[COMPLETE] ArShi SS: Cruise Adriana (Moved to Blog) - Page 9

Originally posted by: ..KittyKat..

What the...

Update an ever lasting update can bring you near to me,

Don't ever let me find you gone

'Coz that would bring a tear to me...

You think that I don't even mean a single word I say,

Its only asking for an update, asking for an update is all I have to take your heart away!

Ya, ya! Being silly sometimes and asking update for a fantabulous story sure brings out the plagarizist in me 🤣

Coping songs and modifying them😆

Anyways do update soon!

Hugs and kisses,

Saraa

Originally posted by: Simi1711

Awww... Thanks sweets 😳

Trying to update this by today evening.

Originally posted by: Suchi_ASR

🥳

C H A P T E R T H R E E

T H E P A S T

In this bright future, you can't forget your past. - Bob Marley.

~March 8th, 1998

Woman found DEAD in bathtub

March 17th, 1998

Another victim found dead in a bathtub

March 29th, 1998

The bloodbath continues, third victim in a row found DEAD in bathtub

-------------------------

The Terror Is Back: One More Name Added to the Bathtub Murder Victims

MANHATTAN (July 7)--In a shocking stance of Manhattan's serial murders that began in March this year, another jolt has hit the town as another victim was found dead in her bathtub in a similar fashion like the three other victims from March.

Olivia Austin, 36, was found in a pool of blood in a bathtub in her 3 BHK apartment yesterday. First hand impressions suggest the cause of death to be an incision in her carotid artery, wherein her throat was slit brutally using a sharp device that validates the incessant blood loss.The return of this serial killer after a hiatus of three months has left the CIA in haze as they are trying day in and day out to assimilate all kinds of leads that can help them catch this merciless killer.

Local Sheriff Dylan Barton, who led the first hand investigation in the crime scene yesterday told us that the killer here, whoever it is, is most likely following the rule of three-a barbaric art of sinful murders, in a series of three, in a gap of three months, from the Book of Revelations.

"Well as of now, it is only a theory. But looking at the pattern of these killings, there's a high chance that the killer is some sort of person with a Barbaric mindset, to do these killing in a pattern of three--a trinity, according to the Book of Revelations," he said to our correspondent.Well, if the theory of Mr. Barton is indeed true, then there certainly is going to be another storm coming up this month, as according to the rule of three, two more brutal murders are on their way.

Be alert, people!

--------------------------------

July 18th, 1998

The TRINITY KILLER on the LOOSE: FIFTH MURDER IN A YEAR..

July 19th, 1998 Channel 302: Manhattan 24 LIVE

Reporter: In what seems to be a psychotic killer's interpretations of some Barbaric references, the nation is spell bound with the series of murders that have taken place in the last six months.After the three murders in March this year, where ALL women were found brutally murdered in the bathtub of their houses, two more names got added to this stack. Olivia Austin, who died earlier this month, and Cassandra Rogers, whose dead body was found in a similar fashion in the wee hours of the morning yesterday.

We have with us special agent Frederick Thomson, who has been investigating the latest crime scene.

<Camera rolls>

Reporter: Hello Mr. Thomson, what do you think is the objective of the killer behind these killings? What's the current status of the investigation? And how close do you think you are in catching the heartless monster?

Mr. Thompson: Well, when it comes to killings like these, there can be NO objectives. These are homicide instincts breeding from psychotic innuendos and hence, whoever is behind all this is NOT in his right state of mind.

The investigation is going on in full swing and we have already started processing the leads. Our forensic experts are sure to give us some clues on this. We are now looking for a concrete pattern behind these killings and as soon as we get there, the sinner shall be chastised.

Reporter: Thank you Mr. Thompson, for talking to us and sharing the details of this case. Viewers, we will be giving you more info on the Trinity Murder Case, stay tuned for more updates. This is Sheila Lambert, with cameraman David Portman, Manhattan 24.

------------

Saima sighed as she lowered the volume of her television set and remained lost in a deep thought.

Death was something that always wrecked her from within, having lost her father at a very young age.

Here, the case was even worse as young women were brutally murdered by some psychotic killer..

"Still keeping tabs on that Trinity Killer crap story?"

The voice suddenly brought her out of her reverie as she turned around and her lips immediately curved into a warm smile.

"You are back!"

She said in a soft voice as she went on to hug him tight and snuggle in his chest, while he wrapped his arms around her lovingly.

"I missed you!"

He whispered in her ear as she smiled at those words and replied, "I missed you."They pulled out of the hug after a while and she took his coat and briefcase, asking him simultaneously, "So how was your day?"

He opened the refrigerator taking a water bottle out of it as he said between his sips, "Oh it was good! A little tiring though, had too many patients today, but good."

She smiled at that and headed towards the kitchen to heat his lunch while he went to the washroom to freshen up..

"It's own beat in my head, while we are talking.. About all of the things that I want to believe.. about love and the truth and what you mean to me..."

She crooned one of her favorite Bon Jovi tracks as she stirred the curry in the pan, excited to have lunch together with her ever busy doctor husband.

"I want to lay you down in a bed of roses.. For tonight I sleep on a bed of nails...I want to be-"

And her little karaoke session was cut midway as she heard the landline ring.She regulated the flame of the stove as she rubbed her hands in the napkin and went to the living room to take the call.

The phone ring reverberated in the huge hall of the Sanders Mansion making Saima shout in a hurried tone, "Oh God! Coming, coming, wait!!"

She reached the landline with a ragged breath as she received the call.

"Hello?"..

"Yeah, this is his wife speaking."..

"No, actually he's in the washroom."..

"Yes, is there a message you want me to pass on to him?"..

"Oh, okay then."..

"Thank you.".

"Honeyyy! There was a call for you!"

She shouted in a loud shrill voice so that it could reach her husband who was probably busy taking shower in the bathroom as the noise of it suggested.

"I guess a patient wanted your appointment, so I-"

She suddenly stopped in her track of words as she heard a thud and turned around immediately.

"Sh*t!"

She cursed as she saw her husband's briefcase had mistakenly fallen down on the floor by her hurried leg movement.

She bent down to lift it and keep it where it was when she realized that the strong fall had left the briefcase open.

"Damn it!"

She mentally slapped herself for her ever-famous clumsiness as she went on to close the official briefcase, when suddenly her eyes caught a hold of something peeping out of it.

Her brows furrowed as she felt in the back of her mind a familiar essence as she saw the face that was apparently etched on the little piece of paper that stuck out from the case.

The level of curiosity piqued in her as carefully took out the piece, and her eyes widened in shock seeing the face as well as the name written on it.

Cassandra Rogers.

For a minute she forgot she had sense organs in her body for she felt her entire senses go limp, giving her goose bumps on her skin.

With trembling hands, she took out the remaining stack of papers.

Her husband's patients' ID cards..

With each passing second that her mind registered the names that were written on those cards, and faces that were etched beside it, she felt her breathing constrict.

Cassie Brown.

Amy Peterson.

Tina Montgomery.

Olivia Austin.

Cassandra Rogers..

Her throat dried as her body shivered and she felt like someone had knocked all the air out of her lungs. She was nowhere even close to understand what was happening with her, when suddenly a voice grabbed her attention.

"Honey?"

She stumbled at her spot as she turned around and saw her husband stare at her with a blank expression on his face.

A chill ran down her spine as his gaze lowered and he saw his patients' ID cards fisted in his wife's trembling hands.

.

His victims' ID cards..

She felt the ground beneath her feet wipe off as beads of sweat formed on her forehead, and she felt only haze and terror in front her as she watched him take little strides towards her...

..

.

A 10 year old boy rushed inside his house after a tiring day at school, which was followed by a strenuous basketball practice session.

He was super hungry and all he could think of was his favorite Italian dish, pasta with red-sauced gratin, as he walked through the hall of the big house.

"Mom!"

He shouted tiredly as he took the stairs, his eyes searching for his mom who was supposed to be home today.

His bratty self was going to be in full show today, for he hated it when he wasn't paid attention to after he came back from an exhausting day at school.

His steps halted at one point of the corridors as he saw his parents' bedroom door open..

Agitated with the ignorance, he rushed inside the bedroom, but to his disappointment, he could spot no one there.

It was frustrating him to the core as he made an irritated face and was about to step out of the bedroom, when he suddenly noticed something.

The bathroom door was open.

And the light there was on..

Confused by the peculiar occurence, he inquisitively took a step towards the bathroom of the big bedroom, his heart suddenly thudding abnormally, with every stride he took...He breathed silently, as if his body had already anticipated something it was not going to like, while his mind was still in an indefinable conundrum of the happenings..And with one final step, he stood at the door of the bathroom, his nerves wrecking at the image of what his eyes saw..Red..

That was all he could visualize.

His mother.

Drowning in red.

In her blood..

The hair on his skin stood on their edges while he felt shivers running down his spine.

"Mo-mom"

He stuttered, unable to process what he was seeing, when suddenly his eyes spotted him.

"D-d-dad?"

The man instantly looked up to see the 10 year old stare at him with a shell-shocked and questioning gaze, while he was sitting on the marbled floor of the bathroom, right beside the dead body of his wife, with a surgical knife in his hand.

"ARNAV!""My handsome boy! You are BACK!"

He exclaimed loudly like a mad man, as if he was seeing his son after a long sabbatical..

Arnav saw haphazard dots in front of his eyes, feeling dizzy at the sight of his mother lying lifeless in a pool of her own blood.

But what aggravated his numbness was seeing his dad holding that surgical knife that had fresh traces of blood in it and flashing an abnormal smile at him, as if he wasn't the same person he knew for all these years, anymore..

He immediately took a step backward as raw fear engulfed him and he could feel his heart almost come out of his chest.

"Oh don't be scared my boy! I'm not going to hurt you! It's only for women,beautiful women who think they are above everyone!"

He said in a casual tone, looking at the weapon in his hand, before shifting his gaze on his petrified son once again.

Not wasting another minute, he took a step forward, and that's when Arnav knew, what he had to do..With one loud gasp, he began running down the staircase.Running for his life, running from his own father who had mercilessly killed his mother, and now was all set to attack him.

The man ran behind him, stumbling at some points as the soapy essence from the washroom floor still lingered on his feet..

"ARNAV! STOP RUNNING!"

He shouted out loud, but the kid's eyes searched for only one thing:The door of the mansion.

And so he did.

He lashed out of the grand door of the place, running like a maniac as he vowed to not look back and went ahead and ahead to wherever his feet took him..

His breaths started coming out ragged as after five minutes of that endless run, his feet and body finally gave up, his head spinning like he had nothing left in him anymore.

He fell down near a giant tree, his sobs getting louder and louder with each second, as his eyes saw only multicolored dots now, his hysteria finally clicking in; and he called for his mother one last time, before the darkness enveloped him and he lost his consciousness.

~..

She could feel him re-live those deadly memories as she watched his hands tightly fisted, as if trying to muster all the courage in the world to be the ruthless, strong, and influential man the world knew him to be.

From the past half an hour of their little talk, sitting on the trestle of the upper deck of the ship, where they had bumped into each other this morning, she knew one thing for sure.

This man was way too damaged.

He had told her the entire incident and even listening to it made her mind and heart go numb. She couldn't even wonder in her wildest dream what it would have been, to have actually faced all of that for real.

He had accumulated so much pain, so much terror, in one corner of his heart; that had made his perspective change about life and opt for the easiest way to deal with his demon--be stone-hearted, reckless, and courageous beyond measures.

The incidents we face, the experiences we get, the life we live, shape us to become who we are. And here, whatever horrendous had happened with him 17 years ago had impacted him heavily.

Was this a damage beyond repair?

She didn't know that..

"So, what happened after that?"

She asked in a soft voice, as she watched him become a little normal after narrating whatever he had witnessed when he was only a 10 year-old boy..After a brief period of silence, he replied,"The neighbors found me two days later in the woods."."An-And your.. father?"

Khushi asked hesitantly.

He looked into her eyes directly before shifting his gaze towards the vast ocean that had a shiny tinge to it now due to the bright sun, as he said,

"The police caught him. Turns out, the last call that my mother had received was not from a patient but the CIA themselves, who wanted to confirm whether he was home."

"..They were coming to arrest him. They had found the pattern they had been looking for and found all the victims had a common doctor--my.. my father."

"But.."

He paused, his tone reflecting the conspicuous agony.

"They couldn't make it on time, and my mother, his own bloody wife ended up becoming the last victim."

She could feel the tint of helplessness in his eyes as well as voice as he said that.

She knew very well that in retrospect, even if he tried to recall the fond memories of his mother, he would always have them jeopardized since his father"his other parent would have been there in each of those frames.

If this wasn't called mayhem and misery, then Khushi didn't know what else could their definitions possibly be!.

"My neighbors handed me to my maternal family; that comprises of my uncle-aunt, cousins and my grandmother, and I was immediately taken back to India, to my mother's native place."

He now looked at her and spoke in a relatively calmer tone.

"My mother used to work as a microbiologist in one of the prominent hospitals of Delhi, where she had met my father, an American plastic surgeon, Dr. Ray Sanders. He was in India for some seminar, and that is when they fell in love and began their courtship."

"The idea of my mother marrying a man of different ethnicity and culture didn't click well with my maternal family and so they didn't even bother much for them after they shifted to Manhattan after marriage.. And.. the rest is history."..

"After being back to Delhi, I underwent enormous counseling sessions to combat the shock and depression that had engulfed me. Gradually, it did start working as I began behaving like how a normal kid would, thanks to the immense love my family there gave me."

Khushi listened keenly as he went on,"But that was one side of the coin.."

"Every night, I would have nightmares, visions and flashes of that tragic night and soon after, I became an insomniac, it scared me to fall asleep because I always remained apprehensive of seeing those bad dreams again."

Khushi felt her heart clench at the thought of such intense agony this man would have faced in his childhood, when he should have been living a carefree life, filled with joy, pranks, laughter, and fun.

"And then came teenage. If the horrendous memories of my past weren't enough already, there came peer pressure, questions from the batch mates who often asked me where were my parents? It got too much to take.."

"..And that's, that's when I started.. cutting myself."

He confessed, his gaze now looking at his wrists that had numerous faint marks of some old cuts and two marks that appeared only recent.

"Since then I made it a point to be the BEST in everything I did, conquer everything I wanted, have the word power at my mercy"and so I did."

"I topped in academics, culturals, sports, and made my way to Harvard University, where once again victorious became my middle name in everything I did."

He said proudly, his hands now tucked in his trouser pockets.

"At just 27, I'm one of the youngest billionaires in the world, the owner of AR Industries, nothing is beyond my reach Khushi, absolutely nothing.".

"But there's still something I couldn't do!"

He gritted, making Khushi's eyes dart at him in a perplexed gaze.

"I wanted to see that murderer once. One last time. To ask him, why he did this? Why he KILLED my mother? Why he killed ALL those women? To punish him, to punish him with my OWN hands! But-"

He sighed as he looked at the ocean waters again.

"But I couldn't. He was already dead by the time I made it back to the States."

"Died of a cardiac arrest!"He stated bluntly...

"Can you beat that, Khushi?"

He asked in a mocking tone.

"A man, who KILLED SIX WOMEN, died from a mere heart attack! A simple heart attack? WITHOUT any suffering, WITHOUT any remorse! And I.. I couldn't even PUNISH him!"He averred in a self-mocking tone this time.

Khushi felt tears brim in her eyes as she now stood up from the trestle and walked close to him.

She placed a hand on his shoulder, and he immediately turned towards her feeling her touch...

He didn't know why he had broken that vow today.

To open the horrific gates of his past memories.

Why did he even feel the urge to tell her about his nightmares, and let out his vulnerability?

Why couldn't he stop himself from feeling the need to open up to her when they had bumped into each other this morning while taking a stroll on the upper deck and she had hesitantly asked him why did he cut himself.

But all he knew now was, he wasn't having second thoughts about it, neither was he feeling guilty of sharing his past with her.

He softly smiled, trying to convey it to her that he was okay, seeing the small beads of tears brim in her eyes.

"Can you promise me something, Mr. Raizada?"

She still didn't address him by his first name, and for some odd reason, he didn't even want to change that.

Looking at her hazel pools, he waited for her to say what she was going to.

"You won't cut yourself ever again. Promise me?"

.

Her words caught him off guard..

How much did he know her after all?

Less than 24 hours?

And he had already bared his soul in front of her?.

And he didn't regret it.

For a strange reason, Armav Singh Raizada, for whom every little judgment came with a prolonged process of sagacity, nodded his head, voluntarily or involuntarily, he didn't know, giving her a promise to not physically hurt himself ever again...

She smiled at his compliance, both of them together shifting their gaze to the royal blue waters of the kingly ocean, as he said in a tone blended with casualness.

"You know Khushi, my mother was very fond of sea voyages. She would often travel in cruises, and that's precisely the reason I love sea voyages too. I make sure to have at least one cruise trip every year."

Khushi smiled widely at that, seeing him recall at least some fond memories from his disastrous past.

And that's when she realized that she was enjoying the company of this man, who was pained, tortured, tested, yet emerged as a good human being..

'Less than 24 hours and she already certified him as a good human being?'

Yes.

His aura of positivity gave Khushi a little flame of hope in her mind, as she thought that maybe, maybe it wasn't too late. Maybe she could beat her tragic fate, helpless past, and cheat destiny's crooked plan for her.

She was lost in deep thoughts as she took two steps and sat on the same trestle once again, and that's when his voice got her attention.

"Don't you think you are forgetting something?"

She looked up to see him standing inches away from her, while she only asked him with her puzzled eyes, "What?"

Exhaling a deep breath, he sat beside her once again, and averred, "Tell me, Khushi Gupta."

"Tell me, what makes such a beautiful woman like you so sad."

**

Originally posted by: Suchi_ASR

👏

I m SPEECHLESS...

This is a completely different world of arnav khushi simi... And hats off for writing it so beautifully...such depth of background story...my god!!! Arnav has a horrid past!!!

And don't think if u did justice or not cuz accordng to me, u wrote fantabulously!!!!! 😳

Dis story s already my favourite, along with the 10 days challenge...really hats off fr writing two completely different stories and opposite genres...

Waiting to read more!!!!

Originally posted by: choochootrain

I love your story!!!!...didnt expect arnav's past was so horrid...poor child...he's one strong person n hope he wont cut himself anymore...

Lets see if our khushi gonna share her story...