40

Khushi

Leaving my jaw, Anjana harshly pushes me before standing up from the floor.

She frowns as she looks at her watch. "Why the hell has Ridvansh not returned yet?"

I wonder about that too, but I also wonder about what she did with Anjali.

"What happened after you broke Anjali? What did you do with her?"

Hearing my question, her frown immediately upturns into a smile.

"I took the knife Ridvansh had brought here with him that day, and striked it right on her forehead, taking away her destiny and killing her," Anjana replies, her smile widening with every word she utters.

"Once I killed Anjali, I went to her house claiming to be Anjali. I told them I escaped by abductor, and everyone believed me.

"And why not? I am her identical twin, after all. I even had the bruises in my body given to me by Manav, Mahindra, and their clients, which they believed my abductors gave me while keeping me as their captive.

"Also, I had the limp on the same leg as Anjali. The only difference was her limp was due to a disease and mine was due to abuse that broke my leg.

"A month passed after that with Anjali's parents and Arnav pampering me. It was so much fun. Everyone loved me and I got everything I wanted. I only had to say the word and Anjali's parents would get me that right away."

"Why did you kill them then?" I ask, wanting to understand.

"Because Anjali's father, Mr. Adarsh Mahajan started suspecting me. I was passing by his room one day and I heard him talk with his wife. He was saying I, meaning Anjali according to them, had changed after returning from abduction.

"He said I had gotten more demanding and stubborn while before I was easygoing and mellow, never demanding of the expensive things.

"Although his wife, Aarti Mahajan tried to reassure him that he was overthinking, I understood I needed to do something about it soon.

"I first thought to only take Adarsh Mahajan out of my way, but then I realized only that would not do. What if Aarti also started suspecting me one day? Even worse, what if she investigated about it without me knowing and found out my truth? I could not risk that.

"So, I decided to take both of them out of my way. I wanted to kill Arnav too but I needed him. After all, he was the Mahajan heir.

"That is why for me to continue living the luxurious life which I finally got after years of living poorly, I needed to have that idiot heir by my side," she says and I wonder how Arnav must be feeling.

I know he is outside the door because I had seen him a while back. Since he has not come inside, he must still be outside, listening to this conversation.

"A packet of poison mixed in the food was all that was needed to get them both out of my way," Anjana says.

"You know the amazing thing that happened that day?" She asks but continues without waiting for my response. "Aarti made Arnav promise to take care of me and protect me.

"And since then that fool has been protecting not only his sister's, but his parents' killer too," Anjana finishes speaking, and I am appalled by the end of it.

I did not see even a smidge of remorse in her face when she confessed killing those people.

She is so evil.

Walking to the floor beside the bed where she had been staring time and again, Anjana crouches and runs her hand over the area.

"My sister is here, Khushi. Right here, where I buried her. She has witnessed everything I have done here. From torturing those girls to killing them," she says, and I am stunned.

That is why she kept looking at that floor when she talked about Anjali.

"Why did you kill all those girls?" I voice the question, gulping as I look at the floor beneath which Anjali is buried.

"Because I wanted to get that feeling again, Khushi." Standing from the floor, she closes her eyes and takes a deep breath.

"That exhilarating feeling of hearing Anjali scream and shout when she was forced and then having sex with Ridvansh right after that. The best feeling ever.

"That is why we even selected the girls like Anjali. Adopted and with loving parents. Those were the girls we tortured and killed," Anjana tells me, looking at me in such a way that I feel cold fear almost paralyze my body.

"You also fit our profile, Khushi. After all, you are adopted, too, and also have loving parents, oops, ex-parents," she smirks, looking at my parents on the bed.

Tears fill my eyes as I look at their bodies.

"How could you kill them, Anjana? HOW COULD YOU?" I shout, unable to contain my anger.

I am about to stand from the floor when she walks in front of me and kicks on my stomach.

"Shut up, you stupid girl. How dare you shout at me?" She says and raises her leg to hit me again.

I squeeze my eyes shut, bracing for the blow but it never comes.

Confused, I look up, and my eyes widen in shock.

Khushi

I look at Arnav clutching Anjana's throat, a murderous expression on his face.

"You killed my parents and my sister. You took away everything I held dear. And why? Just because of your meaningless jealousy?" He says, gritting his teeth and tightening his clutch over Anjana's throat.

"I will kill you. I WILL KILL YOU," he shouts, pushing Anjana to the floor beneath which Anjali is buried.

"Arna--" Anjana coughs and clears her throat.

"Arnav, please listen to me. What I said--" She abruptly stops when Arnav grabs her hair and pushes her face down, pressing it against the floor.

"This is where you have buried Anjali, right?" he says with nothing but menace in his voice. "So, this is where you will also be buried. You killed Anjali and then buried her, but you will be buried alive."

Anjana struggles, trying to free herself from Arnav's grip but that only makes him yank her head up, only to slam it on the floor the very next second.

He did it repeatedly and I could see blood dripping down her face.

"Arnav, wait. Stop it," I tell him.

He stops slamming Anjana's head to the floor but continues clutching her hair.

"She took away my parents and sister from me, Khushi. I won't spare her," he says.

I look at him for a couple of seconds, and along with anger on his face, I can also see a pool of hurt in his eyes.

My eyes then flicker to Anjana. Her face was covered with blood and her eyes were fluttering. It seemed like she was about to lose consciousness.

"We need to take her to the hospital," I tell Arnav, slowly standing from the floor.

He leaves Anjana's hair as he stands and she falls to the floor, not fully unconscious but whimpering due to pain.

"We are not taking her anywhere, Khushi. She will die here--a painful death of suffocation," he says.

"I understand, Arnav that you must be feeling betrayed now, but--"

"You don't understand. She killed my parents dammit."

"She killed my parents too," I retort, blinking rapidly to control my tears as I look at the bed.

Taking a deep breath and gulping the lump in my throat, I continue speaking.

"Anjana also killed many other innocent girls. And the parents of those girls deserve to know what happened to their child. They need to see justice being brought to their daughters," I reason with him.

I can see uncertainty on his face, as if in dilemma whether to agree with what I said or do what he wants.

When he does not speak for a few minutes, I decide to convince him more, but he speaks right then, before I could.

"No, Khushi. I won't let her out of here. And don't worry. All those girls will definitely gets justice when their killer gets killed right where she tortured and killed them," he says, and I am about to object when the police enters the place.

"You can't do that, Mr. Rathore. We will be taking your sister into custody," one of the policemen said.

"She is not my sister, Inspector. She is an imposter who killed my sister and parents. And now, I am going to kill her," Arnav says, walking toward Anjana's unconscious body when the two constables held him back.

"You can't do that, Mr. Rathore. She is a criminal and she will be arrested and brought to the justice in the right way," the inspector says to Arnav, and while I nod at that, I also frown.

First, Arnav reached here on his own, and then the police.

How?

"How did you know about this place?" I ask the inspector.

"About an hour back, we got a call from the crime branch who has taken over Ridvansh's serial murder case. They told us they were tracing Ridvansh's phone and found it being switched on for a couple of minutes around this area.

"As our police station is only a small distance away from here, we started searching for him immediately after getting the information, and arrested him along with his few men.

"I must say he seemed tough exteriorly but could not hold long under the torture.

"He started singing about his crimes and the partner he committed those crimes with within just a few minutes of getting beaten after being hung upside down from the ceiling in the prison," the inspector replies.

So, this is it.

Ridvansh is arrested and Anjana too will be taken into custody. Everyone will finally get the justice.

I will get justice for my parents.

All those parents will get justice for their daughters.

Arnav will get justice for his parents and sister.

I sigh, relieved that at least three of my culprits have gotten their punishment.

But few are still left.

I look at Arnav as I think that.

After all, him and his family are still left to be punished.

Anjana is a criminal and she manipulated them. But her crimes and betrayal do not whitewash their wrongdoings.

That is why I will spare no one. Absolutely no one.

***********

A week later

"Why do you stall me every time I ask you that question?" I ask Arnav, miffed at the way he was pretending to be busy, avoiding looking at me.

"Khushi, I don't get why it is so important to you. Can't you just be grateful that I reached there in time before Anjana killed you?"

"But I want to know how you reached there," I say but he walks toward his cupboard and takes out the clothes to wear for the Puja (worship ritual).

We have held final rites Puja today for my parents, his parents, and Anjali. For the peace of their soul.

It will be starting in two hours. But we need to go down early to oversee everything is ready for the Puja.

While I am all ready for it, Arnav still needs to change his clothes.

But before he can enter the bathroom to freshen up, I immediately block the entrance.

"Move, Khushi," he says but I shake my head.

"Answer me first, Arnav." I fold my hands over my chest.

Sighing heavily, he walks back to the bed and slumps on it.

He rubs his hands over his face for a few seconds before looking up at me.

"Khushi, this week has been the worst week of my life. Knowing about Anjana's betrayal shook me and it took me days to finally accept the fact that I lost my sister even before I lost my parents," he says, standing from the bed and walking toward me.

"Do you know why Mom and Dad adopted Anjali from the orphanage?" He asks, and continues when he sees me shake my head.

"They did it because I wanted a sister. Mom had a heart disease and the doctors told her it could be life threatening for her if she got pregnant again. That is why they opted for adoption.

"And I was so happy the day they brought Anjali home. I was only six then and Anjali was ten. I felt like I got my best friend that day.

"She was a wonderful sister to me--warm, affectionate, compassionate. The way she saw positivity even in adverse situations used to inspire me.

"That is why Anjana's truth hit me the worst possible way.

"How could I not realize she was an imposter? And how could I not figure out about her being my parents' killer?

"All these years that evil woman kept using me for her selfish reasons and I remained oblivious to it all these years.

"How could I have been so blind to everything going on right under my nose?" Arnav rakes a hand through his hair in frustration.

I can see his turmoil clearly over his face, a sheen of tears in his eyes.

"You remained oblivious because you loved your sister. Agreed she was not Anjali but you didn't know about it.

"And that caused you to let slide all your suspicions because we do not doubt the people we love," I tell him and see his face color in guilt.

Remembered how you doubted me even though you claimed to love me, did you?

I do not voice that thought, though, because it is not the right time.

"I am sorry, Khushi," he says, looking at me with remorse marring his face.

Your sorry will never be enough, Arnav. NEVER.

Again, not voicing that thought, I curtly nod at him.

"You have still not answered my question, Arnav. How did you find me that night?"

He sighs heavily and nervously looks at me. "I have lost my sister this week, Khushi. I don't want to lose you."

"What do you mean?" I ask, not pointing to him that he lost me long back.

"If I tell you how I found you that night, you will hate me for what I did to you."

I frown at him. "Just tell me, Arnav."

"You remember that day when you had the accident because you ran away from me?" He asks and I nod.

"When you were unconscious in the hospital after that accident, I was so scared of losing you, Khushi. The doctors kept saying your condition was critical and I kept berating myself for letting you run away.

"That is when I realized I needed to know where you are all the time so I could protect you. And that's why....uh...that's why..." he hesitates.

"That's why what? Tell me, Arnav," I urge him.

"I got a tracker and told the doctors to implant it in your arm. That is how I knew about your location that night," he tells me.

I absolutely freeze in the anger as I stare at him.

How the hell could he violate my privacy in such way?

"I know you must be angry at me. But please understand that I did it only because I love you and want to ensure your safety," he says.

I want to shake him and shout at him to drill sense into him. But I know that will accomplish nothing.

So, I take a deep breath to gulp down my anger and pretend to smile. "I understand, Arnav. And anyway, that tracker saved my life. So, how can I be angry because of that?"

"You are so good, Khushi." He comes closer to me and gently caresses my cheek.

I fist my hand to stop myself from pushing him away when he cups my face. "Thank you for understanding."

Saying that, he lightly kisses my forehead and walks inside the bathroom.

Once he closes and locks the door, I vigorously wipe my forehead to erase his touch.

"I hate you, Arnav Rathore. And the time has come to make you pay for your crimes." I smirk, thinking about the punishment I have decided for him.