Where Shadows Learn To Dream

The Mask Beneath The Smiles

Aanya

The weight of what I had done settled on me like a boulder pressing against my chest, suffocating me with every passing second. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't think. My legs moved on their own, carrying me away from the room, away from the body lying motionless on the floor.

I darted down the hallway, heart pounding in my ears, barely aware of my surroundings. I didn't stop until I reached the room I now called my own, slamming the door shut behind me. I pressed my back against it, gasping for breath, my hands still trembling violently.

I had killed him.

The reality of it hit me with the force of a train. My husband-no, Mr. Shekhar-was dead, his blood on my hands. I hadn't meant to kill him. I only wanted to stop him, to protect Raghav. But now, he was gone. And everything was about to unravel.

I slid to the floor, wrapping my arms around myself, as if that could hold me together. The sounds of chaos echoed faintly in the distance-footsteps, shouts, whispers-but it all felt far away, like a nightmare I couldn't wake up from.

How long I sat there, I didn't know. Time felt warped, every minute stretching into an eternity. Then, there was a sharp knock on the door. I froze, my heart lurching into my throat.

"Aanya." It was Raghav's voice. He sounded calm, too calm for what had just happened. "Open the door."

I couldn't move. I didn't want to face him. I didn't want to face anyone. Not after what I'd done.

"Aanya," he called again, more insistently this time. "It's over. Open the door."

It's over. The words rang in my head like a death sentence. I wanted to scream, to tell him that it wasn't over-that it would never be over. But I couldn't. My voice had abandoned me, just like everything else.

Finally, the door creaked open, and Raghav stepped inside. His face was calm, unreadable. His eyes, however, flickered with something I couldn't place. He knelt beside me, his hand resting on my shoulder. "You did what you had to do," he said quietly. "He would've killed me."

I shook my head, tears stinging my eyes. "I didn't want to kill him," I whispered, my voice barely audible. "I-"

"You saved my life," Raghav interrupted, his tone firm, as if that absolved me of the crime I had just committed. "You had no choice."

I looked up at him, searching for some sort of comfort in his expression, but there was none. Only cold practicality.

"Do you hear them?" he continued, gesturing toward the sounds of murmurs outside the door. "They've all heard what happened. The servants, the wives-they heard everything. No one will come forward to help us."

I swallowed hard, the reality of the situation closing in around me like a noose. "What's going to happen?" I asked, my voice trembling.

Raghav sighed and sat back on his heels, his gaze darkening. "The police will come. They'll investigate. But there's no way to cover this up, Aanya. They'll find out it was you."

My stomach twisted painfully, and I felt like I was going to be sick. "No..." The word left my lips in a desperate whisper. "No, I didn't mean to..."

"It doesn't matter what you meant," Raghav said, his voice low and even. "It matters what they'll believe. And they'll believe the servants. They'll say you killed him."

I couldn't stop the tears from falling now, choking on the weight of my own guilt. "What will happen to me?"

Raghav's eyes softened, and for a brief moment, I thought I saw a flicker of genuine concern. He reached out, wiping away a tear that had escaped down my cheek. "They'll arrest you," he said quietly. "But don't worry. I'll make sure they don't throw you in for life."

The cold reassurance did nothing to calm me. My mind raced with fear and confusion. "How long?" I asked, barely able to get the words out.

"I've pulled some strings," Raghav said, almost casually, as if he were discussing a business deal. "Seven years. You'll serve seven years, and then you'll be free."

Seven years. The number echoed in my mind like a death knell. Seven years of my life gone, rotting in a cell for something I didn't mean to do. And all because of him. All because of Raghav.

I stared at him, realization dawning on me slowly. His calm demeanor, his calculated words-it didn't make sense. Nothing about this felt right.

"Why... why are you so calm?" I asked, my voice breaking. "You should be scared. He's dead. Your father is dead."

Raghav's lips curved into a small, humorless smile. "He wasn't my father," he said softly, almost mockingly. "Not really. He was an obstacle."

An obstacle? His words chilled me to the bone, and a sickening thought began to creep into my mind. "Raghav... what are you saying?"

He leaned closer, his eyes gleaming with a strange, twisted satisfaction. "I'm saying that this was always going to happen, Aanya. You just made it easier."

I shook my head in disbelief, the pieces falling into place with horrifying clarity. "You... you used me."

He didn't deny it. His smile widened, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "He had to die for me to inherit everything. But I couldn't be the one to do it. You did that for me. And now, I get it all, and you..." He paused, his eyes cold and unfeeling. "You'll take the fall."

My entire body went cold, as if all the warmth had been drained from me. "You planned this," I whispered, barely able to comprehend the cruelty of it. "You knew this would happen."

Raghav's expression didn't change, his gaze unwavering. "I didn't force you to kill him, Aanya. You made that choice."

Tears streamed down my face as the weight of his betrayal crushed me. He had used me, manipulated me into doing his dirty work, and now I was left to pay the price. Seven years. Seven years for a crime that wasn't mine to bear.

"And to show my gratitude," Raghav added, his voice softening into something almost affectionate, "I've ensured you won't spend the rest of your life behind bars. Seven years is nothing. You'll survive it. And when you come out, you'll be free."

Free. The word felt like a cruel joke, dangling in front of me like a false promise. I would never be free-not from the guilt, not from the betrayal, not from the memory of what I had done.

"I trusted you," I said, my voice breaking. "I thought... I thought you cared about me."

Raghav leaned in, brushing a strand of hair behind my ear. "I do care, Aanya. But I care about myself more."

The words cut deeper than any wound Mr. Shekhar had inflicted on me. I was nothing but a pawn to him, a means to an end. And now, I was alone, trapped in a nightmare I couldn't escape.

Raghav stood up, dusting off his hands as if this was all just another business transaction. "Goodbye, Aanya," he said, his voice cold and final. "Seven years will pass quickly. You'll see."

And with that, he walked away, leaving me alone in the darkness, with nothing but the weight of my own shattered soul.