“Aditya…”

Her soft mumble halts Aditya for a moment. But he thought she might utter it in passion. So, he again scoots forward and gently brushes her lips with his getting ready to fuse them more intensely but a soft push brings him back to reality.

“Aditya..stop..what are you doing?”

Her resistance awakens the devil in his heart which was obscure until now. Aditya opens his eyes with a jerk. For a moment, they remain connected with Nandana’s mortified ones. Gradually, his jaws tighten and his eyes become blazing. He hisses out,

“Exactly what a fiancé can do to his fiancée. You forgot our relationship…right? Then let me remind you.”

Before Nandana can understand his vexation and could react, Aditya grabs her forearm and drags her to the car. Nandana is continuously trying to free her hand but she is too feeble for Aditya’s iron grip. Reaching the car, Aditya opens the passenger seat and almost shoves her inside the car and bangs the door. Then he comes to the other side and occupies the driver’s seat. Within a moment the car picks it high speed.

“Aditya…slow down….Aditya….it’s scaring me Aditya….please..”

Nandana is continuously yelling but Aditya turns a deaf ear to all her pleading. He keeps on pressing the accelerator until it screeches to stop outside his bungalow. Aditya bails out and opens the passenger seat door with a jerk, drags out Nandana mercilessly and tows her inside the house. He keeps on pulling her until he enters his bedroom. He shoves her inside and closes the door. Now, only two of them are inside the closed room. All the servants witness it but nobody has the guts to come forward. It seems like nothing has happened and both Aditya and Nandana are invisible to them. Balancing herself from the rough push, Nandana looks at Aditya, scared and baffled. She doesn’t know what triggered Aditya to behave so irrationally. On the other hand, Aditya is approaching her in a slow yet steady gait. His jaws are clasped, nostrils are puffed and his eyes are spitting fire. Any person can feel weak at her knees to see his expression. Nandana is not an exception. However, her confusion is overpowering her fear. She takes a step back and asks in a clear voice,

“Aditya, I don’t know why are you behaving like this but we can sit and discuss. It’s not like that I don’t want it but somehow, I have a hesitance…I…”

Aditya doesn’t let her complete,

“Don’t worry we are here to end this hesitance only. You feel uncomfortable with my touch…right? So, let’s make you feel more uncomfortable so that at a point you will start feeling comfortable. You know that phrase, poison kills poison?”

Aditya nears her more and Nandana retreats the same distance.

“You know you are right…I am actually a brute and this is my castle where everything happens with my permission. And even the angel has to listen to this brute.”

Aditya mouths in a mocking tone. He is now barely half ft distant from her. Nandana again steps back but this time she only touches the wall. Right now, she has no more places to withdraw. She gazes up timidly. Aditya’s cold eyes meet hers.

“I thought you are my peace but I forgot that you are my freak too.”

His voice is glacial and grave. He traps her tiny frame between his body and the wall. Nandana can feel the heat of his breath on her face. She uncomfortably turns her face to maintain the distance but his raspy voice against her ear makes her stiff.

“Let’s begin the touch me not game, Baby…I am sure you will love it too.”

Before she can understand anything, Aditya digs his face in the crook of her neck and starts kissing. His both hands are on the wall, on either side of Nandana so that she can’t move from her place. He is kissing, lapping and sucking the entire open area of her side neck, throat and collarbone. His aggression gives a repulsion to her and she squirms to get rid of his proximity. But that is not so easy. Aditya presses himself more to her and almost pastes her in the wall. Simultaneously, he removes her dupatta and tries to slide down the neckline of her kurti from her shoulder so that he can get more access to her naked skin. Nandana shivers and starts pushing him with both of her hands but the next moment, they get pinned to the wall by two strong hands. Aditya withdraws his face from her upper chest and encounters her frightened eyes.

“As much you feel uncomfortable as much it will get tough. So, get used to it. Be comfortable with my skin, my lips, my hands and my touch.”

He murmurs and is about to slam his lips on her when Nandana closes her eyes. Suddenly some obscure, black and white images start coming in front of her eyes. A car….pitch black surrounding…someone is trying to strangle her…she is losing her sense…breathlessness…a sharp pang in her head.

“Ahhhh…..”

She lets out a shallow wail and collapses on Aditya’s chest.

“Nandana….”

Aditya cries and supports her numb unconscious body. Unfortunately, she couldn’t hear her real name that Aditya has uttered in his incaution mind. Aditya immediately picks her up and lays down on the bed. Her eyes are closed and all her face and upper body are sweaty. It looks like she gets some shock or she is scared of anything. Aditya runs his fingers through his hair in frustration. Now, his inner demon is subsided and a feeling of guilt settles that place. He immediately pulls out the mobile and taps Dr Nikhanj’s number.

......................

“But what led her to this condition? It seems like she has got some shock.”

Dr Nikhanj sounds tensed when injecting the sedative into her vein. Nandana distorts her face a bit and then again slips into her unconscious state. Dr Nikhanj observes her for a while. His forehead bears some lines. He turns to Aditya.

“Is there any incident that happened which can force her to remember her past life? I mean any unpleasant incident which scared her and pushed her to regain any same kind of memory?”

His query makes Aditya uncomfortable. He shifts his eyes and replies with hesitance,

“Not really…I took her outside and there she felt uncomfortable. When we came back, she fell unconscious.”

Dr Nikhanj observes his uneasiness but there is no point to argue or asking him more. He sighs in despair.

“Dr, is there any chance to come back her memory? I mean you just said that some unpleasant incident might force her to regain her past.”

Aditya tries to be sure as he is really tensed about the notion of regaining the memory. No, she can’t remember her past. Her present is with him and he will write her future…only with him. Dr Nikhanj gets up to leave. He replies in a defeated tone,

“I know you don’t want her to remember her past and unfortunately, I am doing that job only but if this kind of incident happens again and again then I am afraid that she might lose her mental balance. I mean though she can’t recall her memory she might become a patient of paranoid schizophrenia. A person who gets scared of every other person and considers an enemy. I am sure you won’t want to that happen. So, you have to be very careful about her comfort and happiness.”

Dr Nikhanj suggests. Aditya meets his eyes where there is a request. He nods in positive. Dr Nikhanj leaves after giving some more instruction.

......................

“Why couldn’t I control my anger? She is fragile like a glass doll and I handled her like a monster. I hurl the glass of wine towards the wall and it smashes into gazillion pieces. My my!…This monster is feeling guilty and that is because of that tiny tot? Are you really that Aditya Oberoi who rarely cares about others’ pain? My inner devil again comes to taunt me. I glare at him. Yes, I am the same ruthless, heartless Aditya Oberoi but I can’t see her like this. I don’t know what is happening to me but her pain gives me pain too. I pick my guitar to tranquil my restlessness. When someone’s pain gives you the same pain…that means you have started loving that person. Does that mean this brute finally has fallen for the angel? My devil mind again pushes me into a riddle. STOP your nonsense…I shout and bang my left hand on the chords. I don’t love her…I don’t love anyone. She is only my obstinance…my unfulfilled desire. Once I fulfil it, she will be out of my life.”

Aditya waves away the thought by wiping his face with his hand. Only then, his eyes fall on his hand. Blood is oozing out from the cut which is caused by the torn chords of the guitar. It’s an irony that even a wolf bleeds like a sheep. Inside as well outside. He gets up and searches for some medical help but unfortunately, his den doesn’t have any right now. He wobbles in exasperation. Right now, he doesn’t want to go to the main house. He doesn’t want to see Nandana lying on the bed…motionless…without her chirpiness. He clenches his jaws and heads to the main building.

.....................

“Something heavy is on my head. My eyelids are heavy like stones. I want to open it but it seems like a herculean task. After a lot of effort, I slowly unfurl it but the sight in front of me jabs a dagger of fear into my heart. I wail out a scream. There is a face smeared with blood is leaning on me. His eyes are full of pain…but for whom? I try to get up when he grabs me by my shoulder and again pushes me to lie down.”

“Please leave me….”

Nandana meeks out. But the reply from the person simmers down her fear.

“I am sorry….I didn’t want to hurt you.”