When fear takes hold

2 months ago

Mikky

@MidnightLibrary

When fear takes hold

The Malhotra Mansion, filled with the warmth of love and laughter,. The breakfast table, usually a hub of lively chatter, was subdued, everyone seemed to be relaxed except only two Ariyan and Anushka who were both staying in their bedroom, and didn't think about the courage to face their family members at the breakfast table.

Shambhavi's eyes, brimming with warmth, scanned the table, her gaze lingering on the empty seats. "Where's Sanyogita?" she asked, her voice tinged with concern.

"Perhaps she's sleeping," Annaya replied, her expression serene.

Shambhavi's eyebrows furrowed. "But she never sleeps this late..."

Annaya's soothing tone calmed the air. "Don't worry, Maa. She needs rest. She's been working hard, and with Prithvi away in London, she might be feeling a bit down."

Shambhavi's eyes clouded with worry. "Yes, you're right, Bahu. I've seen her exhausting herself. And before leaving, Prithvi did caution us to be extra attentive towards Sanyogita."

Annaya nodded in agreement. "Then we should ensure she relaxes and stays happy. We can't let her burden weigh her down."

Anushka emerged from her room, her eyes red and puffy from lack of sleep, her face etched with worry. Despite Ariyan's reassurances, she couldn't shake off the feeling that something was terribly wrong.

As the hours ticked by, Sanyogita's absence grew more foreboding, like a dark shadow looming over the household. Shambhavi's curiosity turned to concern during lunch, and she decided to investigate. She knocked on Sanyogita's door, her heart racing with a sense of trepidation.

Ariyan, who had tried to deflect attention earlier, now stood frozen, his eyes darting towards Anushka with a desperate plea for help. But Shambhavi's instincts had already sensed the truth, and she wouldn't be deterred.

As she entered Sanyogita's room, a sense of unease settled over her. The bed was unmade, and beneath the quilt left her in disbelief - a side pillow with a small head pillow placed in the middle of the bed, there was no sign of her. Shambhavi's mind racing, she quickly retreated from the room and confronted Anushka and Ariyan.

"Where is Sanyogita?" she demanded, her voice firm but laced with worry. "What's going on? Tell me the truth!"

Anushka and Ariyan exchanged a nervous glance, their faces pale with fear. They knew they couldn't hide the truth any longer. Shambhavi's eyes narrowed, her gaze piercing as she awaited their response. The air was thick with tension, heavy with the weight of secrets and lies.

Anushka and Ariyan exchanged a terrified glance, their faces ashen with fear. They had to reveal everything they talked with Prithvi last night during phone calls and Also Sanyogita missing.

Their attempts to conceal the truth had been futile, and with a sense of dread, Ariyan revealed the shocking news finally

"Bhaiya is on his way!" Anushka

exclaimed, her voice trembling with fear. "He's taken a flight back to India...."

The family's collective breath caught in their throats like a trapped animal. The silence that followed was oppressive, heavy with foreboding, as if the very foundations of their world were about to shatter. The air was thick with tension, and the weight of Ariyan's words hung like a challenge, daring anyone to speak.

Shambhavi's eyes narrowed, her mind racing with the ominous implications. Prithvi's sudden return could only mean one thing - he had uncovered something very very dangerous.

Her eyes grew wide with a mix of fear and foreboding, and her skin turned a pale shade of white as she thought about Sanyogita's sudden and mysterious disappearance.

"Sanyo...," Annaya, who heard everything, whispered, her voice trembling with fear. "What have you gotten yourself into?"

Both Annaya and Shambhavi’s heart was pounding with horror , their minds racing with the terrifying possibilities. She was consumed by worry for Sanyogita's safety, knowing that her daughter-in-law was taking immense risks to gather evidence against the culprits who had abused her elder sister. The thought of those monsters getting their hands on Sanyogita sent a chill down her spine.

Annaya envisioned the worst-case scenario - Sanyogita being trapped, kidnapped, or harmed by those ruthless individuals. The thought alone made her blood run cold.

Shambhavi's heart racing, she felt a sense of dread wash over her. She couldn't bear the thought of anything happening to Sanyogita, who had already endured so much.

With a sense of urgency, Annaya turned to Anushka and Ariyan, her voice firm but laced with concern. "We need to find Sanyo , now. I fear for her safety. If …if…anything…no noo” She cursed her mouth for saying such awful nightmare about her grand daughter-in-law

The room seemed to darken, as if the shadows themselves were closing in on them, amplifying Shambhavi's fears.

Annaya's expression turned grave, her eyes wide with worry. "We need to inform the police now. We can't waste any more time."

Ariyan nodded, his face pale. "Bhaiya has already done that, Mom . He sent the footage of Malhotra Mansion to ACP Zunaid Yusuf Imam Mallick last night. They've started the investigation."

Shambhavi's eyes widened in surprise. "What? When did he do that?"

Ariyan hesitated before responding, "Last night, after...after he found out what sudden disappearance of Bhabhi . He lodged the FIR online and sent all the evidence to the police."

Shambhavi's grip on her chair tightened, her knuckles white with tension. "And what about Sanyo ? Has anyone heard from her?"

Anushka shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes. "No, grandmom. We haven't heard from her since this morning. Her mobile says unreachable . Bhaiya is on his way back to India, but we don't know what's happening to bhabhi"

The room fell silent, the weight of their words hanging in the air like a challenge. Shambhavi's eyes locked onto Anushka and Ariyan, her gaze piercing. "We need to find Sanyogita, and we need to do it now.”

…………

Prithvi settled into the secure seat on their personal airline, his mind consumed by dark thoughts. Arjun, his personal assistant, had arranged the flight with utmost discretion, but Prithvi's thoughts were elsewhere. He couldn't shake off the image of his wife, Sanyogita, entangled in a den of snakes.

Throughout the nine-hour flight, Prithvi remained silent, uttering only a monosyllabic "Ok" to Arjun's occasional queries. His mind was a maelstrom of worst-case scenarios, each one more terrifying than the last. He prayed fervently for her safety, his heart heavy with worry.

One question gnawed at him: what was Sanyogita doing in those hotels so late at night? He had already alerted the police, but the potential fallout terrified him. The press and social media would devour this story like ravenous sharks, and he couldn't bear the thought of Sanyogita's mother, his mother-in-law, suffering the consequences. He had promised to protect her daughter, and now...

"Jaan, why did you do this?!" Prithvi's thoughts tormented him. "You shouldn't have done this! Why, Jaan, why?! Couldn't you wait a little longer for your, Prithvi ? I had forbidden you, but you... Where are you, Jaan?!"

His anger and worry wrestled for dominance, each emotion fueling the other. Prithvi's mind raced with terrible possibilities, his heart aching with every passing moment.

As the flight soared through the skies, Prithvi's mind wandered back to the countless times he had cautioned Sanyogita. "Always let me know where you're going, who you're with," he would say. "And whenever possible, take Christopher with you." She would smile, nod, and promise to be careful.

The memory of their last argument flashed before his eyes, the shouting, the tears... He had thought they had moved past it, that she had promised to never let him go again. But now, it seemed, she had broken that promise.

Prithvi's eyes narrowed into slits as he thought of Nishant, the one person he suspected of being capable of harming Sanyogita. His mind seethed with anger, his jaw clenched in a tight vice. "Nishant," he muttered to himself, his voice barely audible, but laced with venom. "If I find out you've touched her, I'll make sure you pay with your life. I'll ensure your existence is erased from this world before the law even gets a chance to sentence you."

The memory of Nishant's threatening calls flashed before his eyes, the lustful tone, the sinister laughter, and the explicit threats. Prithvi's every molecule burned with rage, his body tense with the effort of restraining himself. He had always been one step ahead, protecting Sanyogita from Nishant's evil clutches, but now, it seemed, the monster had managed to strike.

And it wasn't just Nishant; Prithvi knew his accomplices were involved too. Gautam, the childhood stalker who had haunted Sanyogita's memories, and his cohorts, Daksh and Reyansh. Prithvi recalled the story Sanyogita had shared with him, about Gautam's obsession, his twisted threats, and the unspeakable horror he had promised to unleash upon her.

The thought of those monsters touching his wife, harming her, was unbearable. Prithvi's anger reached a boiling point, his mind consumed by a singular focus: to find Sanyogita, to protect her, and to destroy those who dared to harm her.

Flashback:

Prithvi's expression softened as Sanyogita shared her wisdom. "Anushka finds happiness in Zunaid's presence, and we should appreciate that. It's harmless." But Sanyogita's eyes clouded, and she whispered, "I was a victim too, Prithvi. When you saved me from that manager, I couldn't sleep that night. And Gautam... he tried to misbehave with me when I was just fourteen."

Prithvi's heart skipped a beat as he heard the words, his mind reeling in shock. He felt like he'd been punched in the gut, his breath knocked out of him. His eyes locked onto Sanyogita's, filled with a mix of emotions - anger, sadness, and a deep sense of regret for not knowing this sooner.

Sanyogita's voice trembled as she continued, "It was four months after Janvi Didi and Papa's death. I was returning from school alone that day. Maybe he followed me or had already been watching us. Maa couldn't come to pick me up that day." Her body shuddered at the memory. "When I got home, I clutched Maa tightly and looked terrified. I told her what happened that evening... late at night."

Prithvi's grip on Sanyogita tightened, his arms wrapping around her like a shield. He felt a wave of protectiveness wash over him, a fierce determination to keep her safe from harm. Fear arose at the corners of his eyes as he listened to her words, his heart aching for the terrific incident she'd endured.

Tears streamed down Sanyogita's face as she buried her head in Prithvi's chest. "Gautam, among those four boys, laid his greedy eyes on me after destroying my sister's life. He called me a whore's sister, a dweller of the red-light area. I didn't know what that meant, but I hated his tone. He said he'd do the same thing to me as they did to my sister... and if I spoke up, he'd kill me too."

Sanyogita's voice cracked as she continued, "It was the thousand grace of God that I bit his hand hard and ran away to my home. After that, Maa decided to leave Delhi, and we came here and settled in Mumbai with our maternal uncle, Mama, and Mami. It was good that they didn't think we were burdening them. Maa too started working for both of us, mother and daughter. And I tried my best to focus on studies to give a better life to my Mother."

Prithvi's eyes widened in shock, his jaw clenched in anger. He felt a red-hot rage coursing through his veins, a desire to destroy the monsters who'd hurt his wife. "Why didn't you tell me?" he whispered, his voice trembling with emotion.

Sanyogita shivered, her voice barely audible. "I was frightened... ashamed."

Prithvi's heart broke at her words, his arms tightening around her. "You should never be ashamed, Sanyogita," he whispered. "You're strong, brave, and mine. I'll always protect you.”

Sanyogita's voice cracked as she paused, her eyes closing as she swallowed hard. With an emotional yet resolute tone, she continued, "I know, Prithvi. But every woman has endured this. They're too ashamed or afraid of being judged to speak out."

Prithvi's face contorted in anguish, his eyes burning with a fierce intensity. "Why would anyone judge them? They're not responsible for it!" He hugged Sanyogita tightly, his lips brushing against her forehead in a gentle caress. "I promise, Jaan, I won't spare those monsters. I'll make sure they pay for what they've done."

Sanyogita's hands on his chest, her eyes pleading, her voice trembling. "No, Prithvi, please don't do anything illegal. Let the law handle it." Her gaze locked onto his, filled with deep concern, a fear of losing him to his anger.

Prithvi's grip on Sanyogita tightened, his jaw clenched in a fierce determination. "I'll do whatever it takes to protect you, Jaan. Those monsters will pay for what they've done to your sister." His voice was low and menacing, a promise of retribution.

But then, his expression softened, and he teased, "If I had a daughter, I'd make her as strong and brave as her mother... but not as much of a crying baby." His eyes sparkled with amusement, and his lips curled into a playful smile.

Sanyogita's cheeks flushed, and she hit him playfully on the shoulder, burying her face in his chest. Her laughter was muffled, but her body shook with mirth.

Prithvi chuckled, his arms wrapping securely around his wife. "I love you, Jaan. You're my strength." His voice was filled with emotion, his words a testament to the depth of his feelings.

Prithvi's lips brushed against Sanyogita's forehead, a gentle kiss that sealed his promise. "I'll always be here for you, Jaan. Forever and always." His voice was barely above a whisper, but it held a depth of emotion that spoke volumes.

Sanyogita's arms wrapped around him, holding him close as if she'd never let him go. Prithvi reciprocated, his arms encircling her in a warm embrace. They stood there, holding each other, their hearts beating as one.

As they held each other, Prithvi knew that he would move mountains to keep Sanyogita safe, to keep her happy. And Sanyogita knew that she could face anything, as long as Prithvi was by her side.

Their hug was a promise, a seal of their love, a reminder that they would always be there for each other, no matter what.

[MEMBERSONLY]

[NOCOPY]