2nd February 2 019

Laksh looked around the place for the first time , it irked him that he got access into his brother house because of his wife ,not because his brother wanted him to be a part of his life .

Laksh looked up to Sanskar ever since he moved in with them after his parents death ,he loved him like a brother ,not as a cousin . Inspite of Sanskar awkwardness Laksh believed he was someone close to him ,until his brother cut him off his life.

Even when his father kicked Sanskar out with Asha ,Laksh never assumed that would be the end of his relationship with his brother ,his calls went unanswered then he changed his number . And yet Laksh went to Adarsh work place when he found Sanskar was working in his firm ,but he never even got to meet him because there was no one named Sanskar in that firm .

That was when he found out about his brother name change ,yet he persisted for over a period of 6 months until he fell into a depression . He began to have fit of tantrums and sometime they had hint of violence ,though he controlled them from manifesting outside it existed inside him .

That why he quit his job and went to London , so he can be alone and not see his dad every day . That where he met Swara, through Ragini of course . Ragini had been his friend from college back when he studied MBA in London . They hit it off on the sole principle of being two Indian in an foreign place .

While Ragini stayed behind in London after graduation ,Laksh moved back home and a huge part of that reason had been Sanskar. He missed him and without him ,he didn't like to live in a place where he was constantly reminded about his brother and his family .

The reason he had move back home was Swara , he wanted to marry her which meant returning back to his family , He had  pursued Swara relentlessly ,and though she rejected his intentions at first . He knew she wanted a diversion from whatever she was running from just like him and he provided it by being there for her , Laksh had used it to his advantage and by the end of 9 months she agreed to marry him .

And yes he knew the marriage had been because of her want to have a family ,she had ragini but Laksh knew Ragini was more focused on work leaving Swara alone for hours in a day . For Laksh it meant more he found some to love and he believed she won't leave him like Sanskar .

So yes he was angry when swara ran away from her wedding ,more angry when his family forced Ragini to marry him . She agreed for his sake he knew that and yet he hated asking her to go through it for him . He always hoped swara will come back one day ,just like he hoped his brother would welcome him back . At least Swara had a valid reason as she was dead and Sanskar still continue to not accept him back.

He planned to set Ragini from their sham of a marriage and let her go free after he learnt about Swara death ,he knew Ragini hatred towards marriage after her parents divorce and abandonment where she was forced to live with Swara parents as both of her parents didnt want a 8 year old daughter into their new life , Ragini loved Swara parents has her own but yet her faith in marriage had been left shattered in the end. 

 And Laksh thought were interrupted by Ragini who was looking at him with concern ,they all have been on edge after Sanskar was revealed to be Rajeev . The media was hounding on all doors ,claiming the public wants to know why he used a different name and lives in hiding. 

It was Sanskar who called Ragini ,two days ago to arrange for a interview. Laksh didn't know why Ragini asked him to tag along, probably because he had talked non stop about his niece and she had hoped he would get a chance to see her but Sanskar had already sent dida and Asha to her grandparents house and yet another reason he was upset with his brother.

  Sakshi parents and her brother get to be a part of Asha life and yet it has been two years since laksh saw her. A part of him know Sanskar wont keep Sakshi family away from Asha because of his guilt about Sakshi death and yet he also wished he had atleast got a picture of her ,all he remember of her is the dimple smile she used to shower on him two years ago.

      " The interview is going to start Laksh, want to come " Ragini voice called out to him and he nodded his head in answer as he came took the chair farthest from the cameras.

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      Sanskar knew his demand was high handed to only let Ragini and her cameraman inside the house, usually for any interview they would a set of people working on it but Sanskar wasnt about to let unknown strangers enter his house,  Ragini assured him that  Karthik had been one of the best in the field and he is known for keeping his mouth shut and so he wont have to worry about him.

       He saw her give him a smile to convey it was about to start and he nodded his head in answer, she wasnt on keen face to face  interview as she told him that she would feel more comfortable with her words but Sanskar who lost his privacy wanted the whole world to see him not just hear his words, it was time for him to speak up.

   " I know how hard it has been for you, So let not delay this any longer . This interview is for the benefit of the people who are curious to know the man behind the Mask. A tag line i used in one of my articles which i deeply regret not just because i learnt you were my brother in law but because i learnt all of us are entitled to our privacy. 

        You can refuse to answer any question if you were uncomfortable with them, the questions werent picked by me  but my boss " Ragini was still speaking , and Sanskar noticed she was nervous as well  and when her eyes drift towards her brother , she must have seen something of support from him that she immediately calmed down.

   Sanskar had dreaded the interview but Ragini kept the questions light that it didnt require him to speak much but yet tell them enough that they would stop hounding on his door step, the real reason he agreed for the interview had been to stop the swarm of reporters at the door step, if Ragini exclusive hit the news then they will have something to focus on rather than continue there relentless quest.

     " So we understand there is someone out there killing people to gain your attention , she finally had yours when you went to rescue the little girl. What do you think she will do next?" Ragini last question made him freeze, so far she just talked about him. Not about her ,this was the first one about her .

  " She had my attention on the day she stabbed my wife, her recent murders makes me realize that when it comes to her , i have no clue what she wants because if she knew me as she believed then she wouldnt kill others.  I have predicted the next act of my characters in the book Ragini, because it was my imagination but i cant predict her mind " Sanskar answered back trying to suppress the anger at her remainder.

 " What do you want to say to the family of those who died because of her ?" Ragini next question was another of an shocker ,it was like she kept the difficult ones for the last.

 " Nothing, i cant bring them back for you even if i desperately wanted to undo each of their deaths." Sanskar was surprised by his answer but it was the truth, he felt the guilt but he need to answer carefully, if he let the anger show then it may make her volatile.

" The last question Sanskar, Will you write again.. The whole world is behind you, they dont blame you for her actions. And yet my real question is will you able to write after knowing that behind each word you write there is someone out there reenacting them?" Ragini asked him and Sanskar froze for a second because to be truthful he had no answer to the question.

     But before he could answer , a scream echoed in the house and Sanskar rushed inside his room and opened the secret door to find Pari lying on the floor unconscious. He tried to make sure the interview ends soon because no one should find her in the house . And right now starring at him were three pair of eyes.. Sanskar had no time to analyze the look in their eyes that ranged from shock, happiness, surprise , anger and betrayal because pari looked almost lifeless.

     " I will explain everything Laksh.. Call the doctor now.." Sanskar screamed his demand as his hands went to lift her up, only to stopped by his brother who carried her to the bed instead, followed by Ragini.

     Sanskar hands reached to his phone as he dialed for the doctor. It must have been seconds before his call got answered but during those few seconds he realized that what he felt at the moment was panic at the thought of losing some he loved.

      It wasnt the moment to realize he was in love with his brother ex fiancee ,Not when there was killer around trying to kill everyone .

P.S: That it for now.. Let me know your thoughts and Feedback.. Hit the votes if you liked it "

Juanita Reid