A Bitter Confession!!

I loved Ritika a lot and couldn’t risk losing her; this was my only chance to get her back forever. That’s why I did not tell her or involve her in any way. Not even the smallest hint. I made my plans alone and with perfect care. An “accident” so coolly and meticulously designed. Precisely at 04:40 in the afternoon, the ghastly accident would occur. And then my phone would ring – to convey the “bad” news. And suddenly I would be a free man.

Free, Liberated from shackles. Released from bondage. Then all I had to do was to keep cool, maintain a solemn façade, and wait for Ritika to return from Germany. Then after the customary condolence period was over, Ritika would propose to marry me – an act of chivalry, of sympathy, or even “self-sacrifice”. First I would demur, then “reluctantly” succumb to the pressure from my friends and relatives, and accept - just for my children’s sake. There would be nods of approval all around. And soon I and Ritika would be Husband and Wife.

The phone rang. I panicked. There is no fear like the fear of being found out. I looked at the wall-clock. It was only 11.40 am. Had something gone wrong? I felt a tremor of trepidation. The phone kept on ringing – it just wouldn’t stop ringing. I picked up the cell, and held it to my ears with bated breath.

The moment I heard Riyana’s voice I felt relieved.

“Why didn’t you carry your lunch box today?” Riyana asked.

“I forgot in the hurry darling” I lied.

“Should I get it to office?” she asked.

"No!” I tried to control the anxiety in my voice. “It’s ok I’ll order something from nearby restaurant” I said cautiously.

“I hope you remember you are suppose to leave early today for Arpita’s house warming party in Lonavala” Riyana asked.

“Of course, how can I forget” I said and put down the phone.

I smiled to myself. That was one party Riyana was going to miss. Probably they would cancel it and would be right at my home instead offering their condolences and sympathy. I would have to be careful indeed. I looked at my wife Riyana’s framed photograph on the mantelpiece. Soon it would be garlanded. My marriage to Riyana had been a miserable mistake, but soon it would be over and I would be free to live the life I always wanted.

I wish I didn’t have to kill Riyana, but there was no way out – Riyana would never give me a divorce, and if she came to know about me and her sister Ritika, she would destroy both of us, ruin our lives; for she is now the owner of Kapoor Empire after the death of her super rich father.

The plan was simple. I had manipulated the car brakes. At exactly 03:30, Riyana would enter her car to drive to Arpita’s house warming party and then she would drove off in her car, as she loves driving it on her own instead of having so many drivers. She was a safe driver but today it would be different. I had surreptitiously manipulated the car brakes and as soon as the car hits 60 Kmph mark the brakes would stop functioning slowly.

At precisely 04:30 Riyana would be on the Mumbai- Pune Express Highway heading straight to meet her death. It would be a ghastly sight. Riyana had been a fool to tell me everything and dig her own grave. It was a foolproof plan and no one would suspect. I had ensured that it would be an accident, an unfortunate accident indeed

Condolences, compensation, insurance – soon I would be a rich man and owner of Kapoor empire, with one and all showering me with sympathy and compassion. And then I would wait for Ritika to come back from Germany. And then, after a few days I knew she would propose to me, and I would ‘reluctantly’ accept and we would live happily ever after. I looked at the wall clock. It was almost 03 O’clock. Suddenly I began to have second thoughts. Maybe I should give Riyana a last chance.

All I had to do was pick up the phone and ask Riyana to wait and we both would drive together for the party. But no! I tried to steel my nerves. I had crossed the Rubicon, and there was no going back. The tension of waiting was unbearable, but I must not lose my head. I tried to divert my thoughts to Ritika.

The first time I suspected that Ritika loved me was when after coming back from UK after completing her graduation she took more interest in spending time with me than her sister. At that point of time I was so disillusioned with my marriage that my daily life was rather like sitting in a cinema and watching a film in which I was not interested. Ritika and I began spending more and more time together, and somewhere down the line emotions got entangled and physical intimacy followed.

Did Riyana suspect? I do not know. Was that the reason she had sent Ritika to Germany? I don’t think so. We had kept our affair absolutely clandestine. I looked again at the clock. 03:45 pm.

One hour to go. I began to have a feeling of dread and uneasiness, a sort of restlessness and apprehension – a queer sensation, a nameless type of fear. So I poured myself a stiff drink of vodka. As I sipped the alcohol, my nerves calmed down. Today was the last time I was going to have a drink, I promised myself.

Once I married Ritika I would never drink – there would be no need to.

I was lost in my thoughts when my cell-phone rang and got me back to presence. I shook out of my stupor and picked up my mobile phone. It was an unknown number. I rejected the call. The cell phone rang again; same number. I looked at the number it was from Gemany.

Was it Ritika? From Germany? My heart skipped a beat. I answered urgently.

“Hello,” I said.

“Hi Abhimanyu, how are you?” it was Ritika’s voice.

“Where are you speaking from? Is this your new number?” I asked.

“No. This is Rahul’s cell-phone,” Ritika said.

“Rahul?”

“Yes, Rahul, he wants to talk to you,” Ritika said.

“Hi Abhimanyu,” a male voice said, “Ritika has told me so much about you.”

It was strange. Who was this Rahul? I knew nothing about him!

So I said, “But Ritika has told me nothing about you!”

“I know,” Rahul said, “it all happened so suddenly. Even I can’t believe it could happen so fast – Love at first sight, whirlwind romance, swift wedding.”

“Wedding?” I stammered, shocked beyond belief.

“Yes. We, Ritika and I, got married yesterday and we are on our way to our honeymoon”

“You bastard! Give the phone to Ritika,” I shouted, losing control, the ground slipping beneath me.

“Hey, chill out. What’s wrong with you dude?” Rahul said calmly, paused for a moment, and spoke, “Ritika has gone for check-in hey, she’s waving to me. I’ve got to go now. Bye. We’ll see you when we come there.” And suddenly he disconnected.

I stared at my cell-phone, never so frightened, never so alone. I felt as if I had been pole-axed. I looked at the wall-clock. 04.45.

Oh, My God!

The deadline of 04:40 had gone.

It was too late. My blood froze. The cellphone rang. I picked it up, my hands trembling.

“There’s been an accident, sir” said the voice. “We are rushing Riyana madam to the hospital”

“Hospital? Tell me the truth,” I shouted hysterically into the phone, “Tell me, is she dead?”

“No. She’ll survive.”

Riyana did survive. I’m happy she did for her sake and for mine. For I couldn't be able to live with this guilt for rest of my life. Thanks to my small miscalculation.

But my real miscalculation was about Ritika.

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-Aditya Kasar (AK)