cw: sexual assault

-• the execution •-

Sara packs her duffel bag for the day. She has booked herself a room in a three star hotel right across from the building housing Shivam Khatri's penthouse. It wasn't easy making sure she got the same room and not any other, but having Leigh as her friend gives her an edge above others. She didn't want to take Yuvraaj's help anymore lest he mistakes it as her interest in him. She wished she could ask him to go back to India, because the unwanted proximity is definitely taking a toll on both of their emotions, but that'd just arise a lot of questions. They are here as a couple after all. There's no place for a loophole. She has to do this perfectly so she can move onto the next target of her plan.

Grabbing her burner phone from the nightstand, she shoots Karishma a text.

Her: where are you?

Dropping the phone on the bed, she moves towards the desk to grab the camera bag and slings it across her chest over the shoulder.

The burner phone vibrates with an incoming message. Sara picks it up.

K: with him in his car. he's taking me to the penthouse.

Her: throw the phone away after this ends

K: sure

Sara stashes her phone in the pocket of her trousers and grabs the duffel bag from the bed, wearing it on her shoulders before she sets out of the bedroom.

Yuvraaj pauses with the beer in his hand, staring at the woman across the room as she puts on her cap and ties the laces of her sneakers.

"That definitely doesn't look suspicious." He comments.

She glares up at him. "We had a fight. A huge fight. Like we always do. I left the room angrily. Didn't return the whole day. You'll come get me at Hotel Astoria tonight at seven. We go for dinner and then we go back home tomorrow."

"I don't get a script?" He raises a teasing brow, swinging the bottle to his mouth and swallowing the bittersweet liquor.

"Improvise." She deadpans, grabbing her phone and calling someone. "Are you here?" A pause, "A white sedan? Alright, I'm coming down." Getting off, she strides out of the room.

"Stay safe!" He hollers behind her.

She peeks inside the room, her spine bent backward. "Keep calling me frequently. I won't be answering them. Just don't bombard my phone with missed calls though. I'll see you tonight. Bye." Then she's off to the elevator.

Yuvraaj shakes his head at the woman. All of this extra planning and for what? To target one man? He can make Shivam Khatri disappear in a split of a second and nobody will dare ask him if he did it. But he knows how stubborn the woman is. She'd rather die than ask for help from him.

Her absence just makes him restless. "Just stay safe," he whispers under his breath.

They still haven't found anything on the person who stalked her before their departure to New York. He doesn't want to believe whoever it is would follow them here, but he can't shake off the possibility of it.

He walks up to the bedroom window and looks down. It's the only window in the room overlooking the entrance of the hotel. Taking out his phone, he focuses the camera on the white sedan driving out of the premises and clicks a photo. While he knows where she's going to, if something goes wrong, he must know who took her there.

Inside the aforementioned car, Sara puts on her seatbelt and fumbles with her phone, unexpectedly nervous. She wasn't so directly involved in the plan the last time. Vaidehi did all the work and she simply fetched the benefits. This time it's different. She had less time to lay the trap, less time to convince the prey, and an even lesser time to turn it into a predator. Karishma showed herself capable of revealing claws when necessary, now it's a matter of time she proves they're sharp enough to make someone bleed.

"We're here, miss." The driver announces.

Paying the man, she steps out of the car and stalks inside through the revolving doors. Post checking in, she lugs herself to her room and locks the door shut, flipping the dnd sign on. Throwing her stuff on the couch, she walks up to the window on the left side of the bed and leans in, counting the floors of the building across the road and stopping at the sixth balcony.

Spinning around, she makes her way to the couch and settles down, unpacking her duffel bag on the coffee table. Opening her laptop, she puts on the ear bud and copy pastes the instructions sent by Rudra into the app's backend before pressing run. She had installed a recorder in the phone given to Karishma so they can talk to each other without having to worry about being noticed by the third party during the course of the case interrogation. Rudra said all she needed to do was type in some instructions to activate the recorder and once it's in the same frequency range as her laptop, it'll pick up signal and she'll be able to hear and record everything.

As of now, she can hear nothing. So they're still nowhere close to the penthouse. Putting off the earbud, she moves to set up her tripod near the window, attaching the camera onto it and using a timer to take test photos to avoid camera shake. Realising the focus is falling slightly further away from the centre, she adds positive correction, sets the shutter speed at the fastest and tries again. After some more fine tuning, she looks into the lens and smiles, "Perfect."

She goes back to the couch and puts on the earbud, hearing a glitch sound that makes her slightly frown, before her brows relax as she hears the whirring of the engine in the background.

"I can't believe this is happening." Shivam speaks, his voice elated. "When you said you cannot break your daughter's heart to be with me, I had given up on the hope of us."

"You really did considering I saw you fucking your secretary immediately the next day." Karishma says sourly.

Shivam sighs. "You cannot blame me, Karishma. I was heartbroken. And knowing you're back with your husband while I'm all alone again, I just couldn't handle it. It was us against him but then you left me so abruptly."

"Against him? No, Shivam, it was never like that. I still don't understand why you feel like you're constantly in competition with Avnish. He doesn't even think of you that way. He considers you his friend."

Shivam snorts. "Of course, he does. He likes the fact that it's always him helping me. He thinks of me as some charity case."

Karishma breathes out heavily. "You're being delusional. And you know it too. Sometimes I feel like you want me just to look down on him. And I hope that's not true."

"Of course, no, Karishma," the man croons. "I love you, baby."

Sara drops her head on the seatback of the couch, counting the times the slow ceiling fan spins in a minute. She hears the couple conversing in the background, talking about their past, their families and their affair. Then she hears the car engine cut off and sits straight. They are at the parking lot. The doors slam shut, footsteps thump against the floors, elevator dings. Sara drags the desk chair in front of her DSLR and looks into it, pressing play as soon as the door of the penthouse opens. The lens auto focuses on the subjects, highlighting their frames and video recording their movements.

Shivam walks inside first, discarding his suit jacket on the sofa before he sits down. Karishma goes to the kitchen to pour herself glass of water. Her gaze falls on the balcony doors, and she reassures herself that it's all fine. If something goes wrong, Sara is aware of everything and will get her out safely. At least that's what she's expected to believe in, it's her last hope.

She didn't meet Sara again after their last encounter at her villa three days ago. They've only been chatting through the phone that was delivered to her yesterday morning. It's not that she trusted Sara. She's going along with the woman's plans because honestly, she's tired of Shivam's blackmailing too. She cannot fund his greedy ass anymore. He doesn't even look serious about this new business he has started. Avnish has put his foot down regarding the decision that he won't be helping his friend anymore if he fails again. Shivam in her life is like a time bomb. If she wants to get rid of him forever, she cannot miss this opportunity, especially when she has an accomplice like Sara Rajawat.

The woman looks innocent and chaste, as if looking at her wrongly will make the heavens punish you. No one can suspect her. And most importantly, she's Yuvraaj Singh Chauhan's girlfriend, was also his wife once. The man is infamous for being ruthless when it comes to his family. If the plan goes wrong, Yuvraaj and Avnish will save them. That much she's confident about.

She wouldn't deny, the plan is great, now it depends on how she executes it to make it effective.

"Come on, I missed you!" Shivam beckons her closer.

Blinking out of her reverie, she puts the glass down and saunters towards the man, straddling him immediately.

"Oh," Shivam smirks, his lust infused brown eyes dropping to where their lower bodies connect. "You missed me that much?"

"You've no idea," she slowly rolls her hips, feels him grow hard beneath her.

He grunts, throwing his head back in pleasure.

"Shiv," her fingers play with the buttons of his shirt, she opens them slowly. He hums in response. "Let's do something fun,"

"Like what?" He pushes her pallu aside, revealing her cleavage to his eyes. His hand palms her right breast. He fondles it aggressively. "Is this not fun for you?"

She moans softly, her lips falling over his for a kiss. Their mouths open wider, lewd sounds escaping their throats. His fingers row to the back of her blouse and he starts working on her hooks. "No, this is basic fun" she gently pulls his hands off her body, dragging her hair to one side of her shoulder and moaning when he kisses her bare neck. "I want to do something different, I want you to pounce on me and have me whichever way you like. I want you to use me. Treat me like I'm yours. However you wish. Just...." She gasps when he dips his tongue in the valley between her breasts. "Just use me please." She keeps his face buried in her cleavage.

"Fuck, you're making me so hard," his hips buck, thrusting himself between her legs.

Her head falls back and she starts dry humping the man.

Sara drops the earbud with a shudder, pulling her eyes off the camera immediately. While the live porn is great, she's not into voyeurism. Her smartphone rings and she wheels her chair to the coffee table to answer the call. "Hello,"

"I thought you weren't going to answer?" He mumbles.

"I needed a distraction." She takes a sip of the coke she had borrowed from the hotel fridge.

"Distraction? From what?"

"Two people fucking."

He chokes on something on the other end. "So- Sorry what? Did you just say that? Where are you, Sara? You're safe, right? I'm not sure if New York has a redlight district, but if you're feeling unsafe-"

"It's just two oldies, calm down."

"Oldies? Like- like old people?"

"Yeah," she grunts, dragging her chair back to the tripod. "You wanna hear it?"

"Hear what?" His voice drops to a whisper.

"Them," she murmurs.

"I- I- I'm not into-" she takes out her earbud and presses it into the internal speaker, smirking in the dimly lit room.

"Uhm, okay..."

She pulls the earbud off and puts it on again, turning the sexual noises low to focus on the call. "Is it your thing?"

"Hearing two people fuck?"

She hums.

"No, not really." He mumbles. "You wanna know my thing?"

"What is it?"

"Us,"

She clenches the phone tightly in her hand, wanting to hang up, but unable to. She doesn't have anything interesting to do here except for keeping an eye on the two. But not when they're getting intimate.

"That night was kind of a reawakening for me. I realised a lot of things."

"Like?"

"Like my dominance in bed turns you on," Sara stiffens, "You like it when I manhandle you, you like to submit to me, you're awfully loud when you're beneath me, and for some reason, your screams when I'm fucking you are my favourite sound of yours, ironic considering I used to think your voice is nothing but this annoying nail screech on a blackboard." He falls quiet when she doesn't respond. "Should I stop?"

"Yes, this is getting too intimate."

"Okay," he whispers. "Then I'll tell you why I left you alone in bed that morning."

"Why?" She asks hesitantly. She couldn't believe a memory from a decade ago still affects her.

"You're restless when you're asleep. You constantly move. You hands kept seeking me out, curling around my fingers, entangled in a way. You were quiet fond of my warmth. I still remember the way you tried to erase any possible distance between us that night. I wanted to push you away. I wanted to walk out of that room and sleep in the living room. But I couldn't. I fell asleep right next to you. And then... then I woke up the next morning, and you were still there, our fingers curled around each other, your toes pressed against my ankles, your hair on my arm, and I wanted to kiss you. I wanted to kiss you so fucking bad it scared me. You scared me. The ferocity with which you made me feel scared me shitless. And I hated the power you were starting to have over me. So I did what I could. I fled. Like a coward. I left you alone instead of confronting my feelings and kissing you despite all my fears." He confesses. "Tell me Sara, would things have been different if I had kissed you that morning?"

She chews on the inside of her lower lip, scrubbing at the hard skin around her nails with her thumb, mulling over his question thoughtfully.

"Rape? You want me to rape you?"

"I want us to roleplay that situation."

Sara blinks out of the stupor. She doesn't have enough time to indulge herself in such pointless conversations. She has much bigger things to focus on. "I might not answer your phone again for the rest of the day. Bye." Hanging up, she tosses it aside and turns the chair around, increasing the volume to hear the couple better.

She looks back into the camera, watching the two sit seperately on the sofa.

Shivam looks at the woman in front of him in surprise. The thought excited him, he wouldn't lie, but this was too weird to be coming from her. She never liked his kinks much, though she participated, but to be initiating a role play, and that too of a rape scene? It's all too good to be true.

"You don't want it? I'm not forcing you." Karishma shrugs. "We can do the usual missionary. It'll be just boring."

"No, no, I want it." Shivam swallows.

It's a sick fantasy he has. Role playing it as real as it can get for him. The only woman he got to fulfil it with was Madhav Sehgal's first wife. Now it's that woman's younger sister strutting around that makes him want to do it again. There's something about Rajawat women that makes you want to use force, they cannot be tamed otherwise. It's exhilarating.

"I want it so much, you have no idea. God I love the fact that you're as twisted as me." He grins salaciously. "If this is your definition of fun, I love you so much. So how should we do it? I can fuck you raw, right? I can use you however I want? Can I hit you too? Not enough to make you bleed of course. And I won't be prepping you, right? I can just fuck you. Use you. Like my play thing." His eyes glow ablaze with hunger.

Karishma tries not to react naturally. Was she fucking blind or what? How is this man so excited at the thought of raping someone? Even if it's role play. And how did she never see this side of him before?

"Of course, whatever you want to do with me, you can." She gives him an easy smile. "Let's make a sex tape of it. I'm sure it'll be hot."

He takes a shaky breath, cupping the excited tent in his pants. "Fuck, Karishma, you've no idea how turned on I am right now." He rubs himself gently through the fabric.

"Here's the situation. I'm a pitiful wife you've been blackmailing all these months with the nudes you stole from my phone. You were attracted to me from the time you accidentally walked in on me when I was showering at your place, remember?"

"Of course, it was the first time I fucked you. Your husband was right in the living room. So God damn hot." He licks his lower lip.

"Now you brought me here, trying to lure me into sleeping with you. When I don't agree, you force me. I try hitting you to escape, then I fall to the floor, you grab my ankle and drag me beneath you, then you fuck me raw right on the floor until I fall unconscious."

Shivam laughs. "This is going to be the best sex of my life. Let's do it."

Karishma flattens her lips into a fake smile. "Go and set up a camera. In a place I cannot see. I want us to be natural. Knowing where the camera is might make me self conscious."

"I'll take care of it. Give me five minutes." He rushes inside the bedroom.

Karishma takes a deep breath to compose herself. Things have been going smoothly until now. As per Sara, there's no room for mistakes if she doesn't break out of her character. That's all she needs to take care of.

Shivam returns a few minutes later. "C'mon darling, we get into our roles right as we step inside the bedroom."

She stands up from the couch, hugging her purse to her chest that has the knife she stole from her kitchen this morning. Fixing her appearance, she follows him into the bedroom, automatically shrinking in fear when the door clicks shut. She didn't need to appear frightened, she already is.

"So, I'm glad you're here."

Closing her eyes, Karisha takes another deep breath, and preps talk herself internally before opening them to face the man. "What else do you want, Shivam? Have I not given you enough?"

Shivam smiles. His gaze falls to her feet, he sweeps it to slowly past her body, lingering heavily on her chest before meeting her eyes. "I want you."

"I'm your bestfriend's wife!"

"That's what makes it more scandalous." His eyes twinkle with mischief. "Look, Karishama, you sleep with me once, I'll delete one of your nudes."

"And the remaining six?"

"Everytime you sleep with me, I delete another."

"You're sick!" Karishma grits out.

Shivam shrugs. "I am."

Karishma tears up. "Don't do this, Shivam. You're better than that. Please, don't do this to me."

He loved how real she was making this whole ordeal to be. He had taken a woman without her will once, violently, just the way he liked it, but there was a time limit then. This time, he'll actually fuck this woman to the point of unconsciousness, and he'll be free of any fault because she literally asked for it.

"Drop the saree," he demanded.

Karishma shakes her head. "You're making a mistake. Let me go home and I'll never speak of this again, I promise you. But don't do this."

"I don't intend to let you speak again though. Your throat is going to be so hoarse because of how hard I'll make you scream."

Karishma eyes the door in the distance, then looks back at him. He steps into her sight, blocking her way. "Don't even think about it. Now drop the saree,"

She looks away defiantly.

"If you don't obey, I'll do it for you."

She doesn't move a muscle.

Shivam stalks over to her and bunches the end of her saree into his fist, snatching it off her shoulder. She flinches back, pushing him away and rushing in the direction of the door. He grabs the woman's hand and spins her around. They tussle for a moment, before she breaks free and attempts another escape, but this time he does what was planned. He grabs her ankle and drags it across the floor. Karishma gasps in fear, her forehead slams into the tile and she loses the world for a split second. Before she can even comprehend the man has really hurt her, he's climbing on top of her and tearing open her blouse.

"No, stop, Shivam! Shivam, stop!" She tries pushing him away, genuinely terrified. "Please stop!" He takes her nipple into his mouth and bites at it harshly, making her throw her head back as anguished cries rip from her throat. This was becoming too real too fast. Her hand flaps around the floor, finding her handbag and she slips her hand into it, reaching for the knife that she clutches in her fist and digs it into his back with an incomparable force.

Shivam falls back hollering in pain. His shocked eyes meet hers. She scrambles to sit up, gathering the end of her saree and covering her bare chest with it, crying as she cradles her bleeding nipple. "You're a monster. A fucking monster!" She reaches for the knife and takes it out before plunging it into his spine, the rush of adrenaline providing her with unnatural strength. "Die, you fucking bastard!" She kicks him away, scooting back until the wall hits her back. Then she sobs unrestrained. Relief was the last thing she imagined herself feeling after killing him, but it was all she can feel in this moment.

Sara was right. He got a merciful death. He deserved much worse.

Without thinking much, she lunges for her phone in the handbag and calls her husband.

"Darling, I'm at the meeting-"

"I killed him."

Silence falls between them.

"Gentlemen, please excuse me." A door slams shut. "Who?"

"Shivam." She whispers, tears rolling down her cheeks. "He tried to rape me."

"What!?"

"I'm not lying," she breaks out in gut wrenching cries. "Please believe me."

"Of course, I believe you, love. Is he dead? Did you make sure he's dead?"

She stops sniffling and crawls over to the body, checking his pulse to confirm the doubt. No life beats in him. "Yeah, I'm sure. He's dead."

"Okay, okay, calm down." He reassures her. "Nothing is happening to you, alright? Just trust me. You're Avnish Walia's wife. There's no power in this world that can harm you. Stay on the line for me. I'm coming to you."

Guilt fills her through every pore. She falls into the outstretched pair of grief and weeps harder, hating that she betrayed the only man who loved her sincerely.

"Don't cry, my love. Everything will be fine. It's my promise to you. Have I ever broken a promise I made to you?"

She shakes her head timidly. "Never." She sniffles. "I'm sorry, Avnish. I'm so so so sorry."

"Don't be sorry for protecting yourself. I'm sorry I failed you. But I won't anymore. I'm in the car. Where are you?"

"At his penthouse."

"I'm coming."

A painful smile slips over lips. He did not even ask her why she's at his penthouse. How was she so stupid to choose that monster over this beautiful man she was lucky enough to become wife of?

"I love you, Avi."

"I love you too, sweetheart."