THE IInd DECISION

30.Forgotten Scars, Unhealed Rage

Ayan Pov :

I walked into the room. Ashi lay there, asleep, but I could still see the traces of tears clinging to her eyelashes. A bowl of cold water and a cloth sat nearby, untouched. My heart clenched as I gently wiped her feet with the damp cloth. Tears welled up in my eyes. What had she endured in her life? She always had a serene look on her face, a calmness that belied the turmoil she had faced. How could someone do this to such a gentle soul? Anger flared up inside me, burning hot. I leaned down, whispering, "I promise you, Ashi, no one will ever lay a hand on you again." I brushed away the tears from my cheeks.

Moving closer, I placed the cold cloth on her forehead, my fingers lightly tracing the outline of her cheek. I stayed by her side until her fever broke slightly, then tucked her in with the comforter. I walked towards the large window that spanned the wall, my mind racing. My knuckles were raw and bruised from the punching bag earlier, my eyes red with rage, the image of Ashi crying seared into my memory.

My phone buzzed. It was my PA. "Sir, the CCTV footage and information have been sent to you. Let me know what you want to do next." He knew everything about me-handled both the office work and the messes I cleaned up in the shadows. He'd been with me for over a decade; he knew my mind as well as I did.

I opened the video. My blood boiled as I watched. My grip tightened around the phone; I nearly threw it against the wall but stopped, seeing her face again, her calm, her red face. I texted back, "Get them both." Half an hour later, he replied, "Waiting for you."

I glanced at Ashi, ensuring she was deeply asleep, and adjusted the AC. Quietly, I slipped out of the room, driving my Rolls-Royce through the night until I stopped in front of a nondescript building guarded by two large men. I entered the basement-a dimly lit, half-built space with a flickering bulb and dust hanging in the air. There they were, both tied to chairs, blindfolded and gagged. My PA stood beside them, a smirk on his face.

This is the place I bought for our...underground activities.
"We caught them easily," my PA reported. "One was drunk at a club, and the other... better left unsaid," he added with a grimace. "The other one was with some girl, doing things," he translated, disgust evident in his tone.

I yanked off Akash's blindfold. His eyes filled with terror as he stammered, "Sir, I don't know why I'm here. Please, save me."

I smirked, leaning close. "Of course, I'll save you," I said, though my blood screamed to burn him alive.

The other guy, reeking of alcohol, slurred, "Who are you?" His eyes were glassy, lost.

I lit a cigarette, took a drag, and exhaled slowly. "Tell me, what did you do to Ashi today?" I demanded. Akash's face paled, his breath quickened.

He started babbling, "So this is all because of today, huh? I did nothing! She's the one who called me into the file room. She always flirted with me, I told her no, I told her she's married now, but she kept coming on to me... so I took it today!"

My knuckles connected with his face before I knew it, blood spurting from his lips. I held the burning cigarette near his skin, tracing it from his forehead down to his cheek and chin. He screamed, his pain echoing in the dim room. "Stop, please, it hurts!" he begged.

"Which hand did you touch her with?" I growled, my voice cold.

He whimpered, "Right... right hand."

I pressed the cigarette into his right hand. He screamed louder, his flesh searing under the heat. "Hurts, doesn't it? It should. She felt the same way," I hissed. "Ashi is my wife. She is Ashi Ayan Singhania. And now you'll pay for hurting what's mine." I grabbed another cigarette, then another, pressing each one into his skin until his face and right hand were a mess of burns, blood dripping from his eyes, cheeks, and wrists. His head finally slumped forward, unconscious.

I sighed, a twisted sense of relief washing over me. But my rage flared anew as I turned to the other scum. He was so drunk he barely knew what was happening.

"Ashi's husband, huh?" he sneered. "I remember her from college. We used to date, she liked me a lot. But that bitch wanted a break-up for her studies. I told her I loved her, but she resisted, so I kissed her hard. God, I still remember that kiss... her hands tied, but those strawberry lips... does she still wear that lip balm? We had sex... she was crying, saying no, but you know how girls are. No means yes... it felt so good, taking her virginity. I still remember the bloodstains... she fought so hard, left scratches on my arms... but I gave her what she wanted. I even kissed her again, scratched her neck... you must've seen that, being her husband. But I was her first!"

Before he could finish, my bodyguards held me back as instructed-to keep me from killing him outright. Tears streamed down my face, my body trembling with rage, my knuckles turning white. I punched him in the face, then again and again, until blood spewed from his mouth. I grabbed a plastic sheet, covering his head, suffocating him, then pulling it off just as he neared unconsciousness. I dunked his face in a barrel of water, the liquid turning crimson with his blood. "You raped her!" I shouted. "You raped Ashi! You don't deserve to live!"

I reached for a metal rod my PA handed me, and I beat him with it relentlessly until his body was nothing but a bleeding, broken mess. His hair matted with blood, he was barely breathing. Finally, I aimed a gun and fired-once, twice, thrice-until my breathing steadied. I turned to Akash, "You don't deserve to live either." Initially, I thought I'd let him live with the shame, exile him, but he made Ashi relive her pain twice over. He deserved death. I fired at him until he lay still, the life drained from his eyes.

My clothes were soaked in blood, my hands sticky with it. My chest heaved as I handed the gun to one of my men and changed into fresh clothes. "Clean this up," I ordered, tossing a lighter to them. They nodded.

I walked back to my car, my heart heavy yet strangely calm. Ashi was waiting. I wouldn't let anyone hurt her again.

It was 4 AM when I finally returned, the first light of dawn barely piercing the sky. The world outside was eerily calm, but inside me, there was nothing but chaos. I stepped into the room quietly, and there she was-Ashi, lying on the bed, her face soft in sleep, almost angelic. My heart twisted, caught between love and dread.

I approached slowly, my hand lifting to check her temperature like I had a thousand times. But then, his voice flooded my mind, tainting everything with its venom: "She said no... but it felt so good," he had sneered, "I scratched her neck."

The words echoed, seeping into my thoughts like poison. My breath caught, and with a trembling hand, I brushed her hair aside. There it was-a scratch, deep and brownish, the skin pale and bruised. My throat tightened as my fingers hovered over the mark, my heart aching to touch her, to comfort her. But guilt stopped me, freezing me in place.

"Ashi..." I whispered, my voice breaking as my fingers grazed the thermometer instead. I checked her fever. It had gone down, but that didn't ease the storm in my chest.

Hours passed without me noticing, my eyes never leaving her. She looked so fragile, so vulnerable. I kept replaying his words in my head, over and over, until they became unbearable. How had I let this happen?

Suddenly, her alarm rang. I startled, fumbling to silence it, but she stirred before I could. Her eyes fluttered open, dull and heavy with exhaustion.

"Hey..." she whispered, her voice barely audible, eyes searching mine.

"Shh," I said softly, moving closer. "It's okay. You need to rest."

But she shook her head, her gaze drifting down to my hand still resting near her neck. She swallowed hard, her voice cracking as she spoke" It's fever only , I have to work "and she sat on bed .

"Did she forget what happened yesterday, or did she forget that she had already told me about it?"

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