96 Chapter 96

Despite the pain coursing through Ankur's body, he managed to stand up and ran to his bedroom. He groaned and howl, his hands clinched in painful distress.

After a momentary distraction Raj looked at Vivek once again. His fingers tugged at his waistband, reaching for his revolver. Raj hit him again, on the hand. He didn't want to take any chances.

Vivek writhed in agony. His fingers went numb, but a sudden adrenaline rush made him even angrier.

Vivek smiled menacingly through his pain and began to laugh.

"What's so funny, Vivek?" shouted Raj.

"It's you! You're not quite the guy I was expecting… If you had been there, you could have saved Mala!"

Raj's vision turned red! He swung the pipe down toward Vivek's head, but he rolled to his side, dodging it only by millimetres.

Raj swung again, but Vivek blocked the metal pipe with his arms. He didn't wait for Raj to react. He grabbed his gun and fired a shot at him. The bullet whizzed past Raj, missing him by inches. Raj staggered, his temples throbbing.

"Raj, you know all of this could have been different. All you had to do was give me the report!" Vivek hollered. "We're like brothers, you know, Raj! Same side of a coin! And now I am going to kill you!"

Vivek pointed his revolver towards Raj. "Please put the pipe down," Vivek said, anger draining from his voice. "At least die with some dignity."

Humiliated, Raj threw it down. He couldn't be defeated so quickly, not by Vivek. His rage boiled.

"Dying is a messy, bloody thing Raj. I have to kill you in front of Ankur. Poor child! He already saw me kill his mom, and now I have to kill his father. But what can I do? You leave me no choice!"

Raj's voice came out low, almost a whisper, as he said, "What are you doing?"

Raj was weak. He felt physically and emotionally exhausted. His life was hell after losing Mala. He wanted to die. But then he thought about his kids. He had to survive for them. Their whole lives were at stake as well.

Vivek's confession tortured him. How could he confess to her murder so calmly, without any remorse? Vivek was a wretched human! He was barely even a human.

"Mala never had the report. She didn't even know what I was working on," he said, trying to buy more time. He knew he couldn't deter the dragon in Vivek much longer but, at the same time, he had to counteract Vivek's tactics.

"Oh, that's so sad! She died in vain!" Vivek said, enjoying Raj's despondency.

Vivek tucked his revolver back into the waistband of his trousers and picked up the metal pipe. He swung it into the air, then brought it down on Raj's body, sending a jolt of pain through them. Raj's legs started to weaken.

"I will not let him win," he thought as he dropped on the ground. His mouth filled with blood. Bruised and winded, he cried out in agony. He lunged towards Vivek and grabbed his foot, pulling him to the ground. His pounded, a mix of anger and pain.

He slammed his fist into Vivek's face, snapping his nose. His hands were stained with blood. He brought another fist down upon Vivek, not realizing he had lost consciousness. Raj's menacing eyes blazed red. His anger made his face almost unrecognizable. He stopped himself and slowly stood up, struggling to move a few footsteps.

He heard Vivek slowly say something and looked back. "If I am to die, I'm going to take you down with me."