The Story of Meera Ch. 09 - Final

Aryan could not talk anymore. Tears flowed from his eyes continuously. He just looked away. Meera hugged him, trying to comfort him.

"I held her in my arms that night," he said, "I told her over and over again how much I loved her, and that I needed her, and I would wait forever for her to...come back to me. And I would take care of her till my last breath. She smiled at me, and my heart felt peaceful. I felt everything was going to be OK...it will take time, but eventually, we would be alright. But when I woke up, I found myself in a pool of her blood. She had slit her wrists. I was devastated. I held her in my arms as I cried my heart out, but she was stiff and cold. She left me, just like that...she didn't leave me a note, she didn't say anything, she just...left. I wish she had said something...anything...that she loves me...or at least goodbye..."

Meera looked at Aryan. She had never seen him so broken. She hugged him tightly and rubbed his back. "I am so sorry, Aryan," she said.

Aryan hugged Meera and cried for a while. Then he composed himself and looked at her lovingly and said, "I admire you so much Meera, you've been through hell, but still look at you, you smile, you laugh, there is this beautiful shine in your eyes, you are just so full of life, girl! Knowing what happened to Saloni, I know it wouldn't have been easy. I can only imagine your strength Meera, how you hide your excruciating pain behind your mesmerizing smile. You are truly amazing. Please be this way forever. Thank you for bringing some light to my life."

Aryan kissed Meera deeply, "I really don't know if you need me, Meera, but if you do, I'll be there for you. I'll take care of you and do anything that you need me to."

"I need you Aryan," Meera said, hugging him with tearful eyes, "You've been my guiding light, you've been so kind to me, without you, I'd be so...lost."

"I am looking for your child Meera," Aryan said, "And I really hope I find her. I really want to do at least this much for you."

"I know you will find her someday," Meera said lovingly kissing his forehead, "I've thought of a name for her. I am going to call her Amairah, my little princess."

"That's a sweet name, Meera," Aryan said, pulling her into his embrace.

"Is your house still mortgaged?" Meera asked.

Aryan nodded. "She lived with me there for a month. Although she was barely alive, I can still feel her scent in that house everywhere..." he said, "I can't lose that house Meera, I still feel her presence there...my Saloni...perhaps that's why I was desperate and demanded exorbitant amounts from you in the beginning, I was just heartbroken...but when I saw what it was costing you...I just couldn't..."

Aryan wiped a tear from the corner of his eye.

"You are a sweetheart, you know that, Aryan," Meera said, hugging him lovingly.

She held him till she felt him calm down. Both of them were very quiet in each other's embrace. They just felt the warmth of each other's bodies, and tried to fill that emptiness in their souls due to the loss of their partners.

Several hours passed by. The moon was throwing its silken light through the window. Meera lit a cigarette and took a puff. And then passed it to Aryan.

"So, what's the update on the tasks I had assigned?" she asked.

"Well, your social media profile and blog is ready as you had asked," Aryan said, "We have a GPS tracker on each one of their fancy cars so you can track their movements. About that house, the one next to Neil's house, we are trying to acquire it. Negotiations are on."

"That's great," Meera said, "I've taken Adil into confidence. He is way too powerful, and doesn't want to get directly involved. He said he'll ask one of his pawns to do the job. He says the guy's name is Bablu. Weird name, no?"

"Yeah I know this Bablu character," Aryan said, "He is a small-time pimp, his real name is Anuj. If Adil thinks he is competent enough to do the job, then he is."

"Adil always knows the best people for the job," Meera said, "Look at Alisha, she was like spot on! Handling a guy like Reyansh wouldn't have been easy."

"I agree, this kind of job takes more than just courage," Aryan said, "So, what about you Meera? You quit the job? Or are you going to continue working for Adil?"

"I've quit, for now," Meera said, "I discussed with Adil and he said he understands. He's a sweetheart."

"Yeah, he is way honorable for the profession he is in," Aryan said, "And I trust him. What about Mithila, how much does she know?"

"Not much actually," Meera said, "And I'd like to keep it that way. She is helping with some medical stuff, that's all. I haven't told her much."

"That's good," Aryan said, "Among all of us, she is the most susceptible. Too much information would put her in danger. Either way, you gotta watch over her, Meera."

"Of course, I will," Meera said, taking a puff and passing the cigarette to Aryan, "Reyansh has been dealt with. He is going to see the magic of that little needle prick very soon."

"Your doctor has her resources," Aryan said, taking a puff.

"Indeed! Mithila has her reasons," Meera said with a smile. "And I have a plan for that doctor friend of Neil, what's his name again?"

"Dr. Aarav," Aryan said.

"Yeah Aarav..." Meera said with a devilish gleam in her eyes as she smoked, "I've heard he's going to get a reward for expertise in microsurgery. He must have worked really hard for that..."

Aryan just smiled at her as he understood her intentions.

"I would be very careful with Armaan though, he is like their big brother and watches over the others," Aryan said, "You have just one shot at this Meera. Whatever you are planning, synchronize it such that all four of them are ambushed at the same time. These are intelligent and powerful men Meera, you cannot afford to alert them. Especially Armaan, he's got connections. Stay below his radar, coz if you give him the slightest hint, he'll crush you like an insect, he is powerful enough to do that."

Meera laughed. "You know what's my greatest strength Aryan?" she said with a smile, "I have nothing to lose."

"While Armaan..." she said smiling at Pankhudi's picture, "...has something very precious at stake. I have some very delicious plans for him Aryan, with Armaan, it is personal."

"Wait, are you planning to..." Aryan objected, "No...Meera, Pankhudi is a nice girl. She is sweet and innocent, and she has never hurt a soul."

Meera's expression suddenly darkened. "Naina was a nice girl too, Aryan. Sweet and innocent and she loved Neil with all her heart. And you saw what he did to her? You saw with your own fucking eyes, didn't you!" Meera screamed.

Then she broke down into tears and said, "And what about me Aryan? Did I deserve any of what happened to me? Armaan sold me off as a sex slave, I was raped countless number of times...do you know how many men have...I feel so dirty...I've given birth to a child that I don't know is even alive or not, and then they did something to me and I'll never be a mother again, and I sleep with men and take their beatings for a living, all the pain and humiliation I took quietly just to survive...and...wasn't I innocent too? Did I really deserve all of that?"

Meera fell to her knees and cried bitterly. Aryan tried to hug her but she pushed him away violently.

After a while she wiped her tears and looked at Aryan with said gritting her teeth, "And if you think I shouldn't hurt the people they care about, because they are 'innocent', well, FUCK YOU! They are going to burn, and Neil and Armaan are going to helplessly watch their loved ones suffer! And I am doing this with or without you."

Aryan hugged Meera tightly and pacified her. She broke down in his arms and wept.

"I am sorry Meera," Aryan said, running his hand lovingly on her back as she wept, "I didn't mean it like that. I promised you my loyalty and I'll do everything you want me to whether I approve of it or not. And you know what, what I think doesn't even matter. After what you have been through, I have no right to judge you. This is your fight, and I will support you in every way I can. Just know that you are amazing and I truly admire you."

Meera smiled faintly.

"Do you have an exit plan?" Aryan asked Meera.

Meera just shook her head.

"When all this is over, you'll need an exit plan," Aryan said, running his hand through her hair as she hugged him, "Your plan will utterly devastate them and Armaan is going to rain hell on you if he finds you. He won't rest till you are dead. I'll plan an exit strategy for you so we can get you out of this mess safely once you are done."

"Thank you, Aryan," she said, snuggling deeper into his arms.

Aryan held her in his arms till she fell asleep.

Next morning Aryan received a phone call. He answered it and smiled.

"The deal is done," Aryan said, kissing Meera awake, "You can move into that house anytime now."

"I am sure Neil is going to love his new neighbor," Meera said with a smile.

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Dear Readers,

This story ends here. To know what happened beyond this point, please proceed to read "The Girl Next Door" Series.

A Game of Chess is a sequel to The Girl Next Door. Although I have tried my level best to keep a consistency between the events, there maybe minor discrepancies between the stories as this prequel was not originally planned.

The reason I wrote this series is that I found Meera as a character truly fascinating, her strength and courage to do what she did in the sequels, and all the trauma she went through that made her a dark and twisted person. I've tried to paint different shades of sadism in this story. Do let me know your thoughts about this series through your comments and emails.

Also this series sets the stage for a sequel to "A Game of Chess". I will be coming up with a new series titled "The Search for Amairah".