The truth unfolds

Shikhawat grimaced at Manya's words. Struggling against his pain in order to respond, he gritted out through his teeth, "Kick me hard when I'm down, why don't you! I never thought Manya Rahal would be the kind of person to-"

Manya interrupted him in the middle, with a perfectly calm expression, "Don't you dare pin the consequences of your actions as some heinous act on my part! I have nothing more to say to you, but I do have something of yours."

Saying this, she reached into her bag and pulled out an envelope. She tossed it on the table beside the bed with a satisfied smirk, "This is a present from your beloved wife- she asked me to deliver the divorce papers on her behalf. Enjoy the rest of your pathetic life." 

Manya struck her palms against each other, as if to clean her hands of the mess and turned around.

"Please, don't punish me like this please!" Shikhawat yelled from behind, but she walked out of the room without a second glance.

Shambhav, who had been listening silently for so long, scampered out of the room. As soon as he spotted her in the corridor, he yelled out "Manya, please stop!" 

Manya turned around with surprise and asked, "What happened?" 

Shambhav looked down and started,a little hesitant at first. "I don't know if I should be considered shallow or a hypocrite after saying this, but can't you forgive my father? I know he has nobody by his side after what he has done, even my mom has left him. And to be honest, I am not shocked after seeing the divorce papers as well, because I was fully prepared for this and was thinking about what she would do next. But the thing is, can't you just forgive him- I am not asking to lower his punishment, I am simply asking for forgiveness, which contains the bitterness in your mind that might add more suffering for him, as his Karma."

Manya smiled, "You told me this yourself, his Karma. Yes, he is reaping his own Karma and I can understand your concern as a son, but I really can't forgive him- at least not in this lifetime. But I want you to know that when I refer to him, it doesn't include you. I just hope you don't end up taking his path."

"Oh no...no, never! I can never walk on his path, I am here only because I am his debtor due to being born as his son. He had showered me with love and care in my childhood, so I have to return at least the part of care till he recovers. Actually, actually, I -"

"Tell me, I am listening, don't hesitate."

"May I meet Sia? If not now, then in the future perhaps?"

Manya's expression became serious, she spoke up only after a moment's consideration. "Look Shambhav, I don't think she is in the right state to meet anyone right now, she is extremely scared. So I cannot allow you to meet her now, but I respect relations and you are her half brother. No one can change this fact no matter how much we both try to, so I guess I will ask her when she gets better. Till then, this is goodbye."

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Manya removed her sunglasses after entering the living room. She checked out her reflection in the glass panes, concluding that she did indeed look stunning in her black pants and olive shirt. She placed her bag on the nearest table as if it was her own house, and she was, in fact, well familiar with the house.

A person entered the living room and greeted her with a smile.

"Welcome, Manya. Tell me, why are you here at this moment, is everything alright?"

"Absolutely ! Or were you hoping for something not to be alright, after me finding out that you are the actual mastermind behind the plan of accident?!"

Manya stated everything with a cool smile, as if inquiring about the well-being of a family friend, nothing more.

"How do yo- I mean, what do you mean?" The person stuttered.

"I mean exactly what I said, Mr.Manthan Srilal! Or do I need to rephrase it, Mr. Most- wanted-serial killer, the one with the cast in his right hand and a stick in his left, because he had trouble walking properly!"

"Manya, child I think there must have been some misunderstanding." He spoke again, while some droplets of sweat appeared on his forehead and his eyes darted across the room, trying to find something.

Meanwhile, Manya stood up and punched in the table placed along the wall by her side, and a stick rolled down with a dull thud. She quickly grabbed the stick with a lion symbol on the top of it.

Twirling the stick in her hands, "Are you looking for this?"

The person got startled and tried to throw the solid ball of metal he was able to grab, towards her head. She quickly dodged it, just as Arjun, who had been waiting in the hallway outside, dashed inside and grabbed hold of his hands. Ishaan followed, along with the police and everyone else.

She asked again, "Tell me why!? Why did you do all this?! They treated you as a family member, you were never like a mere employee to him, then why?"

"Because I was the one who had done everything. I was the one who kept record of everything for him, I should have had everything. I have seen them grow, but what did I get in return? Pennies! It was then that I heard about the gem, and a thought appeared in my brain, that if I had that gem, I would be richer than all of you! But for that, I needed someone, and Shikhawat's father became my first bait. But your grandfather had to be outstanding in everything he did, he took the gem away and kept it under so many locks and privacy! At first, I thought he could have hidden it anywhere, but Swara must be aware of it. So, I planned everything with the help of Shikhawat, as I had already narrated the fake story to him of his father's death. He had been holding a pretty good grudge against you all for that, and I planned on exploiting it to the fullest. But then I came across the fact that Swara was also unaware of the complete story. So I needed to take you in confidence, as I don't know why,even though Swara was handling everything, he had named everything under your name, and the biometrics to get to the gem were also yours. Therefore, taking you in total confidence was really important,  but then your father came up with this idea and you were sent to Milan. I had to wait twelve long years, and now you are telling me that I will be getting nothing!? I am sorry to say that if I am getting nothing, then you get nothing as well- my house will be blasted to smithereens, any second now," the old man cackled.

"Oh,so you are talking about the time bomb, which would have been activated after she got the stick? Then what do you think, where have I been and what had I been doing, that I let her enter alone?" Arjun replied.

"No, this can't be!" he struggled to get himself free from Arjun's grip.

"You know what, I had already solved the mystery of murder in my teenage years. I was yet to get it cross-checked and verified, but before that we shifted elsewhere and the accident happened. So I was totally submerged in my emotions and forgot about everything. But when you told me that day that Shikhawat had done everything for the gem and used the rod in the same style of the murders that had happened twelve years ago, it was then that I remembered everything. Everything, along with the fact that I had never informed you about the gem. So I connected the dots, and here you are. And I have one more thing to say while I have the chance, but my Nanu didn't have all these things because he had acquired it from someone, he had everything because he worked hard for it. He could think ahead of you, every single time. The biometrics for getting the gems were those of Sia from the very beginning, and the Will was just to distract you all from finding out. If you remember, the Will says that everything belongs to me, but nothing can be owned by me solely. The only way to win the race is winning it together. Then there was a sign of a pendant, which was owned by me, Arjun and Sia- but nobody cared enough to look in the details. The pendant that I and Arjun have, are complementary to each other, but Sia's pendant stands out. There was also the famous picture of Mr.Prajapati and his friends, you must have seen this image thousands of times while passing by it, but that was where the gem was kept."

Manthan roared out, "You must be kidding! You are telling me that I have waited all these years for nothing?! I will kill you, I will kill everyone present here!" He struggled to make himself free of Arjun's grip with renewed vigor, but failed again.

Arjun pushed him towards the police officer, who cuffed his hands thoroughly. He spoke up, "Now you can make plans in Jail, in your free time- let's go!"

"Wait a minute, inspector!" Arjun raised his voice as he crossed the distance between them. Leaning close to Manthan, he whispered, "Listen, you are only alive because I was not aware what you were up to. Now I am standing in front of her, so think for at least a thousand times before doing anything to her. Or else, you would not be lucky enough to be blessed with another life."

As soon as the police left with him, Manya sat down on the sofa with a thump, the exhaustion finally catching up to her. Holding her head in her hands, she muttered, "Why me? Why does everybody I have ever trusted in my short life-span, have to cheat me?"

She then stood up resolutely and walked towards Ishaan, making him a little uncomfortable after what she had just said. She spoke in English, because now she was not willing to converse in a language which belonged to her memories of him, "Why Ishaan, why did you feel compelled to do all the things you did?"

"Manu, I am sorry for this, I-" 

"I know you love me, and have romantic feelings for me. But still, you didn't have to opt for the way of giving me the medicine to fade my memories further! The Manya that accompanied you from Milan might have broken every bone in your body twice for that, but you know what? This is just another disappointment I have gotten from someone I trusted, so I am simply too tired at this point. Just tell me, if you can, what had I done to you that you chose to take such a drastic step? I don't know what kind of a Destiny I have earned for myself from the Heavens, that everyone I trusted ended up plunging a dagger into my back at some point! But leave it, what explanation could you give, that would justify your actions? I don't expect anything from you, and I am sorry that I can't reciprocate your feelings. But I still have a request, Vihaan is your brother and Vendy loves him- don't make it difficult for them, and please go back to Italy."

"Manya- you...how do..I am…"

A faint smile appeared on Manya's face. "How do I know? This is what you want to know? These past two days have given me enough space and time to think about everything. The medicine which the doctor prescribed Sia, to make her forget the recent traumatising events, was the same as what you used to give me whenever I used to have any nightmares or panic attacks." 

Ishaan was standing there, totally numb as if someone was hitting him with a hammer continuously. A drop of tear appeared in his eyes and he finally managed to speak,

"Manu, I am sorry, I never intended to hurt you...I just-"

"You just love me? That's what you're gonna say, aren't you! Your love has cost me twelve years of my life to find the truth. I am sorry Ishaan, but trusting you had already cost me way too much. I can't get any of it back, and I am unwilling to put any more effort into this sinking ship. So I advise you to return to Italy."

She turned to face Arjun next, and he looked sincerely in her eyes as she started again, "And I am sorry for forgetting you after promising you that I will remember you forever. I am really sorry for that, but I can't stay with you as well. I am really grateful for you and your presence in my life, but love is a luxury which is really out of my expense range. So once again, I am sorry."

She then turned to her mother, as her dad was with Sia, who couldn't be left alone for now. With a soft look in her eyes, she placed her hand on her shoulders and said, "Don't take stress, I need some time and I will be back whenever I have sorted myself."

She then looked at everyone present in the room one-by-one and spoke, "Today, I- Manya Rahal, a self-earned millionaire, and a billionaire by inheritance, declare that love is a luxury for me, that I cannot seem to afford in this lifetime! Despite having so much wealth, I simply do not have enough to risk in the name of 'love' anymore, and trust is something that I would not be blessed with in this lifetime. I have made my peace with this, and I suggest that you do too."

Saying this, she ran outside and before any of them could catch hold of her, she had started her car and vanished at the speed of light.

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A/N - Hello my lovelies, I have a perfect example of how a five minute nap can turn into a 5 hours long one! I am so sorry for the delay (●´⌓`●) and I just noticed that some of my cute emojis are turned into "?" ,so I request you all to please ignore as they were the hugs and fairy emojis.Love you tons.❤️❤️

Thanks for supporting me, and stay tuned to witness the beautiful love story of Manya and Arjun after the cloud of confusion, mystery and machinations have finally cleared. ❤️