A U T H O R  P O V

It was evening and Madira signed the last rgister. She wished everyone good night and stepped out into the quiet road. It was already late.

She was too tired and booked a cab to home.

The cab arrived within minutes.

She sat in the back seat, placed her bag beside her, and leaned her head slightly against the window. The city moved past in blurred lights. But her mind isn't moving from Nitya's words.

'I wonder how he must look now.'

Her phone buzzed once and she looked at it once and muted it.

But she felt a gaze that felt too uncomfortable .

At first, she didn't understood. Then she noticed the driver. The rear-view mirror.

His eyes flicked up again and again, not checking traffic..checking her.

His gaze lingered there longer than necessary. There was something ugly in the way he looked at her.

Madira didn't react immediately. She slowly shifted her gaze to the window, pretending to look outside.

And the car turned.

Madira frowned. "This isn't the route", she said evenly.

No reply instead the speed increased.

Her reflection in the mirror met his eyes directly now. He smiled, a creepy half-smile.

"Short cut, madam", he said.

The road road fell empty, and the streetlights too disappeared one by one.

"Stop the car", she said.

He didn't and increased more speed instead.

"Stop. The. Car."

The brakes screeched abruptly. Befire he could say another word, Madira opened the door and stepped out. The man too followed.

He stood too close before she can move.

"You shoudn't look at men like that", he said , eyes roaming her face without shame.

And a creepy smirk masked his face, while he got his eyes down her body with a nasty gaze.

"Girls like you....make nights interesting"

Madira tried to step aside but he again came front to her.

he laughed under his breath, eyes darkening.

"Don't act brave", he murmured

His gaze again dipped, deliberate and disrespectful.

"Tonight, I was thinking..how easy it would be."

Same Evening -  Their Home

Vaidehi sat beside Akhira with a bowl, her voice soft, patient.

"Jus a few bites, bangaram", she coaxed.

Akhira shook her head stubbornly, lips pressed together.

"Mumma raaledu"

(Didn't come)

"She will come Akhi, but if you didn't eat by the time she will get upset", she said gently.

Aksh who sat with Akhira ate quietly in the same bowl while Vaidehi feeding them both.

After much effort, Akhira finally ate. Vaidehi tucked both children into bed, smoothing Akhira's hair until her breathing slowed.

She step into the hall and the clock on the wall read 9:48 PM

Her chest tightened and she dialed Madira , but the call didn't connect.

Her chest tightened. She tried once again but the same repeated.

She then dialed Arjun. Arjun was in his cabin finalizing some files. He saw the call from his mother and answered it.

"Arjun, Madu inka raledu ra, call chesthunte connect avvatledu", she said trying to keep her voice steady.

(Madu didn't come yet, her call isn't connecting)

Arjun paused, "Amma, don't worry might be struck at traffic, I am leaving now, I will try"

Vaidehi hummed and cut the call.

"What happened?" Vishwanath entered the same time.

"Madu is not back yet" she said . 

Soon everyone gathered - Janaki, Raghunath, Mithra, Aditi and Vaahi.

Time ticked and Vaidehi's hands trembled suddenly.

"No..no.." she whispered. "Not again. Please..not again."

Silence swallowed the room, they all know what she meant.

Vaahi tried to break it, "Peddamma, don't worry, she will come"

Mithra reached for her phone. "I will call Nitya"

Before she could, footsteps echoed near the main door.

Madira stood there.

Vaidehi rushed forward, relief and fear colliding.

"Where were you? Do you know.."

"The cab got a breakdown, that's why" , Madira cut her off without any expression .

Vaidehi still insisted saying , "But I was tensed and you didn't even lift the phone..."

"I am fine, nothing happened", saying she nodded and walked upstairs.

Vishwanath looked at her face for too long . After she disappeared Vaidehi's legs gave up slightly and she sat on the nearby sofa.

She looked at Vishwanath with her blurred eyes, and finally she let her tears down.

Madira slowly pushed open the door to the kid's room. The ambience was dim, soft and peaceful.

Akhira was asleep, curled around the pillow. Her one hand loosely holding the edge of the blanket.

Madira stood there for a moment, just watchig.

She walked closer, bent down, and pressed a gentle kiss on Akhira's forehead.

She stayed there a little longer , then she turned and quietky closed the door.

Her room felt silent when she entered.

Madira poured herself a glass of water and drank it slowly, letting the coldness settle in her. She walked out to the balcony, the cool night air brushed against her face.

The city lights blinked below . And the moonlight highlighted her light features casting a serene glow.

But her mind isn't quiet.

She remembered the evening.

"Tonight..I was thinking..how easy it would be"

The creep's words hang in the air and her jaw tightened.

She sees it clearly...the way his eyes crawl over her with a slow and shameless gaze. The way his smile tilt when she stepped aside, misreading it as fear.

He moved closer confidently thinking she will move back again.

But this time she didn't.

Her eyes flicked around once. The road is empty, there were no people , only silence.

 "If you think that someone will help you, you are wrong, there is no one here to save you tonight, so cooperate"

He stepped forward again.

That's when a sharp sound , followed by a cry echoed in the silent space of darkness around.

The man jerked back clutching his wrist. Blood spilled out instantly from his wrist. His face twisted in shock as he stared at her unable to understand what just happened.

She stood there still.

Madira

Her hand rested with a stiletto knife, the blade red with blood.

Her face showed nothing.

No fear. No panic. Not even anger.

Just control.

He lunged forward again. And she reacted without thinking.

A kick hard exactly it will drop him and his ugly lust.

Before he can recover, another kick landed straight in his gut.

"Ahh" , he made a ugly sound and collapsed to the ground , gasping.

She looked at him once and then turned back and walked away.

Next Morning 

The next morning, Madira sat her desk in the NGO, checking papers and arranging files. 

Indira came inside with a bundle and placed them on her desk and left.

She took on bundle out and at the moment the other bundle slipped off.

She bent down to pick it up. And her eyes caught something, a newspaper that is one top of the bundle.

And what caught her attention was the headline.

Her fingers stilled and she unfolded it to read further.

Hyderabad, Jubilee Hills.
A cab reportedly met with an accident late at night.

The vehicle is said to have hit a divider and fallen off the side lane.
Due to possible oil leakage, the cab caught fire.

The driver was burnt completely and declared a brutal death.
Police are investigating. No clear proof yet.

And it was him. The same man from last night. Her chest felt strange, not with fear or relief but something unsettled.

Before she could process further, Nitya walked in.

"What happened?" she asked softly.

Madira seeing her folded the newspaper and slid it aside.

She shook her head once.

"Nothing"

Nitya didn't push further.

Somewhere

Across the city , glass walls reflected the morning sunlight seeping through.

A man stood by the glass walls, hand in his pockets, staring out throught the transparent doors.

His phone vibrated.

And he checked, a single message.

~Work done.

His eyes darkened. Something sharp flickered across his face, unreadable. 

His lips twitched slightly, not quite a smile.

He slipped the phone back into his pocket and exhaled.

A voice echoed in his mind.

'Girls like you..make nights interesting'

He whispered,

"Wasn't the night interesting."

______________

There meet in the next chapter..

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