"Some sinners are much horrendous to scare even Satan in Hell."

~•~•~•~•~

'Shivaay, we waited for too long', Tej furrowed his eyebrows, 'Why do you want him to live?? Just let him go and finish his dirty chapters!!'

'No Dad', Rudra butted in, 'he killed Ri. We let him go after each crime, but I'll not let him go this easily after killing my Ri', Rudra gritted his teeth.

'Me too Rudra. I want him to suffer the Hell on earth!', Shivaay's eyes were misty.

'Do whatever you want,' Tej sighed helplessly.

Rudra felt a sweaty nervous palm pressed on his shoulder. Turning at his side, he saw Bhavya looking at him dejectedly. He flicked his eyebrows to ask what it was.

'Rudy', Bhavya opened her lips, and closed them again hesitantly, 'Leave it. I will speak to you when we're alone.'

Rudra nodded at her and turned back to face Shivaay, 'Bro, why don't we apply some slow poison?? Like injecting poisonous gas in his air supplier or adding some toxin to his food channel?? He will die eventually, but, he would have to beg for death before he would be gifted the eternal escape, and more to it, he would even be not able to express his pain.'

Shivaay cut in, 'Like you said Rudra, he will not be able to express his pain.. That would not be fair for Ri. He will die, he will suffer, but would any of us be able to witness his distress?? No. So, I will wait for him to wake up and punish him man to man.', Shivaay gritted his teeth so hard that a pain shot up from his gums to his ears and the back of his head, as his almost white irises were now surrounded by glossy red.

Tej flinched inwardly at their resolution. Though he caused his son numerous pains since childhood, he never thought that the two pillars of his support, his brothers would turn into such monsters.. Planning for his death, strategically, accurately, painfully. He silently prayed to whatever might was there over his head, so that his son don't wake up ever or at least die in his sleep. Thus he would not be pried to any of his brothers' schemes to murder him brutally.

'Good night Dad, Good night Bro', Rudra pulled Bhavya along with him, hearing his one year old son, Ruvyan crying.

'Good night', both Shivaay and Tej greeted back.

Greeting each other silently, Shivaay and Tej parted to their respective rooms.

*****

'Bhavya', Rudra picked Ruvyan up in his arms and started patting his back to soothe the cribbing child, 'Now, that we are in our bedroom, I think you can tell me what's wrong.'

'Rudra', Bhavya hesitated, 'Please don't get me wrong, but, why are you two so hell bent upon punishing master?? As much as I knew Ri, she was a nice and calm soul with a big heart. She would never had accepted your schemes if she were alive.'

'Bhavya!!', Rudra chided, 'Are you insecure that we two guys are being paranoid over avenging our Ri's death??'

Bhavya looked at her feet, 'Rudra, you and Big Bro are always too engrossed in this-'

'So tell me straight on my face that you are being the green monster!', Rudra put an asleep Ruvyan in the crib as he pulled Bhavya beside him on the bed.

'I understand Bhavya', Rudra started caressing her hair, 'You have always seen me preferring Ri over you. We even shared our most intimate facts too to each other. I knew everything about her, from her cup size to her periods date and she too knew not to barge in my room at seven.. As that was my most embarrassing hour. You too had seen O very closely as you worked for him almost seven years.. I understand your protectiveness for him. But, that applies to me too. Though, I married you, I loved you in all senses.. I would confess that if any day this situation arose where I would have to choose between you and Ri, I would choose Ri. Not that I wouldn't try to save you both.. But yet. I loved her Bhavya. More than anyone else I have come across till date. Still now, when I see her smiling picture, my day is lifted up.. She was like a beam of sun, she warmed and lighted every nook and corner on earth without partiality, and we all had to surrender to her, we would not been able to live without her, in the cold that frozen our heart.. Like it has been since her death. I wonder, can it be any colder by the passing days when I will finally be able to stop its beats-'

Bhavya's palm cupped his blabbering mouth, 'Enough Rudy!! Then why am I here?'

'You are the candle to melt that crust of ice, a place I can never give to Ri.. She is the one to be admired from afar, not to be dreamt of being captured in your arms', Rudra kissed her forehead chastely.

Suddenly Bhavya felt really small as a human being.

*****

Shivaay entered his bedroom to witness the most endearing sight. His five and a half years old son Ansh was asleep on the babycot and Anika was too sleeping resting her head beside Ansh's pillow, a storybook in her hand, that rested upon her folded legs on floor.

Shivaay smiled dreamily at his wife as he knew how she had fought to overcome the trauma of her sister's death. The moment she received the news from Rudra, she had refused to even drink water for three following days. Finally after a lot of emotional blackmailing and making her swear on her sister and son's name, Shivaay had finally been successful to feed her something. But, she hadn't spilled even a droplet of tear after the fatal death of Ri. Rather, she tightened her jaws and vowed to avenge her sister's death.

Shivaay couldn't help but kissed the temples of the mother-son duo, who were sleeping with their mouths slightly ajar, snoring cutely.

He took out the storybook from Anika's hand and picked her up cautiously, not disturb anyone's sleep. Putting her on bed he whispered to Anika,

'I'll take my revenge. I'll make his life miserable. He will suffer so much that he will beg for death, but I will lovingly save him from death's lovely embrace. Just wait and watch Love.'

*****

Shivaay was sleeping when his phone buzzed indicating an incoming call. Rubbing his eyes vigorously, he stared at the screen astonished.

'Who would call me at two of morning?', pouting irritatedly, he received the call.

'Mr. Oberoi?'

'Speaking.'

'Sir I'm from Mother Agatha Hospital...'

Shivaay's eyes sparkled in a sickening excitement as he messaged Rudra to bring the car out and both of them rushed to the hospital still in their night suits.

*****

Ignoring the bows of the security guards of India's best and most expensive hospital, Shivaay and Rudra rushed towards the critical care unit and they were stopped immediately at the entrance of the floor. Filling the formalities impatiently they bursted open the door of special cabin, which was occupied by their step brother, Omkara Singh Oberoi, for five long years of waiting in anger and anguish.

The two brothers froze for some moments to take in the person sitting resting his back on the inclined headrest as two nurses and a doctor checked him worriedly, a frown of confusion etched on the doctor's face.
He had become skinny, his hairs were long and disheveled, his beard and moustache was in a badly need of trimming. His eyes had a sparkle matching to the last flickers of an extinguishing lamp. Overall, his demeanor was not of the calm collected person he once used to be. He looked suddenly too excited about his surroundings as he looked around himself like an overexcited child being in a zoo for the first time.

'Om/O!!', Shivaay and Rudra both tried to gain the attention of the seemingly hyperactive child-like man.

They inched closer as Omkara's gaze finally fell on them and he smiled at them brightly, 'Hello!'

But soon his face became gloomy. Clasping his hands on his lap he looked up at the two men towering over him, as he passed them a sheepish smile,

'I'm sorry, but I can't recall, who exactly are you?'

😓😓😓😓😓
I guess the obvious. Omki has forgotten everything. But before entering in the love story, I needed to show the aftershocks of Gauri's death in Oberoi Mansion. And, Gauri's mystery will be unfolded later.

Happy reading!
With love,
Sarani.