Page 87 of The Unwanted Husband
Over an hour later, she walked next to Ashok up the stairs to the courtroom where her case hearing was going to be insession. She was nervous and scared of the consequences if the case were lost. She would be putting herself and everyone she cared about in harm’s way. She was convinced Paramesh Saini was behind her parents and her brother’s accidents.
“Monisha Varma,” a male voice made her turn and look.
It took her a moment before she placed the older man in front of her. It was her father’s lawyer, Mr. Bopanna. “Suri uncle, what a pleasant surprise.”
For all the time she spent consulting with him on the case, he had become family. She gently hugged him and said, “I’m so glad you came. I didn’t have the heart to ask you to come all the way.”
Mr. Bopanna only smiled. “Your husband insisted I be here and made all the arrangements.”
She looked at Ashok as he shook hands with the senior lawyer. “Thanks for being here. It means a lot to my wife.”
How did he know what she wanted when she hadn’t even thought about it?
Hours after the session started with the corporate lawsuit that was filed and to her utter disappointment the judge ruled the case and the evidence as not being substantial. The only ruling against the use of a proprietary technique was that Paramesh Saini was ordered to pay royalty for using it without permission.
Her heart sank when Paramesh Saini turned to look at her, a pitiful look on his face. Like he was humoring her by showing up in court. She kept her eyes lowered even when the judge called for a recess before hearing the arguments about the criminal case that was filed in relation to the two accidents.
“I’m scared, Ashok.” It was unlike her to show vulnerability in front of anyone but with him she felt protected to share how she felt.
He only smiled, planting a kiss on her cheek. “I got you. We’ll be okay.”
She was taken aback and pulled back to look at him for a long moment. “What?”
He only nodded in response and offered her a bottle of water. She gulped down water as her throat had turned into sandpaper from the anticipation.
Shortly after, the arguments for the criminal case started and it was the weaker of the two cases that she filed. She had only built up the case around the accidents recently and it was to create a reasonable doubt due to the acquisition and the timing of her parents’ accident.
As if Ashok read her mind, he leaned close to her and whispered, “You were right about your parents’ accident.”
“What?” she almost yelled, making people around her turn to look at her.
He only gestured to her to stay calm and she noticed the shift in the criminal lawyer they had hired for the case. After a round of interviewing the police officers on duty who had handled both accidents, she noticed how there were a lot of video recordings from the highway toll booth from the time of her parents’ accident and also the time of Ravi and Sami’s accident. The lawyer pointed to a truck that happened to be in both videos. The ones taken over ten years ago and the one from a few months ago.
Her stomach dropped when the lawyer zoomed in on the license plate from both videos as they played in tandem. Itwas no coincidence and, in that moment, she turned to look at Paramesh Saini and saw the pompously arrogant man, visibility shrink into his seat and it was the moment she would remember forever. Just that sight.
Everything from that moment on was a blur but all she registered was how Paramesh Saini’s arrogance disappeared and she saw fear in his eyes and a resignation as each witness that was identified testified about abetting in staging cold blooded murders as accidents.
When the judge read the ruling and announced the date for sentencing, it was like years of weight lifted off her shoulders and she felt a sudden liberation. Tears flowed down her cheeks as she watched the cheat turned business tycoon be escorted out to go to jail without bail.
“Why,” she sobbed looking at Ashok after the treacherous man was taken out of the courtroom. “Why Ravi and Sami?”
Ashok pulled her to him, kissing the top of her head. “Ravi was getting ready to file a case against Paramesh Saini. I found conversations with a lawyer on the company email server.”
There was no controlling her emotions anymore. She clung to Ashok as she poured out everything she held on to for the last few months and years after her parents were killed. She was congratulated by Mr. Bopanna, Varun and Nina as Ashok walked her to the car but she didn’t register anything.
Isha rested her head on his shoulder as the car drove through traffic. She was lost in the overwhelming emotions. She could not understand what she was feeling. Sadness from the fact that her loved ones were taken away from her unfairly and at the same time, relieved that everyone responsible will pay for what they did.
But her loved ones will not return.
As she processed the harsh truth another thought passed through her mind. She slowly lifted her head to look at Ashok.
She had a lump in her throat and found it hard to speak. But she swallowed it and asked, her voice barely a whisper, “Are you angry?”
He looked confused. “About?”
She found it hard to speak. “Ravi…he filed the case and Sami was also targeted.”
He looked at her for a long moment. “Was your aunt angry with your dad because he was the one who filed the case and she was part of the accident?”
