Chapter 64
Having achieved one of the greatest guidance from Vihaan, Rehaan was waiting impatiently outside a bank in disguise. The weather in Omkareshwar during the month of May was mildly hot and he was sweating under the furious rays of the sun. His face was covered to the brim of his forehead with a cap while he had put on sunglasses to protect himself from being recognized.
"How long shall I have to wait?" He began to anticipate the possibility of his task from being accomplished. "No, I mustn't begin assuming again. My wild assumptions have been the greatest threat to the hardships in my life."
He pulled out his phone from his pocket and checked the calendar in it. "If my logic is correct, today is the fifteen of the month and I am sure he will be here."
He also took out his detailed e-banking statement and shuffled through the printed pages. "I am on the right track it seems. I've been receiving money from this particular branch lately."
There was a small crowd of people roaming about the lounge and it took less than an hour for Rehaan to spot the only individual he had been waiting for so impulsively. He saw the hoodie-cladded figure emerging from the gate and striding to the last counter hastily. Rehaan stood watching him quietly, who was now speaking to the man in the counter. After a good deal of fifteen minutes, Rehaan realized that his target had begun preparing to leave.
"Ishaan, you have been spotted already. Dad, you are a genius." Rehaan murmured inaudibly. "Today I will surely clean up all the mess for which I am responsible for."
Rehaan joined the queue with his head down, focusing at the ground below and following him silently. Paving his way along the busy streets of Omkareshwar, Ishaan turned left and halted his pace of walking within ten minutes. A dilapidated house made out of bricks and a shade of asbestos caught Rehaan's vision.
Ishaan went inside the house and moved out in two minutes, ushering Karishma with him. Another young lady followed them, carrying a tray of mango juices and sandwiches in her hands. They settled down on the charpoi laid out in front of their house and the girl offered them the contents from the tray.
Rehaan watched them without a word, though his mouth itched to interrupt them. He was hiding behind the bark of a neem tree grown in the corner of the open space in front of their house, anxious to converse with Ishaan as soon as possible. When they were nearly done with their minimal feast, he came out of his hiding and stood abreast them.
"Ishaan, where have you been? Why did you disappear without informing me? This isn't as per our contract." Rehaan's questions threw Ishaan into a moral dilemma as he glanced an eye at his grandmother as well as Rabha's puzzled faces.
"This is not the right place to discuss. We need to move aside," Ishaan said heavily, gnashing his teeth in anguish. Before Rehaan could react, Ishaan pulled him by his wrist and carried him far away behind the bark of the neem tree. "You may begin with your complaints now. My grandma mustn't find it out or else she'll be devastated."
"And what about the sufferings of my sister? She's equally devastated without you." Rehaan began, an urge to reveal everything that tormented his heart. "Why did you choose to go anonymous and invisible to Pihu all of a sudden?"
"Despite being aware of the pain she may be experiencing without me, I had to take the drastic decision of moving away from her and everyone." Ishaan confessed solemnly. "A heart that loves truly cannot be hurt daily due a weakening thread of misunderstanding and lack of trust. My relationship with Prachi was built of anything but trust."
Rehaan held out his hands for Ishaan. The pain in Ishaan's voice could be easily felt, and the doleful expression in his eyes was unveiling the unsaid truth. "We had a deal, hadn't we? But I never expected you to be selling off your own house to arrange money for my treatment. I thought it was all professional between us."
Ishaan shook his head. "When my father's business began to dwindle, I was left with only two options— either invest in a new firm in partnership and merge with it to prevent further damage; or sell it off entirely."
Rehaan continued, "While no successful business ventures agreed, we both needed each other's help for sustaining ourselves."
"It's true, right, that we were engaged in a legal contract of having my father's land leasing company investing in periodic installments in your start-up and you promising to pay back the entire sum along with interest in installments as soon as your business takes off and makes profits," Ishaan said, squaring his shoulders. "I was only fulfilling the terms of the contract. I am still making payments to your commercial account bi-monthly."
"Either you are deviating from the topic or trying to fool me." Rehaan pointed out. "Nowhere in the contract it was mentioned that you are to spend money for my treatment or any other personal needs I may be having. Why did you make me pay the money at the hospital with a lie that you brought the money after mortgaging a part of your academy?"
"Because I felt obliged to." Ishaan uttered simply as if the words flowed out of his mouth seamlessly. "I couldn't have left you alone to deal with your life-threatening disease and watched Prachi broken beyond repair due to your fatal condition. After expiration of every financial asset from the company my family possessed, I had to give up on my house because of the creditors who had invested in my father's business. I still own my academy, but I'm insecure about it. They might mortgage it too."
"YOU. . ." Rehaan's voice was abruptly heavy with a burden of liability, tears began to prick his eyes out of nowhere. Without any further word of protest or contemplation, Rehaan threw his hands around Ishaan's shoulders and pulled him to his chest to welcome him with open arms. "We twins are so foolish to not recognize the individuals who love us so sincerely and selflessly. I promise, brother, to set everything right between you and my sister."
"But—"
"No, Ishaan, I don't want to hear any of those silly excuses. I have also heard that you'd vowed to get Pihu as your life partner if I agreed to it." Rehaan recalled few moments from the past which were narrated by Prachi earlier. "Today my self-realization is screaming at me to unite the two of you, without which my past acts of blunder won't be rectified at all. Give me the last chance, will you?"
Ishaan parted from Rehaan and peeked into his eyes. "What will you do?"
"I will not reveal anything now. I only need you to stay in touch with me and I'll let you know certain things gradually." Rehaan pleaded, determination in his voice. "On a last note, are you still mad at my sister for ill-treating you?"
"I can never be mad at her because I love her so much where madness exists only in the form of attachment and desire." Ishaan muttered softly. "I was solely hurt because she didn't trust me. I only wanted her to realize her folly."
"She has realized it before too, trust me." Rehaan disclosed evidently. "Otherwise which girl would go to the extent of sharing the words of her feelings for a man and the tale of her severed relationship to her parents?"
"She did such a thing!"
Rehaan bobbed his head in affirmation and held him in close proximity. "She is also equally mad for you but she is someone who considers the relationships with her family on priority. She won't move an inch forward without their permission."
"I know about it and this is one of the reasons why I chose her." An unknown smile appeared on Ishaan's lips. "I have never perceived the bonding that exists in the family of the Talwars. This is also another reason why I hold huge respect for the Bundelas and crave to be a part of it."
"I don't know what others think of you, but I trust you, that you will do anything to keep my sister happy."
Ishaan seconded Rehaan's words with an approving smile. "So shall I consider this to be the beginning of our friendship?"
"I remember the last time we had befriended each other, our sisters separated from us," Rehaan said, recalling the olden times. His uptight face spoke volumes of the past. "Past mustn't repeat again. This time we are uniting for a good cause to bring together friends, families and generations!"
*****
Having been upset for not being able to meet her expectations of finding the diary of Ishaan's mother at the Talwar residence, Prachi busied herself in preparing for a response to comfort Bhairav. She had promised to help him out, and in return he had given her a word of rectifying himself for the betterment of everyone.
"Miss Bundela, why are you silent?" Bhairav shook the railings of the cell ferociously. "Can I not have the last remembrance of my wife?"
"You deemed to, but then I am sorry." She shook her head. "Though I can present you with some-thing else if it suffices."
Immediately pulling out a notebook from her handbag, she waved it in front of him. He blatantly snatched it from her and gaped into it in awe. "These are exactly the same lyrics devised by my wife. You said you couldn't obtain the original one."
"I wrote them down." She answered heartily, glancing over his sulked face. "I had memo-rised most of the verses because I loved all of it. I will play these for you some-times out of my leisure."
Bhairav could not contain the happiness brewing on his face as his eyes lit up when he read through the pages. Prachi's neat handwriting captivated him further and he uttered in a low voice, "I wish Ratna were alive today. She could have become a famous lyricist. I would have done anything for her, if that included avenging her death from Vihaan Bundela."
The sudden mention of Vihaan's name caused her temper to rise. Prachi inhaled deeply before protesting in a thunderous voice, "I don't get why my father's name refuses to leave the reven-geful mind of yours. Even after repeatedly being proven that my father has ne-ver been the cause of the death of your wife, why the hell are you bent to prove him one and fulfill your act of veng-eance on him?"
"Because he is one such horrendous fellow!"
Prachi reversed counted ten to one just like her father to contain her anger and refuted in her extremely controlled voice, "My father is someone who will easily choose to lay down his life for women needing prote-ction. He can never put a pregnant woman's life at peril, let alone exciting her dur-ing her final trimester. I can never believe that Mrs. Ratna had passed away due to his negli-gence!"
"Think like a cop, little woman!" He spat angrily. "Hadn't he left her alone at the hospital without a firm discussion with the doctors, she must have been alive today."
"There you are, where you went wrong, Mr. Bhairav." Prachi raised a finger. "You had procured eno-ugh enemies who were already looking forward to teaching you a lesson by brin-ging an end to the life of your wife and child. Luckily, the infant Ishaan managed to esc-ape their wrath."
Mentioning Ishaan suffocated her inwardly and she paused to breathe. Bhairav's eyes went wider than before when he heard her. "Do you know what you are uttering without an evidence?
"You have uttered enough without an evid-ence against my father, but I do possess evidence to substantiate in my favour. There was someone out there to replace the medi-cines prescribed to your wife post-delivery at the hospital and that's how she died due to consumption of harm-ful drugs." Prachi stated bravely. "Your own misdeeds have been the reason why both your wife and your son are no more with you. Have you ever wond-ered nobody visits you in custody, not even your own mother? Why are you like this? Why can't you change the way you thi-nk even for once?"
Bhairav could no longer bear the brunt of Prachi's accusation aimed against him and he broke down on his knees. Cradling the diary to his bosom, he rumbled under his breath as tears began to cloud in his eyes. "You have been the eye-opener for me and the only individual who comes over to speak to me in the custody. As much as I don't want to live with this trauma that I lost Ratna to the planned animosity of a rival, I want to see the bloody murderer behind the bars. That's how my thirst for revenge will be accomplished. Will you help me?"
"I am not here to help you with your revenge-like attitude but obliged to perf-orm my duty. I will have to get hold of the criminal at all costs." Prachi uttered gravely. "The only criminal with-out whom our lives could have been different, free from suffering but, full of pleasure."
"I regret for not accepting you as my daughter-in-law when you were in our house. Instead, I went to the extent of kidnapping you and your brother." Bhairav wiped his face with his palms. "The next time when you meet my son, please tell him that his father has desired to see him for a last time. I wouldn't mind if I'm sentenced to death after that."
"It hurts me to think that Ishaan has gone missing from every-where, and the only one to be blamed is me." Prachi confessed, being morally an outspoken woman. "I was such a fool to prioritize my family over him."
"You meant to say you hurt him and he left." Bhairav's eyes sparkled again, but not in rage this time. "I think I was correct all these days. My son has been in love with you for years now."
When Prachi did not answer, Bhairav took a close notice of her pitiful eyes which spoke volumes of untold miseries. Slipping his hand through the railings, he placed a palm on her shoulder and brushed it with care.
"Bring him to me. I will talk to him," he spoke in an orderly fashion and Prachi shook her head slightly. Moving to the counter in the lobby, she fetched a plate of rice bowl and mixed vegetables with a cup of salad for him.
"You must take care of your health even if you don't feel like it. I can't afford to present a sick accu-sed in the court on the next date of hearing." She cautioned him and held out the platter for him. "After you have finished eating, get ample rest beca-use you haven't yet fully recovered from your sickness."
Bhairav obediently did as directed, plunging into the deliciously cooked food and gobbling it happily. "I haven't eaten such tasty dishes over months now. How is it possible to get such dishes prepared in the jail?"
"Because they were not prepared here. I offe-red you the lunch that I had brought for myself. I don't want to see you star-ving for want of good food. Your mental peace is more important for the case."
Saying nothing more, Prachi strode back to her desk and sat down to make further plans for the twisted case. She heard Bhairav murmur something behind her, but she chose to ignore it. Maintaining her professionalism was also equally important to her.
She opened her bag and pulled out the certificate of the Shimla camping which she had collected from Rehaan before leaving for her duty. Copying down the exact date of the award distribution ceremony in a notebook, she gazed at it intensely.
"I found the date. Now what's next?" Prachi opened her computer and launched the archives portal of their department. "I will do as papa suggested. I will have to research deeply into the old occurr-ences."
After careful consideration and observations, Prachi entered the correct date in the calendar section and waited for the end results to pop up. A few lists of cases appeared before her and she shook her head.
"Not these." She scrolled through the pages one by one, reading each one of them briefly. "There were six different acci-dent cases which were investigated by the police stations at Omkare-shwar on that particular day, but none of them had taken place in the railway station."
Simultaneously adding one day to the date each time, she continued with her volatile search for the next hour. Having been fed up with the futile attempts, she almost choked on her coffee.
"Not a single accidental case in the next fifteen days which might have occu-rred at the railway station!" She pressed down her fingers onto the keyboard in frustration. "Let me try the second piece of advice from my father."
Scrolling through the application, she reached the bottom of the page and opted for another option— 'cases pertaining to prisoners'. A long list of pending and dismissed cases was shrouded in front of her. She clicked on every link, examining one by one very closely.
She failed again this time. Hating to accept failure, she compelled her brain to work harder by recalling every other viewpoint of the case which she'd herself come across.
"As far as I've been informed, the man was a crim-inal put behind the bars by my father and he was released from the prison a few days earlier th-an the date of the bomb blasts."
Prachi scratched her head and bit her nail nervously before binging into the restricted database of the portal which was meant to be handled by only higher grade officers.
She ultimately discovered a couple of cases, out of which one of the recently released prisoners had literally come under a running train and died at the Omkareshwar railway station while being chased by Bhairav Singh Talwar.
"Oh gosh!" Prachi exclaimed to herself. "So this was the case along with the bomb blasts which was placed before the court agai-nst Mr. Bhairav and he was sentenced to a three year term in jail. And after that too, he'd been on and off into the jail for various other crimes in his line of busi-ness."
Prachi read through the entire news article along with the verdict on the case. Shaking her head a little, she uttered in disgust, "A criminal is always a criminal."
When she reached the middle of the paragraph, she grunted in pain. "Let's see who the prisoner was, who destr-oyed the peace between the families."
As she read between the lines, a name in bold letters flashed before her eyes like thunderbolts. "Kunwar Patel— now who was he?"
To be continued...
A/N: Guys, do you remember who Kunwar Patel was?
Sanvi's anniversary is on 25th June for your kind information. Their anniversary is going to be the final event of this AND series!
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