Page 64 of Entangled Vows (Destined Diaries #2)

Few hours before

Vikram stared at the message he had sent Mahika hours ago. She had read it, but the only response he got back was a half-typed reply: “I’m with K...”

And then, nothing.

That message had come more than twenty minutes ago, and there was nothing after that. A knot of unease twisted in his chest. Mahika always replied. Always. Even if it was just a quick thumbs-up or a curt ‘Okay.’ She never ignored him. Never left him hanging like this.

It was early evening, and the sky was awash in hues of orange and purple.

He and Mohit had finished their word and were finally wrapping up for the day.

Knowing he would be late, he’d told Mahika to leave with Max without waiting for him.

But she hadn’t even told him whether she was leaving or staying.

“What’s going on?” Mohit asked, his voice rough with fatigue as he noticed Vikram staring at his phone for the umpteenth time in just a few minutes.

“Mahika hasn’t replied yet,” Vikram said, trying to sound calm but failing miserably. He could hear the tension in his own voice.

“She probably went home and crashed on the couch or something,” Mohit replied with a shrug.

“It’s been more than thirty minutes since that weird half-typed message. She hasn’t been online since,” Vikram muttered, his eyes glued to the screen. He felt ridiculous, like a heartbroken teenager who had just been ghosted by his crush.

Mohit studied him for a moment before saying, “You’ve fallen for her, haven’t you?” His tone was calm but certain.

“What?” Vikram scoffed, pretending not to understand. “No. I just like her.”

“Don’t lie to me, you fucker,” Mohit said. “It’s written all over your face. I’ve known you for too long.”

Vikram let out a heavy sigh and raked a hand through his hair. “I don’t know, man…”

Mohit’s expression softened, his voice turning serious. “Just… don’t hurt her, okay? Please. She’s been through enough already.”

Vikram met his friend’s eyes, letting him see exactly how serious he was. “I’m doing everything I can not to.”

“Good. So… have you told her?”

“Told her what?”

Mohit rolled his eyes. “God. For a man who runs half the country’s hospitality business, you’re incredibly dense. Have you told her how you feel?”

Vikram groaned. “I can’t believe you’re pushing this.”

“It’s a bit late for second thoughts. You’re married. You sleep next to her every single night.”

Vikram smirked. “So?”

“Don’t ‘so’ me, you idiot,” Mohit shot back. “You’re already in way too deep. Just admit it.”

Just as Vikram was about to retort, a synchronised buzzing filled the air as both their phones went off. He glanced down and his eyes widened, his whole body going rigid. It was an alert notification, a shrill beep emanating from Mahika’s safety bracelet app.

Mohit’s face paled. “What the hell? Why did I just get an SOS from Mahi? I hope everything is alright.”

“Because she pressed the alert button,” Vikram said, his voice sharp, already rising to his feet. His heart hammered wildly in his chest. We are both registered as her emergency contacts. He looked at Mohit with urgency. “We have to go. Now.”

“What the fuck?” Mohit muttered, a mixture of shock and anger lacing his words. “Where could she be right now?” Mohit spoke almost to himself.

They both rushed towards the elevator, adrenaline sharply dispelling their weariness.

As they entered the lobby, Vikram’s phone rang with an incoming call. It was Max.

“Max?” Vikram answered sharply.

“Sir, I... I don’t know if this is serious or not,” Max stammered through the line. “I dropped Mahika ma’am at the mall a couple of hours ago. She told me to leave and said she’d come back on her own.”

Vikram’s chest tightened.

“But I stayed,” Max continued. “She looked upset, and I didn’t feel right just leaving her there. So I waited in the parking lot. Then, I saw her with a man. And… she got into his car.”

“What?” Vikram’s voice turned ice-cold. “You were supposed to stay with her, Max. You were supposed to call me if anything felt off!”

“I’m sorry, sir. I was focused on Mahika ma’am…

I tried to get closer. I called her name, I swear.

She didn’t hear me, and then... she got in the car with that man.

They were heading towards Market Square.

I followed them, but got stopped at a red light.

I lost them. And now, her phone is switched off. ”

Vikram swore under his breath. “You did the right thing by waiting for her in the lot. But Max, something isn’t right. She just shared her location through the safety device a few minutes ago. We’re heading there now.”

“Send me the location,” Max said quickly. “I might be closer.”

“Mohit is sharing it with you now. Stay alert.”

“I’m already on the way,” Max assured. “We’ll find her, sir. Don’t worry.”

Vikram didn’t respond. He ended the call and turned to Mohit. His voice was clipped. “Get the car.”

The moment the SUV came around, Vikram jumped into the driver’s seat without a word.

“I’ll drive,” he said to the driver.

“Vicky, let me—” Mohit began.

“I said I’m driving,” Vikram snapped, leaving no room for argument. Mohit climbed into the passenger seat without another word.

Just then, Vikram’s eyes fell on Suraj sitting in the back seat. He didn’t bother with a greeting. “Why are you here, Sunny?”

“I was at the office. Came to meet you and Mohit,” Suraj explained. “Not finding you, I called Mohit, and he updated me about Mahika. He was already freaking out. Do you know who she’s with?”

“No, I don’t know, damn it. Do you know any of her friends she might’ve gone out with?”

Suraj shook his head. “No. I asked around. None of our mutual friends are with her today.”

Vikram muttered a curse under his breath and drove like he was gunning for pole position on an F1 track. The rain had turned into a relentless downpour, hammering the windshield, but he barely noticed.

His fingers fumbled to sync the phone to the car’s Bluetooth, recalibrating the audio from Mahika’s safety bracelet.

The SUV cut through the storm like a bullet, his jaw clenched, his pulse roaring in his ears.

He jerked the wheel with practiced force, rage simmering just beneath his skin.

The storm outside had nothing on the one brewing in his chest.

Mahika’s voice crackled through the car speakers.

God, her voice sounded so small and he could tell she was fucking terrified.

And just like that, the world around him blurred.

Every sound, every thought, vanished, leaving only her words and the bastard’s who’d dared to hurt her.

Rage coiled in his chest like a venomous snake, ready to bite.

“Who’s with her? Who the fuck is Karan?” Mohit barked as he listened to the audio, his voice sharp with panic.

“Fuck,” Suraj spat, disbelief etched across his face. “He was with her in college… How the hell is he with her now? I don’t even think she’s heard from him, let alone met him.”

“That son of a bitch was at the wedding reception,” Vikram hissed, his teeth clenched in fury. “I talked to him. He was with his girlfriend, and I swear, he didn’t seem even a tiny bit unhinged. If I’d known he’d lay a finger on my wife, I would’ve fucking torn him apart right there.”

“How the hell did he meet her today?” Mohit snapped.

“No idea,” Suraj admitted, listening some more. “Looks like he’s gone completely berserk… and he’s got Mahi. That’s what scares me.”

Vikram didn’t answer; he didn’t need to. Rage was all that fuelled him now. “I’ll kill him. And I’ll enjoy every second of it.”

Vikram inhaled sharply as he heard the small crack in her voice, the tremor hidden beneath her attempt to stay calm.

He could feel the icy grip of her fear, a visceral sensation that shot straight into his veins.

He stared, unblinking, his eyes fixed on the road, his ears glued to the audio.

No words escaped him. Not even a breath.

Then came the unmistakable sound of a slap. Loud, vicious, unmistakable. A surge of red-hot rage washed over Vikram as he lost it. His knuckles turned white as he gripped the wheel tighter. A deafening roar filled his ears, and every nerve in his body screamed for blood.

“Drive faster, Vicky,” Suraj urged, his voice tight with panic.

Mohit growled, “I’m going to rip that bastard into pieces,” his fury burning through him as he covered his face and struggled to breathe.

Mohit muttered a frustrated curse under his breath. Suraj, too, muttered something, his voice shaking with a nervous tremor. “I just hope Mahi is fine.”

Vikram barely registered any of it. His mind was elsewhere. He was locked in, every other sound fading as he focused on that audio. Her helpless, trembling voice. That bastard’s grating tone.

“I’ll end the fucker’s life,” Vikram barked, his voice low and deadly.

More words came through the speaker, and then came the confessions, followed by the stalking, the threats, and the disturbing fantasies.

The night with the bikers hadn’t been a coincidence.

Vikram’s rage intensified with every word, each one cutting into him deeper.

That scoundrel had been following her. Fury boiled through him when he learned that Karan had orchestrated that attack. His hands shook on the wheel.

It made everything worse. And then that sick motherfucker confessed that he’d destroyed Mahika and Mohit’s father by manipulating everything.

“Fuck. FUCK!” Vikram slammed both hands on the steering wheel as if it were Karan’s goddamn neck.

“Vicky… you need to get it together,” Suraj said, his voice tight.

“I can’t… not when all this shit went down because of me.”

“Bullshit—” Mohit started, but Vikram didn’t even look at him.

“No. It’s my fault!” Vikram’s voice cracked with guilt. “After that damn board meeting with Uday Jehangir, I called Adil, and we dug up every bit of dirt on the Thakkars.”