Her words hit hard, and for a moment, I don’t know how to respond.
She pats my cheek with a knowing smile and gets up. “Think about what I said. Now let me go make lunch before Nisha decides to ‘help’ me. You know how that’ll end. God, that girl in the kitchen is a guaranteed disaster. I honestly don’t know how you’re going to survive after marriage.”
That earns the smallest curve at the corner of my mouth. Almost a smile. Almost.
Aunty chuckles to herself as she heads into the kitchen, humming under her breath.
I turn my eyes back to my girl. Maybe now, after that talk with Aunty, accepting Nisha’s decision doesn’t feel like a fight. It’s not easy, but it feels bearable.
Yes, I need to relax, no matter how hard it is. Because my protectiveness might keep her safe, but for her, it’ll be a gilded cage, one that holds her back her wings instead of letting her fly.
And the last thing I ever want is to be the reason she stops smiling.
???
An hour later, as I drive through the traffic, a faint smirk tugs at my lips. Sorting things out with my stubborn woman was anything but easy. It only happened after I promised to ease up and stop hovering. I even told her that once I’m back from work, I’ll help her look into the colleges she’s considering. Only then did she give me that soft, hopeful smile, the kind that hit me straight in the gut. It made one thing painfully clear: the promise I made isn’t one I can afford to break.
Pulling into the parking lot of the police station, I kill the engine and stare at the building in front of me. Something tells me that once I drag the truth out of those two bastards, this last shred of unrest inside me will finally be gone.
With that thought, I step out of the car and slam the door shut, striding through the double doors of the station. The officer at the front desk straightens the second I enter, and Viraj spots me from across the corridor. He gets up and walks towards me.
“Are they in the interrogation room?” I ask, cutting straight to the point.
“Yeah. We were just waiting for you before starting,” Viraj says.
I give a tight nod and head down the hallway. Reaching the door, I push it open and step inside, coming face to face with my prey.
Deepak sits on the left, his arms crossed, his jittery eyes darting around like a damn rat backed into a corner. The moment he spots me, a twitch of annoyance flashes across his face. Prakash is on the right, leaning back with that smug look plastered on his face, but when his eyes meet mine, that false confidence starts to crack.Good.
I walk up to them, while Viraj stays by the door, his arms folded.
“Let’s make this simple,” I say, stopping in front of them. “We already know what both of you did. The only thing left to decide is how deep you want to dig your own graves.”
“I told you that I haven’t done anything,” Deepak mutters, shifting in his chair.
Prakash just shrugs with a false calm. “I can say the same.”
Placing my hand on the table, I lean forward, my eyes locked on both of them. “Will you both cut the damn act and tell me how the hell the two of you ended up plotting this together?”
Deepak lets out a harsh laugh and jerks his thumb towards Prakash without even looking at him. “You gotta be kidding me. I don’t even know this guy, and I sure as hell don’t know what plotting you’re talking about.”
“Bullshit,” Prakash snaps, whipping around to face him. “You’re the one who told me to destroy Nisha!”
Deepak slams his palms on the table, his face twisting with anger. “Why the hell would I ask you to do that?”
Prakash fires back. “You wanted revenge because she badmouthed you, and you were terrified she’d expose your affair to your fiancée. Want me to remind you how we ran into each other that night at the pub? How we got wasted, and how you wouldn’t shut up about how Nisha got on your damn nerves. You said you wanted to teach her a lesson. You asked me to do it and even promised to hook me up with drugs.”
Deepak shoots up from his chair, his eyes blazing. “That’s a damn lie! I never said any of that, and you know it! I don’t even deal with drugs, let alone promise them to a scum like you. Don’t drag me into your mess to save your own skin!”
“You’re the one who’s trying to pin all this on me,” Prakash shoots back, glaring at Deepak. “I didn’t even know Nisha until you told me to pose as a professor at her college and make herfall for me. And when that girl Suman overheard us talking, you told me to rape her and then kill her.”
Deepak’s face twists with fury and disbelief. “You sick bastard! That’s insane! Whatever this is, it’s all your damn plan. You’re the one who played everyone, and now you’re trying to drag me down with you for God knows what fucking reason!”
I raise an eyebrow, watching them both tear into each other. Good. Let them go on. In their rage, they’re spilling more than they mean to.
Prakash sneers. “Should I add how you handed me the keys to Maya’s place and practically begged me to ‘take care of her’? Said she was getting on your nerves, and you wanted her out of the way, for good.”
Deepak opens his mouth to snap back, but the words die halfway. He freezes mid-breath, blinking as his eyes narrow on Prakash, like he’s trying to place a puzzle piece that suddenly clicks into place.
