Chapter 38
Reyansh
My heart is slamming relentlessly in my chest with each passing second.
“Have you found anything yet?” I growl impatiently at Sidharth, who’s sitting on the couch across from me with Officer Viraj . Both are staring intently at the laptop screen in front of them, the light from the screen reflecting off their faces as they carefully study the camera footage.
“Reyansh, it’s only been half an hour since we arrived. Show some patience, man. The forensic team is collecting the fingerprints from Nisha’s room, and we’re going through the surveillance footage. Give us few more minutes. I am confident we’ll find something soon,” Sidharth assures, his voice steady as he glances up from the laptop. “I promise you, Kavya will be with you soon,” he adds without hesitation.
“I know that because I am not leaving you with any other option,” I bark, glaring at him.
He nods and refocuses on the laptop, while I tap my foot restlessly, elbows perched on my knees . If only I had known this would happen, I wouldn’t have left Kavya, no matter how much she insisted . Right then, I knew it was a bad idea, but I pushed it aside, respecting her wishes. Fuck! I should have listened to my gut and stayed back with her.
Dropping my head, I clutch my hands around my neck, my chest tightening as I replay the moment Sunita Aunty called to tell me that Kavya and Kiara were missing. My world shattered in that instant, everything spinning out of control. I barely remember hanging up before my hands shook dialing Sidharth, desperation clawing at my throat. When he confirmed my worst fear—Kavya had been kidnapped—it felt like the ground had been ripped out from under me. That bastard... he managed to sneak them both out of the house right under Karan’s nose.
Realizing I had no time to waste and needed to focus solely on bringing Kavya back, I rushed to her home, instructing Karan to take Aunty to my parents’ house. I knew they would keep her calm while I searched for Kavya. That’s why, on my way here, I had no choice but to confide everything in my parents. They were deeply concerned and pleaded for Kavya’s and their grandchild’s safe return .
But now, after almost an hour without Kavya, I’m on the verge of losing it. The thought of her being scared and alone is driving me crazy. And knowing she’s pregnant only adds fuel to the fire.
Suddenly, Officer Viraj’s voice cuts through my anxious thoughts. “We’ve got it.”
My head snaps up, and I quickly rise to my feet, taking my place beside them.
“Watch this,” Officer Viraj says, hitting play.
My heart races as the screen flickers to life, revealing Kavya and Nisha, slumped in wheelchairs, being pushed through a back door, away from Karan’s watchful eye . The sight of them, clearly drugged, ignites a fiery rage within me. My hands clench into fists as I strain to get a clear look at the asshole but I can’t. His head is bowed, his face obscured by a mask, making it hard to figure out who the fuck he is. With my eyes glued to the screen, I continue watching as he lifts each of them effortlessly into his arms and loads them into a waiting white car before shutting the door. He then removes his mask and runs a hand through his hair. As he turns, his face is finally revealed. Bile rises in my throat as I stare at him. It’s him. Unable to tear my eyes away from the screen, I watch him circle around and slide into the driver’s seat .
“Fucking Akash,” I say through gritted teeth, my body shaking as I seethe with the urge to damn well kill him.
“Kavya’s boss?” Sidharth asks , glancing up in disbelief .
“Yes,” I growl, bringing my eyes to him.
“Why would he do that?” Officer Viraj asks next to me.
“The fuck I know,” I retort.
“ I’ll track him down. Give me a second ,” Sidharth says, pulling his phone out of his pocket and dialling a number.
“Get done with whatever shit you need to do. I’m waiting for you outside. I need his location, and I need it quick,” I announce, rising to my feet, leaving no room for delay. I grab my car keys from the table in front and step outside, ready to confront the asshole the moment Sidharth finds his location. He has dared to lay a hand on my woman, and he’s going to pay for it.
It doesn’t take long for Sidharth to join me with news that Akash is at his house. Without wasting a second, we jump into my car, and I slam the gas pedal, speeding toward the asshole’s place, where he’s likely hiding my woman.
Stepping out of the car, Sidharth and I make a beeline for the house. An elderly housekeeper opens the door for us and guides us to the living room before taking his leave. Rage boils inside me at the sight of Akash sitting casually on the couch with a glass of whiskey in hand.
With a smile, he places the glass on the table and rises to his feet. “What a pleasant—” he begins, but his words are cut off as I dash towards him and grab him by the collar.
“How fucking dare you?” I hiss, my grip on his collar tightening. Sidharth intervenes immediately, pulling me away from him.
“Reyansh, get a hold of yourself,” he urges, but my patience is hanging by a thread.
Akash straightens his shirt and gives me a puzzled look. “What’s going on?”
“Don’t you dare play innocent. Your game is over. Just tell me where Kavya is, or I swear I’ll do whatever it takes to get the truth out of you!” I growl.
Swallowing hard, Akash runs a hand through his hair. “Kavya... is...” he hesitates, but I step closer and complete the sentence for him.
“Yes, she is kidnapped, and you are the one responsible for it.”
His eyes widen, and he shakes his head. “W…what? No! I could never do that.”
“There’s a video footage clearly showing you taking Kavya and Nisha out of the house and into your car,” Sidharth says, folding his arms over his chest.
Akash’s face pales, and he shuts his eyes, still trying to deny it. “It’s not me...” he mutters, as if hoping that’ll somehow erase the evidence.
“ Enough with the lies! We’ve got the proof, so either you start talking, or things are going to get really ugly !” I snap, gripping his collar again and forcing his eyes to meet mine.
“Th… that’s Prakash in the video, not me,” he whispers, his voice strained.
I blink, taken aback, confusion clouding the rage in my chest.
“Who the hell is Prakash?” I ask as my brows knit together tightly. Anger begins to mingle with growing dread, a volatile mix that’s totally unsettling.
Akash lets out a long, heavy sigh, as if unburdening a secret. “Prakash is my twin brother.”
My grip on his collar loosens as I step back, staring at him in disbelief. Twin brother? Is this some kind of sick joke? My mind struggles to make sense of this revelation, leaving me even more tangled in confusion.
“Twin brother?” I repeat.
Akash nods, rubbing the back of his neck, clearly agitated. “Yeah.”
“Why the hell didn’t we know about this twin brother of yours?” I narrow my eyes at him, demanding an explanation.
Akash sighs again, this time more deeply. “ My parents went out of their way to keep it a secret, all to protect our family’s reputation . They even paid a hefty sum to bury all records that could connect him to us. He’s also the reason they moved from India to settle abroad.”
Sidharth, who has been quietly listening, finally speaks up. “But why would they go to such lengths to hide him?”
“Prakash was always the wild one, the troublemaker,” Akash begins, his voice low and tinged with sadness. “ From a young age, he seemed drawn to trouble like a magnet; it was like he had an in-built radar for making bad decisions. As he grew older, things only got worse. H e spiralled deeper into drugs, crime, harassing people, and misbehaving with women. His life became nothing but a messy web of rehab stints and run-ins with the law. Every time we thought he was turning a corner , our hopes were cruelly dashed by yet another relapse, plunging my parents and me into a relentless cycle of worry and heartbreak.” He pauses to take a deep breath and tries to steady himself before continuing, “In a desperate attempt to steer him onto the right path, my parents ultimately made the painful decision to cut him off completely—business, family, everything—believing that severing ties might compel him to change. But this plan backfired on them and fuelled his rebellion, driving him further into darkness. That was a breaking point for my parents; they were overcome by pain and disillusionment, and eventually cut all ties with him. But as his twin, I couldn’t abandon my brother to face the abyss alone. No matter how dark things got, I stood by Prakash, clinging to the hope that maybe, just maybe, my love and support would finally help him find a way out ,” Akash recalls, rubbing his temples as if the weight of the memories is too much to bear.
“What’s his story with Nisha? Why did he want to harm her?” Sidharth asks.
Akash hesitates before responding, “He... he… he saw Nisha as a threat. He feared she had evidence that could incriminate him, especially after what happened with Suman.”
“What happened with Suman? Tell us the whole damn truth,” I press.
Akash swallows hard, visibly anxious. “Prakash was a professor at their college. When he first got the job, I was so relieved , thinking he was finally getting his life on track. He also seemed to want to live a normal life. I believed him—thought maybe this time it was real. But I was wrong… so wrong. I didn’t know he was just putting on a sh ow until one day he came home in a dishevelled state.” Akash pauses and takes a deep breath, his expression filled with guilt . “When I pressed him for the truth, he broke down. He confessed that... he… he had raped Suman. He was terrified that the assault had been captured on the CCTV in the room, and Nisha had somehow managed to get the footage on her phone . She had also threatened him that once she convinced Suman to report it to the cops, she would hand over the video as evidence. Prakash freaked out, knowing he’d lose his job and probably end up in jail, leading him into serious trouble.” Akash glances up at us, his face pale. “I was shocked and disgusted at first, but with him being my brother, I foolishly offered to help him handle the situation and fix it somehow, but he refused, insisting he’d handle it in his own way . I had no idea what that meant... until I heard about Kavya’s parents’ accident. ”
My heart pounds as his words sink in .
“What?” I ask slowly, disbelief colouring my voice.
“Fuck me,” Sidharth murmurs.
“Is that why you gave Kavya a job in your office, as some sort of retribution… All because you felt guilty?” I ask, my tone more accusing than questioning.
His gaze falls to the floor , and he nods slightly . “I loathed having to bury the case to protect my brother, no matter how much I despised his actions. I thought, maybe if I helped Kavya, it would somehow ease my guilt, and then as I got to know her better, she gradually became one of my closest friends ,” he admits, his voice strained. “I can’t put into words how sorry I’m for the decision I made back then. At that time, I was blinded by brotherly love and loyalty, but now, I understand I was wrong—so wrong—about everything. I chose wrongly, prioritising family loyalty over justice, foolishly believing that this one incident would be enough to shake him up and set him on the right track, but i t only made things worse. Now, I realise just how deep my mistake was .”
“Yes, it was, and look where it got us— Suman is dead, and Kavya and Nisha are missing, all because of your brother ,” I accuse bitterly.
Akash’s eyes are full of regret as he looks up at me and continues, “He stayed clean for a while, hiding away in the house, trying to lay low. But when the case resurfaced, all his fears came rushing back . I tried to reassure him that I’d make sure it wouldn’t come back to haunt him, that I’d try burying the case again, but it wasn’t enough. He became increasingly paranoid and violent, afraid of ending up behind bars again.”
“That’s why he started threatening Kavya,” Sidharth interjects, connecting the dots. “It explains how he obtained information and monitored things. He pretended to be you to retrieve the mobile from Kavya’s house.”
Akash nods. “Yes, and… there were also many instances where he would impersonate me. When I would confront him, he would brush it off, claiming he was only trying to protect himself by erasing all the proof against him without actually harming anyone. Foolishly, I went along with it, thinking I was just fulfilling my duty as his brother. I honestly thought he would change. I had no idea he would do something like this.”
“Brotherly duty,” I say with disgust in my voice.
“I’m sorry,” Akash looks down, his shoulders sagging before he speaks . “I know you might not believe me, but there were times when my conscience gnawed at me, urging me to come clean about Prakash, especially after Suman’s death. I wanted to be honest with you, to lay bare the truth I’d been hiding. I knew deep down that Prakash didn’t deserve my forgiveness, not this time. He needed to face the consequences of his actions. Yet, my courage faltered, and the fear of losing Kavya’s friendship held me back. I kept battling with myself, torn between doing what was right and the fear of what the truth would cost me .”
“I don’t need your apologies, nor do I believe your excuses. And even if, for one second, I believed that you were scared of losing Kavya’s friendship , let me make it very clear — after this, you’ve lost her trust, and as far as I know her, you’ve lost her friendship as well. She’ll never forgive you for what her sister has gone through.” I state bluntly before adding. “Honesty is the foundation of any relationship, and you failed her, Akash. Because if you can’t uphold something as fundamental as honesty, you don’t deserve Kavya’s friendship. Now tell me where the hell he has taken Kavya!” I demand sharply.
Akash takes a few seconds before he replies , “I think I know where you can find him.”
“Where?” I ask urgently.
“He might be at his hideout, the house near Ulsoor Lake. Let me send you the address,” Akash says, swiftly pulling out his phone, typing the location, and sending it to my mobile.
“Thanks, Akash, that’s helpful. But next time, don’t keep things hidden, especially when people’s lives are at stake,” Sidharth advises firmly.
Akash nods, his expression filled with regret. “Believe me, I’ve learnt my lesson. I won’t.”
With a nod to Akash, Sidharth and I stride out the door. This time, Sidharth takes the wheel, while I settle into the passenger seat, my mind racing . Throughout the drive, he issues rapid instructions into his phone, coordinating with his team for the next plan of action. I lean back, closing my eyes against the headrest. Fear churns in my stomach, and I run my hands over my face, trying to steady my nerves, but nothing seems to calm me. My only source of solace is Kavya’s face. I pray fervently that she is safe and that we find her before it’s too late.