HER BETRAYAL HIS REVENGE

CHAPTER:37

AUTHOR'S POV

The guards halted, their fists freezing mid-air, as Sanjay Mallik raised a hand, signaling them to stop. Abhimaan struggled to his feet, wiping the blood from his split lip, his breath heavy and labored. His eyes were aflame, but his voice was calm and  cold.

"You’re playing with the devil, Mallik. Stop now while you still have the chance, because it won’t take me a minute to bury you six feet under."

Sanjay leaned forward with a sneer. "Is that so, Rathore? And what if I put my hands on your precious niece? Would you still have the guts to speak to me like that?"

Abhimaan’s fists clenched at his sides, his voice dropping to a deadly whisper. "Touch her, and you’ll see what happens."

Sanjay’s laugh echoed through the room. "No, no, Abhimaan. This time, you’re surrounded. Trapped from every side. There’s no escape for you."

"Enough talk," Sanjay continued, the mockery thick in his voice. "Let’s unveil some surprises, shall we? Choose, Abhimaan: left or right."

Abhimaan’s jaw tightened, his muscles coiled like springs ready to snap. His gaze flickered toward Tara, chained in the corner, her eyes wide with fear. He took a breath, forcing himself to stay in control.

Sanjay's grin widened. "Oh, so you won’t choose? Fine. I’ll decide for you." He snapped his fingers. "Guards! Open the left curtain."

The heavy fabric rustled, parting slowly to reveal a sight that punched the air from Abhimaan’s lungs. His entire family, bound and unconscious, slumped against each other.

He took an involuntary step forward, disbelief darkening his face. "What have you done, Mallik? How did you—"

Sanjay interrupted with a menacing smirk. "Oh, I know exactly what I’m doing. I haven’t forgotten the way you humiliated me, the way you beat me and left me for dead. You thought I wouldn’t remember? You all deserve the hell I’ve crafted for you."

He barked at the guards, "Wake them up!"

The guards stepped forward with buckets of icy water and tossed it over the bound figures. Slowly, groans filled the room as the family began to stir.

Diksha’s eyes fluttered open, her vision blurry. But the moment she saw Tara hanging from the chains, her panic exploded. She thrashed violently against her bindings, screaming, "Let me go! I need to get to my baby! Can’t you understand, you bastards?!"

Her raw, desperate cries were met with a harsh, resounding slap. Reema Mallik stood over her, eyes alight with malice. Diksha hit the ground hard, her cheek burning where Reema’s hand had struck.

"Lower your voice, girl," Reema hissed, her words sharp as knives. "It won’t take me a second to slit your throat."

Diksha’s eyes blazed as she struggled to her knees. "Get the hell away from me, Reema Mallik!" She spat blood from her mouth. "I always knew you were poison. I’m ashamed to even call you my aunt."

Reema’s lips twisted into a wicked smile. "Aunt? Oh, how sweet." But before Diksha could rise to her feet, Niharika stepped forward and shoved her with a force so brutal that Diksha’s head snapped back, smashing against the wall. She slumped to the floor, unconscious, a thin trickle of blood streaming down her temple.

Rajendra, barely able to lift his head, his voice weak, pleaded, "Reema, stop this madness! We are your family!"

Reema’s laughter was sharp and bitter. "Family? You think you’re my family? You ruined my life! You killed my husband and left him to rot in the dirt. You stripped me of everything—my dignity, my happiness—and now, I’ll strip you of yours."