Yakshagni - An odyssey of unbroken devotion - II

32) The Fury of Scorned Love

Maurya snapped, ending the call, and abstained from spilling out the expletives that threatened to burst out of him. He paced the floor restlessly, making Dharma anxious.

"What is the matter Maurya?"

"It is Chaitanya."

"What about him?"

"He escaped from the lock-up last night."

"What! Where has he gone?"

"Don't know but my guess is, he is hovering around Index Fashions office, waiting for you to appear."

Dharma's face turned ashen, urging Maurya to bite out, "If he comes anywhere near you, I will kill him."

His words did not placate Dharma. She knew how demented Chaitanya was. In fact, she would prefer if Maurya did not intervene because if he did, Chaitanya might harm him.

"I know you will, but the man is unhinged. He can stoop to any level."

"Leave it to me, Dharma. I will take care of him."

"No, Maurya, I think we should let the police do whatever is needed. I would rather if you don't get involved."

"Why? Are you frightened that he would do something to me?"

Dharma felt a shudder run through her. She had noticed that many times, Maurya perceived her thoughts accurately.

"Maybe!" A slight pause later, she averred in a soft voice, "I don't want anything untoward to happen to you."

The darkness around them lifted slowly and a lone star peered at them. Just like a mellifluous song for a bruised soul, the twinkling star promised blissful dawns for the kindred souls. To Maurya and Dharma, their newly found love was a raw energy that had sprung out of their barren and haunted lives. Their feelings encompassed them in a warm haze that spread beyond their existence.

Their emotional and physical intimacy moored them to a safe place, away from the storms that they had faced so far in their lives. In his arms, in the sweet passion of his kiss, Dharma found the anchor she had been searching for all her life. The flame that had been ignited long ago; in another lifetime, had smouldered, burying the embers in their hearts. Tumbling into an unknown world, their subconscious beings had not accepted the loss of one another. Maurya and Dharma knew nothing of their past, and yet they surrendered their feelings to one another with an unsullied trust, with an honest belief that the universe had meant them to be together.

They had returned home finally.

The swish of breeze brought another round of drizzle. Dharma moved out of his arms, and they strode swiftly to take shelter in the mellowing warmth of the mandapa.

*****************

Rashika reached her hotel and found out that Maurya was still in Modhera. She walked back and forth in her room. The jealousy crept back, with renewed fierceness. She knew Dharma too was in Modhera. Her jilted emotions rendered her helpless and the murkiness of her feelings pulled her into an ominous abyss. She needed to do something right away to stop Dharma from getting close to Maurya. She knew that it would be pointless to threaten Maurya with the company's ownership. She had understood earlier that he wouldn't fret much about it because Maurya was confident about her father's unquestionable reliance on him.

The wheels of her thoughts raced on uneven tracks, drawing to a teetering stop. She knew what she had to do...

Dharma's past!

Rashika was certain that she would find something unpalatable about Dharma in her orphanage. Once she unearthed it, she would expose the other woman.

The clangourous sound of the phone disrupted her brainwork. She viewed Arjun's name irritatingly. He had been calling her non-stop and stalking her on social media. With the probability that she could take his help to get rid of Dharma from Maurya's life, she answered him with a curt, "Hello!"