The Exchange

Final Warning

She was so deeply swept away in his love that she did not even realize that she had led him right to her hotel...right to Maya...right to Dr. Khera. When she finally comprehended what she had done, she looked at him terrified. "Woh...Abhi...yeh mera hotel nahi hai...sorry..." she said, finally pulling out of his arms. 

He looked up to see the hotel...Maya's hotel. And not a single part of his being was surprised. This just confirmed what he had known...this just confirmed what his heart had figured out so long ago. "Akshu...tum Maya ko janti ho?" he asked...hoping that she had finally been pushed into a corner...hoping that she would finally reveal what was in her heart...finally reveal what had been stopping her, keeping her from him this entire time. 

She turned away in shock. He knew. Of course he did. Her Abhi knew her better than anyone else...he understood her...he felt what was in her heart. Should she tell him? Should she let it all out? Maybe if she told him they could find a way out of this mess together. Maybe it was finally time to pour it all out...to pour out all the pain she had kept in for the past year. But then she remembered his despair, his agony...she remembered his hand quaking. She remembered his hand trembling. She remembered him crying every night...she remembered him begging her to promise that his hand would be okay...the same hand that he had lost because of her...no. She could not take that risk. She could not gamble with his life, with his identity yet again. 

If Abhi found out what had happened, she knew he would kill Dr. Khera...and he would kill Maya too. She knew that her singing, her career was his biggest dream..she knew how he would react if he discovered what she had done...and she knew he would not be able to tolerate it. And what if in trying to protect her, in trying to avenge her...he got hurt? What if because of her, he lost his hand forever? What if Dr. Khera took his hand away...what if God took his hand away as punishment for her breaking her end of the exchange? No...no...no. She would not let herself become the reason he stopped operating yet again...but little did she know, he had not picked up a scalpel from the day she left him...as his life, his identity...it was all her. 

"Akshu...mein tumse kuch pooch raha hoon...tum Maya ke saath ayi ho na??" 

"Abhi, mujhe jana hoga..." she responded, walking into the hotel. 

"Akshu?", he said softly....making her turn around immediately. 

"Akshu tum jao. Tum apni Maya ke saath raho..." he said, getting angry. "Tumhe Maya itni pyaari hai ki uske samne tumhara Abhi kuch bhi nahi?? Haina?? Itni pyaari kaise hogayi tumhari liye yeh Maya...batao mujhe Akshu...bas yeh batado.." 

"Abhi. Mere liye bas tum pyaare ho....", she said, a single tear rolling down her cheek. And with that, she ran inside as fast as she could. 

*** 

And when she finally reached her room, Kunal grabbed her arm and shoved her against the wall. "Akshara enough is ENOUGH. Where the hell were you? Kaha thi tum? Aur yeh jacket? Yeh jacket uski hai na? Tum he mein pagal lagta hoon kya? Tumhe mein idiot lagta hoon?" 

"Dr. Khera...please...please mujhe chod diye..." she said, her arm dripping with blood, as it had banged into the corner of her dressing table. 

"Akshara...tum mujhe ek monster bana rahi ho...joh mein hoon nahi...dekho...yeh tumhari final warning hai. Ek aur galti aur mein tumari Abhimaniyu...sorry tumhare Abhi...ka woh haal karunga joh tum soch bhi nahi sakti..aur sab tumhari galti hogi..." 

Hearing these words, she fell to the ground, folding her arms in front of her. "Please Dr. Khera. Please. Abhi ko kuch mat hone dena...aap ki problem mujse hai na...toh aap ko mere saath jo bhi karna hai kar lo...meri jaan bhi le lo...mein khushi khushi de doon gi...bas please... please....mujhe humari deal yaad hai...mein ne woh deal nahi break ki hai...mein kal kilye ready hoon...Maya ke akhri do concert kilye...phir mein aap dono ke saath humesha kilye chali jaaon gi...please.." she sobbed. 

Not responding to a single word she said, he left the room, telling her he would he standing outside all night. Telling her that for the next two days, she would be at his mercy.