Hi! This is kind of a long read and covers the important incidents over the time left until the first trial. I hope you’d enjoy!

She reminds me of Snow White, left in the woods by the huntsman, the pale face framed by the dark hair, the large coffee brown eyes matches the description, considering the attitude she was throwing at me, I am being too generous in praises here, should have picked up Wicked Witch of West instead. I toss the recorder in my hand once more and catch her glancing at me underneath those heavy lashes that fanned her cheeks. Stealing glances are we? Hump, two can play that game. I ignore her as she continues her broody silence. You can’t ignore me forever, if you are smart you will realize that soon, Miss Gadodia.
‘What do you want?’ She asks finally. Her voice is good, sounds musical. It might be a result of the years she spent on her singing practice.  I push the paper lying on the table between us more towards her. From the light that hangs above she can clearly see what it is. Still, she blinks at me, waiting to hear the words spelled out. ‘Why?’ She asks again.
‘That’s exactly what I’m asking,’ I say, tapping the paper lightly. ‘Why? Since you’re so fond of your silence why break the code and confess to something you did not do?’
‘None of your business,’ she says sulkily.
‘In fact, it is my business. I don’t think the government should fund your suicide Miss Gadodia, isn’t that what you’re going to do? Die, because you lover has married another?’ She closes her eyes for a moment, wincing at the cold way I voiced her pain. The mask of indifference falls for a moment and I see the broken soul within. She is suffering, far more than she is letting on at the moment. The vulnerability lasts only a moment, when she reopens her eyes, her walls are back on place and her eyes glitter firmly.
‘I’m not going to pay you for poking your nose in my business,’ she says, with her nose in the air. Had we been in a different setting, a lighter and cheerful atmosphere I would have laughed at her. ‘So you better go back to wherever you’re from.’ I lean back and watch her narrowing my eyes at her tone as she continues. ‘I don’t know why you can’t grasp the simple concept, “I don’t need your help”!’
‘Maybe because you don’t mean it,’ I suggest, innocently. She opens her mouth to retort which I don’t let her manage as I speak on. ‘Do you know what you’re going to do Miss Gadodia? You…’ I lean in pressing the word. ‘Are going to die… Don’t tell me anything’s worth a life.’
‘Life isn’t everything,’ she rebukes.
‘It is, at least for sane people. I know you’re putting up a brave front, I appreciate that, but this is going to end soon…with no possible escape for you. I don’t know what your impression of capital punishment is Miss Gadodia, but let me tell you it’s far more gruesome from your novels and movies. Grow up girl, before it is too late.’ She throws me a look that clearly says who-do-you-think-you-are, and exhales deeply.
‘I have nothing to say.’
‘People who don’t love themselves can’t love anyone else,’ I say bitterly. ‘I don’t know what your problem is, who you’re saving, or what you’re trying to escape from… But this isn’t brave Miss Gadodia, this is foolish and weak.’
‘Leave,’ she says in a weaker tone, her words almost choking on her throat. ‘Please, leave.’ But I am far from obeying a suicidal freak.
‘Do you know obstruction of justice is punishable? If you don’t tell me the truth now, I’d have to prove it in the court that you’re lying, would you like it?’
She looks in to my eyes for the first time throughout our conversation. Her eyes are deep, glossy and expressive. Unintentionally my breath hatch in my throat.
‘You can’t do that!’
I laugh at her sarcastically.
‘You and your father have a lot of genes in common. He was telling me what I can do earlier. But let me clarify again, both of you have no idea what I’m capable of.’
She watches me, with her annoyingly impassive expression. I guess this is the end of our conversation.
‘I would come back tomorrow.’ I say standing up. ‘You can continue your silence or change your mind in to helping me. Either way, by the end of the first trial you will be bailed out; try stopping that if you want to.’
I have almost reached the door when she speaks again.
‘Did you meet Ma?’
I turn around and find her eyes fixed on me. She looks interested and mildly concerned. Interesting, I thought she was completely beyond selfish thoughts.
‘Yes,’ I reply shortly. ‘Had the fortune of meeting your entire amazing family...’ Even though I could, I do not bother to keep the sarcasm off my tone. She seems to brush that off as she spoke again.
‘How is she?’
‘As fine as a mother would be when her daughter’s in jail.’ I roll my eyes. ‘What do you expect?’
‘Will you see her again?’
‘Do you want me to? Is there something you want to tell her?’
She stands up as it was time for her to leave as well; her glossy eyes find their way in to my gaze once more.
‘Tell her I miss her, a lot.’ She gulps back shaking her head. ‘No, don’t tell her anything.’
*
‘This isn’t enough,’ I say, shutting the file with a snap. ‘I want more, I need a break through!’
Stop talking to yourself,’ Vic tells me lazily, his eyes still fixed on his laptop, typing away in a joyous speed. ‘Something will come up, we have time.’
‘We don’t,’ I say shortly starting to pace. It is a habit I have picked up over the years, pacing with my hand running through my hair. ‘She’s destroying herself in that place. I need her out, as soon as possible!’
‘SK,’ Vic says as he too shuts the laptop with a snap. ‘The moment we crack the confession card, Durga Prasad can’t object to granting bail, isn’t that enough at the moment?’
‘That’s the problem,’ I tell him, stopping for a moment and receiving a dark look in return for the pessimistic approach.  ‘To crack the confession I need to crack the witness, cracking the witness isn’t possible without knowing her better. I can’t do that…she’s under the old man’s nose!’
‘Can’t we use that Sharmishta Gadodia trick again? Catch her outside the house?’
I shake my head.
‘This girl is sly, she doesn’t want her sister out.’
‘Why?’
I almost laugh at that stupid question.
‘If your wife’s lover is in jail what would you have done?’
‘Ah, I forgot that dynamic,’ Vic rolls his eyes.
‘That is the dynamic you shouldn’t forget,’ I add slowly. ‘That is the dynamic she isn’t forgetting…’
‘God SK, how easily your mind slips to that girl!’
I watch him for a moment. She is my client, for whom I have crossed some mental barriers I had put up for myself. For whom I have been building up arguments for many nights and my mind slipping to her is abnormal? On which universe? Someone was knocking the door; Vic opens it as I look up and accepts the letter his assistant had brought. Opening it and glancing at the content he lets out a low whistle.
‘What?’
‘The octopus had been right; this is romance drama after all.’ He says, tossing the envelope towards me.
‘Whoa!’ I say, watching him over the paper. ‘Does Durga Prasad know I was waiting for countering him?’
‘Sorry to burst your bubble, but I don’t think he’s afraid of you. He’s going to emotionally drain her, even before the trail begins.’
‘Hmm…’ I say comprehending Vic’s approach. ‘He thinks she will break seeing this act play out?’
‘Won’t you?’ True. But at the moment I hardly care. If Durga Prasad thinks he can break her at the trail, I can do that before the trail. Sometimes even the weapons of your enemy can fight for your battles.
‘Hay SK where do you think you’re going?’
‘Ah,’ I say, picking up my jacket and crumpling that piece of paper for future use. I push it deep in to my pocket. ‘I need to pay a little visit to Miss Snow White meanwhile why don’t you find that driver we discussed about. I need him in the witness box.’
*
The survivors of a battle always bear scars. The undercurrents of the past events of her life still shivered her as Ragini made her way towards her father in law’s study. It had only been a few days since she had arrived here, still she knew her way around better than her sister ever had. After all, this was her dream, she knew how to live it. Inside the study, her father in law Durga Prasad and her husband Lakshya were waiting for her.
‘Come in Ragini,’ Durga Prasad said in a soft tone as she knocked.
She saw the chair, dragged to the middle of the room as she entered. Lakshya caught her eye and gestured her to take a seat.
‘Umm why did you call me Papa?’ She asked mildly as she took the assigned seat.
‘Tomorrow is a big day Ragini.’ Durga Prasad said in explanation, looking up from the folder he was examining. ‘I hope you remember.’
‘Yes, tomorrow is the trail.’
‘Do you know what will happen there?’
‘I’d be interrogated and I have to tell the truth, everything that I saw and heard.’
‘Yes, but that is not as simple as you think it is. Tomorrow will be a cross interrogation, one of the wickedest attorneys will try to break through your statement.’
She blinked at him, knowing full well that her family had not extended any support. What attorney were they talking about?
‘What should I do then Papa?’
‘You need to practice, starting now.’
*
Her eyes are puffed, framed by prominent dark circles. She is no longer the beauty I had reluctantly admired earlier. I feel a ping of guilt as I take the opposite seat. In the past few days, I had a hand in making her depressed as well. I have no choice here, I need to break this stupid belief of self sacrifice she seems to entertain and I have no option than blackmailing her. As usual she does not look at me, her chin rests on her clasped hands and she continues to stare in to the blank space, above my shoulder. In such moments I wonder why she simply does not refuse to see me, as she is fully entitled to do. It seemed for some reason she likes these meetings a lot more than she is letting on.
Maybe it has something to do with her desire to hear her innocence repeated by someone, although she continues to deny it. I can hardly accept someone would enjoy my company for any other reason.
A few minutes pass in silence which is thick enough to hear her breathing; I watch her estimating the extent of the damage done.
‘Do you sleep at all?’ I hear myself ask, I was not planning to ask that, although I had been thinking along the lines for a while now.
She looks up at me, her coffee color eyes slightly widened as if I had caught her stealing my television and slowly shakes her head.
‘Couldn’t,’ she mumbles then.
‘Why? What’s the problem?’
‘Nothing.’ Her stubborn tone is back. I sigh, even a chameleon will be at loss at the way she changed her colors. This girl…is driving me nuts, now I see why Mr. Singh was so keen on passing this case on.
‘Miss Gadodia, do you know that they’re going to portray you a drug addict?’
‘Yes.’ How can someone be so mental? ‘I don’t want you to stop them.’ Well I was counting on it. I smile at her, tilting my head.
‘I won’t,’ I say innocently. She looks at me surprised.
‘You won’t?’ She repeats slowly and I nod grinning.
‘But I think it is evident you’re not an addict, an addict wouldn’t manage to spend so many days without taking a shot.’
‘Why are you doing this?’ she asks me, finally changing her expression. She looks genuinely surprised for some reason. ‘You don’t know if I did it or not, you can’t possibly trust me. But then…why?’
‘I have my reasons.’
She watches me for another moment, in which I manage my impassive expression. I really do not like her. She unsettles me for some strange reason, her eyes, is in the top of my dislike list, they have an odd look, which makes me feel she is staring right through me in to some of my deepest secrets. This girl is creepy, in a strange way.
‘Lakshya Maheshwari will be the prosecutor,’ I say, breaking her trance and enjoy the effect of my words on her face as I take out that crumpled piece of paper from my pocket. ‘I think you might know that the Maheshwari firm was taking the case right? He’s their representative.’
She says nothing, but I could see her lower lip tremble. It seems Vic was right in his assumption. She bites her lip, to stop it from trembling and blinks back her tears. I wish she stop doing that, this sheer innocence is bothering me. She’s a victim alright, but she has no right to trouble me with her antics.
‘They want you to go all teary over this,’ I say tightly, narrowing my eyes. ‘Which I hope, for heaven’s sake you will not do. Don’t let people play with you Miss Gadodia, you’re not doing any charity here.’
‘Why does everyone hates me so much?’ She mutters wiping her eyes furiously.
Are you asking me? Well I hate you for this innocence, no idea how you survived for so long. I roll my eyes. It might have taken a millisecond for this though to pass my mind, she buries her face in her folded arms upon the table, breaking in to sobs. I can see nothing more than her curly head, shaking as she broke down.
‘Forgive me for saying this, but you deserve a part of all this,’ I say monstrously, this was the closest I have ever come in cracking her.
‘I should die; end this once and for all.’
Ouch, not the expected outcome.
‘First baba, then dadi, then Ragini, now...now Laksh. No one trusts me, even when I’m… When I want nothing but their happiness. Why? What did I do?’
She had said some more incoherent things, which are none of importance. But her sobs were heart wrenching. Before I knew it, or had processed the course of action, I was on my feet, my hand running through her curls, running to sooth her tears.
‘Shh!’ I whisper as I kneel beside her, she looks at me, her cheek still resting on the table, our faces leveled at the moment. I continue to stroke her hair, as her red eyes keep watching me, trying to decipher my actions. No luck there Miss Gadodia, I myself don’t know what I’m doing; you are never going to figure that out.
But for a moment, it seemed that wall we had between us, was cracked. I could see her night and she could see the light in my side, perhaps, we might communicate through this crack, if she trusts me enough to do so.
*
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Thanks for reading!