~Chapter 15~ Matured

Aryan’s hideout:

The silence in the vast, circular chamber was broken only by the steady drip of water and Tarika’s ragged breathing. Aryan Shekhawat held the gun rock-steady against Abhijeet’s temple, his eyes blazing with the venom of twenty-five years. Abhijeet felt the ghost of the memory—the burning warehouse, the sound of the detonator—recede as a fresh wave of protective fury took hold. He gestured towards Tarika.

"This fight is between you and me. Let her go."

"I want you to see her face when I shoot you. Just like I had to see Mannu's face after I died. That is true justice. You took away my life, my honor, and everything I ever hoped to be!"

His voice low and laced with finality, Abhijeet said

"I didn't have it easy either, I lost my mother, just because you were too selfish to believe in the rule of law!"

Aryan flinched at the mention of his mother who had also been a mother to him. He felt rage seep his veins as Abhijeet blamed him for her death.

"Don't you dare blame me. Ma was my world. You forgot her and broke her heart. It was your fault you chose the law over her. You couldn't..."

Abhijeet cut him off, his voice rising, raw with twenty-five years of self-blame.

"Shut up! I didn't choose to forget my life. You fractured my mind because you corrupted our vow! Your impatience is the reason we are in this mess right now. You threw away everything—your life, your inheritance, the woman who loved you—for a warped definition of justice!"

​Aryan laughed, a bitter, broken sound.

"Warped? Look at her!"

He gestured violently toward Tarika.

"You love her, yes? You think you kept her safe? I took her! That is the ultimate proof that your law, your procedure, your CID—it all fails! My method is pure, Partner! I eliminate the corrupt. You choose to live among them!"

His eyes boring into Aryan's, Abhijeet shot back,

​"I may, but I never became one of them like you did!. You went back to your father—the industrialist you hated—the man whose money buys protection from the courts! You used the very wealth you swore to reject to fund your murders! You are a hypocrite, Aryan! You abandoned our ideal for vengeance!"

​Aryan’s face crumpled, the truth hitting him like a physical blow.

"You don't understand the power—"

"Power? You call this power? You had to kill 4 people and kidnap my girlfriend just to get to me..."

"I chose those people, that was my power..."

"You chose? What do you mean? You wanted to shoot me but you missed because Freddy came in between right?"

Aryan pressed the gun tighter

"I never miss a shot."

A wave of memory hit Abhijeet. His voice shook as it finally dawned on him that all three murders were calculated.

"Of course, you were the only one who could beat me."

He looked up at him

"Simran worked for you. Why did you kill her?"

"I didn't want to initially but I let her get killed. She stopped being useful."

Abhijeet felt anger course through his veins,

"You are an idiot. You destroyed innocent people... Just because you wanted to prove a point! You broke every single vow we ever made, and now you stand here, using our ideal to justify terror! You were supposed to be my other half, the one who kept me honest. Instead, you became the corruption!"

Just as the tension reached its breaking point, a sound echoed from the entrance.

"Aryan!"

The surprised and disappointed scream ripped through the air. Aryan spun around, his attention completely shattered. He stared at Manisha, standing frozen at the entrance, her face streaked with tears and disbelief.

"Mannu..."

The gun lowered an inch, his voice cracking with genuine, desperate pain. He quickly turned back to Abhijeet, his rage momentarily replaced by confusion.

"This was between us, why did you bring her in?"

Manisha ignored him, walking slowly into the chamber, her eyes fixed on the man she had loved and mourned for decades.

"He didn't, I came of my own accord. You often brought me here when you hungout together. I knew this would be the place you chose."

Abhijeet watched her advance and his voice was tight with protective command.

"You shouldn't be here, Mannu. This is dangerous."

She shook her head, her eyes flashing

"Oh, but I had to know the truth, I didn't believe them. I didn't believe you. But look, here he is, alive and breathing in flesh and blood."

The denial gone, replaced by hard, agonizing certainty, she let out a painful scream. Seeing her look so devastated, Aryan pleaded

"Mannu..."

Her voice hoarse and filled with pain, she said

"Tell me, Tell me why did you kill Freddy? What did he do to you?"

Aryan’s eyes narrowed, the last vestiges of the lover melting away.

"He married you! He lived the life that was supposed to be mine! I wanted to hurt him, and I chose him... Now stay away from this."

"Why? Why should I? You killed my husband. This is personal."

Aryan snarled, the sound ripping from his throat. He lunged forward, grabbing her arm and pulling her roughly toward him.

"Husband? Don't... don't say that... that word! Don't, don't say that in front of me."

Manisha reacted instantly. She slapped him hard across the face, the sound echoing through the vast chamber. She pushed him away with all her strength.

"Don't you dare touch me, you murderer."

She reached into her pocket, pulling out the broken watch dial—the only artifact of her twenty-five years of devotion. With a sob, she threw the broken piece of metal at his feet.

"My lover died that day in the bomb blast! You are nothing but a cruel murderer!"

Aryan screamed, clutching his head, completely undone by the sight of her tears and the brutal rejection.

"Mannu... don't... don't... I didn't want you to see me like this..."

Manisha spat at him, her face wet but her resolve steel.

"Mannu who? Pah... Mannu is dead... I am Mrs. Fredricks, the wife of Inspector Fredericks whose honesty and kindness none could match. And you, Mr. Shekhawat are my husband's murderer."

"Mannu... it's your Aryan... your..."

In his devastation, he stumbled, his grip loosening entirely, and the gun slipped from his hand, clattering loudly on the stone floor. Before Aryan could even blink, Abhijeet lunged forward. His movements were fluid, honed by years of training and driven by instinct. He scooped up the fallen gun and leveled it at Aryan's chest. He turned to Manisha

"Bhabhi, Go free Tarika."

Manisha scrambled past them, her hands working furiously to release Tarika’s shackles. Abhijeet kept his eyes locked on his former partner. Tarika was freed, rushing to stand behind Abhijeet. He looked at Aryan, the final question tearing itself from his lungs.

"How dare you hurt Tarika? How dare you kill Freddy?"

Aryan, although knew he was defeated, managed a final taunt.

"Go on, Partner! Finish it! With the money I have, no court would convict me."

Abhijeet held the gun steady, the rage begging him to pull the trigger and satisfy the years of suffering. This was the person who was the reason, he lost everything. Looking at Abhijeet whose eyes reflected his murderous intent, he said

"Do what you feel right now! It's what I deserve! You lost so much because of me!"

Abhijeet took in a deep breath and saw the determined face of his lover beside him. As their eyes met, they reflected the trust she had on him. He shut his eyes and remembered his daughter's plea to bring back her Mumma. He knew what he had to do. He looked at his long lost friend and said in a clear, firm voice

"You are wrong Aryan, I didn't lose everything because I chose the law. To do what I feel right now is revenge. Justice is not defined by what I feel right now! Vengeance doesn't belong to me and I will not have it."

Just then, the team flooded the warehouse. The sound of boots echoed from the side entrances as Daya, ACP Pradyuman, Purvi, and Salunkhe, armed and ready, surrounded Aryan. Abhijeet dropped the gun at his feet. He took the handcuffs from his pocket and secured them tightly around Aryan’s wrist. He then picked up the gun, walked straight to the ACP, and placed it in his outstretched hand. His voice devoid of the guilt or pain he had been carrying all along, he said

"Fiat Justitia, Sir"

​Aryan laughed, a wet, rasping sound. He looked at the handcuffs, then directly at Abhijeet, a sickening triumph in his eyes. His voice thick, he said

​"You thought I would actually let you drag me to those filthy places which sells justice for money?"

​He began to convulse, a white foam appearing on his lips. His eyes rolled back, fixed on the ceiling. Choking, he said

​"I never intended to live after killing... killing you... That would be meaningless... Goodbye Partner. "

​He collapsed heavily to the stone floor. ​Dr. Salunkhe rushed forward, his face grim. He knelt, checking Aryan's pupils, then looked up at a shocked, horrified Abhijeet.

​"Cyanide. Fast-acting. He must have took it the moment he dropped the gun. He's gone, Abhijeet"

****