CHAPTER 23
The Singham temple was rebuilt years after the temple massacre and the brother agreed it was the location to address the people and reveal the truth behind what happened that day.
Neil stood next to his brothers on an elevated marble platform in one of the temple courtyards. Neelambari sat on a chair to one side of the platform with the end of a gun barrel, inches from her temple. She occasionally looked up to look at Abhay, a solemn look on her face. Jaipal was in a wheelchair, his hands and legs tied up but he continued to issue threats to kill all three brothers once he got out.
They stood in front of the hundreds of people who were gathered in the temple courtyard, and thousands waited outside the temple walls waiting to hear the outcome of the meeting the Singhams called.
Raidu looked at the brothers from the crowd unable to believe his eyes. He was still recovering from his injuries but urged his daughter, Malini, to take him to the meeting.
Anika, Sabitha, and Narmada stood behind Ravi and his men, the burly men forming a perimeter around them.
“I don’t know why she is fake crying. She is my father’s sister, but I want to slit her throat,” Sabitha growled looking at her aunt.
Anika hushed her cousin. “I still don’t understand how this man is linked to Neelambari. I can’t believe the truth serum does not affect either of them.” Joe was able to get them to administer the drug on both Neelambari and Jaipal.
The Singham brothers headed out to get the man who stabbed their mother over twenty years ago. Neelambari did not put up a fight when they showed up at the Mathai Mansion, but she refused to explain why she was at Jaipal’s house.
“My dear people, we are gathered here to clear out the biggest allegation we have made against the Prajapatis. My brother and I married women from that family, but I know a lot of you are still sore about the temple massacre.” Abhay announced in his roaring voice and put an arm around Neil before continuing. “My youngest brother, Ranadeep Singham, is living proof that Harshavardhan Prajapati did not kill our mother, Arundhati Singham.”
Anika noticed the way Neelambari winced at the mention of the mother’s name. She leaned closer to Ravi as the crowd took in the news. “Ravi, ask Abhay to keep talking about his mother, keep saying her name.”
Ravi gave her a questioning look but walked to Abhay and talked to him. Abhay turned to look at Anika with a puzzled expression. She mouthed ‘Please’ before he looked away to continue addressing the shocked crowd.
“This man here was the one who stabbed our mother. He refuses to tell us the reason why he stabbed our mother, who you all know was the most caring and loving person. She was loved by all and always thought about the people of this land…”
“No!” The shrill voice of Neelambari cut through Abhay’s words. The brothers turned to look at Neelambari fuming.
“Here she goes.” Anika let out a breath.
“Arundhati didn’t deserve to be more than my maid, and she trapped my Vijay… that whore, she took my Vijay away from me,” she snarled.
Abhay placed his hands in front of both of his brothers stopping them from charging at the woman who spoke ill about their mother.
She smiled looking at Abhay. “My Vijay was just like you… so calm, so caring, and that raped prostitute took him away from me.”
Shivers passed through Neil’s spine when he heard what Neelambari was saying about his mother. Abhay put an arm around Neil as if he sensed the shudders.
“I thought he wanted to taste a different woman before taking me, but that one…” She laughed like it was unbelievable. “She drugged my Vijay to the point where he broke off the engagement with me and married her even after she was tainted.”
“Neelambari Devi, what are you talking about? My mother and father fell in love.” Abhay managed a calm tone in spite of his boiling blood coursing through his veins.
“Vijay deserved the purity, the Singham family deserved me. I tried my level best to change Vijay’s mind. All my efforts were futile. I should have been the mother of the Singhams.”
“You don’t deserve it, Neelambari.” It was Anika’s voice that got her to break Neelambari’s gaze on Abhay.
“Oh, my sweet niece, you have no idea how blessed you are to be carrying the Singham heir and remember it’s because I preserved your purity,” Neelambari bragged.
“Purity belongs to the mind, not the body,” Anika retorted.
“I still cannot believe how much Abhay looks like Vijay even when that poverty-struck woman was raped by my men,” she growled leaning closer to Anika.
Anika thought she was going to pass out but recovered. “What kind of a woman are you?” She looked at the pale faces of the Singham brothers and knew they all heard what Neelambari blurted.
“The kind who loved her man with dedication, enough dedication to do what it takes to win her man back.” Neelambari’s eyes glowed with pride.
“Really? What happened to the dedication when you agreed to marry Vijay Singham’s brother, Ajay Singham?” Anika wasn’t going to let go.
Neelambari laughed tipping her head back like Anika told her a silly joke.
“Ajay Singham was supposed to marry my aunt, Revathi Senani,” Narmada added.
Neelambari glared at Narmada. “You are a snoopy little thing just like my nieces.”
“Anika, my grandpa told me that my aunt was ready to kill Neelambari when she found out about the proposal for Neelambari to marry Ajay Singham. My aunt and Neelambari were best friends, and she knew what my aunt felt for Ajay Singham,” Narmada added.
“What do you have to say to that, Neelambari? Where is your so-called dedication? Your love was not true, you only wanted the status of a Singham woman,” Anika seared.
“Shut up! Never question my love or dedication for Vijay. I agreed to marry Ajay for Vijay… I needed a way to get that Arundhati out of his life.”
The women gasped in unison and watched as Neelambari walked over to where Jaipal was seated and slapped him hard on the cheek that was exposed from the bandage. “You turned out to be a useless Senani dog. I should have sent my men to free Vijay of that ineligible woman.”
A deadly silence fell on the crowd, and every single person stared blankly at Neelambari.
“I should have done everything myself instead of teaming up with your grandfather. He told me this dog would do a stellar job of only killing that temptress, so no one would ever find out. I was ready to be the mother of Vijay’s three sons, and Revathi was supposed to marry Ajay Singham.” Neelambari started to weep and collapsed to the marble floor leaning against the pillar.
“You never expected it to turn into a massacre. Too bad you lost your brothers.” Anika wanted her aunt to keep talking.
“My brothers… they killed for me and… my Vijay. I lost everyone, I didn’t even get to see them,” she wailed.
“Can I just shoot her?” Dev reached for the automatic weapon from Ravi’s hand.
“No, Dev!” Abhay ordered.
“Why did you do this?” Anika demanded unable to believe her ears.
“For the people. The people who were suffering because of what Vijay did, I did not like it when people blamed Vijay for the drought.” Neelambari started to sound like her eccentric self again.
“Why did you want Raidu killed?” It was Abhay’s turn to question.
Neelambari laughed. “I don’t like to leave loose ends.”
“But Raidu was not part of your master plan,” Anika interjected to keep her talking.
“That Raidu… he is just a stupid loyal fellow who trusted this dog to be a Senani and let him into to the temple along with the other Senani men.”
“How did you know where Raidu was?” Dev demanded.
“Why would I care to keep track of that wastrel? No one knew the main plan was to get rid of Arundhati or who planned it,” she seethed like she had a bad taste from saying the name.
“It was Jaipal that put a hit on Raidu,” Neil declared.
“This dog didn’t do a clean job, so the old man Senani told him to clean up his job in return for keeping his business partnership with his son.” Neelambari laughed.
“I don’t believe this, my grandpa worked with you?” Narmada was in shock.
“Your old man is a bastard, he threatened to kill me when Anika killed your younger brother, and it’s a good thing I ran before Sabi killed your older brother.”
“I’m ashamed to be part of that family.” Narmada fought back angry tears.
Neil walked up to where Narmada stood and put his arms around her. “Don’t be upset.”
“Abhay, Raidu is innocent, he was Dad’s real friend,” Dev declared.
“What about me?” Neelambari stood up like she was offended by that statement.
“I was meant to be Vijay Singham’s wife, and that immoral woman stole Vijay from me.” The brothers knew she was talking under the effects of the truth serum, but the people who were gathered, did not. One of the men got off his chair and hauled a slipper into Neelambari’s face. She stared at the slipper like it was a poisonous snake, disbelief on her face.
“I did this for the people. I took on a thirty-year penance because I wanted to save them from my own curse,” she retorted.
“Neelambari, we are ashamed to have believed everything you said. You don’t belong here,” one of the villagers yelled.
“Stop, all of you. I am the goddess of this land, and my two nieces will give me Singham heirs, and I will rule this land to eternity.” Neelambari beamed.
“Take her,” Abhay ordered, and his men started to close in. Neelambari was quick, very quick to grab a gun from the man who least expected her to take the gun from him and point it toward the men. “Stand back.”
Ravi and the men closed all gaps securing the three women. Abhay was the first one to move toward Neelambari.
“Abhay, no,” Anika called out.
Abhay moved closer to Neelambari. “Neela.” He mimicked his father’s voice.
“Vijay.” She froze.
“Give me the gun.” Abhay’s voice was as cold as death.
“Vijay… how could you leave me and go… you didn’t let me be yours even in your death, shoot me.” She sobbed banging the gun against her forehead.
A shot was fired, and Neelambari screamed in pain. Neil had managed to take a shot at her hand without making visible moves but Neelambari managed hold the gun with one hand. “You are not Vijay. You are tricking me.”
“Neela…” Abhay continued when she held the gun in one hand, her breathing heavy. Her hand was bleeding from the flesh wound.
“I make my own destiny… I will do what I want to do… even if it is ending my own life.” She turned the pistol toward her, and before Abhay could react, blood splattered on the marble floor and pillar behind her.
Another shot was fired and Jaipal’s lifeless body fell off the chair. Neil looked at the scar on the man and knew why he had seen so many dreams with him in it.
Anika, Sabitha, and Narmada rushed to the men they loved and put their arms around them.
“I’m sorry, my family did this to you all,” Narmada sobbed into Neil’s chest.
“Will you be my Singham bride since you don’t want to be a Senani anymore?” Neil smiled, pulling her lips to hers.
*****
“Narmada, you are back,” her grandpa said cheerfully stretching his arms out while seated at the chair.
“What did you get out of doing all this? Your daughter is stuck in a mental asylum for the rest of her life, and you lost your grandsons. Do you realize this is payback for what you enabled, the destruction of so many families in the temple massacre? As of this moment, you don’t have a granddaughter either.”
“Narmada….” The weak voice of her grandpa made her stop short in her tracks.
“I’m disgusted even to be associated with you and never want to see you, but… I have a lot of respect for the people who belonged to the Senani family, and I wanted to tell you myself. I hope you rot in your own guilt,” she spat and left without giving another glance toward the old man she had loved to death while growing up.
Narmada was heading down the staircase when her mother and father came into the mansion.
“Baby… you are back?”
“Yes, back and going away now.” She walked past them ignoring their open arms.
“Where do you think you are going?” her father demanded.
“Going to the man I love, and the man who loves me enough not to hate me for what your father did to their family. My brothers deserved to die because they followed in the footsteps of a very bad man, your father.” Narmada looked at the puzzled expression on her parents’ faces.
“That’s right, you don’t care about what happened or what happens in the future. Get back to your lovely social life and make sure your father doesn’t kill himself.”
Narmada ignored her father and mother calling out to her and walked out of the mansion and got into the blue sports car that was waiting for her.
“Where to, ma’am?” Neil slurred.
“Kidnap me, take me away, hold me captive for the rest of my life.” She smiled brushing her lips over his tender ones.
“I love you, Narmada!” he murmured against her lips running his fingers through her hair.
“Narmada Neil.” She smiled against his lips.
“Narmada Neil Singham,” he corrected, pulling her closer.