The Revenge Games

by M. V. Kasi

  “It was never about the money or the inheritance,” came the quiet response.

  “I know. But with only six more months remaining to fulfill all the conditions of the will, why do you want to pursue the divorce right now? Why take chances? What if your uncle claims his properties and everything else back?”

  “I don’t care anymore. Because, I can’t keep yours and Anika’s life on hold for the sake of a will. I don’t want Anika confused, shuttling between me and someone else. She’s already where she belongs—”

  “Don’t ever say that!” he snapped, losing his cool. He gripped her arms, pulling her until her eyes met his. “She belongs with us! With you and me. In our house. Or wherever we both are.”

  Her eyes fell. “Sign the papers, Ajay,” she said softly. “I know this is abrupt, but if you think about it, you’ll know I’m right. Anyone can see that. And they will advise you to do the same.”

  “I don’t give a shit about what others think.” His face fell. “Don’t do this to us,” he begged.

  She didn’t reply. Her shoulders hunched down in defeat, as though whatever was happening was beyond her control.

  “I refuse to divorce you,” he said in a determined tone.

  “You’ll have to, Ajay” she said softly. “Because I can’t be with you anymore.”

  “Just tell me why? And don’t feed me with the some bullshit lies about not being a good mother or wife.”

  She didn’t say anything.

  He shook her. “Tell me why!” he begged again.

  She looked torn. “Why would you want to be with me in the first place?” she asked. “I manipulated you. I lied.”

  “Yes, you did all those. And I hated you for them. I told you that already. And I also told that I love you more than anything in this world.”

  “It won’t last Ajay. Just let me go. Please. You’ll be fine,” she whispered.

  “No. I won’t be fine. I cannot simply fall out of love with you.”

  “You know you are only prolonging the inevitable, just because you are not ready to let me go,” she said.

  He was quiet. He knew she was right. She had already made up her mind. Knowing her, he knew nothing would change her decision.

  His hands dropped from her shoulders in defeat.

  “Promise me something, Ajay,” she pleaded. Her chin wobbled and her eyes began stinging with unshed tears.

  “I would promise you the entire bloody world if that will make you stay with me,” he said.

  She closed her eyes. “Just promise me you’ll be happy,” she said.

  He didn’t answer. He was too furious to do so.

  When she opened her eyes, he continued to watch her angrily.

  Looking at him for a few more seconds, she walked out of the room.

  His past, his present, and his future, walked out of his life, leaving him helpless. He wanted to shout at her, and then drop to his knees, and beg her to stay. He wanted to take her into his arms and let her know that everything would be okay.

  At that moment, he knew that their life couldn’t be magically okay. That her quest for revenge wasn’t something he could compete against.

  CHAPTER THIRTY TWO

  Sia moved in with Varun for a couple of days. Until Ajay packed his stuff and moved back to his apartment.

  A month later, Ajay signed the divorce papers.

  Even though she had more or less blackmailed him into it, she felt the razor sharp agony of a bleeding heart, aching for him and their daughter. She missed them.

  Sometimes, she was tempted to pick up the phone and beg him to take her back.

  If only life had offered her that chance.

  No. Life was a piece of shit. It gave her a taste of what happiness looked like, only to snatch it away from her, and remind her that she was all alone in the world.

  Chills wracked her clammy body as she lay on the bed, holding Ajay’s and Anika’s picture in her hands. She was in the empty nursery room that Ajay and she had put together.

  It was not supposed to end this way.

  However, this was it. It was the end of her happy life that she could only experience for a brief while.

  Her thoughts were scattered and confused while she ached for her husband and daughter.

  She still craved his love, his touch and his kisses. She wanted to hold her daughter close and promise her that she would make the world a safe place for her.

  But she couldn’t do any of those things.

  She was amazed how much a heart could take. She felt broken, devastated, but her heart continued to beat in her chest.

  “Sia,” a deep, quiet voice called out to her.

  It was Varun. He was watching her with an impenetrable look.

  “What is it Varun?” she asked, blinking her eyes rapidly to get rid of the unshed tears.

  Bracing her hands on the bed, she pushed herself up to sit.

  “I saw them today. Ajay is getting engaged to Jyotika.”

  Her body froze, causing the photo she held in her hands to fall down. Lifting it quickly, she ignored the pain in her chest. Why did that news hurt her more than the lifetime of loneliness that waited for her?

  This is what you wanted for him—to get married to Jyothika. A woman who would make him and Anika happy. A woman who could give them things that you couldn’t.

  Slowly, she looked up at Varun and opened her mouth to say something. Not a word came out of it.

  “Sia?”

  She cleared her throat. “Good for them,” she got out finally. “Ajay already signed the divorce papers. It means that he won’t be held accountable to anything I do. I think we should proceed with our plans quickly,” she said.

  Varun nodded. Slowly, he came closer to her and sat next to her.

  He wasn’t touching her, but there was a certain intimacy in his proximity. Maybe because she had never seen him be that close to anyone before.

  “Sia... I... I want to be with you,” he declared softly.

  She sucked in deep breath in shock, and swayed slightly away from him to look at him better.

  “Varun, what are you saying? You know we can’t afford to have any attachments. Not with the kind of plans we made.”

  “I know. But just in case this turns out differently, and we are free, will you be with me?” he asked softly.

  Sia looked at him quietly. There was no denying that Varun was a good looking man. Unlike Ajay’s stunning good looks, Varun had a raw masculine look. The scar on his face only added to the sex appeal. But... to her, he was Varun. He wasn’t Ajay.

  Suddenly, she could feel Varun’s intent gaze land on her mouth. Slowly, he lifted his trembling hands towards her cheek. She should have jerked away, but she didn’t.

  She waited to see whether he was able to willingly touch another human.

  He was.

  His thumb landed on her cheek, and it moved back on forth, rubbing it softly. His eyes were riveted on his hand.

  “You are able to touch,” she said softly.

  “Yes,” he murmured.

  “Since when?” she asked him gently.

  He was quiet. “Since the child trafficking incident. I-I was able to hold and carry a girl and a child that time.”

  “I see.”

  He moved his hand away from her cheek. “Sia, I know this is all of sudden. And I also know it’s stupid of me to be thinking of such things right now. But I am so sick of feeling so dead inside. And when I realized that I could touch and hold that girl, I felt that there was some hope for me to feel normal.”

  “Varun, I’m happy that you are able to make progress. But I don’t think I’m the person you should be with.”

  He shook his head. “No, Sia. I have thought about this a lot,” he said. “You are the only person who actually gets me. Yes, I know you are in love with someone else. But were you ever satisfied with simply love? Didn’t you want to spend your life with someone who also gets you too?”

  Sia understood what Varun was tal
king about. Although she had no doubts about Ajay’s love for her during their marriage, there were times when she felt he couldn’t completely understand what she went through during her childhood, and the impact of it on her life.

  Even though she loved Ajay and Anika more than her own life, she had sometimes wished that their happiness wasn’t dependant on her mental state. Years of abuse, and the following consequences and trauma couldn’t simply be wiped away by a loving husband and daughter. Or that she couldn’t just wake up being happy or feeling whole.

  “Please Sia, say you’ll think about it,” said Varun.

  “Varun, I can’t make any promises at this time. It won’t be fair to you too.”

  Varun looked disappointed, but he nodded in understanding.

  CHAPTER THIRTY THREE

  The days that followed were filled with planning their next move. Sia and Varun got in touch with the hacker. He began feeding them information, and also mailing them all the technology needed to execute their elaborate plans.

  Two weeks before their original plan could be executed, they met with an unexpected shocking news.

  Jagadish Naidu’s wife, Mrs. Geetha Naidu had died of a heart attack.

  “We can’t get him now, Sia,” said Varun in frustration. “He’s going to be surrounded by people now. Including your husband,” Varun said angrily as he played a video in front of her.

  There was a hazy video of Ajay standing next to her uncle and her cousin. Ajay’s head was bent down as he looked mournful.

  “Mr. Jagadish Naidu’s wife, Mrs. Geetha Naidu passed away due to a heart attack. Top leaders and city’s well-known faces visited outside the Naidu Estate premises to pay respects. Including Mr. Ajay Manthena who is married to the heiress of the Naidu Estate who has accused her uncle of child abuse and trafficking. With this gesture, will the ongoing investigation of Mr. Jagadish Naidu being involved in any nefarious operations be completely wiped out?”

  Varun’s angry voice spoke, “That bastard is milking his wife’s death.”

  “My wife died of heart break because she could not tolerate such obscene accusations about me.” The seemingly grieving widower wiped the tears from his eyes.”She told me she hated seeing someone like me subjected to embarrassment and humiliation by my own flesh and blood.”

  “How is Dr. Kranthi Naidu taking his mother’s death?” a reporter asked. They tried to speak with him, but he didn’t respond to them and continued looking at his mother’s body in shock.

  “Hard. Very, very hard. He was very close to her. And now he is left motherless because of a senseless vendetta against me.”

  “Mr.Naidu, your niece’s husband is here. Does that mean there is no longer a family feud? Will the ongoing case will be dropped?”

  There was a loud exhale. “I don’t know. All I care about right now is to provide solace to my grieving son. And I would like to thank all those who have offered me support and condolences during these difficult times.”

  “I hate that bastard,” Varun spat while watching the video. “And why did your husband go there?” he demanded.

  “Ajay knew that family, Varun. He was simply paying respect to her.”

  “We both knew her too, Sia. Yet, we didn’t rush to pay our respects.”

  Sia didn’t answer.

  She felt torn about how she felt with her aunt passing away. When she had heard the news the day before, she felt a deep regret.

  Even though her aunt hadn’t stopped the abuse on time, Sia still recalled some of the good memories she had with her. Her aunt was also the one who was responsible to get her out of the village under false pretenses with the help of Ajay’s mother.

  “Varun, we cannot afford to change our plans. We will still proceed with what needs to be done. Only, our first target will be different.”

  Varun was quiet. “Are you sure about this Sia?” he asked.

  “Very sure. There is no going back.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR

  This is it. No turning back.

  Sia repeated those words like a mantra while standing in front of a bathroom mirror, staring at herself.

  She hated what she saw. Because she hated what she was. She hated it all.

  She was not destined to be with a loving husband or a child to cherish. The moment she decided to set her course towards retribution, all her dreams had vanished.

  Reaching a trembling hand, she touched her reflection.

  For some reason it felt safe doing that. She needed this distance tonight. Because after the night was over, she was going to be left with two choices.

  She was either going to be arrested or she will be a lifelong fugitive.

  There was no turning back.

  With those kinds of choices, any other sane person would rethink their course in life.

  She had no second thoughts. Especially now. Because the reflection she saw was that of a nine year old girl. The same nine year old girl whose soul was ripped away.

  Similar to all those other children who suffered abuse at the hands of monsters she was determined to destroy.

  Her heart began to pump harder as the feelings of rage and sadness took over.

  She knew she was stronger than the pain. She had to be. She couldn’t knowingly let any other child go through the same things that she did.

  The monsters had to die.

  Taking a deep breath, she leaned forward and turned on the tap. Placing her palms under the running tap, she wet her hair slightly. Parting her hair in the middle, she twisted each part, and pulled it across one another at the back of her head. She secured her hair with small pins until all her long hair was fixed tightly against the scalp.

  She couldn’t risk any hair strand to fall to leave evidence that night.

  Then taking a wig cap, she slipped it on top of her hair. It also held the earpiece for her to stay in contact with Varun.

  Over the next ten minutes, she adjusted the wig cap until there were no imperfections. Bending slightly, she tightened the holster around her hips before smoothing her black top over it. Her black slacks and boots would also blend in with the dark.

  She stood still in front of the mirror, looking at herself from all the angles.

  Satisfied, she grabbed a small handgun and placed it in the holster concealed near her waist.

  “This is it. There is no turning back from this,” she told herself out loud.

  She didn’t have any regrets. The man whom she was going to kill that night had admitted to having no regrets while destroying many innocent lives. He even dared to threaten Anika and Ajay.

  And lately, each night she had a nightmare, along with her uncle’s face, she also saw the other man’s face too. The horrible smug grin he wore while thinking he was beyond law.

  She could not let it go. The need to kill him was strong and raging within her.

  She wanted to get to her uncle first. But the fact that he was surrounded by his minions to console him, made her choose the other animal first. After this, she wanted her uncle to live in constant fear. Until she killed him as well.

  * * *

  An hour later, she stood outside a large house where the bastard judge lived. It was close to midnight and nobody was around, either on the road or around the house. There were two security guards at the front gate that were fast asleep. Thanks to the meals they had that night.

  “I’m still not comfortable with you going in there by yourself, Sia,” said Varun. He was dressed in all black like her. But unlike her, he was to remain outside and keep watch.

  “We have discussed this before. We can’t afford to make any mistakes or deviate from our plan. Just... keep an eye and alert me if anything goes wrong.”

  Varun nodded reluctantly. “You remember all the instructions?” he asked.

  “Yes,” she said.

  And then, taking a deep breath, she began to scale the wall easily from a corner, and jumped inside the compound. The wall had an electric fence, but their hacker had deactivated i
t currently until the morning.

  Taking out a flashlight from her holster, she flashed it towards the obvious camera on the outside wall ceiling near the doorway, blinding the camera’s sensor. According to the hacker, there weren’t too many cameras placed in the judge’s house.

  She pulled out a master key and unlocked the main door with it. Scoping the place thoroughly, she noticed that there were four exits on the ground floor. The main entry, backdoor, the French doors to the outside patio and also to the downstairs bedroom. It matched with the information she got from the hacker. She kept flashing the beam of light on two other cameras, she encountered.

  Walking up the stairs, she adjusted her gloves and opened the bedroom door with the master key.

  The room was semi-dark with only a reading lamp turned on next to an empty bed.

  Her heart jolted, wondering if her prey wasn’t at home that night. But she had gotten the confirmation that he would remain home that night.

  Just then, she heard the sound of a toilet flushing.

  She waited quietly, standing in the shadows while looking around the room, not touching anything. A few minutes later, the portly shape of the judge emerged.

  The man jumped and then froze when he saw her emerging from the shadows. With great effort, he schooled his features to a normal look.

  “This is a pleasant surprise, Mrs. Manthena,” he said.

  She watched him calmly, even as her fingers itched to draw out her weapon right then, and to keep pumping bullets into his worthless body.

  He sighed dramatically. “We already spoke Mrs. Manthena. I thought this whole thing was over with. And it’s already been proven that I’m not guilty.”

  “No. It’s not over. Far from it,” she said softly. “You need to pay. And I’m here to make sure you do.”

  He got agitated by her tone and stance. “You and your husband have already ruined my reputation. Even though I’ve been proven not guilty, a lot of people are worried to be seen with me, or be with me. You don’t think that’s enough?”