Fugitive Bride

Priyanka Sabharwal posted under Flash Fiction QuinTale-61 on 2024-03-11



“Everything about her was a lie.” Her beauty, declaration of undying love. I only care about you, Kabir, money never entices me. I never had a family of my own so realized its importance. Your parents are mine from now onwards. All were just lies that he failed to realize. His mother recognized her facade and dual face tried to warn him. But he refused to see through his rose-tinted love glasses. Kabir convinced his parents and got married to Karen. Within three months she showed her true colors. She misbehaves with his parents, harasses them, and creates big scenes over trivial matters. She made their life a living hell. Karen demanded a huge cash from Kabir and when he tried to question her, she called him names. She demanded a share in their property when they refused. Karen threatened them with dire consequences. She hurt herself with fake wounds and got hospitalized with the help of her lover. She filed a dowry, sexual harassment, and mental torture cases registered against Kabir’s family. Kabir’s parents could not bear the humiliation and committed suicide. Kabir was heartbroken and cursed the day he set his eyes on that poisonous beauty. Karen came to visit him in prison. She laughed at his misery and called him a fool. You were a naive gullible idiot, my easiest target. Enjoy your joy ride behind bars. Four Years Later Karen was sitting in a cafe chatting and trying to honey trap her new victim. Kartik, a software engineer, seems smitten by her, and it seems one more victory seems to fall in her lap. Karen had mastered the art of mesmerizing men and making them dance to her tunes. She was laughing inside and confident in her next conquest. In a civil ceremony, Karen and Kartik were about to exchange vows when police came to arrest Karen on cases of cheating, forging marriages, falsely implicating people in dowry and domestic violation lawsuits. Karen was a fraud, a scamster. She has a history of getting married and robbing people of their property, money, and dignity. All over the country, she got married to numerous grooms and many cheating cases were registered against her with different names and identities. Kabir was just one of such victims.    Kabir on release from prison instigated an investigation about Karen. What became known was shocking Karen, Garima, Anisha, Supriya... Had many fake identities, and she destroyed so many innocent families. Her greed for money has no perimeter. Kabir was her eighth groom, some families never registered complaint and bowed down to her unjust demands to maintain their self-respect. Karen was a liar, cheat and murderer of innocent people and their dreams. Kabir, with the help of Kartik (an inspector) unmask this fraudster, gathered evidence against her crimes and got her punished for her sins. Fugitive Bride ran out of luck this time and her wedding procession takes place in jail.