Fatal Attraction

Part 31

"That's not true," he claimed with defiance in his tone, but the protest died down as Asmita arched her eyebrow in surprise.

"Really? Why don't you give me a rundown of what happened since I left? Or what compelled The Daksh Malhotra to let me go and not tie me down with another blackmailing whim of yours?" she asked, toying with the paperweight on the desk. The condescending glimmer in her eyes which ran over his squeamish form felt as though bugs crawled over his skin.

"I thought letting you go would elevate me in your eyes, and despite the initial frustration, I realized I didn't hate the change at all. Your reluctance left me high and dry, and the acceptance of your departure and end of the tug-of-war actually delighted me till Nani suffered a heart attack and passed away."

Daksh's voice cracked as he spoke of his grandmother's death, and the muscle at the angle of his jaw twitched. "Amit blamed it on me and my actions. And I blamed it on you, fanning my feelings for you once again. It felt as though bringing you back into my life was the only way I could earn everyone's forgiveness. When I realized you were the solution to my problems and my salvation, that's when I realized I love you."

Asmita let out a wry chuckle and eyed him through the curtain of her thick lashes. The contempt and the distaste in her eyes made a shudder run down his spine. "You amuse me, Mr. Malhotra. Sometimes for the attainment of the pleasure of obtainment of a forbidden fruit, sometimes for receiving acceptance from others, your reasons don't give the idea of love, and yet you claim of loving me."

Another chuckle escaped her twisted lips before she scoffed and scowled at him, and Daksh had the humility to avert his gaze to the ground. "Of course, narcissists cannot love anyone except themselves. My bad! Thanks for proving the diagnosis to me!"

"No, Asmita! I love you, and besides, what does that Vikas have, which I don't?" he demanded.

Asmita's smile, albeit a derisive one, contorted into a thoughtful and repentant trance. She huffed at the laughable comparison between the men and blinked away the tears stinging in her eyes.

"What does he have? That's a good question, Mr. Malhotra? I'll instead tell you what you have and what he doesn't. He doesn't share your entitled outlook towards love for one. Can you believe it if I say we still didn't consummate our marriage?"

Daksh's eyes widened and his lips parted at the incredulity of her revelation. "What? But why?"

"You, Mr. Malhotra. You are the reason. Your ruthlessness when you tried to violate me twice in a mere seven month ' duration rendered me incapable of enjoying someone's touch. The visions from those nights plagued my nightmares and tarnished my thoughts throughout the day. Tell me, Mr. Malhotra, would you wait for your wife to allow you to touch her for seven years?"

Her tranquil voice snatched the remnants of tranquility from his mind. Her dark and blank orbs staring back at him made him gulp the remorse climbing to this throat as the vicious bile. Beads of perspiration adorned his creased forehead despite the air-conditioner's gusts of icy air. "I...I.."

"We tried, of course, but the worst meltdown of mine till date ensued. Imagine the horror of Vikas! Overwhelmed by guilt for pushing his wife into that breakdown, he couldn't even step into the bedroom after that. Till I had another breakdown and he had to step inside to console me. Could you do that, Mr. Malhotra?" she asked, shedding her restraint to allow tears to pour out of her grief-stricken eyes.

Remorse slithered around his heart and grappled him with an unfathomable torment. He shrunk in his seat, and he wished the Earth would swallow him into its depths. The questions shot at him and the inadequacy that followed those daggers pushed him into a whirlpool of fury and discomfort.

"You were so keen on possessing me that the mark left by your actions did not leave me, even when you woke up from that dream of yours. And I remained buried in that nightmare forever. You are the one that pushed me into that nightmare, and Vikas is the one who tried to bring me out of it. Is the difference clear enough now, Mr. Malhotra?"

Her acrid words did nothing to ease the sense of ineptitude plaguing him. The noose of incapacity tightened around his neck and the vacuum created by her words produced storms of insecurity in his tempestuous heart. Without uttering a word, Daksh rose from his seat, stumbling and disoriented, and walked towards the door.

Her fierce eyes burned his back as she gazed at his retreating form. She did not try to stop him and instead allowed the sobs to consume her and pull her into their depths. Daksh dragged himself out of the door of her cabin and the paucity of attention resulted in him crashing against someone.

"Oh, it's you..."

Neerja's voice resonated in his ears, in the background of the recurring chant of Asmita's words. "She... she hates me.."

Neerja puffed in vexation and shook her head. His dazed self failed to notice the flash of disappointment upon her exasperated features. "That's okay. She'll come around. I know that," she said, placing her hand over his biceps, which he shrugged away.

"You aren't understanding! She calls the moments with me a nightmare! She hates me! No, no, no, no!"

Daksh almost crashed against the wall when Neerja held him by his shoulders and shook him, forcing him to look into her eyes. The maniac glint in his eyes was just the thing that fanned her almost extinguished hopes. The disappearance of the glint made the conflagration flicker under the gusts of reality.

"It is not what you think, Daksh. She missed her medications for the month. I inject her with her monthly dose and the effect of the drug worn off. She will revert to her vulnerable self when she resumes the dose. Trust me, you just need to be persistent and she will be yours! I will make sure that happens! It's a promise!"

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What do you think happens next? Please VOTE and COMMENT!

Also, a clarification. This story is definitely the story of Daksh and Asmita, but it is not their love story. Not all stories have to be love stories, but all stories have to be a journey. Millions of people remain in toxic relationships because of several factors, we cannot change that. But by writing happy endings to toxic relationships, I don't want to diminish or romanticize their pain. Stories, movies, and series influence and mold the minds of many people round the world. It is okay if we do not set a positive precedent, but let's not set a negative one and paint an abuser as a hero.