“You heard me,” she says, her eyes gleaming with satisfaction. “Now don’t give me that shocked look like one of those family drama heroines.”
“But why?” I could barely get the word out.
She shrugs like it’s nothing and flops onto the couch like she owns the place. “Because I wanted you gone,” she says casually, as if she’s talking about the weather.
My pulse stutters. “Deepak?” I manage, still struggling to catch my breath. “He… he was the one sending those messages, right?”
“Deepak?” She laughs, a low, cruel sound that chills me to the bone. “Please. He was just a pawn in my game. A stupid idiot who actually thought I loved him.”
I take an instinctive step back, my heart hammering in my ears. “But the bruise on your neck… he hit you.”
“Oh, that?” Her smile widens wickedly as she brushes her fingers along the dark mark. “Sometimes… Prakash and I like it rough, you see.”
For a second, I can’t breathe. God, just how many more shocks does she have up her sleeve?
“Prakash?” I murmur, barely able to form the name.
“Yes,” she nods with a mock sigh, crossing one leg over the other as she leans back. “Prakash and I are a couple. Have been since my college days. In fact, the baby I lost was his.”
My heart slams so hard I feel it in my throat. “You and Prakash? But then… Deepak?”
She grins and tilts her head like she’s telling me a secret. “Deepak was just a detour. You see Prakash and I like to play around with other people in between to spice up our sex life. But a boring little goody-two-shoes like you wouldn’t understand that.” She winks at me as she continues, “And let me tell you, Deepak was a good fuck. But then he started behaving like a typical male, always telling me, ‘Don’t drink, don’t party,’always trying to control me. And when he found out the baby wasn’t his, he broke up with me. I wasn’t bothered about the breakup, but I couldn’t let him go scot-free. I wanted him to pay for rejecting me. So, I cooked up the whole story of him torturing me.”
My stomach twists as the realisation hits. That night, the man I saw her with… it was Prakash.
“You’re sick.” I take in a sharp breath.
“Oh, Nisha. I know how much you hate me. And trust me, the feeling is mutual. You made me your enemy the day you humiliated me in front of everyone.”
My stomach lurches. “So this was your way of getting revenge on me?”
She swings her legs off the couch and leans forward, like she’s about to deliver another blow. “Exactly. That’s why I asked Prakash to help me. He came up with the perfect plan. To pretend to fall for you, play with your emotions, and then crush you in front of everyone. But things started going off track when you broke up with him and started threatening to go to the cops about Suman.”
I stare at her, horrified. My mouth goes dry, but I manage to force the words out. “What did Suman have to do with any of this? Why did Prakash hurt her in the first place?”
“She saw Prakash and me together and was going to tell you. We couldn’t risk it,” she says flatly.
“So you…”
“We didn’t plan to kill her,” Maya cuts in, her tone icy cold. “Just scare her. Prakash thought assaulting her would be enough to shut her up. But turns out your loyal little pet was still determined to tell you.”
Tears sting my eyes as a hot rage boils up in my blood, but before I can curse her, she says, almost sweetly, “I have another confession for you, darling.” Her eyes gleam with something unholy. “I bribed the constable myself to get Prakash out. And yes, I was with him that day—when we entered your house to attack Sunita Aunty. In fact, stabbing her gave me a satisfaction I can’t even describe.” She lets out a cold laugh. “But you foolish people never even thought it could be me. You all assumed it had to be a man. Turns out, this woman outplayed you all. Smarter. Deadlier. And you never saw me coming.”
“You bitch.” I spit, the word tearing out of me, when she suddenly pulls a gun from her pocket and aims it straight at me. My lungs seize. For a second, the whole room tilts sideways and my heart thuds violently.
“I guess it’s time to make you pay for throwing those words at me,” she sneers as she rises to her feet.
I know running isn’t an option. It would only provoke her, and she might pull the trigger. I have to keep her talking… have to buy time and think of another way out.
“Maya,” I say slowly, forcing my voice to stay calm, “don’t be stupid. You’ll get yourself in worse trouble.”
Her smile curls and turns nasty. “Trouble? You think I care? I’ve already crossed every line there is. What’s one more?”
I glance sideways, calculating the distance to my room. My phone’s too far.
“You have no idea how long I’ve waited to see you like this, cowering in fear,” Maya hisses, a venomous smile dancing on her lips.
I stare down at the gun in her hand. My pulse throbs in my throat. I know I’m trapped, but I won’t let her see it.
