Jassi sips the juice obediently but as soon as Ashmit goes back to the kitchen, she puts the glass down listlessly, almost mechanically. Armaan's face is still flashing before her eyes; his words are still ringing in her ears. She thinks, "Main uss aadmi ko nahin pehchaanti, phir bhi uski baaton mein mujhe sachaayi kyun lag rahi hai….usse ek rishta kyun mehsoos ho raha hai?"
She gets up restlessly and walks around the room. A chill breeze is coming through the windows, and she goes there to close it. She has just managed it before a stray gust of air knocks open the door of a cupboard on the opposite side of the room. She walks up to it to shut it….and then spots something on the second-lowest shelf.
It is the briefcase which Jassi had left that day when fleeing from the house. Almost automatically, she opens it, and browses through the contents: her laptop, with a picture of Vedika and Ashish on the wallpaper; her cellphone, with Armaan's face as the screensaver, and a sheaf of documents related to Gulmohur. As she goes through them, her expression changes from curiosity to amazement, and then to shock…..she leafs frantically through these reminders of her identity, and when she lifts her head, there is only one word on her lips—
"Armaan!!!"
Ashmit comes in just then. He freezes when he sees the incriminating evidence in Jassi's hands. She turns wildly and walks past without even bothering about him, moving towards the front door. But before she can open it and move outside, Ashmit's hand pulls her roughly from behind. Throwing her on a sofa, he rushes to the door and locks it, putting the key in his pocket.
He hisses, "Toh tumhe sab kuch yaad aa hi gaya! Never mind…..ab isse tumhe kuch faayda nahin hone wala….tum iss ghar ke andar ho, aur jab tab main nahin chahunga, tum bahar nahin ja sakti!"
She gets up and gives him a singularly unpleasant look. "Mujhe mere Armaan ke paas jaane se tum kabhi nahin rok sakte, Ashmit Singhania….aur bahar jaate hi main tumhare asliyat sabko bata dungi….."
He grabs her almost nonchalantly. "Really?" he says with an evil smile, unflinching as she tries to free herself. "Let's see…..tum kaise jaati ho!"
She struggles and tries to push him away…but all of a sudden the room spins in front of her. (Apparently, the drug Ashmit put in the juice did its work.) She tries to hit out but instead falls back and sinks to the ground, unconscious.
Smiling, Ashmit carries her to the bed and places her carefully on it. Then he pours himself a stiff drink and gulps it down in one go. Looking victoriously at his victim, he approaches closer and closer….bends down and slides off her dupatta.
Leering, he reaches for another drink, gulps down this one too, and bends over Jassi again. Then….maybe the few sips she had taken from the juice weren't strong enough, or maybe it is the smell of whisky on his breath…..Jassi's eyes fly open in horror, and she pushes him away.
At that moment there is a frantic knocking on the door—
"Jassi…Jassi, JASSI!!"
Monday: Settling scores
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