𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑹𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒓𝒄𝒐𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝑹𝒊𝒅𝒆

PART-19

Aai = Mother in Marathi

Dada = Elder brother in Marathi

Bahen = Sister, a casual way to address other women

-*-*-

"Ev...ery...body is... a cheater. Be...trayer. O-kay? Okay?!" Rudraksh's words slurred out, heavy with pain. His eyes, bloodshot from drinking, burned with an intensity that could sear a soul - like a cyclone waiting to ravage everything in its path.

The boy, around twenty, gazed at him with furrowed brows, his lips curling in a mix of confusion and annoyance.

Rudraksh's shoulders slumped forward, his body swaying slightly as he leaned in, grasping the boy's shoulders for support. His grip tightened, fingers digging deep into the latter's skin, making the his face contort in pain.

Instinctively, the poor boy tilted his head back and opened his mouth to speak-

-Rudraksh silenced him, pressing a forefinger against his own lips with a harsh whisper. "Shusss..."

The boy's eyes widened, his face frozen in apprehension.

Rudraksh's gaze locked onto his, and with a half-smile twisting his lips, he said:

𝑫𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒔𝒖𝒄𝒄𝒖𝒎𝒃 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆'𝒔 𝒇𝒊𝒆𝒓𝒄𝒆 𝒇𝒍𝒂𝒎𝒆,
𝑳𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖'𝒓𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒖𝒎𝒆𝒅, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕'𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒍𝒂𝒎𝒆;
𝑻𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒑𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒐𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒄𝒍𝒂𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒓,
𝑵𝒐𝒘 𝒅𝒆𝒆𝒎 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒃𝒖𝒓𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒃𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒔𝒉 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆;
𝑳𝒂𝒚 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕, 𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒍, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒕,
𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒅𝒂𝒚, 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚'𝒍𝒍 𝒓𝒆𝒋𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒅𝒐𝒘'𝒔 𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒍𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒂𝒕.

The SHO, a man in his late thirties, sat in a leather chair with one leg crossed neatly over the other. One hand rested under his chin, while the other lightly gripped the edge of the table. A faint, nostalgic smile played on his lips as he watched the scene unfold, his eyes misting slightly.

SI Pandey, a man in his mid-forties, approached with quiet steps. "You're smiling, sir?" he asked, a small smile tugging at his own lips.

The officer exhaled deeply, his chest rising and falling in a slow rhythm. "Memories, Pandey ji, memories." He clasped his fingers on the table and gestured for Pandey to sit with a nod. "Anyway, did you get any information about this... Devdas?"

As Pandey settled into the wooden chair, discomfort flickered across his face before he shifted into a more bearable position. "Sir... I know him," he said softly.

The officer's expression tightened, his eyebrows furrowing.

Taking a deep breath, Pandey continued, "He is Rudraksh Maurya, the elder son of High Court Judge - Justice Aanand Maurya."

The officer's furrowed eyebrows shot up. "Son of a High Court judge... interesting," he murmured.

"Sahab! Sahab! Please release my son! We are poor people! He won't do anything like this again, I swear! Please, have mercy!"

The desperate voice echoed through the police station, making both the SHO and the SI snap their heads around.

A man, about the same age as the SI, stumbled toward them, panting heavily. His chest heaved with each breath as he fell to his knees, hands folded near his chest. The loose yellow shirt and faded blue pants he wore told the story of his poverty - stitched and patched in several places, layered with dust. Deep lines on his face spoke of helplessness more than age.