⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟓𝟒˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆
The drive home felt endless.
By the time they entered the house, Ritvika's mind was exhausted... yet racing like a storm she couldn't escape.
Every time she looked at Vidyut, she hoped he would say something...
But he didn't.
Not a word.
He guided her upstairs, hands careful on her waist, and helped her sit on the bed.
"Ritvika," he said, voice controlled but undeniably tense, "I have some work... I need to go right now. I'll be back soon."
Her fingers curled into the bedsheet — a flicker of fear crossing her face — but she didn't speak. She was too scared of the answers.
He stepped out of the room for a second and returned with Tara in his arms.
"Tara, kitten," he whispered, crouching down so she looked into his eyes, "I'm going somewhere, okay? So you have to take care of Mumma."
Tara nodded immediately, wiping sleepy eyes.
"Mumma... okay."
"If you need anything or Mumma needs anything just call the help aunty, alright? Do not try to go down the stairs. Hmm?"
"Okay Dadda," Tara repeated obediently, placing her tiny hand over her heart like a promise.
Vidyut's stern expression eased just a little as he pressed a kiss to the center of her forehead.
"Good girl."
He gently set Tara beside Ritvika. The little one immediately crawled closer to her mother, half hugging her waist.
Vidyut stood again... and stopped in the doorway.
His eyes rested on Ritvika — on the confusion she tried so hard to hide... on the trembling in her hands she couldn't control.
He swallowed.
Then he forced himself to turn away.
As he descended the stairs, his voice carried — short, sharp — telling the staff to be alert and to take care of everything upstairs.
The front door closed behind him a moment later.
Leaving...
Ritvika alone with her fear.
And Tara — her only anchor.
Vidyut drove straight to the outskirts — a cold, abandoned warehouse swallowed by darkness.
The moment he stepped inside, the air shifted.
A stench of blood, iron, and industrial acid clung heavily to the walls.
The warmth and tenderness he carried while holding his two girls just minutes ago...
gone.
In its place stood the feared Vidyut Rajvansh.
His leather shoes struck the concrete floor — tick... tick... tick — echoing like death's arrival.
Guards stood aligned on both sides of the passage, heads bowed in respect, bodies stiff with fear.
Vidyut didn't spare a single glance.
Hands in his pockets, jaw locked, eyes sharp — he kept walking deeper into his empire of shadows.
His phone buzzed. Without breaking stride, he answered.
"I'm leaving now... I need to meet Ritu,"
a female voice spoke — Roohi.
Vidyut's voice dropped several degrees colder.
"She knows everything,"
he warned quietly,
"So be careful."
A short hmm was the only reply before the call ended.
And the silence returned — heavy and suffocating — exactly like the monster this place had created in him.
Vidyut's footsteps echoed sharply against the concrete floor as he entered the dark godown —
a place that smelled of rust, blood, and chemicals.
The softness he carried around his two girls was gone.
Every guard straightened and bowed, but he didn't spare a glance.
He kept walking...
towards the last room...
where a dim light flickered.
There — a girl sat tied to a metal chair, ropes biting into her skin.
Divya.
Her breaths came uneven, eyes red from crying.
And standing right beside her was—
Hridhaan.
But not the fearless, arrogant man the city feared.
He stood with his head lowered, jaw clenched so tight it almost shook.
Guilt.
Rage.
Shame.
All of it was visible in the stiffness of his shoulders.
He couldn't look at Divya.
He couldn't look at Vidyut either.
Not after everything his love for Divya had put his family through.
Not after the way Vidyut and Ritvika had suffered... because of her.
Vidyut approached Divya slowly.
His voice, when he spoke, was terrifyingly calm—
"Your lies didn't just hurt Ritvika."
He leaned closer, eyes sharp as knives.
"You broke the man who loved you."
Divya sobbed harder.
Hridhaan's fingers curled into fists — his chest rising with a silent, suffocating pain.
But he remained silent.
Because this time...
he was on Vidyut's side.
And he'd let Vidyut do whatever was needed.
Vidyut dragged a metal chair and sat directly in front of Divya — his gaze cold, sharp, unreadable.
He tilted his chin toward Hridhaan, silently asking him to sit as well.
But Hridhaan only shook his head, remaining stiff as a statue behind Divya, eyes glued to the floor — refusing even the slightest comfort.
Vidyut inhaled deeply... then leaned forward.
"Didn't see Siya for a long time, right?"
Divya's sobs grew louder.
"But I hope my men did their job. Did they?"
She only cried, lips trembling.
Vidyut's jaw tightened.
"I asked you something... answer me. Did they give you proper updates about Siya or not?"
His voice sharpened like a blade.
Divya nodded repeatedly, choking on her breath.
"I... w-want... want to m-meet her... please..."
Her voice cracked painfully.
Vidyut gestured, and a guard immediately stepped forward with a glass of water.
A female worker helped Divya drink since her hands were bound.
Divya coughed, tears spilling, struggling to breathe.
Once she settled, Vidyut leaned in again — colder than before.
"Now I want answers properly." "Did my men give you PROPER updates about Siya or not?"
Divya nodded again, whispering—
"Ye-yes..."
Then desperately—
"I want to... want to meet her... please..."
Vidyut inhaled sharply, gaze unblinking.
"Not now."
His answer was final.
Hard.
Uncompromising.
Divya broke again, a helpless cry echoing in the cold room.
Vidyut's eyes darkened as he leaned forward, voice low but dangerous.
"Why did you do that to... Ritvika?"
Divya didn't answer.
Only sobs.
His jaw clenched.
"I asked you something. Answer me!"
His voice thundered through the room, making her flinch violently.
He growled again—
"TELL. ME."
Silence.
Then a scream ripped from her throat.
"Because of YOU, Mr. Vidyut Rajvansh!"
Her accusation echoed in the cold warehouse.
Vidyut didn't move.
Not a flicker of expression crossed his face.
He simply asked again — razor sharp.
"I warned you many times. Then why?"
Divya broke.
Her voice cracked open with years of pain.
"Because I wanted to destroy YOU... the same way you destroyed... my sister."
Her sobs shook her entire body.
Hridhaan's eyes snapped up — shock and dread tightening his fists.
Vidyut remained still... but a storm flickered just behind his eyes.
Vidyut's fingers tapped once against the table — silent but undeniably dangerous.
"And exactly how did you think you would destroy me by destroying Ritvika?" he asked, voice flat, emotionless.
Divya raised her head. Her eyes were wild, her voice trembling but full of venom.
"I never wanted to destroy Ritvika," she said, bitter laughter escaping her. "I wanted to destroy you."
There was nothing but blank coldness on Vidyut's face, but the sharp tick of his jaw betrayed the storm he was holding back.
Divya continued, leaning forward, every word cutting like glass.
"You tried to hide that you love her. She is your weakness — and you knew it."
She sniffed sharply, wiping her tears with a tied wrist.
"You acted cold. You never showed anything. You hid your marriage from the world and made everyone believe you hated Ritvika."
A humorless smile twisted her mouth.
"But no, Vidyut Rajvansh... I was not fooled."
She let out a shaky breath before her anger surged again.
"You thought avoiding me, denying your feelings, pretending she meant nothing — would keep her safe?"
"You knew I was watching. You knew I could know anything happening inside your house."
Her eyes glittered with broken rage.
"You acted smart."
For a moment, her voice cracked — hysteria lacing every syllable.
"But even the smartest man fails when he is in love."
A trembling giggle left her lips.
"That one moment when your mask slipped... when you cared too much... when your fear for her became visible..."
"That was enough."
Her tears flowed again, yet hatred still fueled her.
"I knew Ritvika was the perfect way to break Vidyut Rajvansh."
Silence dropped — heavy and chilling.
Hridhaan looked away, shoulders tensed in guilt.
Divya's next words were softer, broken... almost defeated.
"For once... I really thought to stop. Because maybe you didn't love her. Maybe hurting her wouldn't affect you."
She blinked hard, voice barely a whisper now.
"But then... I discovered the truth."
Her eyes locked onto Vidyut's — accusation, agony, obsession swirling together.
"You loved her. You always loved her."
Vidyut's fists curled so tightly that his knuckles turned bone-white.
His voice — usually steel — cracked painfully.
"Why?"
"Why did you do all this?"
His composure wavered. The mask slipped.
"I gave you proofs... enough proofs that I was innocent. Then why?"
Divya lifted her tear-stained face, hatred blazing like poison.
"Your proofs don't matter."
"Rich men like you can arrange ANYTHING. Forge anything."
Her tone turned bitter... cruel.
"I knew better. I knew what you did. Those so-called proofs were fake. I was not going to be fooled."
Vidyut inhaled sharply — rage clouding his eyes — but he trapped the monster inside.
"Because of you..."
Her voice splintered...
"...my Siya is in that condition."
Silence fell — sharp enough to slice skin.
Vidyut dragged a shaking hand through his hair — frustration burning like acid.
"How the hell do I make you believe that I didn't do anything?"
Divya's response came like bullets.
"You. Are. A. Rapist."
"The rapist of my sister."
She was sobbing — but her hatred stayed steady.
"You can't even imagine how her life shattered in the last five years."
"She never came home after that night."
Each sentence struck like a whip.
"Hospital walls became her home."
"Daily meds... tests... scans... injections..."
Her voice trembled... soaked in devastation.
"Her trauma eats her alive."
"She flinches at every touch... every sound..."
"She screams in her sleep..."
A sob tore out of her chest, raw and feral.
"And you think — one piece of paper claiming your innocence — would make me believe you?"
Hridhaan shut his eyes — guilt slicing through him like a blade.
Vidyut finally spoke.
Slow. Deadly. Hollow.
"...five years."
"You punished an innocent man... for five. whole. years."
His calmness was terrifying — the kind that warned of storms.
"And you think your hate justified everything you destroyed?"
Divya stared at him — broken... yet unshaken.
"Why do you care now?" she whispered.
"You have Ritvika. Your happiness."
For a moment — a flicker of pain flashed in Vidyut's eyes...
...before vanishing into ice.
His jaw tightened.
"You touched my wife..."
"You dragged her into this."
Then — his voice dropped into a chilling vow.
"For that... I will make sure you never forget what you did."
Divya's laugh came out distorted — broken by tears yet dripping with poison.
"You can't do anything now, Vidyut."
He stood still — shoulders broad, aura dark and suffocating.
She swallowed and continued, feeding on her own hatred.
"You did everything to protect her..."
"But was it enough?"
Her eyes gleamed with twisted triumph.
"No. She still slipped into a coma."
Hridhaan's head dropped lower — guilt crushing him like chains.
Vidyut's fists curled slowly... veins bulging.
His silence was volcanic.
"I will make you pay for this," he said, each word vibrating with the rage he barely contained.
Divya only smirked — fearless in her delusion.
"You can't."
She leaned back as if enjoying a sick show.
"Think..."
"When even after all your security... after becoming a monster in front of her... she still wasn't saved — what exactly will you do now?"
Her words landed like slaps.
Sharp. Intentional.
"You were so sure I wouldn't know anything happening inside your house."
"So sure that your coldness would fool me."
She shook her head mockingly.
"You thought if the whole world believed you hated Ritvika..."
"Even I would think the same."
A twisted chuckle left her lips.
"For some time... yes... I believed it."
"I thought this marriage was punishment for her."
Her voice dipped — bitter regret twisting into terrifying obsession.
"But that didn't last long, did it?"
She wiped her tears, anger fueling her strength again.
"Because then you started acting freely."
"Started caring too openly."
"Visits to hospitals... checkups... hovering around her like a worried husband..."
Vidyut's eyes narrowed — a storm brewing.
"You forgot something."
"I was always watching."
Her voice slithered through the silence like a blade.
"You think I'm stupid?"
"You think I didn't notice?"
She scoffed.
"Should I remind you about that day in the showroom?"
Vidyut's jaw tightened — he remembered every second of that day.
Divya smiled — the kind of smile that belonged to true madness.
"You were with Ritvika... and that little girl she cares for."
"And then her ex mother-in-law and sister-in-law walked in."
Hridhaan winced — he knew where this was going.
"You recognized my move in a second."
"You knew I sent them to test you."
She clapped slowly — mock applause filled with spite.
"To see whether you would defend her."
"And you did."
"You defended her like a man who would burn the world for her."
Her smile dropped — replaced by pure resentment.
"But then, back home, you would act cold... arrogant... cruel."
She leaned forward — eyes wild.
"Why?"
Her voice cracked into hysteria.
"To make me believe she is NOTHING to you."
Her tears spilled — fury, heartbreak, delusion all tangled together.
"But I saw everything."
"Every slip in your mask."
"Every glance filled with worry."
"Every touch that screamed love."
A chilling pause.
"And in that... I found the only way to destroy YOU."
Vidyut's control snapped.
His chair scraped back violently as he stood, rage erupting like wildfire in his eyes. The air changed. Even the guards stepped back instinctively. Hridhaan's breath hitched — he had seen Vidyut angry before, but not like this. Not cold. Not silent. Not murderous.
Divya didn't flinch.
Instead, she leaned forward with a twisted confidence.
"I will make your life hell," she hissed.
"Exactly the way you ruined my sister's."
Vidyut's jaw clenched so tight a nerve jumped at the side of his temple.
She wasn't done.
"For that very reason... I chose Ritvika."
"I told her everything that evening."
Her voice sharpened with triumph.
"I filled her mind with the truth... with the pain... with the disgust she should feel for you."
Hridhaan stiffened — disbelief and horror striking together.
Divya's hatred turned venomous.
"But that bitch wasn't ready to believe me."
The temperature in the room dropped.
If looks could kill, Divya would be ashes.
Still, she continued — angry tears burning down her cheeks.
"So I gave her alcohol."
"I knew it was dangerous for her heart."
Vidyut froze — breath locking in his chest.
Hridhaan's eyes widened — realizing the magnitude of what she had done.
Divya's whisper turned wicked.
"She was heartbroken... shattered... stupidly trusting you."
"She didn't even think before drinking."
Her lips curved into a horrifying smirk.
"And now look at the result."
Silence exploded like a gunshot.
Vidyut's fingers curled into fists — bones cracking.
His eyes glowed with a calm that was far more terrifying than rage.
When he finally spoke, his voice was low. Deadly.
"You poisoned my wife."
Divya took satisfaction in his agony and nodded slowly, unapologetically.
"I did."
"And I would do it again."
Vidyut's knuckles cracked as he gripped the armrests of the chair again, forcing his rage back under the surface. He leaned forward, eyes burning like wildfire.
"Divya... kitni baar bolun?
(How many times should I say this?)
I'm innocent. I did NOTHING to your sister."
His voice was low... too low. The kind that carried quiet destruction.
Divya glared, still trying to hold her ground.
She spat back, "And for how long will you repeat this lie? Huh?"
Vidyut slammed his palm on the table so hard the metal rattled.
His voice erupted—
"I didn't do anything to you till now because I understood your trauma.
You were angry... broken... helpless!
I LET you blame me because you needed someone to blame."
He stood up slowly... towering over her like an approaching storm.
"But the moment you dared to harm my family... to harm Ritvi...
you crossed the line."
Divya's breath shook, but she forced a smirk.
"What will you do now, Vidyut? Kill me?"
She spread her hands, daring him.
"Do it! Because violence is the only language you understand!
The only thing you've ever known!"
Vidyut's eyes darkened — not with rage... but something far colder.
He leaned closer until she could feel his breath on her face.
"You will see what Vidyut Rajvansh is capable of..."
Every word was a threat carved in stone.
Divya laughed bitterly, but her voice trembled.
"I will take revenge for my sister. Siya deserved justice!"
The name stabbed something inside him — guilt... grief... confusion.
He grabbed her jaw, forcing her to look into his eyes.
"WHAT THE HELL DID ATHARV FEED IN YOUR HEAD, HAA?!"
Divya's eyes widened — terror flickered.
He had hit the nerve.
Vidyut's voice cracked — fury dripping like poison—
"HOW DO I PROVE THAT I DIDN'T HURT SIYA?"
"TELL ME HOW WILL YOU BELIEVE ME?! HAA?!"
Divya tried to pull away; his grip tightened.
His next words weren't loud...
They were dead quiet — and that was worse.
"You're in touch with Atharv."
A declaration.
Not a doubt.
Divya froze.
Vidyut tilted his head, eyes narrowing like a predator watching fear bloom.
"Isn't he blackmailing you?"
No answer.
His teeth clenched.
"ISN'T HE?!"
His roar shook the room — and Divya's soul.
Her bravado shattered...
Fear finally broke through her mask as she stared at him like he was death itself.
Vidyut leaned forward again, voice trembling with rage but painfully controlled.
"Divya, look at what you've done. Look at where this has reached. Ritvika is fighting for her life because of you."
Divya stared back with swollen eyes, still stubborn.
"I did what I had to. You ruined Siya's life... I'm ruining yours."
Vidyut's jaw clenched so tight a vein pulsed at his temple.
"I am innocent. I have said this a thousand times. I have shown you proof. Why won't you believe me?"
Divya let out a harsh, humorless laugh.
"Proof? You rich people can create any proof you want. Siya's tears are my proof. Her trauma is my proof!"
Her voice cracked as her rage dissolved into pain.
"She wakes up screaming every night. She can't speak without shaking. Do you even know her pulse shoots up at the mention of men? THAT is your legacy!"
Vidyut closed his eyes — shattered but holding on.
He spoke slower, deeper, each word dripping with agony.
"And you believed someone else did it? Someone else told you I destroyed Siya?"
Divya looked away, but that tiny flinch exposed everything.
Vidyut caught it.
"Who is feeding that to you? Who told you it was me?"
Divya's breathing quickened.
"ANSWER ME, DIVYA!"
Her resistance broke.
Tears flooded her eyes as she screamed:
"Atharv! He said it was you! He said he saw everything! He said he could never forgive you for what you did to Siya!"
Silence.
A horrifying, suffocating silence.
Vidyut stepped back, shock hitting him like a punch.
Divya nodded, sobbing uncontrollably.
"He said he would help us. He said he could punish you. He promised Siya would live a peaceful life again... if I destroyed the monster who ruined her."
Vidyut stared at her like he was seeing the final piece of a nightmare puzzle.
He whispered, voice almost cracking:
"And you believed him?"
Divya collapsed into the chair, trembling.
"He showed me her reports... her breakdowns... the nights she tried to hurt herself... he told me it was all because of you..."
Vidyut's breathing turned uneven. His pupils darkened to a void.
"Atharv lied to you. He used your grief. He weaponized your sister's trauma."
His voice turned lethal.
"And for that... he will pay."
The silence in Ritvika's room felt suffocating.
Not peaceful.
Not comforting.
Just... heavy.
Ritvika sat upright, back resting against the headboard, eyes fixed on her quilt as she kept adjusting the folds — unnecessarily, repeatedly. It was her shield. Her distraction. Her way of pretending nothing was wrong.
Roohi sat across from her on the bed, too still, too careful — like one wrong movement and Ritvika would shatter.
Down on the floor, Tara was playing with her toys, giggling softly at her own little world, blissfully unaware of the emotional storm swirling around her mother and Roohi.
Roohi finally gathered courage.
"Rit..u?"
Her voice was soft, nearly scared.
"Hmm."
No glance. No expression.
Roohi's heart squeezed.
"How... how are you?"
She tried, hoping to open at least one door.
"Fine."
Not fine.
Not even close.
But Ritvika wasn't letting her in.
Roohi swallowed the lump rising in her throat.
"Umm... did you take your medicines?"
"Yes."
Short. Cold. Like she just wanted the conversation to be done.
Roohi's thoughts spiraled instantly —
God, why am I nervous? She's my best friend... but she's looking like she doesn't even recognize me...
What should I say now? Should I ask if she's hungry? No — she already ate. Fruits? She had them too. Water? Useless. Should I give her chocolate? She loves those... but what if she refuses? Then I'll look dumb. Oh god... what do I do? What do I do?
She forced a small, shaky smile in an attempt to seem normal.
"Tara is being such a good girl today, hmm?"
She looked at the little toddler beside them.
Ritvika didn't even glance toward her daughter.
Just kept breathing shallowly... and adjusting that quilt.
Roohi's heart broke a little more.
She leaned forward slightly.
"Ritu... talk to me na? Please?"
Her voice cracked with pleading.
This time, Ritvika froze — quilt still under her fingers — but she didn't look up.
A long pause...
Then, slowly, she whispered —
"You knew..."
Roohi's breath hitched.
Ritvika finally raised her eyes — and the pain in them was unbearable.
"You knew what was happening... and you didn't tell me."
Her voice trembled — but her eyes?
They held betrayal.
Roohi's lips parted — no words coming out.
Tara suddenly looked up, sensing her mother's voice — her tiny brows scrunched and she reached toward the bed.
But Ritvika didn't pick her up.
She just stared at Roohi.
Not angry.
Not screaming.
Just broken.
That was worse.
Roohi blinked rapidly as tears spilled over.
"Ritu... please... let me explain—"
But the damage was already there.
The distance was already built.
And neither of them knew how to cross it.
Roohi scooted closer, hands trembling as she reached out — but stopped midway when Ritvika flinched ever so slightly.
"Ritvika... please listen once—"
"You knew Vidyut before me."
Roohi froze.
Ritvika's eyes lifted — swollen, tired... but burning with hurt.
"You knew him, Roohi. You worked with him. You knew everything... before I did."
Her voice cracked, but she kept going — like every word was forcing its way out of a wound.
Roohi shook her head rapidly, "Ritu... I swear, it's not like tha—"
"Then what is it?"
Ritvika's voice rose — not in anger, but in heartbreak.
She placed a trembling palm on her chest.
"You kept everything secret from me."
Her eyes filled again.
Roohi opened her mouth — but again, Ritvika cut her off.
"You and Vidyut together... working together... discussing things behind my back... protecting me without telling me anything... WHY?"
She finally broke the eye contact and looked down, whispering —
"I was living in this house, sleeping beside him... believing he didn't even want me... while you already knew everything."
Roohi's tears rolled down uncontrollably now.
"Ritvika... I didn't tell you b-because—"
"Because? Because you didn't trust me?"
Ritvika asked, voice trembling, tone painfully soft.
Roohi's heart dropped.
"No! I trusted you more than anyone—"
"Then why was I the only one kept in the dark?"
Ritvika snapped.
Tara paused her play, looking up at the sharpness in her mother's tone — confused.
Ritvika saw the fear in her daughter's eyes and immediately lowered her voice.
Ritvika looked up — tears streaming, her expression a wounded plea.
She swallowed, voice breaking in silence.
"Why didn't you tell me?
Why did you let me believe I was just a burden... unwanted... unloved?"
Roohi didn't try to hide her sobs now.
"I was protecting you..." she whispered, voice trembling.
"I was protecting your heart, Ritu..."
Ritvika's laugh came out hollow — painfully hollow.
"You were protecting my heart?"
She shook her head slowly.
"Look what's left of it now."
Roohi broke. She crawled forward and wrapped her arms around Ritvika suddenly — tightly — like refusing to let her slip away.
Ritvika stiffened... but didn't push her... not yet.
Roohi's voice came out in choked breaths:
"I am so sorry... I failed you...
I was supposed to be your strength... not another person hiding truths from you..."
Ritvika shut her eyes, tears falling silently.
A heartbreaking pause...
Then—
"I just needed one person..."
her voice barely audible
"One person to tell me I wasn't alone."
Roohi held her tighter, whispering against her hair—
"You were never alone, Ritvika... never... I just didn't know how to protect you without hurting you."
But the damage was already sitting between them...
like a wall neither of them knew how to break.
—---------------------------------------------