"Where did Bhaiya ji go...?" Rajan and Darshit had reached the cattle shed. Both were panting, followed by around ten to fifteen men.
"Where the hell will that bitch go... she must be hiding somewhere here... find her... I'll make sure she's so ruined today she won't be able to show her face to anyone... that two-penny woman dares to raise her hand on us!" Darshit hissed with rage, searching for Advika and Moli and signaling his men to spread out and look.
Advika had hidden Moli inside a haystack and climbed in herself. Moli was sobbing quietly but didn't let out a single sound, while Advika, with sharp eyes, watched the men closely.
After a long search with no success, Rajan said, "Looks like she ran away, Bhaiya ji..."
"How long can she run... once she's caught, I'll make sure she's unrecognizable... a woman dares to raise her hand on me...!" Darshit ground his teeth, stomping off in fury. The rest of the men followed him.
Once they were gone, Advika and Moli started to come out when someone grabbed Advika's hand. She tried to shake it off and strike, but the man twisted her hand and pinned her against his chest, making her crash into him. As she struggled, a voice whispered in her ear:
"Calm down... it's me..."
Advika turned to look — it was Anay. For some reason, her eyes welled up with tears, and the sight of her moist eyes made Anay restless.
"What happened...? Why are you crying...?" Anay let go of her hand and reached for her face, but stopped as she took a step back.
"You know them?" came a voice from behind — it was Shrey.
"They both work in the fields," Anay replied in a serious tone and turned to Advika again. "We're asking you something..."
Through tears, Moli narrated everything that had happened. Anay's fists clenched, the vein on his forehead bulged, and his eyes turned bloodshot with rage.
"Take them home, Shrey," Anay said and walked ahead. Shrey wanted to ask something but didn't dare after seeing Anay's burning eyes.
"Let's go," Shrey said to the two girls.
Advika and Moli silently followed him. As she left, Advika turned back to look at Anay, who was angrily kick-starting his Jeep and driving off.
Meanwhile, Rajan and Darshit were drunk and snoring in the rice mill, unaware that death was walking toward them.
As soon as Anay saw Darshit, he didn't think twice — he kicked Rajan's cot, knocking both of them to the ground.
"Who the hell is it—?" Rajan started in anger but froze when he saw who stood before him.
"Bhaiya ji…"
"How dare you touch her!" Anay roared and started beating them with kicks and punches. Again and again, Advika's tear-streaked face flashed before his eyes, fueling his rage.
He smashed Rajan's head against the front part of a tractor, causing a fountain of blood that drenched Anay's hands and face. Then he pressed Darshit's wrist under a hot iron rod, making him scream in agony.
After leaving both half-dead, he growled, "She's only mine… just mine… if anyone even dares look at her, I'll rip their eyes out and feed them to vultures… Advika now belongs to Anay Thakur alone… let the entire universe hear it loud and clear."
The two men lay unconscious, unable to respond.
Anay cleaned himself up and went to the farmhouse. He took a cold shower, changed his clothes, and came out. Then he started smashing furniture to vent his anger. Whenever he was furious, he'd come here and destroy things — otherwise, someone would end up getting hurt.
Shrey arrived. Seeing him, Anay asked, "You dropped them off safely?"
Shrey nodded, eyeing him strangely.
Anay went back to smashing a table.
"What's wrong with you...?" Shrey finally asked.
Anay stayed silent.
"Say something, man... why this much rage over a laborer?"
"She's not a laborer!" Anay shouted.
"Oh really? Then who is she? Tell me..."
Anay fell silent again.
"What, cat got your tongue now? Tell me, what's wrong with you?"
"Love… mohabbat… ishq… ibadat... call it whatever you want," Anay said, taking a deep breath.
"Love…? With whom...?"
Shrey was shocked. Could it be Advika...? Must be... it can't be Moli…
"So you're venting out because you fell in love…?" Shrey said in surprise.
"How could they dogs touch her? My blood's boiling…" Anay shook Shrey's shoulders in frustration.
"Well, you already broke their bones, didn't you? Let's see if they're alive tomorrow…" Shrey said, slumping on the couch.
Anay turned away, "I don't know…"
"Which means they won't be."
"Hmm, makes sense. You're the type who would set your bike on fire if someone touched it… how could you tolerate someone laying a hand on your Mahbooba...?"
Anay glared at him.
"Am I wrong? She is your Mahbooba now, right?" Shrey raised an eyebrow. Anay looked away.
Shrey smiled.
"Bro, this is a celebration! My brother has fallen in love! And you're acting totally crazy about it... I've heard of people going mad in love — today I've seen it."
"I'll beat you up…" Anay warned him.
"Does your lady love know?" Shrey wiggled his eyebrows.
"Not yet... I only realized it myself today..." Anay said, collapsing onto the couch.
"Then go tell her! And find out how she feels!" Shrey encouraged.
"I'm going now." Anay started fixing his kurta.
"Hey hey... slow down, Romeo! It's the middle of the night! A decent girl's house, and a young man shows up — have you no sense of society?" Shrey teased dramatically.
"I don't care... I just want to scream and tell Advika what's in my heart… she's like my breath, like my heartbeat… when I see her, I feel like I've found a reason to live. Just like a traveler in a desert searches for water, my heart longs for her presence… I won't stop at giving her a nickname — I want to bring her home as my wife, with all rights… from this moment, only she will rule over my heart."
Anay smiled.
"Oh yeah? And you know what you'll get in return? A slipper — straight to your face," Shrey laughed.
"Shut your filthy mouth," Anay mock-choked him.
"What? You think you can just walk up to a girl and say 'I love you' and she'll agree?" Shrey dodged and laughed.
"Then what should I do? Tell me," Anay said, rubbing his head.
"Make her feel your love. Listen, your grandpa's hosting a party tomorrow, right? Invite her there. Show her your pride and status. She'll come around," Shrey advised.
"She's not someone who can be bought," Anay smirked sideways.
"Oh wow, you've come to know her so well in two days?" Shrey teased.
Anay glared at him, and Shrey put a finger to his lips. Then Anay hugged him tightly.
"Whoa, take it easy, man! I'm your friend, not your enemy you're trying to choke to death!" Shrey said, trying to wiggle free.
"This feeling is so strange… something's tickling inside me… my heart's racing like I just ran a marathon…" Anay said, still hugging him.
"It's your first experience, that's why," Shrey replied.
"Oh? And you've got a lot of experience?" Anay raised a brow.
"Nope, but I'll experiment on you to gain some!" Shrey winked.
"You're such a damn rascal… even enemies are better than you," Anay groaned.
"And this damn rascal is going to help you sail the boat of love, buddy!" Shrey dusted his collar proudly.
To be continue....