Mumbai.
Around ten o'clock at night, two or three cars came to a halt in front of an abandoned building. The place looked ancient and terrifying; hardly anyone would dare to step foot there. A girl's painful screams echoed through the ruins. The cries were so agonizing and loud that anyone hearing them would get chills.
Three people, accompanied by bodyguards, stepped out of the cars and headed inside.
As soon as they entered, they saw a young woman tied up with ropes. Her body was covered with bruises and wounds—some fresh, some old. She looked miserable and barely conscious, yet her condition didn't affect the newcomers in the slightest.
Hearing footsteps, the girl raised her head with great difficulty. The moment she saw them, her eyes burned with hatred.
"Why are you here now?" she shouted angrily. "Was ruining my life not enough for you? I considered all of you my family, and this is what you did to me! What wrong had I ever done to you?"
The three people standing before her—a twenty-eight-year-old man, a young woman around twenty-three, and a woman who appeared to be in her fifties—smiled, as if her suffering brought them pleasure.
The older woman walked closer and sneered.
"Family? I never considered you my daughter. All I ever wanted was your husband's wealth and the property he had transferred in your name. Though I must admit, he loved you deeply. Despite all our plans, he never left you and always protected you from us. Because of him, you managed to survive this long. Otherwise, we would have killed you long ago."
Hatred was evident on her face.
Chahat looked at the young man standing behind her and said with disbelief,
"Rohan… I understand they wanted my property, but you loved me. Why did you do this?"
Rohan walked closer and laughed.
"Love? You really thought I loved you? Never. I only wanted to destroy your husband. He was too proud of himself. Besides… I love your sister, Riya."
He pointed toward the young woman behind him.
Riya stepped closer, and Rohan wrapped his arm around her waist and kissed her.
Unable to bear the sight, Chahat turned her face away. Her heart hurt more than ever. She had trusted these people more than anyone—even abandoned her husband for them—and they had betrayed her so cruelly.
Just then, Riya mocked her.
"What happened, dear sister? Oh, sorry… my step-sister. Look at the condition you've reduced yourself to."
Chahat glared at her in fury.
"You people have done something unforgivable. I trusted you the most, and this is what I got in return! Compared to all of you, my husband was far better. At least he never tortured me like this. Yes, he made mistakes and—"
Before she could finish, laughter filled the room.
Confused, Chahat stared at them.
Her stepmother, Reena—Riya's biological mother—controlled her laughter and said,
"Wrong? And Kabir wronged you? That poor man loved you with all his heart. At a single request from you, he transferred all his wealth and property into your name."
Chahat was stunned.
Before she could process anything, Rohan crouched in front of her and smirked.
"Darling, you're such a fool. Don't you understand yet? Everything that happened was our trap. We wanted your husband's fortune. He was too proud of his status and power… but in the end, his own wife destroyed him with her own hands."
Reena chuckled.
"Rohan, why don't you tell her the biggest truth? The truth because of which she has hated her husband all these years."
"Of course, baby," Rohan said.
He stepped closer to Chahat.
"Mrs. Chahat Rathore… your husband never forced himself on you. In fact, he saved you. That night, I drugged you because I wanted to spend the night with you. But somehow, Kabir reached there in time and rescued you."
He paused before continuing.
"The drug was extremely powerful, and there was no antidote. If you hadn't received treatment in time, your life would have been in danger. Kabir had no choice but to do what he did… only to save your life."
Tears streamed down Chahat's face.
She couldn't believe she had made such a terrible mistake.
Memories of Kabir flooded her mind.
How he would summon the best doctors at the slightest injury she suffered…
How he would become restless at the smallest sign of her pain…
His unconditional love…
Everything flashed before her eyes.
Then she heard Riya's mocking voice.
"What happened, sis? Missing my dear brother-in-law? Don't worry, you won't have to miss him for long. Soon you'll be joining him."
Chahat looked at her in confusion.
Riya smiled wickedly.
"You see, we killed him. The man whom nobody could touch was broken by love itself. We arranged his accident… and it was so severe that he died on the spot."
"No!"
Chahat screamed.
Fresh tears poured from her eyes.
"You people could do whatever you wanted to me, and I endured it. But why did you have to kill him?" she cried. "I won't spare any of you! I swear, I'll make you pay for every pain and every tear that Kabir and I suffered!"
Rohan laughed mockingly.
"Baby, you'll only destroy us if you're alive."
He took a gun from one of the bodyguards and aimed it at Chahat.
But she didn't flinch.
Looking him straight in the eyes, she declared,
"Then kill me with one shot. Because if I survive… even by mistake… I swear I will destroy every single one of you. I will avenge every pain, every sorrow, for myself and for my husband."
Before Chahat could say another word—
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Three gunshots echoed through the ruins.
Chahat's body collapsed to the ground.
Silence engulfed the abandoned building.
Was this truly the end of Chahat Rathore's life?
Or was fate preparing a new beginning?
To find out, read…
The Life I Reclaim
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