91. The Heartbreak!

Author's POV

Rudra gulped down the glass of whisky and took a deep breath.

"Fati padi hai, Bhai..." (I am scared to the shit, bro)

He rubbed his face.

"How am I supposed to hear that horror without bursting out in anger or tears?... I was avoiding this conversation till now.

Damon gulped as he himself was feeling his throat pounding in his throat.

"We have to do it!"

Rudra grabbed the glass again but Damon snatched it from him.

"Bass kar na, Bhai... Hosh me rahega tab sun payega na..." (Enough of this, bro... You won't be able to hear if you are not in senses)

Rudra looked at him amused.

"Why do you sound more Indian than me?"

Damon sighed.

"Go!"

He pushed him inside Mira's room.

Damon was in the penthouse, hiding in another room of which Mira was unaware. She was on leave today so she was resting in her room.

Rudra entered the room while taking a deep breath and Damon was watching him on his mobile screen with the help of cameras and a mic which he had installed on Rudra's body. He knows that this was wrong and he was tricking Mira but it was necessary.

Mira looked at Rudra surprised while placing her book away.

"How did you find your way to my bedroom?"

She teased.

Rudra smiled nervously and sat beside her.

"You didn't go to the office today?"

He tried to initiate the conversation.

She nodded.

"Whatever happened yesterday has disturbed me a bit so I wanted to calm down first. I don't know why it's happening to Damon? I am so worried."

He nodded in understanding.

"Mira, that attack was because of you."

She frowned at him.

"Why do you mean by because of me?"

"Someone from your past is trying to hurt you and Damon. Do you remember that the man who tried to kill Damon has taken your name... It's obvious!"

He informed, like he planned with Damon.

Mira looked at him bothered and scared.

"But who? I killed him and no one can do this except him... Arundhati is not strong enough now and she can't mess with Damon, he is more powerful than her."

Rudra placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I know but there is someone and we need to find out... I need to know what happened that day so we can find the hidden person and protect Damon..."

Mira looked at him flabbergasted and he understood that she was not yet ready.

"I understand that it's not easy for you to recall that horror but we need to protect Damon, Chutku... You don't want to tell him anything then fine but you can tell me, right?... I already know about it. I need to know in detail so I can protect both of you."

She gulped as horror overshadowed her heart but she understood that Rudra was right. She herself is thinking that someone is trying to prove that she is trying to kill Damon and separate them. There is someone hiding behind the shadows and she couldn't point out who. Also, she is comfortable telling Rudra about it because he already knows the part of it. Maybe he can find out the person.

"After marriage we were happy, Kabir was treating me well till his mother came to live with us after her divorce. Kabir was demanding in nature from the start but it wasn't harmful so I used to ignore it but he took it as my weakness and started crossing limits as days passed and Arundhati was fueling this behaviour."

She told him everything till the time where Kabir slapped her.

"You didn't shoot him the moment he slapped you?"

Rudra started boiling from inside but he tried to stay calm to hear more.

She looked down in guilt.

"I should have but I was blinded by the love for him. I just couldn't think straight at that moment. I thought he would regret it but I was wrong. "

She started telling him everything.

....Flashback....

Mira reached the success party with a burning cheek and stinging tears in her eyes. She gathered the courage to force a smile so no one could find out about it.

Her heart squeezed in pain when she hid the mark on her cheek with makeup.

She was celebrated in the office but happiness was long gone because there was no one in the crowd which was from her family, she was feeling alone.

After the celebration, she found a silent spot and called Maya to share her happiness with her.

"Hello, Maa..."

"Mira, why have you called now?..."

Maya was upset.

"You got what you wanted, right?... We let you marry him then why are you calling us now. You wanted that boy more than us..."

"But you are my family, how can I not miss you?..."

Tears escaped from her eyes.

"You didn't believe this when you chose that boy over us... Don't you feel a bit of regret about it? Your father is fighting with death and you can't even see him..."

Maya scolded.

"Was he that important to you?... I hope you are happy now!... You have hurt your father really bad, Mira and I'll never forgive for this... You broke our trust... Just stop calling me."

Mira let the silent tears fall when Maya disconnected the call and she could understand her position, they were upset about whatever she did but she needed someone to give her warm shoulder and no one was there. She was feeling devastated and alone.

She sat on the bench by the street alone while crying to herself.

She had no courage to go back home and fight with Kabir again.

"Congratulations!"

She closed her eyes when she felt the familiar presence beside her and mocking in his voice.

"You are really talented, I am so proud of you... I see, your loving husband didn't applaud you."

"Neel, please!"

She sighed.

"I don't need your mocking words right now!"

Neel shook his head in disappointment.

"Why don't you realise that he is a fucking coward and toxic?..."

He looked at her as tears wiped her makeup.

"Fuck! Mira, he hit you?"

He frowned when he noticed a handprint on her cheek.

"How dare that, fucking shit head. I am going to kill him..."

Mira stopped him when he got up.

"Neel, stop... Please!"

She burst out in tears and he gave her shoulder to cry on.

"This is not the Mira I know... You have changed, since when you started taking this bullshit.."

He asked in disbelief.

"I have been telling you for months, not to take this shit from him... He left you on the road was enough reason to separate from him."

"How?"

She sobbed.

"How do I do it?"

"Mira, he is abusing you... He is gaslighting you. He is taking advantage of your weaknesses. He knows that you don't have the support of your family and you can't do anything, this is not love... You are smart enough to realise that he doesn't love you. Today he has slapped you, tomorrow he will do more damage... What are you waiting for?"

Neel made her understand the seriousness.

"You need to show him that you are not weak... Now you have a job too, you are financially strong. Why are you thinking that you can't do anything?... I am with you, Rudra is in your support. He never turned his back to you and you know that... You have to take a stand for yourself, Mira..."

"I thought he would cherish me with love!"

She wiped her tears in guilt.

"Love is dead now... He slapped you and you don't need anything else as proof... He doesn't love you, he is just using you for his dirty needs... Wake up, Mira!"

Neel scolded her.

"You change my name if he doesn't try to gaslight you when you go home... He is a cheap man and I always knew it..."

"He always gaslighted me, I know it!"

She accepted.

"But I was under the impression that he will understand things with time but when he slapped me, it broke my trust... I can't stay with that man anymore... He doesn't respect me at all. He questions my character... I am humiliated and disrespected in that house every second."

"Divorce him!"

Neel encouraged.

"You have to, he needs to understand that you are not someone to be messed with... Pratap uncle can't raise someone weak, you are his pride."

Mira nodded in agreement.

"I failed him but I can't do this anymore... I am ready to live alone for the rest of my life but Kabir lost his right on me the moment he raised his hand..."

"You don't have to worry about it, I'll ask my lawyer to make divorce papers... You are not living in that shit hole anymore."

He shook his head.

Mira burst out in tears and he hugged her.

"You are not alone, Mira... You ignored me but I didn't... I am there to make everything fall in its right place... Kabir never deserved you and I knew it"

He smiled softly.

"Come with me, you don't have to go back to that house"

She shook her head.

"I have to go or else he will again question my character and might assume that I am having an affair with you... I don't want to drag you in this dirt... I'll meet you tomorrow to get the divorce papers..."

He wasn't pleased with the thought.

"I don't care even if he thinks that we are having an affair... I don't care!"

"But I do, Neel... I can't deal with this character shaming anymore... I am anyway going to put this to an end tomorrow."

She declared and he had to agree.

Mira went home and Kabir was waiting for her. He got up when she entered.

"Ohh, you are back... Why didn't you call me, I would have come to pick you up."

Mira was boiling inside.

"I thought you must be busy spending time with your mother... Didn't want to disturb you."

He sighed.

"Mira, why do you hate her so much?"

She looked at him in disbelief.

"I don't hate her, Kabir... I want to respect her but she is not doing anything to earn that... Now, I don't want to start anything, you slapped me a few hours ago, you might feel offended and do that again... So we better not discuss that."

She mocked.

He tried to touch her but she stepped back.

"Babe, I am so sorry... I don't know what happened to me but you know that I love you... You shouldn't have anger me like that, I was stressed after a long hectic day and you added to it... You should have kept quiet when I asked you to."

"Right!"

She shook her head, knowing he would try to gaslight her.

"I should have stayed quiet... I am tired, don't want to discuss it anymore."

She dismissed him while making her decision final to divorce him.

Mira went to bed and he approached her. She got up from the bed in disbelief when he tried to touch her.

"What's wrong?"

He asked confused.

Mira scowled at him.

"You slapped me a few hours ago and now you think that I'll have sex with you?"

"We discussed that, why are you making an issue out of it... I was angry and I apologized for that. My dad and mom used to fight like this too but mom never created an issue out of it... You are not the only one, be a woman and stop acting like a high school girl."

He scowled at her.

She grabbed her head not believing that how can someone be so wrong and why didn't he show this side of his before marriage.

"Your mother tolerated shit that doesn't mean I will... She never got love from her husband maybe that's why she is not ready to leave you alone. Of course she wants that attention from you and she might be right with her emotions but you failed as my husband, Kabir... I don't want you to touch me."

She spat madly.

"You always do this drama when I try to touch you... You just need a reason to fight... Mom is right, you are fucking someone that's why you don't let me touch you."

He accused.

She wasn't shocked now.

"I am not a rag doll to satisfy you whenever you want. I am a human and it's my choice... Moreover, you shouldn't expect anything physical from me when you are doubting my character and treating me like shit..."

She looked at him disgusted.

"I am regretting marrying you."

"Yeah, I am regretting it too."

He spat madly.

"You didn't bring anything in my life, neither happiness nor money..."

She frowned when he said that and went out of the room.

"Money?"

She mumbled in disbelief."