"Tell me. I want to know.
Geet stood behind Maan, her head held high, her eyes carefully concealing the pure fear she felt. She appeared calm & confident, but only she was aware of the sweat that was breaking out on her back, or how her legs were shaking.
Maan smirked, a smirk that was far from amusement but one of sarcasm. He turned around to face the woman who he had become accustomed to for the past year with his heart, body & soul albeit unwillingly at first.
_________________________________
A year ago...
"Hey, watch where you're going! Geet huffed as she flicked her long brown hair over her fur coat, turning around to shoot the offending man who had been walking past her & had bumped into her shoulder.
She only saw his side profile as he turned sideways slightly, his mouth pulled up in a lazy smirk.
"Sorry, he muttered, too busy on his phone to even look at her. He walked away, leaving Geet to scoff after his rude behaviour & totter off again in her heels.
That night, she had been in the nightclub with Pari, who was too busy dancing in a crowd of men on the dancefloor, despite her promise that she wouldn't leave Geet alone.
Pari insisted Geet find herself a man, but Geet was more than happy being single. A former model, flawless gorgeous Geet got many offers that night in the club, some of them wanting her number, offering her a ride home, or something that would just last the night so they'd never have to see each other again the morning after.
She had been used to getting attention from the opposite sex her whole life, but Geet had high standards. In her youth, she had been with many boyfriends, casually flitting from one to the other. But now, at the age of 26, she wanted something more.
Her eyes caught the sight of what appeared to be the same rude man who had bumped into her earlier. He stood behind the bar, toothpick in hand as he leaned over the counter, a disinterested look on his face as the music pumped louder, the drinks got more regular and the clubbers got more rowdy.
Running her fingers through the ends of her hair to ensure she looked perfect, Geet sauntered up to him at the bar.
"You're the rude boy from earlier, she said, propping herself onto a stool.
He glanced towards her, not moving his body posture. "And?
"And I am owed an apology. It's not very gentlemanly for someone to bump into a lady without apologising properly.
"I seem to recall that I said sorry. What do you want me to do Miss, get down on my knees and plead for your forgiveness? Now if you'll excuse me, I have better things to do like a club to run.
Geet scoffed at his sheer impoliteness. "So called men these days, they possess no manners! she complained as she hopped off the stool effortlessly and made her way through the crowd to the exit.
Maan turned around from the racks of drinks behind him to catch a glimpse of her profile as she left. Long brown hair, which went down to her back, swayed effortlessly from side to side. She had been wearing a short baby blue one shoulder dress, which hugged her curves in all the right places, emphasising on her tall, lean figure. And her long goddess like legs, clearly her best feature, which she must have been well aware of to leave them on display in that dress.
He wasn't looking for a relationship. He wasn't looking for love. He just needed a distraction, & it appeared he had found one.
It was a few weeks later when he saw her return to the club again, with two girls beside her. His eyes fleeting towards her figure she was wearing a strapless little black dress this time, which striked out against her pale skin, a lot of which she left on show again. It appeared as if her friends had nominated her to get the drinks in whilst they found a seat, & she had happily compiled until she saw him staring at her as she approached the bar.
Geet slammed her clutch bag down, her gaze focused on the drinks behind her. "A vodka, a G&T & a Martini. Please.
"Wanna go on a date with me?
Geet shot her gaze towards Maan, who was smirking at her, amused.
"What?!
"Go out with me.
"Is this a joke?
"Why would you think that?
"Because you were obnoxiously rude to me the last time we met.
"Can a man not change his mind?
Geet refused to give into his games. "Can I have the three drinks I asked for?
"Sure, I'll bring them over.
"I'd rather take them myself.
Maan shrugged, unphased with her rejection as he poured the drinks effortlessly. Geet texted on her Blackberry, pretending to look busy. Once he was done, she grabbed her phone & her clutch bag as she smiled bitterly, grabbed the glasses & sauntered away, aware of the pair of eyes that were fixated on her back.
Most of that night had been spent with Maan & Geet stealing glances at each other across the club. Maan smiled triumphantly towards the end of the night as he watched Geet write her number down on a small piece of paper, place it on a seat of the booth where she had been sat with her friends & left.
__________________________________
2 months later, & Geet found herself falling in love with the Ignite club owner Maan Singh Khurana. They had been steadily dating, becoming officially known as boyfriend & girlfriend & were quite open & casual about their relationship.
She didn't know much about him, only that he was 30 years old & had lived alone since he was 16.
He was an aspiring businessman. He owned his own luxury apartment.
He didn't have many friends Maan defined the term introverty.
He was sexy, with a chiselled jaw & a body to die for thanks to his intense workout session 3 times a week. He was a damn good kisser. And she was aware of the fact that she was feeling for him in a way that she hadn't felt about any other man in her life.
Maan had intended to end the so called relationship with Geet Handa soon. She was temporary; he reminded himself. Once he had got her into his bed, he would waste no time in kicking her out of it the next day.
However, 2 months later & Maan realised, he didn't want to get intimate with her, not at first. He wanted to know everything about her.
She had honestly told him about how her modelling career wasn't going so well anymore, as her agency had dropped her for younger faces. She had confided in how her parents didn't approve of the lifestyle she had chosen, therefore she wasn't in much contact with them anymore.
She had confided about her troubled childhood, about her past meaningless relationships with men.
He couldn't deny that he saw Geet like he had never seen any other woman before. Sure, she was incredibly attractive, & her lips worked wonders against his, but he knew there was something developing beyond a physical level. Something emotional.
He knew she knew very little about him, yet he knew mostly everything about her. It had to stay that way.
__________________________________
A month later, a tired Maan had carried a drunken Geet home from the club in his arms. She had her arms locked around his neck as she swung her legs, singing whilst intoxicated.
He had carried her through to his room, placing her down on his bed. Just for a split second, he imagined her writhing underneath him as he consumed her with his passion, but he shook that image out of his head and attempted to leave when Geet stopped him with her arms still around her neck.
Her eyes were half open, her lips parted. He gulped as she looked irresistable.
"Stay the night, she whispered, clearly unaware she was in his house herself. Tightening her arms around his neck, she pulled him in & sealed his mouth with her own. It wasn't long before they were both under the sheets, consummating their relationship.
Several weeks after that night, Maan asked Geet to move in, & she had willingly agreed.
She felt complete being in his life.
He felt complete with her presence.
__________________________________
"Geet, that diamond is gorgeous!
Just under 3 months after she had moved in, Maan had proposed. Geet had accepted immediately, jumping onto him and pecking him repeatedly as her heart swelled with happiness.
Maan knew that this was more than temporary, way more. He had fallen in love with her, that he couldn't deny.
He convinced himself his past was his past. He deserved happiness.
Pari squealed, hugging her best friend as she learnt of her engagement. Meera appeared, offering Geet her heartfelt congratulations with a warm hug.
Geet looked across from her engagement party which consisted of a few small friends, at Maan, who was leaning against the bar, smiling at her. She blew him a kiss, one he captured with his hand & placed against his heart.
__________________________________
Within a span of 4 months, Maan & Geet had redecorated their apartment, gotten a dog, went on holiday together twice & planned a wedding in the New Year.
They were both more happy with each other than they had ever been in their lives.
Geet no longer felt like something was missing.
Maan was no longer haunted by his past.
Or so he thought.
__________________________________
Geet was in their room at the apartment one day, planning a declutter of Maan's stuff to make way for their new furniture they were planning to buy after their wedding, which was a few weeks away. He was at work, which gave her the perfect opportunity to hunt for some embarrassing things she could tease him with later.
She opened the closet, half of which was filled with her many dresses & Maan's shirts, and pushed them aside. She found a small latch at the back of the closet. She opened the rusty lock to find newspaper cuttings & papers flying out.
Curious, Geet picked one article up, which dated back 3 years ago:
'Dead body found in woods'
Wondering why Maan kept this article, she picked up the others, to find similar headlines.
Her gut churned.
She saw the back of a photo, which had a date written on it: 15/06/08. Hands trembling slightly, Geet picked it up & turned it around.
It was a photo of a young girl. She was beautiful, with green eyes & black hair, porcelain skin & rosy lips. It looked like she was posing on a clifftop, as a view of the sea was behind her & her hair was windswept in the photo.
"Geet?
Maan's voice brought her back to life. Hastily, she stuffed the photos back into the closet, but not soon enough before Maan entered the bedroom.
"Geet, what are you doing? His voice was gravelly low as he recognised the clippings. The photo. THAT photo.
"I, er, I was clearing the closet. I came across them.
"How? They were-"
Geet cleared her throat, feeling it suddenly go dry. "I, erm, I opened the latch thing. I'm sorry.
Maan walked towards Geet, who was still facing the closet. She sensed his presence & her heart picked up involuntarily, not due to pleasure like it usually did, but fear.
"Look at me babe, he cooed.
She turned around, meeting his gaze.
He read her worried face, her petrified eyes, & knew that she had seen too much.
"She was a friend of mine who was killed. I knew her for years. That's why I kept the clippings & the photo.
"Why-why didn't you-"
"Tell you? It's a part of my past which I don't like to dwell over. I didn't want to drag a past up with you when we are looking forward to a future, hmm?
He pulled her into a hug. Geet smelled his familiar, intoxicating yet warm smell & felt at ease. She sighed, realising she had jumped to the wrong conclusions.
Maan's head rested on Geet's head, inhaling her euphoric scent. His face formed a stern line, his eyes turned rigid & cold.
__________________________________
"Ro, you are too much! Geet giggled as she sat in Ignite. It was Maan's night off, he was away on business & was out of town for a few days. She had been relaxing at home in her hoodie & track bottoms, watching TV when Pari & Meera had stopped by, dragged her out of the apartment & to the club where they dominated the dancefloor as usual.
Geet had been sat in a corner, sipping on her vodka when her childhood friend Rohan had walked in. Spotting him immediately, Geet had waved her hand & called him over, where they went into a long discussion about their life for the past few years. Currently, Rohan was letting Geet in on his love them and leave them technique with the ladies at his business.
"It works Geet! Honestly, Sunaina called me everyday after our one night stand. She was keen, but too keen for me.
"Don't you ever think about settling down? she asked above the music.
He glanced at her large, sparkling rock on her slender finger. "Like you, you mean? Look at you, Miss Geet Handa, the former model and crowned party girl now settling down.
"You just have to find the right person, Geet smiled, reminiscing on her past year or so with Maan & how perfect it had been.
Behind the bar, Adi texted away on his iPhone furiously, observing Geet & Rohan every few seconds.
They're getting close to each other.
Then he hit send.
__________________________________
The next morning, Geet awoke with a hangover. She didn't remember how she got home, but she had woken up in her bed back at the apartment.
She stretched over, expecting to embrace Maan like she usually did, but found the bed empty as she had done for the past few days due to his absence.
Missing her fiance dearly, Geet showered, took paracetamols for her banging headache then reached into the closet & pulled one of Maan's shirts on. It smelt just like him, all warm & husky. She smiled contently as she made her way to the kitchen.
Geet was humming a song as she poured herself some water, drank half & spilt half down the sink.
She turned around to find Maan leaning against the fridge. For a split second, she could have sworn he looked angry, but then he broke out into his charming crooked smile and Geet squeezed herself against him, wrapping her legs around his waist.
"I missed you, she breathed, nipping at his earlobe seductively.
"Did you? he asked, tightening his grip onto her hair.
Geet felt the short bolt of pain but assumed it was due to his tight, protective hold.
"Shall we celebrate your return?
"Why not? he replied, gripping her waist tight. He carried her to the bedroom as Geet slammed her lips atop his, but he didn't respond immediately like he usually did.
Geet wondered if Maan was tired from travelling & was in the mood for what she had been insinuating. She was about to unwrap her legs when he slammed her down onto the bed with force & hovered over her.
But this wasn't passionate like it had been in the past.
This held a tone of anger, of violence.
Of menace.
"You women, he bit out. "You're all wh**es.
"Maan? Geet asked, reaching out to touch his cheek but he grabbed her wrist & twisted it painfully. She yelped.
"You think I don't know what you've been up to while I've been away? I trusted you Geet. I TRUSTED YOU! And you, you threw it back into my face!
"Let me go, I have no-"
"You have no idea what I'm on about. That's what you're going to say, aren't you?! THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID! THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT SHE SAID!
His blazing eyes, his contorted face, the shaking of his body with anger wasn't what startled Geet. They weren't what had caused her to still her actions.
It was his words.
That's what she said.
_________________________________
Geet stood, her feet rooted to the ground as Maan had his back to her. He had released his grip on her & let her stand up from the bed as he watched the realisation of the truth etch across her face. He realised she had fitted the puzzle pieces together.
"Tell me. I want to know.
Geet stood behind Maan, her head held high, her eyes carefully concealing the pure fear she felt. She appeared calm & confident, but only she was aware of the sweat that was breaking out on her back, or how her legs were shaking.
Maan smirked, a smirk that was far from amusement but one of sarcasm. He turned around to face the woman who he had become accustomed to for the past year with his heart, body & soul albeit unwillingly at first.
"Do you really want to know? he asked.
"Yes.
"Are you scared?
"No, she lied.
"You're lying. I can tell when you're scared. I know every little thing about you, Geet Handa.
"Yet I hardly know anything about you, Maan Singh Khurana. So please, enlighten me.
The clock on the bedroom wall ticked as Geet stared at Maan & Maan stared at Geet. Neither moved, neither hesistated, neither looked away.
"I killed Sunaina.
It hit Geet like a sharp, tidal wave. She doubled backwards, her heart beating erratically.
Maan's face was void of emotion, free from expression.
"She was my fiancee. I loved her. She cheated on me. I took her to the woods & I shot her.
Geet looked away; first at the ground, then at the closet, where the pictures & clippings lay. Then at the drawer, the mirror, the wall. Her eyes looked everywhere but at him as she mentally absorbed the information.
Geet made a break for the door but he was too fast for her. Maan snagged her by the waist, whispering into her ear.
"And you did the same. You & Rohan. Last night. At my club.
She shook her head, the tears streaming down her face. Her stomach was twisted, her toes curled, her palms sweaty with fear and her heart felt like it would burst out of her chest. "It's not like that. He's a childhood friend, Maan, I swear-
"That's what Sunaina said. She was gorgeous, just like you. Innocent, just like you. She had cried, just like you. And lied about her innocence. Just. Like. You.
"I'm not Sunaina! Geet screamed. "I have been faithful to you!
"Women are deceivers. Liars. Cheats. I don't believe a word of what you say.
"What happened to you? she sobbed, her voice breaking. "Where is the Maan that I love?
"You don't love me? How can you love a killer? How can anyone?
"I do. I love you with all my heart, all my soul, inevitably. Don't you love me too, don't you trust me?
"I love you more than anything. And believe it or not, I started to trust you. I watched from the cameras I installed in the apartment while I was at work & you were at home. You stayed faithful. I watched you from the bar whenever you came to the club. You remained sat in your seat, or came to me at the bar. You stayed faithful. I had people watching you when you went out. Surprise, surprise. You stayed faithful. But the one time I leave town you're all over another man.
Geet felt the bile rise in her throat. "You- you stalked me?! You watched my every step?! What kind of love is that?! That's not love Maan, that's possession, that's like being in a cage, being in a prison! she jabbed her elbows into his abdomen he howled from the pain, then grabbed her arms, locking them behind her arms.
"I find it very, very difficult to trust people after Sunaina. I had to be precautious. You had me fooled, Geet. Had me thinking you weren't like her, had me thinking I could trust you. I got it wrong, got it so DAMN WRONG!
Before she could protest her innocence, Maan grabbed the handkerchief from his pocket, tied it around her mouth. Geet yelped against the cloth as he pulled out a thick rope from his drawer, tied it around her arms. He threw her back onto the bed as he used the remaining rope to tie her feet. He pecked her bare, silky leg before hauling her over his shoulder and using the back exit of his apartment to bundle her into the boot of his car.
_________________________________
Her tears were endless.
Her wrists & ankles were burning from the harsh rope.
Her mind ran through what he had said. He murdered Sunaina. He kept tabs on her every step. Where she mistakenly assumed she had freedom, where she felt at peace, she was under his watchful eye. He had been waiting for this, she realised. Waiting for a wrong move so he could be proven right.
Yet deep down, her heart knew that she loved Maan, despite his past, despite what he had been doing all along, despite what he was doing now. The Maan who smiled when he saw her, who carried her home when she was drunk, who kissed her good morning & good night, who told her she was beautiful and who had wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, that was the Maan she knew & that was the Maan she would always love.
He still loved her.
His hands tightened on the steering wheel.
He would always love her.
In a dark, shut out corner of his mind, his conscious was telling him that he was majorly overreacting. That Geet was innocent. That if he stopped the car, apologised & explained everything, she would forgive him. They would work on their issues, he could get counselling & in time, they could live the life together that they had dreamed of.
But his destructive side took over. He had gotten this far now. He had been proven right, he convinced himself.
No turning back now.
_________________________________
Maan stood at the foot of a lump of soil.
Geet stood a few feet behind him, shivering.
It was nighttime & dark now. The woods were empty, isolated, deserted.
"Here she is, he said, his eyes enraged. "Sunaina. My Sunaina.
"M-Maan, Geet trembled. She reached a hand out to touch his shoulder, then retracted it, afraid.
"Do you want to join her, Geet? My beautiful Geet.
Geet's eyes widening, her body convulsing in terror. Her eyes scanned his menacing form when she noticed the gun sticking out of the back of his belt.
Gulping loudly, with the sweat trickling down her face despite the cold, Geet stepped forward. One step, then two, then-
Just as her hand touched the handle of the gun, Maan turned around, grabbing her arm. He looked possessed, terrifying as he stared at Geet with nothing but emptiness in his eyes & a cold expression on his face.
"Let go of the gun, darling, he threatened.
"Get off me!
Geet struggled against his grip as she attempted to pull the gun out whilst Maan dug his nails in to stop her. Eventually, she pulled the gun out, kicking him in the knees. Maan stumbled back, letting go as Geet stood with terrified hands, pointing the gun at Maan's forehead.
He smirked, reaching to touch her hands. She tightened her grip on the gun, prepared for another battle for it when surprisingly, his rough hands rested over hers, guiding her finger to the trigger.
"Pull it, he whispered. "Save yourself. And save me from my inevitable destruction.
She didn't want to live if he died.
And right now, she knew this was only going to end if one of them faced the bullet.
Geet lowered the gun slightly. She leaned forward, kissed Maan on the lips then pulled away.
"I'm saving you from your inevitable destruction, she whispered. In an unexpected move, Geet turned the gun to her own forehead & watched Maan's eyes widen in horror as she pulled the trigger.
_________________________________
A bloodied Maan Singh Khurana turned up at the police station. Completely devoid of life, he turned to the police officer at the desk before stating "I'm handing myself in for the murders of Sunaina Kapoor & Geet Handa.
"Geet Handa's post mortem stated suicide, not-"
"She may have pulled the trigger, but I compelled her to do so. I killed her.
_________________________________
He had received life punishment, yet even that wasn't enough.
Nothing would stop him from sitting in his cell every night as the darkness clouded over, remembering her.
Geet Handa had been the sole love of his life. Her eyes, her laughter, her smile, the way she walked, the way she talked. Everything about her was etched forever into his memory.
He had destroyed himself, & he had destroyed her.
He loved her, he loved her so unconditionally.
Every part of his being ached with the fact that he had ruined everything they had with his own bare hands.
Because of his past, his insecurities, his problems, his issues, his lack of trust-
He had taken away the angel from his life.
He couldn't go on. Maan Singh Khurana couldn't live any longer.
_________________________________
And so his body was found hanging from his cell the next morning.
An inevitable destruction.
***
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