Cupids and Crossbows

Demons of the Past - II

"Enough Riya," she said in a low voice like she was already fed up with the day. Not to mention she looked too tired and emotionally drained to even get a word out. "Just let it go. I don't want anyone to fight. For me."Her eyes again flitted in Rishi’s direction real quick, like if her gaze stayed on him for more than a second she would lose her willpower to hold back her emotions, before focusing back on the tall suited guy from before. "I think it would be best if all of us remain silent and let Rudra talk," she said referring to the man. "After all, he is the lawyer" she added and went back to her initial position on the chair with her arms folded and head down. Kyle pulled back Rishi by his arms and made him sit back in a chair who was looking at Pratiksha the entire time with distressed eyes.

There was so much agony in his eyes that spoke volumes about his love for her and how much he was shaken by their separation. I could feel his grief pierce through the air which even made me stumble. My heart went out to him. "Ok now that everyone has greeted each other and proclaimed their undying love for one another, let's get down to business. And let's do it like adults, shall we?" Kyle said grabbing a chair for himself and sitting down beside Rishi. He was still pleading with his eyes at his wife like he was desperately trying to make her look at him. But she had her eyes glued to the floor like she was willing to not look at him, afraid of how she might react when she saw her husband.

"There is nothing much to talk Mr. Anderson," Mr. Gray-suit said with his hands clasped before him on the table and continued, "As I have informed you over our call, my client had filed for the divorce without the reason being explicitly mentioned. We haven't heard back from the respondent after receiving the divorce petition papers. You requested a meeting and I hoped it would be for talking about mutual terms of separation. But I get a feeling that the chances for an uncontested divorce are pretty slim from the conversation I witnessed earlier" he said glancing at Rishi for a moment which made him narrow his eyes at Mr. Gray-suit.

"Well. Aren't you a smart one?" Kyle said sarcasm laced profoundly in those words, making the opposition lawyer quirk an eyebrow. I have never seen Kyle in his lawyer mode. From what I had heard from Jason, he had never been one to behave informally or unprofessionally when it comes to cases that he handle. I don't know much about court or divorce cases but that doesn't seem like how a lawyer should talk to his opponent. Kyle didn't give me much time for us to think about it as he continued talking, "Well my client doesn't consent to the divorce as you have noticed by now. Also, I think they need to talk first."

"Why is that?" Riya spoke poking her nose where it doesn't belong but before Kyle could stop her, Mr. Gray-suit whispered something to her probably asking her not to interrupt when the lawyers are talking. "Because if you ask my personal opinion then I would say, if this is something they could solve on their own, then we shouldn't be the people who stand in their way. The more people get involved, the messier it becomes. But if you want me to give a professional opinion, the respondent is allowed to negotiate the conditions of the divorce with the petitioner before the case is brought before a magistrate. So that's why we are here," Kyle said confidently.

"I understand that's why we were asked to be here. But I am afraid I cannot consent to this negotiation taking into consideration the safety of my client" Mr. Gray-suit said with a calm tone, which instantly infuriated Rishi. I know my friend had a short fuse and the situation was not helping in any way, but he seriously needs to stop yelling at random strangers whenever he feels like it.

“What the hell does that supposed to mean?" Rishi shouted the next moment ready to jump out of his chair. His arms flexed at his sides screaming his frustration to the entire room. Kyle calmed him down by placing a hand on his shoulder but it didn't seem to draw the response he expected. "Well it means that your client has some anger issues and the argument that happened ten minutes ago could attest to that", Pratiksha’s lawyer said coolly ignoring Rishi’s outburst altogether.

"You claim that your client's safety is compromised based on the argument before?", Kyle countered getting a little bit irritated himself. "Well I hate to point out but I think you should read your books more before you take on a case Mr. Nedunjch..? "he drawled looking at the file folder on the table before him for the opposition lawyer's name. When he decided he wouldn't be able to pronounce the guy's name, he continued, "Well Rudra, I am just saying, brush up on the laws a little bit."

I tuned out the two lawyers for a moment at this point as my mind was circling a different male in the room. I could still feel his eyes on me. I turned back only to find my suspicions confirmed when I saw him still looking at me with that same intense stare. My God, will he stop? He made it look like there was no one else in the room except for us as his full undivided attention was given to me. I couldn't get myself to look at him continuously for more than a couple of seconds, as I was s**t scared of doing something foolish that I might regret later. Even the few glances I threw his way now and then, were already making me wonder what was behind those cold unmoving pupils that could enchant any human who manages to catch a glimpse.

"Well, that's not the only thing. My client has reported domestic a***e" Rudra said shocking us more.

"What?" Kyle and I said in unison.

The accusation finally shook me enough to focus on Rishi’s issue instead of the guy who hadn’t stopped burning holes into me with his gaze. I was horror-stricken on hearing the accusation and Kyle was taken aback as well. That is not something you could accuse someone of without some ground proof. Moreover, it sure as hell is not an easy thing to digest even for people who had just heard it. God, I didn't even want to think about anyone related to me going through something like that.

I didn't want to believe it. Maybe it was a lie. Well, it should be a lie. Rishi may not be the guy with the best personality but I am sure that he is not a guy who could resort to such low behavior. I KNOW he is not capable of it. He would die before he would lay a finger on the woman he loved. However, it also made me think about Pratiksha. I mean if it's not true, what’s the necessity for her to lie? Why would she accuse her husband, her one true love, about something like this? I didn't want to look at Rishi partly because I was afraid to see how hurt he would be to hear such a false accusation from her. Also, a small part of me was petrified to see his reaction, afraid that it might confirm whatever Rudra said was true.

Unfortunately, just as I had feared, I saw something that I desperately hoped not to see in Rishi’s face.

Guilt.