Chapter 26 :

Anika's POV

"Now let's start", he spoke, forcing the nail puller into my hand before he tightly held my hand while the other hand held my other hand tightly on the armrest.

"Tie this hand", he ordered the guard standing nearby.

Upon his order, the guard walked towards us before holding onto my left hand before tying it up to the armrest. I struggled to break free from the tight grip, while my eyes shed helpless tears. My inside was shaking imagining the upcoming events, bloody events.

I kept shaking my head helplessly staring at my hand being tied, as I pleaded to Arnav, "Please don't do this. I'm sorry. I won't do that again. Arnav please let me go I c-can't do this please", I wailed but to no avail.

He blankly kept staring at my wrist being held by him, not giving a heed to my pleas.

He was blinded by anger and some pointless jealousy that he was forcing me into something I never imagined to do.

I was already suppressing too much inside and if I do something so cruel to someone who did no wrong to me, I'd go insane remembering my forced cruelty. I might be admitted in an asylum after I commit such a sin.

The basement echoed with my helpless cries but no one paid any heed. It was as if an innocent soul was being burnt in hellfire infront of all the merciless monsters there in hell. I don't consider myself innocent but I wasn't at fault either, right now.

Once my hand was successfully tied up, Arnav put aside the nail puller before gesturing another guard beside us to hand him something.

As the asked object came into my view, cold fear consumed me.

It was a hammer.

Taking the object in his hand, he made me hold it before he wrapped his fingers around my hand to not let me drop the hammer.

"You're moving so much doll. Take this as my pity to let you use the hammer and not the nail puller", he whispered in my ears, sending shivers all over my body.

I shook my head, the painful lump in my throat only let me let out sobs and no words.

He held the victim's left wrist before holding up my hand holding the hammer and throwing a blow on the man's hand.

The man screamed in pain, his painful screams being muffled my the tape on his mouth. But his scream was accompanied by my terrified one. I too screamed in horror watching the man's fingers turn a bit dark.

My eyes were wide as tears flowed freely down my cheeks.

Arnav made me throw another blow on the man's hand followed by several other blows before his nails were broken, skin ripped off as blood oozed out.

All the while I kept crying shaking my head but he kept making me hit a man with whom I didn't bear any animosity. My throat ached because of crying my heart out because of fear, trauma and guilt.

My body was shaking as my breaths had turned slow. I was hiccuping between my cries, my heart hammering loudly against my ribs. I was losing my mind witnessing the metal table turning red with the man's fresh blood.

The man had fainted after yelling at the top of his lungs because of the pain he was made to go through.

I didn't know when my hands were set free and I was made to stand up by him.

Arnav held me up properly on the ground as I was blankly staring at the blood on the table. My sobs had slowed down because of the sudden trauma he made me go through. Its smell reached my nose, making my stomach twitch in disgust.

Seeing me silent, he slid his one hand under my thighs while the other one slid under my waist before picking me up as he started walking out of the basement. Instinctively, I had my arms wrapped around his neck to support myself.

As those scary sounds of the blowing hammer echoed in my head mixed with my painful cries and the flashes of the man in agony, I suddenly started sobbing, my chest tightening with just fear and fear.

He didn't care about me crying, and by his heaving up and falling down chest, I knew he was burning in rage but his rage was destroying me from inside.

I was choking on my tears that I was losing my breaths. But again, he didn't even care.

Within minutes, both of us were in his room. I was still in his arms before he made me stand on the ground. But as soon as he let go of me, I felt the world spinning around me.

My body had turned cold and my vision was blurring each passing second.

I tried to reach out for him, the embrace I sought for even when that embrace was breaking me apart. I tried to hold his hand but even before I could proceed him with my wobbling legs, through my blurred vision, I saw he had already exited the room followed by the loud noise of the door closing. The room had turned dark the moment he went out turning off the lights.

My eyes widened as my heart picked up a faster pace. Fear gripped me as cold sweats broke on my forehead over the dried ones. Everywhere was just darkness, a shrill silence rung in the darkness embracing me in its cold embrace.

My last hope of survival seemed to seep out of my body, being replaced by the coldness in the darkness.

I was losing my mind each passing second as I started catching sights of several dark figures being formed by the darkness. The dark surrounding started moving slowly before it moved around me in a foggy horror dance, the figures forming glared at me as if willing to eat me out.

Consumed by my inner demons taking control over me, I crouched down blocking my ears with my hands to stop hearing the unclear mumbles and laughters in the darkness. I closed my eyes as I sobbed mumbling, "Please stop. Please don't do this. I'm scared. Please don't do this to me", my voice barely above a whisper, cracking up because of my hurting throat.

Everything felt too overwhelming to process when those bloody flashes of the sins Arnav made me commit flashed infront of my eyes, making me scream in fear as I started wailing loudly, breaths slowly disappearing from my lungs.

As my emotions overpowered me, I felt myself getting weaker each second before I slowly lost it; falling down on the ground being consumed by the darkness.

9:30 p.m.

Arnav's POV

The sheer number of reasons I was given today to the point where I felt like digging holes in someone's body with my gunshots. Everything was normal until I received the news of Dhruv coming back from coma.

I was happy to know that I'd see him again after so long, in his awake form, but the lingering fear of him not recognising me left me unsettled. I wanted to rush home to meet him, but maa called to inform me that they were bringing him to my mansion because it was Teej and everyone would be at Orphic Hades. That news didn't sit well with me at all.

At the mansion Anika was present, and I didn't want the two of them to see each other. Dhruv has already been hurt by her so deeply, and I feared that seeing her again might bring back his old wounds might push  him back into unconsciousness. I hated her but deep down I knew Dhruv didn't share that sentiment.

As I drove home, my doubts about his hatred for her grew stronger only for them to shatter when Dhruv had appeared on the rooftop while Anika was performing her part of pooja in Teej.

I wanted to see her reaction and as per my expectations, she was shocked and frozen in her place.

I knew she wouldn't expect that and that's why I had asked maa to keep it as a surprise for her.

I smirked remembering her helpless situation but my eyes darkened as the smirk faded, remembering the sight I witnessed some hours ago.

When I saw them kissing.

I knew she was a cunning woman but who kept that she'd be so characterless. I had seen the pain of getting betrayed twice by the woman he loved, when he was at the rooftop. I felt bad for him because he remembered everything and seeing his last lover married to his brother wasn't something easy to bear. Atleast I could understand his pain a bit.

I thought he would hate her after that but I somewhere knew that he wouldn't hate so easily and I was proved right when I caught them kissing. The tenderness with which he held her despite his weak physique, proved his unmoved love for her. He loved her before losing his consciousness and even after coming back to life.

How could he be so soft? Who would say that he was involved in the mafia? Who'd say that he was a professional marksman?

I scoffed at my thoughts.

But I hated the fact the most that she let him kiss her. She's mine and she can never let herself get touched by someone else, even if he's my brother. I was blinded by my anger to show her who she belonged to that I ended up bringing back her trauma, something she had hidden so well yet I found it.

I didn't know about it but the way she was panicking on our first night made me realise that there was something more to her history I was provided. After digging deeper, I just found out about her trauma. Everything about her is a web of secrets.

I didn't realise what I made her do until I locked her in the room alone without any lights and stormed out of my mansion. A light tugging feeling in my heart wanted me to stop but my brain reminded me of her actions, stopping me from loosening my grip on her.

She deserves this; I'd always say this to myself when I feel myself softening towards her.

I drove my Mustang at its highest speed, breaking several traffic rules but I was blinded by my fucked up emotions that I ended up pressing on the right paddle, accelerating to the highest speed.

But even before I lost control over my car, my phone rang catching my attention.

I sighed before clenching my jaws while pressing on the left paddle to slow down the car prior to parking it by the side of the road. Combing back my hair in frustration, I picked up my phone before answering the call.

"It's me Ren", came the voice from the other side.

"What happened?", I asked glaring at the windshield, my grip on the steering wheel tightening each passing second.

"Take a U-turn and come to warehouse D-3. It's urgent", he spoke calmly, "And don't break more rules. I can't handle you all the time. I have a wife too", the call disconnected.

I wasn't surprised that he knew I was overdriving. He'd always track me down whenever I'm at my highest point of fury, frustration or pain. He'd always be there. I never admitted it to him but he's indeed a great best friend one could ask for but rarely get.

Lowering my head, I closed my eyes trying to calm myself down as I breathed deep. I can't lose control when the actual game has just started.

"Why did you call me?", I asked once Rehan entered my cabin in the warehouse he called me to.

I sipped onto the red wine, gulping down the liquid prior to sucking onto the cigarette in my other hand.

He stood straight infront of me, clad in a black shirt and pant, hair was messed up and the undone buttons of his shirt revealed his neck covered in hickeys and red lipstick marks.

He just nodded before settling down on the chair adjacent to mine, taking the other untouched wine glass filled with red wine.

"Get back home if you came in the midst of your makeout", I spoke casually, my eyes glaring at the cigarette in my hand, those kissing scenes still flashing infront of my eyes.

"I can continue later on. Now the main thing is we need to give Mr. Dodeja a visit. He's been whoring around selling young souls, including his daughter", he spoke, his tone deep like a growl. He was staring at me with his dark orbs, the fire of hatred burning in his black eyes was evident but the pain hidden behind them told another story.

I knew how strong he was yet, he was vulnerable. No man on earth can be strong forever, even if for once, they fall weak.

Keeping down my wine glass and the cigarette on the ash plate, I faced him while speaking, "You don't need to come if it bothers you. I'll take Youngjae with me with Jack's team."

He shook his head clenching his jaws, "I've waited for years just to play this game. I'll burn him down alive till he feels pain in each and every fibre of his body, regretting his existence. He'll be shown hell and be begging for his death at my feet, yet, I'll give him a slow death", he spoke gripping tightly onto the wine glass. I kept my gaze fixed to his eyes, the burning gaze with tears in them. Only a father can understand his pain.

I felt horrible for being unable to share his pain but everyone has their part of pain and they have to endure it alone, no matter what.

Taking away the wine glass from his hand, I kept it back on the table before standing up, "Lets get going or you might lose the chance."

The night is going to be long.

It took us around 1 hour to reach Mr. Dodeja's mansion at the outskirts of the city, built in an isolated neighborhood. The off-white mansion was built with the money he earned with so much dishonesty that even hell won't be cruel enough for his death. The red stains those walls hide, stood naked infront of Rehan's and my eyes as we stood infront of the mansion.

Luxury with dishonesty is a guest for a few days and you don't even know when your actions get back at you like a boomerang.

Patting Rehan's shoulder I spoke, "Don't lose control right away. No matter how hard it is, remember it's not how we've planned everything."

He just nodded before gesturing his one guard to ring the doorbell. The large polished wooden door was opened by a lady dressed in a cherry red bodycon tightly embracing her curves, the deep cut revealed her whole cleavage, her long blonde hair swept down her waist as her icy blue eyes stared at us. A smile was pasted on her cherry red painted full lips. Her features perfectly matched with a Russian with a mix of French.

"Yes? May I know who you're?", she asked politely opening the door properly, her French accent still there.

"Mrs. Veronica we're your husband's colleagues. Is he home?", I asked.

She nodded, "He's home today. I'm so sorry I kept you both waiting like that. Please come in, I'll call him", she spoke sweetly while welcoming us before disappearing on the first floor.

I sat down beside Rehan before looking around the house. It was vast with royal vintage furniture and the theme of the mansion. The brightness and classy air the place had, it covered all the sins that happen here everyday. I felt too disgusted to even sit down on anything in the bastard's house but I had to.

Right after three minutes, I heard the sound of the heels of boots echoing in the hall before they stopped at a little distance from us.

I was looking down at my lap, aimlessly scrolling down the instagram page of my wife.

"Welcome Mr. Dodeja", I spoke, sarcasm lacing my tone. Rising up my head, I let my eyes fix to his, witnessing him perplexed at our sudden visit.

Traveling my eyes to his wife, I spoke, "Mrs. Veronica, I'd like to request you to give us some time to reminisce our good deeds. May we?"

She nodded hesitantly with a smile before walking away, not before sparing a glance at her husband.

As she walked out of the main hall, I spoke again, "Either you sit or shall we stand up?", my tone sarcastic again.

He nodded blankly before walking near us and sitting down on the single sofa infront of Rehan and me. Through my periphery, I noticed him being occupied in his phone but I knew he was trying to control himself. His blank expression hid his anger boiling inside him.

"So how's life going?", I asked, clasping my hands on my lap.

"You must be having a good time selling innocent souls, isn't it?", Rehan finally spoke, being unable to keep more silent. He shouldn't have spoken so sooner but I knew he'd do this so I already had an alternative plan.

I smirked, thinking about the drama going to unfold.

It was a very hectic night because of all the work I had to do. I remembered the pain Rehan was going through while giving Mr. Dodeja a ride through hell.

I sighed.

After almost 70 minutes, I was back to my mansion. Stepping out of my car, I ordered the bodyguards to get back home because their shift had ended and the next team was already present here.

Instructing Jack, my left hand man, something about Rehan, I walked inside the mansion.

It was silent everywhere. Not a single sound of the few servants roaming wasn't there. They're specially appointed to be present at my service.

As I sat down on the sofa drinking the glass of water provided by one maid, I noticed the hesitance on her face. But even before I could ask, another maid came running to me as she spoke huffing, running out of breaths, "S-sir, Mrs. Rai Mehrotra was found unconscious and h-her nose is bleeding uncontrollably. She isn't responding at all."