A Bond Of Intellect

Chapter - 27

Evan gently tucked the stray hair strands behind Riti's ear, his fingers grazing her skin. He then grasped her ear, softly playing with it, sending shivers down Riti's spine. Despite the gentle touch, Riti felt a surge of fear.

"Why do you make me repeat myself?" Evan asked, his voice low and even. "I'm asking about today. Where were you today?" His eyes locked onto hers, intense and unyielding, making Riti's anxiety escalate.

Riti remained silent, her head hung low, until Evan's hand grasped her jaw, forcing her to look up. His grip was fierce, and his eyes blazed with intensity as he asked firmly, "Did you drink there?"

Riti's face turned bright red with tension, and tears streamed down her cheeks. She tried to speak, her voice barely audible, "N..n-no, i-i d.....didn't." Evan's grip on her jaw tightened, causing Riti to flinch in pain.

His voice rose to a furious shout, "Lie! All lies! I've given you so many chances to explain, but you just keep lying. What do you think of me, huh?" Riti struggled to break free from his grip, but Evan held firm, his fingers digging deeper into her skin.

Fear coursed through Riti's body as Evan pulled her face closer, his own face inches from hers. His voice was menacing, "I can smell the alcohol on you. You must have eaten something to get rid of the smell, but it's still coming from your clothes."
Riti was stunned, unsure of how Evan knew so much despite not being present. She had thought she could keep her actions hidden, but now she was caught. Tears streamed down her face as she wondered what Evan would do next.

Evan released his grip on her jaw fiercely, which makes the light red marks on her fair skin. His eyes blazed with intensity as he said firmly, "If you're not going to tell me, then let me explain. So, on the day I went out for work, you missed the third class with your friend. You saw that the substitute professor could be taken lightly since he was sleeping, and you went out to eat. Then you played some indoor games."

Evan's voice was relentless, "And the next day, you again bunked class and went to the arcade. And today, you went to the club and drank there." Riti regretted her decisions, rubbing her jaw, which throbbed in pain.

Evan's eyes bore into hers, "Am I right?"

As Riti looked into Evan's eyes, she felt a wave of fear wash over her. His gaze was so intense that she nodded her head, acknowledging the truth. She was shocked and intimidated by Evan's knowledge of her actions.

Evan seemed to sense her curiosity and said, "You must be wondering how I know all this. Let me satisfy your curiosity. I've tracked your location for the past two days, including today."

Riti's curiosity was replaced with fear as she realized the extent of Evan's knowledge. She tried to apologize, saying "I-I a-am s-sorry" in a sobbing voice. However, Evan was too angry and disappointed to accept her apology.

"It's not going to work," Evan said firmly, his voice dripping with anger. "I've let you go many times for your mistakes, but lying is not just a mistake." He grabbed her hand, his grip tight, and said, "Let me show you what will happen if you lie again."

Evan pulled Riti fiercely out of the room, dragging her behind him. Riti tried to break free, but his grip only tightened. Shivani, who was in the living room on the ground floor, saw the commotion and expressed concern.

"What happened, Evan? Where are you taking her?" Shivani asked, starting to move towards them. However, Agnesh, who was also present, cautioned her.

"Don't go," Agnesh said. "You know Evan's anger, and he won't hurt her. There must be a reason for this. Let's clear later." Shivani hesitated, then stayed back, watching anxiously as Evan dragged Riti away.

Evan took Riti on a long route and finally stopped in front of a door. He opened it, revealing a room so dark that nothing was visible. Evan pulled Riti inside and locked the door. Riti, surrounded by darkness, couldn't even see her own hands or body. She became extremely scared and panicked, beating the door and pleading, "Open it... Open it, please!" But her cries were met with silence.

Riti's sweat dripped down, and the room was so quiet that she could hear the sound of her own sweat. She knocked on the door repeatedly, but nothing happened.

On the other side of the door, Evan walked away, looking down at his mother, Shivani, and saying, "No one will open the door." Shivani grew worried, knowing the room was empty, windowless, and notorious for inducing panic. They had used the room to scare Arun and Adhya, but never locked them in as it was even dangerous for elders.

Shivani rushed to Evan's room, saying, "Beta, she'll get faint. Let her out!" Evan ignored her, taking clothes out of his cupboard. Shivani raised her voice, "I don't know, I'm going to let her out!" Evan fiercely commanded, "Stop, Mom! Don't let her out. If she gets out, no one will be worse to her than me."

Shivani expressed concern, "But what has she done to deserve this punishment?" Evan threw his clothes on the bed, saying, "It's all your fault! You didn't even know she was bunking classes, going out with friends, and lying about the library. Today, she went to a club and drank alcohol!"

He continued, "I entrusted you with her care, but you didn't supervise her properly. What if she got hurt or lost? You knew she couldn't navigate public transport, but you trusted her to come home alone." Evan's anger stemmed from concern, and Shivani understood his worries, acknowledging their mistake.

"I understood, beta!" Shivani said. "I realized our mistake, but please let her out..."
Evan let out a deep sigh and said firmly, "Mom! she lied to me. I'm not going to let her out that easily unless she acknowledges her mistake." He then picked up his clothes and headed to the washroom to freshen up.

Before entering the washroom, Evan turned to Shivani and instructed, "I'll get her out myself after I'm done. Please don't try to intervene or let her out on your own." With that, he entered the washroom, leaving Shivani worried and concerned.

Shivani went downstairs to the living room and explained the situation to everyone, sharing their mistake and why Evan was punishing Riti. The family was aware of Evan's temper, but they loved Riti dearly and were willing to overlook her mistakes. However, they knew Evan wouldn't tolerate her actions so easily.

The family waited anxiously for Evan, wondering what would happen next and when he would finally let Riti out of the dark room.