HOPE

Chapter Five

After forty five minutes of travelling, Susheela finally reached the abandoned cloth mill. Susheela parked her scooty outside and was confused whether this was the right place or she had missed the location, but to her surprise, another notification popped up on her screen. It was a text from the same unknown number calling her inside. Kusum, who was following her daughter silently, watched in distress as her daughter went inside the abandoned mill. She paid the driver who was looking at her suspiciously.

She silently went inside the mill after her daughter and hid behind the old, rusted machines. She could clearly hear and see her daughter from this angle. Susheela looked around the abandoned mill, shreds of glass were all over the place, empty bottles of wine and cheap alcohol were laying around the dusty floor. Some fabric of clothes too were spread all around the place along with big machinery and equipments.

"Koi hai? Kyu bulaya hai mujhe yaha?", Susheela asked looking around, her voice hitting the metal gates of the equipment and bouncing around the entire area, creating an echo of her sound.

"Aao, aao Susheela.", Came the same voice that sounded awfully familiar, yet had an edge of mystery to it. Kusum scrunched her forehead as she tried to recall her mind for this familiar voice but soon her eyes went wide once the owner of the voice came forward.

Susheela looked shocked to see Meenakshi Chautala standing in front of her with a smirk on her face. She had her arms folded on her chest and was giving a mocking smile to Susheela. Susheela looked confused, frustrated and relieved at the same time. She was relieved to see a familiar face but something about the woman standing in front of her felt odd.

"Mini aunty, aap yaha? Kahi aapko bhi uss caller ne yaha toh nahi bulaya na?", Susheela rushed towards her favourite aunt and hugged her tightly. Kusum looked at the two quite confused.

"Aap chinta mat karo aunty, jisne bhi ye mazak kiya hai na main usko chorungi nahi! Ye- ye pictures fake hai aunty! Humara Pramod aisa kabhi bhi nahi kar skata. Aap chinta mat karo, mujhe inn pictures pe bilkul bhi bharosa nahi hai.", Susheela said hugging Mini for some comfort, but all she felt was the coldness seeping inside of her instead of the familiar warmth she always got from her favourite aunt

'Mini' abruptly pushed Susheela away from her and laughed loudly saying, "How stupid of you Susheela. Typical pyar mein doobi hui abla ki mentality. Ki oh! Mera pyar kabhi aisa koi galat kaam kar hi nahi sakta! Wo toh mahan hai na?", Mini taunted Susheela, laughing as she did so. Susheela stared at Mini, her brain and body was frozen in place after seeing this new shade of the said Meenakshi Chautala.

"Kya? Aise kya dekh rahi ho mujhe? Oh wait yes, Mini Chautala samajh rahi ho na? No my baby girl, main Meenakshi Jay Chautala nahi, balki uski twin sister Sonakshi Raizada hu.", Sonakshi said with a smirk. Susheela, who was standing there frozen suddenly widened her eyes in shock.

"Mini aunty ki twin sister?", Susheela asked more to herself. She didn't recall ever hearing about Sonakshi from Mini.

"Kyu? Meri behen ne tumhe kabhi mere baare mein nahi bataya? Oh, batayegi bhi kaise? Mere baare mein batati toh fir usse apne paapon ke baare mein bhi toh batana padta na, aur wo toh mahanta ki murat, Meenakshi ji se toh kabhi bhi nahi hoga!", Sonakshi said gritting her teeth in anger.

Kusum was looking at the entire scene with her wide eyes, equally shocked as her daughter. When Susheela still looked confused and concerned, Sonakshi continued.

"Tumhe kya lagta hai ki tumhari pyari Meenakshi aunty kya swarg se tapki hai? No, she is a lying and a cheating whore!", Sonakshi said with a cunning smile. Now that riled up Susheela a lot.