Shattered (Age Gap Romance )

Chapter Two

    Babhi was tiptoeing around her as if Drishti was a she-wolf who was going to snap her head off. Drishti wanted to reassure babhi that she was not offended at catching them both undressed and she had a hangover so she let it be.

    She opened the fridge poured a glass of cold water and squeezed half a lemon in it. Then taking her glass she went to the tv switching it on. She settled on the news and the headlines belated about some patricide.

   She groaned in boredom and lifted her hand with the remote to change the channel. That was when a familiar photo flashed on the screen.

   It was him. She felt the glass slip from her hand as she gasped. Samrat Rane. That had been his name and he was a murderer.

   The glass crashed on the floor breaking into pieces. "Dishuuu? Are you okay?" Babhi asked her pulling her away from the broken glass.

    She rushed inside the room, her  head banged more. Mommy issues? Her voice echoed. Her hands shook as she realised how stupid she had been. 

      ***

        Drishti Kapadia, daughter of ex-commisioner Dhariya Kapadia, sister to Dhruv Kapadia who was a famous psychologist, her ex sister-in-law is a doctor, and she was jilted by her fiance recently.

       He had expected such thorough work from Borade. But now that morning had come and he flipped through the file, it seemed to prick him. She was only twenty-two.

     He gripped her file and dropped it in the trash bin with more force than necessary. Samrat had decided that he shouldn't let her into his life. One night was enough. And she might've come to know about him by now.

        "Mommy issues?"

    Her voice rang out in her mind and a laugh burst out from his lips. He clasped a palm over his mouth, shocked. But the onslaught didn't stop. A loud laughter burst out again and then peals of laughter erupted uncontrollably until his stomach ached. Borade had opened his door to see if anything was wrong and he waved him away.

   ***

        After a week of being in, she decided that she needed to find a job. She thought he would jump from a corner like a boogeyman but he hadn't. She was at an art gallery when she ran into a familiar someone. It was Janvi who was Babhi's elder sister.

      "I can't believe you've grown up so much." She said hugging her.

      "I'm glad dee." She had once thought her brother Dhruv would marry her but it was actually his sister that was his soulmate.

       "What are you doing here?" She asked awkwardly.

      "Oh do you know Aghanya? She's holding her exhibition this Saturday here so I was just here to prepare some things."

      "Oh you're her -?

      Janvi adjusted her bag on her wrist. "I do her PR. What about you?"

      "I was on a job hunt. One of my friends is friends with the owner so I was here to drop my resume." She said.

     "Oh. So old that you're job searching. Where did the years go?" Janvi laughed, "Ooh. Are you specifically looking for a job in Art? Because I have a position open in my company."

       "Oh no no. I just need to try. I have a degree in Business Management." She pulled out a resume and gave it to Janvi.

     "If you're interested..." Janvi said fidgeting with her purse, "Oh! Found it! Don't hesitate to give me a call." She extended her business card and Drishti gladly took it.

     After they said their byes and she had dropped off her resume, she continued to look around the art gallery. She looked at the prints and the paintings. One particular painting was striking.

    It was a painting of black brush strokes on a huge canvas. The strokes told a story.She looked at it and the void in her pulled towards it. It was like looking in a mirror. In a moment the strokes moved to tell her own story, of love and loss, and how she was still lost.

   She bent down to the plaque and looked at the name of the artist. "Shah" She mumbled and took a few steps back to look at the canvas in all her beauty. It was beautiful.

    She took a step back and bumped into someone. She immediately turned, "Oh! I'm so sor-"

      It was like seeing a vampire in daylight. He seemed so out of place. in the well lit gallery. A chill passes through her, he was a murderer walking around in broad daylight. She had thoroughly researched him on the internet. She had read all the   theories and she was convinced that he had definitely murdered his father.

    "I'm sorry." She said meekly and walked past him..

     "Acting like you don't know me. How cowardly.... Don't you think so, Borade?" He asked the sour faced bodyguard he always had with him.

     She should walk away. That was the smartest thing to do but she always had been short tempered and impulsive.
  
     "Did you think people would be forming lines to be associated with a murderer?"

      Drishti didn't care that she had went straight for the jugular. He let out a snicker and cleared his throat, not turning towards her.

   She defiantly stomped to where he stood and stood beside him. "What are you doing here anyway? Came to see how someone has painted your heart?"

      She caught his lips curve in a smile but he turned away and coughed into his hands.

   What was wrong with him? He never smiled or laughed. He was so dour and brooding, all the time.

      "You're funny. But I can assure you I am heartless."

      "Did you run out of snarky comments?" She provoked him again. She shouldn't provoke a patricide but she wouldn't cower before him. He probably expected people to cower and act nervous. Her father had told her that some criminals took pleasure in making others nervous. She was sure he was one of those.

        "I can try for you." He said looking straight ahead at the painting.

     "Did you parents name you Drishti because they knew you'd lack foresight?" He said with a straight face.

       She pressed her lips together to stop herself from laughing, clamping a hand on her mouth, she tried to stop it but her shoulders shook in silent laughter.

          He was hilarious. He had to know that. Her father had warned that most criminals could charm your boots off. But he wasn't exactly charming, was he? He was brooding and he never smiled .

    And he was.....alone.

   She had noticed he lived alone in that humoungous mansion. Like a beast from a fairytale. The courts had judged him innocent. Was he really innocent?

     "I'll allow you your peace now." He said stepping back as if to go away.

      "Wait."

     He stopped.

      "Is it true? What they say? Did you kill your father?"

      He looked at her and she was taken aback by the empty look in his eyes. Her whole body became like ice anticipating his words, even though she knew what he was going to say.

     "It's true. I killed my father."

***

A/N:

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