Shadowed Desires

Chapter 20

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Next day...

Kritika was sipping a cup of hot coffee when Abhinav walked toward her. With a smirk, she asked him to sit down.

He said, "Kyu barbaad karna chahti ho mere bete ki zindagi?"
(Why do you want to ruin my son’s life?)

Kritika replied, "Iska jawaab to aap khud jaante ho Mr. Abhinav Shekhawat."
(You already know the answer to that, Mr. Abhinav Shekhawat.)

Abhinav said, "Mere paas tumhari paheliya bujhane ka time nahi hai yaha pe."
(I don’t have time to solve your riddles here.) He turned to leave.

But before he could go, Kritika said, "Haan, aakhir ab 20 saal purani paheliya koi kyu hi bujhana chahega, hai na?"
(Yes, why would anyone want to solve a 20-year-old riddle now, right?)

Abhinav froze mid-step and turned to look at Kritika, stunned.

Kritika added, "Shayad keemat bhool gaye ho aap jiski wajah se aap bees saal pehle badi aasani se elections jeet gaye the."
(Maybe you’ve forgotten the price that helped you win the elections so easily twenty years ago.)

Abhinav broke into a cold sweat. "Kaisi keemat?"
(What price?)

Kritika replied, "Wahi keemat jiske liye mere father aur aapke rival Mr. Chauhan ne na sirf apna naam withdraw kiya tha elections se, balki internally aapko apna vote bank bhi provide karaya tha."
(The same price for which my father and your rival, Mr. Chauhan, not only withdrew from the elections but also handed you their vote bank behind the scenes.)

Abhinav asked, "Tumhe ye sab kaise pata?"
(How do you know all this?)

Kritika replied, "Deewaron ke bhi kaan hote hain. Ab aap bas ye sochiye ki ye sach agar bahar aaya to kya toofan aa jaega yaha."
(Even walls have ears. Now just imagine what chaos will follow if this truth comes out.)

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Three months back... (Flashback starts)

At the engagement party of her father’s political associate, Kritika was walking through a corridor when a waiter accidentally spilled juice on her dress. The waiter directed her to use a nearby restroom to clean the stain. As she approached the door, she overheard voices.

Abhinav was speaking:
"Mujhe laga tha ki ab to tum sudhar jaoge, par kehte hain na dhokebaaz kabhi sudharte nahi. Aakhir cheen hi li na tumne wo property dhokhe se jis par Atharv ko apna dream project banana tha."
(I thought you’d change by now, but like they say—betrayers never change. You stole that property through deceit, the one Atharv had planned his dream project on.)

Dev replied,
"Mujhe kisi ke liye sudharne ka shauk nahi hai. Aur agar tumhe lagta hai ki tum mujhe ek baat pe saalon tak blackmail kar sakte ho to tum galat ho, Abhinav Shekhawat."
(I don’t care to change for anyone. And if you think you can blackmail me for years over one thing, then you're mistaken, Abhinav Shekhawat.)

Abhinav shot back,
"Maine tumhe bas vaada diya hai ki mein wo papers bahar nahi launga. Lekin agar tumne mere parivaar ko thoda bhi pareshan kiya, to mujhe apna vaada todne mein samay nahi lagega."
(I only promised I wouldn’t expose those papers. But if you mess with my family again, I won’t hesitate to break that promise.)

Dev retorted,
"Agar tumhe itna bura lagta tha to CM ki kursi mujhe offer hi kyu ki? Sach saamne aaya to tumhare khilaf bhi sawal uthenge. Tum bhi power ke lalach mein aaye the, Abhinav."
(If it bothered you so much, why did you even offer me the CM chair? Once the truth is out, questions will be raised on you too. You also succumbed to greed for power, Abhinav.)