Chapter 31
"Why didn't you tell me kaka? I would have stopped her...I would have gone after her sooner...I have been... andwhy haven't you picked up the phone all evening? Why did you let her go?" RK asked agitated as Patil cleaned up the blood and bandaged the visible wounds as fast as he could. There were more injuries and possibly a fracture, but RK couldn't wait long enough for a doctor to treat. Having lost his phone, he didn't have Tony's number any more but he still had the address of the place where he had sent the car the night he had bought Madhu. He would find Tony - and God willing, Madhu - there.
"I am sorry. I did not...she made me promise."Patil gulped as he remembered how Madhu had touched his feet before she left and made him promise to not tell RK anything before he came home and to take care of him after he did.
"And I went out for some time, to the bank and then to buy bus ticket for Panchgani for tomorrow."
"Panchgani? That's where Madhu's...has she gone to Manav? But you said she went with Tony?"
"No...she didn't go to Manav. She said she was going back where she came from. But she told me she had talked to Manav and asked me to go there tomorrow and give him an envelope with some cash and the bank ATM card. She asked me to put most of the money you gave in a joint account for both of them. You know right, Tony's men threatened her with Manav's life to force her into...she said she had to make sure Manav could run away and get some place safe about which nobody would know..."
"What? Manav's life is in danger? Madhu never told me that!" RK stood up in surprise.
"That's why she was doing...this...that's why she didn't run. She didn't tell me exactly how it happened, but she was sold to Tony and when she tried to run away, she realized Tony's men knew about Manav and could get to him before her at any time. That's when she decided to do as she said. And then you bought her and brought her here."
RK stilled with the weight of those words. He had suspected but never given full weight to the thought that Madhu had gone into prostitution under such duress. He had long known she didn't belong there but he assumed she had made the decision to do it for some reason. Maybe for money, maybe for her brother's education. Severe economic distress and lack of support often led women to choose the trade, even though hardly anyone picked prostitution as a first choice. Somehow, he had always been a tad afraid of knowing the full truth because he was trying to not get attached to her and when he did get attached to her, he just thought he would have more time to get to know her. But now, to think she was sold and then beaten and threatened every single second to do what she clearly hated took things a notch higher than what he had always feared. His restlessness increased even as Patil made him sit down and finished bandaging his head wound.
"Oh God. Why didn't Madhu tell me any of that? Why didn't you tell me that? I would have...I could have done something kaka...Show me the envelope."
Five minutes later, RK's eyes were red as he finished reading the letter. Reading between the lines from what she had written to Manav, he started to understand the whole picture. This was too risky, what Madhu was planning. If Madhu had to run, why didn't she run while she was still here? She could have run away in the morning from RK's house instead of going with Tony. Why would she...
The barrage of exasperation found a pause as it hit RK why Madhu had delayed her plan.
For him.
To avoid any trouble to his life, his divorce. Obviously, she understood he was torn over her leaving. She always understood him. So she did this to avoid a scenario in which Tony came looking for Madhu at RK's house and seeked retribution from him for allowing Madhu's escape.
Dammit Madhu!
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"Madhu...shhh...bas Madhu...look at me" he finally pulled a wailing Madhu slightly apart and cupped her face with his palms. They didn't have a lot of time.
"Madhu...are you ok? Did they beat you? Are you hurt anywhere?" he asked, looking straight at Madhu though her eyes were scattered all over his body. Ever since he had found Madhu's note to Manav, his worry for her safety had gone beyond potential damage from Tony, his men or his clients. He was just as scared of Madhu hurting herself because somewhere in her words, he had felt her strength wavering. He was worried she'd hurt itself either trying to escape or simply because she couldn't. Now, when he finally had her in his arms, he couldn't stop himself from making sure she was unhurt.
Madhu looked at RK as she parted away. Instinctively her hands went over his face and body as she saw the injuries. She touched his shoulder and he winced, though he tried not to react. He was hurt and Madhu felt sick with worry, so much that she couldn't hear whatever RK was asking her.
"Madhu" RK jolted her on not getting a response. Suddenly she stopped crying as the reality of the situation hit her. RK was here, in Karan's room. How?
"Madhu...let's go. We need to get out of here." He said, but to his surprise, she took a small step away from him.
"Rishabh what are you doing here? You need to leave." She spoke, not responding to Rishabh's query. Her mind was suddenly filled with a million scenarios. Rishabh shouldn't be here. Karan could come back any time. What would he do? He could hurt him. And he'd tell Tony.
"Madhu, I am here to take you. Come with me." He held her hand and tried to pull her, but she stopped.
"Rishabh ji, no. I...I don't work for you any more. I am here now. You should go." She tried to speak as calmly as possible, though she did a terrible job of it as Rishabh heard the terrified quiver in her voice. He was stunned to hear her words but he was in no mood to buy her flawed logic.
"Madhu...you're coming with me. You don't belong here. You're not safe here. Let's go please"
"Rishabh ji please I can't. If Mr Mathur comes here, he could hurt you. And Tony...and your case...I can't go with you...you should just leave from here..."Madhu continued to talk, not really listening to RK.
"Madhu I am not here to leave. I am here to take you." He pulled her along but she resisted and shoved him away. mostly stricken with worry about Manav. She needed to give him time. If she left now, surely Karan would tell Tony and he could hurt him before he had a chance to escape. And surely they would come after Rishabh do. She couldn't drag him in this mess. It wasn't fair to him. It wasn't his battle to fight.
"Rishabh I said go. Please." she screamed, and RK stilled. He stepped closer to her and looked straight into her eyes. Then, he spoke as slowly and clearly as he could, making sure she understood every word.
"I am not going anywhere without you. We are both leaving, now, together and I swear, until I am alive, you will never ever return to this hell again. Understand?"
Madhu froze as she felt the intensity in his eyes and the power of his words. She wanted to believe him. Oh, she wanted so much to believe him.
"But Tony..."she uttered, her voice a quivering whisper
"Leave that to me." He answered, still not letting her eyes move away from the lock he had on them.
"Karan..."
"You want to be with Karan?" he asked, knowing the answer fully well. He had seen her pain downstairs and he could see the pain on her face right now.
For once, there was no mask over Madhu's emotions and Rishabh now understood her enough to know the pain and the denial fighting a duel inside her. She didn't trust him, he knew, and she had good reason not to. But right now, he needed her to trust him. He did not have much time and he really really needed her to reach within herself and trust him tonight.
She shut her eyes, hiding away from the intensity of Rishabh's eyes that had her hypnotized. She wanted to believe him but a voice in her head kept telling her she couldn't. The realization that he had come to take her - that Rishabh really, truly had found her and come to save her from here - made her feel shocked and completely unsurprised at the same time. But the voice that told her she couldn't put his and Manav's life at risk was too strong. She had tolerated everything upto this moment with the sole solace that it was the only option she had if she wanted to keep Manav - and Rishabh - away from danger as best as she could.
She turned her back to Rishabh and stepped away, her eyes still shut, as she struggled to make a decision. Rishabh on the other hand winced at her stubbornness as he saw her turn away, but he wasn't going to give up tonight. Not this easy. Not until he was alive.
"Madhu" he walked closer and held her by her shoulders.
"Rishabh no"
"Madhu please trust me, look at me"
"I said go" she screamed, pushing him with her hand though he didn't move at all as she turned to face him again.
"Well, well, what do we have here..."Karan's voice was full of an arrogant smirk as he made his way in through the open door. RK and Madhu both looked at him together.
Immediately, RK stepped ahead towards Karan and pulled Madhu behind him, who was terror-struck and did not resist.
"Mathur..." RK started to say.
"Well Kundra, you said five minutes." Karan smirked as he walked close to them.
"We are just leaving." RK responded.
"Doesn't look like she wants to go with you? And frankly, I don't think I want to let her go any more, especially when she clearly prefers me over you." He said, eyeing Madhu with a look of desire. Madhu squirmed as she saw the look and actually stepped back, hiding herself behind RK.
"Karan I said..." RK was furious as he too followed Karan's gaze.
"Relax, Kundra. Why don't you just accept it? I am hotter than you, always was. Natalie preferred me over you, and today Mitasha...and frankly, I have been pining for her for days now. Why don't you just leave and let us two lovebirds to ourselves for the rest of this week? "
RK angrily stared at Karan as he held his collar with his right hand, then checked himself and stepped back. There was no use getting riled up. Karan had always been like this, he knew. Instead he turned and grabbed Madhu's hand with anger and told her in a voice that didn't take no for an answer.
"Let's go, Madhu."
Madhu was stunned at the exchange thus far between Karan and Rishabh. She understood little of it, but her initial fear at seeing Karan had quickly been replaced by shock as it did not seem as if Karan was totally surprised to find Rishabh here. Karan's words were quite scary and disgusting to her, but when RK looked at her in anger and held her hand, her dominating thought was that somehow she had made Rishabh very very mad.
They took a couple of steps towards the door when Madhu suddenly stopped. Worry for Manav once again crept in and she wasn't sure what would happen to him if she just walked out like this.
RK turned around angrily as he realized Madhu had stopped walking, but his anger melted away as Madhu's face told him what she was truly worrying about.
Damn! I should have told her first thing, he admonished himself, before saying aloud "Madhu, I have Manav."
He turned again as soon as he saw her register the words and started to walk and was relieved to note she wasn't resisting any more. He was still furious and he knew he had spoken curtly, without explanation, but right now he just wanted to get out as soon as possible. He would explain everything to her later.
They were almost at the door when Karan called RK and they both stopped.
"Kundra" he said "take bhabhi from the service lift at the other end of the corridor. It goes into the kitchen area and to the back exit. That way nobody will see you."
RK looked at him and nodded, then walked out, dragging his Madhu with him.
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