Chapter 122: chapter 122

SRUTHIThe first thing I feel before I even open my eyes is a strange heaviness in my body. My hands and legs refuse to move the way I want them to. There’s a tightness at my wrists and ankles, and an unfamiliar ache in my neck. My eyelids flutter open slowly, the world around me blurring into focus.I’m in a lab.  A cold, sterile lab. Shelves line the walls, filled with vials, beakers, and test tubes. The faint chemical odour of disinfectant and metal clings to the air, sharp and suffocating. My breath quickens.  I glance down. My hands and legs are tied to a metal chair. The ropes dig into my skin, unyielding. The panic bubbles up faster now, spreading through my chest like wildfire.  WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL?!Why am I suddenly living a scene straight out of a crime thriller? Except, unlike the usual dim warehouses or abandoned buildings in movies, I’m in a freaking chemistry lab. I never thought chemistry labs existed outside schools. My mind races, trying to connect dots that refuse to form a picture.  Before I can piece anything together, a voice—familiar and yet impossibly wrong—slices through the silence like a blade.  “Aah, so you’re finally awake.”  My body freezes. Every muscle locks into place as I whip my head around—or try to. My neck protests the sudden motion, still heavy with grogginess.  And then I see her.  Gabe! Gabriella.She steps into my line of sight, her movements slow. A smile curls at the edges of her lips, but it’s not the warm, easy smile I know. It’s something else entirely—something sharp, twisted, mocking.  Right! Then it all comes back to me. She was the one who drugged me.  She brought me here.“Oh my, are you shocked to find out that the culprit you’ve been chasing all along was me?” Her smile widens as she speaks.  I gape at her, my mind spinning, my throat too dry to form words. This can’t be real. Gabe standing in front of me with this cold, calculating smugness. It’s like looking at a stranger wearing her face. I never knew she was capable of making expression like these. “Are you manipulated by Raj too?” I finally ask the first question that pops in my mind. She lets out a low, mocking laugh. “Manipulated? Oh no, Sruthi. I’m not some helpless pawn in this game.” Her eyes gleam with something dark, something dangerous. “I’ve been the one pulling the strings all along.”  Her words hit like a slap to the face.  She was the one doing all this. It is shocking but as I think it makes sense. Threats started to appear in my life only after she returned to the capital. The hotel incident where the all my four car tires where punctured. I went to that hotel to meet her. On my reception day, she was present at the function. She was there with me at the wedding too and was assigned the task of looking after the gifts. She knew about my school timings and schedule. She knew Madhav had gone out when Vishnu attacked me.But!What about the poisoning?“No,” I whisper, shaking my head as if denying it will make it untrue. “No, that doesn’t make any sense. If you’re the culprit, then what about Nisha? Are you working together? Or—” My voice falters, realization dawning like a slow, creeping shadow.  My stomach churns. “Did you frame Nisha?”  Gabe’s smirk deepens, and for the first time, I notice just how cold her eyes have become.  “Of course, I did,” she says simply, as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world.  Her casual tone makes the nausea rise in my throat.  “I was the one who mixed the poison into the grape juice,” she continues, stepping closer, her voice taking on a tone of pride, like she’s recounting a particularly clever trick. “Remember that day at the food counter? While Nisha was busy paying, I slipped the poison into the drink. Afterward, I planted the empty bottle in her bag when you two were busy debating whether or not to grab more food for you.”  “But… but you drank the juice,” I choke out, clinging to the one part of this puzzle that still doesn’t fit. “Why would you poison yourself?”  Her smile twists into something cruel. “Because that was my plan all along. Not to poison you but to frame Nisha as the culprit. I knew you’d never drink it. You were already nervous, too paranoid to eat or drink anything—thanks to the man I hired to watch you from behind the pillar. He wasn’t a threat, of course, but you didn’t know that. I knew you’d avoid the drink, and like I expected you would gave me your drink when I told how spicy the sandwich was. And then I drank it knowing that the it is a slow poison that doesn’t become lethal for another two hours. I know I would get treated for it right away.” She laughs softly. “Everyone thought think I was the victim. Poor, unsuspecting Gabe. How could she possibly be involved?”  She crouches down now, bringing her face level with mine. Her eyes burn with an intensity I’ve never seen before, and for the first time, I realize just how far gone she is.  “I didn’t expect the plan to work that well,” she says, almost laughing. “Your brother and husband played right into my hands. Arresting poor, clueless Nisha just as I wanted. And now…” Her voice hardens, losing all trace of amusement. “Now, all that’s left is to kill you. Then they’ll understand the pain I’ve endured.”  “What pain? Why are you doing all this?” My voice cracks, trembling under the weight of her words.  She straightens, looking down at me with a mixture of pity and disdain. “Haven’t you figured it out yet?” she asks, tilting her head slightly, as if genuinely puzzled. “Of course, it’s for my Raj.”  Her Raj.  The words don’t make sense at first. They don’t belong together. Not in the same sentence.  “No,” I whisper, shaking my head harder now, desperation clawing at my chest. “That can’t be true.”  It’s too much. My best friend can’t possibly be in love with the man who’s ruined my life, who’s destroyed everything I’ve ever known.  But then again, how well do I even know her anymore? It’s been three years since we truly knew each other, three years of silence and distance. Anything could’ve happened in that time.  She seems to read my thoughts.  “Yes, what you’re thinking is right,” she says, her voice softening just slightly. “While you thought I was off on some noble expedition to help the poor, I was actually working with Raj. We were developing a drug—a revolutionary one that could change the entire human race. Raj was my college senior, you know. I always looked up to him. Admired him. He was my anchor after my parents died, and I loved his vision of a new world—one devoid of foolishness and weakness.”  Her voice falters for a moment, her expression flickering with something raw.  “But your brother and husband ruined everything. They tracked us. Hunted Raj down. He saw it coming, of course. Sent me and his other followers into hiding before the so-called ‘Death Whisper’ took him.”  Her jaw tightens, her fists clenching at her sides. “I don’t know who that assassin was, Sruthi. But I know he worked for your brother. I tried finding Raj with all the resources he used. I hired hackers from the darknet trying to find details of Raj in any prison across our country but there was no record of him in any prison. Then that could only mean one thing. He is dead.”  The pain in her voice is sharp, cutting through her carefully constructed mask. For a moment, I almost see the Gabe I used to know. But then it’s gone, replaced by the cold, unyielding resolve of someone who has nothing left to lose.  “When I found out Raj was gone,” she says, her voice steady again, “I wanted to fall apart. To grieve. But Raj wouldn’t have wanted that. He would’ve wanted me to stay strong. To get revenge. So that’s what I did.”  She steps closer, her shadow falling over me like a shroud.  “I became stronger. I started gathering information. Watching. Waiting. And you…” She points at me, her finger trembling slightly. “You were the key to everything. Vikram’s one weakness. His precious little sister.”  “I returned to the capital with only one thing in mind—killing you,” Gabe begins, her voice low and unsteady, the weight of her words thick in the air. “But no matter how many times I tried, you kept escaping. It was infuriating. But what puzzled me most wasn’t your luck or your brother’s involvement. It was Madhav.”She steps closer, her shadow stretching across my bound frame, and her expression hardens. “Why was he there? Why did he jump in to save you on your reception day? He wasn’t supposed to care about you. Madhav was your brother’s best friend, yes, but he was never yours. You hated him. I remember you telling me as much—how his arrogance, his violent nature, his constant judgment made your skin crawl. And yet, there he was, everywhere you went, watching over you like a hawk.”Gabe laughs bitterly, though the sound is hollow. “At first, I thought it was just one of Vikram’s schemes. Maybe he’d ordered Madhav to keep an eye on you. Maybe it was just another way for him to protect his precious sister. But the more I watched, the less it made sense. Madhav wasn’t just following orders. There was something personal in the way he looked at you, in the way he threw himself into the line of fire for you. It didn’t add up.”Her voice rises, frustration bleeding through her carefully constructed facade. “I was running out of time, Sruthi. The men I hired—every single one of them—failed to kill you. Do you know how infuriating that was? Of course, you might ask me why I didn’t kill you myself. That would have been simpler, wouldn’t it? But the truth is…” She falters for a moment, her lips pressing into a thin line before continuing. “I couldn’t. Not then.”There’s a flicker of something almost human in her expression—regret, maybe? Pain? Whatever it is, it’s gone as quickly as it appears.“I couldn’t kill you because I believed you were innocent,” she admits, her voice quieter now, almost distant. “I thought you had nothing to do with what happened to Raj. To me, you were still the same Sruthi—the harmless, wide-eyed woman who hated the sight of blood and flinched at the very thought of violence. I didn’t want to hurt you. I didn’t want to ruin the friendship we had, the memories we shared. So, I convinced myself that hiring others to do it was the better option.”She shakes her head, her fists clenching at her sides. “But none of them succeeded. Every single one of them failed. And it wasn’t just bad luck, either. Someone was protecting you—someone ruthless. That’s when I realized how  sending an email to your brother, threatening your life, thinking it would rattle him was big mistake. I thought I could scare him with it. We become more fragile when we are scared but unfortunately, that email only made your brother more vigil and alert. All I did wothbthat email was tighten the noose around my own plans. Vikram made sure no one could get near you. His men swarmed every corner of your life, like shadows I couldn’t outrun.”She pauses, her expression darkening. “And yet, it wasn’t just Vikram. There was someone else—someone deadlier, someone outside the world of politics. That much became obvious. Every man I sent after you ended up dead, their bodies discarded like broken toys. It didn’t take me long to figure out who it was. The so-called ‘Death Whisper.’”“At first, I thought your brother might be the deadly assasin. But no, it didn’t fit. Vikram didn’t operate in the shadows. He preferred power plays and public displays. The Death Whisper had to be someone else. Someone close to him but invisible to the world. And then it hit me.” She straightens, a grim smile curling at the edges of her lips. “The only man who fits that description is Madhav.”Gabe’s voice sharpens. “My suspicions were confirmed when Madhav visited you in the hospital while you were in a coma after Vishnu’s attack. Do you have any idea what that moment did to me, Sruthi? Seeing you there, with bullets in your body, so fragile and broken… I should’ve felt triumph, relief that the game was over. But instead, I felt guilty. Guilty and sad.”Her tone wavers, and for a moment, it’s as if she’s speaking more to herself than to me. “I even prayed for you to recover. Can you believe that? Me, praying for the one person I was supposed to destroy. I told myself that if you survived, I’d stop this madness. I’d leave the past behind, let go of my hatred, and move on. And I almost did.”Her hands tremble now, though she quickly hides them behind her back. “But then I overheard him. Madhav. He thought no one was listening when he spoke to you. But I heard every word, Sruthi. He confessed everything—the guilt he carried for the lives he’d taken, for the blood on his hands and most disgusting of all, the love he had for you. He begged you to come back alive and promised to stop killing people like you wanted. That’s when I knew. Madhav was the Death Whisper. And you… you were his weakness.”Her eyes narrow, the softness in her expression replaced with cold resolve. “Even after you left the hospital, I tried to stay low. I didn’t want to hurt you. I told myself that you’d never love a man like Madhav. How could you? He was a monster, a killer. And that in itself would be punishment enough for him—for taking Raj away from me.”She pauses, her jaw tightening as if the memory itself cuts deeper than she’s willing to admit. “But then… then I saw them. The photos.”I blink, confused. “Photos?”“Your honeymoon pictures,” she hisses, her voice laced with venom. “You and Madhav, smiling, laughing, holding hands like you’re some perfect, happy couple. I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t understand how you could love a man like him—a man who destroys lives. A man who took Raj’s life.”Her voice breaks on his name, but she forces herself to continue.“So, I wanted to confirm it with you. I was waiting to ask you about it once you return back from your honeymoon trip but then suddenly, rumours about your relationship broke out in the internet. Sources said you were going to get a divorce and I believed it because, of course, how could a fragile woman like you possibly love a monster like Madhav?”“But, then you called me on one fine day and asked me to accompany you to his jewelry expo. Imagine my surprise. Here, I thought you both were going to get a divorce when in reality you were attending his jewellery expo in matching outfits. Seeing you kiss him on the stage and declare how you love him sealed the deal for me, Sruthi.”“That’s when I realized you weren’t the same Sruthi anymore. The Sruthi I knew—the innocent, kind, naive woman—was gone. This new version of you, this version that could love a monster like Madhav… it made it easier for me to do what I have to do. To end this. To kill you.”She takes a step back, crossing her arms over her chest as she glares down at me, her eyes burning with years of anger and pain.“You’ve changed, Sruthi. And that’s why I don’t feel guilty anymore. The person I cared about is already dead.”“What did Raj do to you?” I ask, trying to keep my voice steady.“The same thing that Madhav did to you. You never knew Raj. He was so kind and caring. His ideals were perfect for a new world devoid of problems. Everyone would listen to one single being with no opposition, and they would live in harmony.”I laugh bitterly, shaking my head. “That’s not harmony. That’s slavery.”Gabe throws me a glare, her lips pressing into a tight line, but she doesn’t rise to the bait. She turns instead to the vials and tubes on the workstation. I try to scan the room without drawing attention to myself. It’s hard with my body tied to the chair, but I take in as much as I can. It looks like it’s just the two of us, but I know better. I’m sure she has backup stationed outside. There’s no way she dragged me here all on her own.“What do you plan to do with me?” I ask, stalling for time. My wrists twist subtly against the ropes, the fibers biting into my skin, but I don’t stop. I can’t.“I already told you. I am ging to kill you,” she says simply, as if she were telling me the time. “No one is going to save you. You brother is busy in a cabinet meeting and you yourself told me that Madhav has no idea you are meeting me. Even if he knows, he won’t suspect a thing, not when  I was poisoned in your stead. I am a poor victim in his eyes.”I suppress a shiver, forcing myself to stay calm. “Do you think my brother will let you walk away after you murder me?” I ask, watching her closely.“Of course not,” she says with a shrug. “But I’m going to disappear. I’ve already planned everything. I, along with Raj’s other followers, will go into hiding. We’ll make the drug again and sell it.”“No one would buy that,” I say, my voice sharp with defiance.Gabe stops what she’s doing and turns toward me, leaning in close. Her breath brushes my cheek, carrying the faint scent of mint mixed with something bitter, something metallic and unnatural. Her eyes burn with an unsettling mix of curiosity and malice. “You have no idea how much people crave control over others,” she says, her voice soft but insidious. “A husband wanting his wife to obey his every word. A girlfriend demanding her boyfriend bow to her every whim. A parent desperate for their child to follow their dreams without question.”Her words sink into me like cold water. I shiver, the weight of her observations pressing down on me. I imagine a world where such control is not just desired but possible—where people manipulate others in the name of love. But that’s not love. That’s obsession, twisted and dark. Real love is freedom. It’s trust. It’s allowing someone to make their own choices, even when their path terrifies you, even when it risks breaking your heart.“I won’t let that happen,” I say, my voice low but gaining strength. My heart hammers in my chest, but I meet her gaze head-on, refusing to let her see my fear. My hands work furiously behind my back, fingers aching as I struggle to loosen the knots binding me. If I survive this, I’ll owe it to Madhav’s relentless training—and, ironically, to Gabe’s love for monologues.Her smile deepens, curling wickedly at the edges. “Good spirit, Sruthi,” she says, almost mockingly. “But sadly, it’s wasted. You’re going to die.” She turns back to the workstation, picking up a syringe filled with a pale blue liquid. The substance swirls inside, almost alive, glowing faintly under the harsh overhead lights. Whatever it is, I know one thing: it will kill me.Gabe steps closer, the syringe poised in her hand, her movements slow and deliberate. The manic light in her eyes chills me. My hands tug harder at the ropes, ignoring the sting as the fibers bite into my skin. Just as she lifts the syringe, I act. With all my strength, I push her with my right hand, the ropes snapping loose at last.Gabe stumbles back, her expression twisting into one of shock. “What the—?” she starts, but she recovers quickly, lunging at me with the syringe. My legs are still tied to the chair, so I shift my weight sharply to the right and lean hard. The chair topples over, and I crash to the floor, the needle narrowly missing my arm. My right hand shoots out to stop my face from slamming into the ground, but the impact rattles through my body, leaving me dazed for a moment.No time to hesitate. My fingers tremble as I fumble with the ropes around my legs. They’re tighter than the ones around my wrists, and panic claws at me as I struggle to loosen them. Above me, Gabe regains her balance, fury darkening her face.“Sathish! Get in here and hold her!” she shouts.The door bursts open, and two men rush into the room, just as I’d suspected. So much for her working alone. Their heavy boots pound against the floor, the sound echoing in my ears like a drumbeat of doom. My breath quickens. I don’t have much time.Desperation surges through me, and I twist my legs violently, jerking the chair toward them. It collides with the first man, sending him stumbling back into the counter. The sound of shattering glass fills the room as vials crash to the floor, their contents spilling in shimmering puddles.The second man comes at me, his hand reaching for my arm. I twist again, putting every ounce of strength into the movement. The chair scrapes loudly against the tiles, and he loses his balance, cursing as he falls. It’s enough of a distraction for me to yank at the ropes with renewed urgency. Finally, they give way, and I kick them off, shoving myself to my feet.Gabe charges at me with the syringe still clutched in her hand, her face a mask of rage. “You’re not getting out of here alive!” she screams, her voice raw with fury.Adrenaline floods my system, burning away the ache in my body. My right wrist throbs where the ropes have left angry red marks, but I don’t care. I didn’t survive two bullets and claw my way back to life just to die here. Not when I’ve fought so hard for a chance at freedom. Not when I’ve started to believe in love again—the kind that doesn’t chain you, the kind that sets you free.“No matter what,” I whisper to myself, squaring my shoulders as the men recover and begin closing in. “I’m going to survive today.”Memories of my self-defense classes with Madhav flash through my mind. His voice rings in my ears: Focus on their weak points. Don’t hesitate. Strike hard. Time seems to slow as I scan the room, searching for my next move. The first man lunges at me again, but I’m ready this time. I dodge to the side and drive my elbow into his ribs, hard. He grunts in pain, stumbling backward.The second man grabs for me, but I twist sharply, slamming my foot down on his instep. He howls, clutching his foot, and I use the opening to grab the chair I was tied to, swinging it in a wide arc. The wood splinters against his shoulder, sending him crashing to the ground.Gabe screams in frustration, rushing at me again with the syringe raised high. Her movements are wild now, uncoordinated, driven by pure rage. I duck, narrowly avoiding the needle’s tip, and shove her away with all the strength I can muster. She stumbles, nearly losing her balance, but before I can press my advantage, a deafening gunshot shatters the chaos.The syringe in Gabe’s hand explodes into shards, her scream slicing through the room as she staggers backward, clutching her now-bleeding hand. For a second, her mania falters, replaced by shock and pain. She spins around wildly, searching for the source of the shot—and that’s when I see him.DEATH WHISPER.My husband steps into the room, his silhouette framed by the doorway like a shadow carved from stone. In this moment, I understand why he’s earned that nickname. Everything about him radiates danger: the cold precision of his eyes, the calm, controlled way he lowers his gun, the sheer lethal energy in the set of his shoulders. The world around me seems to blur and fade—the shattered vials glinting on the floor, the groaning men struggling to rise, even Gabe’s cursing. All of it melts into the background as my focus narrows to him. Relief washes over me, fierce and sudden, though my knees threaten to give out from exhaustion.He doesn’t say a word at first. He doesn’t need to. The silence that follows his entrance is louder than the gunshot, heavier than the tension that had gripped the room just moments before. His presence alone says everything: It’s over. I’m here.For the first time in what feels like hours, I take a shaky breath, hope flaring in my chest like a flame rekindled.“You’re late,” I say, my voice trembling but steady enough to carry across the room. The faintest smile tugs at his lips, sharp and brief like a blade glinting in the light. “Sorry, honey,” he replies, his voice as calm and smooth as ever. “I would’ve been here sooner—right when Gabriella started about her ‘love’ for Raj—if it weren’t for your brother.”Before I can respond, a familiar voice cuts through the tension like a warm gust of air. “Don’t blame me. I can’t do anything if the men in the cabinet wouldn’t shut up,” the voice calls out, dripping with its usual easy charm.My head jerks toward the door, and there he is—Vikram. He strolls into the room with a relieved and triumphant grin, as though we’re all old friends reunited for dinner instead of caught in a life-and-death situation. His dark hair is tousled, and his shirt is untucked and slightly wrinkled, but he moves with the confidence of someone who’s always exactly where he’s supposed to be.❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥A/N: Hey all people!I know this is quite a lengthy chapter. Things are finally going to end in three or five chapters. Thanks for all your unwavering support but if you find any issues with my story kindly do tell me in review or in DM, so that I can improve it. I am always grateful for all your criticism and ratings.