A silent but strong promise. And that scares me.
36
RUDRAKSH
I see red.
I don't think I've ever felt this kind of rage. It's blinding. Consuming. The kind that makes you want to kill. And I will—two people, to be specific. Her so-called parents. They don’t deserve that title. Hell, they don’t even qualify to be called human. I don’t like humans in general, but they stooped to the lowest level possible.
They tortured her—physically, mentally, emotionally, and verbally. Every way imaginable. Last night, when she told me everything, it all clicked. Every behavior, every fear, every little hesitation—it all made sense. I did suspect something, but this level of abuse by her own parents I never could have imagined. I understand her so much better now, and it makes me fucking sick that she had to go through that. That she didn’t have a safe place growing up. Not even one.
She never deserved it. None of it. She's pure. So pure, so beautiful—inside and out.
Right now, Aarav and I are on our way to pay those bastards a visit. If they think they can mess with my wife and walk away unharmed, they’re dead wrong. I’ve told everyone in the family. Because more than anything, she deserves areal family—a mother, a father, people who will love her without expecting anything in return. She needs warmth. Safety. Unconditional love. And I swear on everything, I’ll make sure she gets it.
She was scared that people would pity her, that they’d look at her differently. And it’s fair; it’s her trauma. But I reassured her, my family doesn’t do that. We don’t pity—we protect. We support each other. We show up in the bad times.
My eyes linger out of the window, my mind swarming with thoughts of revenge. There’s a sense of clarity in it. A purpose. A fire that won’t die until I make this right.
As we pull up to the familiar house, satisfaction rolls through me. This time, it’s not a social visit. This time, they’ll get what they deserve.
We step out of the car and walk towards that house. Every movement is charged with tension as we walk towards the front door, our footsteps hitting the pavement like a countdown.
I knock hard at the door. The sound of it echoes through the silence. My lips lift into a menacing smile as I hear footsteps, and then the door creaks open.
Before I enter the house, I tell the staff to inform Ranveer I’ll be waiting for him in his office. And then I step inside like I own the place—because soon, I will.
Ranveer’s office looks the same. Dark wood panels, a large desk in the center, and comfortable leather chairs. It reeks of false power, coward. I take a seat, fingers drumming on the armrest as I wait.
The door finally opens. Ranveer walks in, clearly irritated—until he sees me in his chair. His jaw tightens, and he chargestowards me. “What are you doing here, Rudraksh?” he asks, trying to sound composed.
"Is that how you treat your son-in-law?" A smirk forms on my face. He sighs and gives me a bored look. A moment passes between us, but he says nothing. I stand up, facing him. “I think you messed with the wrong person,” I announce as a matter of fact. “You mess with my wife, you mess with me.”
Aarav steps into the study room and closes the door behind him.
Without waiting for another word, I punch Ranveer in the face, and he stumbles, not being able to take the impact. Aarav shoves him into the chair and begins tying him up. The air charges thick between us as anger blinds my vision. Shivani’s cries echo in my head, and I know better than to back down. The idiot actually tries to fight us. Aarav lands a solid punch to the back of his head, and the ropes come out. Ranveer struggles, but it’s pointless.
“You can’t do this to me,” he hisses. “Do you know who I am?”
I laugh darkly and sit on his desk. “I know exactly who you are. That’s why I’m not scared.”
“You’re a coward,” I continue, “a sad excuse for a man who gets off on hurting people weaker than him. Not that my wife is weak—she’s the strongest person I know, surviving all the shit you put her through.”
“You don’t know anything about me,” he growls, wriggling his body against the robe.
“Oh, but I do,” I reply, leaning closer. “You’re a waste of space. Of oxygen.”
“This is my house,” he hisses, eyes blazing with rage. But it's not comparable to mine; mine is more furious. It's full of thirst for revenge.
“Is it?” Aarav cuts in, pulls out his phone, and shoves it in Ranveer’s face. “Looks like we bought it. So now, it’s ours.”
"How—" Ranveer's eyes widen as he glares at me. Aarav slaps him hard, anger lining his eyes as he grips his hair in his fist.
“You better leave, or—” Ranveer starts, but I interrupt with a humorless laugh.
“Or what? You’ll hurt me? Try it. Let’s see how that works out for you.”
Aarav chuckles as he jerks his head and dusts them, as if he has touched dirt. “Nice one, bhai.” I give him a side-eye and roll my eyes. The man can’t be serious for two seconds. Ranveer glares at us, face red, veins bulging as he struggles but fails.
