13

Mature and sensitive content ahead. Reader's discretion is advised.

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Third Person's POV

Sitting on the bed in Manik's room with her back leaning against the headboard, Nandini turned the bedside lamp's switch off and on, staring ahead at the alternating contrast of light and darkness as she remembered her father's bitter words.

Her heart clenched painfully in her chest as she recalled him calling her his son's murderer.

She closed her eyes and let the tears fall as she recounted what had happened that fateful night and the events leading up to it.

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Vivek entered Nandini's room and sat beside her at the foot of the bed.

"I just met Rishabh. He and his parents were leaving, and I didn't get to talk with him much, but he told me you two had become good friends, especially after spending time together on your twentieth birthday six months back.

"It is nice that you have started coming out of your shell and started to make some friends. Good for you," Vivek told Nandini but frowned when she kept looking down to the floor and did not react or respond to what he said.

Keeping his hand on Nandini's shoulder, Vivek gently shook her, trying to get her attention.

"Nandini, did you hear what I said?"

Hearing the question, when Nandini looked up at him, Vivek gasped, seeing her red and puffy face. Her eyes were red, too, and Vivek realized she had been crying.

He narrowed his eyes when he saw a mark on her cheek. It looked as if someone had slapped her.

"Nandini, what happened? Why are you crying? And what is that mark on your face? Did Maa and Papa—" Before Vivek could complete that question, Nandini shook her head and stood up from the bed. She then walked to the corner of the room.

"It's nothing, Vivek. And Maa and Papa did not do anything," Nandini lied, hoping Vivek would drop the matter.

But Vivek walked up to her and made her turn to him. "Maa and Papa only used to be indifferent toward you before I went to the USA. Have they also started raising their hand on you in my absence? Because if they have, I will—" Vivek was saying when Nandini interrupted him again.

"It is not Maa and Papa. They have never raised their hands on me. Just leave it, ok." Nandini felt pained as well as angry for having to lie and hide things from her brother.

Peering at Nandini, who was hesitating to look at him while speaking, Vivek knew she was lying, and definitely, there was something that she was not telling him about.

Taking her hand, he kept it over his head.

Realizing what Vivek was about to do, Nandini tried to remove her hand, but Vivek's hold was too firm, not letting her move her hand.

"Swear on me and tell me it's nothing. Come on, if you want me to leave it, tell me there is nothing you are hiding from me," Vivek told her, and unable to take it anymore, Nandini burst out in sobs.

Seeing Nandini cry, Vivek loosened his hold on her hand, and before he could hold her, she slumped to the floor, continuing to sob.

Seeing her condition, Vivek immediately crouched in front of her and loosely hugged her, trying to calm her down.

"Nandini, what has happened? Please tell me," Vivek requested once Nandini's cries reduced, and she fell silent.

"Rishabh is not a good person, Vivek," Nandini replied to him, and Vivek frowned hearing her.

"What do you mean, Nandini? The way Rishabh respectfully talks with Maa and Papa, I have always considered him a well-mannered and dignified person. You must be mistaken about him," Vivek said to Nandini, unable to understand why she was bad-mouthing Rishabh.

"It is that well-mannered and dignified person who slapped me a while ago, Vivek. He had ordered me to cover up the mark, but before I could do that, you came here," Nandini told Vivek.

Breaking the hug, Vivek looked at Nandini. She was looking down at the floor, her eyes still shedding silent tears and her demeanor tense and apprehensive.

Vivek found Nandini's words hard to believe because Rishabh's father is Papa's childhood friend, and his family has been a part of their family ever since he can remember.

And he has always thought of Rishabh as a good man. The way he talks and carries himself, he can never misbehave with Nandini.

But he also cannot disregard what Nandini said just because he has always assumed Rishabh to be a nice person.

He knows his sister. He knows she never lies to him, especially about a sensitive matter like this.

So, holding Nandini's arms, Vivek made her stand up from the floor and took her to sit on the couch. And sitting in front of her, he started speaking. "Tell me everything from the beginning, Nandini. What happened between you and Rishabh? Were you two fighting about something, and he lost his cool on you?"

Nandini clamped her hands together, taking deep breaths as she felt her face and whole body going warm. How can she tell her brother what Rishabh had done to her?

'You need to tell him, Nandini. You cannot keep tolerating and suffering through what he is doing to you,' her mind reasoned.

But she was still skeptical about what she should do. Even if she gathered enough courage to tell Vivek the truth, what would she do if he also did not believe her? Exactly how her mother had not believed her when she had told her everything a week back.

'You did not have any proof then, but you have the evidence now. You can show Vivek and everyone else what Rishabh has been doing to you,' her mind quipped.

Nandini jolted out of her thoughts when Vivek called her.

"Please tell me, Nandini. I am getting worried here," Vivek said to her.

Taking a deep breath, Nandini looked at Vivek and uttered the most painful truth of her life. "Rishabh has been molesting me for the last six months."

Vivek was shocked as he heard Nandini.

His sister was.... And that Rishabh.... For six months....

He was so angry and hurt that he could not form coherent thoughts, let alone react or say anything.

Nandini looked at Vivek, who had completely stilled where he was seated.

"Please, believe me, Vivek. I had told Maa the entire truth the last week, but she refused to believe me. That is why I recorded everything that Rishabh did with me in this room today. I have the evidence, and I can show it to you. Please believe me," Nandini pleaded, and Vivek felt his eyes fill with tears as he heard his sister's pleas to believe in her.

"I would have believed you even if you had no proof. You are my sister, and I know you would never lie about a matter like this," Vivek told her and held her hands reassuringly.

"I am so sorry you had to go through it, and I was not here to save you. I am so sorry that I could not protect you." Vivek felt angry at himself for not being here for his sister when she needed his protection the most.

"Do not apologize, Vivek. You were not in India, and I had not told you what was happening. So, how could you protect me from something you had no idea about?" Nandini said, her voice teary.

"But why didn't you tell me? If you had called me, I would have come here without delay. Why did you keep tolerating that pig's assault and never said anything to me? Why?" Vivek wanted to know.

"Because he had told me he had many contacts in the USA and if I ever tried to say anything to you or Maa and Papa, he would harm you, and I would never be able to see you again," Nandini said, tears streaming down her face.

"He was getting fearless and bolder over the months, Vivek. The first few times, he touched me when I was fully clothed. Then, slowly, over the next two months, he forced me to touch him. And for the last four months, he forced me to get na..nak...naked in front of him and touched me everywhere. He, too, got naked and made me touch him.

"And last week, he told me he would do more. That he would g...gg...go all the wa..way with me. I got so scared after that. I didn't want that to happen. I could not let him do that to me.

"And since you returned home two weeks back, I thought to tell everything to Maa so she would stop Rishabh. But instead, she shouted at me and said that I was making up lies to draw her attention toward me. She even told me that I was such a shallow person that I did not hesitate to put Rishabh's reputation in line just for my selfish motive of getting her care and affection.

"I was so taken aback and even somewhat shattered after what Maa said to me that day. I know she never loved me and cared for me, but I thought she would at least believe me when I told her about my life's most painful and humiliating experience.

"Anyway, after that, I realized I needed to collect evidence if I wanted others to believe in me.

"So, today, before coming here, when Rishabh texted me to be ready for what he wanted to do with me, I set up a camera in my room to record what he would try to do.

"Once he was here, he tried to come close to me. He was very forceful, but I kept pushing him and stopping him. I even threatened to shout and call everyone here if he did not leave me. That is when he slapped me and told me no one would believe me because his parents, and my parents, had more trust in his words than mine.

"Before leaving, he slapped me again and told me to be ready next time. He even threatened to harm you, Maa, and Papa if I didn't comply with his demand the next time.

"I had been tolerating his dirty touches on my body for the last six months, Vivek, because I did not want any harm to come to you. But I cannot keep doing this anymore. I feel so dirty and impure whenever he lays his hand on me. I feel like scrubbing off every part of my skin whenever he touches me and makes me touch him.

"And when he said he would do more, I was terrified. I could not let him ra—" Nandini stopped, unable to even utter that word.

Vivek was shell-shocked to say anything or to even calm Nandini down when she started crying after recounting the horrible experience she had gone through.

And she suffered that because she did not want any harm to come to him?

Suddenly standing up from where he was seated, Vivek took the vase from the table in front of him and threw it across the room. He then took the glass jar on the table and threw it, shattering it into pieces. He could not stop himself. He was filled with so much rage that he felt like burning the whole world.

Seeing Nandini getting scared of what he was doing, Vivek took a few deep breaths, barely controlling his anger, and kneeled in front of Nandini.

"I promise you today, Nandini. Rishabh won't be able to come near you or see you after today, let alone touch you or do anything else with you. I will protect you starting now and will keep protecting you until my last breath," Vivek promised her, and Nandini gave him a teary smile, relieved at having her brother's trust and protection.

***********

Nandini took her hand off the lamp's switch, letting the darkness surround the room as she took shaky breaths to lessen the overwhelming grief and guilt rising within her.

Vivek's promise echoed in her mind. The promise that he kept. The promise that pushed him toward his death.