CHAPTER 19
Next Day
“How can I stay calm after seeing my sketch in his room, Anju?” Kashish snapped.
Since yesterday evening, the image of her own sketch hanging in Rudra’s bedroom haunted her relentlessly.
“I don’t even know what to make of it,” she added, pacing back and forth, unable to shake off the unsettling sight.
Kashish hadn’t intended to share this with anyone, but this frustration had become unbearable. Anjali had picked up on her mood quickly, and after persistent prodding, she managed to drag the truth out of Kashish.
“I hate it when he does anything related to me. And drawing my sketch? That’s beyond infuriating, Anju!” she yelled, her temper flaring.
“Yes, it’s odd, but why are you letting it get to you? There’s nothing you can do about it,” Anjali replied, trying to diffuse the situation.
But Kashish’s mind refused to rest. She wasn’t the type to just sit back, and this time, she was determined to take matters into her own hands. There’s always something I can do. She wasn’t going to calm down until she had erased that sketch from existence.
The next day, after Rudra left for work, Kashish sneaked into his room. Her pulse raced as she crossed the threshold—she had a mission: find the sketch and destroy it. He had no right to draw her, not when she loathed him with every fiber of her being. She started with the bedside drawers—empty. Then, she turned her attention to his closet.
Luckily for her, the closet wasn’t locked, despite being a state-of-the-art model designed specifically for Rudra. Kashish couldn’t help but scoff. For someone so private, he’s careless, leaving this open.
She slid the door open, revealing a massive collection of suits and formal shirts, all meticulously arranged. The sight of them made her stomach churn. Touching those felt like touching him. Her hands hesitated for a moment, but she couldn’t afford to let her emotions stop her now. She pushed the suits aside, revealing a hidden drawer. A wave of frustration hit her as she noticed it was password-protected.
Really? For a sketch? How paranoid is he? She shook her head, knowing there was no way the sketch would be locked away in there. There had to be another place.
She continued her search, checking drawers filled with ties, neatly stacked socks, and perfectly polished shoes. Her search yielded nothing. Defeated, she was about to close the closet when her gaze landed on an envelope lying on the floor.
What’s this? She picked it up, her curiosity piqued. Against her better judgment, she opened it. As she unfolded the letter, her breath caught. It was some letter from Uday Khatri—directed to Rudra about some unfinished business with her father, Keshav Bedi.
Who is this man? What did they talk about? So, this is why Rudra was in Uttam Nagar yesterday. He went to meet Uday Khatri. Her mind raced with questions.
Suddenly, she heard footsteps and hushed voices approaching from outside the room. Her heart leaped into her throat. Damn! It’s Rudra’s voice. Why is he back so soon? He was supposed to be at the office! Panic surged through her veins.
She frantically looked around for a place to hide, her pulse hammering in her ears. If he found her in here, she’d have no way of explaining herself. Think, Kashish, think! In a split second, she ducked behind the long, heavy curtains covering the French doors.
He won’t find me here. He can’t . She pressed her back against the cold glass. All she could do now was wait, and pray he didn’t look too closely.
Rudra stepped into his room, his voice low but tense as he spoke into his Bluetooth.
“No, Jay. I don’t want this to leak. What else did we dig up on Uday Khatri?” He yanked off his tie and tossed it onto the bed, completely unaware that Kashish was hiding in his room, just behind the curtains.
She watched him from the corner of her eye, her heart pounding. What am I doing here? She cursed herself for getting caught in such a position—hiding in the bedroom of a man she despised. Still, his words echoed in her ears. He’s investigating Uday Khatri? Why? What did they discuss?
“If he makes any move against Kashish, we’ll slap an extortion case on him. All he cares about is the money.” Rudra began unbuttoning his shirt, stripping it off in one swift motion.
Kashish’s throat tightened. She felt utterly out of place—trapped in this awkward situation, forced to witness her enemy undressing. It felt like torture. Rudra’s hand reached for his pants zipper when a gasp escaped her lips. Loud enough for him to hear.
He froze.
His eyes flicked to the curtains, noticing the subtle movement that shouldn’t have been there in a closed room. His gaze dropped to her curled toes peeking from under the fabric, and his senses sharpened. Without a word, he disconnected the call and strode forward. Kashish, hidden and panicking, knew she’d been caught.
Rudra yanked the curtain aside, exposing her presence.
Their eyes met, and Kashish could see the cold fury simmering in his. She swallowed her unease and crossed her arms, trying to regain some composure.
“Who is Uday Khatri? What does he want?” she demanded, her voice steady but edged with tension.
Rudra’s eyes narrowed. “What are you doing in my room?” he shot back, his tone low and dangerous.
Kashish’s pulse quickened, but she wasn’t about to let him intimidate her. “What business does Khatri have with my father?” she pressed.
He studied her for a moment, calculating the intensity of her curiosity before grabbing her wrist and dragging her toward the door. She struggled, pulling free from his grip.
“You can’t keep me from this! If this involves my father, I have the right to know,” she snapped, her anger flaring.
Rudra stopped, releasing her arm. His gaze darkened as he stepped closer, his voice cutting through the air.
“We’re not on the same side, Kashish. We never will be. Sharing this information with you will only lead to more conflict, and I’m not about to let that happen. Stay out of it until I fix things. Do you understand?”
The raw intensity in his tone sent a chill down her spine, but she refused to back down.
“Who gave you the right to ‘fix’ my problems? Because I sure didn’t,” she retorted.
“That’s right—you didn’t,” Rudra snapped. “So I took it, for your own good. Now leave my room.”
He opened the door, waiting for her to exit, but she wasn’t done yet. Her jaw tightened as she slammed the door shut and stood her ground.
“If you don’t tell me what’s going on, I’ll find out myself. I know people in Uttam Nagar, and I’ll trace him down,” she threatened.
Rudra’s eyes flashed with anger. “No, you won’t. He’s dangerous.”
“I don’t care.” She turned to leave, but in an instant, Rudra pinned her against the door, his body trapping hers.
“You’re not doing anything like that, Kashish,” he growled. “Let me handle this. It’s for your own protection.”
She shoved him away, glaring. “By keeping this from me, you’re not protecting me, Rudra. I’m not your possession. Stop acting like I belong to you.”
A tense silence filled the room as they stared each other down, both too stubborn to back down. Finally, Rudra sighed, knowing she wouldn’t rest until she had answers.
“Your father took a hand loan from Uday Khatri’s father. Do you know anything about that?” he asked.
Kashish’s face paled. “A loan? No. He never told me about any loan. We didn’t need one—we managed just fine on his income.”
“Maybe he kept it from you,” Rudra suggested.
“I was old enough to understand what was happening around me. We didn’t need to borrow money. Why would he do that?”
For the first time, their conversation wasn’t laced with bitterness. It was the closest thing to civil they had ever been.
“Uday claims to have an agreement signed by your father. I’ve asked for those papers so we can verify everything,” Rudra explained.
Kashish’s breath caught in her throat. A loan? How could she not have known? The thought of her father being involved with a man like Uday left her feeling shaken. Rudra watched her carefully, his concern for her growing, despite knowing she would never accept his help.
“You don’t have to worry. I’ll make sure this gets sorted out,” he assured her.
“Stay out of it,” she snapped. “This has nothing to do with you. I’ll handle it.”
Rudra clenched his jaw, his patience wearing thin. “And how exactly will you handle it, Kashish? Do you even know what’s at stake? The mortgage on that loan is your house in Uttam Nagar.”
Her heart sank. “What?”
“If Uday’s claims are legitimate, and if we don’t settle this, he’ll take your house. I won’t let that happen,” Rudra said firmly.
Tears welled up in her eyes, but she blinked them away, refusing to let him see her weakness.
“You don’t get to decide that,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “If my father mortgaged our house, then I’ll let Uday have it if that’s what it takes to settle the debt.”
Rudra expected as much. He knew Kashish would never accept his help, no matter the cost.
“That house is your father’s legacy. Don’t throw it away for people like Uday,” he urged.
Kashish laughed bitterly.
“If you had spared my father’s life, we would have built more assets together. So don’t lecture me on how to resolve this now,” Kashish spat, her voice laced with fury and pain.
Once again, her words struck Rudra deep. But he wasn’t about to let the situation slip from his control.
“I am responsible for his absence,” Rudra said, his gaze locking onto hers, “Which is exactly why I have the right to make sure you don’t lose anything or anyone else. That house will never be sold. It will stay yours—forever. That’s my promise.”
Kashish was rendered speechless, caught off guard by the certainty in his words. She watched in silence as he turned away and headed to the bathroom, clearly intending to end the conversation. But her anger flared again.
“You can’t compensate for my father’s life by paying off a loan!” she screamed, her voice shaking with frustration.
Rudra stopped in his tracks, his fingers curling into fists. Slowly, he turned to face her, his expression darkening.
“You’re right,” he replied in frustration. “Money can’t compensate for a life. So, let’s make things fair.”
It took a moment for Kashish to comprehend what he meant. She watched, confused, as Rudra walked to the bedside table where a plate of fruit and a knife rested. He picked up the knife, approaching her with cold determination. Her heart raced.
“What are you doing?” she demanded, fear and frustration mixing in her voice.
Without a word, he grabbed her hand, forcing the knife into her grip, his own hands clamping down on hers so she couldn’t pull away. His eyes, dark and intense, never left hers for a second.
“I’m doing what’s right,” Rudra said, his voice steady, yet filled with a rawness that sent chills down her spine. “You believe I killed your father. I’ve told you before, it was an accident—a terrible mistake made by a reckless 16-year-old who didn’t understand the consequences of his actions. But I can’t change what happened. So, here’s your chance to balance the scales. A life for a life. Kill me.”
Kashish’s breath caught in her throat . Kill him? She struggled to release the knife, but his grip was too strong.
“Rudra, stop this madness!” she yelled, her voice cracking with anger.
“This isn’t madness,” he replied, his voice firm. “This is justice. I took your father’s life. You take mine. Isn’t that what you’ve wanted all these years? Don’t miss your chance, Kashish. Kill me.”
He stepped closer, pushing her back until her body hit the door. There was nowhere for her to escape. Yes, she had dreamed of making him pay for what he did to her father, but not like this. Not this way. She could hurt him, maybe even destroy him emotionally, but kill him? Never. She wasn’t that kind of person.
Before she could react, Rudra pressed the knife closer to his chest, the blade piercing just beneath his heart. Blood immediately oozed from his skin, and he didn’t flinch, didn’t even blink. He was waiting for her to follow through.
Tears streamed down Kashish’s face as panic set in.
“Stop!” she screamed, finally wrenching her hands free and throwing the knife away. “Stop this, dammit! I can’t take your life. I can’t take anyone’s life!”
She collapsed to the floor, sobbing uncontrollably, her body trembling from the weight of everything she’d just experienced. Rudra knelt down beside her, his voice soft but filled with the same pain she’d seen in his eyes.
“Just like you can’t take a life, I couldn’t imagine killing someone either, Kashish. But it happened. And I’ve paid for it every day since. You lost your father, but I lost my family’s trust, my self-worth. I can’t look at myself in the mirror without seeing that 16-year-old boy who was treated like dirt for two years in juvenile detention.”
Kashish’s tear-filled eyes lifted to meet his. Her sobs quieted, but the tears continued to roll down her cheeks as she listened to his confession.
“When I meet someone new, I’m always afraid they’ll find out about that night. Every time someone touches me, I feel violated—because that’s what happened when I was there. I was beaten, mistreated... even molested.”
Kashish’s eyes widened in horror. Molested?
“I was starved, forced to endure things no one should ever have to go through. And even though my sentence ended, my punishment didn’t. I’ve been living with this torment ever since.”
Kashish’s tears dried on her cheeks as she absorbed his words. His voice wavered, thick with regret and pain.
“My life has been one long, painful punishment, Kashish. I don’t see an end to it. Not unless you free me. Free me from this suffering.”
His vision blurred, his strength fading. Kashish watched in horror as Rudra’s eyes began to close. He collapsed backward, hitting the floor with a heavy thud.
Did he just... die? No!!
Kashish’s heart pounded as the realization hit her—his chest was still bleeding. He needed help.