Hello friends, I have been busy lately but here is the next chapter pls do tell how it was, this is the second last chapter. Thank u so much for your unconditional love, kisses and hugs to u all, Enjoy ??
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Chapter 20 – Ending The Cycle
London
Prena was making dinner Neil came and hugged her from behind, Prena sensed that he was happy and felt relieved, she has been cursing herself for telling Neil the truth every time she saw his sad face. Prena smiled “glad u are early today, now tell me what u want for desert”
Neil:“anything that u like, let’s go by your choice today” Prena turned and kissed him on his forehead blessing him. Neil took an apple and started munching it “mom, I have been thinking… If u were already in London how did u know that my father has died?.. what made u so sure?” Prena stopped chopping the tomatoes and looked at him, her expressions had turned grave “I want to understand everything… please mom”
Prena sighed “okay… before coming to London I stayed at Yukta’s brother place… Yash bhaiya… u know him”
Neil: “Yash uncle?”
Prena:“yes… he told me that news… he even sent me a newspaper clip that had the news about the prison escape, the name of the prisoners who died in the attempt were mentioned and Vijay was one of them… that’s how I knew”
Neil:“but u just read his name… how can u be sure that it was actually him who died?” Prena was disturbed by Neil’s interest in the matter, she wanted to answer him but then her phone rang and she asked Neil to answer it for him since her hands were filled with the tomato mess. Neil was surprised to see the name displayed on the screen “Yash uncle?” he answered the phone and put it on speaker so that Prena can talk while continuing her chopping.
Prena:“Yash bhaiya, what a surprise… we were just talking about u… how are u and how is bhabhi?”
Yash was silent for a while “Prena, something happened… Vijay… Vijay is alive… he came here looking for u… he is looking for u… I didn’t tell him anything but u know him better than me, I don’t think he is going to stop looking until he find u two… please take care”
Just like that Yash dropped the bomb on them and what a bomb it was, the shockwave of it made Prena dizzy, she turned statue, Neil had to shake her to bring her back to reality. Prena sat down afraid that she may collapse “he is alive… he is alive…” she chanted trembling in the fear that she might lose Neil. Neil rubbed her hands to keep her warm for she had turned cold suddenly “what if he takes u from me?”
Neil cupped her face “mom, relax… am not going anywhere… I will fix this” When Prena had calmed down a bit Neil took his phone and dialled Aditya, the call was answered after a few rings and it was clear the Aditya was either tired or sleepy. “I know it’s late but it’s urgent… I need a favour”
Aditya who had retired early due to exhaustion was disturbed by the call and now was surprised by Neil’s tone, there was a certain urgency and worry in his voice “sure, tell me how can I help u”
Neil:“I need information on someone“ Neil took a deep breath and narrated everything to Aditya except the part that the man he was looking for was his father. Aditya sensed the similarities and asked him what was the name of the man “Vijay Kumar”
The line went dead silent and Neil called out Aditya asking if he was still on the line “yes am here…“ he stammered “do u mind telling me the relation u have with this man bcoz I think I know him” Neil contemplated for sometime if he should or should not tell him the truth, but then decided it was best if Aditya knew everything and told him that Vijay Kumar was his father. Aditya almost slipped off the bed “I think u should take a flight to Mumbai and as soon as possible”
Mumbai
Suraj was planning to take care of Vijay and soon, if there was something or someone that Suraj loved more than himself and the money it was Saral. Saral was his most priceless possession and if he could kill to save his son he could definetly kill to not see hatred for him in his son’s eyes. So he planned to kill Vijay and if Vijay is out of the picture he gets to keep the gold to himself, he smiled thinking about his plan, kill Vijay first and then worry about the gold.
Since their rift Vijay has been trying to find his family, he was determined to find them and keep them with him this time. He went to Yash since he knew Prena’s connection with that family and though Yash denied knowing where Prena is he knew he was lying. He smiled wondering if he had a son or a daughter, if his child has his features and habits. He then remembered Suraj’s words, if Suraj tried to kill them once he will try it again, he has to take care of Suraj first if he wants his family to be safe.
And when these two were planning against each other they forgot that there were others who were planning against them. Karthik and Aditya had evidence against Vijay it was a matter of arresting him but Suraj was a big fish and so they needed to plan in order to catch him. Taking into account all that Radhika had told them about Suraj, Aditya decided to go to Rishikesh and try to gather evidence against Suraj. Karthik stayed back in Mumbai monitoring Suraj’s moves, one wrong move and Suraj’s game will be over.
Rishikesh
Aditya was right in coming to Rishikesh, he had gathered enough evidence to put Suraj away for decades but he was not satisfied for he couldn’t find proof to pin him to Dilip’s murder. Suraj had initially stated that he was with Saral at the time of the murder and though he knew it was a lie he also knew it was impossible to make Saral testify against his father. He was also sure that the gold was still in Rishikesh and so was looking for possible places where Dilip might have hid the gold.
Mehra House
Dilip was frantically searching for his daughter, his choti, he was worried that he had lost her, Mala is surely going to give him an earful for his carelessness. They were playing hide and seek and he had been looking for her for an hour, he came near an old building still calling her name worriedly, then he saw her bracelet, the bracelet he had gifted her and that showed him that his choti was nearby. He went into the building and saw her drawing on the walls. He sighed relieved and went on his knees near her holding her tight “thank God I found u, is this a place to hide… do u know how worried papa was?” Radhika who was 7 held her ears apologizing and told her dad that after hiding for so long with no sign of being found, she purposely left her bracelet outside so her dad could find her. Dilip gave her the bracelet and Radhika wore it her happily, Dilip smiled “next time something like this happens just do what u did today… this bracelet will always help me find u” Radhika forwarded her little finger as a hook giving him her promise.
Radhika woke up breathing heavily, it was not just a dream it was a memory, a memory that only she and her father shared “the warehouse” she whispered maybe that’s where the gold is. She quickly walked out of her room and went looking for Arjun.
Aditya had asked Arjun to keep Radhika with her since he was away and didn’t want to leave her home alone. Arjun and Radhika after a long day at work came back to Arjun’s place and were waiting for the time to go pick Neil and Prena up from the airport and Radhika just happened to fall asleep and had that dream. Radhika barged into Arjun’s room without knocking “I remember… I had a dream but it was a memory”
Arjun raised his head from the laptop “what are u talking about… first decide if u remembered or had a dream… and why didn’t u knock, what if u had found me naked”
Radhika closed his laptop,Arjun wanted to protest but she stopped him by placing her palm on his mouth and Arjun meekly obliged. Radhika sat on the bed “I had a dream about the bracelet… but it’s not actually a dream, it’s a memory that I remembered in form of dream… I think I know where the gold is… It’s in the warehouse, we have a warehouse that we don’t use anymore… I think Papa hid the gold in the warehouse”
Radhika then tried to call Aditya and inform him about what she recollected but Arjun stopped her “it can’t be the warehouse… that’s where your dad found the gold on the first place”
Radhika frowned, why was she not aware of this information “how do u know that?”
Arjun instanly answered “I know bcoz it says so in the letter” He then mentally face palmed himself for saying that, he was supposed to let Aditya tell her the truth after he has enough evidence against Radhika’s uncle. “Radhika…”
Radhika: “what letter… what are hiding from me…?”
“are u guys ready?…it’s almost time, come on guys” said Sam who had also barged into Arjun’s room, looking at the faces that greeted her, that said she came at a wrong time Sam shrugged “the door was open, so… I will wait downstairs and hurry up please”
Radhika again looked at Arjun for explanation but he just asked her to speak to Aditya about the matter and Radhika wondered what was so serious that they had to keep it from her. They both changed and joined Sam to go receive Neil and Prena from the airport.
Vijay had escaped two murder attempts and there was no need to guess he knew exactly who tried to kill him. Many of his and Suraj’s men that they use in doing their dirty jobs had sided with him and so it was easy to know what Suraj was planning. First he tried to poison him but the man who was sent for that job was still loyal to Vijay for it was Vijay who had helped him with his mother’s cancer treatment when he was in need spilled Suraj’s malicious plans to Vijay. Suraj then sent an assassin to finish Vijay off but the man also missed his shot resulting in wounding an innocent bystander. He had to strike back and knew exactly were to hit Suraj, he was going to hit him where it would hurt him the most, Saral. By targeting Saral he was sure Suraj would be defeated and so Vijay played his trump card.
Vijay asked his men for a phone number, once he had got it he called the number and waited for it to be connected. The call was answered in a few rings and a firm masculine voice hit his ears “it’s me Vijay Kumar or Saba… whatever u would like to call me”
Aditya was not surprised by the call, Karthik had informed him that Suraj was hell bent on killing Vijay, he knew the two partners had parted ways and he was infact waiting for this call “what can I do u for?”
Vijay could note the sarcasm in Aditya’s voice but he couldn’t blame him, he was the one on the losing end “I want to help u officer… I want to help u jail Suraj”
Aditya:“well u see , I won’t be satisfied with just one… I want to throw both of u in jail and frankly I don’t see how u can help me”
Vijay:“I know u will get proof against him for many crimes but u won’t be able to convict him for Dilip’s murder… I have information that can make Saral change his statement maybe even testify against his father since he witnessed his uncle’s murder”
Aditya:“and what information is that?”
Vijay“not so fast officer… first u will have to assure me of my safety… Saba is already dead so what’s the need to ressurect him… I will give u what u want in exchange for my freedom”
Aditya laughed he knew this was coming but he was prepared “let me make u another offer… u give me what I want and I give u what u need… your family” Vijay was stunned at the news and asked how did he know “I know everything about u… I may not be in the force any more but I know how to do my job well”
Vijay:“how do I know that u are telling me the truth”
Aditya:“u just going to have to believe me… I know u married Prena Malhotra and u have a son… and if u have even an ounce of love and respect for them then I hope u will do the right thing”
Vijay was silent for a while and Aditya thought he will not take his offer but then Vijay spoke “Suraj is going to Rishikesh, let’s also meet there and end this for good”
Mishra House
Aditya had everybody seated on the living room, it was important that they know what happened, what was happening and prepare themselves for what was going to happen. Radhika, her mom and grandpa, Neil, his mom, Sam and Arjun all seated impatiently waiting for Aditya to break the news to them, Aditya took a deep breath before narrating to them the entire story from the beginning. Radhika and Mala were hugging each other crying profusely and Radhika’s grandpa though not crying was visibly hurt by the news. It was a stomach turning, bone chilling, head burning truth, it would have been easy to swallow a ball of nails than swallowing the bitter truth that the man they have known their entire life as a son, a brother and an uncle was a devil who had killed his own brother. But it was the truth that they had to accept and live with.
When they had calmed down a bit Radhika wiped her tears and spoke “why haven’t u arrested him yet?”
Aditya:“sadly we don’t have the needed evidence” Aditya turned his gaze on Neil and Prena “his ex-partner Vijay Kumar has agreed to help us but…”
Neil quickly asked “what does he want?”
Aditya:“he wants to meet his family once”
Prena and Sam who knew who Vijay Kumar actually was were worried by the condition that Vijay had set and looked at Neil with concern while Neil looked at his mother with the same concern. Prena closed her eyes and gathered all the strength she needed, she held Neil’s hand “we can’t run away forever… we will have to face our fate one day or another” she turned to Aditya “am ready to meet him” and Neil nodded supporting his mother. The rest of them didn’t know what was going on and so Neil told them what Vijay Kumar was to him and his mother.
Aditya then gave Radhika her father’s letter “maybe this will help u find closure”
Sam entered the bedroom she was sharing with Radhika and saw her sitting on the bed crying holding her father’s letter. Sam sat next to her, wiped her tears and held her hands “that’s enough chashni… pls don’t cry so much, I can’t see u like this” Radhika just hugged her in return and started crying again, her tears wouldn’t just stop. Sam kept rubbing her back until she was calm, she broke the hug and gave her water to drink. “I know it’s hard but u have to be strong for aunty and grandpa”
Radhika:“it is hard Sam… the man who has always been my bade papa, I have always regarded him as my father… I thought he was only greedy but he is a monster who killed my father… If it’s this hard for me then how hard is it for grandpa… his one son killed another how terrible must he feel?”
Sam:“it will all be over soon”
Radhika:“I know but will this pain ever go away”
Sam:“they say time heals all wounds so it’s just a matter time… give yourself time and am sure u will be fine… now go wash your face, u look like a zombie with all that mascara smeared on your face” Radhika smiled and went to the bathroom and Sam secretly wish for happiness to return to them.
Arjun and Neil were also sharing a room, Arjun saw Neil busy on his laptop he was acting as if nothing was bothering him. Arjun sat on the chair near him “how are u feeling?” he asked him. Neil without halting his work replied that he was fine. Arjun took his laptop and placed it on the table “don’t give me this macho-man persona, I know u are hurt… talk to me”
Neil:“I don’t know what am supposed to feel… I lived my entire life thinking my father is dead and now I found out he is not dead but could be going to jail if not hanged… am going to meet him but don’t know what I should say to him… so I don’t know if I should be excited or be sad… what would u have done if u were in my place?”
Arjun:“one of the things that connected us was that we both grew up without our fathers… I know your father is not exactly the father figure u would have wanted but atleast give him a chance… hear him out first and then decide what u should feel about him… take a day as it comes don’t be too hard on yourself”
Neil smiled “finally Arjun Mehra gives good advice, am sure it’s chashni’s effects on u” Arjun punched on his shoulder at his comment making him groan in pain before returning the punch.
Mala had suggested that they visit the temple for they needed peace that they can only find with the Almighty at a time like this and Prena second on her suggestion so the entire gang went to the nearby temple. Radhika after reading her dad’s letter was sure about the warehouse and was planning to sneak out from the temple and go check out the warehouse to rest her doubts once and for all. Radhika had just reached the bottom stares whe Sam called out to her “where do u think u are going chashni?”
Radhika turned to answer her but her wrist was held firmy, she turned and saw Saral “good thing u are here bcoz we are going to throw your sorry ass in jail that’s where u belong” spoke Radhika with utmost disgust.
Saral tightened his grip almost crushing her bones “I know u are conspiring against dad and I but before that dad is going to kill all of u like he killed your father” Radhika felt like she was possessed by a demon of rage, all the pain she felt for her dad’s death turned into pure rage, though her left hand was held by him she somehow found the strength and slapped him so hard that he staggered and before he could react she slapped him again. She was going to give him the third one when Saral took a grip of her hair, all this while people just watched the free show. Saral was enjoying her pained face when she kicked him hard in the groin making him writh in pain and Radhika freed herself from his grip. He was going to attack her again when Sam kicked him in the groin again, the girls were on a mission to devoid him of the fatherhood pleasure, he hadn’t got out of that pain completely when Radhika slapped him again “this for calling me a sl*t” and hearing that Sam showered him with another slap.
Saral now super enraged pushed Sam down making her twist her ankle and was going to grab Radhika when he felt a hard coconut had fallen with full speed on his jaw, but it was no coconut it was Arjun’s punch. Arjun threw another punch that landed on his stomach making him bend down groaning in pain, Arjun was going to give him a taste of his hard knuckles again when a cold like thing touched the back of his neck halting him in his tracks, the few gasps and screams that followed told him that he was just held at gunpoint.
Meanwhile in the temple Aditya had called Vijay to come meet his family there for he was sure one wouldn’t start a commotion in such a holy place. Prena had her eyes closed praying for strength when she heard Vijay’s voice, she turned and came face to face with the ghost, it was like seeing a ghost for her. Vijay moved closer but Prena stopped her “don’t come near me pls… just say what do u want?”
Vijay looked at the people near Prena, he easily identified his son, same eyes, same nose, same face, he was his carbon copy, tears welled up in his eyes it was like becoming a father for the first time for him “u look just like me”
“But he is nothing like u” said Prena “he is a good man… so pls just say what u want and let’s get this over with” Vijay wiped his tears and told them how Suraj had tricked him, Aditya didn’t forget to record Vijay’s confession and Radhika’s grandpa felt his heart giving up hearing how evil his son is.
Vijay:”I thought u were dead, had I known that u were still alive I swear I would have left this filthy life behind as I promised u… I would have left it for our son”
Prena:”but now u know we are alive and for the sake of our son I beg u to end this mess… too many people have suffered already… pls put an end to this”
Vijay looked at Neil as if asking him if he agrees with his mother’s decision and Neil just nodded as if he understood what was in his mind “okay… I am ready to surrender” he turned to Aditya “am ready to do whatever it takes to close this chapter… am at your service officer” They were startled by the screams and ran out only to see Arjun being beaten by Saral, Sam laying down injured and Radhika held at gunpoint by Suraj.
Suraj didn’t care that they were at the temple nor that they where in the open. Most of his men were arrested, his secrets were out, police had a bundle of evidence against him thanks to Aditya. His kingdom had crumbled down and he just didn’t care anymore, all he knew now and all he wanted was revenge, revenge against his foes even if that meant killing his family.
Vijay:”what are u doing Suraj… u killed your wife and your brother… do u want to kill your entire family?” He intentionally said that to stir up Saral against his father.
Saral instantly left Arjun and asked what Vijay was talking about and he assured him that Suraj had killed his mother. Saral turned to his father, his eyes red “did u do it… did u kill my mother…?” Suraj tried to defend himself but Vijay kept on insisting on Suraj’s misdeeds, Saral took a gun and aimed it at Suraj “did u kill her… tell me did u kill her…?”
Suraj:”son it’s a trap, they are trying to play with your mind… am innocent… I killed Dilip and u know it but I didn’t kill your mother… It’s Vijay, Vijay killed your mother” Saral turned the gun on Vijay but he also defended himself and insisted that the murderer was Suraj. Vijay and Suraj went on throwing the blame ball from one another with Saral going back and forth with his gun btwn the two.
Neil rushed to an injured Sam and Saral who thought he was going to attack him fired at him but Vijay instinctively came forward providing a shield for his son and the bullet hit him right in the chest resulting in a few more screams from the spectators. Aditya then shot at Saral on his hand making him drop the gun, Suraj who saw that threw Radhika away and aimed at Aditya but before he could shoot Karthik who had come to the rescue bruised his hand with his bullet. Three shots fired, three men down, two minorly injured and one…..
Precap:Suraj and Saral jailed, gold found, happy ending.