Page 79 of Shattered

“Shhh... don’t try to talk. Just take it easy,” I whisper softly, then add. “I need to call the doctor,” I start to rise, but she shakes her head, stopping me in my tracks.

“No... don’t... don’t go. Don’t leave me,” her voice trembles, making my stomach churn.

“What’s wrong, Nisha?” I ask, running my hands gently over her head, trying to comfort her. I know what she’s afraid of. I just hope she finds it in her to open up to me.

“He’s... he’s going to kill me!” Each word she speaks shows me how hard it is for her, and honestly, it fills my heart with an equal amount of fear. I know this isn’t the best time to question her and add to her stress, but I need the answers to put an end to this nightmare.

“Who’s going to kill you?” I ask slowly.

“Him! He’s here... he’s going to kill me!” she says shakily, pointing towards the corner of the room, her eyes filled with terror.

I gulp, beads of sweat forming on my forehead, my heart pounding as I slowly turn around and find myself face to face with the man whose face I recognise all too well.

“You?” I gasp, unable to believe my eyes.

“Yes, me,” he says with an evil smirk.

My nails dig into my palms as I glare at him. But before I can burst out at him or demand answers, everything happens too quickly. He moves towards me with alarming speed and places a napkin over my nose. I flail my arms and kick my legs in a desperate struggle, but soon, I feel my strength waning as the world around me starts to blur, and I find myself succumbing to darkness.

Chapter 38

Reyansh

My heart is slamming relentlessly in my chest with each passing second.

“Have you found anything yet?” I growl impatiently at Sidharth,who’s sitting on the couch across from me with Officer Viraj. Both are staring intently at the laptop screen in front of them, the light from the screen reflecting off their faces as they carefully study the camera footage.

“Reyansh, it’s only been half an hour since we arrived. Show some patience, man. The forensic team is collecting the fingerprints from Nisha’s room,and we’re going through the surveillance footage.Give us few more minutes. I am confident we’ll find something soon,” Sidharth assures, his voice steady as he glances up from the laptop. “I promise you, Kavya will be with you soon,” he adds without hesitation.

“I know that because I am not leaving you with any other option,” I bark, glaring at him.

He nods and refocuses on the laptop,while I tap my foot restlessly, elbows perched on my knees. If only I had known this would happen, I wouldn’t have left Kavya,no matter how much she insisted. Right then, I knew it was a bad idea, but I pushed itaside, respecting her wishes. Fuck! I should have listened to my gut and stayed back with her.

Dropping my head, I clutch my hands around my neck, my chest tightening as I replay the moment Sunita Aunty called to tell me that Kavya and Kiara were missing. My world shattered in that instant, everything spinning out of control. I barely remember hanging up before my hands shook dialing Sidharth, desperation clawing at my throat. When he confirmed my worst fear—Kavya had been kidnapped—it felt like the ground had been ripped out from under me. That bastard... he managed to sneak them both out of the house right under Karan’s nose.

Realizing I had no time to waste and needed to focus solely on bringing Kavya back, I rushed to her home, instructing Karan to take Aunty to my parents’ house. I knew they would keep her calm while I searched for Kavya. That’s why, on my way here, I had no choice but to confide everything in my parents. They were deeply concerned and pleaded for Kavya’s and their grandchild’s safe return.

But now, after almost an hour without Kavya, I’m on the verge of losing it.The thought of her being scared and alone isdriving me crazy. And knowing she’s pregnant only adds fuel to the fire.

Suddenly, Officer Viraj’s voice cuts through my anxious thoughts.“We’ve got it.”

My head snaps up, and I quickly rise to my feet, taking my place beside them.

“Watch this,” Officer Viraj says, hitting play.

My heart races as the screen flickers to life, revealingKavya and Nisha, slumped in wheelchairs, being pushed through a back door, away from Karan’s watchful eye. The sight of them, clearly drugged, ignites a fiery rage within me. My hands clench into fists as I strain to get a clear look at the asshole but I can’t. His head is bowed, his face obscured by a mask, making it hardto figure out who the fuck he is. With my eyes glued to the screen, I continue watching as he lifts each of them effortlessly into his arms and loads them into a waiting white car before shutting the door.He then removes his mask and runs a hand through his hair. As he turns, his face is finally revealed. Bile rises in my throat as I stare at him.It’s him.Unable to tear my eyes away from the screen, I watch him circle around and slide into the driver’s seat.

“Fucking Akash,” I say through gritted teeth, my body shaking as I seethe with the urge to damn well kill him.

“Kavya’s boss?” Sidharth asks, glancing up in disbelief.

“Yes,” I growl, bringing my eyes to him.

“Why would he do that?” Officer Viraj asks next to me.

“The fuck I know,” I retort.

“I’ll track him down. Give me a second,” Sidharth says, pulling his phone out of his pocket and dialling a number.

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