There were only two guards stationed outside the house in a very discreet manner. The house was located at the city outskirts and it wasn’t one of the houses that the Bhupatis owned. It was owned by Suraj Bhupati’s PA.

Gaurav was able to track it easily through Nina’s phone.

He waited until the guards fell asleep. He knew they wouldn’t wake up until the morning because of the drug in their food.

Using a small penknife, Gaurav cut through the window latch, allowing him to sneak into the house through the kitchen. Luck was on Gaurav’s side because the house did not have an alarm system.

Threading softly on the floor, Gaurav headed to one of the rooms at the back of the house. He didn’t know which one would have Nina in it.

It was stupid of him to come with a half-assed plan of taking her up on something she had told him if he promised to spare her husband’s life.

 

“I love you, too. I’ll follow behind you to the ends of the earth at any point in time. I’ll even come with you right now.”

 

Gaurav knew that Nina’s love was both his weakness and his strength. For her, he was willing to give up everything. His revenge. His career. And even his life.

All because he wanted to see her happy and also have a chance at building a life with her.

Vikram had more or less called him a fool, especially because they were only weeks away from destroying Suraj Bhupati. Vikram had told him that once Suraj Bhupati was put in jail after the case details became public, Gaurav could go after the broken man’s wife and claim her as his own.

But Gaurav knew his Nina.

Nina was loyal to the bone. No matter what hardship struck the person she cared about, she would stick next to them. It was one of the reasons why Gaurav loved her, even though the fact that she stuck next to her husband infuriated him the most.

Taking a deep breath, Gaurav opened the door to one of the bedrooms.

He was prepared for an ache in his chest that would come by seeing Nina sleeping in her husband’s arms.

Another thought struck him all of a sudden. It hit him in his gut like a punch, inducing a searing jealously.

Gaurav hoped liked hell Nina and her husband weren’t having sex right then. Because instead of having a calm rational discussion, he might just fly into a rage and break the promise he had made to Nina. He would just end up shooting Suraj Bhupati before carrying Nina away.

Calm the hell down!

Gaurav took deep breaths to get the image of Nina with her husband out of his head. And he knew it was late and everyone must be sleeping at this time.

His eyes had already adjusted to the dark. Taking another deep breath, he slowly took a few steps towards the bed.

Everything inside him froze at the sight in front of him. A bare-chested couple were twined around each other in a very intimate way. Gaurav knew they were sleeping because of the soft snores that filled the air.

Nina wasn’t on the bed.

Suraj Bhupati and his PA, Radhakrishna were.

Suraj Bhupati was holding the other man the same way Gaurav had held Nina during the days spent in the forest cabin.

There was intimacy, there was tenderness, and there was passion.

Gaurav tried to reason why two men slept together that way when the wife of one of them was in the same house.

Several implications ran through Gaurav’s mind, leading him to only one conclusion.

Once Gaurav’s mind accepted what he saw and what it meant, several other things fell into places.

Instead of appeasing him, it only made things worse.

If Suraj Bhupati did not prefer women, then the fact that he had left Pranit to die in a fire while fighting over a woman was a lie.

That doesn’t mean he wasn’t responsible for giving the order to kill Shruti.

Gaurav recalled Nina telling him several times that her husband told her he’s wasn’t guilty. She also told Gaurav that her husband wasn’t even capable of giving such an order to kill an innocent person.

Gaurav was beginning to suspect that she might be speaking the truth. Gaurav also had a strong suspicion regarding who the real culprit.

He stepped out of the room and went into the living room before dialing a number on his phone.

Even though it was quite late, it was answered in two rings.

“Vikram,” Gaurav spoke softly into the phone with urgency in his tone. “Raghuveer Anand. He might have framed Suraj Bhupati. Keep an eye on him. Don’t let him escape.”

Vikram didn’t press him for details. “I will,” was all he said.

Gaurav ended the call and walked to the room on the other side of the house. The bedroom where Nina was most likely sleeping.

When he opened the door to the room, the sight invoked a totally opposite reaction than what he got before. His heart wrenched seeing the woman he loved curled up on the bed, all alone.

The abject loneliness she might have felt during the ten years of her marriage hit Gaurav like a punch. He felt an intense need to remove her loneliness and fill it with happiness and laughter.

Walking towards the bed, he knelt down on the floor, right next to her, and brushed the back of his fingers on her soft cheek.

The night lamp was turned on because Nina hated sleeping in complete darkness.

His heart wrenched once again when he saw the traces of dried tears on her cheeks. He knew most of her tears were because of him.

“I’m sorry, Nina,” he whispered softly. “I promise never to deliberately hurt you again.”

Nina stirred and slowly opened her eyes. “Gaurav?” she said.

“Yes.”

“I want to go back to our cabin.” Her voice was slow and modulated as though she was talking in her sleep.

“Me, too,” he answered, even though he knew she wasn’t completely awake.

“But how?” she asked, a soft sob escaping and piercing through her heart.

“I will make it happen. I promise.”

He picked up her hand and kissed her palm.

“Hold me,” she said softly.

Although it was madness, and he knew his safety depended on how quickly he could talk to her and convince her to leave with him, he still climbed into her bed and lay behind her, holding her close in a comforting embrace.

She let out a content sigh.

Gaurav realized how long and how much he had missed holding her like this.

The last time he had held her like this was nearly three months ago in the forest cabin. The previous night when he had met with Nina at his apartment, there was barely a moment of tenderness. At that time the raw need that he had for her after three months of being away from her, had taken over.

Nina slowly turned in his arms. She stared at him, blinking sleepily.

He held her face with both his hands and kissed her gently on her lips. She kissed him back, moaning softly.

Gaurav knew he was going to be in deep trouble as his body began to come alive. His hardness poked into her stomach through the soft material of her night dress, making her gasp softly.

As soon he heard her gasp, he heard the change in the tenor of her breathing. He knew she must have realized she wasn’t dreaming and he was really there with her.

Slowly, he released her lips and pulled away a couple of inches.

There was no shock or fear in her eyes. He could only see hope.

She smiled. “I knew you would come for me,” she said, tears filling her eyes.

His chest felt constricted as he wiped away the tears that had escaped. “I would always come for you, Nina. No matter what,” he said.

Another sob broke through her. “That’s because you don’t know the truth yet.”

“The truth doesn’t matter to me when it comes to choosing you over anything. Before coming here, I made up my mind not to kill your husband and to let the law take its course. I choose you over my retribution.”

Nina looked relieved, but her eyes still held despair. “Letting the law take its course if for the best Gaurav. But about asking me to come with you... you need to know the truth first.”

He wanted to wipe the misery off her face. “Nothing you say will ever make me give you up,” he said. “And I found out the truth about your marriage, Nina.”

That made her sit up straight on the bed with widened eyes. “You know the truth about my marriage?”

Gaurav sat up as well. “Yes. I saw your husband with his PA in the other room.”

“This can never get out, Gaurav,” she said urgently. “People will never accept him as their leader. His reputation will be completely ruined. And all the good he has done so far and wants to do in the future will be for nothing.”

“I know,” Gaurav said gently. He knew Nina loved her husband. But Gaurav wasn’t jealous of that love anymore. It only made the love he had towards her, grow even more. “I know that if the truth gets out, his life will be in danger too,” he added.

She nodded her head sadly. “Suraj and Radha have been together for over fifteen years. It’s just so sad that two people who love each other as much as they do, cannot be together in the eyes of the law. All because of the current society and the norms.”

Gaurav knew Nina was right, and agreed with her that it was a secret Suraj Bhupati will likely have to carry until his death.

Gaurav knew how much it hurt him even now when he wasn’t able to claim Nina as his in front of the world. He couldn’t imagine having to do that all his life.

“Why are you here, Gaurav?” she asked.

“I came here to convince you to come away with me tonight, Nina,” he confessed.

She smiled, but her smile held doubts. “I told you before. I would gladly go with you anywhere,” she replied. “But there’s something you should know about me first, Gaurav.”

He knew nothing she’d say would make the slightest of difference to him. But he could see that it made a difference to her. “What is it?” he asked.

Her lips trembled as she got her words out. “I killed your brother,” she confessed.

Gaurav was shocked, and then slowly comprehension dawned.

He closed his eyes and clenched his fists. “Please, don’t hate me,” he heard her whisper.

The revelation utterly devastated him.

When he opened his eyes, he saw that Nina continued to look miserable.

He threaded his fingers through her hair and held her cheek. He looked into her eyes and could see dread forming in them.

“How can you even bear to be in the same room as me?” he asked. “I’m the brother of the man who brutally killed your innocent sister.”

Nina looked taken aback.

He hated that she felt guilty for killing an animal that had violated her sister. Guilty because she thought he would blame her for it.

“I stabbed and killed your brother, Gaurav,” she repeated, as though she was worried he didn’t understand what she had revealed.

“What you did was right, Nina. You were protecting yourself and your sister. I would have shot him, too, had I seen him do that to a woman.”

Hope filled her eyes. “You mean it?” she asked. “You don’t hate me for that?”

“No, Nina. I don’t hate you. I love you. And I don’t know what I did right to be able to deserve having the love of someone like you.” He kissed her softly on her lips.

A radiant smile broke on her face.

Gaurav felt his breath catch as he looked at the woman he loved. He now knew why his subconscious was so adamant not to let her go. Despite knowing she was married. Despite thinking she loved her husband, something about her continued to make him love her. Crave her. And fight for her.

It wasn’t just because he wanted to be buried inside her. It was because he was proud of loving a woman like her. A woman so beautiful, so kind, so fierce, and so loyal.

With her next to him, he knew he could take on the world.

And now, she became his very reason for happiness. She made him feel alive and free. She gave him hope.

He kissed her again. “God, Nina. I want so badly to be inside you right now. But the way I feel right now, I know it won’t be a quiet event. Your husband or his lover will hear us and might shoot me.”

Nina laughed softly. “I can try to be quiet.”

Gaurav groaned. “Don’t tempt me.”

She laughed once again, and then she sobered. “Gaurav, Suraj is innocent of the charges made against him. He doesn’t involve himself in the operations of Trinity Hotels.”

Gaurav nodded. “I have a strong suspicion about who was responsible for the whole thing.”

“Who? Harika—”

They heard a noise.

Before Nina could say anything, Gaurav pushed her down. “Stay down!” he ordered softly.

Nina must have sensed the urgency in his voice and followed his order.

Gaurav kept his eyes trained on a bright light that shone through the window before something shattered it.

Glass exploded, pieces of it, falling across the room.

“Crawl out to the living room right now, Nina.”

Just while they made it into the living room, they heard a similar sound of glass shattering coming from the other room where Suraj Bhupati and his lover slept.

“Suraj!” Nina panicked.

“No. Stay here. I’ll go check,” said Gaurav. Quickly searching around the room, he spotted a cupboard and pushed her into it. “Don’t come out unless I ask you to.”

This time she didn’t nod her head. Along with worry there was a slight challenge in her eyes.

“Nina—” he said in warning, using the tone he had done during the early days of her kidnap. The tone made the challenge grow in her eyes. He held her face. “Nina, I’m a trained police officer. I can handle this situation much better than you. But I can’t focus, if I think you will be in danger.”

Her eyes softened and she watched him with trust in her eyes. “I won’t unnecessarily put myself in danger. Go to Suraj,” she whispered.

Giving her a quick, hard kiss on her lips, he closed the doors to the cupboard. And then, holding his gun, Gaurav opened the door to the bedroom.

Two men swept into the room holding guns in their hands. They pointed them at Suraj Bhupati who was awake and sitting on the bed.

Gaurav didn’t see Radhakrishna anywhere.

Gaurav shot one of the gunmen in the arm and went behind the wall of the room away from the line of the fire. Meantime, he heard the sounds of a struggle between Suraj Bhupati and the other gunman. Gaurav swept in and knocked the butt of the gun behind the attacker’s head.

“Do you know how to shoot?” he asked Suraj Bhupati urgently.

The other man nodded and grabbed the attacker’s fallen gun. “Where’s Nina?” Suraj Bhupati asked with worry in his tone.

“She’s fine.”

Holding the guns in their hands, they went out to the living room. Three other armed men stood there, aiming their weapons at Gaurav and Suraj.

“Drop your weapons,” Gaurav commanded.

An uncertain look passed on the men’s faces, but another man joined them. “Don’t listen to him!” the man snapped. “I’m the one in charge here.”

“Raghuveer…” Suraj Bhupati said in a grim tone.

“Suraj,” the other man greeted in a sardonic tone.

Suraj Bhupati continued to watch the other man with a grim look. “Why?” he asked.

Raghuveer smiled. “Isn’t it obvious? Money, power… the usual reasons.”

“You are my friend, Raghuveer. I gave you enough money and opportunities that you have multiplied several times over. And your wife’s uncle gave you access to power with his contacts. Then why would you do something like this?”

Raghuveer’s smile turned bitter. “That’s entirely the problem, Suraj. You had to give me money first. And Ganesh Verma had to introduce me to people. All as an act of charity thrown at someone lesser than them. You, Pranit, and all the other rich classmates and friends, all you have done is to throw charity in my face.

“I bloody put in the hard work. I was the one who made deals with the devil and made Trinity Hotels the biggest brand in India. What did you both do? You were busy playing the do-gooder politician, and he, the hotshot police officer. Both of you don’t deserve anything!”

“Why are you here?” Gaurav asked quietly.

Raghuveer looked at Gaurav. “Why do you think I’m here, Gaurav?” he asked. When Gaurav didn’t answer, Raghuveer shook his head. “I’m here to snatch everything you have,” he said.

Gaurav held the other man’s gaze. “I’m sure you already know about the will my father made, Raghuveer. You’ll get nothing if you kill me. My father will never make you his heir. All of my property will revert to a trust.”

“I know.” There was rage in the other man’s eyes. “Which is why I won’t kill you. I’ll spare your life once again like the last time. I’ll let you rot in a jail.”

After his mother and sister’s funeral, Gaurav was shot in the shoulder by a masked man. He had blamed it on Suraj Bhupati. But now he knew Raghuveer had planned it, not knowing about the will.

“And how will you accomplish it?” Gaurav asked, even though he already figured it out. Gaurav knew he had to prolong the conversation and buy more time. Only fifteen minutes had passed since he had sent a code text to Vikram.

“I’ll make you kill your mistress’s husband, of course. A crime of passion. Quite a sensational reason to be imprisoned.”

For a brief moment, Gaurav was taken aback. Gaurav hadn’t known Raghuveer knew about him and Nina.

“Surprised?” Raghuveer asked with a cold smile. “It wasn’t hard to guess who had taken the beautiful Nina Bhupati. Although, I was surprised you left her alive. I was hoping you would have your fun and kill her so I could frame you for the murder.”

He turned to Suraj with a taunting look. “Quite a thing he and your wife must have had between the two of them during those ninety days. Why else wouldn’t he kill her? And why else wouldn’t she reveal the identity of her kidnapper?”

When Suraj Bhupati didn’t show any reaction to that, Raghuveer became agitated. “Aren’t you jealous, Suraj?” he demanded. “How does it feel to have your wife wanting another man? Despite giving her everything she asks for, if she still yearns for that other man? Doesn’t it feel like a kick in the gut?”

Gaurav knew that Raghuveer didn’t know anything about Nina and his relationship. Raghuveer was talking about something else.

Gaurav didn’t care to know what it was, but he had to keep him engaged.

“How did you know I was here?” he asked.

“I didn’t. You were a surprise. I’ve been tracking Suraj’s phone for a while. And I knew he was in hiding here with his wife. The idiots who are sleeping outside are my men, too. Somehow I have a feeling you were responsible for them being incapacitated.”

Gaurav realized that Raghuveer had planned to murder Suraj Bhupati and Nina that night. His heart began to thud. The security men who Raghuveer had hired would be unconscious until the morning. Raghuveer had come with four additional men. Two of them were lying unconscious inside, and might wake up any time. There were just two other men with guns. Gaurav was willing to take the risk of attacking them as long as there was a distraction. He prayed the opportunity for the distraction would come soon. And he badly hoped Nina would stay where she was.

“Why did you lie to me about Suraj being responsible for my brother’s death?” Gaurav asked, wanting to distract the man from finding Nina.

“Because I knew at the time of your investigation, that it was perfect bait for you to continue with the investigation.”

It had been.

“And my sister?”

Regret flashed in Raghuveer’s eyes. “Nothing against her. She was just collateral damage.”

Rage filled Gaurav’s mind, but he controlled himself.

An armed man returned from searching the rooms. “There’s no one else, sir.”

“Search again, you idiot. I know she must be here in the house, hiding somewhere.” Raghuveer ran his gaze around the house. “Nina!” he called. “If you want to save your husband’s and lover’s life, come out on the count of ten. Or I’ll shoot one of them.”

He began counting. At the count of nine, Gaurav heard Nina. “Stop! I’m here.”

Gaurav knew the hired man would have found her eventually, but he still wished she stayed in hiding. He also knew Suraj Bhupati and he were her weakness and she wouldn’t allow anyone to hurt them because of her.

Raghuveer’s henchman dragged her towards the middle of the room.

“I wish I didn’t have to kill you, too, Nina,” Raghuvver said with regret in his eyes. “You’ve always been good to me.” He stepped closer to her, running his eyes over the length of her body.

Gaurav clenched his fists.

“Just so you know,” Raghuveer continued. “All these years, whenever I was with a woman, I always imagined you in their place. So, I grew rather fond of you.”

Gaurav was a trained police officer. He knew what the current situation was. And although his logical mind asked him to think rationally, he knew that if Raghuveer dared to touch Nina right then, Gaurav wouldn’t stop until he killed the other man using his bare hands. Whether he was surrounded by armed men or not would make no difference to his actions.

Luckily, so far, Raghuveer didn’t touch Nina.

And Nina didn’t flinch or show disgust at the other man’s words. “Why are you doing this, Raghuveer?” she asked softly. “You’ve always worked hard and you are much well-off and powerful than many people in your circles.”

“Many people, but not all,” Raghuveer replied. “With your husband gone and your lover rotting in jail, I’d be powerful than everyone I know.”

Gaurav watched Nina and he could see the subtlest of change in her expression. It was enough from him to read her and to know what Nina was going to do.

Gaurav’s heart pounded, every instinct in him screaming against what she planned.

Nina was taking a huge risk, but considering Raghuveer intended to kill her afterwards, Gaurav couldn’t afford to interfere and stop her.

He wanted her safe, no matter what.

“Why kill me?” she asked softly. “With Suraj gone and Gaurav in jail, I’d be quite harmless. Maybe I’d be willing to take up an offer of protection from another powerful man.”

Gaurav watched Raghuveer as he processed Nina’s words and what she was offering. A rapt look covered the other man’s face.

“We both come from humble backgrounds, Raghuveer,” Nina continued. “We are both outsiders seeking acceptance to be let into the circles of wealth and power. I understand how you feel, better than anyone ever could. And I rather choose life over death.”

Raghuveer shook his head. “I don’t trust you.”

“What if I’m speaking the truth? Do you not want a chance of being with me? I know I want a chance to rub it in the other’s faces that people like you and me, from our humble backgrounds, are much above them. Ten years of being Suraj Bhupati’s wife never made me feel like I was his equal. I always felt like an outsider. But with you, I know I’ll feel differently.”

When Raghuveer continued to watch her, she kept her eyes locked on him. “It’s not going to be easy of course. We’ll have obstacles. Harika and her uncle. And maybe even my father-in-law. But best things in life are not without any risks. I’m willing to fight the world for my rightful place, but are you?”

Raghuveer sucked in a breath. “Yes,” he replied. “I’m willing to fight. I have always fought for my rightful place. I created my own opportunities for whatever I wanted. After Suraj married you, I deliberately got Harika drunk and slept with her, so she was forced to marry me. She was my ticket to the so-called higher class. ”

Nina smiled as though she was proud of his devious method to trap a woman to marry him.

Raghuveer watched her. “I want that life with you more than anything, but I still don’t trust you.” He looked at one of the henchmen. “Drug her. I’ll take her back with me and then decide what to do next.”

“Raghuveer, you don’t have to drug me. I’ll come with you willingly.” But a cloth was placed on Nina’s nose. She didn’t struggle. Slowly, her body became limp and her breathing turned even. She slid down to the floor and lay asleep, breathing evenly.

Raghuveer stared at her for a while and then looked at Gaurav and Suraj. “Looks like I won’t just get your money and power, but I’ll also get your woman.” He laughed. “She’s going to make it all the more worthwhile. Now, it’s show time.”

“Why would I keep quiet?” Gaurav asked. “You think the truth won’t come out?”

“Oh, the truth is going to come out, all right. But my version of the truth.” There was a smug smile. “I have proof that you were having an affair with Nina Bhupati. The security cameras caught you both during the party at your house.”

Gaurav didn’t say anything.

“What would that prove?” Suraj asked.

“Oh, that Gaurav Verma and Nina Bhupati were having an affair. Gaurav wanted her to be his, and he also held a long-term grudge against Nina’s husband. So, he decided to kill the husband.”

Gaurav saw gaping holes in the logic and the plan. But he didn’t want to interrupt the mad man. He continued to listen to him quietly. He tried very hard not to look at the floor towards Nina. He desperately hoped none of the goons or Raghuveer spared a glance at her either.

“So, you want to make it your word versus my word?” Gaurav asked.

“Yes. With the video proof and the personal grudge you had against Suraj, everyone will believe me. And even Nina will support me. She can say that you were pressuring her to leave her husband.”

Another barest of movement was caught in the corner of his eye.

He prayed that Nina wouldn’t try what he thought she would.

He’d seen her struggle while the goon tried to drug her. But she wasn’t drugged. He knew that because she had pulled the same trick when he had kidnapped her.

She was biding her time.

He knew his Nina was a fighter and a survivor. She wouldn’t let it be. She would do everything in her power to save the lives of the two men she cared for and loved.

Gaurav was proud of her wiliness, but more than that, he was bloody terrified for her.

A loud scream came from one of the goons. The chaos and shock that ensued were all Gaurav needed. He hit the goon behind him with his elbow before turning and shooting Raghuveer.

He shot Raghuveer multiple times.

Gaurav frantically turned towards Nina. There was no one next to her. The goon she must have hurt, was lying on the floor, holding his groin area and rolling in pain.

Gaurav and Suraj overpowered the remaining two goons.

“Call the police,” Suraj instructed.

“Already done,” said Gaurav. The moment he had seen the lights on the window and expected an attack, he had sent a message to Vikram.

“I called them as well,” said Radhakrishna who came out of a room to join them. “They are on the way.” He touched the screen of his mobile. The video of Raghuveer’s confession and threats played loudly at the background.

Soon, the house was surrounded by the police and media.

After a few more hours of giving statements, Gaurav walked next to Nina while Suraj held her and escorted her towards a car. Three of them slid into the backseat. Radhakrishna was in the driver’s seat.

It took a while for the car to wade through the throng of reporters.

“Where are we going?” Radhakrishna asked.

“Let’s go to my place,” Gaurav instructed.

 When they were out of sight from the crowd, Gaurav pulled Nina closer to him. “You scared the shit out of me,” he scolded. “What if he suspected you were lying?”

He could see a small smile on her beautiful, tired face. “I knew what I was doing, Gaurav. I had plenty of practice with you while you were my captor,” she said.

Gaurav laughed softly, but he shook his head. “But still. Never take such risks again,” he said in a stern voice.

Suraj Bhupati was watching them and smiling in amusement. “I’m sorry to say, but you’ll soon discover that challenging my wife, will only make her even more determined.”

“Shh… don’t scare my captor away, Suraj. At least not until it’s too late for him to escape from me.” There was a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.

Gaurav held her face. “It is too late,” he said, kissing her softly on her lips. “You have captivated this captor my love.”