"Tejasswi, finally I got rid of you. Farewell, my dear. Rest in peace." The nurse whispered.
Her joy knew no bounds, and she erupted into manic laughter. Yet, her glee was short-lived as she caught a glimpse of a subtle stir in Tejasswi's motionless frame.
Tejasswi's hand lifted; she discarded her oxygen mask, got up, and perched on the bed. "Sudha, Mom, you've got it all mixed up. I'm perfectly fine."
Sudha was left in stunned silence, and then anger welled up inside her like a storm. She clutched the syringe as if it were a dagger, thrusting it toward Tejasswi's neck. Just in the nick of time, Karan rolled out from beneath the bed and restrained her hand.
"Stop right there, Sudha Kundrra. Lay a finger on my wife, and you'll regret it."
Karan swiftly maneuvered, twisting Sudha's arm and securing it behind her back. He forced her into a chair, swiftly fastening her restraints. Then he yanked off her wig and glasses, exposing the disguise.
"Urgh." Sudha shook her head.
"Damn, that's one hell of a disguise. You had me completely fooled for a good while," Karan remarked, shooting a piercing glare at her face.
Sudha's gaze bore into Tejasswi, who appeared not only unruffled but with a triumphant smile on her lips.
"You're still breathing? I'll fix that, you cursed woman!" she screamed, wriggling in an attempt to break loose.
Amidst her relentless yelling and cursing aimed at Tejasswi, she strained every muscle to fight against her bindings. Karan swiftly returned with a glass of water, which he forcefully splashed onto her face, stripping away the dark disguise to reveal her true identity.
"Ahh Karan......."
"Shut the f**k up."
With a loud exclamation, Karan pointed to his lips, signaling for her to hush and making a zipping motion across her mouth.
"You've had the audacity to harm my wife time and time again. What delusion led you to believe you could evade my justice?" Karan's voice carried a weight of authority and anger.
Though Karan's devilish aura jolted her, she maintained her cool and kept her composure. Meeting his fiery gaze head-on, a malicious smirk formed on her lips.
"Yes, I did. I exhausted every conceivable method. I even resorted to hiring goons for her abduction. The bomb plan was my own creation, but that cursed woman always managed to evade it. And you know why? Because I can't stand her. I despise her with every fiber of my being."
Sudha's admission cut through the air, her eyes ablaze with fury as they bore into Tejasswi.
"That's a loathsome facet of your personality. It's repulsive," Karan sneered, his eyes radiating intense hatred.
Sudha gazed into his eyes and erupted into maniacal laughter. "Haha, Karan, hate me as much as you like, but remember, I'm still your Sudha mom. I nurtured you with all the love in my heart, just like my own flesh and blood."
As he observed her audacious behavior, Karan's loathing for her deepened tenfold. "Even if you were my birth mother, I'd still refuse to forgive your wrongdoings."
"Don't delude yourself, my son. You possess no concrete proof against me. As for stumbling upon me here, I have a multitude of tales ready for just such an occasion," Sudha stated, radiating confidence.
After sharing a meaningful look, Karan and Tejasswi turned their attention to Sudha, chuckling with eyes that glittered mischievously.
"Despite raising me diligently, you remained oblivious to who I truly am."
"What?" Sudha asked in confusion.
"Did you honestly think I went through all the hassel to set up this entire plan just to have a conversation with you? Don't overestimate your importance, former mom."
"What does that mean?" Sudha frown.
"Not only can your voice be heard, but your image is displayed in high definition with Dolby Digital. Just take a look up there," Karan said, motioning towards the painting above Tejasswi's bed.
Sudha cast a keen gaze at the famous oil painting of Vincent Van Gogh, 'Starry Night'. She observed the small twinkling stars painted in the dark sky and found that, amidst multiple stars on the canvas, one of the stars has a hidden camera.
"Is that a nanny cam?" Sudha stuttered, her eyes widening in shock. She felt the rug swept out from under her feet.
"Bingo, and you know who the audience is?" An evil smirk tugged at the corners of Karan's mouth as he raised an eyebrow, then he glanced at Tejasswi, who mirrored his sinister grin.
Sudha's face contorted in horror as she grasped the meaning behind their smirks. She let out a deafening scream, "No! You can't do this. It can't be true! You can't destroy everything I've worked so hard for!"
Back in the hospital room, Karan outlined his strategy to entrap Sudha. They fabricated Tejasswi's dire condition and covertly relocated her from St. Laurens Hospital. Via Shivangi's assistance, Vicky relayed Tejasswi's concocted condition updates to the family, allowing them to fill in the missing details.
Even with the fortress-like security, they purposely created an opening for Sudha to slip through. The instant they detected Sudha infiltrating the mansion in disguise, Karan sprung into action for his next move.
'Tejasswi's life is in grave danger, and I place my trust in you. Please, make it quick.'
Karan revised this message for the selective members of the Kundrra family and ensured they could witness the entire scenario from outside the room.
"You're absolutely right. I've finally unveiled your true self to my family," Karan declared, and with a final, thunderous cry, he called out, "Vicky!"
Vicky entered with two additional guards who untied Sudha, but they firmly gripped both her arms and dragged her out of the room.
She made no effort to resist and followed in silence. However, the moment her eyes landed on her family in the living room, meeting Rajesh's fiery gaze, she started to wiggle.
"Rajesh, please help me! I'm innocent. Tejasswi maliciously set me up!" She screamed, shooting an angry glare at Tejasswi, who was assisted by Karan as they walked out.
In a fit of rage, Rajesh advanced towards Sudha, his hand raised to strike, but Tejasswi's voice echoed from behind, halting him in his tracks.
"Dad, no. Please don't do this."Tejasswi pleaded.
Rajesh balled his fist to contain his anger and said, "Why should I take heed of your words, Tejasswi, and show mercy to this woman? She deserves to face the repercussions."
"She's your wife, no matter what. Only a feeble man resorts to violence against a woman, especially one who can't defend herself. A true gentleman would never stoop to such actions."
"I don't recognize a criminal as my wife."
"Rajesh, please, I'm still your wife. You can't do this to me. Despite everything, my love for you remains unwavering. I've always cherished my family," Sudha pleaded, tears streaming down her face.
"You don't know how to love, Sudha Kundrra. You merely manipulate people, much like you did with Raju years ago, before throwing him under the bus." Karan's face was rigid as he spoke.
Just then, Police Officer Gaurav Verma and his team entered, going directly to Sudha.
"You are under arrest for conspiring to murder Tejasswi Sharma and for being an accomplice in the murders of Atul Shetty and his former wife, Nidhi Shetty. You have the right to contact your lawyer."
She put up a struggle as Officer Verma tried to handcuff her. "This is utter nonsense! I haven't taken anyone's life. What evidence do you have against me?"
"We've got a bucketful of evidence. Just a while ago, Raju Patil, your partner in crime, turned in all the proof. He spilled the beans on how you directed him to execute every crime through text and calls," Officer Verma said, handcuffing her right hand.
Sudha gazed at Karan's composed expression and shouted, "Karan, you're responsible for this. Why? Why did you destroy everything for me?"
She resisted with all her might, snatching the officer's gun from its holder and giving him a forceful shove. Swiftly, she closed the distance to Tejasswi, holding her at gunpoint.
"Tejasswi......" Everybody screamed in unison.
Armed and ready, the other officers and Karan's security guards aimed their guns at Sudha.
"Stay still, or her life is on the line. She's the one who tried to sabotage my years of planning. I won't allow her to escape."