WARNING: UNEDITED CHAPTER AHEAD

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

The chapter is dedicated to aaradhana_adithya who is the only Ravi fan.

Question for this chapter is, "Say about your last day in college if not then say in school."

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48) Just look in my eyes and say "I don't love you" and I will leave you

"I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU ARE THINKING! IT'S RAVICHANDRAN!" Addar was finding it hard to calm himself. He knew she was kidnapped to hurt him. He couldn't convince the police that Ravichandran kidnapped her.

Police commissioner was thinking Addar is saying out of some company rivalry, "Mr. Addar, Mr. Ravichandran is a big shot businessman. He is not in the news for philanthropist activities or helping out war victims like you but that doesn't mean he could kidnap a girl. You also say he kidnapped her himself. He is not an ordinary man. He is a businessman too."

Catherine who was comforting Sri came near Addar and held his arm. She knew he could lose his cool any moment. She made him sit beside Sri and took the issue in her hands. She omitted Ravichandran's name and gave a complaint. If Addar was angry, Sri was as if he is possessed by a devil.

She couldn't guess what he was staring at or what he was thinking. She knew she couldn't console both of them so she asked the lady who took care of Jenny to come. That lady came and she was comforting Sri while Catherine was having Addar in her hands.

Catherine had forgot to eat her medicines too as she was busy consoling them. Harini was her only friend after school. She knew how much it meant to her. She also knew that moment that Ravichandran will come after Jenny but she wanted to find Harini before anything serious happens.

She held Addar by wrapping one arm around him while another hand had his phone. Old lady was rubbing Sri's shoulder and she also comforted Addar when Catherine went to get updates from Police commissioner. When she was coming towards Addar after getting one such update his phone started to ring.

She decided to attend and say he is busy but before that she froze realizing the voice, "Hi Catherine. Could you give the phone to Addar please?"

She gave him the phone without saying who is talking. She was not really shocked to see Addar dropping his phone after a minute but the old lady was. He ran out of the hospital while Catherine decided to inform the police and asked them to follow Addar with her.

It happened after an hour Harini was bought in a stretcher with a piece of towel covering her naked body. It was evident she was found naked. As soon as Harini was taken inside the Intensive care unit Addar stood by the door of the room was staring at the closed door. Sri had not moved from his chair. He had been sitting at the same position for hours staring at the same spot in the ceiling.

Catherine was shouting at the top of her lungs at the police commsioner on the hallway, "YOU ARE NOT AT ALL BELIEVING. IT WAS RAVICHANDRAN. HE RAPED HER AND THREW HER AT THE SEWER! HOW CAN YOU ASK ME TO CALM DOWN!" This was the first time she said it aloud in the hospital but Sri was still motionless and it was the old lady who closed her mouth with her palm and started to cry.

Catherine who was shouting at the police was shocked to hear Addar's feeble voice, "Leave it Cat. In this country rape cases are just to give false promises to the victim. Nothing happens because of these cases. Maximum that could happen is it that it could trend in social media."

Catherine looked at the scene at the hospital. Addar was staring at the closed door like a statue and Sri was a statue and there was no need of 'like". He was like a statue and only one showing emotion was old lady. It was a classic example of Indian Justice system mocking them.

Sri ran into Addar and hugged him. She held him tightly in front of everyone. She rested his head on her chest but he didn't hug her back. May be he was numb to hug her. All she could hear was his voice which was getting feebler by time, "Nothing has changed in 20 years. Harini has advanced treatment which my mom didn't have. They led them die those times but nowadays we save them and throw them into the same society where the rapist still roams so this change is not for good. Police still couldn't provide justice to victim just like my mom."

She was consoling him while his hands were numb she was kissing his cheek. Even old lady was numb hearing the richest man cry like that and his next words was making it extremely uncomfortably truth, "Once girl child was not desirable because it means extra cost for parents but now parents don't want girl child because they know their princess will have to abused or may be raped and worst of that is that they can't do anything about that."

This was his breaking point and his tear ducts exploded followed by a loud cry from him which startled everyone. Police and doctor took a step back hearing him cry loud with a shout but even this didn't startle Sri. He was a rock and that worried the old lady a lot.

It was a hell like 6 hours and after that Doctors announced that she was safe. She was bruised and hurt but she was talking. She was given painkillers. Catherine went inside followed by Addar. Doctors said she could talk.

But Sri was still sitting like a rock staring at the exact spot on the wall. Old lady slowly shook him but he didn't budge but Old lady gave him a hard push. He turned around and looked at the old lady with lifeless eyes. Old lady said slowly as if checking if his ears work even after this shock, "Where are her parents?"

It took few minutes and old lady had to repeat the uestion thrice before Sri answered, "They have separated due to a fight. They don't care about her. It has been three months since her mother talked with her. She talked to ask if her degree certificates are in Harini's house. She doesn't remember when her father talked with her."

Old lady held his face on her palm and stroked his cheeks. She had a dry smile on her face as if mocking this generation. She said calmly, "At a moment like this don't you think she needs you?"

He looked into her eyes and his lifeless eyes shed tears and confirmed the presence of life inside them. He slowly said as sorrow was chocking his throat, "Do I have the strength to see her bruised and hurt like that?"

Old lady kissed his forehead and said the most needed word to every man in India, "Do you know that rapes in America are more than rapes in India? But Indian woman suffer severely. Do you know that woman suffer more during child birth than when raped but look how contrasting both are? Woman don't need pain killer they are more hurt by the way society treats them and how men around them treat them in India. You are worried about the physical scares. Doctors will treat it, don't give a mental scare to her. You might not be able to treat it."

As soon as she said it, Sri stood up and went inside her room. He didn't look at Catherine or Harini and went to Addar. His voice was stern and sure, "When can she be discharged?"

Addar didn't know about that as he was much worried about her health. Even Catherine was confused with his question but Harini was not trying to meet his eyes so she didn't know that he was not looking at her eyes. Catherine and Addar were worried about him not meeting her eyes.

When Sri sensed the answer to his question he turned around and looked at Harini. She was not looking at him. He replied to Addar looking at Harini, "As soon as she is discharged I am going to marry her. Addar make sure the arrangements are the grandest and invite that excuse of human Ravichandran even if you want."

Old lady who had entered the room and Catherine were ecstatic at his words but they were shocked to hear Harini's words, "NO! So as I am raped, you think I will marry a guy like you. I might have lost my virginity but not my dignity to marry someone like you!"

Sri sensed that she was not looking at his eyes and also fact that she took 2 minutes to reply to him. He came near her and knelt down near the bed. He took her face in his hands and made her look into his eyes which had somehow got the life back, "You are trying so hard to make me go away from you. May be I will make things easy for you for the first time. I have always made it hard for you. Just look into my eyes and say 'I don't love you' if you say that I will cancel the marriage. After all 'I don't love you' is a powerful word just say it looking at my eyes."

Sri knew she could never tell that to his eyes and she confirmed it by trying to turn her face away from him to hid her tears.

Sri held her face firmly and said the words as a whisper. He proved that sometimes words whispered have the most powerful meaning, "Or at least push me away when I try to hug you tight and kiss you."

He was wrapping her arms around her while she said it out loud, "NO! PLEASE NO! I can't. The moment you stepped inside the room my mind has been shouting, 'Hug him tight and say that your body is paining everywhere.' I know you are my pain killer not the one doctor gave me."

She felt his tears on her neck and quickly wiped them off while his face came resting against hers while he said, "What stops you! Oh! I understand. I won't pretend that I am the one who doesn't care who is the first to take your virginity. But virginity is not who lets things inside you but it's about to whom did you first make love to. I know I would be the first. For God's sake I won't care even if you had made love to someone. You are more precious than all. So be my wife. You are what I have been scared of having and losing. But I am never leaving you even if it-"

His speech was interrupted as his lips had to accommodate her lips which had crashed against his.

He looked at her and said, "Can I take this as a yes?"

"What do you think? You are not an innocent boy."

"For centuries girls have been acting innocent. It's our time."

It was the Old lady who interrupted, "Well someone forgot that you have audience."

But they were not going stop but they had to stop because of a phone call or to be precise because of the one who was on the call. It was reading, 'Ravichandran calling.'

Old lady and Catherine were shocked. She kept the juice bottle on the table and gave the phone to Addar. He was hearing his voice on the phone, "Well, How was the warm up session?"

Addar was paralysed by the venom in his voice. He didn't know if his voice had venom or venom had poison, "Well you guys seem to enjoying with juice or at least your pregnant wife is."

Addar started to look for camera which he could have hacked but venomous voice had the answer, "Well I didn't hack into camera because it was me or to be exact my man who gave that juice to your wife who was busy looking at the romantic scene to notice who was giving her things."

Addar hand slowly raised to Catherine but he was shocked to see the juice half drank already. Ravichandran slowly said, "Well Addar juice had my latest invention. It is to kill child inside a mother and make her impotent. Well if my invention is successful your Catherine will faint in ten seconds. Well its old but still nothing is wonderful like a creepy loud laugh so let me give that as the background music to the scene where she faints."

Addar heard the creepy villainous laugh while he saw his pregnant wife slump to the ground with his eyes. That moment he knew with her, his chance of having a family also slumps. His worst fear is a reality now which is to die lonely death without family.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

How was Sri's proposal?

I know most of you don't read the book or it might be because I took long time to write. Like you missed Sri's love story.

Harini's parents have also been teased in Chapter 18 and also Sri's father.

Those things were not given much importance but the story had those scenes too.

I know who loved Catherine during college (Not Addar) and he came in the book. He had a important part in the story too.

I know Adam's love story (Catherine's brother).

I wrote them all they just were not published. Which I might publish after this book ends.

I might be wrong about certain medical facts forgive me for it.

Take care be safe and stay blessed.

~Yagappar