Aryan left for his firm while Angre and Vansh were working but Vansh’s mind was drifting to Riddhima.
Vansh (thinking): I know she is afraid but she has to fight for her rights. How can she let her life drift from her hands this easily!! Aryan was praising her as a fighter then what happened to that fighter Riddhima? Is Kabir torturing her to that core ki she lost to herself? Can’t she come out of that fear?
Breaking his thoughts Angre came into the cabin
Angre: Vansh, Mehra’s want to have a discussion of the upcoming project with you
Vansh: Umm… arrange a meeting with them in the evening
Angre: Evening isn’t possible as Dadi called you home early, she has to go to a temple
Vansh: Shit I forgot!!! I don’t think I can go; I’ll arrange something for her. Ask Sejal to arrange a meeting with them tomorrow first hour.
Angre: Sure, and we need to go through their T & C’s too I’ll ask her to go through them once
Vansh: Ummm…. Ask Riddhima to go through them and ask Sejal to… no, once call her to the cabin
Angre: Sejal?
Vansh nodded and picking the telecom, Angre dialed Sejal’s desk
Sejal: Hello, sir!
Angre: Sejal come into Vansh’s cabin now
Sejal: Yes sir coming
Sejal: Riddhima, you just go through this file, I’d be coming
Riddhima nodded and was reading a file keenly
Sejal reached Vansh’s cabin
Sejal: Yes sir
Vansh: Sejal, arrange a meeting with Mehra’s in the first hour tomorrow. Ask Riddhima to go through the T&C’s of the project and update me by tomorrow morning before the meeting. And what about our previous project report? Isn’t it done yet?
Sejal: Sir its done, Riddhima is reading it if there are any corrections
Vansh: Okay! If possible I want it on my table by evening and don’t forget about Mehra’s T&C’s
Sejal: I’ll inform her sir.
Vansh: Hmm… and did you speak to Mehta’s? What’s their issue?
Sejal: Sir I spoke to their PA and he informed me that they want an early delivery of the equipment which isn’t possible as due to the sudden change in climate our cargo is stranded in the port and it’s not yet delivered.
Angre: Did you speak to the department head?
Sejal: Yes sir I spoke to them and informed the urgency of the situation but they informed us that if climate cooperates then they’d take our shipment as a priority and deliver soon
Vansh: Okay… keep track of that and I will speak to Mehta’s
Sejal: Okay sir
She left and reached her cabin and saw Riddhima going through the file
Sejal: Riddhima, Vansh sir wants that file to be on his table by evening so, see if you can do that by then
Riddhima: It’ll be done
Sejal: After that, you have to go through the T&C’s of Mehra’s and update sir by tomorrow before their meeting
Riddhima: Okay!!!!
Both the girls sat working on their respective works. Later both the girls left to the canteen for lunch
Riddhima: I’ll buy something you sit
Sejal: Oh, hello madam, my food is sufficient for both of us. So, sit and have this
Riddhima smiled and took a seat beside Sejal and they both started having Sejal’s box. As soon as Riddhima had the first morsel, her eyes widened, and stared at Sejal
Riddhima (emotional): This…. This is made by….. uncle right!!!
Sejal (shock): How did you identify?
Riddhima: How can I forget!!! The same taste, exact amounts of add-ons…. Neither too much
Sejal: Nor less (chuckle)
Sejal: Indeed Riddhima, how come you identified in a single morsel?
Riddhima: How can I not!!! I have grown up tasting his food. It still has his love for us
Sejal: Dad misses you a lot
Riddhima: I miss him too…. but….
Sejal: Doesn’t Kabir’s parents know all this?
Riddhima: I don’t know!!! In these 2 months, they spoke to Kabir itself, never with me. Neither did they ever come home. I wanted to talk to them but whenever I tried to contact his mother, the servant used to answer and inform me that she is either busy or went out forgetting to take her phone along. The first….. first time when he raised his hand on me, I wanted to share my ordeal with her but she…. want available to answer my call. I tried to contact her and inform her of her son’s atrocities but she wasn’t there for me. Gradually, I stopped even trying. I thought maybe am bothering them
Sejal (thinking): Why do I feel something fishy!!! I need to speak to Aryan
There was utter silence while they had their lunch. Later they reached their cabin and started working on their respective works.
Riddhima: Sejal this project file is almost done. There were some corrections which I have done.
Sejal: Okay! I’ll give it to sir. After that, we shall leave
Sejal and Riddhima came out of their cabin and saw Vansh wasn’t in his cabin and assuming him to have gone out, Sejal placed the file on his table.
Sejal: Riddhima it’s already too late and Vansh sir has already informed me to first drop you home and then leave to my place so, shall we move, cab might be waiting for us!!!
Riddhima nodded and left along with Sejal to their cabin to pack their things.
Sejal: Riddhima….. what will he do?
Riddhima: I… I don’t know!!! He’ll definitely doubt me but the consequences…. I …..am not sure
Sejal: Isn’t there any way to not go to him?
Riddhima (sarcastic chuckle): That’s my house Sejal….. he…. He is my husband!!! Where will I go if not to him!!!
Sejal: Riddhima you have us… you can come to us
Riddhima: Till when?
Sejal: Forever
Riddhima: And you think he’ll allow me?
Sejal: Who said you’ll ask for his permission?
Riddhima: You think I can even step out of that house without his permission? And he’d be sitting without doing anything? Nothing such is going to happen Sejal!
Sejal: I want to see you happy (upset)
Riddhima (sarcastic chuckle): The word happiness has left my life long back and now it doesn’t have any place in my life.
Sejal: But….
Riddhima: Chalo Sejal, it’s already too late
Sighing Sejal and Riddhima took their cab and all the while Sejal was worried for Riddhima and Riddhima was worried about how would Kabir react if he gets to know that Sejal is with her.
Riddhima: Sejal….. please…. Please don’t call me or come out of the cab when we reach my house. Am…. Am afraid of how he’d react and what he’d do even if he gets a glimpse of you. And ask Aryan too not to call me, ….. vo actually…… he’ll answer all my calls first before I do.
Sejal (placing her hand on Riddhima’s shoulder): Don’t worry. I’ll make sure he’ll never get to know anything about our meeting.
Riddhima just nodded and as they were near her house Sejal covered herself in her scarf in such a way that Kabir cant recognise her. As Riddhima was about to go
Sejal: Riddhu, be ready by 8:15 am tomorrow, I’d come to pick you in the same vehicle, and uncle would give an indication of our arrival by blowing the horn thrice.
Riddhima nodded and bidding bye to Sejal she entered her house to find the main door open. She was first afraid and then curious about how Kabir was careless and then her eyes fell on the living area and her eyes widened in shock to find it all messy.
Riddhima: K…a.. bir!!!!
Kabir was in the living room with a whip in his hands and an alcohol bottle in another, his eyes red shot indicating he was angry and she was freaking with the mere thought of what might have happened but without prior intimation or anything, he lashed the whip on her making her cry out of pain.
Riddhima (cry): Kab…ir!!! Please!!!
Kabir (intoxicated): What please? You f…..ooool!!!! Because of your this bad lucccck today I couldn’t have a proper dealllll!!! I tho….ught I’d be getting a lump sum amount if I leave that crimi……nal but until you, the great bad luck in my life is here with me I won’t be ge….tting a pe…nny!!!
He was lashing her hard until she fainted with the pain but still, the beast in him wasn’t satisfied, and holding her hair he dragged her into the bedroom, and pouring a jug of cool water he bought her back to senses. Throwing her onto the bed, he rips her clothes and quenched his filthy hunger of her body.
She once again died; she once again lost herself to that devil; she once again slept with tears in her eyes; she once again dozed off with many expectations of new morning new beginnings; she once again slept empty stomach with only hope one day this hunger will kill her and she’d be free from the living beast!!!!