Page 54 of One Hellish Love

Before she could react, Rudra pressed the knife closer to his chest, the blade piercing just beneath his heart. Blood immediately oozed from his skin, and he didn’t flinch, didn’t even blink. He was waiting for her to follow through.

Tears streamed down Kashish’s face as panic set in.

“Stop!” she screamed, finally wrenching her hands free and throwing the knife away. “Stop this, dammit! I can’t take your life. I can’t take anyone’s life!”

She collapsed to the floor, sobbing uncontrollably, her body trembling from the weight of everything she’d just experienced. Rudra knelt down beside her, his voice soft but filled with the same pain she’d seen in his eyes.

“Just like you can’t take a life, I couldn’t imagine killing someone either, Kashish. But it happened. And I’ve paid for it every day since. You lost your father, but I lost my family’s trust, my self-worth. I can’t look at myself in the mirror without seeing that 16-year-old boy who was treated like dirt for two years in juvenile detention.”

Kashish’s tear-filled eyes lifted to meet his. Her sobs quieted, but the tears continued to roll down her cheeks as she listened to his confession.

“When I meet someone new, I’m always afraid they’ll find out about that night. Every time someone touches me, I feel violated—because that’s what happened when I was there. I was beaten, mistreated... even molested.”

Kashish’s eyes widened in horror.Molested?

“I was starved, forced to endure things no one should ever have to go through. And even though my sentence ended,my punishment didn’t. I’ve been living with this torment ever since.”

Kashish’s tears dried on her cheeks as she absorbed his words. His voice wavered, thick with regret and pain.

“My life has been one long, painful punishment, Kashish. I don’t see an end to it. Not unless you free me. Free me from this suffering.”

His vision blurred, his strength fading. Kashish watched in horror as Rudra’s eyes began to close. He collapsed backward, hitting the floor with a heavy thud.

Did he just... die? No!!

Kashish’s heart pounded as the realization hit her—his chest was still bleeding. He needed help.

CHAPTER 20

“Ram Prasad!” Kashish screamed, cradling Rudra Raheja’s head in her trembling hands. He lay unconscious, blood still seeping from his chest. Panic surged through her as she desperately tried to keep calm. Ram Prasad came rushing into the room, his eyes wide with shock.

“Rudra Bhaiya? What happened to him?”

“Call the doctor! Just call the doctor!” Kashish shouted frantically.

He fumbled for his phone and quickly called Dr. Sen, their family doctor. After explaining the emergency, he hung up and hurried to help Kashish. Together, they carefully moved Rudra to the bed. Kashish tore her dupatta, tying it tightly around his chest in an attempt to slow the bleeding until the doctor arrived.

“Where is everyone?” Kashish asked, her voice shaking.

“Daadiji’s at the Satsang, and Shekhar Bhaiya and Anjali Bhabhi haven’t returned from her mother’s house yet,” he replied, his hands still trembling.

Kashish’s mind raced. She didn’t want anyone else to know about Rudra’s condition until the doctor had seen him. Her heart pounded with fear as she glanced at the knife lying on the floor, still stained with Rudra’s blood.

Ram Prasad, visibly shaken, noticed the knife as well. “Th-that knife... What should I do with it?” he stammered, barely able to speak.

Kashish stared at the knife, her stomach churning with dread. The very sight of it made her sick. What if it had pierced deeper, into his heart? He could have died. Cold sweat formed on her forehead, and just as she was about to instruct him to hide the knife, Daadi stormed into the room.

She had returned from the Satsang, eager to give Rudra the Prasad, but the sight before her made her blood run cold. Seeing her grandson bleeding and unconscious on the bed, with Kashish’s dupatta tied around his chest, Daadi’s face twisted with horror. The Puja plate clattered to the floor as she rushed to Rudra’s side.

“Rudra? What happened? What happened to him?” she screamed, her voice filled with anguish.

Ram Prasad stood frozen, unsure of how to respond, while Kashish struggled to find her words. How could she explain what had happened? Would Daadi even believe her? Would she understand that she never meant to harm Rudra so cruelly?

“Call the doctor!” Daadi yelled.

“I’ve already called, Daadiji,” he responded, his voice barely steady. “He’s on his way.”

As Daadi’s eyes scanned the room, they locked onto the blood-stained knife in the corner. Her face turned white with fury, and a dangerous suspicion crept into her gaze. She turned sharply toward Kashish, her voice trembling with rage.

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