Coz There's No Life Without You
A/N: Het there everyone! :D :D I won't be writing much in the note, except for the fact that this story have been co-authored by several of my friends along with me.
DISCLAIMER: I only own partial parts of the story and the basic editing in grammar. Also, I've changed the original title of the story to suit my taste a bit.
Happy Reading! :D :D
The moment Ranveer came to know that Ishaani's sentence has been preponed, he broke down. He felt as though someone had snatched the floor from beneath him, as though the heavens and the skies had clashed into each other and the world had turned into a hateful place, not even worth surviving, far less living in it.
Even the thought made him die a thousand deaths, as if someone just killed him. He could neither make head nor tail about this punishment that was brutally being shoved down his throat, for he still felt that this was all a nightmare - all he had to do was open his eyes and he would find Ishaani beside him, smiling with love sparkling in her eyes and laugh with the same happiness and innocence that he always loved about her.
All he could think at that time was, "Why Ishaani, why are you doing this? Why you giving me this punishment? Why?" Every time this question crossed his mind, Ishaani's demented face would swim in front of his eyes, her face convulsed with hatred, but her eyes brimming with love and something else, something which looked close to a guilty defiance.
The lie which Ishaani told him about not loving him and her always being in love with Chirag also came to his mind but he was for once willing to not take that route. He instead listened to his heart that kept saying that Ishaani was lying. He could feel the tingling in his hands as he remembered holding her in his arms on that fateful day before he left for Panvel.
His mind searched fervently for an answer but he could not grasp on anything definite - that was, until one name floated clearly into his mind, throwing everything else in a lumber-room at the back of his mind. Shikhar Mehra. Ranveer knew that Shikhar was the one person who could help him but he also knew that he needed to meet Ishaani first, so that he could know why she was doing this.
"I will save her, I will." He repeated it continuously like a mantra, saying it aloud to assure himself and stood up from the floor. He won't rest till he had, he knew it was his only salvation. He quickly hurried out of his room and blitzed through the stairs and before he knew it, he was outside the house with only one thought blazing through his mind like a wild fire, burning all the other thoughts to ashes.
"She is mine and I won't let any harm befall her until the last breath from my lungs have been knocked out." His mobile phone beeped and it read Ritika's name on the caller id, but he didn't bother to speak up. He knew that Ishaani was him only priority at that moment and his family and Ritika could wait.
His car came to an abrupt halt in front of a huge building that must have been a 15-storey building. Leaping out from the car in one go, he quickly ran up to the reception and before he knew it, the words Shikhar Mehra left his lips with such urgency in his voice that the receptionist immediately directed him to his office cabin, which was on the 8th floor.
The wait was dreadful as Shikhar was finishing up a meeting. Ranveer wanted to barge into the meeting room but controlled himself. Ranveer paced about Shikhar's room desperately, as the meeting seemed to go on forever, while memories from the past kept playing out in front of his eyes until he shut his mind forcefully against seemed to calm himself down but the wait was getting over it he was desperate to meet Shikar as he knew he was the last and final hope of saving Ishaani.
After a while which seemed to last forever the receptionist informed him, "Sir, you may go in." Ranveer hurried frantically towards the cabin and caught sight of a young man sitting carelessly on the chair.
"Shikhar!" Ranveer said, rather clumsily.
"Wait, wait!" Shikhar said in a very carefree tone.
"Shikhar, I need your help!" Ranveer shouted, unable to control his emotions. Tears poured out from his eyes profusely. Shikhar looked surprised at the sight of Ranveer for it was barely some hours ago that Ranveer had won his case. Shikhar looked at Ranveer and a frown creased his head.
"Ranveer, what is it? Is everything alright?"
"Shikhar you have got to help me out. Please." There was something desperate in Ranveer's tone that caught his attention and he quickly told him to take a seat, while he handed him a glass of water on the table. Ranveer joined his hands in desperate prayer in front of Shikhar and spoke to him with tears eyes.
"Please save my Ishaani. I will give you anything, whatever you want! Just save my Ishaani. She is my world and I am nothing without her. Please." Shikhar looked bewildered for a moment, before he replied, confusion evident in his tone.
"Ishaani? Isn't she your ex-wife?" Even in such pain, Ranveer shot him a look of such strong rage that Shikhar recoiled his glance away from him. Taking a deep breath, Shikhar once again sat down on his chair and took on a professional air now.
"You'll need to tell me everything." Ranveer started with Shikhar telling of the magical noon he had left for the business conference promising Ishani to come back soon. But when he had next seen her, she was accusing him of murdering Chirag. The memories of that night once again were crushing his heart as he continued composing himself every moment.
"Ishani was sentenced to death, Shikhar, for a crime she had not committed. She refused to take any help from me or anyone else." Shikhar looked thoughtfully at Ranveer.
"But she has admitted her crime. That's what makes it harder go in her favour."
"I know!" shouted Ranveer, his voice shaking with anger and pain. "That's not important. The important thing is she is innocent and you've got to win this case. I'll pay any amount of money you want. Please save my Ishaani, Shikhar."
"Okay, fine! I'm going to help you. No one can sentence Ishaani to death until Shekhar Mehra is in the profession." Shikhar ended little sarcastically which Ranveer did not find funny at all. He had seen a ray of hope of getting Ishani out of the hell she had landed herself into.
As Shikhar escorted Ranveer out of the room after their half an hour meeting chat, the latter headed towards his car and sat in it, but somehow, he could not get himself to drive home. Or anywhere else for that matter.
He buried his head into his hands and let himself loose from the shackles of memories that still bound him to a life that was too good to be true. Ranveer could no longer cry, for he has exhausted his ability to shed any more tears. Instead, his now felt his grief and fear building up within himself, scorching up his insides and licking his heart away in an acid-like hiss. He had to keep his hopes in Shikhar. He was the last strand of hope that he, Ranveer now had if he wanted to save his love from the demons of hell that she had been battling since the last six months of her life. He was gaining his hope back due to Shikhar but he still felt that extreme pain due to fear of losing her.
He started his car and drove aimlessly. Suddenly he halted his car and realized he had reached the beach. He still could remember that day about three years back when he was just her friend and for him she was his life. She had curled her arms around his while he was a taking photos and he being servant had told her not to do it and she had innocently asked why. How he would do anything to bring that day back.
He knew that hope as he might, something can never go back to the way it used to be. Sighing, he got down from car and walked over the shoreline aimlessly, a strange calm taking over his mind and his thoughts began reducing until all he could do was to admire the now-setting sun and the irony of life along with the beauty of the sunset happening before what seemed like an endless journey of memories.
Having no clear destination in mind he strolled about slowly until a thought dawned at him. He wanted to see Ishaani. He wanted to ask her again why she did this to him. To her. Why she left him saying the lies that were not cooperated by her feelings. He had felt her love in her eyes when she told him how much she loved him. He had felt her touch to be true when she had embraced him- it had felt an everlasting moment to him.
In oceans of lies and hatred her love shone like the brightest of the stars. His car halted at the jail Ishani was kept in. As he slowly faced himself in the car's mirror, he realized that he had opened up an avenue of hope where there was none before. Shikhar had never lost a case he had said. Ranveer fervently hoped that his record will remain intact with Ishaani's case too. He allowed himself a wry smile, after what seemed like an eternity.
Memories kept rolling in and out of his mind as tried to concentrate on how to convince her, or should he even try it he wondered. The deep wounds that she had given, the insults she had hurled at him and the mockery she had made of his love calling him "naukar", all came back to him, freezing him in his place, making his every muscle cringe.
Was he ready for another of those soul-sucking injuries? What if she refuses to cooperate with Shikhar? Ranveer just wished he could hold her by her hands at that moment and make her listen to him, just the way he used to when they were friends. He remembered how much she trusted him for every decision, more than herself.
Ranveer returned back to his car once again and drove off to the only destination he had in mind, a place where all his answers awaited him; a place where part of him now resided - in jail. The cold, gray walls of the jail came in his view, bringing in shadows of doubts again to his mind. But he chose to look at the stars slowly appearing in the sky one by one.
As he entered through the gate, he felt that distinct feeling that someone was waiting for him, wishing to see him, just for once. Ranveer felt his heart thumping loudly, as though his heart wanted to burst through the prison it being kept into, while he took firm steps into the station. The female inspector who had refused him entry the previous time he came there, stood up suddenly as though caught in some guilty act, even though all she was doing before Ranveer's entrance was stare at the wall, lost into some thought that seemed beyond her understanding.
Nodding nervously at Ranveer as a sign of greeting, she threw him a helpless glance, as though clearly fed up of the hide-and-seek game that the two people made her play continuously. This had to stop, she thought to herself firmly and she only hoped that Ranveer had brought with him a solution to this problem, though she could not understand why, in all the great heavens did she care about them so much.
The moment Ranveer reached outside Ishaani's cell door, their eyes met and it felt heaven. They were seeing each after six long months and those six months likes six years for them.
Ranveer immediately rushed inside the cell and hugged Ishaani tightly, which Ishaani reciprocated. Ishaani relinquished her hold over Ranveer as though someone thirsty had been given water at long last, their throat too parched to think anything, but to taste the heavenly cool of the water after having faced blistering thirst. Ishaani too, drank in Ranveer's sight greedily, while he interlocked her fingers in his hair and took in his scent that always managed to make her world sweeter.
She did not know how much time passed by before the cold hand of realization dawned upon her as to what she had done and before she could even frame an action in her mind, she felt her hands push Ranveer away from her harshly, while she contorted her face back to her steely coldness, something she was growing profoundly tired was expecting it. But none of her cold facade could now fool him.
In those quick moments, when her guard was down, her touch had betrayed what her face now tried to fake. He had felt how she was trembling, dying to be held and forgiven, desperately wanting to be loved by him. Ranveer held Ishaani's hand which were trying to push him and looked intensely in her eyes and finally got strength to tell her.
"Stop all this drama, Ishaani. It's not gonna work against us, because I know the truth. I know why you are doing this."
Hearing this Ishaani stood in a state of shock. Ishaani tried to break free from the trance of his eyes, but somehow they were locked to his. She knew that she was now fighting a losing battle, for she could feel Ranveer's gaze scan through her like an X-Ray. And she just stood there, wearing half an expression of contempt, while her eyes had a different story altogether.
"Oh, Ranveer, I have walked too far now to return and I don't want to..." she said haltingly, "I have been selfish, I did not want to live without you by my side so I decided to let you have that pain."
A tear rolled down her cheek as she did not know how to tell him about the unbearable pain she had gone through to make him hate her and now it all seemed in vain. Ranveer cupped her cheeks gently, while Ishaani lowered her eyes, for the love in Ranveer's eyes seemed too much for her to bear, especially when she felt she never deserved a bit of it.
"Ishaani. Look at me." Ishaani did not budge her head. Ranveer gently tipped her face towards him and saw fresh tears brimming in her eyes. He gently pressed his lips to her, before parting apart and looking at her wide eyes.
"I was, and will always be yours Ishaani and you, mine. And I swear to God, I will get you out from this godforsaken place at any cost, even if it's the last thing I do." Ishani wondered what his love was made of. She had tried every possible weapon in her armor to make him go away, she thought she had given him the choicest of poisons. Yet here he was, still loving her and hell bent on freeing her.
That moment she knew they will never be able to part with each other. Ishaani gave him a resigned look, though she didnt look very happy with herself. Looking at Ranveer earnestly, she muttered weakly.
"You don't know what will happen if you free me from here."
"I know what will happen if I don't." Ishaani shook her head in despair and hid her face in his chest as she let him hug her once again.
"Ishani, our lives are not worth living without each other." He whispered gently in her ears, as his hands stroked her hair. There was a short tap, the jailor was standing in the door, looking guilty of a crime she was about to and Ishaani looked at the jailer in surprise as she looked on at them guiltily. Ranveer kissed Ishaani once again, before whispering in her ears.
"By this time tomorrow, you'll be a free bird. Trust me." Ishaani smiled at him meekly, his happiness infecting her with ease. Ranveer looked at the jailer and nodded but the jailer didn't let him pass through.
"What happened?"
"You can take her away from here."
"What?" Ranveer looked shocked for a moment while the jailer looked abashed.
"I meant that you can take her away with you just for tonight. But make sure you bring her back here by 5am. I'll manage the rest."
Ranveer looked at Ishaani confused about the offer, but Ishaani stood in dignified silence. Getting his answer, Ranveer turned back to the jailer and spoke calmly.
"It's alright ma'am. You don't have to take the trouble. Besides, I know that Ishaani would never do such a thing, even if I did want to take her with me right now. But yes, if you do want to do something, please take care of my love till I don't return back here at 7. After that, she's all mine." Ranveer smiled at her, while Ishaani looked at him with a proud look.
As Ranveer walked away from there with his heart much happier than it had been in 6 months, Ishaani looked at the jailer with a smile on her face, the happiest that the jailer had seen her ever, Ishaani only had one thought in her mind as the jailer left with a mutual understanding.
There was no heart in a sacrifice that were meant to destroy both of them, but she would willingly do it every time for Ranveer was worth every bit of pain it cost her.
Constructive criticism will be more than welcome and sorry for any typos! :D