CARRY YOUR OWN PARCEL!

 

            Soni Gaur, a petite, fair lady in her late twenties but her flawless skin & regular sturdy regime never made her age reflect. Her fit body & dedication made her a perfect Assistant Superintendent of Police of her batch. Soni had always been passionate about her goals. 

            Soni was having her breakfast when she heard an e-mail notification. Unlike the usual times, she rose to check whose email it was but the sender was hidden & private. She couldn’t stand her curiosity & opened the email. She stared at the email message on her computer, her mind racing so fast that the words blurred together and no longer made any sense. Just three lines, but enough to make her life--the life she’d worked so hard and sacrificed so much to build--begin to crumble around her. She stood there paralysed & choked. A long breath from her lungs regained her consciousness.

Khar headquarters was flooded with policemen & usual chaos from the complainers & loud cries from the criminals were audible even to the passers-by. Soni's grey eyes were searching for her fiery boss. She stormed into her cabin, dialed two numbers over her intercom & ordered a cutting chai for herself. She further hastily dialed a number from her cell-phone but there was no response from the other side, so she decided to drop a voice message, “Sir, please call me as soon as you reach the headquarters. It’s urgent!” She leaned back on her chair & closed her eyes.

"TRRIIINNGGGG….!!!!" rang the phone. She picked up the phone to answer. She instantly left her office to meet the Superintendent of Police, Aruj Dikshit. The fury in the poised man's eyes instantly vanished as soon as Soni entered his cabin. Always clean-shaved & musky, Aruj had a special place in Soni's heart & somehow Aruj too couldn't resist having hearts for Soni. But never had either of them confessed their feelings to each other. "Soni, what urgent talk you had to do with me?" enquired Aruj. Soni couldn't keep herself quiet, "I want to be on the terrorist Shifa Ahmed case." Aruj had always been impressed with Soni's straight-forward & bold nature but this time Aruj was shocked. He had just returned with the same file & he hadn't yet mentioned it to anybody. Aruj was in firm denial, "I am handling this case. You are still under the training period. Moreover, you are not eligible to handle this case." Soni was firm enough to convince Aruj. Aruj was more curious to know how Soni knew about the case & why was she so desperate than being not convinced. Soni was in a tight spot. For a moment she got blank & didn't know what kind of explanation was right. She explained, "The school that she blasted was the same school where I studied & I lost my fatherly figure in the same blast.” Aruj was still not convinced, "I cannot let you be on this case for such a personal reason. I'm sorry. This is not a personal war." Aruj picked up the intercom to dial the number but the obstinate lady forced him to put that down, "It might not be for you. For me it is. Moreover, you very well know I'm more than eligible for this case. Please you have to recommend me." Those resolute eyes persuaded Aruj to agree.

The investigation was at its peak. All the teammates had activated their hidden resources, the most active of them all was Soni's. Though Soni was the junior-most teammate yet her sources had proved to be the strongest. After all the struggle & hard work, they came across a man who dealt in such suicide bombs. He led the team to various other moles & their hideouts. But each time they faced a dead-end. Soni was all so involved in the case that she hardly took care of her health. After the day's long streak, Aruj dropped Soni home. As soon as she dropped out of the car, she fainted & dropped down. Aruj rushed out of the car to pick her up. He placed her on her couch & rushed to get some lemonade for her. Aruj could see Soni growl unconsciously. Day after day Soni's health worsened & Aruj could no longer stand that.

Aruj decided to spend some time with Soni. They were seated on her couch post-dinner with dessert in each one of their hands. Aruj held her hand & pulled her into a warm hug, “I’m afraid to lose you.” He cupped her face in his hands & explained, “This is your first big case & you are so involved in it that you hardly take care of yourself. I’m sorry to say this, if this continues, I’ll have to remove you from the case.” Soni’s special moment was now her fierce moment. She grew red with fury, threw Aruj's hands from her face & stood up to protest, "This is not done. It's the matter of my life, don't you get it!?" Aruj opposed, "NO! It isn't. You cannot lose yourself like this in one case. My decision is final & firm. You are staying away from this case." Tears shone in her eyes & in no time they were flooded. She clenched her fist & banged the near-by table so hard that almost instantly her palm swelled red. Aruj rushed to grasp her hand & stop her from doing it further, "Stop it, you obstinate lady! You are weakening me like this." Soni protested, "You are weakening me. I thought you'll be my strength, but you are making me weak. This is really important for me, please!" Aruj was silent. He stared directly into her wet eyes. Without speaking a single word he left her place, leaving her all alone in the lonely silence.

Soni was up, awake all night with the fear of the invading nightmares of the bomb-blast & the email that she had received. She had become a nut in a nutcracker. She had to be in the case whatsoever the consequences were. The next day she was on time with the other teammates pondering over their next move. After all the clues, they concluded that they won't be able to solve the case unless they visited the affected area. Their next destination was Patnitop, Jammu. Soni kept grabbing Aruj's attention but Aruj's anger was at its peak & he maintained the distance all the while. The bomb blast had occurred in a small local school in Nashri village. They started their investigations & interrogations. The villagers led them to the school where only its remnants could be found. Soni had started becoming a passive soldier. She followed the commands but suddenly she took a back seat. Aruj's anger was slowly dissolving with this. The ambience, the weather had started becoming their witness of a secret romance. Soni made efforts to dissolve the distance that she had created. Aruj could no longer remain away from Soni. Their love was blossoming amidst the cold, lush green mountains.

"Sir, we couldn't find anything in the school. Everything was destroyed by the terrorist. But we have discovered something really striking. The person who ran the school also ran an orphanage. His name was Zakir Siddique. The old haunted building adjoining the school was the orphanage. Maybe we could find some lead from the building," reported one of the officers in charge. The building had been sealed by the police ever since the bomb blast. Aruj managed to unseal the building with the help of Jammu police. He further investigated the list of the people who died in the blast. It was one male adult & one senior female who happened to be their daai & 15 kids. Aruj ordered the old records of all the 15 kids. All of them were the residents of the same orphanage. "Janab, the adult male who died was none other than Zakir Siddiqui & his own daughter was made to wear the suicide bomb by the terrorist," mentioned a senior inspector of Jammu police who happened to be one of the investigating officers of that blast. He further mentioned about a constable who assisted the main officer & that he could provide them good information.

Aruj & the other officer went to that constable & sent Soni with others to investigate in the building. Aruj learnt from the constable that he knew Zakir Saab very closely & that he was a very secular man. He had children of all religions in his orphanage & treated all of them equally. He never gave special provisions to anyone, not even to his own daughter. Aruj inquired, "Do you remember his daughter's name? Do you remember how she looked?" The old man pondered for a moment & frowned, "Soni. She was the same as her name. She was very pretty & fair with light eyes & curly brown hair. The poor girl faced a worse fate." Aruj's mind started racing as soon as he heard the name, Soni. He asked one of his officials to redirect him with the list of the people who died. He found the name of Soni Siddiqui. Aruj & Soni met at their government quarters with the other officials. One of the officers reported their investigation, “Sir, we found only a few records from the building. All the records were almost destroyed.” Soni further stated, "Sir, it seems the suicide bomber was very well aware of the orphanage & the school. She had very well cleared all the proofs behind her. But we couldn't find a single record named Shifa Ahmed. Plus I don't even remember someone with this name. So she couldn’t have been a part of the orphanage.” Aruj was disappointed with the report that he had got. He was now getting annoyed with the dead ends. He immediately ordered two of the officials to investigate the outskirts of the state whether there are any militant training camps. Soni could see the fury on Aruj’s face. She decided to divert his mind.

That night Soni helped Aruj relax with her charm. And finally, their love had no boundaries.

Aruj chose to re-investigate the orphanage himself the next day early in the morning. Soni was still asleep when Aruj left in the early hours of dawn. He measured all the nooks & corners of the building. He didn't leave a single table unturned. He came across a room that happened to be Zakirsaab's room. Aruj was scanning the entire room with his eagle eyes. The entire room was a mess & the way the room was messed he was sure of one thing that someone with a personal grudge did this. He wore his gloves on & started surfing through the cupboard. He came across a small black & white photo album which was very weirdly destroyed. In every photo, only one single person's face was darkened, not leaving a single picture. Aruj kept searching for clues in the entire house but he bore nothing out of it. It was almost noon & he decided to return to the headquarters when suddenly something struck him & rushed towards each & every room. He counted the number of beds in the dormitory, & counted the chairs in the dining room. He further checked the lockers. He saw a uniformity in each thing. It numbered to be 17. He pulled out the paper from his pocket & counted the number of kids that died in the blast. It numbered 15, so there might be two people who were alive after the bomb blast. “One should be Soni. Who must be the other one?” pondered Aruj.

Aruj reached the quarters & the first thing he did was go through records of the orphanage which were just 13. He assumed others were destroyed but how & why was the question. Aruj locked himself in the room & drew a flow chart. After jotting down a couple of notes he came to one single conclusion that the suicide bomber was a part of the orphanage. He couldn't come across Zakir Siddiqui's daughter which the old constable had mentioned. The photos that he saw had a single photo blackened. He assumed that the blackened person must be Zakirsaab's daughter. For that, he needed to know where the missing person was. He called up the J&K police station. After strolling for almost an hour, his phone buzzed. It was from J&K police. He informed that they were shifted to a Home for all orphanage in Chenani town, Jammu. Without even informing anyone he geared up his car & vroomed to the mentioned address.

 “Are you Mr. Aruj?” Aruj turned around to face a woman in her forties. Aruj introduced himself to the woman & narrated about the case he was working on & that he wanted to see their records of the year 2000 intake in the orphanage. He was surfing through the records when he came across a familiar name, Soni Gaur. He asked the woman whether anyone accompanied Soni Gaur. The woman led him to the library where the other lady was. Her name was Fatima Ahmed. "How do you know Soni?" asked Aruj to Fatima. "We escaped from the school together. I cannot forget that day. She came to me suddenly when I was working in the school. She said she had a premonition that something terrible was going to happen. And she forced me out of the school into the orphanage building. And as soon as we reached the building there was a big blast. Poor girl lost her father." Aruj's eyebrows raised at it, "Father? But only Zakirsaab died in the blast." Fatima responded, "Of course! Zakirsaab was his father." Aruj, "But his daughter, Soni Siddiqui died in the blast." Fatima, "Are you out of your mind? Wait. We had two Soni's in our orphanage." Aruj's mind started racing & started building up the scattered blocks. Aruj & Fatima had a long discussion about Soni's childhood.

"Welcome back Soni Siddiqui! Or should I say, Shifa Ahmed!?" Aruj taunted as soon as Soni entered her room. Aruj was sitting on the chair facing the door. Soni was paralysed. "How could you do this Soni?" Fatima spoke from behind. "Fatima aapa!?" Soni realized her camouflage was now revealed. She shattered down on the floor. Her life crumbled down. Her perseverance was down to earth. Soni gathered up her courage & proceeded to fetch her laptop. Aruj was terribly heartbroken. He didn't look into her eyes once for he knew if he did he would breakdown. Aruj snatched the laptop from her hands & sneaked into it. The email read:-

Salaam bibiji,

We have heard that the terrorist Shifa Ahmed has resurfaced after all these years, who happens to be none other than you. We even know you have hidden your true identity. Become our secret spy or the rumour that we have spread shall be the reality.

Yours sincerely,

ISIS

Soni’s eyes were flooded with tears & embarrassment. Aruj took out various documents from his bag -  her application form from the Home for all orphanage, a photo of her & her father, her photo with Fatima, real Soni Gaur's identity & lastly the application form which was obtained from the hidden militant training group on the outskirts of Jammu. "This is enough shreds of evidence which prove you to be a big-time traitor. Do you even realize what fate you will face after I file these..?" Soni broke her silence, "Yes. I am Shifa Ahmed. I hated my secular father. I was his biological child yet I was always treated the same as the other orphans. I was treated as an orphan so I chose to be an orphan. I came to know about the militant training camps where they trained to make bombs & help create a new identity. They gave me a new name Shifa Ahmed. I wore the suicide bomb & went to the school when it suddenly struck I too shall die in this. So I fooled Soni Gaur & asked her to exchange our bags which contained the explosive. She died being Soni Siddiqui, a martyr & I took her identity. Fatima aapa was too much in a state of shock that she didn't realize that I showed my identity to be Soni Gaur." There was an awkward silence in the room. "I never thought my past would come up like this in my life. All these years I had been fighting with my past & to fight that I decided to join the police force. I'm ashamed of myself. I was just saving myself. Trust me Aruj, I'm not a country's traitor." Aruj loaded Soni's gun & placed it on the table. Then he took out the handcuffs from his pocket & a paper with her confession, placed on the table alongside the gun & commanded, “You can exchange your bags but not the burden of your deeds.”

Soni signed the confession paper & surrendered. She chose to be the police's puppet instead of ISIS' to face the punishment of loathing her parcel to someone else!!

 

 

LOVE ME UNORIENTED

 

             "Get your hands off, of my makeup kit!" screeched Shahna, as she entered the room with two steaming cups of latte. "Relax babe! I was just checking out!" replied Shreyas promptly while winding up the mess. "Honestly darling you need to upgrade your vanity. You are still using old school." Shahna mocked Shreyas, "Yeah? Why don't you buy me some new stuff from your stipend?" Shreyas immediately smothered her mouth so that she couldn't talk further & pleaded, "Sshh! Please keep that low. No one should know about it right now." Shahna, "Why don't you tell your parents about it? They have got the right to know it. I'm sure they'll understand." Shreyas raised his eyebrows in astonishment & laughed, "Understand! They'll be mad. All they care & worry about is their hypocritic reputation & their lavish lifestyle. They'll never understand. And promise me you shall never reveal it." Shahna pulled Shreyas in a tight hug & consoled, "Don't worry! Your secret is in safe hands!"

                “Oops!” came the prompt exclamation from Shahna’s mom, Mrs. Esha Mathur, when she entered the room. “I think I intervened at the wrong time!” “Maa!” exclaimed both the youngsters together. Mrs. Mathur smiled & informed, “Come your breakfast is ready!”

                Shahna Mathur & Shreyas Bhatia were best friends since childhood. That was because their fathers had been best friends since childhood & they had continued hanging out with each other for years. Shahna's parents were very cool & open-minded. Her mother was a lecturer while her father, Dr. Rakesh Mathur was an orthopedic surgeon & they were quite successful. On the other hand, Shreyas' mother, Amisha Khanna, was a socialist & his father Ashish Khanna was a big tycoon in real estate. As much as their backgrounds were contrary, their relations were equally close-knit. They were always a party. All of these situations made Shahna & Shreyas inseparable best friends. They shared tons of secrets. The biggest secret that they discovered was once when they had a crush on the same person on a trip who was a guy named Akash. Yes, you are on the right track, Shreyas was gay & only both of them knew it. Shahna never tried to make him feel low for his sexual orientation & that was what he loved about her. Shreyas had an immense interest in makeup & hence, he worked part-time with the city's best makeup artist. On the other hand, Shahna was career-oriented & had opted for being a physiotherapist.

                As soon as Shreyas reached home that afternoon, he got a call & answered, “Oh yes! I’ll be there! Don’t worry!” He rushed to his room, got dressed & realized that he forgot to borrow a lipstick from Shahna. He quietly sneaked into his mom’s room to find one. He opened his mother’s lavish vanity cupboard to see flocks of lipsticks, blushers, foundations & all kinds of makeup tools. Shreyas thought, “Now I know from where I get my love for make-up. Mom has a pretty good collection of lipsticks.” He picked up a brand new M.A.C. Relentlessly Red Retro Matte lipstick from the collection. His mother walked into the room just as he was about to apply her new lipstick. She was startled. He was startled. “What are you doing with my lipstick? It’s new. I haven’t used it so far. Couldn’t you have waited?” He smiled & laughed it back to her. “I forgot to tell you… I am playing Draupadi in our college production… Rehearsals start this evening.” His mother was amazed to hear this & retorted, "And why are you playing Draupadi?" Shreyas caught the confusion that was running in his mom's mind, "That's the punch, mom. Girls play male roles & boys play female roles. We are trying to be more creative this time. Anyway, I gotta go." And Shreyas escaped.

         Amisha got curious about the episode that happened the other day. A strange thought vented in her mind. She started probing her son's behavior every day. Though she never got full proof of her son being a homosexual from his behavior, she got worried. She proposed an idea of marriage to Ashish, "Why don't we get the kids engaged?" Ashish was astonished at this question, "Which kids?" Amisha replied, "Shahna & Shreyas! They are always together. Moreover, I really like that girl. She's smart & a very responsible girl, perfect for our son." Ashish was equally happy with the thought. He immediately called up the Mathurs & proposed this idea to them. Even they loved the proposal. Without telling the kids, they suddenly planned a weekend trip to a nearby resort. While they were having dinner, Ashish picked to expose the actual reason for the trip. "Kids we want you to get married." "What!?" exclaimed Shahna & Shreyas together. "Are you guys kidding us?" admonished Shreyas. Shahna retaliated, "We are not into any kind of affair. We are just friends. And…" Before she could complete, Shreyas gripped her hand tightly, "Wait Shahna we shouldn't react so hastily. We need to talk." He held her hand & pulled her out to the pool area. "What are you up to?" asked the perplexed woman. Shreyas replied with a grin on his face, "I think it is perfect." Shahna was shocked to hear these words, "What's perfect? You know you are gay. I am straight. We are best friends. And last but very important, I don't want to get married ever. So do you!" Shreyas delightfully convinced, "That's what makes this relationship perfect. I will never be able to get married to a girl who will understand me. I cannot marry a guy as per the Indian hypocrisy. You want to make a career & want to live a carefree & independent life. I'll give you that. Are you getting the point?" Shahna saw the twinkle in Shreyas' eyes.

                Shahna & Shreyas returned to the dinner table where their parents were seated, desperately waiting for their answer & to their greatest of happiness they said yes. Their only condition was to get married only after they finish their respective studies. Shreyas managed to convince his parents for completing a professional course in makeup artistry & Shahna completed her BPS. They decided to settle in Mumbai away from their families post marriage.

***

         "Dr. Shahna Mathur, you'll be late for work. Come quickly for your breakfast." Shreyas called out from the kitchen while making breakfast ready. Shahna hurriedly came out of the room with a briefcase in one hand & phone in another. "Thanks so much, Shreyas. I am damn hungry!" blurted Shahna while gulping down her breakfast. Shahna & Shreyas had been married for 2 years & were successful in their respective careers. Shreyas was a celebrity make-up artist & Shahna worked as a physiotherapist in an elite hospital where often she too came across celebrities. Their life was perfect with only one drawback in their life which was the sexual orientation. They were happy with their sexual partners but never a stable one, until one day Shahna bumped into someone.

         Adhiraj Kumar, a senior pharmacologist, had come for a CME (Continuing Medical Education) to neuro-physicians in their hospital. It was a short yet interesting meeting in the canteen where Shahna & Adhiraj broke into an argument over gays. 

Shahna was waiting for her car to return from valet when Adhiraj approached her “Excuse me! Are you interested in men or you know!?” enquired Adhiraj. Shahna examined the guy closely & smiled, “Well, I am sapiosexual.” Shahna winked at him & handed him her visiting card.

Shahna narrated the episode to Shreyas & both of them had a hearty laugh. "So what about your prosthetic makeup course? Any leads did you get?" enquired Shahna. Shreyas enthusiastically replied, "Oh yes! I was going to show you this." He showed her a clipping from a makeup artistry magazine about a basic prosthetic makeup course from an artist Michael Lobo from the same institute in California where he wished to go. "That's awesome! So when are you joining?" asked Shahna. "From tomorrow itself!" Shreyas promptly replied.

While Shreyas was busy with the prosthetics, Shahna's life had taken a turn. Shahna & Adhiraj started dating each other. Shahna had never thought she would fall for someone beyond a one-night stand. Shreyas sensed Shahna's growing interest in Adhiraj & hence he let her spend more of her free time with Adhiraj. Adhiraj never minded Shahna's wedding with Shreyas when he learnt that Shreyas & Shahna were best friends & that Shreyas was gay. As the days passed at the prosthetic make-up workshops, Shreyas realized his boss Michael Lobo was gay too, when Michael asked Shreyas for a dinner date together.

"Oh my my!" exclaimed Shahna, as soon as she entered Shreyas' room. "Someone's looking ravishing in a tuxedo. Where to?" Shreyas winked at Shahna & stated, "Dinner date, with my boss!" Shreyas saw his boss' growing interest in him. Michael gifted him the admission form from Cinema Makeup School, California which was the greatest gift of all. "Oh! I love it, Michael! Thank you so much!" gratified Shreyas with a lingering kiss over Michael. "That's the least I can do for you love! But you'll need to attend one outstation workshop with me to qualify the admission criteria. It's a two-day workshop in Goa. I have booked the tickets for us. Two-day work mode & the rest of the three-day vacation mode. Just you & me!" winked Michael & pulled Shreyas closer for a passionate smooch.

"Hey, I'm off to Goa next week, with my boss. A two-day workshop & then vacation for 3 days," winked Shreyas while breaking the news to Shahna at the breakfast table the next day. "Wow! Going a long way love! I'm so happy," stated Shahna happily. "And one more thing…" added Shreyas. He took out an envelope from his bag & handed it to Shahna. Shahna quickly opened the envelope & all she could do was scream at the top of her voice & dance around like a kid. That day Shahna & Shreyas celebrated the success in their old style - popcorns, movies, pizzas, beers & ice-creams for the whole day. They chose to spend time with each other sans their boyfriends.

Shahna kept a constant report of Shreyas in case their mothers called up. They had to be on the same page. Shahna was very happy for Shreyas. Finally, his dream was coming true. Shahna started looking out for fellowships & courses that she could do in California while Shreyas being busy with prosthetics. It was 3 days past the date when Shreyas was to return to Mumbai. Initially, she thought they would have extended their trip but no phone calls or texts from Shreyas for 3 long days made Shahna worried. "He'll be fine. Don't worry. There will be some change of plan. He's not a kid. He can take care of his own. Moreover, he's with his boyfriend cum boss. Just relax!" consoled Adhiraj while handing over the coffee to Shahna. Shahna could not hear a single word that Adhiraj spoke. All she was occupied with was Shreyas. She had this weird feeling of Shreyas being in danger & she couldn't concentrate. "Shahna, I'm talking to you. What are you up to?" called Adhiraj. Shahna was startled, "I'm sorry Adhiraj. I'm worried about Shreyas. He was complaining…" Before she could complete, Adhiraj stood up from the couch & hollered, "Just stop talking about your gay husband. Why don't you concentrate on me? We hadn't talked with each other properly for 3 days, nor had we made love." Shana got annoyed at those words & admonished, "Don't you dare talk to me like this. He is my best friend before being a husband. I can sacrifice a hundred Adhirajs for him." Without responding to what Shahna said, Adhiraj picked up his bag & stormed out of her house.

         "Hey Adhiraj, Shahna here. I'm sorry love to be so rude. Please call me back!" spoke the voice mail that Shahna might have sent maybe a hundred times. After not getting any response for the whole day, Shahna decided to surprise Adhiraj by taking a bottle of champagne & cake to his house. Shahna rang the doorbell several times but she couldn't get any response. She searched for the spare key which Adhiraj had the habit of hiding under the doormat. Shahna quietly opened the door to face silent darkness. She switched on the lights & headed straight into the kitchen. She planned to have a romantic candlelight dinner followed by passionate love-making.

All the preparations were done & Shahna was waiting for Adhiraj to return home. She was roaming around the house when she came across a room that headed to the basement. She couldn't stand her curiosity, hence she opened the door & went into the basement to face a secret workplace. There were various files & documents with diverse profiles pinned on the pin-board. She came across a folder labelled "Effects of Imipramine & other SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors) over sexual orientation". And further, she read the names beneath - Adhiraj Kumar & Michael Lobo. The name Michael Lobo struck her like a sting. She quickly opened the folder. She found multiple profiles of people including Shreyas. To the greatest of her fears, she found that Shreyas was being drugged since a month. Suddenly, she started putting the pieces together. How Michael Lobo suddenly popped up as soon as she met Adhiraj!? His complaints of constant dizziness & lethargy, loss of libido towards his boyfriend...

 "Haven't anyone taught you, sneaking into someone's private property is bad manners, darling?" bellowed Adhiraj, which startled Shahna. "And haven't anyone taught you that sneaking into someone's personal life is a crime?" scorned Shahna. "Where is Shreyas, you scoundrel!?" "Relax babe! He is safe in our laboratory. But not anymore. He is of no use now. Moreover, he knows a lot about our secret laboratory & so do you. So I'm afraid love we will have to kill you!" Adhiraj spoke furtively & turned around to smash Shahna's head with the writing board in his hand. "AAGHH! I can't believe you are such an animal Adhiraj," spoke Shahna as she struggled to get up. But before she could get up, Ahiraj gave her another thrash. She struggled to crawl to save herself but Adhiraj did not stop for a second from beating her up. Shahna was crying with utter pain. Adhiraj leaned close enough to whisper, "Don't worry love, one dose shall make all your pains vanish forever, I promise." And he banged the back of her head.

***

         Shahna's eyes slowly opened in a dark room where she could hear a constant argument between two men. "It was your folly Adhiraj. Why did you let that stupid girl come close to you? We are exposed," criticized the other voice to Adhiraj. Adhiraj explained, "Not anymore. We just need to overdose them with anesthetics & sedatives & they are silent forever." Shahna struggled to get up to save her life as well as Shreyas'. But before she could save Shreyas she had to escape the trap. Shahna was in extreme pain she could hardly stand. She checked for her phone in her pocket but Adhiraj had already emptied her pockets. But Shahna's luck was powerful. She had worn a smartwatch from which she can at least call up emergency. She immediately dialed 100 & all she could speak was, "Help! Please help!" Before she could speak anything else, the door of the room flew open & she saw a figure approaching her. It was Michael. He thought Shahna was still unconscious. He picked her up. Shahna patiently waited for the moment when she could attack & she did, right at his masculinity. He was down with pain & all he could speak was, "Catch that bitch!" Shahna gathered all the strength & will power & ran towards the fuse board. As soon as she reached the fuse board, she removed all the fuses without knowing which fuses connect where, not that she even had the strength to do so. And "BANG", Shahna fell unconscious out of the loss of energy.

***

 

         "Are you alright madam?" enquired a nurse to Shahna. She found herself in a hospital ward with a constable, doctor & nurse surrounding her. "Where am I?" was her cliched question. "Madam, you are in a city hospital, fit & fine. We need your statement," stated the constable. The constable narrated the entire event to Shahna. "As soon as the police reached Adhiraj's place, they managed to escape. They investigated the entire place to find her & the secret laboratory. They rescued all the patients & shifted them to the same hospital for their treatment." Shahna got her statement recorded & filed a case against Adhiraj & Michael.

         After getting discharged from the city hospital, Shahna rushed to the ward where Shreyas was admitted. With the plaster in one hand, Shahna galloped to hug Shreyas tight. "I almost lost you!" cried Shahna. "But you haven't. I'm right here. You were the saviour," spoke Shreyas calmly. Shahna got the first appointment with the best psychiatrist in town. She narrated the entire event to the doctor & asked him to treat him to what he was before. The doctor was surprised at her demand which is otherwise the other way round from the other patient's relatives.

***

          "Why are you doing this?" asked Shreyas, while munching on the popcorn & seeing the movie, to Shahna. "Doing what?" asked the perplexed lady. Shreyas cleared her confusion, "Why are you getting me treated? Don't you wish me to be normal like others?" Shahna was silent. After a short pause, Shahna spoke, "Shreyas, have I ever questioned your sexual orientation? I love you beyond that. I love you for what you are. I love you to my life. I want my best friend back. It doesn't matter to me whether you are gay or not. I just love you." Shreyas hugged Shahna tightly which made his blood gush towards his manliness to devote his love to the one who loved him par his sexual orientation.

 

DARE TO LIVE A SECOND CHANCE

         

        A fair, petite girl was sitting in the metro scribbling continuously in her spiral-bound diary. Her honey brown ivory hair was tied up with a hair-band yet a few strands managed to fall over her face. She hardly lifted her head to see the passengers changing nearby. It was as if she was now very well acquainted with the route and the timings. Finally, she closed down her diary and kept it aside. She lifted her head to see which station had arrived. It was still time for her station. She looked at the watch and got lost in her thoughts. Rajat Khanna, a charming, smooth shaved fair guy, clearly in his early 30s, was keenly observing her. He could see her aspirations and dreams being suppressed due to the burden of obligations. Rajat Khanna was the owner and chief editor of the famous magazine, "The Metro Life", in Mumbai. Being a writer, it was his hobby to study different people. This girl was an exception. She had an attractive aura. Rajat wanted to go and talk to her. He stood up from his seat to sit beside that girl. But before he could do that, the metro stopped at Noida sector 15 and the girl stepped out of the metro. It was not Rajat's stop so he didn't bother to step out. But he saw the diary that the girl left behind. He took the diary and rushed out of the metro just when the doors were about to shut.

        Rajat rushed to chase the girl. Rajat wasn't aware that he was famous in Delhi too. Spotting him, several youngsters crowded around him and cajoled "Sir, I'm a huge fan of yours. Can we take a selfie with you?." Rajat couldn't but agree. He let the youngsters take a selfie with him. All of a sudden there was a blackout, "BOOM!" was the loud noise that made everyone deaf with sharp ringing ears.

        Everyone hustled to & fro frantically to save their own lives. Rajat ran towards the affected area to have a look at the scene. Basically, his dark fearless eyes were searching for that girl. Fortunately, the girl was not present in the business hub where the explosion took place. Rajat found her lying near a parked car where no one noticed her. He rushed her to the nearby hospital.

        A serious-looking spectacled fellow in a white apron came out of the examination room, muttered some medications and treatments to the nurse, and then talked to him, "I'm sorry, you did not mention the patient's name." Rajat realized that he doesn't know her name. He opened the girl's diary to see the name and informed, "It's Gaurangi Sharma. I found her near the bomb blast area." Rajat was unaware of her family members, so he chose to take up the expenses of her treatment. It was long enough to wait for Rajat until Gaurangi gained consciousness. Meanwhile, Rajat chose to be bad-mannered and read Gaurangi's diary. He was right. This girl was a writer. Each of her writings had her deepest desires to be fulfilled but none had happened in real.

        After 2 days Gaurangi gained consciousness, but the only thing that was lost was her memory. The neuro physician informed, "She's into amnesia. Sooner or later she would gain back her memory but slowly and steadily. She might remember some episodes of her past life. Talk to her if she knows you."

        Rajat knew it was in vain talking to her as they were strangers to each other. Rajat did not want to leave her alone in such a condition. So he decided to take her along with him. He entered the room and faced the perplexed yet pretty face of Gaurangi. He stated, "Hi Gaurangi. I'm Rajat Khanna. You might not recognize me. We are companions. It's time to go home." Gaurangi couldn't recall a single thing, not her name, her age, her parents, any relatives. She was blank. Gaurangi asked Rajat, "Who am I?" The instant reply Rajat could think was, "You're a writer. You write articles for my magazine. And before you ask, a couple of days back there was a bomb blast and your parents died in that. You survived but lost your memory. And now we are going back to Mumbai.

        Rajat's mom was surprised to see him accompanied by a girl. Rajat gestures her to be quiet & introduces her, "Mom, this is Gaurangi, our fabulous writer about whom I keep on talking. She'll be staying with us for some time until she finds herself a new home." Rajat's mom was cool enough to understand his gesture. Mrs. Shraddha Khanna warmly welcomed her & lead her to her room. Rajat explained to her whether whatever he did was right or not. Shraddha agreed to him.

        The next day at the breakfast table, Rajat stated, "Gaurangi be quick, we need to catch a flight. We have a conference in Manali & you need to cover the event. I hope you are ready to run around with me as my assistant?" and Rajat winked. Rajat told Gaurangi that she was selected amongst the top 10 interns who worked in his office.

        Gaurangi started adapting to the prevailing situation. She had lost her memory but subconsciously she started gaining peace & happiness. She travelled places with Rajat, covered the stories & started writing articles for his magazines. Gaurangi & Rajat became close friends & Gaurangi never intended to leave them. Gaurangi was typing fervently over her laptop, when Shraddha scolded her, "Put that down Gaurangi & have your breakfast. You are going mad with work." Gaurangi absent-mindedly asserted, "Mom, just a few minutes more & I'm done, promise." Rajat & Shraddha looked at each other with a sense of happiness. Gaurangi was out of her trauma. A new Gaurangi was born fearless & feisty. It was time Rajat thought to reveal her the diary & the actual scene that took place.

        Rajat shouted from his room, "Gaurangi!" Gaurangi stood up from her chair to go to Rajat's room. Rajat looked serious & in a firm tone he said, "Gaurangi, there's something I need to tell you & give you." She saw a pain arising in his eyes. Before she could ask him further there rung the doorbell. Gaurangi snapped, "It must be Mumma. Give me a minute, I'll be back." She opened the door to face two khaki uniformed men. "Gaurangi Sharma?" confirmed one of them. Gaurangi asserted, "Yes. How may I help you, sir?" As soon as she spoke the words, a tall man with a white moustache & a half-bald head faced her. Gaurangi was delighted with joy to see her dad, "Dad! You are alive! I'm so happy." She hugged him & cries of joy rolled down her eyes & shouted, "Rajat, look my dad!" Rajat hurried out of his room. Everyone in the room looked perplexed. A decent looking man came forward & hugged Gaurangi, "Oh Gaurangi! Where were you? We searched madly for you?" Gaurangi pulled away from & asked. "Excuse me! Who are you?" The man got confused & before he could reply Rajat interrupted, "Sir, Gaurangi had lost her memory in the recent bomb blast that had occurred in Delhi. She only remembers a few episodes of her life." Gaurangi's dad & that man were shocked. That man got impatient & restless, "Gaurangi, I'm Kishan, your husband." And he hugged her tight. Gaurangi was shocked & confused to see & hear whatever was going on. She looked at Rajat in confusion & demanded an explanation.

        Rajat asked each of them to take a seat & promised to give everyone all the explanations that they demanded. Rajat repeated the events that took place to everyone & explained to them the situation that had occurred. Gaurangi was furious, "How dare you? How dare you play with my life like this? Why did you lie to me?" Her whole world shattered. She realized that whatever she was living was a false life. She looked at her father & at the man who claimed to be her husband & realized she has to return to her actual life now. She rushed to her room, packed her bags & demanded, "Let's go, dad. I don't want to stay here for a minute." Rajat apologized to Gaurangi, "I'm sorry Gaurangi. This is your diary that you left back in the metro, because of which we met. It needs to be back to its original owner." Gaurangi snatched the diary from him & walked out of the house without even looking at the tears in his eyes.

        Back home in Delhi, Gaurangi was taken to the psychiatrist for the reconstruction of her memory. Slowly & steadily Gaurangi could gradually gain back her memory & recall the missed episodes of her life. She was back to her in-laws, with her husband & back to the boring job. Kishan shouted, "Gaurangi, where's my tie? I'm getting late for office!" Gaurangi rushed into the room handed him the tie. Just then her mother-in-law shouted from the kitchen, "Gaurangi where's our breakfast? You haven't yet served our plates. What are you up to? Be quick! "Guarangi was rushing here & there to cope with her household chores. After satisfying everyone's needs & demands, Gaurangi set out for her workplace. As she was sitting in the metro, she decided to read her diary. While reading her diary, she could recall each & every moment that she had spent with Rajat & his mom Shraddha. She realized Rajat made her live her life her way. Subconsciously she longed to be there again. She longed to live her life her way.

        Six months had passed since she had returned home. Nothing had changed. Coping up with household chores, fulfilling demands & expectations, boring job, impassionate sex & crushing desires had become Gaurangi's routine. Once when Gaurangi was sitting alone on a swing at her mom's place, her dad came & sat beside her & asked, "You don't seem to be happy Gaurangi. All good?" At first, Gaurangi lied, "Of course dad. I'm good. Everything's good. I'm happy that I got my family back." These were her words like every time. She never opened up herself because she thought her views & wishes might hurt her parents' orthodox sentiments. But suddenly Rajat's words struck her, "Opening up doesn't hurt. It might hurt for an instance but at least you are free of the burden of hiding the true feelings. Leave the rest of the decision to the person." Gaurangi's father spoke as he stood up, "If you say so, my child. I'll check out on your mom." Gaurangi held her dad's hand & stated, "I'm not happy dad." Her father froze. They both glanced at each other. He sat beside her for further explanation. Gaurangi added, "I'm not happy with my life. For someone, it might seem to be a perfect life. A perfect husband, a perfect job, a perfect family but not perfect happiness for me. Honestly, dad, I miss those 2 months of my life. I miss Rajat." Gaurangi stared at her dad for a reaction. Gaurangi's dad stared blankly over the verandah. Gaurangi was expecting a scornful no from her dad. But what Rajat said was true. She suddenly felt as if a heavy burden of guilt was relieved. She didn't care about what her dad would say now. She was happy that finally, she could speak her heart out to her dad. Gaurangi nudged her dad & asked, "Dad, are you okay? I know you must be upset with what I said but that's the truth of my life. "Her dad stood up without speaking a word. Gaurangi stood up & followed him, afraid of the fact that he would tell mom & create a big melodramatic scene. Gaurangi's dad took his phone & dialed a number. Gaurangi regretted what she said. She thought her dad would call up Kishan & complain. She was imagining the big melodramatic scene when her dad spoke, "Hello Mr. Desai. I want to file a divorce case against Mr. Kishan Sharma on my daughter's behalf. When shall we meet?"….. After a pause, he continued, "Sure I'll be there at 6:00 pm." And he hung up. Gaurangi couldn't believe her ears. All she could do was run & hug her dad tight & cry loudly. Her mom rushed out of the kitchen to see the emotional scene. They were successful enough to convince her mom.

        Rajat was sitting in his cabin when his assistant entered, "Sir, a lady is sitting out there to meet you for the job. She has sent this article for you to read & call her." Rajat took the paper in his hand & read the title "My Dream Life". It was a single page article so he thought to give it a try & read. As he was going through the words, memories of episodes that he had spent with Gaurangi flashed in front of his eyes. He rushed out of his office to face Gaurangi. His happiness had got wings & he flew right towards Gaurangi to hug her tight in his arms. But suddenly he thought of her being married stopped him. Gaurangi stated, "Hello Mr. Rajat Khanna, I'm Miss Gaurangi Chauhan. Would you like to appoint me as a writer in your magazine?" The words Miss Gaurangi Chauhan were music to his ears. They hugged each other & both of them uttered the same words together, "I love you!"

        Rajat had been working on adding new segments to his magazine in the past year. He had held a press conference for throwing light over the same. Rajat addressed the press, "Today I shall throw light to new segments of our magazine. But before that, I would like to introduce all of you to our new editor-in-chief of this magazine & columnist, Mrs. Gaurangi Rajat Khanna." A round of applause filled the room as Gaurangi stood up from her chair to address the press. She walked to the podium & one of the press reporters questioned her, "Ma'am, the story that is published in this edition is it anytime related to yours?" Gaurangi replied with a smile, "Well, yes the melodramatic story relates to ours." Another press reporter asked, "So ma'am, what's your take on life?" Gaurangi thought for a while & replied, "Life is an exam where the syllabus is unknown & question papers are not set. It is you who decide which questions you want to attempt & how. Attempt those questions whose answers you know the best to pass out with flying colours." The room was filled with loud applause & a lot of appraisals.

        Rajat & Gaurangi proved to be the best pair to establish the new segments of the magazine. Also, they were successful to establish a new series of magazines too.

THE DESOLATING VENGEANCE

15th September 2007, Panjim, Goa:-

            It was the hearing of the final verdict of the Julia D'mello rape & murder case. The 18 years old Pandit twins were sitting biting nails behind the defence lawyer Mr. Rahul Chauhan, a well-known lawyer of Dehradun. There was a latent hostility in the silent courtroom. All the heads were focussed on the earnest judge scribbling on his notepad. A dusky girl around 15 years of age, arranged her black-rimmed loose glasses over her wretched eyes, was desperate to hear the verdict in her sister's favour.

 The antisocial silence was broken by the judge, "The court hereby announces Raghav & Rana Pandit to be non-guilty in the context of lack of evidence & liable eyewitnesses. Also, the court orders Jennifer D'mello to be sent to a rehabilitation centre for her mental & social well being until she's adult. The court is now adjourned." Jennifer was shattered & furious. She fervently​ went over to the evil Pandit twins & growled, “You shall pay for your sins.” The Pandit twins mocked at her hostility & walked away leaving her miserable.

 

24th December 2016, Panjim, Goa:-

            Rana Pandit was honoured for the best website designing firm "Designing Pandits". Pandit brothers had now become successful website designers. While Rana was receiving awards, Raghav was busy bagging big deals in New York.

The fair, tall & dynamic Pandit was washing his hands in the Gents washroom admiring himself in the mirror with pride, "Not bad Rana, you are still very handsome & attractive." Just then an attractive figure came out of one of the toilet cabins. To his astonishment, it was a sleek, dusky & fashionable young girl, clearly in her mid-twenties. He had mixed emotions on his face of astonishment, confusion & embarrassment. The girl caught his look & explained, "It was urgent & I couldn't have handled it longer so I got in the Gents' washroom. I'm so sorry to disturb your conversation with yourself." Both of them looked at each other & laughed out loud. Rana was impressed by the girl's social confidence. The girl introduced herself as Jenny, an aspiring writer who had come there for a literature conference. They exchanged a flirtatious conversation & a single conversation gave them all the reasons to spend the Christmas week together in Goa.

 Every dream has to end & so did this. They exchanged their numbers, hugged each other & parted ways with fond memories & a weird sense of sadness.

 Rana thought it to be the best chance to invite Jenny to Dehradun for the grand success party that they threw. To his greatest happiness, Jenny had agreed to be there. He was physically in the party but mentally his desperate eyes were searching for Jenny. Raghav read the desperation in his twin brother's eyes & consoled, "Hey brother, relax she'll be here soon. Now stop being a sad soul. Enjoy this party & go get yourself a drink. I'll check out the poolside whether everyone's got drinks & food. You join me there." Raghav was greeting everyone when a pair of soft hands closed his eyes from behind. Raghav turned back to look at a dusky girl in a sleek floral dress with her wavy open caramelized hair. It was Jenny. Raghav came forward & hugged her tight. He recognized it was Jenny from the snaps that Rana had shown him. Jenny felt awkward with his touch & pulled herself. Confusion was printed on her face. Raghav gave a flirtatious look, "Hey gorge…" Before Raghav could complete his words, Rana popped up, "Jenny! You are finally here. I had been waiting for you for ages. What took you so long?" Jenny was shocked to see two same faces & the three of them laughed at her folly. Rana introduced them. Jenny & Raghav shook hands with each other. Raghav gave a long kiss on Jenny's hand & greeted, "It's a pleasure meeting you Jenny." Jenny pulled her hand away from Raghav's. She smiled awkwardly at him. Raghav had stars of lust in his eyes for Jenny. And probably Jenny had sensed it.

 During the entire party, Raghav was finding chances to get closer to Jenny in some or the other way. But Jenny was smart enough to understand Raghav's intentions. She kept herself busy with Rana & his friends. Raghav's lusty plans were crushed when Jenny was not found in Rana's bedroom after the party got over. Jenny had made a permanent space for herself in Rana's heart instead.

 Rana completed his breakfast early & left the house before Raghav was even up. Rana picked up Jenny from her hotel in his new Mercedes. Jenny broke the surprise of her new book & that she was there until she finishes it. Rana beamed with joy, "Are you kidding me? What a pleasant surprise! I'm so delighted." 

Jenny, "But I can't be staying here in the hotel for so long. So, first of all, find me a new home." 

Rana, "I've got a perfect place for you." And Rana vroomed his car through lush green forests.

“So this is your new home,” remarked Rana, standing in front of a beautiful small bungalow amidst the lush green hills. Jenny was happy, “It’s beautiful. I’m really glad that you brought me here. It’s the perfect place for my book.” And she leaned forward to hug Rana. A current passed through Rana’s body. He was just awestruck or should it be said love-struck.

After roaming about the city the entire day, Jenny picked up the luggage from the hotel & drove back to her new home. Rana dropped Jenny, "Hey see you tomorrow for dinner at the Pandit Mansion. There's a surprise for you. And we won't be meeting tomorrow. I have got a very important meeting at the office." Jenny stated, "No worries. I'll manage it. Moreover, I need to unpack & set up my things so even I shall be busy. So bye. Good Night."

 The next day was difficult for both Jenny & Rana. Rana was nervous for he had decided to propose to Jenny. Rana rushed home after a daylong work & checked on the arrangements. Raghav was burning with jealousy inside, seeing Rana getting committed to someone. But he chose to show Rana that he was very happy. Jenny looked ravishing when she reached the mansion for dinner. Raghav was getting increasingly attracted to Jenny. Jenny was beamed to see such romantic arrangements, "Wow! It's beautiful. What's the occasion?" Rana came forward to escort Jenny, "What's the hurry? There's an entire evening to reveal, isn't it?" The three of them proceeded for the dinner where they giggled over the Goa incidences. As soon as the dinner was over, the attendants served three of them the dessert wine with Jenny's favourite chocolate mousse. Raghav stood up, "I raise this toast to Rana & Jenny. Cheers!" Jenny looked at Raghav & then at Rana, "What's going on Rana?" Rana stood up from his chair & went towards Jenny. He got down on his knees & opened a plush velvet box with a diamond solitaire studded ring inside, "Jenny, will you accept me as your life companion? I promise to be yours all my life until death does us part." Jenny had tears of joy in her eyes. She stood up from her chair & bent on her knees to hug him & rejoiced, "Yes!" And they had their first kiss. "Ahem!" coughed Raghav. "There's someone else too in the room if you two must know." The new lovebirds arose & laughed. They excused themselves from the place & Raghav was left all alone in the room. A volcano of fury ravaged in Raghav & he was getting more demonic.

 The next day Raghav announced a big project & handed over to Rana so that he remains busy all time. Jenny & Rana who met every day now started meeting hardly once in 3 days, which reduced to once in a week. Raghav took benefit of the prevailing situation & visited Jenny at her place. Raghav opened the door with the duplicate key he had. He was dressed in Rana's clothes & perfume. He quietly entered the room where Jenny was typing on her laptop. Raghav hugged her from behind & started kissing her neck. Jenny was startled & stood up, "Rana!" Raghav pulled her in his arms tight & kissed her. Jenny was disgusted by his behaviour. By his clothes & perfume, Jenny thought him to be Rana. But from his actions, Jenny realized he was Raghav dressed in Rana's clothes. She pushed him away & gave him a tight slap. Raghav was startled by this, "Jenny, we are engaged. What the hell are you doing?" Jenny barked, "No, Mr. Raghav Pandit we are not engaged. Do you think you could fool me by wearing Rana's clothes & perfume? But you shall never be able to wear his heart, you devil. Get out of my house before I throw you out." Raghav got furious at this. He couldn't control his anger. He clapped his hands, "Wow! Rana has played his game very well. But do you even know his intentions? You are not the only one whom he has brought home like this. Before you, there were many more. Before you, we have shared a lot of girls. Wow! What nights those were! Threesome nights! And we shall even share you." And a big tight slap came around his cheek which left a red palm imprint on his face. Jenny barked, "Get out!"

 Jenny started crying, her cries getting louder & louder, feeling deceived. She decided to confront Rana right away. She dialled a call to Rana & yelled, “I want to meet you right now, period.” Before Rana could speak she hung up the call. Rana rushed at her house. The door was wide open & Jenny was sobbing sitting in the corner of the room. Rana rushed towards her & hugged her in concern, “Jenny, what’s wrong?” This time Jenny knew from the hug that it was Rana. Jenny pushed Rana away, furiously. Rana was scared, “What happened? Tell me what went wrong. I’m sorry I’m not able to give proper time to you due to my work but that doesn’t mean I don’t love you.” Jenny grunted, “Prove it that you love me. I don’t believe you.” Rana stood up & sighed, “Fine! I’ll prove it to you. But you will have to promise me you won’t leave me after that?” Jenny nodded.

 Rana drove Jenny to their secret hideout which no one else knew except the twins. They used to hide there for days together. Jenny was shocked, "What is this place?" 

Rana, "This is our secret hideout where we brothers used to hide when we committed something wrong and when we wished to hide from the world. No one else knows about it but now you know." 

Jenny was silently watching him. 

Rana, "Jenny I need to tell you something about my past. We brothers were under the trial of rape & murder of an escort named Julia D'mello. We were guilty & we knew it & her sister was a witness to it, who filed a case against us. That girl being an escort plus a drug addict it was easy for us to get a clean chit. After that, we made girlfriends for benefits & used to share them. But that started decreasing as we grew mature enough to understand that it was wrong. Till today we regret the incident that happened in Goa. Jenny, I promise I have changed. I love you & shall remain faithful to you." Jenny was silent & choked. 

Rana held her, "Jenny, say something. What went wrong?" Jenny gathered the courage to reveal the incident, "You must be regretting what you did but your brother doesn't. He wants me to be a shared toy-girl. Since day one he had been trying to come close to me. The project was given to you purposely so that you remain busy with it & he could take that benefit. He came to my house today dressed in your clothes & perfume. At first, I couldn't recognize but with the way, he held me & misbehaved I realized it was Raghav. He groped me. Tell me, Rana, am I going to see the same fate?" Rana was enraged with fury. Rana dropped her at her place & vroomed in fury to his own. 

 Jenny was crying her heart out clinging the photo frame in her hand, “I’m sorry. I’m in love with him. And I can’t lie to him anymore. I want to spend my entire life with him.” She packed the photo frame in her bag, locked the door & immediately headed towards Pandit Mansion.

 The Pandit Mansion was flooded with ambulance, police vans & a lot of media. Jenny's heart started pounding. She rushed into the mansion. The forensic people were clicking the body's snaps. She was choked. She let out a big cry, "RANAAAA!" and ran towards the body but the cops stopped her. She started shouting over everyone out there, "Where were you all when this happened?" Just then the officer-in-charge Mr. Rizwan Sheikh came to her, "May I know your identity ma'am." One of the attendants responded, "Sir, she is Rana sir's fiancee." Jenny snapped, "I know that scoundrel. Raghav is the murderer. I wish I’d been there earlier. It might have made all the difference. So all I can tell you is why he was murdered." Rizwan was shocked, "Ma'am are you in your senses?" Jenny nodded, "Yes officer I am in all my senses. I am filing a case against Raghav Pandit." Rizwan agreed, "Fine. Officer, note down her statement & file a case against Raghav Pandit. We shall issue his arrest warrant tomorrow morning. For now, let us complete our proceedings."

 Jenny walked back to her house with a volcano of emotions in her heart - hatred, anger, revenge. She was now firm to punish Raghav at any cost.

 Rizwan filed a strong charge-sheet against Raghav Pandit. But the only issue was that Raghav Pandit was missing with his gun. In the context of the case his passport was surrendered so there was no chance for him to fly abroad. All the check posts, railway station & bus stations were under surveillance. Jenny was shattered yet firm to find Raghav. She was typing over her laptop & jotting down all the incidences that happened in past months when she remembered the secret hideout that Rana took her to. Not wasting another minute she called up Officer Rizwan, "Hello officer. This is Jenny, Rana's fiancee. I probably know where Raghav is." Rizwan hung up the call & immediately set out with his force with an arrest warrant in his hand. He picked up Jenny from her place & Jenny guided him through the secret hideout. Her guess was right. Raghav was lying miserably in the corner of the room with empty bottles of rum & bent spoons around him. He wasn't even in the condition to walk. He was arrested immediately.

 15th September 2017, Dehradun Session's court:- 

            Raghav was presented guilty of killing his brother Rana Pandit. Jenny's negative testimony was noted. Raghav had destroyed the gun, in the absence of which they needed an eye witness to punish Raghav. 

The next thing that happened blew Raghav's mind. Feroza, their head attendant was an eye-witness to the entire incident that happened in the Pandit Mansion. She hid with the fear of being caught by Raghav but the news against Raghav gave her the courage to reveal the incident.

             Rana shouted as soon as he entered the mansion, "RAGHAV! Where are you? Come out you..!" Raghav came out of the barroom in a drunk state. He was heavily drunk, "Hey my brother. You are a traitor! You ditched me for that cheap girl." Rana shouted with fury, "Shut up! Don't you dare speak ill of her! You are the traitor. You groped your brother's fiancee. How cheap you are! We made a pact of not doing all of this ever again & you broke that pact. I hate you brother. You keep your business, your mansion with you. I'm leaving this place forever. I don't want to live with such a cheap person." Raghav barked, "No one talks to me like this. Not even you Rana. I'm elder to you. You need to obey me as you did every time." Rana snapped, "Grow up Raghav! My obedience to you all these years had been my greatest mistake which made me an animal like you, but not anymore. I want to live my life peacefully. Goodbye Raghav!" Raghav was at the peak of his fury & adrenaline gushed in his blood. He took out the gun in his pocket & shot him right in his heart, "NO ONE LEAVES ME WITHOUT MY PERMISSION!" Raghav had given a holiday to all the attendants at the mansion. Not a soul was around to hear the gunshot. Rana fell dead on the floor, the carpet flooded with Rana's blood. Raghav saw that & he realized what he did. It was nearing midnight & the other shift of staff members was about to come. Raghav fled away.

 Raghav was punished with non-bailable life imprisonment & a heavy fine to the victim. As soon as the trial was over Jenny went over to Raghav and smirked, "Jennifer D'mello finally made you pay for your sins." Raghav suddenly noticed the black-rimmed glasses that she had worn. And all he could recall was the scene that happened the same date of the same month 10 years back.

 Jennifer visited her sister’s grave as soon as she landed in Goa. She kept a bouquet of white tulips & sighed, “Today you shall finally rest in peace.” And Jennifer was lost in desolation again.