39a - An absurd threat(S2)

O Lord, men in their greatest folly commit the most insane mistakes ever known in human existence, only to later beg for love, attention, and forgiveness. They fly to the heavens with apologies and flowers, yet never truly commit to the thought of avoiding the mistake from the start.

This time, however, her safety and well-being had to take precedence.

It was vital.

So, well This time, Niharika wouldn't be desperate for apologies. She wouldn't falter or back down suddenly. She had a strong lead, a firm one. Why should she play the fool for the joker who would stand right in front of her?

Or maybe, just maybe, Prithvi himself was a victim of his own vexation. Yet still, it was Prithvi's fault for reacting as he did—he was at fault, the architect of his own turmoil from just a few hours ago....

"Here, take this," Abhi forwarded more wipes to Prithvi for cleaning the red stains. "Take more," Prithvi snatched them from his hand.

In anger, with darkened eyes, he stared at the mirror. Even after changing into new clothes and taking a cool shower, his anger was nowhere near cooling off. His eyes were burning with humiliation from what he had to face today, on his special day. He threw the wipes down.

"Prithvi, do you think someone would play this just to mess up your image?"

"How would I know?" Prithvi said, rubbing the wipes harshly against his beard and throwing them again, not even looking.

They hit the bin.

"True," Abhi nodded.

Then Prithvi fixed his tie, placing both of his hands forcefully in front of the mirror, looking ahead at his own reflection in anger. He chattered his teeth, leaned forward, and said, "Whoever tried to play this lame game knows very well they're getting nowhere with this stupid foreplay. They may have started it, but I'll be the one that must see the end of it."

But in the middle of the conversation, someone interrupted with a knock on the door and entered the room.

The waitress looked nervous and scared, sweating continuously, with a flustered tongue she stammered, "Excuse my manners, sir, but someone sent this for you and asked me... I have to give this to you."

Prithvi turned, his expression minimal but confused. "Give what? And why did you bring it to the changing room?" he asked calmly, walking toward her.

And with that, the waitress revealed the bouquet and, with it, came the cryptic revelation, "They threatened me, sir, to deliver this to you. I'm just following protocol."

"They? Not just one person?" Prithvi marched forward, stopping a few meters away from her.

She placed the bouquet down and began walking backward, saying, "They asked not to disclose his..." She stopped and looked up, shocked, then continued, "I'm sorry, th... their identity to you. Beg your pardon. I take my leave."

Abhi moved forward and looked at it, while Prithvi stood deep in thought.

"Who sends a rotten, musty-looking bouquet to someone?" Abhi questioned, looking at the bouquet. "He must really be wishing you bad luck. Ugh, it even smells so bad. Such a strong, pungent, weird odor coming from it. Wait, it has..." Then, showing his disappointment, he closed his nose.

"It has something inside," he said, starting to open it. That's when it slipped from his hand.

Prithvi quickly took possession and began opening it.

"Wait, what the hell?" Abhi commented.

Prithvi stared in shock. Inside were photos of him and Niharika from just a few hours ago, that very night, of him pinning her. He turned the photos around, and there, written in badly handwritten words, was a triggered warning: "This time, it was red paint. Not joking around. Next time, it will be replaced by the real thing if you mistreat her again."

Prithvi dropped his hand. "Nonsense! Does this even make sense?" he crumpled the photo with his hand, not saying anything.

He threw the creepy-looking bouquet with its message away and let out a little laugh. "Someone's trying to stalk me, at my own place? Dare to even send me this ridiculous warning? Is this person really trying to play a real-life game with me?"

But then his eyes darkened, and his mind clouded with a newly found doubt.

He looked up at Abhi. "And why her? Why mention her today, of all days, when I revealed her for the first time?" Abhi stared at Prithvi, bewildered, confirming his doubts.

"Prithvi, I don't seem to like how you're trying to handle things. How the hell are you taking the lead on this? It has to be more genuine." Abhi commented.

"Then don't like, You think I like the position I'm in, Abhi? Is that what you're suggesting?" Prithvi replied angrily.

"No, I meant—" Abhi started, but Prithvi cut him off. "No, you meant whatever, but do you think I like the whole insult I had to face there? Do you think I enjoy any part of it--getting thrown fake blood out of nowhere, or part getting threatened by men in this ridiculous manner, for a lame reason?"

He said this with a calmer tone than before, "Do you think I'm enjoying all of this? low key Or that I secretly find it amusing? No, it was an absurd amount of insult and humiliation I had to endure, standing there silently."

"And what does any of this have to do with her? She's new. She doesn't even know anything about it. She had to go through the same experience, or maybe this was her first time seeing such a grand prank. But she didn't react the way you're reacting," Abhi questioned, frustration building in his voice.

Prithvi paused, looking speechless, then hesitated. "Enough! I'm out of it."

Abhi stepped closer, closing his hands together, while Prithvi stood there, stone-faced, and Abhi reminded him, "Get them. Hunt them. But don't blame her. I think she was as shocked as you, maybe even more scared."

"I need to go," Prithvi muttered, half agreeing with him, then quickly added in defense, "No, I'm not blaming her. It's just you—"

"What, huh? Tell me."

"Abhi!" Prithvi paused, formulating his words. "Stop defending her, making me look bad here. I just wonder... why her?"

"I'm defending her because I already warned you before," Abhi said, his voice calm but firm. "We're not from typical families. I told you, you'd end up damaging more than getting your revenge. What if she gets target of it—"

Prithvi stood there like a clown, closing his hands into fists, his insides churning like a storm. "You know what, Abhi? Right now, what you're saying is making almost god-level sense. That's why—get the fuck out of my way, leave me alone with your analyzing, and stop fucking pissing me off. Move!"

"Why her? I need to talk and clarify myself."

Prithvi slammed his hand in frustration on the steering wheel. If only he had listened and stayed calm back then, if he had just lived in peace, things would have been different.

He ran his hand through his hair, looking around in tension.

However, he had let his most vulnerable point be exposed to his enemies, rather than hiding it. They now knew exactly how to damage him.

His weakness was well known to the world he inhabited.

Anyone could prey on him easily, injure him, or worse, take advantage of him. They could exploit him or, even worse, blackmail him.

No, he couldn't let anyone touch or lay their evil eyes on his wife.

He had to protect her.

He got out of the car, his skin tightening as he shouted in frustration. The tension in his body only grew as his jaw and neck muscles became more visible. He looked around in circles, but there wasn't a single clue of her.

But this time, it wasn't just his tension—there was fear too. He was deathly scared.

He couldn't find a single clue of her. "My lady..." he muttered to himself, then screamed at the top of his lungs, searching everywhere, "My lady!"

His hands became more veiny, and his heart pounded faster with each passing second. He dialed her number, looking around with his left hand nervously on the ringing icon.

His skin color darkened slightly as anxiety took hold.

He ran to the other side of the road, but all his efforts were in vain—there was not a single sign of her.

He bent over, placing both hands on his knees, panting. He tried to analyze the situation: Did she walk out? Or did someone...?

He took a shaky breath, whispering to himself, "No..."

He closed his eyes and exhaled deeply.

"Yes! She is my sickness. Yes! She is the one I crave the most... I admit it. God, please show her to me. Without her, I am nothing. She is the reason I'm timid,she is the reason I'm strong. Please..."

Prithvi confessed, his voice trembling, his words echoing through the empty skies and the valley around him.

He feared that his deepest desires would only be met with rejection, that his truth would be overshadowed by his own regrets.

He wanted to meet her again, to confess in his own way. It was true—what you throw out into the world comes back to you. Before, he had ignored the warnings, but now, his destiny was ignoring his pleas, just as he had ignored the signs when he was warned...

"Or someone might be using her against you as bait. That means she's in danger herself," the words of his friend echoed in Prithvi's mind as his thoughts raced.

"in any way, are you saying all these for that woman... her sister? Get a grip, Abhi! Reality check. I didn't say anything there, nor did I think it was important to bring it up. But you really had a week breakup before that, and you can't just tell me you suddenly started loving someone. We can't change our opinions that quickly; it only makes fools of us if we believe otherwise," Prithvi responded defensively.

For a moment, there was no reply, until a calm voice answered him."If that's true, then, Prithvi, you're wrong! Itself."

"And how? Enlighten me on that."

"At first, you said you liked her, didn't you?" Prithvi suddenly felt like he was the one losing, every way he turned. "Then later, you came to terms with hating her. So, if we're talking about your ideology and values, then you don't really hate her. You still like her, or maybe even love her. Stop playing these petty games you're not even good at."

"Say whatever you want," Prithvi muttered, adjusting his coat and flapping it with frustration. "But I need to talk to her."

"You still like her. Don't take that out on her," Abhi warned. "Because she isn't capable of doing all this."

"Oh, I never underestimate women in my life. I think they're more capable of being pure evil than men—playing twisted games."

"yeah! Bastard!" Abhi cursed under his breath.

"That's what I'm saying. They can play better villains than men because they use their brains."

"Which you clearly don't seem to have, right?"

"So, I mean both physically and mentally—maybe she's stronger than you're measuring. Because in my life, I've never seen anyone threatened  in the name of a woman before." Prithvi started moving, clearly getting enough of the conversation and not listening further.

Abhi's voice rose behind him, stopping him in his tracks. "Toh sabki weakness woman nahi hoti, lekin teri hai woh ladki."

Prithvi froze. Her smile flashed in his mind—how it affected him, how her tears caused his heart to drop.

His eyes widened, a pang of realization striking him deep.

"Yeah, right! Maybe she is. That's why I need to clear this more urgently. And protect my weakness." Prithvi finally accepted the truth, speaking as if confessing to himself.

"Yes! She is my weakness, I feel the desperate pull to be with her, yet at the same time, an equally strong urge to keep her away from me." he admitted again, screaming into the empty space. His frustration bubbled over as he slammed his hand onto the windshield of his car.

"My lady, please answer me back!" he shouted, his voice raw.