29

Khushi

I walked through the street, my fear kicking in as I looked around for anyone who looked suspicious.

I had told the Rathores that I would go to the temple. Although no one looked like they cared, and I also didn't want to give them any explanations or ask permission from them, I did it so Anjali would not get suspicious.

Along with the bodyguards Arnav has assigned for me, Anjali has sent one of her bodyguards with me. Of course, the assignment of these bodyguards is not for my protection. Both siblings have their own selfish motives.

Arnav had assigned those bodyguards to me so I would not run away from him. And Anjali sent one of her bodyguards so he could keep an eye on me and inform her if I tried to do anything to expose her.

Reaching the temple, I felt relieved as I saw the crowd inside.

As I used to come here every year with my mother for the occasion, I knew there would be a worship ritual and a religious gathering in the temple today. So, I knew the place was going to be crowded.

That is the reason I decided to come here today. So, I can somehow get out of here without letting the bodyguards know.

I must succeed today because if not, I am not sure when I will get such an opportunity again.

"I will go inside and sit for the worship ritual and religious gathering. It will take about five hours for the both to be over. So, you all can wait in the car." I tried to send the bodyguards away.

"No, Ma'am. Arnav Sir and Anjali Ma'am have specifically told us not to let you out of our sight for even a minute. So, we will also come inside the temple with you," one of them replied, and I sighed and nodded, knowing I would not be able to persuade them.

Taking off my shoes, I climbed the stairs and sat at the right corner of the temple. On my left was a group of elderly ladies, and they smiled kindly at me. Smiling back at them, I looked around and saw four bodyguards seated at each corner of the temple.

The way they were seated, it was apparent that they would be able to keep their eyes on me the entire time. And they would immediately react if I even stood up from my seat, let alone go out of the temple.

'I will have to do something. I need to go to that girl's house today.'

The girl, Anusha, who I had seen in the basement of the Rathore Mansion, had spoken with me for a few minutes.

Anusha had told me she had hidden something important against Anjali in her room. Before she could tell me where it was and what it was, I had felt a stinging pain in my neck, and after that, I had woken up directly in Rathore's guest room.

I had previously thought I imagined everything because Anjali made me believe so, but later my memory of that day which was foggy initially, had begun to clear up, and I could remember everything Anusha had told me.

I clearly remember that day now, too, as if everything had happened just yesterday.

I slowly descended the stairs and walked to the basement door.

It has been a week since the incident when I saw that girl and the man inside the basement.

I still believe I had come to this basement then and had seen them here. But before I could do anything, I was struck by something on the head.

Although Anjali had told me I must have been imagining things as it is impossible for someone to hide in the basement and no one in the family to know about it.

I want to believe Anjali, but there are many things that still are unexplained.

Even if I imagined things, why would I imagine some girl sitting naked in the basement, and why would I imagine a man threatening her?

And what about the bump on the back of my head?

Rathores' family doctor had checked my head and told me I must have fallen down the stairs, and due to the head injury, I must have imagined everything else.

But the other day, when I felt a severe headache, I went to a clinic near my house, and the doctor there told me my injury was not due to the fall. It looked like someone had hit me with something hard.

That confused me more.

Why would the opinions of two doctors differ in this matter?

And then it clicked in my mind.

Anjali had said it would be impossible for someone to hide in the basement without anyone in the mansion knowing about it.

So, what if someone from the mansion was involved? And when that question arose in my mind, I immediately thought of Niranjan. After all, with what I know about him, he is fully capable of doing something evil like this.

'And that other man must be Niranjan's partner in crime. Poor Anjali, she has no idea how evil her husband is.'

As I entered the basement room, I saw everything as it was a week back.

Remembering where I had seen the two sets of keys hanging, I walked to the right and saw the two identical keys hanging on the wall, exactly where I had seen them hanging a week back.

Then looking to the front, I saw a room's closed door from where I had heard that girl's cries last time.

With my heart thudding against my chest, I slowly walked to the door and turned the knob to open it.

Last time there was no one in the mansion, but there is everyone in the mansion now. So, if I see that same man with the girl again, I will shout at the top of my lungs and alert everyone. I will not let him and Niranjan get away this time.

With that plan in my head, I opened the door, and my eyes widened as I saw a girl sitting in the corner of the room and looking at me fearfully.

The way she was trying to back away from me, I understood she thought I was also here to harm her.

So, I rushed to her to reassure her.

Crouching in front of her, I spoke to her gently. "Don't worry. I won't harm you. I am here to free you. Let's go out now. Let's go."

But the girl shook her head vehemently. "I can't go. If I do, they will kill my parents. Please go. If they see you here, they will capture you too. Just go, please."

"No one will harm you or your parents. We will go directly to the police. And the Rathores are good people. I know it is Niranjan, Rathores' son-in-law, and his partner who have locked you here.

"Let's go out and tell everyone the truth. I am sure you will get justice, and neither you nor your parents will get hurt." I tried to convince her.

"It is not Niranjan who has trapped me here." The girl said, and I frowned at her.

"Then who is it?" I wanted to know.

She did not answer me immediately, but she extended her hand to the table near her and, lifting it a bit, took out a small piece of paper.

"I am Anusha Mehta, and this is my address. Please memorize it," she said to me, and looking at the paper, I memorized her address.

"I was brought here on orders of Anjali Singh Rathore. She is a dangerous human being. Please go to my house and search for the evidence I have hidden in my room. It will help you in exposing Anjali.

"What you need to do is-" she stopped abruptly and started trembling.

The petrified way she was looking behind me, I understood someone was standing there.

'That man,' I thought and was about to shout to alert others in the mansion when I felt a stinging pain in my neck.

Before I could fight or react to anything, everything went pitch black.

***********

My head felt heavy and throbbed as I opened my eyes.

Looking around, I saw I was in the guest room of the Rathore Mansion and wondered how I got there.

I was about to climb down from the bed, but Anjali entered the room at that time and stopped me.

"Keep lying, Khushi. The doctor has advised you complete bed rest for a few days," Anjali said and handed me a glass of water.

I gulped the whole glass in one go as my mouth felt too dry. Then, I looked at her and started speaking. "How did I get here?"

"You don't remember anything?" Anjali asked me, and the way she was peering at me made me uncomfortable.

And at that moment, the pounding in my head increased, and I saw a scene flash in my mind. It was blurry, and someone was whispering something to me.

"Anjali is a dangerous human being."

I could not understand what was happening, and I pressed on my head, unable to bear the pain.

"I feel like my head is going to burst, Anjali. Did the doctor give any medicine for the pain?" I asked her, but she squeezed my arm, making me look at her.

"Answer me first, Khushi. Do you remember anything that happened before you passed out?" Anjali asked, looking at me in such a way that fear gripped me, and I felt my mouth drying up again.

"No. I don't remember anything," I lied.

I do not know if I am imagining things or if they are really happening, but I can't ignore the scene that just flashed in my mind.

'I must find out the truth behind that whisper,' I thought and looked at Anjali, who was smiling at me.

Since the first time I met Anjali, I have found her smile genuine and kind. But this time, it was as if something had changed. It looked more sinister and fake smile rather than genuine.

I could not understand if it was my mind playing tricks on me or if Anjali really was dangerous, but I needed to find out about it, and I needed to do it soon.

It was then that I started doubting Anjali, and soon my doubts were confirmed when I saw the monstrous deeds of that evil woman with my own eyes.

'Anjali needs to pay for each of her crimes. I cannot let her get away with what she did with all those people.'

Thinking that, I looked ahead and, folding my hands, prayed to the Gods above to show me a path to escape from the temple today without the bodyguards following me.

If I am successful in doing so, it will be my first step to destroy the Rathore siblings.

***********

After an hour of sitting in the religious gathering, I looked around and saw all four bodyguards sitting in the same position as they were seated earlier.

'Ok, Khushi. You need to go through with this. You need to do it. For yourself, your parents, and all those victims who died at the hands of Anjali Singh Rathore.'

That thought gave me some strength. Folding my hands in front of God's idol and praying for everything to go according to my plan, I stood up and, through the corner of my eyes, saw the bodyguards standing too.

Rakesh and Mohan were standing at the temple's exit, and Vikash and Karan were walking toward me.

"What happened, Ma'am?" Karan asked me.

"I need to go to the restroom. I know there is one restroom just behind the temple," I answered, hoping they would not catch my lie.

"Ok, Ma'am. We will accompany you and wait for you outside the restroom," Vikash said, and I inwardly heaved a sigh of relief.

Reaching behind the temple, I pointed toward the abandoned building there. Only the first storey of the building was repaired and made into the restroom for the passersby.

I knew this because I have been coming to this temple with my mother for the last few years.

"You two can wait here," I said to Vikash and Karan once we reached the building.

Before letting me go in, they looked around the building. I knew they were looking around to see if there was any way to go out of the restroom except the front door.

They also wanted to go inside the restroom and check, but the guard outside did not let them do so, citing it was the lady's restroom and no man was allowed inside.

I smirked slightly as they nodded at the guard and did not go inside. This was what I wanted, after all. Because if they had gone inside, they could have noticed my escape path.

After looking around for a while, they were satisfied and let me go inside.

Once inside the restroom, I looked at the ceiling and the ventilation duct there.

I smiled as I saw that the entrance of the duct was still not repaired. Like before, some ropes were hanging out of it, and I could easily get inside the vent with the help of those ropes.

I have done it many times in the past.

Maa used to bring me here for the Puja, and whenever I had plans to go out with my friends, I always escaped through this vent. Maa used to get so mad every time I did it, but Papa always saved me from her scolding.

Thinking about those fond memories with my parents, I felt my eyes getting teary, but I immediately wiped them and shook my head.

I cannot afford to get distracted now. I need to escape here and go to that chawl where that girl's house is.

That is my only hope of getting the evidence against Anjali.

So, taking hold of the longest rope, I climbed inside the ventilation duct, knowing exactly where I needed to go to escape from this building.