Crossing The Devils Path

chap 40-DISAPPEARANCES

There are times when you have to choose between  the one's you love and what is good for them.Difficult decisions have to be made , the past has to be left behind and so do the people.
RICHARDS POV:
Before I could react to anything else Sam came out of the office and practically ran towards Richa going inside the car. I was going to walk upto to him but Sam was pulling out a gun from his pocket . In one  swift move ,he caught Richa from behind  before she could turn to face him.With a smirk on his lips and gun aimed at Richa he looked me in the eye and said “She will never be yours. This marriage was a sham . It was mine and Richa's plan  to distract you , only I didn't know that this bitch would enact this wedding. It was totally unnecessary but atleast she got the papers signed and all your property and business is now mine Carlson”, he spat.
I was trying to wrap my head around the new information I just received, when  sam pushed Richa in the car and they drove off.  What I certainly hadn't missed was the guilt in Richa's eye before they went away. Was richa aware that Sam would aim his gun at her?was she safe? What did he mean that our marriage was a sham? Did richa actually betray me? My own thoughts seemed too torturous now. My steps faltered but Dante was fast enough to hold me in place. He gave me a sympathethic look and said “This isn't the time to overthink. Be calm don’t  come up with conjectures. Lets go find the priest I am sure we might get a clue.”
“But Richa?” I croaked out. “We will find her , first let's find out if she truly needs help or not” Dante said.
Nodding my head, I agreed . My brain was hardly functioning after all that was thrown at me currently.  Dante , Samaira and I went straight to the priest's office. We found him calmly sitting on his chair. When we entered without permission he looked at us expectantly. Almost as if he was waiting for us to come any moment now. He got up , opened a drawer in his desk and took out a bundle of papers. Handing it to me, he said “ here are the papers . your wife came to me yesterday and asked for my help. She had told me to hand over these papers to you.”
Confused and suprised , I looked at the papers and notice that it wasn't just any bundle of papers. It was a legal agreement . I proceeded to read it while Dante spoke to the father,”But what were the papers that the man who came in here signed again? Where are they? What were those papers?”
The priest calmly replied,” Child, I do not know what those papers were but one thing I can tell you  is that I had handed over one set of papers to the woman immediately after your wedding vows were taken. We did it discreetly while no one noticed . “
Not wanting to hear any more of it, I was about to exit the cabin when the next words stopped me in my tracks” She loves you my child. There was so much pain in her eyes but she wanted you to be happy . She truly is one of a kind” the priest said.
I was out of the cabin and in my driving seat before I knew it. Everything was happening in a haze but I tried my best to keep calm. Dante and samaira were trailing behind me and they too sat inside the car. “What was that Richard ?” Dante  spokeup.
Starting the ignition , I began to answer Dante's question-“The papers Richa left for me were property papers. It’s a contract with Sam's signature on it. It says that all of Sams property and business, including  the house with my Mother's memorial in it; are now mine. Certainly Richa outsmart Sam in his own game which also means that her life is in danger. Because if Sam realised that the papers he has aren't the ones he wanted he might harm her. He has leverage over both her physical and emotional state right now. We need to find her as soon as possible”
Speeding my car in no particular direction I was a mess trying to think where and how Richa must have been. I could hear Samaira and Dante talking about something but I tuned them out.

RICHA'S  POV
I was mindlessly staring outside the car window with tears flowing down my eyes. My heart was aching with a familiar pain which I have been feeling over the past few days.The poking of a metal substance brought me to reality. I turned my face to look at the man responsible  for my current state. His hand came up to wipe the tears off my face and all I did was stare at him blankly . Gently, he tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear.”I have never seen you so weak Richa” he said softly.
I chuckled sarcastically” maybe because you were never really there for me when hard time struck me. Infact, you were the one responsible for my pain and hatred all these years and now…now when I finally found love you had to take  it away from me again.” He sighed as if it was something he heard me say, everyday. The ride to the airport was silent after that although Sam tried to make conversation with me I ignored him. Once we reached the airport, I went to the washroom and changed into the clothes Sam bought me. Secretly, the only hope I had was that Richard would read the letter I left near his bed before we left for the wedding. He would then understand , why I betrayed him and left him alone like samaira. My reasons were different , even justified but it didn’t help my guilt to decrease.