A Song For Us

Chapter 25 - A Night Of Justice

ANIKA

As I stood in the living room, a chill ran down my spine. The house was in disarray-broken plates, shattered glass, and overturned furniture. Fear gripped me as I called out, "Anirudh, Anirudh!" But there was no response. My anxiety intensified as I dialed his number, but it wouldn't connect. Desperation set in, and I headed towards Anirudh's room.

Just as I reached the hallway, a hand touched my shoulder from behind. I turned around quickly, my heart pounding. It was the househelper.

"Where is Anirudh? And what happened here? Is everything okay? Is Anirudh okay?" I asked, my voice trembling.

The househelper replied calmly, "Mam, Anirudh sir is  perfectly fine".

"Then where is he? Why isn't he answering his phone?" I demanded.

"He's in the basement," she said.

"The basement? Why?" I questioned.

"I'm not sure, mam. He just told me to send you to the basement when you wake up," she explained.

"Okay, I'm going. But you're coming with me," I insisted.

"I'm sorry, mam. Sir specifically asked for you to come alone," she replied.

Reluctantly, I agreed, "Okay."

I walked towards the basement entrance, my mind racing with thoughts. The path to the basement was through the parking area. When I reached the basement door, it was locked from the inside. I knocked, and the door opened to reveal the manager.

"Ma'am, please come in. Anirudh sir is downstairs," he said.

As I descended the stairs, I could see more clearly what awaited me below. My fear grew with each step, and I stopped halfway down.

Anirudh appeared at the bottom of the stairs. "Anika, come down," he called.

"What is all this, Anirudh? Why is there so much blood? Are you okay? Why did you call me here?" I asked,

panic rising in my voice.

"Just come down, Anika. You'll understand everything," he reassured me. "You trust me, right?"

"Of course, I do," I said, taking a deep breath.

"Then please, come with me," he urged, extending his hand.

I took his hand and continued down the stairs. As I reached the bottom, the scene became clear: the basement floor was covered in blood. I turned to Anirudh, horrified.

"Anika, look behind you," he said gently.

I turned around and was shocked. There, on the floor, were seven men, tied up and severely beaten. Blood covered their bodies, and they had numerous scars and bruises. Among them was Winston and his friends.

I instantly remembered the events of last night. Winston and his accomplices had been following us, and now they were here, beaten and bloody. It was clear that Anirudh had done this to them. But what surprised me the most was the state Winston was in-he was in worse shape than the others. It seemed Anirudh had taken special care to punish him.

The manager spoke up, "Ma'am, Anirudh sir hit them all night, by himself."

He continued, "He sent me out with
the car to find Winston, but I didn't have to look far. Winston was already following us and was hiding outside our house. Once I found him, I brought him and his men here, as Anirudh sir instructed. Then Anirudh sir dealt with them all night."

Tears welled up in my eyes as I turned to Anirudh. "Thank you, Anirudh."

Anirudh looked at me with determination, "Anyone who hurts you, Anika, will not live in peace. I will make sure of that." He winked at me, trying to lighten the mood.

I walked towards Winston, but Anirudh was quicker. He grabbed Winston by the hair and dragged him to me.

I slapped Winston hard. "I trusted you, and this is what you did? Why? And why did you come to India?" I demanded.

Winston, his mouth bleeding, remained silent. Anirudh kicked him in the face, making him bleed more from his mouth and nose.

I continued, "My own father betrayed me, so I shouldn't have expected better from you. But why did you do this?"

Winston finally spoke, "Because of Anirudh. Your father, who was like a father to me, is in jail because of him. I wanted revenge. I came to India to destroy Anirudh's life."

I looked at him with disgust. "No matter how hard you try, you can't harm Anirudh. If you even think of hurting him, I will make sure you can't."

Anirudh turned to me, "What should we do with him now, Anika? Should we call the police, or keep him here and make him suffer a bit more?"

I replied, "Do what you think is best, Anirudh. Just make sure he suffers."

Anirudh smiled and nodded.