauntered to her, edging forward at an uncomfortably close distance. She could feel his hot breath on her cheek. The hair on the back of her neck rose. She moved back, attempting to create distance between them. He raised his eyebrows, amused. "Let me introduce myself. I'm Arjun Mehta; Khushi's husband." He turned to his son. "Come on Rohan, let's go home."
Lavanya didn't miss the child's quiet whimper as he moved in closer to her. She squeezed his hand, telling him that she wouldn't let him go. "The child isn't going anywhere," she declared coldly. His eyes narrowed. Any hint of kindness that he may have had had disappeared. "I'm sorry, but I do believe you are not in a position to decide where my child goes," he stated, reaching for Rohan. Lavanya stepped protectively in front of the boy. "Admittedly I'm not. But this is between you and your wife. I suggest you discuss the matter with her first. I took Rohan to the park with Khushi's permission and told her that I would bring him safely back. And nothing will stop me from doing so - not even you, Mr. Arjun Mehta."
She turned towards Rohan. "Let's go sweetheart. Your mom must be waiting for us."
She hadn't gotten 10 steps away when he called behind her. "Miss Lavanya Kashyap...I must say, for a woman of today you're pretty damn stupid. You don't know who you've messed with. I am the kind of man who has the power to make your life better than heaven or worse than hell, and right now, you're headed for the latter. If I were you, I'd watch my back."
"No, Mr. Arjun Mehta," she retorted immediately. "You forget that I've dealt with thousands of low-lives like you. I know exactly what you are. And I am NOT one of those that you can walk over, I assure you. I think YOU'RE the one who has messed with the wrong woman. Have a nice day Mr. Mehta." And that was that. Though this issue had been dealt with for the moment, Lavanya was worried. Not for herself, per say, but the woman she had saved...Khushi. Clearly there was a lot that Khushi hadn't told her yet...but Lavanya was beginning to have her own doubts. Those bumps and bruises...was it Arjun...? If so, how long had she been dealing with this A******... and why? Why would she live with such a monster? And what happened to her 2 weeks ago? Although Lavanya knew she had no right over Khushi's life really, she knew that she needed to help this woman and her son. She knew she was the only one who could. And whether Khushi wanted her help or not, she would be helping her. It was final.
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