Chapter 38: chapter 38

MADHAVAn insatiable fury fills me as I punch the man who tried to take Sruthi away from me. I still can’t erase the image of him holding a knife to her neck. He messed with the wrong person. He shouldn’t even have touched her in the first place. It wasn’t even five minutes since I left the parking lot before I received the alert notification from her. I knew she was prone to get attacked sooner or later. I made sure no one was in the parking lot when I dropped her off. This sonofabitch must have been hiding inside a car to attack her. He throws me a punch and I defend it with my arm. He raises his other hand to throw another punch but I have him pinned down on the floor in seconds. I am not in the mood for playing games with him. He winces in pain as my knuckles make contact with his jaw.“Bloody bastard,” he groans in pain. “Who are you really?”“Deathwhisper,” I answer his question with an evil smile and pull out my dragger. I stab the dragger straight at his heart with no regrets. The usual dilemma of whether what I am doing is right or wrong is not present in my head. I know it is wrong of me to kill him but I would do it to protect Sruthi. I hear the sound of a shocked gasp but not from him. I look at my side to find Sruthi watching me with horror and fear in her eyes. Any satisfaction I felt at taking the bastard’s life vanishes replaced with a feeling of disgust at myself.“I never asked you to open your eyes,” I say.“You killed him,” she says looking at the man’s dead body. “Yes, I did,” I say moving in front of her to block her view of him. His black shirt doesn’t show the stains of blood but I can’t say the same for the floor. I don’t want to trigger her phobia now in all places. I don’t know his modus operandi. He may have a backup waiting for him. I want Sruthi to leave this place before anyone else could come along. I need to do some damage control. As I told Sruthi, I am good at my job. I don’t leave clues or pieces of evidence for the police. I don’t plan to leave something for them now. “How could you say that with no regrets?” she asks. “Because I don’t regret killing that scum. He put a knife to your neck and do you want me to let him live? It is high time; the prep should be warned who he is messing with. I thought he would have got the message loud and clear when I killed that biker but seems like our prep is an idiot.”Sruthi’s jaw hangs open in shock, “You—What? How many other lives did you take in the name of keeping me safe?”“Does it matter?” I ask putting my hands on her shoulder and pushing her towards my convertible. “We need to get you to safety as soon as possible.”She halts mid-step and I nearly slam into her, “It does matter to me, Madhav. How many?”“Three,” I answer. Her eyes meet mine and there is so much turmoil in them. An array of emotions passes in her face.“Three?” Sruthi’s voice is barely a whisper. She looks so soft and vulnerable. That bastard was this close to killing her. But, she is safe and sound now.“Yes, three. I did what I had to do to keep you safe.”“But,  that doesn’t mean you can go and kill people like that.”“Sruthi, I am trained to do this. The men who die by my hands aren’t saints or innocents. They are men who have committed crimes in society. The world would be a better place without them.”“Who the hell are you to decide who must live and who mustn’t?” her voice is angry. Her face is filled with hatred and anger. Both emotions are directed at me. I am riding on adrenaline and my emotions too are at an all-time high. I still can’t believe how careless I was with Sruthi’s safety. If it weren’t for the pendant, I don’t know what would have happened to her. I saved her in the nick of time for getting murdered but all she has to say to me is how wrong it is of me to kill the man who tried to kill her. “He would have killed you if I didn’t kill him,” I say in defence. I want her to look at things from my point of view.  What would have happened to her if I didn't arrive on time? I don't even want to think about that scenario. But, I knew one thing for sure that I would have destroyed everything if something had happened to her. I am that fifteen-year-old boy again trying to make his loved one understand why he took a life to keep them safe.“He wasn’t hired to kill me,” Sruthi says.“How do you know?”“He said that himself,” she says getting into the car.  “Do you want me to believe that?” I ask in a sceptical tone sliding into the driver's seat. “You cannot trust the words of people like him.”“Aren’t you one of them?” her words are like a knife to my heart. The look she is giving me is enough to make me cower in fear. I have seen hatred and loathe for me in her eyes but never have I seen it with so much intensity. I was the one who stabbed someone with a knife but Sruthi’s loathing look is enough to make my heart bleed.“I am not. Don’t compare me with those bastards,” my voice is a low growl. I am losing control of my emotions. I am tired of the love I have for her. I am tired of waiting for her to look at me with loving eyes. I am tired of waiting for a person to love me back. Because, no matter what I do or how gentle I am with her, my profession would always be a problem between us. I am an assassin and no matter how hard I try; I can’t change it. The blood will always remain in my hands. This marriage would never work out between us. Not unless she accepts me. All parts of me including the dark ones. My ego is hurt and it consumes me. “You keep forgetting the fact that the mastermind behind all the kills I do is your brother.”“I didn’t forget that fact. I am not talking about all the other people you killed. I am talking about the one that happened here. My brother didn’t instruct you to kill him but you did because you knew you could get away with murder easily. You could have gotten him arrested. We could have got the name of the mastermind behind this attack”“He wouldn’t tell because he has no idea who it is.”“How can you be so sure?” “Because that is how people like the one on your trail operate. They use anonymous accounts and hire people like this man to carry out these kinds of tasks. Killing him is the best choice. I just stopped him from attacking another innocent soul.”Sruthi laughs but there is no humour in it, “You have a hero complex Madhav. You think you are doing this society some good by justifying your killings. But, in reality, you are worse than all the villains in history. At least they are aware that they are villains unlike you.” “What are you trying to say, Sruthi?” I ask gripping the steering wheel tightly.“That you are worse than that man who tried to kidnap me. That you are worse than the prep who is trying to harm me,” her voice shakes, “you are a monster and I am more scared of you.”I slam my fist on the dashboard of the car. Sruthi’s eyes are filled with fear. The only emotions she has for me are either hatred or fear. As I gaze into her scared eyes, I realize how much incompatible we both are. How this marriage is bound to fail. How my love for her would never be returned. “Are you afraid that I would kill you?” I ask in a low whisper. She shakes her head, “No, I am afraid that the darkness that surrounds you will consume you wholly and there will be no humanity left in you.”I shake my head at her, “It is too late already. The darkness has already devoured me fully a very long time ago. This is me, Sruthi. A ruthless and cold-blooded killer. I don’t feel an ounce of regret or pity for the lives I take. I have tried to feel remorse for what I do but to no avail. Don’t try to guilt-trip me. It would never work. I do give you two promises. I won’t lay a finger of mine on you neither would I allow anyone else to touch you. If they do, then they have to face the same fate as this man. I don’t care if you hate me for it. I would go to any extent to keep you alive. Even, if it means that I have to burn half the world for it.”❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥