Defence Of Desire

•Part One•

It was a dark and stormy night when the murder of Zoya occurred, the heavens wept torrents of rain upon the earth below, each droplet a harbinger of impending doom. The wind howled like a vengeful spirit, its mournful wail echoing through the desolate landscape. Jagged streaks of lightning split the sky, casting sinister shadows that danced menacingly in the flickering glow.

The air was heavy with an oppressive sense of foreboding as if the very atmosphere itself held its breath in anticipation of some unseen calamity. Trees bowed low beneath the relentless onslaught of the tempest, their branches twisting and contorting like skeletal fingers clawing at the sky.

Aditya Hooda stumbled out of the darkened house, his breath coming in ragged gasps as he glanced nervously over his shoulder, the echo of his pounding heart drowning out the sounds of the night. His senses were on high alert, every rustle of leaves and distant sound magnified to a deafening roar in his ears.

Amidst the disarray, a sense of unease settled over the land like a suffocating blanket, suffusing every shadow and crevice with an ominous energy. It was a night where nightmares were born, where the veil between the mortal realm and the realm of the unknown grew thin, and whispered secrets were carried in the wind.

As he hurried down the deserted street, his mind raced with a jumble of thoughts and fears, the weight of what he had just done bearing down on him like a suffocating blanket. He felt a surge of panic rising within him, threatening to consume him whole as he struggled to make sense of the chaos swirling around him.

In the distance, thunder rumbled like the growl of a hungry beast, its ominous tone a chilling reminder of nature's awesome power. And as the storm raged on into the night, those who dared to brave its fury knew that they walked a razor's edge between life and death, their fate hanging precariously in the balance amidst the darkness and the howling wind.

Suddenly, the piercing wail of a police siren shattered through the storm, sending a jolt of fear coursing through his veins. His pulse quickened as he spotted the flashing lights of a patrol car rounding the corner ahead. Frantic, Aditya darted into the shadows of an alleyway, his heart hammering in his chest as he pressed himself against the cold brick wall. He watched with bated breath as the police car rolled past, its headlights cutting through the darkness like a beacon of justice.

Relief flooded through him as the car disappeared from view, but he knew he couldn't stay hidden for long. With trembling hands, he fumbled for his phone, his fingers shaking as he dialled for a ride home. He needed to get out of sight, to disappear into the safety of his own four walls before the authorities caught wind of his presence.

As he waited for his ride, his mind raced with a torrent of fears and regrets. How had it come to this? The answer eluded him, lost in a haze of adrenaline and panic.

Finally, the sound of approaching footsteps snapped him out of his reverie. He glanced up to see two police officers emerging from a nearby café, their voices muffled by the steam rising from their coffee cups. With a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, he watched as they sauntered past, oblivious to the fugitive lurking in the shadows. As soon as they were out of sight, Aditya breathed a sigh of relief, his muscles relaxing slightly as he leaned against the alley wall. But the respite was short-lived, his mind still reeling from the close call. With a final glance over his shoulder, he slipped into the night, his footsteps echoing against the pavement as he fled towards the safety of home.

Finally reaching the safety of his home, he stumbled through the door, his hands shaking as he fumbled with the locks, his chest heaving with exertion. Once inside, he wasted no time in scrubbing the blood from his hands, the water turning a sickly shade of crimson as it washed away the evidence of his actions. Glancing up at his reflection in the mirror, the full extent of what he had done hit him like a physical blow. His eye was already beginning to swell and bruise, a vivid reminder of the violence he had unleashed upon another human being. And in that moment, the facade of strength and invincibility he had carefully constructed came crashing down around him.

Barely able to stand, he staggered towards the bathroom, bile rising in his throat as he doubled over in agony. With a violent retch, he emptied the contents of his stomach into the toilet bowl, the taste of bile and regret burning bitterly on his tongue. As he knelt there, trembling and weak, he knew that he could never escape the consequences of his actions. The blood on his hands, the bruises on his body – they were all damning evidence of the darkness that lurked within him, a darkness that threatened to consume him whole if he wasn't careful. And as he stared into the depths of his reflection, he knew that he could never outrun the demons that haunted him, no matter how fast or how far he fled.

***

The memory clawed its way back into Anushka Raisinghani's mind like a festering wound, reopening old scars she thought had long since healed. She sat alone in her dimly lit apartment, the silence of the night broken only by the rhythmic ticking of the clock on the wall. With trembling hands, she poured herself a glass of whiskey, the amber liquid sloshing over the edges of the glass as she struggled to steady her grip.

As she took a sip, the bitter taste of betrayal flooded her senses, triggering memories she had long tried to bury. She closed her eyes, allowing herself to be consumed by the pain of the past, reliving the moment when her world had come crashing down around her.

The scene played out in vivid detail before her eyes - the whispered conversations, the furtive glances, the sickening realization that Virat Chowdhary, the man she had loved with all her heart, had betrayed her in the worst possible way. Anger surged within her like a tidal wave, threatening to drown her in its relentless fury.

She remembered the confrontation, the heated words exchanged in a flurry of accusations and denials. She remembered the sting of tears burning in her eyes, the ache in her chest as she struggled to comprehend how the man she had trusted implicitly could have been capable of such deceit.

As she recalled the pain of that moment, Anushka's grip tightened on the glass, her knuckles turning white with the force of her emotions. She took another swallow of whiskey, the burn of alcohol searing her throat as it travelled down into the pit of her stomach but even as she drowned her sorrows in the numbness of alcohol, she knew that the memories would never fade. They were etched into the very fabric of her being, a constant reminder of the betrayal that had shattered her world and left her adrift in a sea of anger and regret and as she sat alone in the darkness, she knew that no amount of whiskey could ever wash away the pain of a love lost and a trust betrayed.

Sighing, she rose from the kitchen bar and moved to the lounge, throwing herself onto the sofa with a huff. The glow of the television cast a soft blue hue across Anushka's living room highlighting a stack of case files spread out before her. With another tired sigh, she reached for the remote, intending to drown out the noise of betrayal with mindless entertainment but as she flicked through the channels, her attention was suddenly captured by the breaking news alert flashing on the screen.

"In a shocking turn of events, businessman Aditya Hooda has been arrested in connection with the murder of his second wife, he was taken into custody earlier this evening following a lengthy investigation by the police."

Anushka's heart skipped a beat as she watched the images of Aditya being escorted out of his lavish mansion by a swarm of police officers. Her mind raced as she struggled to process the news, too focused on the plea in his mahogany eyes that insisted on his innocence. Despite her reservations, she couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to the story than met the eye.

With a sense of determination burning in her chest, she reached for her phone, her fingers trembling slightly as she dialled the number for the police station. As the line rang on the other end, she steeled herself for what she was about to do, knowing that once she made the call, there would be no turning back.

"Hello, this is Anushka Raisinghani," she began, her voice steady despite the turmoil raging inside her. "I'd like to represent him, I'd like to represent Aditya Hooda".

Please, please do let me know what your thoughts are :)