A Promise Togetherness Forever: Piyush and Sunaina's Sanctum (Verma Clan Sanctum Series Book 2)

by Reshma Ranjan

  Piyush walked behind her. He didn’t go inside because if he saw the monster, he was afraid he won’t be able to control himself and would kill him. He could feel the hatred and anger running through his veins. He told her that he will wait outside and asked her to get her stuff and call him if needed. He hinted to her that she won’t be returning here.

  Sunaina nodded. She was leaving soon anyways.

  After a few minutes he heard raised voices. He didn’t wait for her to call him; he just ran in to see a bag on the floor and a man holding Sunaina menacingly by her hair. She looked drained out. Her eyes held no terror or anything for that matter. They were just blank. That was even scarier than the terror he had seen in her eyes in the office.

  “Leave her alone.” His voice was barely a whisper but it had a dangerous texture to it.

  The man let her go. Piyush couldn’t see any resemblance between the two. Is he her father or someone else? Is he one of the other men? Piyush could already see red.

  “Who are you?” the man asked Piyush.

  “Who are you?” Piyush countered.

  “I am Subbaiyya, her father. This is my house” It was obvious that the man was drunk.

  “My Stepfather.” Sunaina said.

  He saw the pain flash in her eyes as she cleared his doubt.

  “Come Sunaina, you’re going with me.” Piyush took her bag from the floor, took her hand and was going out when he heard Subbaiyya shout.

  “You are sleeping with him, aren’t you?” He slurred. “I knew you are not a naïve girl. Your innocence and struggle was just an act? Whore!” He spat.

  Piyush didn’t want her to hear any more. She had enough to deal with without the added verbal abuses. He grabbed her arm and took her away. As he opened the car she swayed. He supported her and gently put her in the car seat. He badly wanted to go in and break that bastard’s jaw but taking care of Sunaina was more important now.

  *******

  “Sunaina, we have reached.”

  She got out and saw that it was a farm house with trees all around. It would be his farm house where he brings the women. But I don’t have the strength to endure it tonight, she thought. She felt faint.

  Piyush supported Sunaina as she swayed and knocked at the door. After a few seconds the door opened. Sujal stood at the doorway.

  Sunaina looked at Sujal and her eyes filled with tears.

  Sujal frowned. He hadn’t recognised her at first glance but at the next glance he did. He had been going to the office often to learn from Piyush and see how they worked on projects. He would be completing his college soon and he planned to join Piyush. He had worked with Sunaina. In fact, he had even picked up many tips from her.

  “Sunaina! What happened to you?”

  Sunaina turned and looked at Piyush who was supporting her. Tears about to spill, she whimpered, “I…I…please I can’t…not tonight, please. I am in too much pain.”

  Piyush could only ground his teeth as she begged. Sujal frowned at what she said, when her meaning dawned upon him. He cursed out aloud, “What the hell?”

  She flinched involuntarily and moved back, almost loosing balance when Piyush straightened her. He picked her up and placed her on the couch in the living room. He gave her a cushion and asked her to lie down. Then he brought a comforter from the next room and put it over her. It was cold during this part of the year and the temperature sometimes dipped to a single digit Celsius during the nights. Sunaina didn’t lie down. She watched Piyush as he pulled his tie loose. Sujal still stood by the door, his eyes full of question and anger at what she had meant. Piyush raised his hand and pointed upstairs, signalling to his cousin. Sujal nodded and left. Piyush walked towards the fire place and switched it on. He opened the glass to let the heat in. He had felt how cold her body was when he had helped her in. Then he eased himself on the seat across the couch she was sitting on. All the while her eyes were following his every movement.

  They sat in silence for some time. Sunaina didn’t know how long that was since she couldn’t keep track of time. The medicines must be kicking in. If only he would quickly finish off and I could drift into oblivion! And tomorrow morning I can bid good bye to everything as planned. She didn’t have any more strength left in her.

  “Will you both let me go once you finish with me?” Her voice was barely audible.

  With a swiftness she could never fathom, he loomed over her. She cowered at his big frame shaking in anger as his fingers dug into her arms.

  “Listen, Sunaina. Sujal and I both have been bought up single-handedly by two strong women. We have been taught to respect women, not to hurt them. Growing up with many girls around, we know when they are in pain and how to help them ease it. We don’t inflict pain on them.” He struggled with his words, his voice dangerously soft. “All men are not like your Dad, damn it!”

  “Piyush!” Dia’s alarming voice echoed in the room. Piyush let Sunaina’s arm go.

  Sujal had just come downstairs after asking his mother Dia to come down to the living room. He had heard Sunaina clearly. He didn’t want Dia to hear what the girl said. He had not woken up Mia, his aunt and Piyush’s mother, from her sleep.

  Dia quickly came to Sunaina who was clutching the comforter for dear life. She tried to hide the involuntary gasp that came out of her lips when she saw the bruises. Dia had heard what Piyush had said. As a matter of fact, she had even heard what the girl had said earlier.

  She took the comforter from the girl’s hand and wrapped her in it.

  “Do you want to lie down?”

  When Sunaina looked at her confused, Dia knew she must have taken some medicines. She slowly made the girl lie down on the couch. The girl pulled herself up in a foetal position but immediately flinched and cried out.

  “You shouldn’t do that. You have to sleep straight, girl.” Piyush’s impatient voice boomed.

  Dr Savitri had given Sunaina some real strong medicines and wanted Piyush to keep a keen eye on her for a few days. “It’s common for girls to try something stupid after such trauma,” she had said.

  “I will lock the door,” Sunaina said, her voice almost like a whisper. “But, how can I? He removed the lock from the door.” Her lower lips trembled. “It was just him at first,” a painful sob broke from her throat. She was only half conscious due to the medications. She struggled to keep her eyes open. “I can’t sleep.” Sunaina looked at Dia and with quivering lips she continued, “they had bottles and…and something…” she paused taking a breath, and her body shivered remembering the agony “…metal. It hurt” She sat up and pulled her knees to her chest. “Tomorrow morning, I will end everything.” Her voice suddenly held a stubborn-ness which was absent a few seconds ago.

  “NO!” Piyush’s voice sounded desperate. Dr Savitri was right. He came running towards her. She cowered into Dia who sat with her on the couch. She let the frightened girl in her arms. Piyush moved back.

  “Look at me, Sunaina! You have your whole life in front of you. You have your work. Remember the design? Tomorrow we are going to present your design to the clients. You are a vital part of our company. Do you hear me?” Piyush wanted to sound hopeful but his voice held an unknown fear.

  “Company?” She frowned. She was a new recruit. How can she be vital for a company of that magnitude? “I am tired.” She looked at Dia and her eyes filled with tears. “Ma…” she sobbed. “I hate being a woman, Ma. I feel dirty…” she started rubbing her body, trying to rub off the dirty touches. “I tried washing it off, but I am still dirty…” She was starting to get delirious, probably because of the medicines, when Dia stopped her.

  “You are not dirty. Honey! Look at me. Those guys that did those terrible things, they are dirty. They are bad, horrible, but you are not. Do you hear me? I am here for you. Look at me, honey!” Sunaina rested her head on Dia’s shoulder. She had drifted off as the medicine had finally taken effect.

  Fingers combing through his hair he held his head in his hands, looked at Sujal. S
ujal was equally shaken. It’s not that they were naïve as to what sadists in this society did to women and children. It’s just they had never seen a first-hand victim, that too a colleague and a friend. Their mom’s youngest sister Sia, who was adopted by their granny, had faced some abuse in her life. But they had not seen her broken and shattered like Sunaina. And now, under their grandmother’s influence, Sia was growing up into a strong and confident person.

  They looked perplexed as to how they were going to help this little thing. She looked so small, so hurt and broken.

  “Ma, what if she does something to hurt herself?” Sujal asked.

  Dia was worried. She was working on her lecture when Sujal had come, clearly worried, and asking her to come downstairs to the living room immediately. She didn’t respond and looked at Piyush for answers.

  Piyush took a deep breath and explained how he had seen her slouched over the table and the things that happened next, how he had taken her to the hospital and told them what Dr Savitri had said. He also mentioned his small meeting with her step-father, his anger clearly indicating how he would easily commit a murder if he could. They were all shaken to the core when they came to know who the monster was. Even if not Sunaina’s real father, that monster was still the girl’s step-father.

  Chapter 3

  Piyush sat by the sleeping form of Sunaina as Dia went to get the guest room ready. Sujal sat across him on another seat.

  “We never saw any signs of it, Bro!” Sujal said. “We have been interacting with her for the past few months, but we didn’t see any indication of it. She has had too much pent-up pain. I hope we can help her come out of this trauma. You are not going to allow her to go back, are you?”

  Piyush was looking at the small battered figure. “Never.” His voice sliced as a lash. “I’m going to kill that bastard.”

  Sunaina stirred. “NO! Please, don’t…” her painful wail pierced his heart.

  Piyush saw Sujal flinch through his peripheral vision.

  She whimpered again “Please don’t hurt me…” her voice was barely a whisper, but the silent night made it crystal clear. “…it hurts. I will not fight, I promise, but don’t…”

  Before she could continue, Piyush and Sujal got up together. Sujal looked at his cousin for a moment as Sunaina continued her pleas to not hurt her, and stormed out. Piyush couldn’t bear to hear any more but neither could he leave her alone. He pulled her from the couch into his arms, taking care not to hurt her broken ribs.

  “Shhh…No more, no more I promise, little lady.” He made soothing noises and rocked her sleeping form to and fro, while she sobbed on and on.

  Dia found Sujal sitting on the bottom steps of the staircase. “What happened?” She asked.

  Sujal got up and looked at her. She saw the pain reflected on his face.

  “How could anyone do that to a human being?” His voice broke. “She is living it again in her nightmares Ma, she is pleading not to hurt her.”

  Dia quickly pulled her son into her arms to comfort him.

  They both found Piyush on the couch, tears brimming from his eyes as he held the sobbing figure. Sunaina was still rambling. Then Dia gasped as she heard what she was saying. Sujal just left the room. Dia wanted to do the same but she had to be with Piyush. Their kids had grown up in a beautiful environment and this was too much for them. She went to the rocking figure and pulled his head to her bosom.

  “It’s ok to cry, son. Everyone needs to let go at some point.” She felt his tears wetting her Kaftan as he let his tears free.

  “What happened, Sujal? You are scaring me.” They heard Mia’s voice as she came in the room in a hurry, obviously worried after seeing Sujal’s condition, and froze as she saw the three figures huddled together. Piyush was holding a woman draped in a saree and Dia was holding her crying boy. He doesn’t cry, he is a man now, Mia thought. Then slowly it dawned on her that something was really bad. Sujal walked in behind her and held her shoulder, as if to support her if she fell. She clutched his hand tightly.

  “What happened? Who is she? Is she Piyush’s lover? Did something happen to her?” Mia’s voice broke. Please, God, don’t let anything happen to her, she prayed.

  She knew all about the pain of losing the person you loved. When her husband Venkat had gone missing just a year after her marriage while she was pregnant with Suba, Mia had lived on with the belief that he would return but Venkat had never come back. This was supposed to be his last mission before he resigned for good. Venkat was with Research and Analytical Wing, also known as RAW, the foreign intelligence agency of India. Mia’s family had stood by her. Venkat was a highly skilled Engineer. She never knew the particulars of his missions, but he was soon going to retire from the field job and stick to an office job with the same organisation, when he had gone missing in-action.

  She couldn’t bear if her son had to go through that same pain of losing a loved one. Sujal made her sit on one of the cosy chairs, and explained. In between, when Mia heard Sunaina’s rambling, she gasped. Dia sat in the chair next to her.

  Piyush didn’t let Sunaina go. He held her closer whenever she rambled. He asked Sujal if he could get the medicine and the bags from the car. Piyush let his head rest on the couch as he waited for Sujal to get the bag. Suddenly, he felt her body stiffen. He lifted his head and saw her snuggled in his lap, her head resting in the nook of his neck. Her head was tilted up and her eyes were open, watching his face with fear etched upon her expressions. Her hand which had clutched his shirt slowly released it. She tried to get up quickly, and she let out a gasp at the shooting pain searing through her. He knew it was not just her ribs, even her abdomen would be painful as the effect of the medicines was almost gone. She dropped back into his arm with pain.

  “You should take her to the guest room, Piyush!” Dia said.

  Sunaina looked at the unfamiliar faces, her curiosity obvious.

  “That’s my mother, Mia Mauli.” Piyush said, pointing to Mia, reading the question in Sunaina’s eyes. “And that is Sujal’s mother, Dia Verma. They are sisters.”

  Sunaina said a soft hello and tried to get down from his lap.

  “You are in no condition to walk. I will take you to your room.” When Piyush looked at Sunaina he noticed a flicker of embarrassment on her face. She is so beautiful without her makeup, he thought. Immediately, Piyush felt embarrassed at his thought and his hands sagged a little.

  She quickly clutched to his shirt with a gasp as if afraid he was going to drop her. “Trust me! I will never let you fall,” he whispered with a warm smile.

  Sunaina looked at him oddly, as if looking to decipher the hidden meaning behind his words.

  Mia and Dia heard the exchange and looked at each other Was something new being ignited here? The older women were not sure, but they wanted neither Piyush nor Sunaina to get hurt. This was no moment for a relationship to begin. All the more, Sunaina wouldn’t be able to stand another setback and Piyush was very sensitive, even though he had a tough exterior.

  Piyush carried Sunaina to the guest room while Dia and Mia went to get something to eat for Sunaina so she could take her medicines.

  Piyush placed her on the bed and adjusted the pillows behind her. She flinched with pain at the sudden movement. He didn’t want her to move too many times. He sat next to her, but she didn’t look at his face. Her eyes were downcast. He continued looking at her. Piyush sensed that she expected him to go or look away, seeing that she was not responding. But he was patient.

  Finally, her eyes lifted and locked with his. Piyush realised just then that her glasses were missing, probably left in the hospital. He could see her eyes clearly. Her greenish-grey eyes had brown flecks in them. Her eyes searched his for something as her brows moved closer. He smiled when he saw the confusion on her face. Her hair had come lose and was falling over her face. He slowly lifted his hand so as not to alarm her, and pushed the lose hair behind her ears. Sunaina didn’t flinch from his touch this time but she stiffened. Pi
yush couldn’t understand whether she had relaxed enough not to run from his touch or if she was too tired and in pain. He turned away from her, picked the blanket from the foot of the bed and wrapped it around her sitting figure. When she tried to lie down he stopped her.

  “First eat something and take your medicines.”

  She fidgeted with the edge of her Saree.

  Maybe she would forget the pain with some work, Piyush thought. “Are you up for a little work?” He asked.

  She looked at him as though he had gone crazy. Frowning, she nodded.

  Sujal helped the older ladies by bringing some food for Sunaina. Mia came in and asked her if she would need anything else and when Sunaina shook her head in the negative, Mia made her promise to call if she did. Sunaina felt that these two women were so concerned for her, as her mother would have been if she were alive. She struggled to hold back her tears. Sujal patted her back awkwardly, trying to comfort her.

  “Sujal, Sunaina would like to work over the design with us till she feels sleepy. Stay with her and I will go and get the designs.” Piyush said.

  It was obvious Sujal felt awkward. “Bro, you stay with her and I will get the designs. I have kept them in the office.” Without waiting for a response, he went to collect the designs and the drawing board.

  Chapter 4

  The trio worked for about three hours and made a few changes in the existing designs. Sunaina came up with many innovative ideas that were also very environment friendly. Soon she started feeling sleepy due to the medication, though the throbbing pain in her abdomen was getting bad. She needed to change as she felt stuffy in the saree she had worn for office. Sensing her fatigue, Sujal looked at his brother, motioned towards Sunaina’s bag that he had brought to her room earlier, and left. He knew they couldn’t leave her alone as she was too fragile at the moment. Piyush got up and went through her dresses and took out her night dress and took it to the bathroom. He adjusted the water temperature and filled the tub. She needed a good soak.