DISCLAIMER: All the laws and rules are fictitious. There is no resemblance to anyone living or dead.
Everyone was present in the court, to hear the final verdict to be given by the judge. Nupur was going through the files, to find more points that can be relevant to the case. Judge entered the courtroom. He took his position and requested the lawyers to begin the case.
Few discussions went amongst the lawyers and after that judge spoke.
"Sabhi sabooton aur bayanaton ko maddenazar rakhte hue court iss phaisle par pohoncha hai ki mulzim Mayank ne S.M.I.L.E.S NGO me ghus kar kisi ko koi nuksaan nahin pohonchaya par unke pass se kai khatarnaak hathiyaar paaye gaye hain jiss wajah se unhein dhara 652 ke tahat doshi tharaya jaata hai. Isski sazaa ke tahat mujrin ko 1 lac rupaye zurmaana dena padega."
As the judge announced the verdict, the whole silence turned into slow whispering among the crowd.
"ORDER, ORDER" Judge announced and then he left the seat.
Everyone was surprised to hear the verdict. A terrorist was left without any punishment just giving the penalty. The news spread in the whole media in few seconds. Nupur was herself unable to understand that the case was not strong enough to hold back Mayank on the basis of a single penalty. Something must be wrong, Mayank you are not trustworthy. Nupur was collecting her files when she saw Gunjan talking to Mayank. She left all her stuff on the table and ran towards Gunjan. She heard their conversation.
"Hello Mayank, tum mujhe shayad nahin jaante par main tumhein acchi tarah se jaan gayi hun." Gunjan said but Mayank was trying to take a glimpse of Khushi who was sleeping in Gunjan's arms.
"Mujhe pata chal gaya hai, tum Nupur ke husband ho na?"
Mayank was surprised to hear those words from her mouth. He looked at her and then at Nupur who was standing beside her. His face was blank, any expression was unidentifiable on his face.
Gunjan looked at Nupur and then again at Mayank. She could easily identify the distance between them. She wanted to make them one once again. She looked at Mayank and then an idea clicked her mind.
"Tum humaare saath chalo Mayank."
Both Nupur and Mayank were startled to hear that sentence.
Mayank immediately replied "Nahin, apun ko Samrat se milna hai. Main nahin aa sakta."
Nupur heaved a sigh of relief but Gunjan was not the one who could be fooled easily.
"Tum Samrat ko wahaan bula lena."
"Nahin, waise bhi tumhaare yahaan par police volice hai, apun nahin aa raha."
In the meanwhile, someone called Nupur and she had to leave reluctantly. After Nupur left, Mayank said "Dekho Gunjan, apun nahin chahta tha kabhi bhi ki Nupur iss sab mein pade issliye apun ne pehle bhi ussko nahin roka, toh ab puraani batoon ko beech mein laane ka koi fayda nahin hai, apun ki zindagi tum logon ki zindagi se alag hai, bas apun ko bohot accha laga ki Nupur acche se hai, Khushi apun ki beti hai yeich jaankar hi main khush hoon. Tum in donon ka khyaal rakhna, ab apun ko jaane de. Mere liye yeich accha hai ki Nupur apun se nafrat karti rahe par shayad apun ko yeich saza milni thi,"
Gunjan felt numb after hearing all those words from his mouth. She wanted to stop him but she couldn't. She could easily understand the pain in his eyes. Her eyes became teary and she bid him goodbye. Mayank tuned to leave but then stopped for a moment. He said "Ek baar Khushi ko apni god mein le loon phir chala jaaunga pakka."
Mayank was looking curiously in her eyes like a small child asking for one more chocolate from his mother.
Gunjan smiled "Haan zaroor" and she was about to give Khushi to Mayank when Nupur took her into her custody.
"Khabardar, jo Khushi ko choone ki koshish bhi ki toh. Tumhaara koi haq nahin banta Khushi par. Tumhaare jaisa baap paane se accha hai ki usska koi baap hi na ho. Aur jo tum aaj choote ho na , isska pata main laga kar rahungi. Ye case itna aasaan nahin tha jo sab ko lag raha hai. Mayank maine Dia ka case lad liya, ab main apna case ladungi, tumhaari aur tumhaare poore gang ki sacchayi iss duniya ke saamne lakar rahungi. Main wakeel duniya se jurm hataane ke liye bani hoon naki use badhawa dene ke liye. Main phir se recase karungi Mayank, samajh lo tum."
Nupur caressed Khushi's head and went outside. She stopped at the gate and looked back at Gunjan and Mayank who were looking at her. Nupur took a deep breath, her eyes were teary but she managed to speak somehow still showing her toughness to the world "Gunjan, tumhein chalna hai."
As the words went inside her ears, Gunjan came back to the reality. "Haan'haann'hmm'chalo." She stammered.
Mayank tried to open the lock of his door but he found that it was open. He entered and found Aslam Bhai and a person sitting on the chair. He was wearing a white khadi kurta and a pair of spectacles over his eyes. They both smiled looking at each other.
Mayank spoke "Ye kaun hai Aslam Bhai koi safed kurte mein apun ki kholich mein"
Aslam said "Mayank, tameez se pesh aao inhonein hi tumhein aaj bachaya hai warna tumhein faansi chad jaati."
Mayank could not get what he was trying to say "Matlab??"
"Matlab ye ki Mayank tumhaara police custody mein rehna humaare liye accha nahin tha, agar wo tumhaara munh khulwa lete toh." Aslam stopped for a moment and looked into Mayank's eyes.
"Par Aslam bhai, main ye sab ab chodna chahta hoon. Mere ko ab ye sab kaam nahin karne ka hai." Mayank said.
"Theek hai Mayank jaisa tum chaho, par ek baar humein poori baat bata do ki tumhaari uss Nupur ko humaare baare mein kya kya pata hai."
Hearing Nupur's name from his mouth, floor slipped from beneath his feet. His dilemma was easily visible on his face as the skin of his forehead creased into lines.
"Koi baat nahin Mayank, humein sab pata hai, ussne court mein tumhein kya kya bola humein sab pata hai. Toh wo toh ab bachegi nahin, issliye tum humein sab bata do"
Mayank exclaimed "Nahin, Nupur nahin aap usse kuch nahin karenge. Aslam bhai aap toh samjhte hain na."
"Nahin Mayank, yahaan sirf apni samjhi aur suni jaati hai. Dum hai toh bacha lo Nupur ko."
Mayank turned towards the door and ran to save his life, Nupur but he was stopped by some of his men on the door. Mayank kicked them out from his way and ran out.
The person clad in white kurta smiled ironically. Aslam Bhai smiled back. "Wo usse bachane jaayega aur log samjhenge ussne usse mar diya." They both laughed and their voice echoed in the whole room.
"Driver, ye kaunse raaste lekar ja rahe ho" Nupur interrupted after seeing the driver turning the car in other direction.
Nupur shouted but the car didn't stopped. "Main kehti hoon car rook."
Both Nupur and Gunjan argued with the driver and finally he stopped the car near a forest. Both Nupur and Gunjan stepped down and the driver ran away from the car. Both them followed him but he ran away.
Both of them were breathing heavily. Nupur looked around but she could only find trees around her. Gunjan was bending down holding her knees.
"I think kuch gadbad hai" Nupur said investigating the whole scene where they were standing.
"Mujhe nahin pata, ab humein jald se jald ghar chalna chahiye" Gunjan said and walked towards the car. Gunjan opened the door of the car and started the engine but the car didn't started.
She shouted from the car. "Nupur"
Nupur came near the car. "Nupur tu aisa kar wahaan saamne ek ghar dikh raha hai wahaan shayad thoda paani mil jaaye, I think engine mein koi problem hai."
"Theek hai main lekar aati hoon" Nupur said and took out a bottle from beneath the seat and went away. Gunjan was left alone in the car with Khushi.
After walking a few distance when the house was clearly visible to Nupur, she heard some noise behind her. As she turned she found a man with knife in his hands who was about to stab her. Nupur threw the bottle in her hand on his face and ran for life. She ran, ran and ran and the person was still following her. She came out near the deserted road; no trace of life could be found anywhere. She was choking for breath, she looked back and found the man was only few feets away from her. She again gathered her courage and ran but she couldn't find anyone from whom she could ask for help. She looked back and found the man was few inches away only. She forwarded her feet and it twisted in her sleepers and she fell. Her face was got scratches by the small stones on the road. She looked up and found some more men surrounding her. A man came near her but she got up and stepped back. He was about to hit her when she threw him back by gathering all the courage she had. He got angry and hit her head with a steel rod in his head "Saali."
In no moment Nupur fell down, she was completely exhausted. She could only hear vague voices "Bas, isska toh kaam ho gaya, Mayank kamina aata hi hoga, wo aayega aur bhai ke kehne par police waale aa jayenge aur issko hum maarenge aur Mayank ko police waale. Case khatam paisa hajam, koi sabot nahin koi mujrim nahin bhai ne apne aapko bacha liya aur wo kamina thodi der pohonch jaayega apni maashooka ke saath upar."
Nupur was groaning with pain rolling on the ground. She could vaguely understand what was going on but she was unable to do anything. Is Mayank in danger? This was a plan plotted against Mayank? They got him out of the case to make themself free?
Mayank came running like a tiger, wild expressions on his face, roaring out the gust inside him. Mayank saw an unconscious Nupur on the ground and he jumped to attack the goons. He snatched a rod from one of them and started beating everyone up. He couldn't stop himself, he lost his temper, Nupur was groaning in pain because of them.
Aslam and the man in kurta were still present in Mayank's house. He dialed a number on his phone.
"Hello police station."
"Inspector Shinde speaking"
"Inspector main Devraj Dixit bol raha hoon."
"Minister sahib aap?"
"Haan, mujhe abhi abhi khabar mili hai ki jo terrorist abhi thodi der pehle court orders se choota hai, ussne apni lawyer ka murder kar diya hai"
"Kya? Kahan Devraj Ji."
"Borivali ke peeche jo mata ji ka mandir hai usske paas. Aap fauran wahaan pohonchiye police force ko le kar."
"Ji sir, main abhi pohoncta hoon."
After he finished talking, Aslam told him "Boss, aap great hain, kisi ko pata bhi nahin chalega aur humaara kaam bhi ho jaayega."
Gunjan was waiting for Nupur, about one hour passed and there was no trace of her. Finally, she decided to get up and search for her. She took Khushi in her arms, locked the car and left in search of Nupur.
Mayank killed everyone present there and ran towards Nupur. He placed her head on his lap and tapped her face to make her conscious. "Nupur, nupur uth?"
Nupur slowly opened her eyes and found Mayank. She smiled looking at him dearly.
Mayank made her sit down. She groaned as her head was paining but unintentionally her hand reached to his face and she caressed it, drops of tear rolled down from her eyes.
"Dard ho raha hai?" Mayank asked.
Nupur nodded her head in 'NO' and she was constantly looking into his eyes. Mayank gulped a lump struck in his throat as she was looking in his eyes.
"Ye sab meri wajah se hua hai Nupur, mujhe tere ko iss beech mein laana hi nahi chahiye tha, abhi tu chal yah'" Nupur hugged Mayank tightly. She tightly held him like a kid. Mayank felt a rush of fresh fresh blood inside his body; he embraced her back feeling the touch of her skin on his. Both of them were lost in each other's arms trying to erase the lines drawn between them.
They broke the hug and looked into each other's eyes. They both rested on each others forehead. Mayank said "Main tere liye sab kuch chodna chahta hoon Nupur, apun ko pyaar ho gaya hai tere se."
Nupur smiled. She said "I lov'" and a bullet pierced her heart from the back. She fell on Mayank's chest. Mayank's smile faded and he looked up and found a goon standing with a revolve gun in his hand. Mayank's hand reached to Nupur's back and he then saw his handed drooping out the red blood. He looked at Nupur. Her pupil was reaching upwards. "Ma'Ma'yyyaaa--nk'" Before Nupur could complete her last word, a bullet hit Mayank on his back. Mayank turned his face and saw a police force behind him. An Inspector was holding a gun with Mayank being his target.
Mayank felt a shiver as Nupur fell on him. He closed his eyes.
Gunjan was looking at the whole scene from behind a tree. She turned Khushi's face in other direction and she could see the goon giving a black suitcase to the inspector.
The news that was plotted by the minister spread in the whole media. Gunjan was dumbstruck by the whole incident as she could only see the police taking the custody of two dead bodies. Her tears were blurring her vision but she stood there until everyone left.
After 4 years'.
Khushi came running towards Gunjan.
"Mumma'. Mumma meli dost keh rahi thi ki uski mummy keh rahi thi ki pyal kalne waale sabse khuch..khuchnacheeb hote hain' unko chab kuch mil jaata hai. Mele ko bhi pyal karna hai."
Gunjan looked into her curious eyes. She could easily find similarity in her and Nupur's eyes "Khushi, apni dost se kehna wo sahi keh rahi hai, theek hai aur Khushi ko bhi ek milega koi pyar karne waala, safed ghode par aayega aur Khushi ko udaaa ke le jayega." She started tickling her and Khushi ran away. Gunjan looked at the sky and lost in the stars.
Khushnaseeb wo hain jinhein pyar mil gaya. Badnaseebon ko toh iss duniya mein thikana tak na mila.
Happy friendship day to everyone. I hope you enjoyed the journey of Rishtey. Inspite of late and irregulars I thank all my readers who are there with me. Thanks guys without you I woudn't have been able to write it. The story of Rishtey was a bit different from general stories. Share your feedback with me. As always waiting for your comments.
-Daksha
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