Part twenty seven
Kiara looked at the broken form of bebe sadly.While the doctors were confident of her survival,they expected severe brain damage.She'd never be the same again.At first she had been furious that her grandmother had hidden such a huge secret from them but seeing her so frail and nearly half dead ,she found herself wracked with grief.Ekam squeezed her hand and not for the first time,Kiara was grateful for having a younger sister.The wedding had been postponed indefinitely and Badi mami had already started calling Seerat a harbinger of misfortune.Thankfully her mom had stood up for her sister in law.
Seerat was still an enigma to her.The woman whom she had dismissed as a gold digger had been her brother's rock throughout this ordeal and she had never seen him so content and at peace.They seemed to genuinely love each other she realised wistfully,as memories of Jatin reared up their head.Despite him cheating her and a traumatizing abortion in the wake of the plagiarism charges, she still found herself missing him from time to time.
"Thinking about Jatin again, aren't you?"it was Mami, who had just entered the room.Without any hesitation Kiara put her arms around her , allowing the comforting warmth to envelope her.
"We need to find the culprit"she said resolutely,wiping away tears.Mami and Ekam nodded.
"It's not about just us, it's about bebe and Daarji as well."
The door swung open to reveal Manveer mami and the three of them agreed to leave the room silently,a glance at her countenance enough to send them running for the hills.They made it to the parking lot,when Ekam spoke up,
"I actually have to meet a friend.Why don't you guys go back home?"
Kiara frowned; something felt wrong.Ekam sounded very strained,her eyes darting side to side as if she were hiding something.Mami also looked troubled and looked ready to stop Ekam.
"Puttar,go and meet your friend.We'll wait for you right here."
"No mummy,"Ekam interjected hurriedly."It will take a while.You have work today so don't get into trouble on my account."
Mami looked like she was about to argue further when a cry distracted them.Sahiba was on her knees, wincing and holding on to her stomach,eyes scrunched up in pain.She looked terrified as blood started pooling around her.Mami immediately rushed to her along with her mom.She turned around to look for Ekam ,only to find that the younger girl had disappeared.Cursing,she ran to mami and forcibly dragged her away from the melee, confident that the hospital staff could keep Sahiba alive.
"Kiara, what's wrong?"
"Ekam ran away.I know she's hiding something from us."
"We need to go after her.But how do we find her?"
"What if we try tracing her phone?"
"We don't have a valid reason ti involve the police.What if she actually did go to meet a friend?"
"Mami,does the tracing have to be legal?"
Mami gave her a strange look,"What do you mean?"
Kiara smiled grimly,"I know the perfect person."
*******************************************************
"You've got to be kidding me."mami said incredulously as they stood in front of Prince's bedroom.
"Trust me mami."said Kiara.
"But he's only ten."
"And yet adept at technology, especially where its nefarious purposes are concerned."
"Are Prabhjyot and Hansraj aware of this?"
"Knowing them, probably not.They are very clueless when it comes to things that don't involve.....you know sex."
"True that"mami mused.
"Mami, you're not such a prude after all.I misjudged you after seeing mamu."
Mami simply rolled her eyes at her and knocked on the door.
"Prince,can we please come in?We have a favour to ask you."
"We'll even pay you if you want."chimed in Kiara.
"Kiara!"
"What? It's not as if maasi is going to care."
Mami simply sighed;a high pitched voice asked them to come in and ten minutes later ,they found themselves seated in front of Prince.The boy immediately got up and ran over to them,hugging mami.
"No hugs for me?"Kiara asked,miffed at being left out.
Prince shook his head safely,"Mami is my favourite person after Ekam di.Both of them are very beautiful."
"And I'm the wicked witch,"Kiara muttered,shooting her brother an angry glare .Mami looked ready to burst into laughter but managed to school her features into a mask of absolute calm.
"Can you hack into Ekam's phone and trace her location?"she asked politely.
"Absolutely.It's a piece of cake."and he turned to his computer.
It took all but ten minutes to access her location.
"Thank you Prince."Kiara hugged her little brother and dragged her aunt out.
They took off in Kiara's car , fervently checking the directions.After half an hour,they found themselves in front of a swanky mansion.
"Some friend"Kiara commented under her breath.
"But how do we get past security?"Mami asked,eyeing the guard near the gates.
"Let's jump over the wall."
"Won't we be breaking in?"
"We need to make sure Ekam is alright."
Parking the car out of sight,they inched towards the back of the mansion.By now,the sun had set and the overgrown trees cast long shadows.
"It's a good thing we have trees here.We can use them up haul ourselves up the wall.You can climb trees right? I'm not a very good climber."
Kiara looked at her shorts first,then at the trees.
"I think I can manage."
As it turned out,both of them were terrible at climbing and narrowly missed breaking their necks several times-Mami even managed to tear her Kurti.Heaving and panting,they finally ascended to the level of the wall . Fortunately the branches touched the wall and in no time,they were on top.
"It's a rather long drop."mami said,looking down terrified.
"Mami...."said Kiara in a shaky voice.
"What?"
"There's a snake behind us."
Both screamed and jumped,crashing onto the ground.Sounds of barking put them on alert.There were dogs as well.Without wasting any time,they scrambled on to their feet,thankfully without any broken bones and bolted for the house,without even looking back.The back door was thankfully unlocked and they ran in,slamming the door shut behind them.
The house itself was pitch black and a deathly silence filled the air.They groped around until they stumbled into the living room,which was richly furnished yet clearly abandoned.The most terrifying feature was the tiger's head mounted on the wall,a familiar looking dagger dangling off its neck.Both of them gasped.
"We need to find Ekam and get out as soon as possible.It's clear our attacker lives here."mami said urgently.
"Mami,we need to split up."
"It's not safe."
"We don't have time.He has Ekam.The sooner we find her,the better and we can all escape."
Without waiting for an answer,she ran off to sweep the ground floor.Sighing,mami started searching the first floor.She thoroughly checked all the bedrooms and washrooms but her search proved to be fruitless.She took the dagger ,just in case.She finally made it to the kitchen only to find it empty,like the rest of the house.An eerie silence descended on the mansion even as the wind howled outside.It didn't take long for the lightning and thunder to follow along with a heavy onslaught of rain.She rubbed her arms hoping that mami had better luck.
Something hard suddenly struck the back of her head and she fainted.The last thing she saw was a hooded figure,leaning over her,a maniacal grin plastered on his face which oddly reminded her of Veer.
Ok so they are at the attackers house and he looks like Veer which definitely means it is Veer's Father 
Ekam knew the location of the kidnapper and decided to go see him in secret 
And Sahiba had a miscarriage (I think) 
Alot of things happened in this chapter, can't wait for the next 
Reminded her of Veer SINGH BRAR 🥺
is it Jaspal??
Ohh my god 🥺🥺
Waiting for your next chapter....
🥺🥺🥺🥺
Part twenty eight
Kiara woke up rather groggy and her head pounding. As she came to ,she realised she was tied to a chair,her hands and feet bound.Next to her,Ekam had also been tied similarly,her face looking rather pale and gaunt;she also sported a split lip.She opened her mouth to scream.
"Di,please don't scream.We are down in the cellar where no one can hear us.Besides,if he hears you he'll hurt you."
"Who is he Ekam?Tell me,please."
A slow clapping from the back of the room caught her attention.Ekam turned paler than ever.
"Who are you?And why have you tied us up?"she yelled.
"Who are you? Really Kiara?How can you forget your favourite man?"
Their attacker finally stepped into the light and Kiara gasped.
"Papa?"
Yashraj Baweja walked towards her and gently caressed her face,
"Hello darling.I wished you had called before jumping over the wall.I would have prepared a wonderful welcome for you."
"You .......raped me!"
"Darling, I'm wounded.I would never ever hurt you.It is how I showed love."
Kiara spat at him.
"What sort of father would do such a heinous thing to his own daughter?"
"Silence!"he thundered,backhanding.
Ears ringing,she screamed in pain as he grabbed hold of hair hair and pulled it.
"Listen to me carefully."he said through gritted teeth."I am your father and we love each other very much, don't we?I will not let you ruin the family's happiness. So just shut up and listen.I will not be kind to you like I've been to Ekam."
Kiara nodded fervently,catching sight of Ekam's pleading eyes.He immediately let go of her hair and started pacing.Then turning around,he addressed her with a sickly smile.
"That wasn't so hard ,was it?Oh Kiara,what do we do with you? You've become overly spoilt living with you mother.Your brothers have much better manners."
"Brothers?"Ekam gasped.
"Yes brothers,Ekam.Did you expect me to forget Veer?Why else do you think I gifted him that music record label?"
Kiara felt like puking as her father continued.
"Veer is the best of my children.He is smart and ruthless.Garry is all bluster and no action.Swag hai Jatt da?Not one of his plans has come to fruition.And you, Kiara,are just eyecandy.All beauty and no brains."
Despite her anger and disgust,Kiara felt tears prick her eyes.The only parent whom she thought had loved her found her worthless.
"Tonight,I can finally and proudly claim Veer to be my son."
"Veer paaji will never accept you!"Ekam shouted.
"Foolish girl,you clearly haven't understood us.Once Veer sees how better I am as a parent, he'll definitely come to me."
"You can never replace mummy and papa!"
Yashraj grew quiet.
"You're partially right.I can never replace Gurleen."
His face took on a wistful expression.
"I wish I had married her after she became pregnant. She would have made the perfect wife, obedient and docile.But it's still not too late."
Kiara prayed her mami never had to face this man.
"Mami will never leave Mamu."Kiara said quietly.
"She won't have a choice once Jaspal Singh Brar abandons her and her son."
"Papa will never abandon mummy and paaji."
"Ekam dearest,you and your father are Brars,a unique species famous for abandoning those who aren't blood.Take Garry and Kiara for example,no one loves them in that mansion of yours.Look at how easy it was for me to manipulate Angad against Sahiba, despite the 'love' they have for each other.And by the way,I think you ought to know that your parents are about to get a divorce .If you'll excuse me but I think your mother and I are due a chat."
With that he walked off,leaving behind a furious Ekam.
When the door shut,her little sister immediately started struggling against her bonds.
"Di , I'll try moving my chair towards you,will you be able to unite the knots."
Kiara shook her head despondently and Ekam's shoulders slumped.They sat in silence.
"Di,do you think mummy and papa are really going to divorce?"
"Probably.Mr.Baweja never lies.He twists and omits information but never lies.I just hope mami doesn't run into him."
They sat in silence, occasionally punctuated by Ekam's sobs.A sudden pounding on the door made them jump.And the door flew open to reveal mami,holding a chainsaw ,cover head to foot on dust.
"Sorry,"she whispered,"I really don't know how to use this."
"Where on earth did you find that saw?"asked Ekam, curiosity momentarily overriding her grief.
"There was a tools cabinet."
"As fascinating as this discussion is,I would really appreciate being freed."Kiara interjected disgruntled.
"Sorry"
She hurried over and hastily untied their bonds.They rubbed their wrists which were sore and stumbled as they got up.
"Di,is your head alright?"
She simply nodded and winced,the movement hurting her.
"We should get you to a hospital."muttered mami as they ascended the stairs and exited the cellar to find themselves back in the kitchen.
"How do we get out?"asked Kiara."The house is guarded and there's a vicious dog out there in the backyard.Moreover,I highly doubt we can climb over that wall again."
"There's only one security guard right? There's three of us so we might be able to overcome him."said mami.
"What if we run into him again?"asked Ekam, scared .
"We can overpower him."said Kiara resolutely,refusing to think about her father,considering him a disgusting adversary.
"Mummy,di,I don't think it's that simple."said Ekam sadly.
"What do you mean?"asked Kiara.
"Before that,I just want to ask you one thing Ekam. What on earth possessed you to come here alone?"
Ekam looked ready to cry.
"He is blackmailing me mummy.He threatened to release Veer paaji's paternity results to the media.I came here to negotiate but he simply tied me up,threatening to have his way with me."
"Oh puttar,why didn't you tell me or your father?"
"I didn't want to trouble you.The two of you already have so much on your plate.Is it true you're going to get a divorce?"
A lone tear slid down Mami's cheek as she pulled her daughter into a hug.
"Nothing can be too much trouble when you and your brother are concerned.The two of you are the centre of our lives,how could we abandon you?We will protect you till the end even if the world burns down."
Ekam sobbed harder and clung to her mother while Kiara looked away ,feeling rather left out.
"Kiara?"
"Hmm?"
"What are you standing there for?"
She didn't wait a second longer and tackled her mami in a huge embrace.
"Alright,"said mami, untangling herself from the embrace,
"Don't worry about Veer,he loves us enough and while he might be angry and hurt, he won't hate us alright?So that paternity test is harmless."
"But what about daarji?"asked Ekam doubtfully.
"I don't care what daarji thinks.I only care about your father and the two of your opinions as far as Veer is concerned."
"Mami, don't worry about mom and Garry, I'll handle them."said Kiara resolutely.
Mami nodded.
"Let's get out of here."
And they ran to the front door and out of the house when Ekam screamed.Kiara turned to see her sister being dragged back by Yashraj,a maniacal grin on his face,holding a knife to her neck.
"One move and she dies."
So it was Yashraj all this time 🤯
I never expected that,to be honest I thought it was daarji ðŸ˜.
Eagerly waiting for the next chapter
He was Yashraj. I had suspicions about him, Jaspal, and even Ajeet Monga.
And about Veer, I really hope he doesn't manipulate our Veer. 😡
I love how much detail and storytelling you put into their characters. ( Ekam and Kiara ) The character development and overall plot based on them are fantastic.
Part twenty nine
Ekam froze as she felt the cold steel touch her skin.Her heart stilled and she broke into a cold sweat, fear seizing her.Her arm hurt where he had gripped it tightly.She winced in pain as he started dragging her back into the house.Mummy looked scared and furious in contrary to the atmosphere of calm she usually exuded.Kiara di looked murderous and was clearly thinking of ways to rescue her but she knew every was futile.She would die in this abandoned mansion tonight.But she wouldn't have any regrets if it meant saving her family.
He led her to the roof over the pool,which was made of glass;one wrong step and they'd plummet to their deaths.Her mother and had followed them and she was terrified for their safety.
"Don't you dare think of escaping,"he hissed into her ear. "If I have to go, I'll bring you down with me.You are mine now.I will let you go if your mother comes to me willingly along with Veer."
At that point Ekam realised something horrifying.The man knew her mother would gladly sacrifice herself for them.The only reason he hadn't told her of his condition was that he wanted to you with Ekam's feelings and see if her desire for survival outranked the love she held for her family.She wouldn't bend,she told herself.Yashraj Baweja had to be brought down and if it meant killing herself so be it.She would willingly sacrifice herself if it meant her parents and paaji could live peacefully,if it meant her di could finally be free of the binds that shackled her to this mess of a family.
"Sorry mummy,"she whispered.Her mother saw her lips move 'her eyes widened in fear and she leapt forward to stop her even as Ekam grabbed hold of the knife and twisted it around,flailing ,kicking and screaming.She managed to drive the knife into his neck,narrowly missing his jugular.He screamed and clawed at her face,the marks drawing blood.Someone pushed her away into di's arms ;it was her mummy.
"Mummy!"she screamed as Yashraj tackled her mother. Both of them fell and crashed through the glass ,falling over fifty metres into the pool below.She and di gathered over the broken edge and peered into the void below.The pristine blue of the pool was now marred by scarlet streaks.Ekam started screaming as the colour morphed into a darker shade of maroon. Di dragged her off the roof and both of them ran towards the pool frantically.
"Mami!Mami!"yelled Kiara ,ready to jump into the water.
There was chaos behind them and they turned to find Jaspal,Inder,Veer and Angad bearing down on them.
"Papa!"Ekam cried and ran into her father's arms,sobbing inconsolably.Veer paaji was by her side in a second.
"Ekam, where's mummy?"he asked her calmly,his eyes glinting dangerously.
She refused to look at him,burying her head in her father's coat, clinging to him.
"Jaspal...."said her uncle faintly,pointing a shaking finger towards the pool.
Her paaji turned pale in horror and ran towards the edge.There were still bits of glass floating on the surface.
"Angad,Paaji,I need you to take the girls home as soon as possible.And please get a doctor to check them as well."her father said in a collected manner,gently unclasping Ekam's hold on him.
"ABSOLUTELY NOT!"Di thundered.
Angad paaji sighed and tried,
"Kiara,Ekam, you're not supposed to be here.In fact if Ekam had not been so bull headed and listened to Sahiba....."
"Will you just stop it?"shouted Veer paaji."Can you stop making every problem Sahiba's fault?Yes,I get that you didn't want to marry her but is it too much to ask for basic human decency?And remember this,had it not been for Sahiba,Ekam would've suffered."
"But why didn't she confide in me from the beginning?"
"Because you would have taken Yashraj uncle's side?"
Whispered Ekam
"Yashraj?"Paaji looked livid.
"Seems Ekam told Parjaai everything except the identity of her attacker."said Paaji grimly.
Di looked at her hurt.Ekam hung her head in shame.
SPLASH!!!!
Her papa had dived into the water.For ten long seconds,the surface of the water was still before he resurfaced,holding mummy in his arms.He was badly cut up and needed Di and paaji to pull him out.
"Angad,as heinous as Yashraj is,he is Jasleen's husband and this could reflect badly on us.Perhaps we should try pulling him out as well."muttered her uncle.
Angad paaji nodded and called an ambulance.They arrived in ten minutes.Ekam tearfully watched her parents being loaded on to stretchers while her paaji refused to let go of her and Kiara.
"I'm sorry you both.I wish I had been a better brother.I nearly lost all the women I love today."
Di simply hugged him.
"Let's go home."
*******************************************************
One week later
Brar mansion was in shambles.The police had pulled out Yashraj's body from the pool and raised his property.While Kiara wasn't privy to the details,she knew it had done irreparable damage to the Brar brand.To her shock,her mother still grieved for her husband despite his crimes and Garry had eloped with Seerat, again,leaving her to deal with the fallout as usual.She surprisingly didn't feel angry.She was glad that he had finally found his happiness away from this mess which wasn't even theirs to clean up.The most heartbreaking development had been bebe's death.The doctors had finally declared her brain dead and her daarji,in one final act of mercy had agreed to take her off the ventilator,finally setting her free.
Daarji no longer talked and joked around,either barricading himself in his room amongst Bebe's memories or sitting by mami's side in the hospital.She wasn't very surprised.After all,he did love mami the most ,only after bebe,in the truest sense, unconditionally and unselfishly.Jaspal mamu had devoted himself to looking after Ekam,Veer and shockingly her and Sahiba,trusting his father for the first time to look after his love while he tried to hold everything together.Angad had meanwhile taken over as the head of the household but was in Kiara's opinion,the most miserable.
And he deserved it,she thought savagely.Sure,daarji had conditioned him to become a misogynist and classist prick,but it didn't excuse the fact that he was a fully grown man with a working brain of his own.Sahiba had finally agreed to divorce him and pursue her dream of becoming an artist provided Kiara agreed to study with her.If things went well,the two of them could join the autumn semester in one of Vienna's most prestigious art colleges.
Till then,all of them needed extensive therapy to overcome everything they'd been put through.But for the first time,she didn't feel lonely at all.She'd pull through this time,and perhaps her art would flourish as well.
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