Meri tabyat kharab hui aur tujhe chance mil gaya.

Tu ne mere kandhe pe bandook rakkhi aur chala di.

Naa woh suspend hota, aur naa Sanju mujhe hate karti.

Thik hai. Aaj se tere raaste alag aur mere raaste alag.

The words kept playing on a loop, like a terrible song you just can't get out of your head. The guilt just kept getting bigger - the silence louder. The loneliness just wouldn't stop suffocating her. She felt nauseous.

Ever since she was a little girl, Monami had learnt that the truth sets you free. That doing the right thing was her duty and her responsibility. And that's what she was trying to do. She wanted Karan to face the consequences of his actions. What he did with Sid...... Monami sighed tiredly. Was it supposed to feel this way? Wasn't doing the right thing supposed to feel her better? So why did she feel this weight in her heart - that gnawing doubt in her mind shattering her peace of mind? Why did it feel like something was terribly wrong?

In times like this, she acutely felt the absence of her mother. Someone to talk to. Someone who could guide her; someone who could tell her what was so wrong with what she was doing. But then again, her mother has been gone for years, and yet, she never felt so alone as she did at that moment.

"That's because no matter what Sid had always been there for you. Supporting you. Cheering you on." Her heart whispered and Monami was hit by a wave of melancholy. So many people have come and gone from her lives. But she never thought she'd be parting ways with Sid. At least not this way. For the first time in her life, Monami felt truly alone.

The incessant ringing broke her out of her thoughts and she looked around confused. She picked up the phone lying next to her to see his name flashing on the screen.

"Yeh kiska phone hai? And Karan ka call aa raha hai?" Monami thought, turning the phone over to see if she could find any identification on it.

Multiple hurried footsteps made her look up to see Karan and Faizi standing at the doorway, staring at her in disbelief. She stood there frozen, confused why Faizi would be glaring at her with such venom. She turned to Karan, who stood there with an exasperated look on his face.

"I can't believe tum aisa kar sakti ho Monami! Hume laga tum ek decent insaan ho but tumne.....! How could you do this??" Faizi's voice barely contained his fury.

Monami was confused. What on earth were they talking about?

"Faizi, I don't know what you mean. Kya keh rahe ho mujhe kuch samjh nahi aa raha," Monami said still confused.

"Oh really? Toh tumhare paas humara phone kya kar raha hai??" Faizi bit out angrily.

"Mere paas tumhara phone nah - " Monami stopped in her tracks and glanced down at her hands. That's when comprehension hit. The phone in her hand was Faizi's. The very phone that was used to leak that video! Her eyes widened and her heart started hammering in fear. "No!!! Tum galat samajh rahe ho! Maine kuch nahi kiya. Yeh mere paas - I know what it looks like but maine kuch nahi kiya.!"

"Tumhe Karan pasand nahi. Toh kya iska badla tum usse uski izzat cheen ke logi? Uski wardi utarwana chahti thi? Hume toh khud par gussa aa raha hai jo humne tumpe aitbaar kiya! Karan ke liye tumse madad li." Faizi looked disappointed.

"But Faizi trust me! Maine yeh nah - " Monami began to speak when the sound of a throat clearing cut her off.

Both set of eyes swivelled to see Karan standing there with his arms folded nonchalantly. When he saw he had their attention, he said, "Faizi agar Rani Sahiba mein itna dimag hota toh situation yaha tak pohochti hi nahi." He moved forward, plucking the phone out of her hand while she gaped at him.

"Lekin Karan - " Faizi tried to protest but Karan shook his head.

"Hum yaha apna time waste kar rahe hai. We should check ki yeh phone tere paas se gayab kab hua and kisne liya. I think hume tech team ko yeh phone dena chahye. Shayad koi clues mil jaye," Karan said, handing the phone to Faizi before turning to Monami. "Aur aap Rani Sahiba. Aap ko nahi pata ki koi bhi unclaimed property ko aise uthana nahi chahye? How do you know it's not a bomb?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Main - main woh - " Monami struggled to find the words but Karan rolled his eyes.

"Bewakoof ladki."

Monami visibly bristled at the insult. Foolish? And her? How dare he question her intelligence? She opened her mouth to give him a piece of her mind when his words registered in her brain. He called her foolish, yes. He questioned her intelligence, also yes. But not even once, did he question her sincerity. Not once, did he doubt her innocence. In his oolti khopdi, roundabout way, Special Agent Karan Shergill was the only person who trusted her beyond a doubt. Her eyes widened as she stared at him flabbergasted.

Karan stood there, waiting for a response. On finding none, he rolled his eyes again before sauntering out of the dining hall and Faizi followed, after giving her one last suspicious look.

Monami stood there frozen. The one person whose life she had turned upside down; the one person who had every right to hate her, who could have blamed her simply for holding the evidence in her hands, was also the one person who believed her without any proof, without any explanation. And all of a sudden, she felt a thousand times lighter because after a long time, Monami didn't feel so alone anymore.

~ Fin 💖