by MV Kasi
She didn’t know why, but his words shocked her. She didn’t doubt that he loved her or that she loved him equally. But marriage?
“Dev… I do want to spend my life with you. But we don’t have to get married…”
A frown marred his handsome face. “What are you saying, Sabitha?” he asked.
She took a deep breath as doubts slowly crept into her mind. “Before we broke up, I knew I wanted to spend my life with you. I wanted to tell you about Sahana and everything about my past. I knew you loved me enough to look past it and ignore it. But I don’t expect us to get married.”
“Why?” he asked.
“Because of my past, Dev,” she repeated. “I was with another man, I even had his child.”
He pulled her closer, holding her face in his hands. “You were wrong. I can’t ignore your past and I won’t even try to,” he said, making her stomach jump in dread.
There was a smile on his face that threw her off.
“I don’t love you despite your past, Sabitha. I love you including it. I just love you. All of you.” He kissed her hard on her lips. “I don’t give a shit about what other people have as a criteria for the suitability of a wife. For me, the only criteria I have is that it has to be you. Just you.”
Sabitha smiled, even though it was a wobbly one.
But more doubts crept into her. “That’s not the only thing, Dev,” she said. “When we broke up, I had a lot of time to think. I tried to reason with myself why it was for the best,” she confessed. “Because even if we loved each other, I don’t know if it can work between us on a long-term basis. You need someone who will be by your side all the time. Someone who doesn’t have other major obligations like I do. I have to be with my people, and you have to run your companies. I don’t—”
“Don’t, Sabitha,” he said. “Don’t even think of asking me to let you go. I can’t do it. I don’t think I’m strong enough to do it again.” He held her face with his hands and stared down into her eyes. “I told you before that you are everything to me. I meant it.” He kissed her powerfully, letting her know how he felt.
“But how, Dev? We can’t be together most of the time. At least, physically.”
“It’s true that I want you next to me until eternity. But the way I see it, I will stand next to you when you lead your people, and you can join me whenever you can in other places when I take care of my businesses.”
What he said made sense. But how practical it was, she didn’t know. “Are you sure?” asked.
“Yes!” He held her as though he was afraid she would try to get away from him or talk him out of being together.
She knew it wasn’t going to be an easy path for them to be together. But none of the things she wanted the most in her life were. The only good thing about having a hard life was that one becomes good at overcoming obstacles if not completely eliminating them.
She watched his face as hope, worry and love warred on it. Placing a hand on his chest where his heart thumped.
“Okay, I’ll marry you. Now, make love to me, Dev Singham,” she demanded softly.
His heartbeat sped up under her palm.
A look of relief passed over his face along with a familiar heated look in his hooded eyes. “With the greatest pleasure, my love,” he said.
Not wasting any time, he rolled on top of her and kissed her again.
His lips didn’t leave hers when he quickly removed her clothes. She moaned in protest when she felt the loss of his touch as he began to remove his. And then his weight was back on her again.
“Now,” she whispered, wanting to feel him deep within her.
His kiss returned and she felt his hands holding her hips with a firm grip.
She softly gasped when she felt the familiar burn of him slowly sliding inside her body. She clutched him close. Tears welled up in her eyes. At that moment, she felt everything was right in her world even though it wasn’t in reality.
“I feel like I’m finally home,” he rasped, echoing her thoughts.
Then placing his head against the crook of her neck, he began to move, thrusting hard. Soon she was lost in the feelings the man she loved built in her.
The pleasure increased in intensity with each hard and fast thrust.
“Look at me, baby,” she heard him say. And when she slowly opened her eyes, she saw his possessive look along with his longing.
“Say you are mine,” he demanded softly as he continued to move within her with an intensity that made her eyes roll back in pleasure.
Each time they had been together, he had always asked her to say she was his. And each time she had refused to do it. Not anymore.
“I’m yours,” she gasped, meaning it. She pulled his mouth towards her and kissed him hard. “Tell me you are mine,” she demanded in return.
“I’m yours. Forever,” he said before hurtling them towards the finish line.
CHAPTER 43
Dev stirred when he heard a phone ring. Groaning softly, he opened his eyes to the most beautiful sight in the world.
Sabitha Prajapati was finally lying in his arms next to him.
She stirred as the phone continued to ring.
He kissed her on her forehead before he moved away to answer the phone.
“Dev,” said the investigator’s voice.
The last of the sleep disappeared. “What happened?”
“I’m calling to say we found the priest. He’s on his way to the Singham province right now.”
“Don’t contact him directly. Let me talk to him first,” Dev replied before ending the call.
“What happened?” Sabitha asked him sleepily.
He turned towards her and saw her concerned look. “The man who was supposed to have died in the massacre along with our family was found to be alive,” he said.
Dev told Sabitha about Raidu, how he was almost killed and in a coma, and then about the priest and the investigation done so far.
Sabitha listened to everything quietly. “You should go now, Dev,” she said.
“Come with me,” he said, unwilling to leave her alone.
“No. I need to go home. I need to resume my duties. With Sanjay gone, there must be a lot of pending work. Call me whenever you are available again.”
He watched her uncertainly.
“I’m fine, Dev. Please go,” she insisted.
He kissed her. “I’ll be back soon, I promise,” he said.
Dev dropped Sabitha at the Prajapati Mansion before driving to the church where Samuel Mathews was headed.
***
“We are sorry for intruding on you this way, Father.”
“That’s okay, my son. I’m more than happy to help you both.”
Dev and Abhay were seated at the church, speaking with Samuel Mathews. The priest though tired from a long journey, agreed to meet with Dev and Abhay.
“Father, we are trying to get some important information about a man who had left our province nearly twenty years ago.” Abhay showed an enlarged picture of Raidu. “Do you recognize this man?”
Samuel Mathews stared at the picture for only a couple of seconds before he began to nod his head. “Yes, my son. I was the one who helped him when he wanted to convert to Christianity. He even picked my name as his, to show his gratitude.”
“Was anyone else with him who had also wanted to convert at that time?” Dev asked.
The priest smiled. “No. It was just him and the child.”
Everything froze within Dev. He felt Abhay stiffening next to him.
“We didn’t know Samuel had a son,” Abhay stated in a casual tone. “How old was Samuel’s son at that time?”
“No, it wasn’t Samuel’s son,” said the priest. “It was an orphan that Samuel had wanted to drop off at an orphanage. But since there was a lot of unrest within the province at that time, I requested Samuel to drop that boy in one of the other orphanages I had recommended.”
“How old was the boy?” Dev once again asked the priest.
<
br /> “Oh, sorry,” said the priest. “I’m not really sure. Maybe around seven or eight.”
Rana had been five when he had been killed during the massacre. But like all the males in their family, Rana had been a tall child who could be easily passed on as a seven or eight-year-old.
“If we show you the picture of a child, can you identify him?” Abhay asked.
“The child seemed frightened at that time. He was clinging to Samuel most of the time. But I’ll try.”
“We’ll be back with a picture. Meantime, can you also give us the details of the orphanages you had recommended at that time?” Abhay asked.
“Sure,” answered the priest. “I don’t remember the exact list, but I can give you the names of the orphanages I would personally recommend.”
While Abhay noted down the names and locations of those orphanages, Dev felt torn. His heart desperately wanted to believe that it was his younger brother, but Dev knew it wasn’t possible. He had seen the burned body of his brother, lying next to his mother.
But unlike his parents’ or his uncle’s body, the body of Rana had been beyond recognition.
What if Rana escaped the massacre? What if the child with Raidu turned out to be Rana?
***
The drive to Singham Mansion was quiet.
Dev didn’t want to voice his doubts out aloud. He didn’t want Abhay to have hopes of the child turning out to be Rana, only to be disappointed.
Dev was sure Abhay was having similar thoughts.
But Dev owed Abhay the complete truth.
He took a deep breath. “Abhay,” he said. When Abhay turned to look at him, Dev forged ahead with the secret he had been keeping from his brother for a while. “I was there at the temple. Right after the massacre. I saw the bodies of Mum and Dad. And even Rana and uncle Ajay’s bodies.”
Abhay looked stunned, but he didn’t interrupt Dev with questions. He listened as Dev told him everything that he had seen as a seven-year-old child.
“Is that why you wouldn’t visit temples?” Abhay asked softly. “They remind you of what you had seen?”
Dev nodded.
“What if the child is Rana, Dev? What if like Raidu, Rana made it out alive even though he was presumed dead?”
“I desperately hope that turns out to be the truth, Abhay.”
Two hours later, they returned to the priest with an old picture of Rana that was taken on the day before the massacre.
The priest squinted. “I can’t say for sure. But that appears to be him. Like I had said, the child was too frightened and he clung to Samuel.”
Despite the vague answer, Dev felt the budding and desperate hope grow in size exponentially.
As they drove back home, Dev’s eyes fell on the picture of his five-year-old brother. Rana was looking at the camera with huge, wide smile. Dev recalled how Rana and he were always up to some mischief or other together. While Abhay had been a serious child, Rana and Dev got into trouble enacting their grandmother’s adventures in London.
Dev had mourned the loss of his playmate and brother for twenty long years. He knew he was opening his heart to more hurt and disappointment if they pursued the search.
Taking a deep breath, he looked at Abhay. “I’m going to ask my team to start simulating Rana’s images. They will show us how he’d look now at twenty-five.”
CHAPTER 44
“Whom are you going to send those letters to, papa?” Sabitha asked.
“To a fairy that lives very far away from here, sweetie,” Harshvardhan Prajapati replied.
“Where does she live?”
“In a place called London.”
“Is she pretty?”
“Yes. She is pretty.”
“Prettier than my mother?”
“No, sweetie. Your mother was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. And you look just like her.”
Sabitha was standing in Neelambari’s room, looking for clues to know the whereabouts of her aunt. As she stared at the letters on the wall, she was reminded of the letters her father had sent to someone.
She now knew that her father was sending letters to London, where Arundhati Singham had lived for a decade. Immediately, she called Dev.
“Sabitha,” he said. “Is everything alright?” She could hear some background noise. Dev was outside.
“Yes, I’m fine. I just wanted to say that Anika was right. My father couldn’t have killed your mother. I just remembered my father sending those letters to London. He always spoke pretty fondly of your mother.”
He was quiet for a couple of seconds. “I feel that’s the truth, too,” he said. “There are a lot of lies that have been fed to our people as facts. We’ll uncover them soon, baby.”
Dev told her about what the priest had said and what Dev and Abhay assumed.
Sabitha was stunned. “Let me know if you need help from my investigators, Dev. I can join the search as well.”
“Thanks, baby. Abhay and I have it covered for now. Just keep an eye on Anika. With Neelambari on the loose, we are worried about Anika’s safety.”
“Where is Anika?”
“At the Arundhati Hospital. She’s with the doctor who has come to revive Raidu.”
“I’ll go to her and ask her to stay with me until you both return.”
“Thank you. I love you, baby.”
“I love you, too,” she replied softly before ending the call. She wasn’t really the demonstrative kind. But it had felt so natural saying those words to him.
She called for Dhruv.
“Yes, madam?”
“I want you to take up Sanjay’s responsibilities until we can find a replacement.”
Dhruv nodded.
“I’m going to visit my cousin. I’ll be bringing her back with me. Have the security and vehicles prepared.”
***
Sabitha reached the Arundhati Hospital where Anika was staying temporarily.
“I’m fine, Sabitha. Abhay and Dev need to stop worrying about me so much.”
“Neela is gone, Anika.”
Anika frowned. “Gone? What do you mean?”
Sabitha gave a short version of what had happened in the last couple of days.
“I see,” Anika said gently.
“Neela knows she’s cornered. Until she knew about your pregnancy, she had viewed you as a threat. She knew you were digging into the past. And now that she knows Dev had helped me find Bina and Sahana, she must have received information regarding the rest of the investigation.”
“I had a feeling she already knew about Raidu and she was the one who hired a professional to kill him.”
“No, I’m sure Neela knew nothing about Raidu,” said Sabitha. “If she did, she would have attempted another attack. I would have also heard something about it from my men.”
Anika frowned. “If not Neelambari, then who? Who would have ordered that hit?”
“I don’t know. But I want you to stay close to me until Dev and your husband return.”
“I can’t, Sabitha. I have an appointment in the city to meet with another doctor. He has flown half way around the world to help us with Raidu’s condition. I have to meet him in the evening.”
Sabitha didn’t want Anika to go to the city by herself. Then quickly coming to a decision, “I’ll come with you,” she told Anika.
Sabitha accompanied Anika to the city. By the time they reached, it was late afternoon.
“Two more hours until Dr. Batra’s flight lands. We should grab lunch,” said Anika.
Sabitha sent her men along with the Singham bodyguards to check whether the restaurant was safe. Twenty minutes later, they came back with clearance.
“How do you know for sure the child you found wasn’t yours?” Anika asked while they had lunch.
Sabitha took a deep breath. “I just knew Bina was speaking the truth. And also the DNA results confirmed it.”
“I’m sorry,” said Anika.
Sabitha just nodded.
Anika kept
the conversation going. It felt odd to discuss personal topics with anyone. Until then, she had only spoken to Dev, and that, too, they didn’t really get a chance to talk for long.
“Dev loves you a lot, Sabitha. I have seen how he went crazy and was devastated when he thought you were marrying someone else.”
“I know.”
“I was terrified when he briefly considered an alliance with the Senanis. Have you spoken to spoken to Narmada Senani?” Anika asked.
“No.” When Sabitha was made to accompany her aunt to be a part of the talks, she was only going through motions. She hadn’t really greeted or spoken with any of the Senanis—apart from Revanth Senani who wouldn’t just shut up.
“That girl looked drugged,” said Anika. “I couldn’t be too sure because I was seated far away, but I’m sure she was on some kind of medication.”
Sabitha frowned. “I see.” It was quite possible. Revanth Senani and his grandfather were the kind to force an unwilling woman into an alliance.
“Whoa!”
“What happened?” Sabitha asked, becoming instantly alert.
“Nothing. Just a strong kick.” Anika patted her stomach, looking at it with a soft smile. Then immediately her head whipped up with a horrified look. “I-I’m so sorry,” she said. “That was inconsiderate of me. You just found out about your baby—”
“I’m fine, Anika,” Sabitha told her. “You don’t have to be cautious around me and watch what you say. I understand. I’m not the kind to shatter just because an expecting mother is excited to talk about her baby.”
Sabitha had felt a twinge in her heart when Anika spoke about the baby’s kicks. She recalled how excited she had been when she had felt her baby move within her. Even though her world had been dark and she was imprisoned inside her room by her aunt, the baby’s movements and kicks had been the one to comfort her.
But Sabitha didn’t want to be stuck in the past. Her people needed her still. And she was determined to find her aunt. She also wanted to help the Singhams in finding out the truth of what had happened during the massacre.
