Chapter- 52

Ekta stared at the men walking towards her. Despite the tremble in her heart and the paralyzing fear she was feeling from within, she chose to ignore them, keeping her gaze fixed on Abhiraj, who sat on the couch at a distance.

She made sure to maintain eye contact without looking away even once. Her body screamed in pain from the earlier beating she had received, his lessons replaying in her mind all over again. Blood stains on her torn clothes were still visible as she sat stiffly, her trembling fingers curled into her palms to stop herself from reacting, however today, with a certainty that if she died, she would see the end of the man behind everyone’s misery. She would see the end of the person because of whom Eshita was surviving somewhere, Ekansh had to choose, and Virendra had been dragged into the same nightmare alongside them.

The moment she felt a hand on her shoulder, she flinched back. Tears stung her eyes, but her gaze remained locked with Abhiraj’s. He wanted her to feel broken, humiliated, defeated, but she would make sure he would see nothing except silent defiance without an ounce of satisfaction.

Swallowing the tears, she sat rigid like an object without feeling as the monsters circled around her like vultures waiting for their prey to stop breathing.

The ripping sound of fabric cut through the room. Her dress tore down from the shoulder seam, making her shut her eyes for the briefest second before opening them again. The laughter that followed echoed through the room like a celebration of someone else’s suffering. A hand slid down her shoulder, before it could move any further...

Abhiraj suddenly coughed violently. At first, no one paid attention. The men glanced at him from a second before continuing with what they were doing.

However the sound grew harsher. Abhiraj bent forward, one hand gripping the armrest tightly as another fit of coughing escaped him.

The men frowned spinning around, “Malik...?”

Abhiraj’s breathing turned uneven, the very next moment a spray of blood splattered across the floor.

The room fell silent. The men immediately stepped away from Ekta, rushing towards him. “Malik!”

Abhiraj pushed one of them aside, trying to steady himself, but another violent coughing fit doubled him over. His chest tightened painfully as every breath became harder than the last.

The guards stationed outside barged into the room the moment they heard the commotion.

“Doctor ko bulao jaldi!” one of them shouted.

Abhiraj struggled to breathe, his vision swimming as he slowly lifted his head.

His eyes met Ekta’s. She hadn’t moved. She hadn’t looked away. She was still sitting exactly where she had been, watching him. The calmness in her orbs, the silence in her stance... Slowly, realization dawned upon him.

She was the reason behind his condition. Rage twisted his features. Fear was what he had taught her. Fear was what he wanted to see in her eyes every single time she looked at him, so that she would never disobey or betray him no matter what happened.

Ignoring the guards trying to support him, he staggered towards her, his breathing ragged and uneven. Every step looked painful, but fury pushed him forward.

Ekta’s head snapped to the side from the force. His palm landed hard across her face.

“Tu... T... tune kya... kiya hai... yeh?” He rasped between broken breaths, clutching his chest, struggling to get the words out. Another cough interrupted him as fresh blood trickled from the corner of his lips.

Ekta remained silent. Slowly, she turned her face back towards him. For the first time since entering that mansion years ago. A faint smile appeared on her lips. Not the warm kind that reached the eyes, but something eerie, hollow and unsettling, where, when suffering ends and acceptance starts, all you feel is a strange, terrifying sense of peace.

A strange warmth spread through her chest. The way he swayed, struggled, spat blood, all of it looked nothing like the man she had been taught to fear all her life.

Abhiraj Rajvansh wasn’t the immortal monster she had been told he was. He could bleed. He could be weaken. He could fall. And somehow, that alone was enough to make her believe. He could finally be defeated.

Darkness felt darker than usual. The celestial moon smiled up in the velvet sky, stars scattered like tiny diamonds across the endless canvas. The scene was breathtaking for anyone who stopped to admire it, but to Ekta it felt empty, as though even the beauty of the night had lost its meaning somewhere along the way.

It was two in the morning when she woke up from her restless sleep after yet another nightmare. In the afternoon, she recited her past to Ekansh; its burden had lifted slightly off her shoulders, yet she found herself stuck in a maze of emotions she couldn’t understand.

She had finally spoken the truth she had buried for years. She had finally been heard without being judged, yet instead of feeling lighter, her heart felt strangely hollow. It was as iff she had walked out of one prison only to find herself standing before another. She should be feeling relieved, free, lighter, but here she was, standing in the cold night, feeling lost between the past she had escaped and the future she didn’t know how to embrace.

A soft blanket wrapped around her shoulders from behind, startling her. She jumped, turning around instinctively, finding Ekansh standing quietly beside her with a faint, reassuring smile.

“Neend nhi aa rahi hai?” He asked softly, leaning against the railing.

Ekta shook her head. “Aapko?”

Ekansh shook his head quietly. He woke or better yet, wasn’t able to sleep soundly, after knowing the truth about Ekta. The words were ready to spill out from him, words of comfort, reassurance, hope, long paragraphs to encourage her, ask her to let go and focus on the present. But asking to let go of something so deeply engraved into her soul felt ridiculous.

He wanted Ekta to heal, rise and rebuild herself from her past trauma, but he can’t force healing upon someone who had spent years surviving instead of living. Everything takes time, and right now his first step was to find the person behind his sister’s misery, and then he would help Ekta to take one step at a time until she no longer looked over her shoulder every time she heard a loud noise or questioned whether she deserved to be loved.

Until then, he would give her the most important thing a broken heart needed at that moment. The stiffness in her shoulders wasn’t lost on him. He wanted her to know that she no longer had to carry everything alone.

“Kya soach rahi hai?” He asked gently.

Ekta looked at him, startled, shaking her head immediately. “Raat bahut ho gayi hai. Aap so jao. Main bhi jaa rahi hu.” Saying, she turned to leave.

“Darr lag raha hai Ekta?” Ekansh asked quietly from behind, stopping her in her tracks.

Ekta turned reluctantly, meeting his gaze. Like always, he saw right through her. She nodded hesitantly. She didn’t know what she feared the most, her family’s sudden entry into her life and their wish to take her back, or the upcoming undeniable future encounter with Malik.

Either way, both fears tangled inside her chest, tightening the knot. She just wanted to be free. But the more she tried to forget, the harder those memories came rushing back, refusing to let her believe that the nightmare was truly over.

Ekansh held her hand, guiding her towards the couch placed in the balcony. Settling down beside her, he kept her hand enclosed in both of his, gently rubbing circles over her knuckles.

“Kis cheez se darr rahi hai baccha?” His tone softened as he searched her face. “Uss janwar se... ya aane wale kal se?”

Ekta stared at their joined hands for a long moment before finally gathering the courage to meet his gaze.

“Aapko... aap sabko kho dene se.” Her voice cracked. “I don’t want to lose anyone anymore. I don’t want to look like a pathetic person who craves for love and can go to any extent just to feel it. Main bass... Ab aur haarna nhi chaahti, bhaiya.”

Her thoughts stumbled out one after another without any order. Years of fear, guilt, helplessness and exhaustion mixed together until even she couldn’t understand what she was trying to say anymore. She only knew one thing, she was tired. Tired of losing, of surviving. Tired of watching the people she loved become targets because of her past.

Ekansh gently cradled her face in his palm, wiping away the tears from her cheeks that she hadn’t even realised had escaped her eyes.

“Nhi haregi.” He said firmly, making her look at him. “Iss duniya mein aisa koi nhi hai jo hume hara sake, Ekta... except hum khud khud ko hara dein.”

He waited until she was looking at him before continuing. “Darr tab lagna chaiye jab bhagne ke liye koi rasta na ho. Humare mein utni taqat na ho ki hum apna bachav kisi se na kar sake. Vo darr... duniya ka sabse bada darr hota hai.” His voice lowered. “Ek andhere tunnel mein zindagi bhar ke liye kisi jungli janwar ke saath kaid rehna... Vo darr.”

He squeezed her hand reassuringly. “Lekin jab tak saanse chal rahi hain... humare mein taqat hai... aur apna bachav karne ka rasta bhi... toh phir darr kyu?”

Ekta remained silent, his words settling somewhere deep inside her. For years she had believed surviving meant enduring everything in silence. Tonight, for the first time, someone was telling her that surviving also meant fighting back.

“Tujhe pata hai... jung mein ek sipahi apni aakhri saans tak umeed nhi chhodta. Aur jab tak vo ek aakhri saans baaki hoti hai... wahi saans insaan ko aage badhne ki himmat deti hai. Dushmano ke saamne khade hone ki taqat deti hai.” Ekansh added, a faint smile appearing on his lips despite the seriousness in his eyes. “Ladna har kisi ko aana chaiye. Koi humare saath galat kare... humari izzat par haath daale... ya humare saath badtameezi kare... chup rehkar sehna galat hota hai. Galat samay par hosla dikhana bewakoofi hoti hai. Lekin sahi samay aane par vaar karna... himmat bhi hoti hai aur samajhdari bhi.”

He met her gaze steadily. “Jeet hamesha taqat se nhi milti, Ekta... kabhi kabhi vo sirf isliye mil jaati hai kyunki ek insaan ne haar maanne se inkaar kar diya. Darrne se inkaar kar diya. Aur main apni bhen ko darta hua nhi... jisne tere saath galat kiya uski aankhon mein aankhen daal ke uske muh par hass ke uski beizzati karte dekhna chahta hoon. Samjhi?”

Ekta snapped out of her thoughts as she felt the ropes being loosened from her hands one by one. She was being untied. Finally, she was getting what she wanted. The moment she was freed, she was pulled up harshly. Fingers dug painfully into her arm as Abhiraj held her tightly, yet the struggle in his own breathing was becoming harder to hide with every passing second.

“Kya kiya tune baata warna teri jaan le lunga!” Abhiraj shouted at her face.

Ekta flinched back but didn’t answer. She kept her eyes locked with his, the smile still plastered on her face in silent defiance. Her bhaiya was right. All she had to do was take one step towards courage, one step towards standing up for herself, and she could finally see the result of it all with her own eyes. Abhiraj was beyond furious, yet for the first time she could see fear flickering beneath that fury.

“Leke jao isse!” Abhiraj roared, his voice breaking into another violent cough. “Chamdi udhdo iski... Jb tak muh na khole...” He shoved Ekta towards the guards.

She  stumbled but managed to keep herself upright. Two guards grabbed her arms roughly from either side while another stepped forward, pulling out a leather whip from his waist.

He raised the whip in the air to strike, when one of the guards suddenly bent forward violently, clutching his throat and gasping for air.

Everyone froze. Within seconds, a second guard doubled over, blood staining the corner of his lips before he collapsed onto one knee. The sound spread across the room one after another.

The heavy wooden doors burst open with a deafening sound. Every head snapped towards the entrance.

All the girls that worked in the mansion under Abhiraj’s control stood at the threshold. Some held kitchen knives tightly in trembling hands. Some gripped broken flower vases. Others clutched glass shards, iron rods, decorative candle stands, anything and everything they had found around the house for their defence.

Their faces were bruised, yet the fire in their eyes shone brighter than the fear etched across them. The tremble in their hands was noticeable, tears swimming in their eyes giving away how terrified they truly were, but one thing that held them all up, refusing to step back, was hope. Hope to break the cage and run away from the hellhole. Hope that for once they wouldn’t have to bow before the monster who had stolen years of their lives. Hope that today they would either walk out of this mansion as free women, or die there itself.

Silence swallowed the room. Abhiraj looked around in utter disbelief. For years he had controlled everyone through power, dominance and fear, but today it all seemed to shatter beneath his own eyes. The fear that had ruled the mansion for years seem to crack little by little. He struggled to straighten himself, coughing violently as more blood spilled from his mouth.

“H-hold them...” He rasped, pointing towards the girls. “Pakdo inm sabko aur andar baandh kro!”

The guards immediately rushed forward, only to stagger after barely taking two steps. One after another, their legs gave way beneath them. Bodies crashed against the floor with loud thuds. The coughing grew louder. Soon, every guard inside the room lay unconscious.

Abhiraj stared around stunned. His breathing turned harsher. His vision blurred. He tried taking another step towards Ekta, but his knees buckled beneath him. He collapsed right at her feet, losing consciousness.

Ekta staggered back in relief. Her racing heart finally slowed as she watched the man who had terrified her for years lying helpless before her.

A few hours ago, when Abhiraj was done with her, he had commanded her to carry out the usual tasks she always did. He wanted to remind her of her place, to serve people, to remain nothing more than an invisible servant in his eyes. She did exactly what he wanted. However, this time she paid attention to every movement inside the kitchen instead of letting her fear consume her.

With the help of the girls who looked after the kitchen, she crushed sweet cover leaves available outside in the garden into a fine powder, mixing it into the alcohol bottles and lightly dusting the wine glasses with the same. Its faint vanilla-like fragrance and nearly undetectable taste didn’t let anyone grow suspicious, blending seamlessly with the aroma of the expensive liquor. She remembered reading in one of the old science book, the leaves possessed unusual properties. The concentrated dose causes bleeding inside the body, especially in the throat and lungs. And it had worked in her favour.

“Thank you,” One of the girls stepped forward, her voice trembling with gratitude as tears rolled down her bruised cheeks.

Ekta shook her head faintly. “Maine wahi kiya jo mujhe... jo mujhe sikhaya gaya tha. Mujh par bharosa karne ke liye... thank you.”

She remembered the scared look on their faces when she asked for help and laid out the plan, yet despite their reluctance and fear, they still chose to help her, and themselves.

“Humne wahi kiya jo tumne hume kaha tha,” another one said, her trembling voice carrying a courage she never knew she possessed, “Darr tab lagna chaiye jab bhagne ke liye koi rasta na ho. Humare mein utni taqat na ho ki hum apna bachav kisi se kar sake. Humne Aaj tak aapne daar ke aage kuch socha he nhi. Kabhi himmat he nhi kuch krne ki kisi ke khilaaf jaane ki. Liken aapne humare madat ki ...Hume darr aur hosle mein fark samajhne ke liye shukriya.”

Ekta shook her head. She had just given them the words her saviour, her bhaiya, had taught her. The way those words had pulled her out of years of fear and helplessness, they had done the very same for every girl standing in that room.

“Ab hume kya karna chaahiye?” Another girl asked, scared, looking around.

Ekta’s eyes flashed with determination. “Iss jagah ko jala kar raakh karna hai hume. Taaki isme rehne wale yahi mar jaye.”

Even if she wanted to see Abhiraj and Samar suffer, she knew that wasn’t possible. She didn’t trust that mansion enough to believe there wasn’t another escape route hidden somewhere inside it. What if there was a hidden passage or something that allowed them to disappear once again before anyone could catch them?

She glanced at the massive screen which had now gone blank. Where was her bhaiya? Where was Eshita? She didn’t know anymore. She had served Samar and his guests the same drink she had served Abhiraj. However, she didn’t know whether its effects had reached him or not. Whether they were safe, or whether....

Her thoughts trailed off as the entire basement trembled beneath their feet.

The girls gasped, instinctively stepping closer to one another.

A deep rumbling echoed through the room. Dust rained from the ceiling. One of the decorative pillars cracked slightly

“Yeh kya ho raha hai?” one girl whispered fearfully.

Before anyone could react A deafening grinding sound filled the basement. Everyone turned towards the far wall.

The stone wall slowly began to slide sideways, scraping against the floor with a heavy crushing noise that echoed through the entire mansion.

Ekta stared in shock as the room extended far into the distance. It looked like an abandoned factory hidden beneath the mansion itself. There lay Samar near a control panel with his hand hanging loosely beside a red switch, while the other men lay flat across the concrete floor, completely unconscious.

She stilled for a heartbeat before her gaze shot towards the far end of the chamber, finding a familiar figure struggling against the metal pole, tied with thick iron chains around her wrists and waist.

“Di...” The word escaped her lips in nothing more than a broken whisper.

Her gaze fell on Virendra, who sat stiffly across from Eshita, chained in the same helpless state, “Pa... Papa...” She dared to mumble without even realising what had slipped from her lips.

“EKTA!”

Ekansh’s panicked voice floated from behind her. She spun around only to find Ekansh standing at the threshold with a gun in his hand, his eyes frantically searching every corner of the room until they landed on her. His clothes covered in dirt and blood, his chest rising and falling violently after what looked like a relentless sprint. Relief washed over her like a wave she had been holding back for years, crashing through every wall she had built around herself.

She stepped forward with trembling feet. Her knees finally gave away. Before she could hit the floor, Ekansh caught her protectively in his arms. Tears fogged her vision. The unbearable weight of everything they had survived finally collided.

The fear she had buried inside herself for years, the guilt of losing her family, the helplessness of watching Eshita suffer because of her, the terror of facing Abhiraj again, every emotion she had forced herself to suppress shattered all at once. She clutched Ekansh’s shirt tightly, as though letting go would make this moment disappear like another cruel dream. For the first time in years, she allowed herself to believe she wasn’t alone anymore. Someone had finally come back for her. Someone had chosen her.

“Shh... Clam down... Main hoon na baccha.” Ekansh coaxed, caressing her back in a soothing manner.

His gaze swept across the surroundings, the frightened girls, Abhiraj lying unconscious, his guards scattered across the floor, before lifting towards the hidden chamber where Samar lay unconscious near the control panel.

He had come straight to Abhiraj with only one thought in mind, to hold him at gunpoint, shoot him dead, and take away his sisters. Those who had stood in his way had already died earlier.

But he wasn’t prepared for this. Anyways, he was just grateful, grateful that he wasn’t late. Because if anything had happened to either of his sisters, he knew he would never have been able to forgive himself.

Ekta pulled back, pointing behind her where Eshita and Virendra were. “Di waha hai.”

Ekansh looked up. The moment he noticed the familiar figure, he rushed over, followed closely by Ekta. The hidden chamber was much farther than it had appeared from the entrance, due to the distance he failed to catch her sight properly until he reached the poles where she was tied.

“Bhaiya...” Eshita murmured softly, tears streaming uncontrollably down her face.

She was so close to losing her hope when those men suddenly started coughing out of nowhere, spitting blood before collapsing one after another. Samar panicked and rushed to the other side. She hadn’t understood what was happening until she heard the loud noises outside, and finally saw her brother standing before her.

The real fear she had felt in those last few moments earlier still clung stubbornly to her heart. She couldn’t express how terrified she had been watching those men walk towards her with intentions she didn’t even want to imagine.

For the first time in her life, she had felt completely powerless. She kept telling herself to stay strong, to survive until Ekansh reached her, but every passing second had made that hope weaker. Seeing him now shattered every wall she had built around herself. She no longer had to pretend she was brave. She no longer had to fight alone.

Ekansh wiped away her tears, pulling her into his warmth before untying her. “Relax... main aa gaya hoon. Kuch nhi hoga.”

Eshita let the tears fall, burying her face against his shoulder for a brief moment, allowing herself to believe that the nightmare was finally coming to an end.

Ekta untied Virendra, holding him immediately as his body slumped weakly towards one side. She shook him gently, his eyes blinked, but his muscles and lower body remained completely numb and unresponsive.

Tears welled in her eyes as she realised it was the same drug they had injected into him, the one they had used on her for years to keep her unable to resist or fight back.

“Aa... aap thik... thik ho?” She asked, unable to hold back.

Virendra closed his eyes briefly before nodding. His muscles felt heavy, as though they no longer belonged to him, but he was thankful that his son had arrived on time. Whatever happened after this could be dealt with, otherwise, seeing his daughters cry before him, watching her beg those monsters to spare her. He never wanted to experience that kind of helplessness ever again.

The sudden rolling up of the front shutter with a loud metallic screech cut through the room. Ekansh pulled back, raising his gun, ready to fire at whoever had entered, as sharp sunrays streamed into the dark basement, momentarily blinding everyone inside before he noticed Rajeev, Vikram, and the police force at the entrance of the hidden chamber. He lowered his weapon as they walked in.

“The evidence is inside Officer,” Ekansh said firmly, stepping aside. “The ones who kidnapped Dad and also abused these girls for years inside this hidden place are Abhiraj and Samar. You can check everything yourselves. The girls are inside and so are the culprits, and every piece of evidence you need.”

Satish nodded. Vikram and Rajeev had already told him what had occurred. All he wanted was proof, and he had found it. He would make sure the men people were crying over and mourning were exposed for what they truly were, monsters hiding behind respectable faces, not saints worthy of anyone’s sympathy.

Eshita frowned, a strange smell drifting through the air caught her attention. She looked around. “Yeh gas leak ki smell kahan se aa rahi hai?”

“Humne gas on kar diye the.” One of the girls said, lowering her gaze nervously.

Ekansh immediately understood the gravity of the situation, “We can stop the blast...”

“No... we can’t...” Ekta shook her head. “Maine inn logo ko kerosene daalne ke liye kaha tha third floor se... Ek room mein aag lagne ke baad vo aag dheere dheere sabhi rooms mein phailegi. We have to leave this place immediately.”

Ekansh met Rajeev and Vikram’s gaze. The three friends passed an unspoken understanding between themselves before taking action. While the police helped the girls out and secured the evidence, Vikram and Ekansh helped Virendra. Eshita held Ekta, who walked beside her in exhausted silence.

Within a few minutes, the girls were rescued out of the place into waiting police vans while officers rushed back and forth securing the scene. Eshita and Ekta walked out of the hidden basement together, while Virendra was inside a waiting ambulance receiving immediate medical attention from the doctors.

The first sound of the blast echoed through the jungle.

Instinctively, Ekta held Ekansh’s hand tightly.

“Dekhna chahti hai?” He asked gently, squeezing her hand reassuringly.

Ekta stared at the mansion standing in the distance. The flames slowly surrounded it, swallowing one floor after another. There were more than one LPG cylinders in the mansion. Abhiraj always made sure the house never ran short of supplies, because that was his secret den he lived in without going outside. Adding to it, there was a weapons room too, filled with rifles and guns.

The fire spread rapidly, watching each corner of the place that held nothing but years of suffering and captivity turn into ashes brought a strange sense of closure rather than satisfaction.

Her fingers tightened around Ekansh’s hand while her other hand held Eshita’s. Taking a deep breath, she finally turned away. It was finally over.

She didn’t have to look over her shoulder a thousand times. She didn’t have to flinch at every little shadow or sound. She didn’t have to wake up every morning wondering whether she would survive the day. She didn’t have to measure every word before speaking or fear punishment for breathing too loudly. She didn’t have to live like a prisoner waiting for the next order.

For the first time in years, the weight pressing against her chest felt lighter. She wasn’t free because the nightmare had disappeared overnight; she was free because she was finally walking away from it, with people who chose to walk beside her.

The flames licked the once-grand mansion. Another blast echoed through the place as the cars drove deeper into the forest road, away from the nightmare that had stolen years of so many innocent lives.

Sometimes endings aren’t loud. Villains don’t always die tragically or dramatically. Sometimes all it takes is one step towards courage, to fight back, and to refuse to remain silent, something Ekta and the girls did, breaking the shackles around them with their own trembling hands instead of waiting for someone else to save them.

A new day would bring new beginnings, painful healing, and a future they could finally choose for themselves!

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