Page 223 of One Hellish Love

He headed toward her room, knocking gently at first.Silence.He knocked again, harder this time, but still no response. A sense of unease crept over him as he reached for the door handle and realized it was unlocked.

Pushing the door open, he stepped inside. The room was eerily empty.

“Daadi?” he called out, scanning every corner.No answer.

That’s when his gaze fell upon a note lying on her neatly made bed. A bad feeling shot through him as he strode to the bed, snatched the note, and began to read. His heart pounded harder with every word.

Rudra... I know you will not stop this marriage nor can I bear to see you separate from us, from this family, from Raheja Mansion. Shekhar and Anjali love you, too, but I’ve come to realize that my presence or absence no longer matters to any of you. Instead of watching you leave, I have decided to go away from all of you. By the time you read this note, I may have already made the decision to leave. I am old, Rudra, and I see no brighter future, especially if you are not part of it... I will love you always. – Your Daadi.

The note crumpled in his fist as he stumbled back, his legs nearly giving out beneath him. His vision blurred with panic and disbelief. She couldn’t be serious. How could Daadi, the pillar of their family, do something so drastic? Had her pride pushed her this far?

Without wasting another second, he ran out of the room, down the stairs, and straight toward the front door, his pulse thundering in his ears. He spotted Ram Prasad in the hallway and rushed to him.

“Ram Prasad,” Rudra bellowed. “Did you see Daadi? Where is she?”

Ram Prasad, startled by the urgency in Rudra’s voice, quickly responded.

“She left somewhere about half an hour ago.”

Rudra felt his world collapse around him. He couldn’t lose her—not now. Panic clawed at him as he bolted out of the house, frantically scanning the street. Daadi couldn’t just vanish from his life like this. He had to find her—hewouldfind her. Every second was slipping away.

But how would he look for her? His driver, Mohan, was out picking up Kashish, and Jay wasn’t here yet. He couldn’t wait. Not with Daadi’s life hanging in the balance.

His stomach twisted in knots as his gaze darted to the car in the garage. He hadn’t driven since long. Just the thought of driving, made his hands tremble as he recalled the stormy night, the crash, the guilt. Could he drive again? Could he take that risk?

But Daadi—what if she was serious? What if she intended to harm herself?

A surge of terror ripped through him, erasing every fear except the one of losing her forever. Gritting his teeth, he ran to the garage and threw himself into the driver’s seat. His heart raced as once again the memories of that horrific night flashed in his mind—Keshav Bedi lying on the ground, the rain, the blood.

He hesitated and gripped hard the steering wheel.

I can’t do this. I can’t.

But Daadi’s face haunted him. The thought of her being in danger outweighed everything. Hehadto do this. For her. There was no other choice.

His hands trembled as he started the engine. It roared to life, and he shifted the gear into reverse nervously. The car lurched back, hitting the wall with a jarring thud, but Rudra didn’t care. He had to keep going. Hewouldkeep going.

He pressed the accelerator, launching the car forward. He was back in control, or at least he had to believe he was. There was no room for fear, not now.

Rudra tore through the streets, his mind focused on only one thing—finding Daadi before it was too late.

******************

More than an hour had passed since Kashish and Anjali arrived at the temple, but there was still no sign of Rudra. Anxiety weighed down every second. Shekhar had been trying to reach him, but his calls went unanswered. A sense of dread filled the air. Where could Rudra be? Why hadn’t he arrived yet? Shekhar had already sent Jay to Raheja Mansion to check what was going on.

“Jay should be at the house by now,” Shekhar said to Anjali, though it sounded more like he was reassuring himself. “We’ll get some news soon.”

Anjali nodded, but her gaze kept drifting toward Kashish, who sat before the holy fire, isolated and broken, her despair deepening as time ticked on.

Shekhar’s phone finally rang, breaking the tense silence.

“Yes, Jay? Did you find Rudra?” Shekhar asked.

“No, boss,” Jay replied, sounding equally perplexed. “Rudra’s not here. Ram Prasad says he left a while ago.”

“What? But he hasn’t come here. Where could he have gone?” Shekhar’s frustration grew as he tried to piece together what was happening.

“That’s the strange part,” Jay added. “He left his phone at the mansion, so we’ve got no way to reach him.”

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