02 |Until I'm Alive|
"Bela, come." Holding her hand, he was leading the way towards their room when she stopped him.
"Mujhe aapse bat karni hai."
Freeing her hand, he nodded. "Haan bolo."
"Aap Anu ko salo se jaante hai. Aur... aur hamari pehchaan bas kuch dino ki hai, fir bhi aapne mujh par bharosa kiya, uss par nahi. Aisa kyu?" She asked, curiosity flickering through her eyes. The moment they had stepped in the home, they were greeted with Police and Anu's accusations on Bela of having motive to harm Mahir, which Mahir had adamantly refused to even listen, let aside believe them. His unshakable trust and faith in her, had surprised her to the extent she could not understand him.
Stepping closer, he smiled a bit. "Bela, maine tumse wada kiya hai. Wada kiya hai sath nibhane ka. Wada kiya hai, tumpe hamesha yakeen karne ka. Wada kiya hamesha tumhara sath dene ka aur mai apne wade kabhi nahi todta. Agar aage bhi kabhi aisi situation aati hai, to mai hamesha tumpar yakeen karunga. Hamesha. Ab chalo." Circling his hand around her back, he walked upstairs along with her without realizing in what state, his words had dropped her.
He seemed too good to be her criminal.
He seemed too good to be a murderer... her Vikrant's murderer.
He seemed too good to be punished.
What are Mahir? I don't understand you. It was easier for me earlier, to think that you were pretending everything but having spent this time with you, it is becoming tough for me to think that you killed Vikrant, that you were there to tarnish my respect that day. Though she silently kept walking with him, a tornado of emotions was inside her.
Every time she tried taking her revenge upon him, she had miserably failed. At times, her emotions betrayed her and at times, destiny.
*
Anu was furious with the entire drama created by Jamini, in Sehgal house.
She knew, Bela was wrong.
She knew, Bela was after Mahir.
She knew, Bela was up to something.
She knew it but damn, it was of no use because nobody was ready to believe her. The mere thought that Mahir had chosen to believe Bela over her despite having known her for years, infuriated her but whatever it was, she was not going to give up soon.
*
"Officer, I am telling you, that Jamini was lying. I am right about Bela. She is here to kill us. That Bela... that Bela is Nagin." Anu hadn't cared about the time when she showed up at ACP's home.
Already annoyed ACP about late night disturbance by Anu, he wanted to bang his head on the nearest wall hearing her childish accusations on Bela Ji as her husband had warned her to address as.
"Nagin nahi ichadhari Nagin." She corrected herself.
"Pehle to ek baat pe thehriye aap. Kabhi kehti hai Nagin kabhi kehti hai ichadhari Nagin." He shrugged her, not even finding it laugh worthy anymore.
"Officer, trust me. I am not lying. Maine khud dekha hai unko nag me badalte hue. Wo badla lene wapas ayi hai. Apne nag ka badla. Uss raat jo hua uska badla."
His eyes were suddenly focussed on her as he couldn't ignore what she said. "Kaunsi raat? Kis cheez ka badla?"
*
"Aapko iss samay kasht den eke liye shama chahte hai lekin ab kya kare, duty o karni hi padegi. Inn ke paas wajah hai aapki Bela Ji par shaq karne ke liye aur ye gawah bhi khade karsakti hai aapke hi pariwar me se, jo inki baat ko sabit karenge, aisa inka kehna hai." ACP pointed at Anu, trying to shift to glares of Mahir on her instead of him.
"Really Anu? Ham iss bare me baat karchuke hai." Sumitra had become irked with Anu, by then.
"Aunty, aap nahi thi uss din. Pratham tha. Ham sab the. Ham jaante hai. Ye Bela ek Nagin hai... ichadhari Nagin, jo apna badla lene ayi hai."
"Anu, shut up. I am not listening to a word more, against Bela." Mahir pulled Bela behind him as he walked forward towards Anu.
"Mahir, tum meri baat suno-"
"Anu bas." Sumitra stepped forward, cutting Anu in the middle.
"Before I file a complaint against you officer for the unreal stuff you are blaming my wife because of... just leave. Leave I said." Mahir stretched out his hand in the direction of the open door, clearly refusing to entertain the nonsense anymore. "And as far as I remember, that night a snake had died, but it wasn't anything of Ichadhari sort, right Pratham?" He turned towards Pratham who merely nodded in agreement whereas his face failed to mirror it rather the fear had embraced his face.
"Sun liya? Aur kuch sunana hai? LEAVE." Mahir's anger was at its peak. How dare they call his wife a nagin?
*
"Bela."
Her chain of thoughts broke with his call as he entered in the room, closing the door behind him. It had been a while since Anu left wrapping the drama she had brought along with her. The second, Anu had started reciting about that night, Bela had seen her revenge coming to, an end but Mahir changed it all by declining to believe what was being, said about her.
"Ha...haan, Mahir Ji." Getting out of the bed, she greeted her feet with the ground.
"I am so sorry, Bela. Jabse tum yaha aayi ho, kuch na kuch ho raha hai jo nahi hona chahiye aur aaj to had hi ho gayi. This ichadhari nagin crap-"
"Kaunse incident ki baat kar rahi thi Anu?"
Bela didn't let Mahir finish his words. She had something more important to know from him. He sighed, taking the bed.
"Honestly, mujhe nahi pata. Matlab pata hai but not what she was blurting out here. Six months before, mai conference se wapas aa raha tha. The moment I reached here, I got a call from Pratham saying there was some problem there... in the Jungle. Jab mai waha pohocha, tab maine goli ki awaj suni. Maine Yuvi se pucha to usne kaha ki koi naag tha. So a kind of self defense it was."
By the time Mahir was, done talking about the incident, Bela had drowned in a pool of guilt. She always had a feeling, a doubt that maybe Mahir was not a part of crime happened with her. There was not a percent doubt that he was lying. She could see it in his eyes, in his voice, in his body language.
He was not lying. He himself did not know the entire incident.
He was not there that time.
He was not a part of the heinous crime happened there.
He did not shoot Vikrant.
He did not kill Vikrant.
The revelations and realizations pierced her heart like a sharp needle. She was going to kill him, an innocent guy. She recalled the memories of that night.
Mahir wasn't there when those guys block their path.
Mahir wasn't there when those guys were crossing the line with her.
Mahir wasn't there when those guys had attacked them.
Mahir wasn't.
He did not do anything.
He was innocent.
"Ye mujhse kya hone wala tha? Mai ek nirdosh ko maarne wali thi." Bela regretted mentally but the regret wasn't enough. It wasn't. What if she had been successful in killing him when they were at the Kuldevi's temple? Damn. He was trying to save her at the expense of his own life and she was trying to kill him. She would not be able to forgive herself for that. The realization hit her hard that he was being saved by destiny and Shiv Ji because he was innocent.
"Bela...Bela." He shook her, seeing her lost in her own self.
She immediately responded, looking up to him. "Ji?"
"Tum jada socho mat aur so jao. Mai aaj yaha couch pe so jata hu. Tumhe kuch laga to mujhe utha dena."
It just added more on her already guilty self. He was staying back because of her, thinking that he should be around for that night when so many accusations had been thrown upon her.
"Ji," she mumbled, crawling on the bed, and pulled the duvet over herself and she turned on her right side. Mahir quietly took the couch and fell asleep having stared at her for a while.
Bela had been clutching the duvet closer to her in her fists as a few tears rolled down her cheek. Everything he said to her, everything he did for her flashed before her eyes making her aware of how wrong she had been in judging him. He married to her for the sake of her when his brother disappeared. Even before the marriage, he was the one to stand up for her, and hear her when nobody else did. Even after they got married, he did not raise a word but silently tolerated her cold and rude behaviour. She had vowed to kill him and he had vowed to protect her.
The pain of the regret of misunderstanding him and accusing him for something he hadn't even done, the pain of the guilt of having hurt him, the pain of attempting to kill an innocent was making her heart heavy. Pushing the duvet, she sat straight on the bed, when she couldn't breathe.
Her gaze fell upon his sleeping form. She couldn't help but mumble an apology to him. I am sorry, Mahir. I was wrong. I did not know but Shiv Ji sure did. He did not let me commit a sin by killing an innocent like you. I am sorry. Sorry isn't enough. I had vowed of punishing those who killed my Vikrant and included you in them when you were never a part of them. Today, I promise you one thing... I'll keep you protected. I'll keep every danger away from you. I'll do this as a redemption... my redemption. You'll stay safe until I am alive.
*
This TS ends here. Thank you for reading.
Edited by IAdoreYou - 7 years ago
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