TWO HOURS BACK

Nandini

Opening my eyes, I blink several times to clear my blurry vision.

As I look around, I find myself inside a dimly lit room.

The light is not enough to see properly, but I can make out it's someone's bedroom.

I am lying on the carpeted floor. A king-sized bed is in front of me, occupying the center of the room. There is a cupboard at the other end of the room across from me. And there is also a dressing table with a big mirror by its side, right in front of the bed.

As I try to sit up from where I'm lying on the floor, a pain-filled groan escapes my lips because even the slightest movement causes a painful throbbing right at the center of the head radiating down to my spine, causing the jolts of tingling pain throughout my entire body.

"Wher—" I try to speak but find my throat completely dry, making it difficult to even utter a word.

Slowly, I slide to the corner and then sit up, leaning against the wall there, pushing through the pain I feel while doing so.

Closing my eyes, I try to recall how I ended up here.

Amidst the throbbing pain in the head, I get some flashes.

Aastha and I in the washroom.

Her teary eyes when she apologized to me.

Feeling a pricking sensation on the nape of my neck.

"You did good, Slut. It's now time to add Nandini to my collection."

I immediately open my eyes when that voice reverberates through my entire being.

Then, I was in a semi-conscious state to realize who it was, but now, as his voice rings in my ears, I shudder in fear because I recognize him.

How can I ever forget that vile, disgusting man?

"What body you have, Nandini. Come on, don't hide it from me. Keep your hands by your side, and let me appreciate those luscious peaks."

"Come, sit on my lap."

"If you don't do what I tell you, not only will I hurt your brother, but I will also taint your parents' reputation by spreading the rumors in your neighborhood about how low you stooped in trying to seduce me."

"Next time. I'll do much more than just looking and pinching. Next time, I'll claim you as mine. And you'll remain mine until I get bored of you."

Squeezing my eyes shut, I put my hands to cover my ears, hoping it would stop his disgusting voice from ringing in my ears.

He is back.

Terror grips me as I realize Rishabh is the one who brought me here.

I bring my knees to my chest and wrap my hands around it, rocking back and forth, trying to lessen the paralyzing fear bubbling inside me.

"Are you awake, Nandini?"

I hear Aastha call my name, and it causes a tiny hope to bud in my chest.

Aastha is here. Maybe she can help me escape.

But how did she get here? Did she follow me? Or did she also get taken by Rishabh from the washroom?

The questions swirling in my mind suddenly stop when a realization hits me.

Rishabh had addressed someone as his slut before picking up my semi-conscious body.

And Aastha had apologized to me right before I felt that prick in my nape.

This means she was the one who helped him in abducting me.

I try to slide away from her when I feel her hand on my shoulder.

"Yo—" I cough, unable to utter the word due to the extreme dryness of my throat.

"Drink this first." She forwards a water bottle toward me.

I shake my head, glaring at her in anger and disgust.

"I know you think I'm in league with Rishabh. But I had no choice other than to betray you, Nandini. I'm sorry," she says.

Although the room is dimly lit, I can still see her eyes glistening with tears and can hear remorse clearly in her voice.

Yet, I'm hesitant to trust her.

What if this is Rishabh's other ploy? What if she has mixed something in the water?

I suspiciously eye the bottle.

My mouth is so dry that I feel I can drink a gallon of water in one go, but I can't bring myself to trust Aastha enough to get the bottle from her hand and drink from it.

"I understand it must be hard for you to trust me right now, but I'm on your side," she says, opening the bottle and taking a sip from it. "See? It's completely harmless. I have not mixed anything."

She sighs when I don't take the bottle from her hand.

"I know how parched you must be feeling right now. Rishabh had tried the drug on me before he decided to inject it into you. He did it to find out for how long the drug would keep a person knocked out," she tells me. "That day, after waking up, I had only felt two things—extreme throbbing pain in my head and extreme thirst. But that pain had slightly reduced after I drank some water. Please, Nandini. Drink this. It will help you."

Saying that, she brings the bottle closer to my lips, and unable to resist anymore due to my thirst, I grip the bottle and drink from it, downing it in one go.

Emptying the bottle, I keep it on the floor by my side, realizing it helped in lessening the painful throbbing.

The pain is still there, but it has slightly decreased in intensity.

"Feeling better now?" Aastha asks.

"Better? I'm here, trapped by Rishabh, the man who used to molest me. And you think I'll feel better by drinking a bottle of water?" I snap, my voice hoarse.

"He used to molest you?"

I nod at her, tears streaming down my face. "He used to do it in my home, in my room, with his and my parents sitting right outside, oblivious to what he was doing to me."

"I'm sorry." Aastha looks shocked and remorseful. "I didn't know—"

"How could you do this to me?" I ask, interrupting her. "How could you help him get me here? How?"

She folds her hands in front of me, asking for forgiveness. "I know what I did was inexplicably wrong. But I had no choice, Nandini." She lowers her head, resting her forehead over her folded hands. "My parents sold me to him, and he kept me here as his prisoner. The things he has done with me since getting me here have completely broken me. I have no will left of my own."

I stare at her, stunned by what she said. Her pitiful sobs tearing at my heart.

Before I can say anything to her, the door of the room opens, and Rishabh walks in, causing me to freeze in fear.

Aastha also quietens when she sees him enter inside.

"Ah! My collections are talking and enjoying each other's company," he says, sitting on the bed in front of us. "I'm happy seeing you two this way because you two will be spending a lot of time together. My old slut will teach the new one how to behave around me, what I like, what I dislike, what the punishment would be if you displease me."

He rubs his hands together as he stretches his legs right in front of us. "What a relief that I won't have to do it all by myself. My fucktoy here knows everything, doesn't she?"

"Ye-yes, S-sir," Aastha stutters, her lips trembling.

She flinches when Rishabh suddenly stands up and crouches in front of her.

The very next moment, a slapping sound booms in the room when Rishabh strikes Aastha across her face.

Gripping her hair, he yanks it up to make her look at him.

"If you know everything, how did you forget to greet me when I entered this room?" He asks.

Saying that, he leaves her, pushing her back to the floor.

He then walks back to sit on the bed.

"S-so, sorr-sorry, Sir," Aastha begs for forgiveness and crawls toward him.

Once she reaches him, she kisses both his feet and keeps rubbing her nose on them until Rishabh kicks her away.

"I'm letting you off easy for now. Forget to do this the next time, and I'll punish you in such a way that you won't be able to sit or walk for days. Do you understand, Slut?" He asks, and Aastha immediately nods, still on her fours.

"Keep assuming that position until I say otherwise," he tells her sternly and turns to look at me.

I'm frozen in my spot, too stunned to react or even think.

The way he treated Aastha, the way he demeaned her, made bile rise up my throat.

Unable to hold it in any longer, I let out a retching sound, throwing up what little I had eaten before going to the party with Vikrant.

The thought of Vikrant brings tears to my eyes.

Does he know I have been taken? Is he looking for me?

"Aww, sweetheart, look what mess you have made."

Rishabh's voice brings me out of my reverie.

"Go and clean it, Slut. Clean it with the gown you are wearing," He says to Aastha, who nods before crawling toward me.

I want to stop her. I want to tell her not to do it. But I'm too terrified to utter even a word.

While Aastha is cleaning the carpet, Rishabh walks to me.

I hurriedly slide to the corner, willing myself to disappear through the wall, but I'm unable to move further when he clutches my arm.

"You have made me wait all this time, Nandini," he says, tightening his hold and making me whimper in pain. "I'll make you pay for all those times I had to imagine you while fucking my other sluts because I could not lay my hands on you."

With his other hand, he roughly grips my jaw. "It will be so much fun to break you bit by bit. But I do hope you keep resisting and fighting for months. It will add to my entertainment while I make you surrender completely to my will."

I want to push him away. I want to scream and shout at him. I want to kill him with my bare hands.

But the only thing I do is keep staring at him as he loosens his hold over my jaw and strokes my cheek with his thumb.

His touch is repulsing me, making me want to rip my skin where he touched.

But I do nothing except endure it because I'm frozen in terror.

At this moment, I feel like I can't even move one muscle of my body.

His finger is now tracing my lips, moving slowly up to my forehead, then my head, and then to the back of my head.

Once his hand is at the back of my head, he digs his fingers into my scalp, clutching my hair so tightly that a hiss of pain escapes my lips and my eyes well up.

"This is the sight I love. You crying in pain, unable to do anything as I do whatever I wish with you," he says before leaving my hair and stepping back.

My whole body shakes, partly in fear and partly in relief, as he moves back. But I can still feel his gaze on me.

"Soon, sweetheart. Soon, you'll endure much more pain and grow to love it. You'll soon learn the joy of surrendering to me," he says, walking to the other corner of the room.

As I continued looking at him, I saw him open the wardrobe and take out a dress.

A jolt passes through my body when Rishabh walks back toward me with that turquoise dress in his hand and throws it toward Aastha before looking at me.

"Remember that dress, Nandini?" He asks me. "Of course, you must remember it. After all, It's the same dress whose picture I had shown you the last time we met. I had told you I would bring it the next time with me and make you wear it before tearing it away from your body to claim you as mine.

"Before that could happen, you used your brain, got your brother killed, and made me go away for a while. Such a bad girl you had been, Nandini." He shakes his head as if he is disappointed in me. "But don't worry. I will train you in such a way that you will be an obedient, good slut by the end of it."

Saying that to me, he turns to Aastha.

"Take Nandini to the bathroom. Bathe her and get her dressed. I want her to look beautiful in that dress. Do you understand, Slut?"

When Aastha nods, Rishabh walks out of the room.

Once he leaves, I slump against the wall, my whole body shaking violently as his intention with me dawns on me.

"No. No. No. No. No. This can't happen. No. No. Please. Please. No."

I vehemently shake my head, tears continuously flowing through my eyes when I realize what he'll do with me.

Aastha hurriedly gets closer to me, rubbing my arms and trying to calm me down.

But how can I calm down in this situation? How can I calm down after knowing what he intends to do with me?

Clutching Aastha's hand, I plead with her, "Please help me, Aastha. Please. I need to run away from here. I can't let him do what—"

"What he did with me," she completes my sentence. "It has been almost three hours since he brought you here, Nandini," she informs me. "I had left a clue behind in the washroom, writing Rishabh's name around the sink. If Vikrant or Samrat has found the clue, they might soon get to this place to rescue you. All we need to do is bid some time until they get here," Aastha says, and I tighten my clutch in her hand.

"Thank you so much. Thank you." I look at her gratefully, desperately hoping that Vikrant has found that clue. "What do we do now? Is there someplace we can hide until Vikrant gets to us?"

"There is a place where you can hide for some time," she replies.

"You can also hide with me, Aastha. When Vikrant comes, we can both go with him. You don't have to live this life with Rishabh," I tell her, but she gives me a sad smile and shakes her head.

"He has placed a tracker in me. If I hide with you, he'll easily find us," she says. "He is also planning to put a tracker inside you tomorrow morning. I heard him say that on the phone while he was getting you here."

My rising fear must have shown on my face because she kept her hand on my shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly.

"I won't let you endure what I endured, Nandini. I didn't know he molested you, and from hearing what he said earlier, it seems like he also killed your brother. I'm so sorry that happened to you," she tells me. "It's too late for me now, but you still can escape him. As it is, I feel like my life isn't worth living anymore. At least by getting you out of here, I'll be doing one last good deed in my life. Because I know Rishabh will kill me after finding you gone from here."

I try to think of something, anything, that can get us both out of here.

"There must be a way to get you out too. I can't let you die at the hands of that disgusting creature," I say, still thinking and hoping to find a way.

"There is no other way. And to be honest, I do want to die. Because I know there is no other way left to escape the devil who has imprisoned me with him," Aastha says, her voice resigned.

"When you get out of here, please make sure to get Rishabh punished for his deeds. He needs to get punished for what he did to your brother, what he did to me, and what he did to you. And he needs to be stopped before he targets another innocent girl." She holds out her hand, looking at me expectantly. "Promise me, Nandini. Promise you will stop him,"

I nod, looking at her tearily, keeping my hand on hers. "I promise you, Aastha. I will ensure that Rishabh pays for every crime he has committed to date."