Virat standing on the other side of the door saw MS break down in Suresh's arm. He could over hear their conversation. And gnawing feeling was growing in his heart. He slowly walked back to his room.

He was coming from practice when he spotted Raina going to MS's room. He doesn't know what came over him but he followed Raina and he stood behind the door listening.

He came to his room and dropped his kit on the couch and sat on the edge of the bed thinking and re thinking what he has heard just now. He has had his doubts from the time he had shouted on MS. There had been gnawing somewhere in the back of his head that was again and again questioning himself. But he had forcefully quoted that voice. Today seeing MS break like that, brought back a flood of memories...memories of when he had broken down like that and MS had held him. Memories of when he was young and media followed him like vultures and MS had shielded him, when his form slipped and he had motivated him. When they had lifted the world cup together and MS had wrapped both of them in one flag, Virat was new to the team, he was outsider among people who were family to each other. So he actually had clung to MS throughout the celebration. He remembered each and every detail and with each memory that voice in the back of his head grew louder that "MS cannot do this."

Hardik sitting in his room was nothing better. He read and reread those articles about himself and still wondered how MS had done such a thing. He suddenly noticed something, the name of the restaurant was mentioned, he hadn't said the restaurant name to Mahi Bhai. He just said it two blocks away but there are plenty of restaurants in this neighborhood. It was impossible to know in which one the went. Then how did the papers know?

Virat restlessly paced around his room. He needed closure on this matter. Also tomorrow was the second and the last T20 and he had a feeling they would lose this one. But for once cricket was not on his mind. He needed to be sure somehow about what he should think. But he couldn't, just then he heard a knock. It was Hardik.
V: Harry come in. Kya baat hai?
H: Nothing, it's just I just noticed something.
V: what?
H: I never told the name of the restaurant I was going to bha...MS...but the papers have printed it.
V: Harry, why didn't say that earlier?
H: I just noticed it. I don't know what to think anymore. Only he in the team knew I was going, but he didn't know the restaurant. Nobody knew except if Isha told someone.
V: Ask her if she told anyone.
H: I will. But then why did Jatin taki MS's name.
V: I understand what's going through you Hardik. I am in the same place as you.
Virat put an arm on his shoulder. But Hardik slipped out of his grip. He didn't want to have any conversation now.
H: I will go now Bhai. Just wanted to tell you this.
Hardik left.

Virat remained unsettled throughout the day. He headed to the gym as usual to vent his confused feeling in the afternoon. After a long session he came to his room.showered and crashed on his bed. His mind still having a fight within. He slept and dreamed. He saw himself, like his younger debutant self. He saw MS looking like an guiding angel leading him up a hill. Clearing the path for him, cutting through the obstacles and protecting him. And then when they reached the peak, he saw that his debutant self had transformed into his current self. And then he pushed MS off the cliff. Virat woke up in sweats and gasped. What did that dream mean? The voice in his head was louder than ever telling him "He cannot do this." No he could not go on line that he needed closure. He decided in the fleet of the moment, and messaged Sourav, formally, saying that if he could get the photos tested for Photoshop. Sourav immediately texted back saying that, they were already bieng tested. Virat asked if he could know the result as soon as they arrive. Sourav said, he will tell him by tomorrow.

Sourav had a conversation with Yuvi last night, he knew in bits and pieces things that were happening. When he received the text from Virat, he almost lit up. This text could mean only one thing, Virat was starting realise that MS couldn't do this. Sourav knew in his heart that only if Virat apologized MS would not retire maybe. He was not sure, if even after that MS would stop. He quickly msged Yuvi telling about Virat and that if he found anything against Sanjay he should send it to him and Virat ASAP. Virat needed to reconcile with MS, for Indian cricket. He had called MS today, just to pacify him. Just because you are strong doesn't me you cannot be broken. Sourav sighed and sat back down on the laptop searching old articles about Manjarekar, MS stays or not, he will ruin Manjarekar for sure. Nobody touches his boys and gets away with it.

Virat was still not settled. It was past dinner time now, he did not have appetite anyway. At last he couldn't resist and called Rohit to come to his room. Rohit was always his personal counsellor. Once Rohit arrived Virat said,
V: Rohit...mujhe boht ajeeb lag raha hai...I am confused...Jo bhi team ho raha hai...
R: U can't believe ki Aisa Kar sakte hai woh..
Sach batau Main bhi Kal se yahi soch raha hun
V: It's not that Ro...I just feel like I know he can't do it, I just know...Par wo pictures Ro, aur phir Sanjay sir ke source aur Jatin ka same chiz bolna...kuchh samjh nhi aa raha...aur phir aaj...
He narrated to Ro what he had heard and seen.
V: I don't know what to do? I have asked Sourav Sir to tell me once the photos are verified. I can't calm myself Rohit.
R: Virat you have to, we have a match tomorrow...Kal jab report ayega tab dekhenge abhi so ja...Jo ho Gaya hai we cannot change...abhi pls try to sleep.
V: Yeah.

Rohit consciously refrained from saying anything else. A part of him hoped all allegations against MSD were a lie, but then he didn't how would they make up for what they had done. He knew Virat's conscience was telling him he was wrong but the analytical mind needed proof. He walked back to his room absentmindedly and slipped into the bed beside Ritika.

Yuvi had quietly opened his father's phone when Yograj was in shower that morning. He knew the password, he had seen it. He opened his mail and WhatsApp and found the msgs and mails to and fro from Sanjay, Umesh, Jatin. He clicked photos of them with his own phone with trembling hands kept the phone where it was and left the room. He had hoped just hoped, may be this time his father hadn't done any thing but no. He sent them to Dada and Virat. Then he called up Dada and tried to vent his anger, while Sourav calmly advised him to not confront his father now, though those photos were good evidence, they needed atleast one of their confessions to convict them.

Yuvi sent them to Mahi and Raina too. MS saw them, but he didn't care anymore. Dada could do whatever he wanted with it. His brother believed some photographs over him, nothing else had any meaning for him anymore.

The next match was obviously bad for India. The mental strain was too much to bear and the performance saw its effect. MS watched from inside the dressing room, thinking this was his last match, 15 years of cricket and this is how it ends he thought. He touched his gears again and again, imagined himself touching the pitch for one last time, wrapping himself in tri-colour one last time. But he again felt strangely numb. The match ended with India losing by a big Margin and the T20 series draw. MS left the dressing room before the team arrived, he didn't want to face them at any cost. He again got a private car to take him to the hotel before everyone, locked himself in the room and stood below the cold shower and let the water hit him.

Even after the loss Virat's mind was on the MSD issue. Hardik was also again and again fidgeting. Once they reached the Hotel, everyone went to their own rooms while Hardik and Do went with Virat to his room, because Virat didn't have the courage to open the msgs alone. He had seen that there were numerous messages from Yuvi and a mail from Sourav Sir. But he hadn't opened any of them yet. He wanted to out of the public eye and coaches eye when he did it. Once locked in the room. Virat opened the mail first which had the reports that photos were engineered and then the photos from Yuvi. One by one as he went through the chats, his hands gave in and he dropped the phone. Hardik who was reading the chats standing behind Virat felt like his head was spinning. He somehow stabilized himself by grabbing the bed post. "What have I done Ro! What have we done!" Virat said almost hysterical. "How could we say those things to him?" Hardik said in a daze "My friends Umesh, Jatin, betrayed me and I doubted the person who has always cared for me. How could I?" "Calm down a littlw both of you" Rohit said trying to sound stable but his voice was shaking "We have to stop whaat we have started. He goes back to India in two days, we have to stop him from retiring. I am calling everyone." Virat and Hardik nodded. Rohit called the team to the room and then the three of them explained what had happened. Bumrah looked like someone had hit him with something. Yuzi and Kuldeep clutched each other. Bhuvi tried to be stable like Rohit but both failed miserably. All of them were remembering all the times MSD had helped them, with their careers or mental stress going out of his way to ensure their good and how they had quietly supported when Virat and Hardik had verbally dressed down MS in the middle of the room. Virat remembered the words he spoke and it felt like each word was hitting him like whip lash now. The weight of the guilt on his chest felt heavier than a mountain. "I will never be able to face him." Virat said. "Yes after what we said, we don't deserve to be forgiven" Hardik said covering his face with his hands. "No we don't," Bhuvi said "but we have to go and apologise." "Yes Virat you have to face him" Rohit said "Cuz you have at least let him know he is not retiring with his head hung low. That he is not retiring at all. At least for that. To stop him from doing that." "After what's happened" Yuzi said quitely "we have to ask forgiveness, we have atleast give him a chance to refuse us if he wishes to." Virat nodded and wiped his eyes. "Let's go now." He said.

A/N: I cried while writing maximum chapters of this fic...but writing MS's dressing room musings were toughest cuz when he retires I don't know how will I handle it.