~Epilogue~

2 years later:

The first ray of sunlight, filtering through the window of the familiar suburban home, caught the gleam of Senior Inspector Abhijeet’s new wedding ring sitting by the living room window with his morning paper. Two years had passed since the air in Mumbai had been thick with smoke and the metallic scent of ideology, and the domestic landscape now bore the quiet, resilient marks of peace.

"Aryan"

The clear sound of his wife reached his ears followed by a toddler with his eyes and her hair who launched himself on him. He smiled as his playful eyes reflected his promising himself just as he promised himself everytime he saw him to be a better mentor and father to him than the one his now deceased friend had. His resolve to keep justice alive lived even more surer now that his son was in his life. As he playfully pulled his babbling son's cheeks, he remembered the hushs in the hospital room among his friends when he told them his name. He had looked at all of them and promised that with the lessons he learnt he would be a better mentor to his son and tell him of his friend who often went the extra mile in his memory. His wife with a small bowl of cereal entered the living room

"There you are. Abhijeet, I tell you, this little guy troubles me way more than you ever did"

He grinned as he pulled her and pecked her forehead

"But you know you love us more than anything in the whole world"

Shreya entered in and smiled seeing her family. Tarika looked at her and signed

"Oh no... I love my daughter a little more..."

She smiled her eyes bright as she walked towards her mother and hugged her sideways. She looked at her little brother and signed

"What's he upto now?"

Her father chuckled at he signed

"Refusing breakfast as usual..."

Aryan let out a babble and jumped to Shreya who caught him. With his baby hands he tried signing the one 3 words he loved the most

"I love you"

Shreya laughed at his attempt and looked at their proud parents shaking her head. Tarika smiled, then looked at the clock and signed

"Alright, it's almost time... Abhijeet..."

It was the first day of work for her after her long maternity leave.

"Huh, yes... Bhabhi will be here..."

A voice sounded from the doorway

"I am here"

She walked towards Shreya and lifted Aryan from her arms

"What is my little Prince doing... Had food yet?"

Tarika looked at her clear face and smiled. She had volunteered to take care of Aryan in her absence. She didn't know if she would have rejoined office without her presence. Gratefully she looked at her son giggling as Manisha tickled him.

Manisha, havd initially been shocked that Aryan had left her his vast industrial wealth in his will. She knew that he had left it to her because deep down he knew he was in the wrong. She knew he did it so that she could right his wrongs and so she set about it immediately. With the help of ACP Pradyuman, she successfully liquidated the money laundering divisions and was now in the final stages of transferring the entire corporation to government ownership for legitimate national defense manufacturing. Her initial disgust of seeing him as a criminal had now transformed into a quiet acceptance. She had resigned her teaching post and, free of both grief and duty, often spent her mornings at their house. When Abhijeet had questioned her on her resignation, she had said simply

“If there's something I have learnt from what had happened, then it is that life is really short and I have enough savings to live by also this gives me more time, time to bake, time to read, and time to be the family anchor. And most importantly, time for this little rascal. I want to help make him the man I once knew. I'll keep him safe when you need to go fight for the country.”

Abhijeet had nodded understanding and Tarika had hugged her tightly. Today as she saw her playing with her son, she remembered the conversation again. Shreya tugged her and signed

"Mumma, it's time..."

She nodded and turned to Manisha

"Di, call me if he gives you trouble..."

"Go, catch all the criminals... He is my angel baby. He won't give me any trouble. Right Aryan? And Abhijeet? No heroic leaps today."

He laughed and pulling Tarika toward the door, said

"I make no promises I can’t keep"

The first stop was Shreya’s school. At the gates, she emerged from the car, tall and confident, her shoulders square. She carried a stack of well-worn paperbacks. She waved bye to her watching parents and signed

“Papa, Mumma—I will be late, Reading club needs me to select the new title. The debate is getting heated.”

Her face glowing, she walked to join her friends. The fear and uncertainty Zoya had triggered were gone, replaced by the quiet authority of a young woman who had found her voice and her place. Watching Shreya smiling and confident, Tarika’s eyes filled with pride, she whispered to her husband

“Our little leader. She is a testament to what we fought for.”

He nodded agreeing and pulled his wife closer

“She’s the reason the badge means something different now.”

They reached the bureau. The office felt alive, charged with the familiar, electric hum of impending action. Dr. Salunkhe emerged from the forensic lab, peeling off his gloves, his eccentric energy unchanged. Looking at his beloved assistant, he exclaimed

“Tarika! Welcome back! My forensic sanctuary was far too quiet. Now, about young Aryan—I insist on visiting this weekend. I need to observe his neurological development; those CID genes are fascinating!”

Tarika laughed, feeling home at once

“Aryan is waiting for his dear Doctor Nanu too. He loves you, Salunkhe sir"

Abhijeet spotted Purvi by the main console. She had her usual intensity, but there was a guardedness in her expression, especially whenever ACP Pradyuman entered the frame. She hadn't fully forgiven him for hiding the truth about Raghav's death from her. He approached her quietly.

“Good to see you, Purvi. You look ready.”

She checked her gun and placed in her holster, looking up at him, she said

“Ready as I’ll ever be”

Abhijeet gestured to Pradyuman

"He made a mistake, Purvi. A wrong choice out of misplaced love. But look around. We are all safe, and the justice you fought for prevailed. Also, you know how he sticks his neck out for us every singke time. He put Chitrole and Vaibhav behind bars and he did a lot for Bhabhi too. He thought he was doing the best for you. It’s time, Purvi. You forgive him, and you finally free yourself."

Purvi looked from Abhijeet's whole, unscarred eyes—eyes that had found their peace—to the ACP's humbled, paternal face. She nodded slowly, taking in a breath that was a promise of future effort.

Just then, Daya, radiating his usual brute force efficiency, entered in with shining eyes

“Gear up, partners, my wife is en route from headquarters. There's been a murder and it seems he was connected to some case the secret service had been sniffing for a long time. It's complicated, serious, and it means we are getting the team back in the field.”

Abhijeet grinned at him. It had been a month since they had officially tied the knot and it always tickled him to see his best friend cum brother keep announcing Shreya as his wife. Seeing his excitement, he decided to reserve the teasing for another day. He looked at his own pretty wife and nodded as she went to get her forensic collection box. He looked around the team preparing and discussing theories. Daya looked at him as he strapped his gun

"Ready Boss?"

His hand caressing his lost friend's pocket watch that he now carried in his pocket as a reminder to always chose the right path, he replied

"As ever... Fiat Justitia"

~la fin~

******

Author's note: Thanks to the readers who read this story from Prologue till now. Hopefully it met your expectations. To me, this story's characters have been profound. The conflict between the antagonist and the protagonist has been inspired by Harry Potter's Dumbledore- Grindlewald conflict. I hope I conveyed the emotions right. If you have read till here let me know who was your favorite and who impacted your reading the most.