Your fabricated lie

28 - Survival

A drive with Gautham has never been this depressing and melancholic. Seemed like we had a thousand and one things to talk about and more than that to complain about. Nevertheless, neither dared to talk.

Same us, same profession and this is just another case for us but I felt like the distance between us grew apart. "Gautham?" I called as I had something to tell.

Before I got to tell, he got a call. He tried to analyze my mood after taking a glance at the screen. "You can answer it," I said. He was still looking as if that call was related to me.

My efforts to understand his thoughts were in vain so I just asked him to put it on speaker.

"Hello, Gautham," the woman on the other side said. Though I didn't meet my parents in the last six years, I could tell it was my mom. A forever daughter living in me wanted to snatch the phone from him so that I could talk to my mom but the egoistic adult living in me didn't allow me to do that.

"Aunty, If you don't mind can I call you back? I am driving," Gautham said.

"That's fine. Call me back when you are free. But before hanging up can you tell me one thing?" my mom said even when Gautham told he was driving. That was so like my mom thing!

"Anu said she loves me yesterday in the middle of the night through a text. Is everything fine?"

Gautham asked me if I really did that by raising his eyebrows. Though I didn't answer him, he concluded that I did text her. They both talked for a while and it really felt good to listen to my mom's voice.

After the call, "I miss my mom!" I whispered.

"And is that why you texted her?" he asked.

"Situation demanded," I said, proceeding to take a nap. No matter how much worries and stress I invest in this case, what must happen, will happen. So, I rather take a few breaks to keep myself going, I thought before shutting my eyes.

Gautham's subtle, warm voice woke me up. I blinked as eyes adjusted and there it is, my home. Sighing heavily, "It would have been a great day had Vikram been at home," I said.

Gautham's arm reached my shoulder. "Everything's going to be fine," he tapped on my shoulder, giving me the ray of hope I was looking for.

The moment I got out of the car, I saw Devansh leaning against his super bike. "Sorry for the delay," I said.

"That is fine!" After a short pause, "But what I am looking at is not," he walked towards me while Gautham was parking the car. Looking at my injured forehead, "Is it Gautham? - If it is, then I have a few mafia friends. They will take care of him," he said. Probably Devansh is the second person who made me smile for the second time in the day.

"I fell," I stated the same stupid excuse but this time, it worked. He believed me.

While we were making our way in, "Honestly, I didn't want to come. Gautham sir told me that it was you who wanted me here so I stopped all my work and rushed here," he said. I couldn't be more grateful to him.

We were all seated. "Devansh - "

"You can just call me Dev, Ma'am," he interrupted as if that was some world-wide issue. Calming myself down, "My son is abducted," I said.

"Wait, you are married?" He was talking about all irrelevant stuff. I understand. Even, I was like that in my early twenties.

"You sure he is the right one for this?" Gautham asked me. As a matter of fact, even I started doubting it.

Calming myself down again by inhaling slowly, "Devansh, please focus. Your attention for the next three hours is the price of two lives. So, please... I request you," I said without raising my tone as I didn't want to scare him out.

It took more than three hours for me to explain what has happened, the optimum ways to deal with it and the consequences if we fail. In short, I told him the past, present and future.

"OH. MY. GOD!" he exclaimed. Carrying more than six years' experience, that is the least possible reaction I expect from a fresher. I don't blame him though.

"We don't expect you to act accordingly. As a prosecutor for the case, you have every right to take the call. You can support us if you want and... it's okay even if you don't. We are not forcing you!" I spoke.

My thoughts were in contrast with my mouth. My mouth said it's okay even if he doesn't support us but my thoughts desperately wanted him to stand by us.

"Gosh, we are fucked up!"

"Devansh..." Gautham reminded him to mind his language.

"That's fine, Gautham," I said.

Looking at his drained face and confused state, "You can leave now. While preparing your statement, just remember that Shravan is not going to come tomorrow," I said.

"Are you going to kill him?" he asked.

"Kill whom?" Gautham asked.

"Shravan Sir?" said Devansh.

"That depends on how well Roshini is treating Karthik and Vikram," I said. While he was leaving, "See you tomorrow," I said.

Without any other questions, he walked out. Him bumping into a glass door was a sign of how shocked he was. "Are you sure he will support us?" Gautham asked.

"He will! I have seen another Karthik in him, Gautham. It is just his father manipulating him or else he is also an oddball fighting for justice," I proved how right my decision was.

After a short break, short in sense not even three minutes, "What next?" Gautham asked.

"Kidnap him," I referred to Shravan as without his absence in tomorrow's case hearing, our plan would just be a mess. We have tie up with a few police officers whom we can trust with everything.

Exactly after six hours, we had Shravan tied up in my secret chamber. When I said, I have a team I can trust with everything, this is what I meant.

Six more hours to go and I already felt uncomfortable. I felt as if I was going to have a panic attack.