The Illusion of LOVE.

Jasmine picked up a ringing phone, it was from Dr. Chaddha’s clinic. They wanted to confirm her appointment today for 5:00 PM. Dr. Ravinder Chaddha was a very reputed Gynecologist and was one of the best in his field. He was about 40 or 42 years of age, well-built about 6 feet height, fair complexion, smiling face. Always treating his patients with high empathy and care. A friend had recommended him to Jasmine.

Jasmine was a bit skeptical while on her way to the clinic. She had not felt very comfortable on her last visit. she had her own apprehensions about the doctor, but his reputation was spotless for more than a decade. But somehow the way he looked at her, touched her, made her feel uncomfortable. Call it the woman’s hunch or intuition but she felt anxious while the doctor was around.

On reaching the clinic she found that there was no one at the reception and no one at the waiting lobby as well. She was nervous and had butterflies in her stomach. She peaked in and found that doctor was all alone. She knocked at the door and doctor welcomed her quite warmly. She calmed her nerves and went in. Doctor inquired about her travel and initiated other general discussions to comfort her. When she felt at ease doctor asked her about her issues. She apprehensively shared her troubles and doctor asked her to lie down on the inspection table. She hesitatingly did that.

While she was on table and the doctor was inspecting, she felt that there was an injection given to her and she got surprised and scared. She got up and asked the doctor what was happening, and doctor almost rejected any such thing happening. She was very angry and picked up her stuff to leave. She was just about to reach the door while she felt that everything was rotating around her, and she was unable to reach the door. She fell on the floor.

Jasmine was slowly gaining consciousness. She was feeling great pain in her abdomen. Her eyes were refusing to open, head was feeling heavy and hands had restricted movements. She was unable to grasp on what is happening to her. Where is she lying? Why is she suffering such gruesome pain in her private parts? When she opened her eyes completely and tried to remember what last had happened. She was in shock now; she knew doctor has done some thing bad. She got annoyed at her fears coming true. She cried a lot out of pain and for help, but it seemed no one was listening.

Jasmine remained tied and pinned to the bed and was in this condition for quite some time. No one had visited, no water or food, etc. Her daughter Riva’s face was floating in front of her eyes. Jasmine had never left her 5-year-old daughter alone. Her husband Karthik would be taking a good care of her but he would also be searching for her by now. She kept on shouting and crying but all was in vain.

Jasmine was cursing herself and her luck, she did not know how to react or what to do to get away from here. Every now and then she found Riva and Karthik in front of her, she felt like they were just their and Riva would jump on to her and Karthik would cuddle them both in his arms. He had promised he would never let them both get hurt.

She heard footsteps approaching her, she realized that her abductor would be coming to her. She did not know what to do and so she enacted being unconscious. She sensed the person coming closer to her, she felt his hand on her body, moving, pressing. The touch was making her feel mortified. She still pretended unconsciousness. The man said, he knew she was awake, and he had heard her screams. Her judgement was absolutely correct, it was the doctor. He now started to push himself on her, she kept begging of him to let her go. Doctor kept on thrusting himself on her, not bothering about her physical or mental pain. It was like he was a completely changed man. Devil could be a more appropriate word. He left her in pain, again.

While she was going through this agony only one thing kept her hopeful and that was her faith in Karthik and his love. Once while they were on a trip they were walking on roadside in the mountains and incidentally Jasmine slipped into a small valley along the road. He panicked so much that he jumped on the rocks to hold her from falling. He injured his ribs to save her from bruises. This was before they got married. Eight years into marriage but Karthik was still like the kid who loves his toys. Tears would roll on his cheeks, if jasmine got hurt / had small burns in kitchen.  She had all those moments floating in front of her eyes while she surrendered into the arms of sleep.

Karthik, though was feeling very worried, he thought that his wife would have been at work or could have been to a friend. But when it was more than 24 hours and no communication from her, he knew something was not right. He went and did a police complaint, but police asked him to wait for another day and then they would take some actions. Till that time, he kept calling all the known people to check for her. Some of her friend told her about her appointment with the Doctor. He kept calling the clinic and the calls went unanswered. He fed this information to police the next day.

Police checked up and found the receptionist at the clinic. She informed that Jasmine did have the appointment with the doctor, the last one of that day. But the nurse had left early that day, and no one was sure, whether Jasmine came or not. Doctor being out-of-town for a few days, so the clinic had been closed. Doctors mobile as well was not reachable. He used to take these kinds of vacations to stay away from the rush of life. The CCTV of the building showed Jasmine entering the building but not leaving, and doctor leaving the building in his car. But this was inconclusive.

Jasmine woke up next morning by the approaching footsteps, and Jasmine got petrified. She thought now what? But to her surprise the doctor had bought some food and medicines. He cleaned her with lot of care, made her upright, fed her. Jasmine was so shocked that she could not utter a word, she was hungry, so she ate. She was feeling dirty, so she got cleaned up. Her mind was numb she was unable to understand what was real, the monster who raped her or this Doctor who took care of her. He left without speaking a word but displayed his poise and care. Jasmine’s mind was still to come to terms with reality. While she got confused at her state of mind and body, she was unable to forget her angel daughter Riva.

Since Riva’s birth Karthik started being more caring and protective about both. While Jasmine was delivering, he stood all the while next to her, holding her hand in his. He cried like a baby holding Riva in his hands for the first time. He was very sensitive about Riva & Jasmine. Once while Riva had just learnt to walk and seemed lost in a mall, Karthik panicked so much that he was almost running around the mall, talking to all security guards and other people. Finally, she was found in one of the trail rooms. He almost did not sleep the whole night and kept blaming himself.

Jasmine thought she had a wonderful family and now she might never be able to see them. They all loved each other so much and could not live without each other. She gathered courage and started asking, the doctor to let her go, she knew he was listening. She pleaded him for her daughter and husband and tried to bring in the emotional angle, but the doctor did not respond. She was thinking what would Karthik be going through at this time and thinking this she surrendered to sleep.

With the CCTV footage it was amply clear and both Karthik and police were sure that Jasmine and the doctor got missing from the same time, but they did not know whether this is linked or coincidence. While the doctors schedule looked planned and there was nothing to doubt. Police came up with a theory that Jasmine might have an affair with doctor and so they both vanished at the same time in his car. So, CCTV captured doctor leaving the building but not Jasmine. Also, the CCTV did not clearly show whether Jasmine was there or not in the car, so the theory could just be flawed. The only way this could be verified was by talking to the doctor. Police promised to do their best and asked Karthik to stay put at his home. Karthik left from police station and went back home.

Riva had her questions for him, but he had no answers to them. He told her, a princess story and put her to bed after promising that her mother would return home by the time she wakes up. He knew that he had lied but what else could he do. He himself was so confused, and worried and multiple thoughts troubled him, what if Jasmine got kidnapped, killed. What if she had an accident and no one knew, what if police theory was correct and she had run away with the doctor. Karthik felt like all these thoughts are doing a devil’s dance in his mind and he was like a child who has seen a ghost.

Jasmine had almost lost her hope by now and was thinking that once doctor is done with his lust, what will he do to her? She was terrified with the thought that he could just inject her with poison and let her die. She would never ever be able to see Karthik or Riva ever again. Now she was getting terrified, while a thought came to her mind, what if she lets doctor do whatever he wants in return to letting her live, will he agree? What if she pretends to have fallen in his love and try to escape? She decided to take a practical approach, so she can live and take care of her princess and Karthik.

When the doctor arrived a few hours later, she was a completely changed women. She courteously started conversing with him. She made him feel that he was so lonely, and she would make him feel cared and loved. She tried to touch his heart. Doctor was very reluctant with this, but finally he let his guard down. He started having some long conversations, Jasmine was still restrained. He did not trust her completely but had started opening-up with her. Jasmine made love with him and kept hammering him with his loneliness and how she could be the game changer in his life. The only thing floating in Jasmines mind while doing this was, she had to get back alive to her family, Riva and Karthik.

The next day doctor, freed Jasmine. He had brought her a nice dress; he took her to the bedroom. Once she got dressed, he accepted his love for her, and she reciprocated the same. He asked Jasmine to love him with all her heart and that if she agrees he will take her home, but she will have to keep up the relationship. She agreed and made love with doctor. She made promises and agreed that if someone asks her about her 5 days absence, she will tell that it was mutual. She had a strong belief that Karthik will trust her and she had faith in his love.

Doctor recorded all this on video and showed it to Jasmine. If she tried to go to police or tell her husband about the truth, he will show them the video of her making love and accepting her relationship with him. Jasmine told him that he did not have to do all this and convinced him that she really loved him, but she now knew that she got trapped in her own trap. The only thing she got worried about now, was the safe return to her daughter Riva and Karthik, so she kept playing along.

After exploiting her for one more night, they both left for there homes. Doctor knew he was going to receive the police as soon as he hits town, so he made the love story public. Police informed Karthik of the same. A few hours later Jasmine came home and hugged Karthik tight, while crying like a baby. Karthik was standing like a statue, he got shocked with what police told him and how jasmine was reacting. He decided to give her chance to explain. She just kept crying and hugging Riva for next several hours and spoke nothing. Karthik kept asking her about what the police said or what is her part of the story, but she felt elated that she is back and feeling guilty of what she has traded to come back. She fell asleep while making Riva sleep.

The next day, she woke up and Karthik was nowhere to be found. He has left for office and had left her a letter. He had accused her of adultery and asked for explanation. He had held her guilty for breaking his trust. He had accused her of being a bad mother. Surprised, she never thought of Karthik being so judgmental. She had faith in his love, there love. She tried calling him, but he did not answer. He avoided her. He came back home very late that night and that too drunk. Jasmine was never expecting this. She kept awake the whole night and waited for Karthik to wake up. In the morning, when he woke up, she faced him. She told him her part of the story, he was listening, but his disbelief was all over his face. She begged him to trust her, this is when he said that doctor has showed him the videos and all this fake tears and drama is of no use now. He just left.

Jasmine felt shattered, the man she loved so much got fooled by a 3 min video, the trust she put in him, the years of love and care, there daughter, all has vanished in thin air like a puff of smoke. She started thinking, was it ever real? Or was it just an illusion of love? She lost the strength in her feet and fell on ground. Her whole life was ruined. She felt like not living any more. She decided to jump of the terrace and end this agony once and for all. Just when all this havoc was going through her mind, Riva called for her, she came running to her with a bright smiling face and hugged her tight. It was like suddenly the sun shows up from the dark black clouds and changes the whole landscape. Jasmine was brought back to senses. She realized that she had been through this whole trouble to be with her princess. Though Karthik did not believe her, she must live for her lovely daughter.

She now decided that she is not going to let the doctor walk over this crime, and he will have to pay, she will make him pay. She knew this was not going to be easy and he is not going to just hand over the details to her so easily. She decided to trick him the same way he had tricked her. She told the doctor she wanted to meet him privately. Doctor was cautious but also a bit overconfident after all he had the video and he knew her husband believed it. He agreed to meet her in a hotel room. He said he will confirm her the room number once he has checked in, to remove the angle of foul play. She was more than ready.

At about 8:00 PM he called Jasmine to Hotel Angel room number 701. She was aware that this could be another trap for her. But now she was not worried as she had nothing to lose, after all she was dressed to kill. She went in, doctor was cautious, and he was weighing all his words and actions. She was very forthcoming, she had to catch the doctor pants down. She asked the doctor for drinks and he obliged. While the first two drinks the doctor still was skeptical, but she made him lose his guard by caressing him and kissing him. Females from any species could be very fierce when they are cornered.

With three drinks down, she tickled the right spots to make the doctor talk, she softly asked why did he abduct her, when he could have just asked her to love him, and doctor explained that he got fascinated with her beauty on the first look itself, he even fantasized about her. Now he was talking. She asked what the injection was, he used to make her unconscious and then take advantage of her. Slowly and carefully she made him accept all the wrong doings, also how he took that video and why. Once all of this was said, she called Karthik to the hotel room.

She told all to Karthik with the proof and that made him ashamed for not trusting her. Jasmine told him that this was not for earning his trust back, but to put things in perspective. She said she would be leaving the next day morning with Riva. Jasmine also realized that the feeling that Karthik had for her, what she thought as love was more possessiveness than love. Therefore, she thought that continuing with him will cause her and Riva more damage than good.

As to what could be done with the doctor, she left that call to Karthik. Jasmine also mentioned that no one knew he or jasmine or Karthik were in this hotel, no CCTV, no correct names, so it was all perfect. She hinted that she would have pushed him out of the window and with this much drink, no one can control himself. She left with tears in her eyes.