“My dear, you are okay, right?”

Vivek Basu asks in a grave voice while trying to fathom the grief on her daughter’s face that Nandana might not be able to hide from his experienced eyes. She moves her glance from the laptop screen for a second. Vivek’s penetrating stare pushes her into unease.

“Of course, Papa. Can’t you see how fatty I have become? The only two works I do are eating and sleeping. He…he…”

Nandana giggles out but it sounds like a forced one. Needless to say, it is just a struggle to camouflage the awkwardness.

“Nandu, I know my daughter more than anyone. She never sought a life like this. She never found happiness in an idle and aimless life rather she always used to be happy amidst challenges. Dear, you can tell me. Is Aditya still good to you? He doesn’t force you for anything, right?”

Vivek’s voice is dire. Tears pin her eyes. Nandana stares down and mumbles out.

“I am missing you all, Papa. It’s been one and a half years. I am tired of talking through these gadgets. I want to meet you, I want to hug you and Maa. I want…”

Her voice chokes as tears roll down her cheeks. She immediately wipes them off.

“You can’t come here, Nandu. You know the reason. I forgot to tell you that SP Apoorva Bhosle came yesterday and asked about Aditya and you. I think the police have got some clue about that death.”

Nandana interrupts Vivek in a stern voice,

“It was a murder, Papa and I was responsible for that. But you are exactly sounding like Aditya. Why don’t you understand I can’t live the rest of my life like an absconder? Let me come and face the law. If they find me guilty then I am ready to take the punishment.”

“And if that is life imprisonment or capital punishment? Have you thought about Mini? Nandu, I have never taught you to escape the consequences of your deeds but I never taught you to be irrational either. It was an accident. In fact, you pushed him to save Aditya. In that case, it was a reaction of self-defence. So, why are you adamant to consider it murder? You haven’t planned and did it in a cool mind.”

Vivek tries to justify his point. Nandana keeps mum for a moment and replies in a tired tone,

“It might not be a planned murder, Papa but at the end of the day, I am responsible for taking a life away. He must have his loved ones and his family and I have taken away a person from all of these. I have done a sin, maybe by mistake but I have done it. Probably for that, I am away from my parents. Karma never forgets to give us the return we deserve. Anyway, I met Rishi’s Dr today and even he is not ready to permit us to get him to India at this stage. So, in that case, you and Maa have to come over here. I think that is fine for all of us?”

The innuendo in her voice doesn’t go unnoticed by Vivek. He curves his lips in a tired manner and replies,

“We are the only source for the police to reach Aditya and you. Bhosle is seeking one chance to track both of you. Ayan was right. Right now, it’s good for all of us to stick to our places. No risk no regret. Take care of you and Mini. I will call you soon. Bye.”

Vivek’s face vanishes from the laptop screen. Nandana shuts the flap rudely and fists the mattress in frustration.

“Bhosle, Bhosle….I wish I could contact him and speak the truth. This isolation is killing me.”

Only then Mini’s giggle alerts her all senses. She looks at the clock. It’s 9 p.m. Aditya is as punctual as the clock. She gets down from the bed and heads to Adirah’s room.

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

“Nandana, Arya will be there at the party. Make sure he feels at home.”

Aditya stares up from the laptop screen and announces in a casual placid voice. Till now, Nandana was breastfeeding her 6-month-old baby girl Mini. Adirah Oberoi. Aditya’s words stiffen her all nerves. In an impassive voice, she replies,

“I have to go for Rishi’s counselling. I can’t be at the party. In any case, your friend Aryan very much considers this house as his own home. I think there is no need for my special hospitality.”

The frigidness in her tone makes Aditya place his rigid eyes on his wife.

“I don’t know why you dislike Arya so much.”

Nandana removes her swollen nipple from Mini’s teethless mouth. The tiny frame stirs in her sleep.

“There are so many reasons. But unfortunately, you don’t want to see.”

Aditya lifts the laptop from his lap and places it on the bedside table. His eyes fall on Adirah’s divine asleep face. After returning from the office, he already has spent some quality time with his daughter but like her mother, this tiny angel has that same intoxication that forces her father to keep her with him all the time. Aditya stretches his hand and touches Mini’s plumpy rosy cheeks with his knuckles.

“One reason I know. He is a Mafia and you are fearing for your Gentleman husband lest he spoils me…ha…ha….tell me the other reasons. I am all ears.”

The sarcasm is profound in Aditya’s voice. Nandana removes his hands from Adirah’s face and retorts with a lopsided smile,

“No…I have no wrong notion about your gentleness. Rather, I am worried about Aryan. Because you have all the capabilities to turn him worse.”

Saying this, Nandana lays down Adirah in the nearby baby cot but immediately gets yanked by Aditya by her elbow. He places his stern eyes on hers and hoarses out,

“Right! I am not a gentleman. Nor I have ever tried to be. Still, you are with me because you love me. Then why can’t you consider Arya? He is a part of your husband’s dark life. Like you have accepted my darkness, you have to accept this dark part too.”

His hot restless breath gusts her face. Without breaking eye contact, Nandana mouths in an arctic tone,

“I accepted your darkness but that doesn’t mean I won’t stop you from going more into it. Aryan Khurana is a Mafia King. He is the part of your dark past. He is one of your best friends and can do anything for you. But at the end of the day, he is a dangerous man. More of that, he only loves you. He doesn’t care about your loved ones. Rather, he considers me as a hindrance between you and him. Isn’t it a good reason to not like him?”

Some moments of silence linger in the room air. Both of them are not ready to move their eyes from each other. Gradually, a nonchalant smile appears on Aditya’s lips. He pulls Nandana more into him and whispers,

“Don’t tell me you are jealous of Arya. Ha..Ha.. Trust me, he is straight and you already know about my sexual preference. Still, if you have doubt that he doesn’t like you because I love you; I will raise this topic at the party and I am sure he will speak the truth and clear your doubts.”

The suppressed jest in his voice irritates Nandana more. She jerks Aditya’s hand from her body and counters,

“I don’t care about his likes or dislikes. I won’t be at the party. And that is final.”

Aditya stops for a while then springs on Nandana in a fraction of a second just to take her under his heavy torso.

“We will see. You will be there and will be shining as an Angel in the Brute’s paradise Mrs Nandana Aditya Oberoi. I can vouch for that.”
Nandana tries to contradict his words but his rough and aggressive lips shut her immediately. A brute’s love is possessive but still, it is love.

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

In a semi-dark room, a person is sitting on a revolving chair. The room doesn’t have any furniture. Only a table is there beside the chair and a projector is kept on it. The man switches on the projector and some pictures get imposed on the opposite wall. All members of Notorious 5 are smiling on the wall. A satisfactory sigh escapes the person’s nostrils.

“It will be great to have you all again guys.”

He murmurs. His moving eyes roam on every image and eventually get fixed on Arjun’s photo. His jaws clench.

“I wish you were too, Arjun. But you missed the opportunity. I am really sorry for that.”

The person leaps from the chair and nears the wall. Because of the opposite direction of the light, his face is partially covered with shadow. He skims his fingers on Arjun’s image and again utters in a raspy tone,

“Everything is fair in love and war. Secrets are meant to be secret. Open secret destroys life and even friendship. I wish you would have known this. Three may keep a secret if two of them are dead.”

He whistles and keeps staring at the images illuminated on the vacant wall.