Renaming Destiny : Apsara To Myla

Still

Ashwin's POV

The soft mattress under me tried to pull me back to sleep but I forced my eyes open and tried to sit up. My left leg was still tied to a bedframe but for some reason I felt better. The pain I felt in the hospital was unbearable but now, it felt as if I was never wounded at all. I looked around the room and saw many machines around me which made annoying beeping sounds every second. I sucked in a deep breath and laid back. I was all alone in the room. And the place did not look like it was a hospital. It looked like a luxurious mansion. It was dark everywhere. Just when I was about to let go and fall asleep, I remembered Myla. 

I sat up quickly but the pain that was masked until then came back ten folds and I let out a scream unable to resist the torturous ache. I saw a man run into the room as I looked up from my leg that I had grabbed as if that would make the pain go away. "Lay down, you idiot!", he scolded. I groaned as he injected something into my leg and in no time, I felt the pain lessening. He looked at me, his stern face showing nothing but annoyance and said, "Don't be a dumbass and lay down. Or else I'll put this syringe into your brain the next time". I asked, "Where am I?", he scoffed. "I am not your messenger. Now shut your mouth up", he stormed out of the room before I could say another word. 

Just a moment after he left, the doors opened again and this time, a woman walked in. She looked like she was in her late fifties and she had tears in her eyes. She walked to me slowly and placed a hand on my head gently. "I'm sorry, my dear. He is no longer the son who used to listen to his mother. These monsters have ruined his innocence", she yelled the last part at the door as if saying it to someone on the other side of the door. I cleared my throat and asked, "Where am I? Who are you? Why am I here?", she wiped her tears and said. 

"You are in Italy, my dear", my eyes widened in realization, "And I am the mother of Emiliano Leonotti. I don't know how you seem to know him. But you are here because of him", my chest was heaving up and down as her voice, the beeping sound from the stupid machines were attacking me. I put my head in between my palms and closed my eyes. I could feel a light headache form in the back of my head. I felt someone gently hold my shoulder and pat my upper back to relax me. I looked at the lady in front of me and said, "I don't care about you or your son. Where is my Apsara? WHERE IS SHE??", I ignored the warnings of the man who had threatened me to puncture my skull and tried to get up. 

I felt the pain come back quickly and tried to remove my leg from the hold attached to the long ceiling but bright red liquid stained the white bandages in no time and it started to drip down to the bed. I could feel my skin tear a little but I did not stop. I knew I wanted to see her. I had to know she was okay. The lady in front of me yelled for someone and the man from earlier stormed in. He was furious. But he did not say anything and called for more people. I saw a group of people dressed in white walk in. They tried to talk me out of my stubbornness but I did not give up. Not until I saw Apsara's cousin, Isabella walk in with red eyes. 

"Ashwin, you need to calm down", she said.

"Where is she?", I asked while panting. 

She moved to the side of the bed and I followed her movements. She pulled open a curtain that I had thought was of a window and there I saw her. My Apsara. In a bed, surrounded by machines and wired just like me. She had an oxygen mask on. Her eyes were closed and she looked weak. I felt my eyes water just like that. "H-how is she now?", I voiced out my concerns. "She's recovering. It'll take time", one of the white coats said. I did not look away from her for even a second. 

The next hour was spent in the doctors trying to stich the wound back up. Isabella was crying with the lady from before. The doctors asked me not to move and walked out of the room. Isabella walked towards me and held my hand. "I am very sorry, Ashwin. You both have nothing to do with this. It's all my fault you both are here", I was confused. She moved to Apsara and caressed her hair while saying, "Remember how I had told you I was getting married to Emiliano, my brother's friend?", I nodded slowly. She wiped a lone tear and spoke, "I had fallen in love with him when we were just kids. He was the only man I had ever felt anything for. We started dating 7 years ago. Almost the same time around Myla came to London. My life was perfect, Ashwin. It was everyone's dream to be me. But it turns out that this life will be the biggest nightmare of my life", the lady from before started sobbing too. 

"Just last week, after returning from London, I found out that he was pretending to be in love with me all this time. There was never any love. My brother wanted me to be called the wife of a very powerful man for my security in life and that was why he had pretended to be in love with me. For seven years, I thought I had found my soulmate and it was all shattered in just one night", she said and sat on the chair beside Apsara's bed. The lady who was beside me started, "He already has a son with another woman. I was forced to keep it a secret from Bella. Now, when she decided to call the wedding off, after finding him with a different woman in her absence, he threatened her to harm her family".

"The terrorist attack just gave him the perfect opportunity to kidnap you and Myla from the hospital", Bella ended her words. I was quiet for a few seconds and then asked, "How long has it been since we were kidnapped?", the two women looked at each other and Bella said, "It has been a month, Ashwin. But trust me, you are getting the best treatment. I made sure of it. You and Myla will be okay in no time". I whispered, "Yeah, I can see that", and laid back on the bed. "As soon as their wedding is done, he has promised to let you both go", the older lady said.

"Does our families know?", I asked. She shook her head, "Not even the guards securing this building know who is in here. Emiliano has a very quiet way of dealing with these things". I looked back at Apsara and asked, "Did she wake up in this one month?", Bella nodded gaining my attention. "She had gained consciousness a day after you were shifted here. But you were out then", I palmed my face and laid back. They were speaking about how she had a similar reaction to mine when she had woken up when the doors opened and a man in a suit walked in with five men around him. "What the fuck do you both think you are doing here?", he barked. The old lady beside me said, "Let the poor girl be with her family, Emiliano. Don't be an animal", he scoffed and said, "The family which sold her to me? Yeah, sure. Now come with me both of you. We have a wedding to prepare for", he said the last part looking at Bella. 

"Emiliano, I have promised to marry you. I will not run away. I know that this is my fate now. But please, I am begging you. Please, let them go. Or just inform their families about them", Isabella begged. I felt pity for her. No women deserved to be treated like that. He looked at me with a stern face and looked back at Isabella. He said something in Italian and stormed out of the room. They looked at me one last time and walked away with him. The doors closed behind them and I looked back at Apsara. Her hair was messy. There were scratches on her perfect skin. I feared how she would take the news when she recovered. 

In the back of my mind, worry about my family had started. I knew Aniket Bhaiyya would have searched the whole of America to find us. But I knew it would have never crossed to them that we were in Italy. I was happy at least Apsara was with me. I knew she was okay. I relaxed on the bed looking at her and slowly let sleep take over me. 

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Happy Diwaliiiii!!!!!!!

Sorry for not updating sooner. 

I had to clean the whole house for Diwali. 

But here it is!! 

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