[krish_999]

Chapter - Eleven

Madhav was sitting on the large sofa, one leg crossed over the other, as if he had been there for a while. His posture was relaxed, almost too relaxed.

Anjali was too stunned to move, her heartbeat loud in her ears. She didn’t bother to look at Vikram's expression. Every mental muddle she had endured in the past hour was wiped out in an instant. She was completely blank. And she couldn’t read Madhav’s face. There was no anger. No shock. Nothing.

“Hello, son.” Madhav smiled at Vikram and gestured lightly toward the seat opposite him. “Come, sit down.”

Vikram obeyed. Anjali stood there for a moment longer before slowly walking in to lower herself onto the sofa to sit next to him. As she sat, she felt a shiver between her legs. She had to force herself not to think about what had happened minutes ago.
“When did you come, uncle?” Vikram asked. Anjali was surprised by the nonchalance in his voice. As if he were pleased to run into Madhav, regardless of the situation. She couldn't help but throw a glance at him.
“About fifteen minutes ago,” Madhav said calmly.

About fifteen minutes ago. Anjali recollected what she had been doing then. He must have heard her cry in pleasure. He must have known how she had surrendered to the pleasure Vikram provided. He must have realised how his daughter-in-law had welcomed another man to the very bed she once shared with his son, and how she had been made to forget all the claims of her supposed forever love for his family.
Anjali’s head was down. She couldn’t move her eyes beyond her feet.
“I’m glad you guys have forged a friendship. It’s good to see you together,” Madhav said.
“She had invited me for coffee. I was on a short visit,” Vikram said.

Then, as if continuing a conversation from earlier, Madhav asked, “So… how is your progress with the SELTO deal?”
Vikram blinked, caught off guard. “Sir?”
“The SELTO Pvt Ltd contract,” Madhav repeated calmly. “You were pursuing it, weren’t you?”
Anjali turned to look at Vikram. He straightened slightly before answering. “Yes, yes. It’s an infrastructure expansion project - a huge one. The talks are going on.”
“Deals like that don’t come often, son. You must show patience and put the right people in place to assist you in presenting your evaluation,” Madhav spoke slowly, as if thinking deeply.

Anjali was surprised to see him holding so much detail about Vikram’s business. She had never spent a moment thinking about it, despite having spent so much time with him. Maybe Dad had enquired about Vikram when he heard Vikram's proposal, and that could be one reason he was endorsing her father’s view. Anjali somehow felt lighter.
Vikram leaned forward. “We’ve already cleared the initial round. If this goes through, it could change the scale of our company entirely.”
“I’ve heard there are some competitors.”
“A few strong ones,” Vikram replied. “But we have an edge. Our proposal is more aggressive. I’m not the kind of guy who lets go easily.”

As their conversation went on, Anjali’s heartbeat almost returned to normal, even though she was waiting for a shift in Madhav’s composure. She was waiting for something that would acknowledge what had happened in the room behind them. But it never came.
As if nothing had happened.
Perhaps whatever had happened was expected. Perhaps Dad was expecting it. Anjali’s thoughts kept circling it.

Eventually, the conversation ended, and Vikram got up to leave. He turned to Anjali briefly and said, “I’ll call you, Anjali.” His voice was soft.
She remembered the grunt and the grin as he was thrusting his dick into her, half an hour ago. “You little bitch…” she remembered his words.
She couldn’t tell which one she should believe - the soft one that promised care or the one determined to possess her.

Anjali just nodded, unsure how she would sound if she said something.
Vikram walked out, and neither Anjali nor Madhav followed him to the portico.

Anjali sat there and waited for a response from Madhav.
“It’s alright, Anjali. I’m happy to see you moving on. I’m happy your father has found a man who is capable of helping you move on.” Madhav spoke after some time. Vikram's car had left the compound.
She looked at him, her gaze helpless. She wanted to cry. Perhaps Madhav sensed it; he immediately said, “Go to your room, Anjali. Gather yourself. And please teach yourself that you haven’t done anything wrong. It’s alright.”
Anjali couldn’t stop anymore. She ran to her room, fell onto her bed, pressed her face into the pillow, and cried. And she cried a lot. Only then did she realise how much she had wanted to cry.

When she finished and got up, she felt better.
After some time, Shalini arrived, and after that, everything felt normal to Anjali. She worked a little in the kitchen and in the garden. She watched the birds flying around the guava tree. She looked at the tree leaves and smiled at nothing.
She felt she had learnt to move on.
She had a long time of struggles, resistance, and inner fights. But suddenly, it took just one day, one evening, one calm gesture of silence to make her move on.
She thought about the way Madhav had handled the situation. He had changed the subject, not a hint about how he had to face the reality of his daughter-in-law having sex with someone in her room. He had not only helped Anjali feel lighter about the embarrassing situation but also conveyed that he was at peace with it. And his calm response had set her free.

Vikram called her the next day and then the days that followed. But never talked about that day. It felt like he hadn't felt any sort of embarrassment in that incident. Instead, he spoke about his work - mostly about the SELTO deal.
“It’s a big one, Anjali,” he had said over a call. “If this goes through, everything changes.”
He spoke about pressure, competition, and possibilities. Anjali found herself listening more than she expected. Talking about his business made them talk more, and it became a subject she felt comfortable talking to him about. For her, it was a way to know him. He was very passionate about his business. One day, she even sensed the frustration in his voice. She asked if there was anything to worry about his deal.
"Delays irritate me, Anjali. I prefer permanent solutions." He said.
"Don't worry, Vicky. You will find success. I know it."
She felt happy for being able to genuinely encourage him.
A week later, Vikram suggested a short trip together. Anjali didn't respond immediately. She wasn't sure. Her own plan to go on a solo trip was still pending.
"I have a resort in my mind," Vikram said. "You will love it."
Anjali was still not in favour of it. But when she told Madhav about it, he didn't hesitate. "You should go, Anjali. Take a break."
Anjali stared at him in disbelief. There was genuine encouragement only. That acceptance eased something inside her. It felt as if she was being allowed to move forward, without being stopped, without being questioned.
That night when she went to sleep, she felt lighter. She felt she no longer needed to plan a solo trip. She was already free.

Vikram chose the next weekend. He drove in a car himself and picked up Anjali from her house. Madhav stood at the portico, waving his hands at them.
The resort was nearly twenty kilometres from the outskirts. Anjali knew what would happen once they reached there. Even the distant thought of the night was making her feel warm. She asked Vikram what made him choose a resort far away from their city.
"I had made up my mind long ago. I am not the person who forgets my dreams." He said with a smile.
Anjali smiled back.
At the midway, Vikram pulled over near a small roadside café. The cafe was on the first floor, with no proper parking. He left the car by the roadside and stepped out with Anjali.
Just as they began to walk up the stairs, the shopkeeper on the ground floor shouted, "Hello, you can't park over there, in front of this shop."
Vikram looked at him. “Is this your road?”
The man scoffed. “No. Is it yours?”
Vikram gave a faint smile. “The part under my car is. I’ve paid tax for it. I’m not blocking anyone.”
They went upstairs anyway.

For a while, things felt normal. They ordered coffee and sat by the window. But midway through, two men walked in. They looked like bouncers - broad and imposing body language. They came straight to Vikram.
“Come down and move your car,” one of them said, his tone rough.
"What the hell!" Anjali thought and sat in horror, praying it didn't escalate.
But Vikram didn’t argue this time. He glanced at them, then at Anjali, and stood up. "Come on, baby. Let's go."
Without a word further, he grabbed her hand and walked out of the cafe.

As their car left the place, Anjali noticed one of the men getting into a black Fortuner and moving it right into the spot Vikram had used. She even saw a victorious grin on the other man's face.
Vikram kept himself busy behind the wheel in silence. However, he slowed down the car after a few minutes.
Anjali looked at him. “What happened?”
He kept his eyes on the road as he took a U-turn. “I lost the mood. Let’s do this another day.”
Anjali understood. She moved and gently touched his arm. He didn't react.
Even when they arrived at her house, Vikram said just a simple 'see you' and drove away. Anjali felt bad, but she could do nothing.

Madhav was perplexed to see her return. "What happened? You okay?"
Anjali told him about the incident.
“He did the right thing,” Madhav said when he learned what had happened. “There’s no point in confronting men like that. Not when it risks your safety as well as his.”
Anjali looked at him and smiled. She was glad to see Madhav supporting Vikram's action.

The next few days, Vikram was totally busy with his business. On the sixth day, one evening, he called.
“It’s done,” he said, his voice filled with excitement. “The SELTO deal. Just a formality now. Monday, it’ll be inked.”
Anjali was genuinely happy. “What next?” she asked.
“I can't wait to celebrate, my girl,” he said. “Come to me.” He paused, then added softly, “I think you are the most suitable person to celebrate with. Are you home tonight?"
Anjali was amused. "Looks like you picked the right day to close your deal..."
"Why?"
“Because..." Anjali spoke slowly, careful not to sound like she was overly excited. "Dad is leaving for Lonavala. He has a meeting with the founder of a client firm."
There was a pause from the other end. Then he asked, "When?"
"He's getting ready to go... and I will be alone here, for the whole night.”
She couldn't believe she was talking like that.
“No," Vikram replied. "I'd rather take you to a resort as we planned earlier.”
"Oh, a resort," Anjali laughed. "You are still onto it."
“Yeah. Once I set my eyes on something,” he continued, “it has to come to me, honey.”
She could imagine the thrilled expression on his face. “Then you’ll have to come and pick me up.”
“I’m already on my way,” he said. “Get into your sexiest outfit.”

Anjali told Madhav about Vikram's plan. He was getting ready to leave for Lonavala.
"Enjoy your pre-wedding honeymoon, dear." He said.
"To be honest, you are a strange father-in-law. But you are a blessing for me." Anjali said.
Madhav looked at her. "Yeah, I know. If you think I'm too weird, start calling me by my name. I wouldn't mind it." He quipped. Anjlai laughed and hugged him. He kissed her forehead. "Go, live your life again, kid." He whispered.
Vikram arrived exactly an hour later.
Anjali had got ready by then. She wore a sleeveless ivory dress that shimmered gently in the light, the long skirt flowing gracefully with delicate patterns woven into it. She came out to the sit out to receive Vikram, and he gestured a 'wow' at her look. Anjali smiled.
Madhav greeted Vikram and offered a coffee, but he refused. "Need to hurry, uncle. We're running late."
"That will help me too," Madhav said. "Because I'm running even later."

As Madhav walked toward his white sedan, Vikram stepped out and raised his phone. “Stand there, Uncle… yeah, perfect.” Vikram smiled and casually clicked a photo.
“You look great, Madhav,” he said. “Good luck with your high-level meeting today.”
Madhav acknowledged him and got into his car.
Anjali watched him drive and disappear from her eyesight before turning into Vikram.
"Let's go?" He suggested and pulled her closer. Anjali laughed.

Though Vikram had told her that he wanted to take her to a resort, Anjali didn't think he meant the same resort they had planned earlier. She realised it only when she saw they were heading the same route.
Not only that, he slowed down near the same café on the way and parked the car in the exact spot he had been questioned about the last time. Anjali felt a flicker of unease. She glanced toward the ground-floor shop, expecting the same confrontation. But nothing happened. The shopkeeper looked at them and said nothing.
Vikram led her to the top cafe and ordered coffee.
Anjali looked at him. He was smiling, but there was something in his eyes she couldn’t quite grasp.
“How are you so calm?” she asked after a while. “I’m still a little tense.”
Vikram shrugged lightly. “He didn’t ask me to move the car this time. So there’s no problem.”
Anjali smiled, watching him. And she reached across the table to place her palm on his. “You’re sweet, Vicky,” she said softly.

When they reached the resort, Anjali knew it was only a matter of time before things unfolded the way she expected.
However, she had to pause once inside the room, taking in the sight before her. The suite was softly lit, the large bed decorated with scattered rose petals, and silver balloons resting around it, giving the whole space the unmistakable feel of a honeymoon suite. She couldn’t help shaking her head slightly at Vikram’s audacity.
"Did you ask for it?" She wondered.
"What do you think?" He replied. He moved in front of her, hiding his hand behind him. Then, looking into her eyes, he brought it forward to give her a small bouquet of pink flowers. Anjali blossomed into a shy smile. "Oh, my God! When did you do all this?"
"Just ticking all the boxes I had dreamt of, long ago, my love!" He said and slowly took her into his arms. Anjali allowed her to be drawn and welcomed his kiss with her soft lips. His arms tenderly roamed behind her lower hip, and he enjoyed sucking her lips slowly. Anjali felt her body turning warmer.
When their lips parted, he smiled at her, "I waited too long for you, Anjali."
A warm smile spread across Anjali's face, too. The mood of the room, the flowers in her hand, and his playfulness had made her heart feel lighter than she wanted to admit. For a moment, she simply stood there, amused, surprised, and quietly happy.

The sky had turned black already. Vikram suggested they have an early dinner. Anjlai agreed. She felt a sense of relief brushing her, knowing that she was given a little more time before a storm hit her. She knew what awaited her once she got into that queen-size bed. But the sense of relief was just pretentious. Even as Vikram took her to the dining area and they had a light dinner filled with jokes and banter, her mind kept drifting back into the scene she saw inside the suite when she entered there. The large bed, decorated with scattered rose petals. She kept smiling at herself shyly when she realised she was feeling like a teenager. She even felt like she had been intoxicated or changed character.
After dinner, she obediently walked behind Vikram to the suite. And what followed there was something that blurred the line between desire and surrender.
Vikram laid her diagonally at the centre of the bed and got on top of her. He started with a kiss that was distinctly far from the tender kiss they had earlier. He sucked her lips like a possessed man.
"Are you mine, finally, baby?" he asked when he took a pause.
Anjali gasped. "Yes."
He put his tongue out and gave a long lick from the chin to the forehead. Anjali giggled sheepishly.
"You know what's coming?" Vikram asked again, and Anjali knew what he meant. She nodded twice.
"Good," Vikram said and started pulling up her dress. Anjali helped him, and she was completely naked in a matter of a minute. Vikram's mouth was quick to travel through the softness of her breasts and crossed the delicateness of her navel to arrive between her legs. Anjali saw how his eyes shone at the sight of her pussy, and she eagerly waited for two seconds before his mouth was lowered into it. A gasp escaped her throat.
"Mmm.... you taste wow!" Vikram quipped soon after. Anjlai giggled.
As he started licking her, Anjali found it hard to stay in the present. She was elevated, and her moans filled the room. After some time, Vikram boldly shed all his clothes to present her the complete view of her muscular body. As he pulled down his underwear, Anjali noticed how his dick stood almost parallel to the bed; fully erect and charged. Its head was shining with precum.
"You ready for the boy, Anjali?" Vikram asked as he knelt between her open legs.
Anjali bit her lips. She watched on as Vikram got into position and slowly placed his dick at the entrance of her pussy, and watched it getting pushed into her. She watched a satisfying grin on his face.
Suddenly, he looked up to meet her eyes. "The moment my cock goes inside you, you become my personal property. My bitch! Right?"
Anjali's mouth was open, still getting through the sensation of being stretched by his length.
"Tell me, bitch." He asked.
"Yes!" Anjali gasped.
"Good!" Vikram said and held her legs up to his shoulder. After a moment, he started fucking her. The full stretch in and full stretch out. Anjali felt he was enjoying each fraction of how his dick was moving inside her. As if he didn't want to miss even a small spot.
"You are such a tight pussy. I am happy that I got it back in nice shape." He quipped. Anjali was embarrassed by the derogatory remark, but she had no choice but to be offended by it.
Vikram's pace quickly rose, and he dropped her legs onto the bed to get on top of her, and fucked harder and faster. The soft mattress shook in a way that made Anjali feel like riding a wave, except that it kept lifting her higher with each blow. She moaned louder with each passing moment. And she felt like she was coming close to an orgasm. But then, Vikram suddenly pulled out and went down to start eating her wet pussy madly.
"Oh, my God! Vicky... aaah!" Anjali cried. The anticipation of the orgasmic pleasure was unbearable.
After quickly licking her dry once, Vikram ecstatically got up on his knees. "Come on, honey. Show some love here." He rolled his palm around his length, inviting her. Anjali obeyed and shifted in bed to bring her mouth to it.
"Yes....like that... take it all in...!" Vikram exhaled as he slowly pushed his dick into her mouth, all the way down to her throat. "You don't have to suck me tonight, you know?" he placed his right hand behind her ear and then went on, "because I'm going to fuck your mouth myself." He said and moved his hip back and forth. Anjali found his grip behind her head getting stronger. She let go and allowed him to continue. Though slowly, but in no time, Vikram was holding her head with both his hands and fucking her mouth in a smooth rhythm.
"Oh, this is the real pleasure, my bitch. And it elevates the pleasure when I know that he hasn't done this to you."
Anjlai was aghast at his sudden remark about Vinayak. But then she suddenly wondered if it was about Madhav. She felt ashamed of being confused.
"Are you thinking of Vinayak or Madhav?" Vikram asked, as if he read her mind. Anjali was stunned. She looked up and saw the grin on his face. "Do you feel remorse for betraying Vinayak?" He continued, taking pleasure in her shocked look. Vikram stopped and pulled out, freeing her mouth to get a reply. Anjali took a long breath and wiped her lips, but couldn't speak a word.
"Don't be shy, Anjali. Tell me, you were mourning his death, and then you slept with his father. Do you feel remorse?" Vikram patted her cheek. The pat was gentle, yet it reminded her of the slap he had given her the other day. Her memory reminded her that she was yet again in an equally vulnerable pose to get another slap.
"Yes." Anjali shook her head, her voice barely audible.
"I love the honesty," Vikram smiled, and then placed his palm across her chin. "Do you think you deserve to be punished, baby?" The gentle touch of his palm on her chin sent shivers across Anjali's body. Yet she didn't know how to deny it.
"Yes."
Vikram readily pulled his palm back a few inches and then slapped her. It wasn't hard, but Anjali blinked. Then another, equally gentle, yet equally taunting.
"You fucked his father-in-law. It should be harder, shouldn't it?" Vikram asked again.
Anjali took a deep breath to prepare herself for it and then nodded. The next moment, her face was tilted to the side as his palm landed harder on her cheek. "Ouch!" It hurted. But before she could recover, another slap! "Say yes again, bitch. Ask me to slap again." She heard Vikram's voice. Her vision was a blur.
"Yes. Slap me again, Vicky."
A few more slaps followed, each one harder than the previous one, until it started to physically ache. But she strangely felt them to be mentally soothing. Even during the chaos, she felt she deserved to be punished.
At one moment, he grabbed her face with his left palm under her chin.
"Once you're done being punished, you are free, and you become a girl. Until then, you are my bitch. Do you want me to be your master?"
"Yes," came her helpless reply.
"Good," he said, and then shoved his dick back into her mouth. He used her head like a toy and fucked her mouth properly. He pulled out a couple of times to slap her face with his dick, and then to make her lick his balls.
"Lick it bitch, lick my balls. Please me." He exhaled in ecstasy. Anjali had lost her mind, and she had stopped wondering where this was taking her. After a furious session of her mouth fucking, he finally pushed her back onto the bed and put his arm around her waist to make her stand on all fours. Then he swiftly got into position behind her and glided his dick into her pussy. Anjali felt him straight, hitting a soothing spot, and all the struggle she had been living for the past fifteen minutes erased with it.
"Aaah... Vicky...." She couldn't help but moan with pleasure and relief.
"Haah, bitch!" Vikram slapped her ass. Louder and harder than all the previous slaps on her face. Anjali almost screamed. "You love my dick moving in like this, haah?" He slapped again and kept thrusting it forward. Anjali didn't reply; she just surrendered.
Then he pulled out.
"Come on, I need to see your face when I fuck you," Vikram said and got out of bed, dragging her along, to the dressing table next to the bed. He pushed her onto it, making her face the large mirror.
"Yes. Now look at me, when I fuck you bitch." He said and shoved his dick back into her, and soon started fucking her in the standing position. Anjali's breasts got pressed against the table, and she had to grab onto the right side edge of the table to stay steady. As her body moved back and forth with his thrusts, Anjali found her legs becoming weaker. The mirror in front of her reflected a version of her she barely recognised - flushed, breathless, caught between resistance and surrender.
Vikram held her by the lower back and started fucking her harder. The whole suite echoed their movements.
“Vicky… slow down,” Anjali pleaded, her voice uneven. “Someone might hear…”
He leaned closer, his voice low but firm.
“You need to understand something, bitch," he said with his hands firm around her hip. “You’re mine.”
And he pushed hard again.

His phone lit up on the table in front of her, somehow grabbing her attention for a fraction of a second despite all the chaos. The screen flashed a single word: “Done.”
Vikram paused for a moment to reach forward. He grabbed the phone and looked at it. Something in his expression shifted—sharp, satisfied, Anjali saw.
“Yeah,” he muttered under his breath.
He tossed the phone onto the bed carelessly, as if whatever it confirmed only fueled him further. Anjali knew what it was about. It was what made him start this celebration.

What followed was less about control and more about urgency. His movements hit the peak and stayed steady, and his body kept ramming into Anjali's ass loudly. Anjali felt herself slipping again; her resistance vanished forever. Despite all the struggles and receiving it in an awkward pose, she felt the orgasmic waves pulling her into their ride. She screamed aloud and let herself drift along with it. She literally cried with pleasure. A moment later, she heard a huge groan from Vikram as he shot his load inside her. She could barely look up to catch a glimpse of his face, satisfied, and carrying a sense of victory.
As he pulled out, Anjali didn't have the strength to drag her to the washroom. She just leaned toward the bed and collapsed into it, soon drifting into sleep.

In the morning, she woke up with a bad dream. In the dream, she saw a white sedan being pulled up by a crane from under the steep slope of a cliff, the car's body twisted and scbangd against the rocks. A woman was standing by the road, explaining how the accident might have happened. As the car was pulled up by the crane with a taut steel cable, Anjali saw Madhav's lifeless body inside it.
She screamed and woke up with a jolt.
The TV was on, and an accident report was running live on the screen. To her relief, it wasn’t a white sedan; it was a black SUV. Vikram wasn’t in the room, probably in the washroom.

Anjali grabbed her phone and called Madhav, who greeted her with a pleasant good morning. He had cancelled his trip to Lonavala and returned home. He had to schedule another meeting in Pune on Sunday.
As the phone call ended, she heard a message notification from the bed. It was Vikram’s phone. She picked it up and saw the fresh message displayed on the screen: “It wasn’t him.” She felt curious to read his chats, though she didn't have the password to unlock his phone. It felt like a lot of stuff was going on in Vikram's life. At a young age, he lived a busier life than Madhav.

She had just read the flashed message when the bathroom door opened. Vikram walked in, completely naked. Anjali shyly looked away.
“Oh, such a shy soul,” Vikram teased, and asked her to go freshen up. She got up and realised she was equally naked. But Vikram insisted that she stay that way.
She went to the washroom and freshened up. She returned with a towel wrapped around her, but Vikram quickly pulled her onto the bed and removed the towel. He was in the mood again.
Anjali was slightly perplexed. "Vicky, don't do it like last night." She said, touching her cheek. "It's still hurting."
"But you said you need to be punished." He said.
"Yeah... I don't know. I was going with the flow."
"Me too," Vikram said and kissed her. She could sense the aggressiveness right from the start. The way he crushed her breasts with his hand made Anjali flinch. At his first hint to go down on him, Anjali obeyed. He leaned back onto the raised pillows with his legs parted wide, as Anjali got busy pleasing him with her tongue and mouth.
"You know you shouldn't have let that bastard touch you." He said suddenly, choking Anjali with his words. "You shouldn't have. You were mine. Forever."
"Don't talk about him like that, Vicky." She warned.
"I'm hurt by what happened, Anjali," Vickey said like a confession. "You know, I have never stopped loving you. Despite you falling in love with Vinayak, marrying him, and moving abroad with him. I have never stopped loving you. What I believe is, Vinayak's death wasn't the biggest accident in your life; it was letting his father fuck you."
Anjali was at a loss for words.
"Did he come to your room or did you go to his room?" He asked.
Anjali hesitated, but she quickly changed her mind as Vikram softly caressed her cheek. "I went to his room." She said, and then felt the urge to explain more. "I mean, I had gone to see if he had slept. It was in earlier days, when the grief was at its peak. But he had not slept and was crying. So I sat with him, and... I don't know." She could not face Vikram's eyes.
"Don't be ashamed of telling me, Anjali. You took the punishment. It's over. The way you let me slap you is erasing my pain. It should help you, too." He patted softly on her cheek. Anjali didn't know what was coming.
"I sometimes feel jealous. It's justified to feel so, isn't it?"
"I am sorry, Vicky," Anjali said softly.
"That day when we walked out of the face to face him sitting in the hall, I felt great. It was like claiming what was deservingly mine."
Vikram said with a smile, and Anjali forced a smile.
Vikram grabbed his phone and opened a photo. He then set the phone upright on the wall, and Anjali saw it was the photo of Madhav standing near his car on the previous day. "I would love to have him watch me take you," Vikram said.
Anjali didn't object, despite tears almost gathering in her eyes. But it soon vanished as he spread her legs and entered her for another session of dominant fucking. "Let him watch how his daughter-in-law loves my cock!" Vikram kept ranting as he pushed deeper into her.
In the end, she lay on the bed like a piece of rag, completely demolished. The mixture of their live cums kept oozing out of her pussy.

They left the resort after having brunch. Anjali slept through the ride back home. As the car approached the road near her residence, she got up and looked at her cheeks, which still bore the marks of Vikram's fingers. What disturbed her more was the redness in her eyes.
“Don’t think too much about it, Anjali. We haven’t done anything we shouldn’t have. I know you loved it. I know you loved my way. Because it’s the purest form of expression.”
Vikram said.
Anjali was more worried about how Madhav would react when he saw her face. But fortunately, he wasn’t home. She called him a little while after Vikram left.
"Have you reached, Anjlai?" Madhav's voice was not easy.
"Just reached. Vikram left." Anjali said. "Are you at the meeting?"
"No, dear. There is bad news. You know, yesterday I cancelled my trip and stayed back here, and sent Vedant to meet the client in Lonavala. And his car was involved in an accident on the way to Lonavala. Unfortunately, he couldn't survive."

Anjali was shocked. The first thing that came to her mind was the bad dream she had had in the morning. A white sedan. It was true. She felt her head spinning and losing her grasp on herself, confused between reality and dream.

A little later, she received a clip from Madhav. She saw his white sedan, destroyed. It was not like what she had seen in the dream. But then she remembered the TV news. A black SUV was being pulled with the help of a crane. Her mind drifted back a little more, and she felt like she had seen that black SUV in real life.
The phone beeped. “I don’t know whether I should call myself lucky or not. I loved that boy.” Madhav's message read.

Anjali cried without fully understanding why. Her mind was caught in a storm, one that seemed to rise from within. She had all the information she needed, yet she couldn’t process any of it. It was as if she were merely a toy in the hands of fate.

However, as her sobs subsided and her breathing steadied, she slowly began to regain control over herself and her thoughts. And then she realised - it wasn’t fate that was toying with her. 
It was a person.

Madhav returned home late that night. Anjali had been waiting. The moment she saw him, she ran to him and grabbed him.

“Dad… Vinayak’s death wasn’t an accident. He was murdered. He was murdered by… Vikram.”

 

[krish_999]

Chapter - Twelve

Madhav just stood there, stunned by Anjali's claim. Anjali knew he was wondering if she was out of his mind.
But she didn't mind. She was even more stunned by the truth, which she had found enough reasons to believe so strongly that it would take a lot more reasoning to convince her otherwise.
“What… what are you even saying, Anjali?” Madhav asked slowly, still staring at her.

Anjali took a slow breath, steadying herself before she began. “Dad, I need you to listen to me fully before you decide anything,” she said, trying to sound calm. “I’m not saying this without reason.” She held his gaze, and he didn’t look away. “Yesterday evening, when you were leaving for Lonavala, Vikram took your photo with the car.” She paused and then asked quietly, “Has he ever taken your photo before?”
Madhav thought about it.
“No,” she went on. “He hasn’t.”
She paused for a brief moment, letting it sink in.
“I can tell you why he took it yesterday,” she continued. “It wasn’t random. It was to send it to someone… to arrange your accident.”
The wrinkles on Madhav’s forehead deepened.
“You were the target, Dad,” she said, her words in a hurry. "But his plan didn’t work. You cancelled the trip… and he didn’t know that.” She waited a moment to see if Madhav was shaking his head.
“Vedant went instead,” she added quietly. “Same car. Same route.”
Her eyes didn’t leave his.
“And he became the unfortunate victim.”
However, Madhav still wasn't ready to buy it completely.
“Anjali, your theory could be wrong,” he said. “Just because he clicked a photo, you’re concluding all this? That he sent it to someone, that he planned an accident?”
He shook his head, clearly unconvinced.
“That doesn’t prove anything,” he added. “You’re connecting things that may not even be related.”
He paused, then looked straight at her.
“And Vinayak?” he asked. “Why are you dragging that into this now?”
His voice grew firmer.
“That was an accident, too. Or are you saying Vikram killed him as well… just like that?”
“No,” Anjali said, cutting him off before he could go any further. “I’m not saying it just like that.”
She took a breath before she continued. “This is not coming from nowhere, Dad. It’s from what I understood about him…last night when I was with him.”
He looked at her, confused but listening. Anjali sat down on the sofa. Madhav sat with her.
“Do you remember the last time I went to the resort with Vikram?” she asked, turning half right to face him. “On the way… that shopowner, and especially his friends… the way they behaved?”
Madhav’s expression showed that he remembered.
“After that, Vikram cancelled the trip,” she continued. “We came back. He was in a bad mood.”
Madhav shook his head this time. Anjali went on. “We thought he was being wise… not to pick a fight with those men.”
Madhav shook his head again.
“But he didn’t avoid it because he was wise,” Anjali added quietly. “He avoided it because he had other plans. Yesterday, when we went again, Vikram parked at the exact same spot.”
Her eyes were fixed on him now. “And that shop guy… didn’t say a single word.”
Silence remained as Madhav's response.
“Because Vikram already knew he wouldn’t."

"This morning,” Anjali continued, her voice quieter now, “I saw something on the news.”
Madhav watched her, still saying nothing.
“A black Fortuner… being pulled out from a fall. Two men had died. I didn’t think much of it at first. But then I checked… searched for the news again. Articles, clips… They were the same men, Dad,” she said, looking straight at him. “The ones who misbehaved with Vikram last week.”
Madhav’s face tightened.
“That wasn’t just an accident,” she added. “They were killed.”
She didn’t rush the next part.
“It happened on Friday night. The car was found on Sunday morning. And yesterday… the way Vikram parked right in front of that same café…” she said slowly. “The confidence he had… He knew they wouldn’t be there to confront him this time. Only he knew that.”
She held his gaze. “Because he had them killed, Dad,” she said. “He has someone who kills for him.”
Madhav listened carefully this time, his expression no longer dismissive.

Anjali picked up her phone and moved closer to him.
“Look at this,” she said, opening the news clips.
He leaned in, watching the footage of a black Fortuner being pulled out of the valley. She swiped again and showed him the photos of the two men reported dead.
“These are the same men,” she said. “The ones who rudely asked him to move his car that day… right in front of their shop.”
Madhav kept looking at the screen for a few seconds longer before straightening up.
A brief silence followed.
“Okay…” he said slowly. “What you’re saying… it makes sense.”
He glanced at her again.
“But even then,” he added, his tone still cautious, “how does this connect to Vinayak’s death?”
Anjali shook her head slightly.
“My deduction is not just from this,” she said. “It’s from understanding him… and then connecting the dots with what we have.”
Madhav stayed quiet.
“Vikram is not normal, Madhav,” she continued. “He’s the kind of man who will go to any extent to get what he wants.”
She held his gaze.
“Those two men confronted him. Insulted him. And what did he want after that?” she asked. “Not just revenge… he wanted to come back, park at the exact same spot, and look that shop guy in the eye while doing it.”
A pause.
“He planned their elimination,” she said flatly. “Who does that?”
Her voice sharpened slightly.
“Who, with a sane mentality, takes that kind of risk?”
Madhav didn’t answer.
“I think only someone who has already done something like this before,” she went on. “Someone who has the arrangements… the people… everything in place.”
She let that sit for a moment.
“This,” she said, gesturing lightly toward the phone, “is one piece of evidence... that he could have planned Vinayak’s accident too… even if it happened in Dubai.”
Madhav exhaled slowly, his resistance easing.
“For a man like him…” he said, almost to himself, “…it’s not far-fetched.”
He fell silent after that, his expression turning thoughtful.

Anjali watched him, and for a brief moment, something else crossed her mind - something she had heard about him.
A story.
About how he had once sent his men all the way to Africa… to track down a man, beat him brutally, and force him to apologise to his wife - one of Madhav’s own staff - for physically assaulting her.
She felt Madhav was remembering that story. Or something similar he had done in the past. She didn’t ask, though.
Anjali drew in a slow breath, then looked at Madhav.
“Do you remember what Vikram told you the other day?” she asked. “‘I’m not the kind of guy who lets go easily.’”
Madhav nodded, faintly.
“He told me something too,” she went on, “that delays irritate him. He said he prefers permanent solutions. And he has said this more than once… that he’s not the kind of person who forgets his dreams.”
Her eyes stayed fixed on Madhav.
“You know what his biggest dream was?” she asked quietly. “Me! From the day he proposed to me… the day I refused him… and the day I chose Vinayak over him… I became his biggest dream.”
Madhav looked on, silently.
“I have seen the kind of change he has gone through,” Anjali continued. “It tells me how determined he is to chase what he wants. He’s not just determined, Dad. He’s cunning. Calculative. He plans… and he executes.”
She took a moment of pause before she went on.
“He can spill blood for that. From the very beginning, he believed I belonged to him. And I can see it now… he must have thought Vinayak stole me from him. Even yesterday, he told me… ‘Once I set my eyes on something, it has to come to me.’”
Anjali hesitated for a moment before continuing, her voice losing some of its firmness.
“At the resort…” she said slowly, “he had already arranged a honeymoon suite.”
Madhav’s expression tightened, but he stayed silent.
“He told me he was ticking off things he had dreamt of… long ago,” Anjali went on. “You know we weren’t together for the first time, but this… taking me there, celebrating it like that… it felt like a box he had always wanted to tick.”
She paused briefly.
“He said he had waited long for me,” she added. “And that it hurt him… that he had to wait because of Vinayak. In fact," she paused a bit, "he has brought it up many times. About how I used to make love to Vinayak.”
There was hesitation in her mind, but she knew she needed to share more. “Vikram is very aggressive… in bed,” she said, her voice lowering. “He likes the use of mouth…giving and receiving… you know…”
She trailed off, unable to complete the sentence, her eyes fixed on the floor, unsure how to face Madhav.
Anjali’s voice trembled slightly as she went on.
“He… he made me tell him things,” she said, still looking down. “About Vinayak… about how he was with me.”
Madhav’s jaw tightened, unable to say anything.
“He kept asking… what Vinayak liked, what he didn’t,” she continued. “And I told him… that Vinayak never preferred making me use my mouth to give pleasure.”
Her voice broke at that point.
“Vinayak was like a lover to me, Dad…” she said, her eyes filling up. “The care… the affection… he never hurt me.”
A tear slipped down her cheek as she remembered.
"Did Vikram hurt you?" Madhav asked, his voice unexpectedly firm.
Anjali quickly wiped her eyes, trying to steady herself.
“Vikram…” she continued after a pause, her tone hardening, “…he’s not like Vinayak, Dad.”
Madhav watched her closely.
“He used me like an object,” she said. “Using my body… my body parts… and all the while, he kept making those comments… about how I chose Vinayak over him. I don’t know why I have let him dominate me like that… perhaps…” Anjali stopped, hesitating to continue.
Madhav noticed it. “What is it?” he asked, his voice tense.
She hesitated… then made up her mind.
“There’s something else,” she said quietly.
He watched her closely.
“Vikram… somehow knows,” she said. “About us.”
Madhav’s face went blank.
“…What?” he asked, almost in disbelief. “What are you saying, Anjali? I mean, how?”
Anjali shook her head. “I don’t know. I tried to find out. I kept asking him… but he never gave me a clear answer.”
She paused.
“He kept me confused… curious,” she added. “And in that state… he got closer to me. He used that shock… to break my resistance.”
Madhav leaned back slightly, unable to process it.
“This is not possible,” he muttered. “He must have done something. Bugged the house… or our phones…”

Anjali didn’t respond immediately.
That silence made him look at her again.
“What?” he asked. “What is it?”
She hesitated once more… then spoke.
“My Daddy knows too.”
Madhav froze again. Anjali didn't look at his face, knowing it would be too much for him. There was no need to read his facial expression. Anjali didn't have the heart.
“Manohar… knows?” Madhav asked, as if to confirm she had said what he heard.
Anjali nodded faintly.
“He was at home that night, Dad,” she said. “The first time when we…” She struggled for words to continue. “The next day, he confronted me,” she said. “He had seen me… walking out of your room… around midnight.”
A heavy pause.
“He had come out to get water from the dining hall,” she added quietly. “He confronted me the next morning. I told him it just happened accidentally, the truth as it is. I made him believe it wasn’t meant to be repeated. He tried to force me to leave you, this house, and return home. But I was adamant about staying back. I threatened him that I would end my life, but since then, he has been trying to make me move on from you. That’s how he found Vikram for me. Whenever I tried to refuse him, Daddy put pressure on me to go easy on Vikram by blackmailing me, saying he would destroy your image and reputation. I had to obey.” Anjali’s eyes were down, filled with tears, and she relived the mental agony she had buried.
“Why didn’t you tell me, dear?” Madhav asked helplessly. “I could have found a way to help you. It was my responsibility. It was my doing.”
“I didn’t want to hurt you anymore, Dad. You were all I had left to hold myself onto, to find peace. Even in my own home, my Daddy weren’t giving me that.”
“Manohar! How could I understand him!” Madhav pressed his face into his palms and shook his head. “Oh my God…” he muttered. “And he told Vikram? How can he do that?”
Anjali shook her head immediately.
“No… I don’t think so,” she said. “I don’t think Daddy would tell him directly.”
Madhav looked confused.
“But…” Anjali added, uncertainty creeping into her voice, “It is possible the information leaked from him somehow.”
“How?” Madhav asked.
Anjali thought for a moment.
“He used to write a diary,” she said slowly. “Regularly. I’m not sure… but maybe Vikram got access to it… or something like that. It's just a guess because I have no idea. I don't even know if Daddy would write such stuff in his diary.”
Anjali looked at him, her voice steadier now, as if she had already crossed the hardest part.
“He doesn’t know everything,” she said. “He believes it happened only once. That itself tells me… he hasn’t bugged the house. I told him it was accidental… that it happened just once. And I think he believed it.”
“That also explains the truth must have reached him through Manohar only. Because Vikram also has no clue about how many times we've done it.”
She paused a moment.
“But yesterday…” she continued, her voice becoming weaker, “he spoke about you too. In a very… degrading way. He was curious about things… about what I hadn’t done with you,” she said, choosing her words carefully. “And he seemed… eager to make it happen with him.”
She swallowed.
“He made me accept that what I did with you was wrong,” she went on. “That I betrayed Vinayak.”
Her voice dropped.
“He slapped me… called me a bitch… and made me accept it as punishment.”
Madhav didn’t move.
A world unknown to him was being revealed, and he was completely unprepared for it.
“I’m sure that was just the beginning,” she added quietly. “Next… he would have made me admit that I betrayed him too… by choosing Vinayak. He was brutal, Dad,” she said. “Not just physically… but in the way he controlled everything. Punishing me… using me… getting into my head.”
Anjali couldn't continue as her throat tightened. Her eyes lowered again. Madhav just waited.
“My guilt kept growing,” she said softly after a long pause. “And at one point… I stopped resisting it.”
Anjali broke down again.
Madhav immediately moved closer, putting an arm around her, pulling her gently towards him.
“Oh dear…” he said, his voice filled with guilt. “Why did you take all that? You should have told me… oh my God…”
He shook his head, overwhelmed.
“So much has happened to you because of me,” he added. “It’s my mistake.”

Anjali quickly stopped him.
“No, Dad,” she said firmly. “It’s not your mistake. It’s not mine either. It’s how Vikram manipulated me.” Madhav kept patting her arms, trying to soothe her.
A brief pause… then her tone changed.
“But his first mistake…” she said slowly, “…was when he pushed me over the dressing table. We were in a standing position,” she continued, keeping her voice controlled. “And that’s when I saw his phone.”
She looked up at him.
“A message flashed on the screen,” she said. “It said… ‘Done.’”
Madhav’s expression froze.
“From what I remember,” she went on, “the timing of that message… it matches the timing of Vedant’s accident. The accident first… the message next.”
She held his gaze.
“He stopped...I mean, whatever he was doing with me, for a second, and checked his phone, read it… and there was this look on his face,” she said quietly. “Satisfaction. I saw it through the mirror in front of me. His satisfaction was like, as if he had just executed something."
"At that time, I thought it was about some business deal,” she added further. “I didn’t think beyond that at that moment. But now… when I think about that smile… that victory on his face…”
She let the words land.
“He truly believed he had eliminated you.”

Madhav slowly got up, taking deep breaths, as if trying to steady himself.
Anjali’s eyes followed him.
He exhaled heavily and walked to the dining hall, picked up the water jug, and gulped down nearly half of it in one go.
“It’s too much…” he said, wiping his mouth when he returned. “I don’t know how I ended up so innocent.”
He let out a hollow breath.
“Feels like I’m not clever enough to survive in this world.”

Before Anjali could respond, there was a sound.
It was Shalini. She had come for the evening chores. She walked in through the front door and hesitated for a moment, as if afraid of interrupting their conversation.
Madhav immediately glanced at Anjali, then turned to her.
“We’re stepping out,” he said. “There’s a funeral we need to attend.”
Shalini nodded, then said, “I’ll just check the kitchen once… see if there are any dishes left.”
“No kitchen work today, Shalini,” Anjali said firmly. "You can leave now."
Shalini paused for a second, then nodded and left quietly.

Madhav came back and sat beside Anjali.
She looked at him for a moment and sensed it - he was ready to hear more.
She continued.
“In the morning today,” she said, “when I woke up, Vikram was in the washroom.”
Madhav listened quietly.
“That’s when I saw another message on his phone,” she went on. “‘It wasn’t him.’ That was the exact text of the message. That must have been them,” she said. “Telling him it wasn’t you who got killed… even though they carried out the accident at night.”
She took a small pause before she continued. "Remember,” she said, “he had sent them your car photo. Isn't there more reason to believe what I said earlier?” But she didn't wait for an answer. “Then Vikram returned from the washroom and hurried me to freshen up. When I came back from the washroom, he pulled me to the bed… and again, he was aggressive.”
Madhav remained still.
“By then, he must have learned that you had escaped his plan,” Anjali continued. "His aggressiveness was like that. He told me I shouldn’t have let you touch me… because I was his. Forever.” Her voice tightened slightly. “He spoke badly about you. I tried to stop him… but he said he was hurt.”
She looked down again.
“He said he had never stopped loving me… despite everything. Despite me choosing Vinayak, marrying him, moving abroad…”
A silence followed.
“And then he said something,” she added slowly. “He said Vinayak’s death wasn’t the biggest accident in my life…”
Madhav looked at her.
“It was letting you have sex with me.”
The words hung heavy.
Anjali let out a slow breath.
“I believe he said that because… Vinayak’s death wasn’t an accident,” she said. “It was his plan.”
A pause. “But me being with you… that was an accident. Because he didn’t see it coming.”
She looked at Madhav.
“Accidents are what come unexpectedly… right?”

Madhav could only shake his head this time, struggling to comprehend everything.
Anjali continued, her voice no longer hesitant - there was anger in it now.
“He kept asking me… how it happened,” she said. “How I ended up sleeping with you.”
Madhav’s jaw tightened.
“He said he was jealous,” she went on. “But at the same time, he said he felt great the other day… when he came out and faced you after having sex with me, in our house.”
There was no verbal response from Madhav.
“Not only that,” Anjali added, her eyes hardening, “he put your photo on his phone… and made me look at it while we were doing it.”
Madhav’s fists clenched.
“He said he would love it,” she continued, her voice steady despite the anger, “if you were there… watching him take me like that.”

That was enough.
Madhav’s teeth ground against each other, his face darkening.
“That bastard…” he said, his voice low but filled with rage. “He’s not going to survive my wrath.”
Anjali’s anger hadn’t settled. If anything, it had sharpened her clarity.
“I came back without even a fraction of doubt about him, Dad,” she said. “Not even a second thought.”
Madhav listened, unmoving.
“But when you told me Vedant had gone instead of you… and that he met with an accident…” she continued, her voice tightening, “…everything started clicking. Then I checked the news,” she added. “That black Fortuner… those two men... They were killed… just because they stood in his way. Because they denied something he thought was rightfully his.”
She looked straight at Madhav.
“With that mindset… you think he would spare you?” she asked. “No, Dad. He wouldn’t.” She shook her head sideways, and then added, “And he didn’t.”

Silence filled the room.
“The same logic applies to Dubai,” she said more quietly now. “Vinayak’s accident… it wasn’t...”
She stopped.
She didn’t need to finish it.
Madhav slowly nodded.
He understood.
A long pause passed before he finally spoke.
“If what you’re saying is true…” he said, his voice cold and measured, “…we don’t confront him.”
He looked at her.
“We end him.”

Anjali looked at him, her eyes shining with anger.
“But we can’t confront him blindly,” she said. “A man like him… doesn’t fall easily. He must be prepared for getting caught one day or the other.”
“I will end him as he ended my son,” Madhav replied, his voice firm, leaving no room for doubt.
Anjali didn’t react immediately.
“I don’t want to kill him first,” she said after a moment. “I want to break him first… his mind, his ego.”
Madhav looked at her closely.
“You’ve already done something most people couldn’t,” he said. “Figured him out.”
He paused.
“Yes, maybe he made mistakes. Maybe he got overconfident,” he added. “But it still takes a mind like yours to connect all of this.”
His voice softened slightly.
“Vinayak would have been proud of you.” His arms tightened around her as he spoke.

For a brief second, something flickered in Anjali’s eyes - but it vanished just as quickly.
“And I’m guessing…” Madhav continued, studying her, “…you’ve already thought about how to play this.”
She gave a faint nod.
“Vikram thinks he’s in control,” she said, her gaze steady. “I want him to keep thinking that.”
A slow breath escaped her.
“He thinks I’m still his…” she added. “And I want him to realise… that it’s his biggest mistake.”
The silence that followed wasn’t empty - it was charged. A plan was taking shape inside her head.

Little did she know what was awaiting her.

[krish_999]

Chapter - Thirteen

The rest of the night was heavy and gloomy.
Anjali cried a lot in silence, struggling to calm herself down. Her mind kept going back to the time she had received the news of Vinayak’s death. Those visuals were still sharp in her head. His body, and his mother’s, lying lifeless in blood-soaked clothes.
Two bodies so badly disfigured that they had to be stitched back together to resemble a human shape.
And everytime the thought that it hadn’t been an accident crossed her mind, Anjali cried again. Every bit of it had been planned - carried out by someone who believed that breaking her world was the way to win her over.
Anjali sat still, her thoughts eventually turning inward. She didn’t know if she was only a victim in all of this, or if a part of the blame somehow rested on her.
If she hadn’t refused Vikram when he proposed to her, none of it would have happened. Vinayak and his mother would still have been alive. The thought circled endlessly in her mind, each time tightening its grip as she cried and drifted through a maze of what-ifs.
But somewhere through the haze, a sense of clarity began to settle in.
It wasn’t her fault.
She had made her choice, and she had chosen Vinayak. Vikram should have accepted it. Instead, he had chosen to become something else entirely.
A murderer.

Anjali knew it would be nearly impossible to prove Vikram’s involvement in Vinayak’s murder in court and hold him legally accountable. The lack of evidence would ensure he would never face justice through the law.
She was left with a different, darker thought. The only way to bring justice to Vinayak was to punish Vikram herself. She wanted revenge, and she wanted it to hurt him as deeply as he had hurt her.
But she had no clear idea how to do it.

She believed Madhav was capable of carrying it out. The most effective way, she thought, would be to make it look like an accident
- just as Vikram had done. Yet the thought of what could follow unsettled her. If anything went wrong, it could lead to a security officer investigation, arrest, and even imprisonment for murder.

At dinner, Anjali tried to find what was on Madhav’s mind. He only looked at her, hesitant, as though he had already decided not to talk about it. She could sense it clearly - he was planning something, something he believed was justified.
Anjali cautioned him against rushing into anything that could put him in danger.
“I have only you now, Dad. I won’t survive without you,” she said, her voice unsteady.
Madhav gave a slight nod but said nothing. His silence carried more weight than words, and it was clear he still had no intention of opening up.

Just as dinner ended, Madhav’s phone rang. It was Vikram. He answered the call and put it on speaker.
Vikram had heard about the accident and he offered his condolences for the loss of his staff. As his voice filled the room, Anjali kept her eyes fixed on Madhav.
What unsettled her was not the call, but his reaction. There was no anger in his face, no trace of bitterness in his voice. He responded calmly, almost too calmly, as if everything was already under control.
Anjali felt a quiet unease. More than anything, she wished she knew what was going on in his mind.
During the conversation, when Madhav mentioned that Vedant had been driving his car at the time of accident, Vikram casually said, “He must not have been wearing a seat belt. Otherwise, he would have survived.”
Vikram went on to add that, despite the tragedy, he felt relieved that Madhav had cancelled his trip that day and had been spared from the accident.

Later that night, Anjali lay on her bed, sleepless.
She thought of how cruel Vikram was. She had never thought she would meet such a criminal in her life, let alone have to deal with him. Just because someone claimed a parking spot and spoke rudely, he killed two men. He wouldn’t have hesitated even for a second before planning to kill Vinayak.
Anjali remembered how offended Vikram must have felt when she rejected his proposal. Not only had she refused him, but she had also chosen someone else. She had mated with him and married him.
Anjali was sure Vikram would have imagined her making love with Vinayak in those days and would have planned to kill him one day. He would have decided all of this - killing Vinayak, befriending her father, proposing to her, and finally bringing her to his bed. Making her cry with pain and....
Anjali felt ashamed to acknowledge that she had enjoyed during some of those moments.
Pleasure. Then, he had her just as he must have imagined - slapping her, overpowering her, forcing himself on her, and eventually making her beg for it. Anjali thought of the moment when she voluntarily opened her mouth to suck him. The thought of him inside her mouth left a bitter taste, making her feel sick.
Her tears vanished, as if they had dried up at the source.
He should die.
Anjali kept promising herself all the night.
He would confess first, and then he would die.

The next day, Anjali took a ride to her home. She had phoned her father and told him that she needed to speak to him in private, and that it was urgent. Manohar was waiting for her.
She closed the door and confronted him straightaway in his bed room. Her mom was in kitchen.
“Vikram knows about it, Daddy,” Anjali said. “It’s not a wild guess that he deduced from my proximity with Madhav. And you know what? He knows only as much as you know. And you are the only person in this world who knew what happened between me and Madhav.”
“You’re taking his name, dear,” Manohar reminded, seeming amused by her language.
“That’s not what matters now,” Anjali snapped. She didn’t feel bothered about being audible from the other side of the closed door. “It’s time you admit the truth, Daddy.”
Left with no choice, Manohar admitted that it was he who had told Vikram about it.
“I was heartbroken, dear. When I came to know the truth, when I saw what was happening, I didn’t know what to do. I had no one to tell, no one to ask what I should do. How could I discuss the illicit affair that I had witnessed with my own eyes? I went to the bar that night and drank a lot - more than I usually do.
Vikram just happened to be there. No… he’s the only one these days who takes good care of me. Though I’m his father’s age, his father’s friend, he’s the one who connects with me the most. I cried in front of him that night because I had nowhere else to go. But that boy surprised me. I am still spellbound by the respect he has for me, and the affection he has for you. When I suffered the heart attack, he not only saved me but also confessed that he had a crush on you since his college days. And when he said that whatever happened between you and your father-in-law must have been a momentary lapse - something you would regret for the rest of your life - and that he was ready to forget it all just to get back his college crush and to see me free from pain… I was helpless and held my hands like this.” Manohar folded his hands in front of Anjali to show, and then went on, “I told him I would do everything in my capacity to get you married to him. That’s why I was encouraging you. He loves you, dear. You can forget the past and marry him. He’s an angel.”
Anjali stared at him for a long moment after he finished, stunned, before she spoke.
“But your ‘angel’ used what he learned from you and blackmailed me. You know that?”
“That’s one way to look at it, daughter. I’m sorry that he heard it from me, but he just loves you. Whatever he did, he did it to get your attention.”
Anjali wanted to scream at him, to tell him what Vikram had actually done. She knew she would end up revealing everything if she spoke any further.
“I’m sorry, Dad. It was my mistake to think I could talk to you,” she said, and left with her frustration, multiplied.
It took Anjali a couple of days to come out of the shock and start eating properly again.
The next day, something unexpected happened. Vikram’s deal with SELTO Pvt Ltd was called off at the last possible moment. Anjali came to know about it when Vikram phoned her.
“I don’t know how it happened. They just withdrew at the last moment. What the fuck went wrong, I don’t know, Anjali. They just backed out.”
His voice was filled with disappointment. Anjali felt a sense of nonchalance, yet she pretended to be shocked.
“How can they do that? Can’t you sue them?”
“I’m not big enough to sue them. They’ve got connections with people I’ll have to do business with in the future. By the time the tribunal decides whether to even take up the case, I’ll be left with no business,” Vikram said.
“Don’t worry, Vickey. You’ll be alright. You will rebound,” Anjali said, smiling to herself.

On Friday, Vikram called her again to invite her for a river rafting adventure trip near Pune.
“I feel so low mentally, Anjali. I need some fresh air,” he said. “Only you can bring me some positive energy.”
Anjali took a deep breath and wondered what more she would have to endure if she agreed to that trip. But the thought instantly gave her an idea. She said she would confirm after asking Madhav.
“You still want to ask him for permission, Anjali?” he asked. She could sense the annoyance in his voice.
“It still matters, Vickey,” she said sternly.

That night, when Madhav came home, Anjali told him about Vikram’s phone call. Madhav refused straightaway.
“It is dangerous, Anjali. I won’t allow it.”
But Anjali had other ideas.
“What more danger can he do to me, Dad? He’s already done it all. He killed my husband, he’s destroyed my soul, he’s used my body for his sexual pleasure. He made me take punishment for sleeping with you. What is left?”
“We don’t know what is left, Anjali. That’s what makes it dangerous.”
“Please, Dad.” Anjali moved closer to him on the sofa and grabbed his hand. “Let me go. I want a confession from him.”
“Do you think he will confess?” Madhav stared at her.
“Something like that. A slip of the tongue, at least,” Anjali said.

Eventually, Madhav agreed. “But you have to be cautious, Anjali. Because if he learns that you’ve found out the truth, he might try to eliminate you too.”
“So let it be. After knowing what he has done to Vinayak, I wouldn’t mind dying while attempting to bring justice to him.” Anjali’s voice cracked. “What is left for me in this life to hold on to, other than giving a reply to that scoundrel?”
Madhav looked deep into her eyes. “Do I not matter? Am I nothing to you?”
Anjali’s grip tightened on his hand. “That’s not what I meant, Dad. You are… me. We are one, aren’t we? You, me, and Vinayak… aren’t we?”
Madhav kept looking at her. Anjali felt drawn to him. She slowly put her left arm around his neck and pulled him closer.
And their lips met. It was just a touch. But it brought a spark she didn't anticipate.
“Madhav, you are all I have now,” she whispered, pressing her lips against his.
A sense of relief ran through her body, as if she had rediscovered something she hadn’t even realised she had lost.
They held on to each other, the moment stretching, heavy with need and familiarity. Anjali pulled back just enough to look at him.
“Take me to your room,” she said softly. “Take back what is yours. I belong to you… and to your son. Nobody can take me away.”
“Yes, you are, Anjali,” Madhav whispered back as he kissed her and started sucking her lips. His arms moved around her, feeling the softness of her tender body through his touch. There was a sense of eagerness in his touch, and Anjali could feel it.
“Did you miss me, Dad?” she asked, pausing for a moment.
“I missed you.”
“What did you miss?”
He looked deep into her eyes and then said, “Calling me by name.”
Anjali gasped and then said, “Madhav, I love you.”
“I love you too, Anjali.”
He kissed her again, and Anjali could feel the heightened vigour in his lips. She pushed her tongue into his mouth, which he readily sucked. She tasted his tongue too, and at the same time brought his hand to her breast. All the inhibitions were long gone. She felt she had been lost and was now found. A moment later, she sat up and pulled her top over her head, and almost began to climb onto his lap.
Then she paused, “Let’s go to the room, please.”
Madhav nodded, and they hurried to his bedroom. But they didn’t jump into bed right away. They stood by the bed and kissed again. Anjali found his hands wrapping around her confidently and intently, and she moaned when he grabbed the softness of her ass with both his hands.
He pulled her waist towards him, and she pushed herself against him, feeling his erection against her body. She hurried to take off his shirt and ran her fingers over his hairy chest.
“Lie down on the bed, Madhav. Let me take you,” she insisted.
Madhav lay on the bed, and Anjali removed her bra before climbing onto his waist. They were both topless but still wearing pants on the lower half of their bodies. Anjali bent forward to kiss his mouth, but soon moved downward, placing kisses on his chin, neck, and chest.
Her hand moved further down, reaching between his legs, and caressed his growing member over the clothes. She felt an innate thirst to have more of him and to give him more of herself. Without any hesitation, she pulled down his pants by the waistband a few inches, freeing his member. It almost sprang up, though it had not yet attained the full erect shape she had known before.
She wrapped her fingers around it and rubbed in a circular motion, and Madhav let out a loud moan.
“Oh… Anjali…!”
Anjali looked up at him and smiled. There was a sense of mischievousness in her eyes, as if she had finally found the freedom to do anything with him and share her most innate sensations.
“I want to be yours for the rest of my life, Madhav. Don’t let me go,” she whispered.
“You are mine, Anjali,” Madhav gasped, and caressed her cheek.
For a moment, Anjali remembered how Vikram had caressed her cheek the last time, and how he had followed it up with a slap across her face. Slaps. The shock.
The memory lasted for a fraction of a second, but as it ended, Anjali felt like she was waking up from a bad dream. And with a sense of vengeance, she shifted herself down and simply took Madhav’s dick into her mouth. She heard Madhav gasp as the warmth of her mouth elevated him into a pleasure he hadn’t anticipated. Anjali slowly moved down and held it there, allowing her saliva to coat around it. When she pulled back, half of his length was glistening with her saliva.
“You like it, Madhav?” she asked with a mischievous smile.
“I love it, girl,” Madhav said ecstatically.
Anjali’s head went down again, and soon it became a pattern. She boldly shed all the inhibitions that had still possessed her during the three intimate encounters she had with him, and this time, she completely treated herself as his lover. She felt she deserved it. It was a way of redeeming herself for falling into Vikram’s trap. She had to come back and do it with intent.
She soon pulled down his pants completely and then coated his entire length and his charged balls beneath with her saliva. As she used her hands as well, Madhav’s length soon reached the most erect state he could ever imagine.
She then got rid of her pants and panties by kicking away with the legs, before climbing over him, lowering her open waist onto him, and positioning his glistening head at the entrance of her pussy.
“I want to feel your mouth down there, Madhav,” she whispered in a shallow breath. “But right now, I feel a hurry. So next time, please,” she said and lowered herself completely, letting his length slide into her pussy.
“Aaah… it’s so good, Dad,” she gasped.
“Next time, I’ll eat you there, baby. Right now, let me fuck you,” Madhav exhaled. His breath reflected the depth of his ecstasy.
Anjali grabbed his ears and breathed into his mouth, looking deep into his eyes.
“I know you are my Dad, Madhav. But still, I want you to fuck me. Fuck me hard. Let it go deep inside me.”
Anjali could feel him throbbing inside her. She felt full. In that moment, it felt like the only thing she needed in the world was to feel him move slowly within her.
“I’ll fuck you, Anjali. I know you are my daughter-in-law. I shouldn’t be doing this. But you are mine. I want to take you, complete you. You are mine only. And I am gonna fuck you so hard today.”
“Please. Please fuck me, dad. Get on top of me, and fuck me hard and break me. Please…”
Anjali had completely let go, wanting him to take her fully. Madhav tilted her gently and came over her, careful not to let his dick out of her pussy. Anjali lay with her legs parted and lifted in the air. Madhav pulled her legs over his shoulders and repositioned himself. But suddenly, as if something struck him, he pulled back, making Anjali gasp. And then Madhav bent down to bring his face to her pussy and pushed his mouth into her, and gave a strong lick across her pussy.
“Aaah… Madhav… oh my gosh!” Anjali screamed.
She felt she would squirt readily. She grabbed her breast with one hand, and squeezed it her own. With the other hand she tried to reach for his head and grab his hair. But before she could hold him, Madhav got up and pushed his dick back into her pussy.
“Haasss….” Anjali gasped. Her mouth opened and her chin went up, lifting her neck and chest.
Madhav maintained the kneeling position and continued. The strength and vigor in his movements told her that he truly missed her. She had ignited a fire in him, left it burning for a while, and now had returned to extinguish it completely. The sound arose with the movements - both the sound of his body meeting hers and the sound of their breathing. This time, they didn’t mind it at all. In their large house, the doors remained open, and their moans, gasps, and cries echoed throughout the house. After a while, Madhav lowered her legs and then lay on top of her, welcomed by her kiss. He then moved slowly, his breath filled with love.
“I love you, Dad. Take me wherever you want,” Anjali kept whispering. Madhav paused in between to kiss her breasts and stimulate her clit with his fingers.
With each time she spent with Madhav in bed, Anjali had realized that Madhav wasn’t like Vinayak. He had more stamina and intent, and the skill to leave her breathless. And he wasn’t like Vikram either. Madhav treated Anjali with respect and affection, not with vengeance. Even at the height of ecstasy, his kisses were filled with love and care, except that his movements continued with added intensity. Eventually, he brought her to climax, and as soon as she screamed in pleasure, he let himself go and reached his peak, releasing himself inside her.
When Madhav fell next to her, panting heavily, Anjali quickly wrapped her arms around him. Beads of sweat were beginning to form on his chest, and she rested her cheek on it. She leaned closer to place a soft kiss near his ear and whispered, “You are awesome, Madhav.”
“You too, Anjali,” Madhav smiled back at her and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer to his body. Anjali put one leg over his legs.
They lay together for a while, letting their breath return to normal and allowing their sweat beads to merge.

When Anjali finally sat up, she reached for her phone.
Then she typed a message to Vikram, informing him that she had gotten Madhav’s permission for the river rafting the next morning.
She pressed send and almost silently whispered to herself, “I am ready.”

[krish_999]

Dear Krish,

As today marks the 19th, I trust this message finds you well. I write to inquire whether the anticipated update will be shared as scheduled, or if there have been any alterations to the existing plan.

I must confess that I have been awaiting this with considerable anticipation since the morning, and I would sincerely appreciate your timely response regarding the same.

Sorry for keeping you waiting for so long bro. It's been a busy week. I hope I'll get the next update on without much delay. Thanks for being there and showing support. The way you express your thoughts even when I disappoint you is commendable and much appreciated, especially in today's times when people lose patience at the drop of a hat. 

And also, to the all other readers who've read the story and commented here - thank you all too.

[krish_999]

Chapter - Fourteen

After dinner, Anjali went to her bedroom to sleep. Her mind was split in two. One side was filled with calmness - that she had found her way back to Madhav, whose presence in her life had brought a sense of balance amid the turmoil. The other side of her mind was disturbed by uncertainty about the next day. Even though she had agreed to join Vikram for the river rafting adventure, she had no idea what was on his mind. Was he inviting her to relieve himself of the pressure of his business failure? Or was he inviting her to vent his frustration? She didn’t know.
But then she remembered Vinayak’s lifeless body, wrapped in white clothes. Anjali was sure Vikram wouldn’t be able to inflict more pain than that sight.
Lost in many thoughts, Anjali stayed awake for a long time that night. When she checked her phone, she saw a message from Vikram: 5 AM. Seeing his message, she lost what little sleep she had left.

In the morning, her phone rang exactly at 5 AM.
“Are you ready?” Vikram was on his way.
Anjali hurried through her morning rituals and got ready. She chose a dark, practical look for the trip. She wore a sleeveless black top and fitted black pants that allowed her to move easily. Over it, she had thrown on a long olive-green jacket, more for style than warmth. A slim watch around her wrist completed her look. She packed an additional dress and a pair of sunglasses in the bag, along with a small sling bag that hung casually at her side. By the time she was ready, Vikram had arrived.

Anjali went to Madhav's room. He was asleep. As he woke up, he lay there and stared at Anjali as if he had seen a goddess in his sleep.
“He’s come, Dad,” Anjali said. “I have to go.”
Madhav quickly got up and checked the time. “Be careful, Anjali. Don’t do anything stupid, and be alert at all times,” he said.
Anjali bent forward, gave him a light hug, and kissed his forehead. “I will come back safely, Dad,” she said with a smile, despite her rising heartbeat.

When Anjali walked out to the sit-out, Vikram was standing in front of the porch, leaning against his car. The vehicle looked different from the one they had used for their resort trip.
Vikram looked handsome in his grey and blue casuals. His eyes reflected awe as he looked at her. He helped with her small luggage and placed it in the car, and Anjali sat in the front seat. She noticed the extra-spacious front cabin.
“Did you change the car?” she asked.
“Yeah, this is perfect for today’s trip,” Vikram replied.
“Mmm!” Anjali made a face. “Some people are too rich!”
Vikram laughed. “Not rich. Wealthy.”
Anjali arranged her loose hair, which had moved gently with the breeze.
“Madhav didn’t come out to see you off?” Vikram asked as he started the car.
“I told him to sleep.”
“I would have loved for him to stand there and wave his hands.”
Anjali stared at him. “Why?”
“A blessing from the old man. Good for a long trip,” Vikram said with a smile.
Anjali knew it wasn’t about blessings. He wanted Madhav to see him take her away and realise that she would be used for his pleasure. Anjali took out her sunglasses and wore them, even though the sun had not yet risen.

The slightly cold morning and faint memories of the previous night were making Anjali doze off during the drive. Vikram played soft lo-fi music and let her sleep.

Kundalika base was a popular river rafting adventure spot, with many people waiting for the thrill of river rafting. Vikram and Anjali reached there early in the morning and joined the queue. Anjali couldn't feel the same level of comfort as before around Vikram, but she was careful not to make it too obvious.
Vikram had brought clothes - white T-shirts and dark blue shorts for both of them. After changing, when they joined back, Vikram took a look at her.
“We wear the same clothes. But how the hell do you look so damn hot while I look just normal?” he wondered.
Anjali laughed. “You look handsome too, Vickey,” she said.
“But I’m unable to take my eyes off you,” he said again.
“Then don’t. Stand here and keep watching me, hehe.” Anjali walked past him towards the river, knowing that he would follow.

They were put into a group of eight - three women and five men, including them - and taken to an air-filled raft waiting at the edge of the river. After some quick instructions, they pushed it into the water.

The first splash made Anjali shiver. The water was very cold, and she gasped as it touched her skin. Every time the raft hit a wave, she screamed, holding tight. But slowly, as they moved toward the middle of the river, the cold didn’t feel so sharp anymore. It started to feel fresh and even enjoyable. Gradually, her fear faded, and she began to laugh and chatter with the group. The excitement of the ride took over. She paddled along with the others, following the guide’s calls. Without saying much, the group started to feel connected. They leaned together, shouted together, and cheered after every big wave.

Soon, they came upon a stretch where the river narrowed and rushed faster, twisting sharply between dark, jutting rocks. The guide shouted instructions, and the raft plunged into the churning water. It shook wildly as waves slapped against the sides, cold splashes drenching everyone. For a few thrilling moments, fear disappeared completely - replaced by pure excitement. It was as if an adventurous spark had come alive in all of them. They whooped and yelled, gripping their paddles and riding each turn with growing confidence.
Not long after, the river calmed - but too much. The water became shallow, and the raft scbangd against the riverbed before coming to a stop. Laughing, they all climbed out and lifted the raft together, carefully walking it across the rocky stretch to deeper water. By then, Anjali’s top and shorts were completely soaked, clinging to her, but she didn’t mind at all. It only added to the fun, and she found herself laughing harder than she had in a long time.
When they reached the wider part of the river, they noticed other rafts nearby and started racing them. Everyone screamed and laughed loudly, trying to move faster. The river was full of energy, and so were they. For once, Anjali had forgotten all the grudge she had been carrying in her mind.
Then, at a calm part of the river where the water slowed down, Vikram suddenly pushed Anjali into the water.
She shouted in surprise as she fell in, but quickly came up, pushing her wet hair back. For a second, she was annoyed - but then she laughed. Vikram jumped in after her. Anjali splashed water into his face.
The water didn’t feel as cold now. It felt light and fun. She tried swimming a little, and it helped that the water wasn't deep enough to be scary. When it was time to get back on the raft, Vikram lifted her in his hands and helped her climb back in. Anjali then helped him by pulling him back on board.
She caught her breath, completely soaked, tired, and laughing, with water dripping from her hair and clothes. Her white T-shirt clung to her, slightly outlining what she wore underneath, and her sun-kissed legs shone under the splashes of the river. She didn’t seem to notice, as other members of the group were almost like that and too busy laughing and enjoying themselves.

By the end of it, Anjali realized she had actually enjoyed the whole experience. Her guard around Vikram hadn’t fully disappeared, but it had softened a little, as if the river had the ability to wash away the grudge and fill her mind with a sense of relaxation. For a brief period of time, the fun of the river had taken over everything else.
When they finally returned to the ground, Anjali felt extremely hungry. When Vikram asked her what she wanted to eat, she replied without thinking, “I’m so hungry I could finish an elephant.”

They went back to the changing room and changed clothes before going for breakfast. There was a nearby restaurant. It seemed to be the only option. They didn’t have much to offer on the menu. Anjali didn't mind. She ordered a plate of idlis. Vikram had just a sugar-free coffee, but after watching Anjali eating quickly, he joined in and took a piece from her plate.
Anjali paused for a second, then continued eating.
“What, now you feel hungry?” she asked.
“Watching you, yes. My appetite is back,” Vikram said with a smile.
Anjali saw the shine in his eyes. She felt he was hungry for her. A sense of tension slowly started to take over her body. She looked down and tried to concentrate on her plate.
“We're going back after this, aren't we?” she asked while waiting for her tea. She was sure she wouldn't follow him to a resort and stay overnight with him this time.
“Are you in a hurry?” he asked.
Anjali was unsure what to say. “I’m tired, Vickey.”
“Did you like the experience?”
“Of course, I did,” Anjali said honestly. “It was my first time. So, thank you.”
“Thank me later, my girl.” Vikram put his arm around her and squeezed her towards him. Anjali didn't resist.

She noticed a bearded man sitting alone in the farthest corner of the dining hall, and his eyes were on them. She had seen him looking toward them more than once, and she felt he wasn't just glancing. He was watching; observing.
Anjali felt a slight uneasiness. She lowered her gaze for a moment, then looked again. The bearded man was still watching, and she felt like he had been following them.

After breakfast, Anjali went to the washroom and quickly phoned Madhav.
“Dad, did you send someone to follow us?” she asked in a low voice.
There was a short pause before Madhav replied, “No. What are you talking about?”
Anjali believed Madhav would have sent someone to follow her, because he knew Vikram could be a danger.
“I saw someone,” she said. “A man. He’s been watching us. I feel like he followed us here.”
“You’re overthinking,” Madhav said calmly. “I didn’t send anyone. You must have misunderstood.”
Anjali hesitated, then added, “If I noticed him, it’s possible Vikram did too. That could make things risky for me.”
Madhav’s tone stayed firm. “There’s no one, Anjali. If I had sent someone, I would have already told you.”
When the call ended, a part of Anjali's mind believed him, but another part didn’t.

When she returned to the car with Vikram, she glanced inside the dining hall. The man was gone.
She looked around once more, but there was no sign of him anywhere. Anjali let out a quiet breath. Maybe Madhav was right. Maybe she had just misunderstood.

Vikram handed his bag over to her and went to the washroom. Anjali walked over to the parking area. From a distance, she suddenly noticed the bearded man's head rising from behind Vikram's car. Anjali paused before deciding to hurry up and confront the man. She quickly decided to tell him that she had told his boss to call him back. However, by the time Anjali reached, the man had disappeared.
Anjali unlocked the car door, quickly got in, and wore her olive-green jacket. She wondered if she should tell Vikram about the bearded man, but decided against it.

Vikram returned soon and started the car. Anjali didn't know what his plan was.
“Where are we going now?” she asked.
Vikram smiled at her. “You don't look tired now.”
Anjali smiled back. “Yeah, I was hungry then.”
The olive-green jacket Anjali was wearing was just thin fabric meant only as a style garment, but she felt warm. Part of the road was wet due to recent rain. She was amazed to see the road curving through stretches of green.
“Do you think you missed it in the morning ride?” Vikram asked.
Anjali nodded.
“I have an idea,” Vikram said and turned the car onto a narrower road.
Anjali became alert. “Where are we going?”
“There’s a waterfall nearby,” he said casually. “We’re going to check it out. I'm sure you'll love it.”
She looked at him, unsure. “Now? Aren’t you hungry? I don't know where those two idlis went. And you too, barely ate one.” She didn't want to show hesitation in following him.
“I have packed a tiffin for us. Don’t worry, babe.”
“But it seems like a dense jungle,” Anjali said, looking around through the windshield.
“Trust me,” he said, glancing at her. “It’ll be just us.”
That’s what worries me the most. Anjali didn’t say.
For a moment, she thought of objecting, of insisting on going back. But she stopped herself. A part of her was genuinely curious about the waterfall in the forest, and Vikram's assurance about the tiffin left her with no option to back off.

Vikram took a couple more turns, and the road almost became non-existent before they reached a small clearing where he parked the car. He then took his bags out of the car.
“An SUV, a packed tiffin… you’ve come prepared for all this,” Anjali remarked when she got out of the car.
“I’m always prepared, honey.” Vikram winked at her. Anjali was left pondering whether he meant something more than a casual remark.

Vikram checked his phone to confirm the location and then led her on foot along a narrow trail shaded by trees and thick ferns. Anjali kept looking around, wary, but still followed him. Within a few minutes, she started hearing the growing sound of water. A stream was nearby.

The quiet of the jungle otherwise kept reminding Anjali that they were completely separated from the outside world. She had almost started wondering if she had made a huge mistake by getting into this.
Before her apprehensions grew out of proportion, they reached the place.

The waterfall was hidden and beautiful, just a few metres high, a thin stream falling into a clear pool below. It felt untouched, almost secret. Anjali stood there, watching the scenery. The water, though making a sound where it fell, seemed to flow slowly for a stretch before moving faster between the rocks. It looked like a pond with crystal-clear water.
When she turned, she was stunned to see Vikram taking off his shirt. He had placed the bags on a rock.
“Are you sure you can get into this?” Anjali wondered. “What if it has crocodiles or something in it?”
Vikram laughed. “If it had crocodiles or dangerous snakes, there wouldn’t have been river rafting in the area,” he said as he removed his pants too and stood wearing just his briefs. Anjali pretended not to see the bulge between his legs.
“Let’s go,” Vikram said, reaching for her hand.
She hesitated for a brief second before letting him take it.
“My dress…” she said, glancing down.
“You’ve got another one in your bag, don’t you?” he replied easily.
“Where would I even change?” she asked, looking around.
Vikram laughed again. “How much do you still feel like hiding from me?”
Anjali gave a shy smile. “Nothing.”
The answer came out more easily than she expected.
Before she could think further, he pulled her gently into the water. She gasped at the cold, instinctively stepping back. But he splashed water at her, laughing.
She reacted without thinking, splashing him back.
For a few moments, it felt light. Easy. They laughed, moving through the water, the tension fading just enough to make her forget herself. Vikram slowly pulled her towards the center of the pond. It was only up to her neck in depth.
“You've been here already. You know this place very well, don't you?” Anjali asked.
“What do you think?” Vikram moved closer as he asked. “Do you think I’d bring you here if I wasn’t sure whether it was safe or not?”
Before Anjali could reply, she felt his arms surrounding her under the water. The touch of his bare hands brought a sense of warmth against the coldness of the water.
And Anjali froze completely as Vikram pulled her closer and kissed her. She felt her lips being drawn into his, and she forgot to breathe.
After breaking the kiss, Vikram stared deep into her eyes. “Anjali, this is my world. There is no place for crocodiles or snakes between us. You can trust me.”
Anjali's heart skipped a beat as her subconscious mind decoded the meaning of his words. For a second, she wanted to scream and run away from him. But his arms were locked, and she knew there was no way she could move back.
She closed her eyes and meekly whispered, “I trust you, Vickey.”
“I know, my love,” Vikram said, and the next moment she felt his hands grabbing the lower edge of her black top and pulling it upwards. Anjali opened her eyes.
“Vickey, no!”
“It feels awkward when only I feel the cold water!” Vikram applied a bit of force and easily overpowered her and removed her top. Anjali found some relief in knowing that she was wearing a bra underneath.
Vikram threw her top onto one of the rocks along the edge of the pond. Next, he grabbed the edge of her pants. Anjali tried to move away from him, swimming towards the other side of the pond. But Vikram swam faster and caught her by the waist. Not only that, he simply sank into the water and pulled her pants down. The more Anjali tried to move away from him, the easier it came off. Vikram laughed victoriously as he stood away from her and lifted her pants above the water.
“You scoundrel!” Anjali yelled and jumped towards him, trying to snatch it from him. Vikram tried to escape, but Anjali got her arms around his neck. They fought with each other for the pants, and in the end, as Vikram tried to escape by sinking into the water, Anjali managed to climb over his head in a moment of bewilderment. However, Vikram suddenly got up and lifted her onto his shoulder before throwing her into the water. Anjali almost felt her bra come off her breasts. She hurriedly rose to breathe, only to realise that her bra had indeed come off. Anjali turned around and saw Vikram holding it with a victorious grin. A moment later, he simply threw it behind him into the water.
“You're such a motherfucker...” Anjali forgot herself and yelled, charging towards the bra before it could float away. But Vikram held her tightly.
“Hey! Stop!” Vikram grabbed her and pulled her into a hug, tight enough to hold her firmly. Anjali felt the whole of her front pressing against his muscular body; more importantly, her breasts were pressed against his chest. Anjali exhaled into his mouth. “I’m not the motherfucker, sweetheart,” Vikram said, and after a pause, he went on, “it’s actually you - the father fucker!”

Anjali felt all her strength melting and washing away in the water. Perhaps Vikram had sensed it, either through his touch or her eyes, and he grabbed the opportunity to make his final move. He kissed her non-stop, and his hand reached over to feel the softness of her breasts under the water.
“I love you, Anjali. You know you are my dream,” he whispered as he took a break and then kissed under her chin. Anjali felt his mouth moving downwards along her neck, and her body felt as if it were being lifted. His lips moved further down her skin as he continued to lift her, and eventually her breasts came above the water level, only to be covered by his mouth one by one. Anjali, for fear of falling into the water, grabbed his head, ending up giving him ample freedom to suck her breasts.
“Vickey, my bra...” Anjali tried to stop him and find the lost piece of clothing. It was nowhere to be seen by now. “I’m completely nude, please find it.”
Vikram stopped, but only to bring up a piece of cloth in his hand. It was his own underwear. He had removed it, thereby becoming completely nude under the water. Anjali lost all hope of stopping.
“Happy now, sweetheart?” Vikram asked as he threw the cloth away. Anjali didn’t bother to look where it went.
“Come,” Vikram invited her to the other side of the pond, where the water level was just above the waist. As her upper body came out of the water, Anjali felt colder, becoming more aware of her nudity in the middle of the jungle. But then she noticed Vikram’s dick, considerably erect and shining just under the water.
Vikram leaned his back against a rock at the edge and smiled at her.
“Come, baby,” he said and brought her hand - that he was holding - onto his dick.
He made her hold it, and Anjali didn’t show any will to protest. Her fingers wrapped around it. She was pulled further into him, and he kissed her again, this time with more hunger. His hands ran around her body, caressing her lower back and then moving inside her panty to play with her ass cheeks. Anjali felt his mouth opening and inviting her, and she pushed her tongue into his mouth. She had surrendered. Her hand had started to move back and forth on his member.
A few moments later, Vikram broke the kiss and climbed backward onto the rock behind him. It placed his crotch at the height of her chest. He spread his legs and invited her, pulling her hand with one hand and grabbing the back of her neck with the other. Anjali knew where it was leading. The moment to resist and refuse had passed long ago, without giving her a chance. Anjali’s head sank between his legs, and he pushed her downward to ensure his whole length went down her throat in the first attempt itself.
“Mmm...” Vikram moaned. “That’s my girl...” The thrill of feeling the warmth of her mouth on his cold member dominated his voice. His hand behind her head remained like a wall beyond which she was not allowed to move back, and he kept pushing her forward to keep her sucking him. His length had reached its hardest state. After a while, he let her pull it out, only to lift it with his other hand and push her head, bringing her mouth to his balls.
“Make it warm too, baby. It’s all yours,” he said and pushed his balls into her mouth. Anjali sucked, showing no evidence of the soreness that was growing inside her. She knew she was being used like a toy, and she felt she had made up her mind to play it out.
As she rolled her tongue around his hairless balls, Vikram grabbed his erection firmly and slapped it across her cheek. Anjali blinked. Vikram was thrilled by her reaction.
“I’ll teach you things that Vinayak never showed you,” Vikram said in a voice filled with ecstasy. “It’s bad that he never got the chance to know how good you are at this.”
Anjali paused and stared up at him.
“Are you sure of that?”
The grin on Vikram’s lips slowly faded. “What?”
“Are you sure that Dad didn’t get the chance?”
The lack of expression on Vikram’s face made it obvious that he was still processing it.
“You told me...” he blurted.
“I lied.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m telling you the truth... because you love to hear it, don’t you?” Anjali slowly grabbed his member and pushed it into her mouth. But in an instant, she recognised the dip in its firmness as she tried to take it past her lips. Anjali gave it a couple of deep-throated sucks before pulling out. “I’ve given him this kind of pleasure. He’s not like Vinayak.”
Anjali spoke through panting. She was still mindful enough to notice the weakening of his length in her hand.
“You said it was accidental...”
“The first time it was...” Anjali hesitated, then went on. “The next time it was intentional. The third time, it was pleasure - purely for pleasure. Like you do.”
“You bitch!” Vikram yelled and pushed her away. Anjali almost fell back into the water.
“What happened to you, Vickey?” Anjali yelled back at him. “You wanted to talk about it - that’s why I’m talking!”
“Holy shit!” Vikram jumped into the water and grabbed her. “Tell me you’re saying all this just to make me angry, aren’t you? I don’t like it. You are mine, Anjali.”
“Of course, I’m yours, Vickey!” Anjali stood up in front of him. “That’s why I’m telling you the truth. You said you’d marry me no matter what, didn’t you?”
“But that doesn’t mean you can fuck your father-in-law every night and then come back to me.”
“For fuck’s sake, have you forgotten what you promised my daddy? You told him you were ready to forgive me. Come on, Vickey!” Anjali was suddenly having fun, watching him burn with frustration.

But she didn’t anticipate his next move. It was a slap across her face, and Anjali fell into the water properly this time. Vikram then quickly grabbed her and held her upright, facing him.
“Tell me the truth, bitch. How many times have you slept with him?”
Anjali was scared as hell. She couldn’t think of lying. Her cheek was burning.
“Four!”
“Four!” Vikram grunted in disbelief. “He must have made you cum every time, right, bitch? Otherwise, why would you fuck an old man? Why?”
“He’s...” Anjali’s words broke with her panting. She felt she would collapse. Her head was starting to spin. “He’s not like Vinayak. He’s strong.” Anjali spoke with her eyes closed. She knew she was going to be slapped again, but there was nothing she could do to stop him.
“You’re truly a bitch. Tell me you deserve punishment - tell me!” Vikram pulled her towards him, and without waiting for her response, he pushed her against the rock he had climbed earlier. Anjali almost fell onto it and rested her upper body over her folded hands on the rock. Vikram moved behind her, and the next moment Anjali felt him reaching between her legs and shoving his dick into her from behind. He had pulled her panty to the side and simply pushed his throbbing member inside her.
Anjali hadn’t anticipated this, and she gasped.
“Oh… Vickey!” she cried.
“Stop crying, bitch. I will teach you what pleasure is. I will teach you how a man can please your cunt,” Vikram yelled and started to move nonchalantly. Both of their lower bodies were still under the water, and each time he pushed, the water splashed onto her back. Anjali felt her pussy being filled with water, along with the pain of him pounding hard into her. Vikram had grabbed her hip, and he slapped her ass in between to shock her further as he kept fucking her hard. He went on and on until Anjali could no longer take it. The strength in her hands had evaporated, and her upper body had started pressing against the rock, making her naked breasts rub against it.
“This is how I’m going to fuck you from now on. You want a strong man, don’t you? Huh?” Vikram was at the peak of his vengeance, and his voice had turned animalistic.
“Vickey… please…” Anjali was on the verge of crying like a baby.
“Promise me you won’t fuck him ever again. Promise me you’ll be mine only.” Vikram spanked her ass. The sound and pain sent waves of shock deep into her psyche. For once, Anjali wanted to surrender and tell him that she knew he was the murderer of Vinayak.
But as she opened her mouth, the words came out differently. “I promise you, Vickey. Please. I promise you.”
Vikram’s movements became faster again.
“That’s what I wanted to hear… bitch. You’re mine. I’m gonna fill your pussy… yeah… I’m cumming… take it… haaah!” He pushed and held himself inside her, climaxing. Anjali collapsed completely on the rock, more from relief than exhaustion.
Vikram took a few long seconds to recover, and he slowly pulled back. He then turned her towards him and kissed her lips hard.
“I will never let you go, bitch!” He grabbed her face by the chin. “Do you know why? Because you are what motivated me to become who I am today. Without you, I can’t be me.”
He said this and kissed her again. Anjali had lost the strength to stand straight. Vikram leaned backward onto the rock and held her close, rubbing softly against her bare back. He held her close, and Anjali was taken aback by the sudden transition, as if he had become another person entirely.
He was still an enigma to her.

After a while, when their breathing settled, Vikram led her across the pond to the other side. Anjali didn’t show any sign of shyness as she walked out of the water, wearing just her panty. Vikram too walked out completely nude. He opened the bag and gave her another set of clothes. It was a top and pants. As he turned to the other side and put on his clothes, Anjali removed her panty, wiped her body with a small hand towel, and then wore the clothes. She didn’t mind that she wasn’t wearing anything underneath. The clothes brought back a feeling of warmth and comfort.
“I’m sorry if I hurt you, Anjali,” Vikram said, turning to her.
Anjali stared at him, expressionless.
“What about me? Did I hurt you?” she asked.
Vikram couldn’t reply for a second. Then he asked, “What you said - is it true?”
“Yes,” Anjali said quickly.
“Don’t lie, Anjali. I’m serious.”
“I’m serious too, Vickey.”
“You said four times. When was the last one?”
Anjali paused for a second and then replied, “Yesterday.”
Vikram didn’t know what to say. Anjali didn’t blink. She wanted to etch his response into her memory forever. No matter how he replied, she knew it would be the moment he realised that everything he had done in his life to live the dream he had built long ago had crashed into a whisper - a whisper only he could hear, telling him that he had lost it.

Vikram stared at her for a few seconds. Then he silently turned to pick up his bag. Anjali had finished wiping her wet hair. She then opened the bag to get the tiffin. It had sandwiches, still warm. She took her share, sat on a small rock, and ate. Vikram kept stealing glances at her, unsure of what to say. He was lost in his own thoughts. Anjali asked if he didn’t want to have a sandwich. Vikram said he didn’t have the appetite.
“Yeah, of course. You had your meal already,” Anjali blurted, loud enough for him to hear.

After the food, they returned to the car. The way back was silent. Anjali felt blank. She knew she had revealed too much. Probably she had made Madhav the prime target of Vikram. But she wasn’t bothered. She knew Madhav would find a way to defend himself. And she was going to tell him to choose whatever way he wanted to finish off the killer of his son.

The car left the mud roads and soon joined a narrow road. Anjali felt he was driving faster than during the ride toward the jungle pond. His seat belt indicator was blinking at the beginning, and he didn’t bother to put it on. Anjali knew he was lost in his thoughts, but she wasn’t sure whether it was about the past or the future. She didn’t say anything. After a few minutes, they joined the main road.

And exactly then, a speeding truck appeared from nowhere and crashed into their car from the side. Before Anjali could realise what had happened, the car was thrown down into the deep valley beside the road. The vehicle seemed to fly in the air, then landed and rolled a couple of times. Anjali’s body was held firmly in her seat by airbags from the front and sides, and she almost counted how many times the vehicle rolled sideways. She could sense everything, and she almost wondered why she wasn’t losing consciousness. Finally, the rolling stopped, and the car came to rest upright, as if nothing had happened.
But a lot had happened in a few seconds.

Anjali sat motionless in her seat, thinking about which side of her body might be paralysed. She imagined blood leaking from her body. She didn’t feel any pain, and she thought her brain might still be processing it.
Then the door was opened. The airbag was torn by a knife. Anjali looked and saw a beard.
She recognised him in an instant.
The bearded man.
What is happening? Anjali stared at him.
“This one’s alive!” the bearded man said, looking to the other side of the car. Anjali turned her head and saw that Vikram wasn’t there. The glass was shattered. There was blood everywhere. Vikram had disappeared.

Suddenly, Anjali felt her body being dragged out of the car. The bearded man was pulling her out. She knew he wasn’t a saviour, but she felt he was on her side. She didn’t protest. The man carried her in his strong arms and walked to the other side of the car. Anjali saw Vikram lying there on the ground, his body crumpled like a bundle of clothes. There was blood everywhere. Another man was bent beside Vikram, checking his pulse repeatedly.
“What about him?” the bearded man asked.
“Done!” the other man said. He looked bulky, with a muscular frame. Anjali felt she had seen him before - probably in Madhav’s office. She couldn’t recall.
“Leave her and try to find your thing,” he said, looking at the bearded man.
The bearded man placed Anjali down and made her stand. He then went towards the back side of the car, put his hand underneath, and pulled out a small device.
“Got it,” he said, satisfied.
Anjali turned to the muscular man. “Is he dead?”
He looked at her, as if surprised to see no emotion on her face.
“Yeah, dead,” he said.
“He should have worn the seat belt,” Anjali said nonchalantly. “Otherwise, he would have survived.”
The man looked at her. “No, he wouldn’t have,” he said. “We would have made sure he didn’t.” And he smiled at Anjali.
Anjali sensed something was wrong. There was something wrong in his menacing smile. In a fraction of a second, she realised that he wasn’t a saviour. He was a hunter.
“What about her?” she heard the bearded man asking, slowly walking towards her.
“No loose ends,” said the muscular man, and he pulled out something from behind his body.
It was a pistol.
And Anjali was stunned to see it being pointed at her.

[krish_999]

Chapter - Fifteen

As the muscular man pointed his gun straight at Anjali's head, the bearded man suddenly stepped in and grabbed her, pulling her backwards. He held her with his arms around her shoulders and locked her firmly in place.

"Wait a minute," Anjali heard his voice just behind her right ear.
Anjali felt a brief sense of relief as she saw the muscular man lower the pistol and slide it behind his back, under his shirt. But that relief lasted only a second. The bearded man’s grip tightened around her, his breath close to her ear, his presence suffocating.

She still thought Madhav had sent them, and that all of it was due to some kind of miscommunication. She felt she needed to tell them.
“I’m… I’m Madhav’s girl,” she said in a shaky voice.
The muscular man looked at her as if she had said something he didn't expect. He then looked at the bearded man, confused.
“What is she talking about?”
The bearded man didn’t reply immediately. Anjali turned her head to look at him. Their eyes locked for a second. Anjali hated the fact that his hands were around her, pressing the back of her body against his. His hands were unusually strong, and it annoyed her.
“She’s not making sense,” the muscular man muttered, then looked around. Anjali, too, looked around for the first time since coming out of the shock of the accident. There was nothing but trees and bushes around them. The road from which their car had dropped wasn't even in distant sight. She couldn't even guess which side it would be. In just one glance, she understood that no one would notice them unless someone had already spotted the accident and their car flying into this spot.
“What are you doing?” the muscular man asked, turning Anjali's attention back to him. He was gesturing at the way the bearded man was holding her.
“I don’t want to kill her,” the bearded man said quietly.
“We don’t have that choice now," the muscular man’s expression hardened, “since we got involved in it like this.”
"Because you said you wanted to ensure he's dead," the bearded man replied.
"That's because he was driving a high-end car. There was a chance he could walk out of that crash."

Anjali couldn't control her anger and confusion. "Who are you, for fuck's sake?" she asked, her voice louder this time. But the muscular man didn't care to react to her. His eyes remained on his partner. "She has seen us, and we don't have a choice."
Then he looked at Anjali. "If we had known he wasn't wearing a seatbelt, we wouldn't have had to meet. You just got unlucky, girl." His hand instinctively brushed the back of his shirt, where the gun was hidden.
"No, that bastard got lucky," the bearded man said. "I wanted him to know about us before he died."
The muscular man grinned at him.
The bearded man continued tightening his grip around Anjali and held her closer to him. "This isn't enough. I wanted something else. Our revenge will be complete only when his soul watches what we do to his girl."
Anjali’s body went still for a moment as the meaning of his words sank in. The fear that followed was immediate and sharp, spreading through her chest before she could even react.

Anjali was now convinced that these men weren't working on Madhav's instructions. There was something else going on. She was caught in a game she didn't even know existed.

She tried to fight back, trying to break free from the strong hands of the bearded man. She tried to push away his arm and twist herself free, but his hold only tightened in response. He adjusted his stance to control her movement more easily, his grip becoming more deliberate, more assured, as though he had done this before.
“Let me go!” she said, her voice shaking but forceful.
Her resistance did not weaken him; if anything, it seemed to amuse him.
“Keep trying,” he murmured near her ear, his tone almost conversational. “It won’t change anything.”
Anjali did not stop. She shifted her weight, trying to destabilise him, but he anticipated it and pulled her back, keeping her firmly anchored against him.

The muscular man watched the exchange with growing impatience, his gaze moving between the two of them.
“What the fuck are you doing? Stop wasting time and find a stone or something.”
“I’ll do that,” the bearded man replied without looking at him, “but only when I’m done with her. See how much energy she’s got. You can’t make it natural, buddy. We’ll have to take a risk. Then why not take one worth taking?”
Anjali knew where this was leading. Panic was rising for the second time, and this time she was clear that the danger was more than death. Even though the bearded man was holding her physically, she feared the muscular man the most. She knew she would not be a match if he joined the bearded man.

She turned her head slightly, forcing herself to look toward the muscular man.
“Who are you?” she asked, her voice steadier than before. “What do you want?”
Though she asked, Anjali’s mind had already begun connecting the dots. She had spotted the bearded man following her and Vikram at the river rafting camp. She had seen him moving away from Vinayak’s car.
“You were spying on us. You planted a tracker on his car. And you knew when we were getting back onto the main road. So you hit us with a truck. I know everything.” Anjali spoke what came to her mind, her voice gaining weight as she went on. “Why did you do it? Why did you want to kill him?”
The muscular man exhaled slowly, a hint of reluctant approval in his expression.
“Smarter than she looks,” he said.
Anjali barely registered the comment.
The muscular man took a slow step forward, his eyes fixed on Anjali.
“Do you really have no idea who I am?” he asked.
Anjali looked at him, forcing herself to stay composed despite the pressure of the bearded man’s grip around her. By now, she had understood that the muscular man was the main one in this, and the bearded man was his aide.
“It’s a shame if she dies without knowing who we are. She must be told, at least her,” the bearded man said, glancing at his partner. “I know you don’t like it, but let me take care of it.”
Anjali swallowed, steadying her breath before speaking. Panic would only make things worse. She needed to say something that would make them reconsider.
“I don’t care what you did to Vikram,” she said. “Whatever happened between you and him… it has nothing to do with me.”
She paused briefly, choosing her next words carefully.
“Just let me go. I won’t say anything.”
The muscular man watched her for a moment, then a faint, almost amused smile appeared on his face.
“I was thinking it was a shame that your friend didn’t get to see me introduce myself to you.”
Before Anjali could respond, the bearded man spoke again.
“She’s not just a friend,” he said. “She was with him. She’s his girlfriend.”
Anjali turned her head slightly, her eyes burning now - not with fear alone, but with anger.
“Who are you?” she asked again. “Why were you after Vikram? And why do you think you can just kill me for no reason? Just because I happened to be with him?”
She tried to push away his hands again, in vain. A low, amused sound escaped him.
“There it is,” he said, almost pleased. “She’s got fire.”
His hold became more controlling, and Anjali felt that he was deliberately pressing his arms against her chest. Her breasts were being squeezed under his strength.
“I’m going to enjoy this,” he added, his voice more expressive than the words. That was enough.
Anjali jerked violently against him, trying to break free, her restraint gone now. “Leave me, you scoundrel!” she shouted.
The bearded man laughed again, a rough, careless sound that carried no urgency, as if he had all the time in the world. His right hand moved, and he directly grabbed her left breast. Before Anjali could turn away, he leaned in, and his face brushed against the side of her neck, the roughness of his beard scbanging against her skin. The contact made her flinch instantly, a sharp discomfort running through her.
“Stop!” she shouted, her voice breaking through the silence, filled with anger and disgust.
She jerked her head away, trying to create distance, but his grip held firm. The more she resisted, the more force he applied, as if he were testing how much control he had over her.
The irritation on her skin only added to the surge of panic and rage building inside her. She twisted her body sharply, trying to slip out of his hold, but he adjusted again, refusing to let go.
“Stay still,” he said, his tone losing patience now.
“I said stop!” Anjali snapped, her voice louder this time, her strength returning with the anger.
The man only tightened his hold further when she struggled, pulling her back into him with more force. His rough cheek pressed against hers again, the coarse hair scbanging her skin and making her recoil. And his hand moved across her chest at will, feeling the softness of her.
Anjali felt a wave of disgust rise within her, sharp and suffocating. For a moment, her instinct was to keep fighting, to resist with everything she had.
But then she realised that the more she resisted blindly, the stronger his control became. He was expecting it. Enjoying it.
That meant she had to do the opposite.
She forced herself to go still.
“Come on, Jassy, let’s go before someone comes,” the bearded man growled, his voice low but impatient.

And it caught Anjali’s attention more than anything. A name had slipped out of his mouth.
Jassy.
Something clicked in her mind instantly.

Before she could process it fully, the muscular man spoke.
“Leave her, dude. Don’t mess things up.”
His voice carried irritation now. He was watching the surroundings. “Shit… it’s already a mess. What the fuck?” he muttered, then looked at Anjali.
He looked straight into her eyes, studying her with an intensity that made her breathing uneven. “Why didn’t you die?” he asked quietly.
“Hey, don’t try to play a hero in front of the girl,” the bearded man said, his tone mocking. “You love to fuck, no?”
He tightened his grip on Anjali and pulled her closer. Anjali felt something poking behind her ass. She knew what it was. But she was forced to ignore it.
“Let’s take her. We’ll dump her later, I promise you. Come on, bro. Let’s go to our car.”
He leaned in again and inhaled near her ear.
“I’m so intoxicated by her smell… mmm…”
He breathed in once more, longer this time, his hold growing firmer as his control slipped into something more aggressive.
The muscular man didn’t react immediately. His eyes stayed on Anjali, his expression hard, but his patience was clearly thinning.
“I’ll not tell anyone. I promise,” Anjali said. “Tell this bastard to leave me.”
She shifted her weight suddenly and brought her heel down hard on the bearded man’s foot. He was wearing knitted shoes, and the move hurt him badly. “Aaah!” he yelled, jerking slightly as the pain hit.
In the same motion, he lifted his right hand to strike her from behind. Anjali didn’t see it coming. There was no time to turn or block. The blow landed across her face.
“Haaa…!” The sound escaped her as her head snapped to the side, pain shooting through her jaw.
Before she could recover, he hit her again, harder this time.
The second strike threw her off balance completely.
Her body gave way, and she fell to the ground, the impact knocking the air out of her chest as everything spun for a moment.
“You hit me!” the man yelled, his voice filled with anger.
Before Anjali could move, he bent forward, grabbed her by the neck with both hands, and forced her upward. His grip was crushing, cutting off her breath as he lifted her off the ground. Anjali grabbed his wrists instinctively, trying to pull them away, but his strength overpowered her completely. Her feet struggled for support, barely finding balance.
“You’re going to enjoy this when I fuck you hard, bitch,” he grunted. His fingers tightened further around her throat, his control absolute as he held her there.
Anjali’s struggling movements became more desperate, her hands slipping, her strength draining as his grip controlled her completely. And then he leaned in.
Before she could turn her face aside, his mouth pressed over hers, landing a suffocating smooch on her mouth. It wasn’t the lip-sucking type, but more like his mouth pressing onto hers just to convince her that she was overpowered. The contact lasted only a few seconds, but it felt far longer.
When he pulled back, she gasped, her breath breaking apart. And the way he looked at her scared the hell out of her.
A sound escaped her - a raw, helpless cry filled with disgust and fury.
“Please leave me, please!”
But his grip didn’t loosen. If anything, it tightened.

However, the muscular man suddenly stepped in and pulled Anjali away from the bearded man’s grip, breaking the contact abruptly.
“So you do cry, girl,” he said, looking straight into her face. “Then why didn’t you cry when you saw him dead?” He pointed toward Vikram’s dead body.
Before Anjali could respond, the bearded man objected.
“Hey! What are you doing?” he shouted, stepping forward. “I want her. She’s mine.”
He reached out, trying to grab her back, but the muscular man blocked him with his arm and raised his voice sharply.
“Enough!”
The force in his tone stopped the bearded man. The muscular man turned his attention back to Anjali.
“Well?” he said. “Answer me.”
Anjali swallowed, trying to steady herself. Her breath was still uneven, but she forced the words out.
“I don’t love Vikram,” she said, and then added, “I… I wanted him dead too.”
She turned her head slightly, her eyes falling on Vikram’s lifeless body lying at a distance. Her expression hardened, filled with something deeper than fear.
“He killed my husband,” she said, tears forming despite her effort to hold them back. “I wanted him dead.”
Her voice cracked, but she continued.
“Trust me… I won’t tell anyone about you. I won’t say your names. Just… let me go.”
The muscular man was watching her closely.
“Do you know my name?” he asked, his eyes locking onto hers.
Anjali felt the weight of his gaze. She felt that he would know if she lied.
“You are Jasdeep,” she said, holding his gaze. “Mandeep’s brother.”
For a brief moment, nothing moved.

When she had heard the bearded man call him Jassy, something had stirred in her memory. The news report about the accident and death of two men, which Vikram orchestrated, had the names of the victims and their surviving close relations. The victims were Mandeep and Abhay. She had seen them at the café when they were alive, and this muscular man standing in front of her resembled one of them - the build, the structure, and the serious look on his face. The news report had a mention of his surviving sibling, named Jasdeep. And the moment she heard the bearded man calling him Jassy, her mind had started working on it.
She knew it all could be a wild guess, but she chose to stick to it, because her wild guess aligned with everything else, too. She now understood why they wanted to kill Vikram. It was revenge.

Jasdeep’s eyes widened slightly. “You know Mandeep?” he asked.
“No,” Anjali said quickly. “But I know Vikram killed him and his friend.”
She held his gaze, forcing herself not to look away.
“Only you and I know the truth,” she continued. “And Madhav too.”
Jasdeep frowned. “Who’s Madhav?”
“My father-in-law,” she replied. “He knows Vikram killed his son. He’s on your side too… only if you let me go.”
The bearded man stepped forward again, his voice rising.
“She’s lying. She’s trying to trick you…”
Jasdeep shot him a sharp look.
“Shut up.”
The word landed hard enough to stop him mid-sentence.
Jasdeep turned back to Anjali, his eyes narrowing slightly, studying her again.
“How do you know my brother?” he asked. Anjali sensed that his voice was much softer than it had been until then.
“I told you,” Anjali said, her voice steadier now. “I only knew Vikram.”
She paused for a moment, then added, her tone hardening,
“He’s a psycho...”
Before Jasdeep could respond, they heard movement from the side. A group of men rushed in quickly, and three of them were in uniform.
Jasdeep’s expression hardened, his attention snapping away from Anjali.
“What are you doing with the girl?” one security officerman shouted, and immediately directed the others. “Hold them.”

Jasdeep stood his ground, but the bearded man tried to escape. As one of the security officermen tried to grab him, he lashed out, shoving him back with force. “Get off me!” he yelled, hurling abuses as he pushed forward.
The security officerman lost his balance and fell to the ground. Two of the others quickly turned toward him. They didn’t hesitate. They moved in fast, closing the distance before the bearded man could react again. The first blow landed hard, driving him back. The second followed almost instantly.
Within seconds, the bearded man lost his footing and went down. Even then, the men didn’t stop. A couple of sharp kicks landed before they pulled back, leaving him on the ground, struggling to recover.
The outburst ended as quickly as it had begun.

One of the men from the group reached Anjali, stepping between her and Jasdeep, pulling her back with a firm, controlled motion.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
Anjali took a step back, her body still reacting to everything that had just happened. Her first instinct was fear - that Jasdeep would reach for his pistol and open fire to break free.
But he didn’t.
Even as the men closed in on him and pulled him back, he didn’t resist the way she expected. His gaze stayed fixed on her, sharp and unblinking, as if the interruption had only angered him for cutting off what he wanted to know.
There was frustration in his eyes. Not panic. Not fear.
Just the unfinished conversation.
The man who had pulled Anjali away leaned slightly toward her, keeping himself between her and the two men.
“I’m with Madhav,” he said in a low voice. “You’re safe. Don’t worry.”
The words took a moment to settle.

Around them, the security officer had already moved toward Vikram’s body. One of them crouched beside him, checking for a pulse, while another spoke rapidly into his Motorola, sharing updates with his control room.
The scene quickly shifted, and with each passing second, a sense of normalcy returned to Anjali. Then she saw the men who had dealt with the bearded man turning toward Jasdeep.
“Wait!” she called out. “He was trying to save me,” she said, pointing toward Jasdeep.
The man near her looked slightly confused by her stance. “Are you sure?” he asked. He stepped closer and spoke. “We were told that you were in danger.”
Anjali didn’t hesitate. “No,” she said firmly. “He was trying to save me. Vikram was already dead, and I was stuck inside the car. He pulled me out.”
She raised her hand again, pointing directly at Jasdeep.
“He saved me.”

A few moments later, an ambulance arrived. It couldn’t reach the spot, so Anjali walked to it. Anjali didn’t need any kind of first aid, as she hadn’t had even a scratch on her body. Only she knew the mental trauma she had to endure after surviving the deadly accident.
Vikram’s body was soon carried out to the ambulance.

The area had settled into a controlled routine by then. One security officerman came and asked if she had faced any danger from the bearded man. They were suspicious because of his hostile reaction. Anjali thought that if he were caught by the security officer and taken for questioning, it would endanger Jasdeep as well. For some reason, she didn’t want that to happen. So she said she had no idea why the bearded man behaved like that, before adding that he was probably drunk.
Anjali answered all the questions without going into anything more than necessary. Her phone was retrieved from Vikram’s car and handed back to her. It had a lot of missed calls from Madhav.

She moved aside and dialled his number right away.
“Anjali…”
“Dad…” she began to speak, and her voice was uneven as a surge of emotion overwhelmed her. “We got into an accident… our car… Dad…” she paused for a moment to check that no one was hearing her before continuing. “He died on the spot, Dad.”
On the other end, there was silence.
Then Madhav spoke.
“Are you alright, dear?”
Anjali closed her eyes for a moment, taking in a slow, deep breath.
When she spoke again, her voice was quieter.
“I’m… at peace.”

Based on her statement, the security officer allowed Jasdeep and his companion to walk free. Jasdeep didn’t say anything to her. He just looked at her for a second, held her gaze, and gave a small nod before turning and walking away.

The truck that had hit Vikram’s car was still at the site, at the side of the road. Its front side had a huge dent. The driver had apparently sustained minor injuries. Both the driver and his staff had surrendered and told the security officer that the car had come onto the main road suddenly from a side road, without warning.
The men who had come with the security officer spoke to the officers, telling them they would take Anjali to the hospital.
They guided her to their jeep and helped her sit in the front row.
Once the vehicle started moving, Anjali asked them to take her to Madhav.

Madhav was waiting for her.
The moment Anjali saw him, she rushed toward him and collapsed into his arms.
She held onto him tightly and broke down.
This time, she didn’t try to control it. The tears came freely, her body shaking as everything she had held back until then poured out at once.
Madhav didn’t interrupt her. He didn’t try to calm her down or stop her from crying. He just stood there, holding her, letting her release it all, as if he knew she needed this more than anything else.
A few minutes later, as her sobs settled, he sat with her in the hall. Anjali wiped her face.
“Do you remember the two men killed in the accident last week? The brother of one of them - his name is Jasdeep - he orchestrated this one. It was revenge for the murder of his brother. I don’t know how they knew about it, but I guess they are also some sort of bad guys. They had been tracking Vikram, and today they executed their plan,” she said, and looked into Madhav’s eyes. “But I didn’t tell the security officer. It should stay like an accident.”
Madhav looked at her for a moment longer, then nodded slightly.
“You did the right thing,” he said.
Anjali didn’t say anything more.
She didn’t mention what had happened after that. Not the way the bearded man had behaved. Not the fear, the struggle, or the moments she had felt completely trapped.
Anjali leaned onto him and rested her head on his shoulder for a few minutes. Everything was soon becoming a memory, and her mind was becoming calmer.

She later asked quietly, “How did you know I was in danger?”
Madhav took a breath before answering.
“You told me someone was following you,” he said. “After that call… nothing felt right. So I arranged for a team to go out and look for you. I also pulled some strings to track your mobile phone location. When they gave me the location, I shared it with my team. They had crossed the accident spot by then, but they came back to find you. By the time they reached the area, the security officer were already there. Someone had reported the accident after seeing the damaged truck. They weren’t planning to escape. It’s a well-crafted plan, I guess.”
Anjali looked at him and gave a faint nod.
“Thank you,” she said quietly. “For being… so alert.”
Madhav put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her a little closer.
After a moment, he asked, almost casually, “How was the river rafting… with Vikram?”

Anjali’s mind drifted for a second.
She saw the water again. The stillness of that pond. Then the rock, and the memory of her being pushed against it, and Vikram’s assault on her. She remembered the pain.
Then suddenly her memory shifted. She saw Vikram lying on the ground. Dead.
When she looked back at Madhav, there was a small, calm smile on her face.

“I’m glad I went with him,” she said.
Madhav just looked on.
“It ended well,” she continued, her voice steady now. “Justice… for Vinayak. For us.”
Madhav’s arm tightened around her slightly, pulling her further close.
“Yes,” he said quietly. “That’s all I needed to hear.”
Anjali turned toward him.
For a moment, she just looked at him. Then she leaned in and kissed him - slowly, gently - on his lips.
When she pulled back, she didn’t move away. Instead, she kissed him again, longer.
He didn’t stop her.
Neither of them spoke.
The silence between them wasn’t empty anymore. It carried everything they had just come through - and everything they had chosen to leave behind.

The next morning, they went to the hospital to receive Vikram’s body after the postmortem.
Vikram’s father, Shyamal Das, and Anjali’s father, Manohar, were also present at the hospital. They came to lend their emotional support to Anjali. She just stood there, pretending to still be in shock. At one moment, she looked at Madhav’s face and winked at him secretly. A faint smile appeared on his lips.
The security officer had registered it as an unnatural death, treating it as a road accident. Anjali was approached for a statement. She gave a brief account of how the car rejoined the main road and how the collision happened. She kept it simple. The officer noted it without pressing further.
The driver and his staff, who had surrendered, told the security officer that the car had come onto the main road suddenly from a side road, without warning. Anjali chose to support that account. It was the truth. Vikram hadn’t worn a seatbelt, and that had cost him his life.

After a while, she noticed Jasdeep at the far end of the corridor. Thankfully, the bearded man was nowhere around.
Jasdeep walked up to her and stopped in front of her.
“I came to meet you,” he said. Anjali looked at him, calm. “They’ve written this as an accident. That’s how it will stay now.”
Anjali didn’t say anything. She looked on, without even blinking.
“Thank you,” Jasdeep said.
Anjali nodded.
Jasdeep nodded back at her. “Take care, Anjali.”
He said it and walked away.
Anjali stood still for a moment, then went back to Madhav.
Anjali didn’t attend Vikram’s funeral. She was done with pretending.

On their way back home, Madhav told Anjali that he had been the one who pulled the strings to make Vikram’s business deal fail.
“Oh,” Anjali looked at him in surprise. “I’m glad you didn’t let him die a happy man.”
“What about you?”
Anjali looked at Madhav, then said quietly, “I had told Vikram about us.”
“He already knew that, didn’t he?”
“He knew about the first incident. I told him that we had made it a habit.”
“Oh,” Madhav smiled at her. “What did he say?”
“I told him everything,” she continued. “Even about the Friday night.”
Madhav’s expression tightened slightly. “And?”
Anjali took a breath. “He was furious.”
She paused, her eyes lowering for a moment.
“And he was… brutal.”
Madhav stopped the car and kept his eyes on her. But he didn’t ask anything further. He pulled her closer, his arm firm around her.
“It’s over now,” he said softly. “You don’t have to go through any of that again.”
Anjali leaned into him, letting the words settle.
Madhav started the car again.

Later that night, after dinner, Anjali walked into Madhav’s bedroom.
“Do you mind if I move in here?” she asked.
Madhav looked at her, amused.
“What happened?”
“I don’t want to go back and forth anymore. That time is over.”
She stepped closer and stood in front of him.
“I belong to you, Madhav,” she said, placing her hands on his shoulders.
There was no hesitation in her tone.
“I’ve spoken to Vinayak… in my own way,” she added quietly. “I’ve let go. And I’ve chosen you. I hope he’s at peace with it, and I hope his mother is happy for you.”
Madhav looked up to meet her eyes and said, “I’ve stopped questioning myself, Anjali. And I’m not going to let anyone question us anymore.”
Anjali smiled.
Then she bent forward to kiss him - slow, unhurried, feeling each other’s breath. Anjali’s arms surrounded his neck, and she slowly sat on his lap. Madhav’s arms circled her, welcoming her.
“Madhav…” Anjali gasped after a few seconds. “I will never call you Dad again.”
Madhav looked deep into her eyes. And he smiled. Then he pulled her close to kiss her again. This time, it wasn’t a soft one.
They had moved on. Moved on from the pain, loss, and the fate the world had given them.
After everything they had been through, the chaos had settled.
After the ashes, they had found something alive.
In themselves.

Two weeks later, on a quiet coastal cliff somewhere in southern Europe, a black car pulled up in front of a white villa with arched windows and a terracotta roof. Madhav stepped out of the car from the rear seat. He was wearing a suit. Anjali, in a soft beige dress, followed him.
A man stood waiting by the gate, holding a file and a set of keys.
“Mr and Mrs…?” he asked, glancing down at the file.
Madhav glanced around the whole place and at the sky above the sea, before turning to extend his hand to the man. “I’m Madhav.”
Anjali stood beside him, and she smiled gently. “I am Anjali Madhav.”
The man returned the smile, handed them the keys, and stepped away.
They stood there for a moment, side by side, looking ahead at the vast blue horizon.
It wasn’t a perfect world.
But it was theirs.
A fresh start, after the ashes.

THE END