" After that? " , Ravi asked, deeply engrossed.

Subhadra stood up, and walked over to the window.

She hated drizzles.

---

Subhadra Hegde clung onto Maanav Hegde.

He frowned and struggled to get out of the hug.

Subhadra whispered,

" I'm going out for a few days. Will return with two good things for you. You'll see, how you get back to loving me once again after that...... "

Maanav pushed her fiercely.. She fell..

" Go wherever you like. But don't you dare take Myra along. You are harmful to her. "

And he thumped out of the room.

Subhadra lay on the ground.

And laughed. Lunatically.

~~

Dawning shades, Subhadra Hegde got into the car.

Her phone croaked.
Dr Dharmendra Bakshi calling.

" Subhadra, are you going to..... "

" Yes I am. And please don't call me. "

" Is Maanav with you? Why doesn't he receive my calls? "

" He's busy with life. He doesn't know a thing about this. "

" WHAAT???
Are you serious?? But this is a cumbersome and dangerous job. You can land in jail!!!! Why didn't you tell Maanav????? "

" Because I want him to realise that I can do anything, just anything for my husband, even without his help.
And I don't want to unnecessarily stress him out. I can trample an insect myself.

I just want one thing....that..he realises my worth again and... returns to me..... "
Subhadra choked.

" Returns??? What are you talking Subhadra? "

" Don't call me. I'm heading to Central Laboratory. Once my job is done, I'll let you know. Don't worry. Subhadra Hegde will let nothing happen to the ones she loves..... "

~~

Wasim Khan opened his eyes.
Everything seemed dark at a go. His head felt immensely heavy.

He slowly raised his body. Couldn't. His eyes failed to focus.

Someone switched on a dim light.

And splashed a bucket of water onto him.

" Aaahhh!!! " , Wasim Khan choked.

His blurred visions began clearing up.

A woman sat on a chair before him.
He now realised he himself was seated on a chair.

Tied to one, rather.

" Hi, CBI inspector Wasim Khan.
Good to meet you.
Dr Subhadra Hegde here."
The woman raised her hand for a shake.

Wasim struggled on his seat.

" Ohh! I'm so sorry. I forgot, you cannot shake hands. Extremely sorry!! "

" Who are you??! What the hell do you want?? Why exactly am I here?? "

Wasim Khan hissed.

" Hmm. The same question goes to you, Mr Wasim Khan!!
Why are you after us?? " 

" I hardly know you!! Why will I be after you? " , Wasim Khan still struggled with the tight rope.

" Of course you know me Wasim Khan.
I'm Vaibhav Patel's sister. Own sibling. " , she smiled wide.

Wasim's features tightened. He stopped struggling and stared straight into her eyes.

" Maanav Hegde's wife? " , he almost whispered.

" Correct. Ten points. "

Wasim stayed silent for a long time. And then grinned.

" How did I not recognize you!?

By the way, did you really think....you'll kidnap me, or kill me, and remain scot free ?
Not every time things turn out to be too convenient, Madam Hegde!! "

" Leave that. You tell me, why and how exactly do you know Vaibhav Patel? "

" Not a tinge bit answerable I am to you. "

" Yes. You are not. Yet you WILL answer all my questions. Distinctly.

You might not know still, how dangerous I can be to your health....

But I warn you...mm... as a well wisher maybe? I can prove frighteningly harmful to your only darling sister. "

Wasim Khan suddenly widened his eyes.

" What....what have you done to her?? "

" Nothing at all. But if you don't answer simple questions, she'll surely land in hell. "

A new inspector, yet quite soft at heart with regards to his only blood relation, Wasim Khan stared for sometime.

" Vaibhav Patel was my senior at school. I know him since then. " , he said finally after a long gap.

" Good. But he's in jail for over two years now. Why such sudden frequent visits? "

" Because now I have acquired a position to help him out of the puddle he has been conspired into.
And I didn't even know of this earlier..... " , Wasim Khan looked into her eyes with disgust.
" Aren't you even a tad bit sorry Subhadra, that you did such nasty things to your own sibling ? Just to hog money? Shame on you!!! "

" Neh!!
I'm not sorry. Not even a tad bit.
And ohh how I love to be shameless!!"
She folded her legs on the seat.
" And hence, you go out on a mission, to rescue your friend.

You go to Secunderabad, to the murder spot, you go to Dharmendra Bakshi, you go to my mother in the rehab, you go to my mother-in-law, you make rounds down the streets below Maanav's residence.....

I must say, you are way toooo smart.

Vaibhav Patel guessed it right.

Maanav Hegde got Abheek Patel murdered.
But yeah, not to hog someone's property.

Because he loved me. Because he couldn't bear pain caused to me. "

Subhadra's eyes watered, which she carefully rubbed away.

" But what I don't believe is, a trainee tries to rearrange an already tried and  solved case, just for an old school senior??

Or do you have something else in store against Maanav?? "

Wasim seethed in anger. He was gasping suddenly.

" Yes.

Because I am a...a true sibling. Unlike you. And hence, you won't understand an inch of my pain, Subhadra Hegde. "

" Try me. " , she rested her chin on her palm.

Wasim took a long time. A very long time.

" I don't even know why I'm telling you these.

I know quite well though, your doing anything to me won't spare your husband....

However, I yet decide to tell you because, I hold nothing direct against Maanav Hegde.

And also because.....you might understand the pain of my sister. "

She cringed her brows.
" Go ahead. "

" My sister, Naseema Khan was raped on BT road almost eight years back.

By three animals, who were her colleagues then. Her seniors. Almost double her age. She was drugged. "

Subhadra stirred on her seat.

" She went through a five year long coma after that....

I, had no one except her, even then. Our parents expired together in a bomb blast when I was thirteen and she sixteen.

My sister didn't receive justice.
No one, absolutely no one was found guilty in the incident.

Police.... Huhhh!!!! "

Wasim came to a hold. Once again.

" I don't know why I'm blabbering....

I guess because, there has been no one till date to listen to our pain.. except for we both to each other... 

I sat beside my comatose sister, only to pledge, that I'll become an inspector, and spare no wrongs done in the country...against no one.... 

After five years...she came back to senses.
Days passed after that, she took time to recover, to cope up with normal life. I began preparing to join CBI..

Suddenly one night, a nightmare reminded her of only one face. A face she had accidentally remembered..

Jatin Hegde.

I went to the police. I was almost shooed away. Quite naturally. How will a country that doesn't lodge recent rapes, lodge a complaint of one that happened five years back?
Unimaginable!!!!

I began searching for Jatin Hegde.

I found.
Not him.

I found that Jatin Hegde had killed himself five years back. He had a son. A wife. And a daughter-in-law.

I pressed my sister to remember the other two as well. In vain.

A fire burnt inside me. I won't justify myself, but when you don't find the one you are burning against, you feel like burning the ones dear to him. If at least his soul feels the pain!!! 

But I'm not an animal. I didn't really know how and by what means I could harm Maanav Hegde or his family.
And why even!!? What harm had they done to me??

In the meantime after years of trial, I succeeded in gaining a seat in UPSCs.

The fire inside me had dimmed out, I had given up on the idea of harming someone else for someone else's deeds. I believed that Maanav might not even be aware of the crimes his father committed..... "

She handed a glass of water to him, untying one of his hands.

He gulped in at a go.

" Naseema too told me to forget everything. She first of all was completely against my joining police.
Then, she insisted that instead of looking back, I be a good officer... 

I.. I too wanted that then.

I joined CBI.

Incidentally, I went to meet a prisoner at the jail with seniors.
I came across Vaibhav bhaiyaa there.

He desperately wanted to tell me something... 

I visited him for few consecutive days. He told me everything. "

Wasim Khan stopped.

" Duh!!

Hence the fire inside you was rekindled. You desperately began searching for proofs against Maanav.

You are intelligent too, I must say. I have come to know that you have even reached the eunuchs who supposedly....  " , Subhadra twirled her beautiful locks.

Wasim Khan laughed.

" Maanav Hegde won't be spared. I thought he might not have inherited his father's criminal instincts. But I guess I was wrong. I could have met him and charged him. But he's way too clever, I know.

Anyways, you must know, however you tie me or do whatever you wish to me, Maanav Hegde will soon land in jail....  "

Subhadra Hegde laughed silently.

" Wasim Khan, I empathise with your sister. Being a rape victim myself.

But not with you.
Because you are an idiot.

You say you won't wrong a single human in your lifetime. But you yourself are a completely wrong human being!!

Trying to save Vaibhav Patel?
Do you know how many lives that asshole has ruined? 

Do you even know Wasim Khan, Maanav Hegde forced his father to commit suicide when he came to know he's a rapist? 

Better know the whole story before waging a war...! 

Lastly, how right was your sister!
You shouldn't have joined police.
And even if you did, you should have never stamped onto my tail. "

Next morning,

Wasim Khan was found unconscious, some distance away from his own residence.

When he gained consciousness, he failed to recognise anyone.

Doctors confirmed, he was suffering from an infection with deadly prions.

" For you, I can be a living hell. "

---

Hope you didn't mind two updates in a day.