Chapter 27
Someone had shot her… his Preeti. Gautam paced his room furiously. He was just off the phone having spoken with the local police. The useless guys had reached dead ends. Who the hell wanted her out of the way? The poor girl didn’t even know why she was there. He had thought of getting done with the signatures at the earliest and hand the registered deed over to Romila Devi fulfilling his end of the bargain. She would then have kept her promise too…
He had been so thrilled to see his scheme had worked. Everything had fallen into place. His Preeti… his beloved was now his wife. He had vowed to love and cherish her. Once the signatures and transfers were done then he would have taken her away from all this chaos and begged her forgiveness. He would have told her everything… his every dark secret. He had hoped she would forgive him. He didn’t trust anyone, but Preeti’s eyes were a mirror to her heart. He knew she loved him in spite of not knowing him… his past. He would have opened up his life in front of her… and if she accepted him then he would have only one more important job to do. He would have taken her along for that. He would need her with him like never before…
But now everything was delayed further. However he was more worried about Preeti. She was so trusting in spite of the fact that he had been very secretive about everything so far. He hadn’t told her anything about the age old Sengar feud and she didn’t even know that she was the owner of a heritage property. She was a millionaire if the local folklore was to be believed. But his little vixen would have questioned him to the sunset and not rested till she got her answers. He still didn’t know why Romila Devi was interested in the fort. The place was practically in ruins and the land around it was also barren. Since the law of the land applied there, no Government was interested in the area and its upkeep. It was like a no man’s land. What would Romila Devi do with the fort? Anyway he wasn’t interested in that. He wanted his life back from her. She had held the strings tightly for the last twelve years. He now felt strangulated. And more than that, his heart was crying for innocent Preeti. He promised himself he would make up to her for all the trouble caused. First he would tell her about the marriage clause and apologise to her for the trouble she had to go through. Second, he had already initiated, he would give her a choice. She would be free to leave for Mumbai and head the company where she was working. Nothing would hold her back anymore. If she would have him… then he would accompany her to Mumbai after finishing his last job … If not then he would be crushed but he would definitely not stop her.
He had spoken to Bhim Singh who had initiated a discrete enquiry into the shooting. He had a gut feeling it had to do something with the incident twelve years ago… but what? He had checked her family for alibis. They worked out fine. There was no news about any hit-man hired too. Who the hell shot her? They could have shot him instead… He rubbed his face again. He wanted to hold her in his arms to comfort her. He knew she was under tremendous duress…but the truth was he wanted a sense of calm for the raging storm in his heart. He needed her badly… but he had seen her face today morning. Something was different. She was looking at him accusingly… He was too upset when Romila Devi had called that morning. She had been spewing venom over the phone mainly at Preeti. He wasn’t able to rein in his temper. He was stuck…he couldn’t tell the lady anything.
He had never bothered what people thought about him…his business partners, workers… but Preeti’s opinion about him was his reason to live. It had been ever since he had seen adoration for him in her eyes all those years ago on her last day in the hospital. No one had loved him, adored him…accepted him for what he was. But she had. She had unknowingly started to heal him…his soul. He couldn’t bear it if she thought he was the villain…
He decided he would let her go. It was unbearably painful to even think of it but he would do it. She deserved happiness…she deserved a normal life… not a fucked up life partner….She had suffered for twelve long years. It was time she got a chance to move on…
Would he be able to stand her gone? With someone else? He clenched his fists. He had to release the excess energy…
He had hurt Preeti. The only one whom he had ever loved… he had broken her heart, had trampled over it… and today she was suffering because of a shot that was probably meant for him. He deserved to be punished. It was 2 AM. His mentor had said the best time for penitence was between 2AM to 3 AM when the world slept.
He went downstairs and towards the red room.
He closed the door as he entered his secret world. He took the clamps from the drawer and pinched his skin across his torso. He took out the arm binder and hung it to the hook on the ceiling. The other end of the rope went over a pulley and he held the button box attached to it. He bound his hand and legs together in the loops lying on the cot on his stomach. The clamps dug further into his skin making him clench his teeth. He pressed the button which tightened the rope and lifted him up on the bed. The skin on the torso stretched now and the pain doubled. He screamed as the pain radiated up his arms and legs…
After about ten minutes he released the button and landed with a thud on the bed which again pushed the clamps deeper. By now he was erect like a stone. He released the ropes and clamps. He lay on the bed holding his wood. His grip tightened as Preeti’s smiling face came before his closed eyes. His breathing was laboured as he increased the pace of his strokes… Soon his member twitched and a vision of Preeti shattering apart under him caused him to explode his juices all over his hand. He came harder screaming her name repeatedly till his throat went hoarse. He laid like that for a while a strange sense of calm descending over. Later he cleaned himself and replaced the things in their places. He wore his boxers and coat and walked out of the room the locks falling in place. He then emerged out of the entrance.
As he walked towards the stairs he saw a shadow… crouching along the drawing room. He didn’t need light to see who it was
“What are you doing here Preeti?” he asked softly
Preeti straightened suddenly and screamed. “Oh God…Gautam… you scared me…I…I heard someone…” She stared at his torso thorough his unbuttoned coat and continued. “…I.. um…I came to check here…um…What’s that?” She pointed to his body. She must have seen the marks. God… the woman had great night vision…
Did she hear him scream? Was he that loud?
“There is no one out here Preeti. Go back to sleep…”
“What are you doing here Gautam?” She asked inclining her head slightly.
He wanted nothing more than to kiss away that frown. “Go…go to sleep Preeti… you need the rest.” He said softly.
“Why Gautam? Why is my rest so important for you?” She asked with her good hand on her hips. Even in the dark he saw annoyance in her eyes.
“Preeti…please- go- to –your- room…”
“What if I don’t? What are you going to do then? Spank me now? Slap me? You know what…do what you want. I am not scared of you…never was…I got shot for God’s sake.”
He moved close to her… Some invisible string pulling him towards her for last twelve years… It was stronger today. He was almost touching her. She looked adorable in her makeshift robe that she had still worn. Her hair had escaped from her clutch which she must have hurriedly used. He raised his hand and pushed an unruly strand away and tucked it behind her ear. He saw her eyes shining. It killed him to see her so sad and upset. He wanted to tell her everything… every detail. But this was not the time…
“You are hurt sweetheart… to heal… you need the rest.”
“Is it to heal or is it the hurry for my signatures?” She asked him. He stiffened. Did she know anything?
“Preeti…. Please…” he barely heard his own voice.
“I want answers Gautam… Goddamn it…talk to me”
“Preeti…don’t…” he was losing it again.
“You don’t get it, do you?”
“For the last time… Preeti…just drop it…”
“Why did you marry me Gautam?” she suddenly asked touching his arm.
He jerked her hand away and turned around. He couldn’t face her. What if she refused to sign… then Romila Devi would… NO… he felt the walls closing on him…. He had no other option. He abruptly turned around and yelled. “JUST GET THE FUCK INTO YOUR ROOM. DON’T YOU UNDERSTAND SUCH A SIMPLE STATEMENT? WHY DO YOU HAVE TO BE SO STUBBORN? GO AND REST FOR YOUR OWN GODDAMN SAKE…” He turned and ran up the stairs to his room banging the door shut.
He slid down his back on the door. He crouched down on the cold floor and held his face in his palms. He convulsed as huge sobs rocked his body…he cried… for the first time in last 40 years he actually cried.
He cried for his pathetic inability to work things out, he cried for the normalcy that plagued him for ages and most of all for a chance with the woman whom he loved more than life, the woman whom he almost lost… and he just hurt her … again.
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