Bound by Hatred (The Singham Bloodlines Book 2)

by MV Kasi

  ***

  Sabitha’s hands and body continued trembling as she hurried through the hospital corridor where Dev was being taken. “Where in the bloody hell are all the doctors!” she asked when she didn’t see anyone in hospital scrubs. Most of the Singhams and a few Prajapatis had gathered. But no doctors.

  “WHERE ARE THE DOCTORS!” she shouted again, placing a gun on a man’s head who had received them when they arrived at the hospital.

  “T-They are with Dr. Singham,” he rushed out the words. “They are preparing for the surgery inside an operating room.”

  “Ask them to hurry the hell up! He’s losing a lot of blood!”

  A minute later, Anika came towards them hurriedly and instructed the attendants to wheel Dev into the surgery room.

  “Will he be alright?” Sabitha demanded.

  “I hope so,” was all Anika said before rushing into the operating room.

  Sabitha watched as the doors shut, and the light turned on, indicating the ongoing surgery.

  Her panic rose even more.

  She began to pray hard. She prayed to her mother’s gods, her father’s gods, and any and every other god in the universe.

  She didn’t know how long she had been pacing the hospital corridor when she saw Anika coming out of the operating room.

  Sabitha rushed towards her. “Tell me he’s okay.”

  Anika nodded. “He’s fine now. Luckily, it wasn’t anything major. The bullet didn’t pass through anything vital.”

  Sheer relief passed through Sabitha. “Is he awake? Can I see him now?” she asked.

  “He’s lost a lot of blood, so he’s going to be unconscious for quite a while. But you can see him.”

  “Thank you,” she said before rushing inside the operating room.

  At the first sight of his handsome, familiar face looking so peaceful, Sabitha almost broke down.

  Then the realization hit her hard.

  It was too late to break the bond she had with him. She was tied to him already. She also realized how empty her life would be without him.

  Everything was fine when she was alone. She might have felt dead inside, but she was fine with it. But now, she wasn’t.

  The beautiful bastard lying on the hospital bed stole her heart and held it in his large hands.

  “Dev!” A man’s shout could be heard from outside. “WHERE IS MY BROTHER!”

  Abhay Singham strode into the hospital room and stopped short when he saw his younger brother lying unconscious.

  “He’s fine, Abhay. Calm down,” Anika told her husband.

  “What happened?” Abhay Singham demanded. He was looking at Sabitha who was sitting next to Dev.

  “We don’t know who shot him yet. I’ll find out soon,” Sabitha replied calmly. She’ll find out who did this and rip out that bastard piece by piece until he begged for death and mercy.

  ***

  Sabitha spent the next couple of days, taking care of the project. It upset her greatly when the body of the man who had shot Dev was discovered. He had preferred to kill himself than be captured by the Singhams.

  In the evenings, after finishing her work at the Prajapati Estate, she drove to the Arundhati Hospital where she slept in the room Dev was currently placed in. When he was shifted back to his home on the third day, she simply drove to the Singham Mansion.

  “Show me where Dev Singham’s room is,” she asked one of the girls working in the garden outside the mansion.

  The two teenage girls looked at each other.

  “Dev is injured. He’s still recovering,” one of the girls said.

  “I know. That’s why I’m here to see him. Take me to him.”

  “I’ll call Anika. I’ll let her know her cousin is here,” the other girl said before hurrying inside.

  “I’ll meet Anika later. First, take me to Dev’s room,” Sabitha demanded softly.

  When the girl just stared at her uncertainly, Sabitha just went into the mansion. The other teenager was returning, but not with Anika. Some other woman who held an angry look on her face was headed her way.

  “Meena, don’t take her to Dev,” the woman told the teenager. She looked at Sabitha with a furious look. “Get out of here! We all know you hate Dev. He was shot when he was next to you. You think we are all stupid not to put two and two together?”

  “Don’t know about others’ stupidity, but yours is quite obvious,” Sabitha replied calmly.

  “How dare you—”

  “Stop,” Sabitha cut her off. “Take. Me. To. Dev’s room. Right now.”

  The woman watched her with a look that was a combination of anger but also a healthy dose of fear.

  Sabitha wanted to shake the woman in frustration. The damn mansion had hundreds of rooms. If she checked every room, it would be nearly morning by the time she found Dev.

  Before Sabitha lost her cool and issued another threat, she saw Anika and Abhay Singham coming down the stairs.

  “Sabitha,” Anika greeted, looking surprised.

  Sabitha gave Anika and Abhay brief nods in return. “I’m here to see Dev.”

  “He’s still asleep when I last checked. But I can take you to him,” Anika offered softly.

  Seeing other people, the woman once again riled up. “Anika. You know Dev hates her. She must have been the one who shot—”

  “Malini.” Abhay Singham’s one word seemed to have shut up the other woman.

  Sabitha followed Anika up the stairs. They walked along a corridor and stopped in front of a room. Unable to wait anymore, Sabitha pushed open the door and hurriedly strode in.

  There was a sitting room and then inside was a large bedroom where Dev was lying on the bed with his eyes closed. Next to him was an old woman who seemed to be sitting next to him.

  “I’ll stay here tonight. You may leave and return in the morning,” said Sabitha.

  The old woman looked shocked, and her eyes met with Anika’s.

  “That’s fine, Sitamma. My cousin will stay here watching over him. Come back when she calls for you.”

  The woman nodded and left.

  Sabitha sat on the chair next to the bed where the woman had previously sat. She watched Dev’s face as he lay on the bed. His face still appeared peaceful.

  She missed his mischievous smirks and heated smiles.

  “He’s running a slight fever,” Anika told her gently. “His body is fighting an infection caused by the bullet wound. His fever should break in a few days.”

  Sabitha didn’t remove her gaze from Dev’s face. She picked up the sponge lying in a bowl of water on a stand next to the bed and squeezed it. Then gently she dabbed it on his forehead to cool his body temperature.

  ***

  Sabitha began to visit Dev each evening and stayed by his side until the morning.

  Each time she visited the Singham Mansion, she saw Anika and Abhay Singham exchanging brief glances, but they did not stop her from visiting or staying with Dev.

  A week had passed, and she had only seen Dev slide in and out of consciousness a few times because of the heavy doses of medication.

  On the seventh night, she woke up to a hand touching her cheek.

  She woke up with a start and saw his eyes were open and completely lucid. Before that, even though he had gained consciousness, his eyes had looked delirious and glazed due to the high fever.

  “Hi, baby,” he rasped out with a smile.

  She smiled back at him. “That was quite a long nap, Singham,” she said, her voice husky with sleep. “I had to deal with all the work you left me with while you lazed around in bed for the past ten days.”

  A chuckle broke out from him.

  “How are you feeling?” she asked.

  “Much better. But very thirsty,” he said.

  Before she could get out of the bed to bring him some water, he stopped her. “I can get it,” he said and sat up slowly. Then reaching out, he took the bottle placed next to his bed and drank some water.

  “Let me call
Anika to let her know you have woken up,” she said while looking for the phone number in her contacts.

  He stopped her again. “No. I feel fine,” he said.

  He leaned against the pillows and watched her with a smile.

  Sabitha felt uncomfortable. She knew she cared for him a lot, but she wasn’t sure it mattered much.

  Each night even though she stayed next to him, she thought about them being together in a practical sense. She finally concluded it would only bring more complications to her already complicated life.

  But despite that reasoning, she had kept returning to his side the next day.

  “I have to leave now,” she said. “Let me call Anika and ask her to check you once. She’ll call Sitamma who has been taking care of you all this while.”

  He smiled. Then slowly his hand reached towards her to run his fingers through her hair. “We need to stop pretending,” he said.

  “What?” she asked softly.

  “We need to stop pretending as though we are not important to each other. I’ve known for a while that you are important to me.”

  “Dev…”

  He caught her hand in his and brought it closer to his lips before kissing her palm. “Something here,” he said as he placed her palm on his heart, “and here,” he said as he moved it to his temple, indicating his mind, “tells me that we should be together.”

  She said nothing, but simply looked away from him as always.

  He caught her chin and made her look at him. “Did you know, my parents and my grandmother have always said that I wore my emotions on my face. So, I know you can see what I feel for you.”

  She took a deep breath. “I do know that you like me…”

  “Like you?” He laughed. He looked at her with an expression that struck deep into her heart.

  “It’s more than just liking,” he said. “It’s a longing. And the kind of longing I have towards you is not just sweet or romantic. Even the mere thought of not having you in my life anymore makes me feel like my guts have been ripped out.”

  He cupped her face. “Tell me you don’t feel even a fraction of that and I’ll back off.”

  She watched his face that was filled with desire, hope, and most importantly—longing. “I feel it, too,” she admitted softly. “The thought of losing you made me feel…” she didn’t find the words to convey how devastated she had felt about the possibility of him being gone.

  A smile lit up his entire face.

  She was no longer going to fight it. She was tired of fighting it and pretending to be heartless. Was it so wrong to give in to what her heart wanted her to do?

  Something she thought she would never crave—now meant the world to her.

  He raised his arm, and she snuggled next to him.

  She spent the entire night in the Singham Mansion, lying in the arms of the man who held her heart.

  CHAPTER 32

  “I know that look.”

  Dev grinned and looked at his older brother who sat across from him at the dining table. “What look?”

  “The same look I had while falling in love with my wife,” said Abhay. Then he frowned. “Well, maybe I didn’t wear that look on my face, but I felt that way on the inside.”

  Dev laughed. “Well, I hope it convinces the woman I’m about to propose to consider spending her life with me.”

  Abhay smiled. “You want Anika and me to come with you to speak with Neelambari Prajapati?”

  “No. I want to ask Sabitha first, before making it official. Let’s just say, my little dragon is a tough nut to crack.”

  Abhay looked amused. “How does it feel having to work for it? Usually, women are lining up to be with you.”

  Dev laughed. “It makes one’s life quite interesting. And very exciting.”

  Dev had known for a while that he was in love with Sabitha. He hadn’t fought hard to stop his growing feelings. Maybe he should have. But each time he was with her or held her, it had been a free fall.

  For the first time in his life, he felt like he belonged to someone without feeling trapped in anyway. He felt that both of them together… they could reach for the stars.

  It was ironic that the most allegedly violent and dangerous woman was also the one who calmed the beast inside him.

  With her, he felt peace and could be his natural self.

  With her, he felt like he was finally home.

  Losing most of his family at an early age had taught him that nobody was there forever. That’s why he had always chosen to live for the moment. He knew he wanted to spend the remaining moments of his life with Sabitha.

  He was sure Sabitha already knew he loved her and wanted to spend his life with her. If she didn’t, then he would tell her repeatedly until she believed him. He wanted her to accept him without any doubts in her mind regarding his feelings towards her.

  He just hoped she wouldn’t keep them waiting for too long, because he couldn’t wait to begin their life together.

  He also couldn’t wait to declare to the entire world that they would be together forever.

  “Where is Anika?” Dev asked. “I haven’t seen her come for breakfast in a while. Is she okay?”

  “She’s fine. She’s just resting longer during the mornings.”

  Anika pregnancy was beginning to show. Dev noticed how radiant and happy she looked even though she was tiring easily these days.

  An image of Sabitha being pregnant flashed in his mind, making him even more excited. He grinned, thinking he probably would have a tough time trying to convince Sabitha to take it easy on shooting guns or using her knife while she was pregnant. And she would most definitely shoot him if she found out how many kids he was planning on having with her.

  He knew he was jumping way, way ahead, but he couldn’t contain his joy. He had even started to look for lands in the city where Sabitha and he could build their house—not just a house but a place where they can build part of their future together. They would spend their time shuttling between Prajapati Mansion and their city house to balance both their worlds. He had already been talking to a few real estate agents who were supposed to show some options during the next week.

  Dev hurried with the rest of his breakfast. “Alright, see you later, big brother. Wish me luck.”

  “Good luck.” Abhay smiled at the eager look on his younger brother‘s face.

  ***

  Dev drove to their cottage where he had asked Sabitha to meet him that morning. He noticed her vehicle was not parked outside.

  He grinned recalling he had kept her awake pretty late the previous night. It had barely been six hours since they both had driven away from the cottage. Maybe she hadn’t woken up yet.

  He waited for a while. A couple of hours later, he sent her another message, asking her if she was awake or running late due to an errand.

  There was no reply.

  It was unlike her, because she was always on time. If not, she at least sent him a message or called to let him know she was running late.

  He waited for another hour before deciding to drive to the Prajapati Mansion.

  As soon as he reached there, the first thing he saw was the grim faces of her men waiting near the entrance. It wasn’t like he had seen them looking jovial anytime, but the tensed looks were unusual. Worried, he asked, “Is Sabitha alright?”

  Her personal bodyguard nodded.

  “Where is she?” Dev asked.

  “Madam is inside, talking to Neelamma,” one of the men answered.

  Frowning, Dev went in. He was led into a sitting room by the man.

  Sabitha was standing with an expressionless look on her face which did not change when she saw him. Next to her was her aunt who had a wide smile on her face as soon as she saw him.

  “Dev Singham,” said Neelambari. “What an unexpected surprise, my boy. Come join us in our celebrations. Sabi just broke the happy news to me.”

  Did Sabitha guess and let her aunt know about his intentions?

  D
ev smiled at the woman he loved. But Sabitha still held an impassive look on her face.

  “The Prajapatis and Senanis are going to unite soon,” Neelambari announced excitedly. “My Sabi has agreed to marry Revanth Senani. You are the first one outside of our family that we are sharing this news with.”

  Dev whipped his head towards Sabitha. She still did not say anything or let anything show on her face.

  “Sabi, tell him,” Neelambari prompted her niece. “Tell him you will be a Senani bride in no time. I can’t wait to welcome another grandchild soon into this house.”

  Dev had heard enough.

  He went towards Sabitha, grabbed her hand, and pulled her out of the room. He wasn’t familiar with the Prajapati Mansion, but he kept walking past various rooms until they were far enough and had a modicum of privacy.

  Sabitha went along with him silently, making him feel even more insane.

  When he saw a partially open door, he slipped inside pulling her in and shutting the door. Sunlight streamed into the room from the windows making everything bright and visible.

  “What the fuck was your aunt talking about?” he demanded.

  She was silent for a few more seconds before she answered. “My aunt was speaking the truth. I’m marrying Revanth Senani.”

  She spoke the words that shook his entire world in an almost listless tone.

  “Why!” he shouted, losing control.

  “You must have heard that the talks had been going on for a while. I finally made my decision last night. It wasn’t easy, but it’s what I have decided.”

  “I don’t believe you,” he said. “And when last night? When I held you in my arms and told you I loved you? Or when you showed me every way possible you felt the same?”

  “I’m sorry for having misguided you like that.”

  “Fuck the sorry, and tell me what’s going on!” he demanded.

  She looked out of the window. “I never told you I wanted to spend my life with you, Dev,” she said softly.

  He pulled her close and held her face in his hands, making her look at him.

  “You didn’t have to use the words. I knew it in your actions and words. Even now, my heart and my gut are telling me you still love me and want me. What’s happening, baby? Tell me why you are doing this.”