The following is the PROLOGUE from the concluding part of THE FOREVER SERIES. Make sure you have read the first part FOREVER IS A LIE before you give this one a read. The links to both the books are at the bottom of this post. Many thanks..
FOREVER IS TRUE: PROLOGUE
Fortis Hospital,
Bengaluru
Private cabin,
10.35 p.m.
‘I’m sorry, Prisha, but I had no
other option,’ the person said, standing close to the hospital bed on which
Prisha was lying with her eyes closed. Beneath a blanket that covered her till
her bosom, she was wearing a sky-blue patient’s uniform. Her forehead was
freshly bandaged. Her right hand, with a drip, was placed on her belly while
the left one was by her side, a pulse-monitoring clip attached to the index
finger. There was a saline water stand beside the bed. Her left leg was
plastered and her face bruised. It was quiet except for the occasional beeping
of the monitor that was keeping a track of her heartbeats. The room was bathed
in an eerie green-coloured light.
‘Just like I had no other option
with Ishanvi. She was a good girl. So were you. But you both fell for the wrong
person, bad person. And sometimes, even when you aren’t at fault, life still
holds you guilty and makes you pay for it. But how do you atone for something you
haven’t done?’ Silence. The person grasped Prisha’s left hand. It was cold.
‘Not that I expected you to be
alive but now I can at least talk to you, unlike Ishanvi.’
After a deep sigh, the person
added, ‘I had tried warning you like I had tried warning Ishanvi but neither of
you paid heed. Why? You were in love. Love! I hate
that emotion because it is the most customizable emotion a human can feel. Its
definition changes the way one thinks. Its syntax changes the way one feels. It
is not like sadness or happiness. It is not absolute. Though we think it is. I
hate it. In fact, hate is a soft word. I abhor love, loathe it. If you had been
in your senses, I’m sure you would have asked what makes me so anti love. Well,
it is a long story but I carry the moral in my heart every day. And will do so
till I turn into ashes.’
There was silence. The person
caressed Prisha’s forehead.
‘Unfortunately, nobody will ever
know my story. But that doesn’t bother me. The only thing that bothers me is
that the person who mattered the most to me will also never get to hear my
story. You tell me, Prisha, is it fair to live someone else’s story all your
life? But . . . ’ The person leaned close to her left ear and whispered, ‘If
you can listen, then listen well. Chances are you will die soon on this bed.
But in case you survive, don’t push me into killing you again. Next time, there
won’t be any passer-by to bring you to any hospital on time. One last request:
don’t test me for I’ve been killing people for a long time now. You are my only
failure. And failing is something which doesn’t go down well with me.’ After
staring at Prisha for a while, the person said, ‘May your soul rest in peace,
Prisha. Next life, choose someone better. Choose someone who’s worth it.’
The person stopped caressing her
forehead and tiptoed out of the room. Prisha had opened her eyes by then. She
had been in her senses throughout. Or was she? She didn’t see the person’s face but she did feel the
person’s touch. Contrary to the person’s words, the touch wasn’t threatening.
The last statement had made her hair stand on its end. This was the first time
Saveer had visited her in the hospital since she had regained consciousness. Why would he want to
kill her? she
wondered. Or for
that matter Ishanvi? These, however, were the least of her concerns at
that moment. There was something she noticed that was extremely disturbing.
Prisha saw the person leaving the room. But in a woman’s attire.
What’s
wrong with Saveer? she wondered. Then she thought to herself: was she
hallucinating because of the heavy sedatives she had been taking for some time now? Prisha
couldn’t tell. She dozed off.
**
*
