The Stigma Called Love - Chapter 95

Kavin looked at her with surprise and Aparna seized the opportunity to dislodge the knife from his hand. Then, she grabbed his throat and pressed her fingers hard. Instantly, Kavin also clutched her throat and pressed his fingers constricting her breathing. 

But, Aparna did not let go. As the pressure of his fingers increased so did hers. She was choking but she was not giving up. Today she was ready to end this once and for all.

Suddenly her gaze shifted sideways and she saw Nishant staring at her and felt his eyes telling her I am with you, don’t you let go.

Somehow, it increased her strength more than usual and she pressed her fingers with severe intensity into his throat, and she saw Kavin’s face twisting with pain as her nails started to dig into his skin.

Not able to bear it, Kavin let go with a howl and Aparna breathed hard but still did not loosen her grip. She started to push him towards the wall slowly. Then, she suddenly let go and smacked him with such force that Kavin slid to the floor. But still, Aparna did not stop. She kept whacking his face left, right and centre and kicked him hard in his shins till he started to scream with pain.

However, the more he screamed, the more the blows increased along with their intensity. Suddenly Aparna felt hands were not enough, she needed something more to strike. She looked around and found the knife lying on the ground, and picked it up.

“Get up!” she commanded.

But Kavin did not.

Losing her patience, she dragged him by his collar and placed the knife at his throat.

“You lost the right to be treated as a man the first day you hit me. You may have hurt me, you may have beaten me but you have no way DEFEATED ME, you filthy bastard.”

Saying this, she was about to slid it across when Harish stopped her.

“Let go, Aparna. He is not worth it.”

As he dragged her away, she screamed with menacing intensity trying to let go the years of pain in the hands of this abominable sadist.

As the knife dropped from her hand, she heard the police sirens outside. Somehow, she needed to prove a point to every male who has ever beaten a woman. She shrugged Harish’s hands off and went towards Kavin, who cringed away with fright.

Then, she grabbed his collar and started dragging him along the way as she walked towards the door. Madhu opened the door and she dragged him down the stairs. Every time he yelped with pain as his body parts hit the stair edges, she felt retribution beating through her veins for every blow, every lash, every hit, every burn.

As Aparna reached the end of the stairs, she threw him on the street.

She saw two familiar faces approaching her. Apparently, Avinash and Keshav had been keeping an eye on the house since day 1 but they hadn’t done anything because Nishant had asked them not to. According to Keshav, he had categorically told them that she shouldn’t know she was being watched. 

Aparna shook her head not knowing what to think as her mind was too clogged with the events at hand.

Harish had already started narrating everything to the police. Evidently, Kavin had been keeping a watch on the house for the last couple of days. Today, he had made sure that she and Prakriti were home before attacking them. He had followed Madhu when she had got down the auto rickshaw near the colony in the afternoon. Then, when she had opened the door with her key, he had barged in. 

But she stood still and kept on looking at Kavin. As Avinash and Keshav started to take him away, she stopped them.

She pulled up his face and said, “You are not a man, you never were. And if you touch my daughter again, I’ll slit your throat, and there will no one to save you.”

Aparna entered the police station and saw Dhruv talking to the inspector on duty. He smiled reassuringly at her as she passed him near the door.

It took almost 3 hours for her to get all the formalities done. The police had called the doctor who had bandaged her wounds and also taken photographs of it. As she signed her statement and pushed it towards the inspector, she felt a huge load lifting off her head.

“I don’t suppose you would need court decree for the restraining order,” Harish enquired as the inspector stamped the papers.

“No, Mr Gandhi, that won’t be required. We have enough evidence against him. And, Ms Mathur, don’t you worry. We will make sure he stays behind bars.”

Aparna just nodded and got up from the chair. As she turned towards the exit, she saw Nishant standing there.

He smiled and winked at her, nodding.

Slowly, she stepped outside and started to walk. As she neared the stairs of the police station, she looked back at the door and found it empty.

A striking pang of anguish passed her heart and she staggered a bit at the stairs.

Instantly Dhruv and Harish were there to help her. As they guided her towards the car, Aparna looked at Dhruv.

“Did you……?”

“No!”

“Please don’t tell him.”

As he nodded, Aparna closed her eyes with relief and slipped inside the car.

**********************

Tired and emotionally exhausted, Aparna climbed down the car and slowly went inside. She could see some the people pointing at her and could hear the hushed whispers but finally, she did not care. All she cared about was inside the house: her daughter and friends who had never judged her ever. And, yes there was one more person who mattered.

Nishant.

Oh god!

You can’t go back to him, not after what happened.

Don’t ruin him.

As she stepped inside the house, she saw Madhu standing near the dining table and Prakriti hiding behind her.

But everything became hazy as she saw him coming towards her.

He cupped her face and placed a tender kiss on the forehead. Slowly, he lowered his mouth towards her ear and whispered.

“I love you, trust me.”

And then, he was gone.

Copyright © Paromita Majumder. All Rights Reserved.