All I felt was endless rage and sadness as my own subordinates questioned me. As no proof of any kind of force entry was found at our home I was the prime suspect of their investigation by default.

"Toh Mrs. Shabhana Khan kyu murder kiya aapne apne pati ka? (So, Mrs. Shabhana Khan, why did you murder your own husband?)" They asked.

A question to which even I didn't have the answer to. I couldn't even get myself to tell them that I didn't kill him. Because if you think about it wasn't I the reason for all this. Wasn't I the one who was responsible for what happened to him? If I would have taken the treats seriously and backed off in time maybe this wouldn't have happened to him. As I sat there haunted by the ghosts of my past there was only just one question I kept on asking myself the same question that they were asking me. 'Why did I kill my husband?' and before I could find an answer Sahil walked in.

"Shabhana......Karan teek hai, doctor se milkar aaya hoon main uski heartbeat chal rahi thi aur procedures chal rahi hai lekin doctor ne kaha uski jaan ko kathra nehi hai (Shabhana.....Karan is all right, I came here after meeting with the doctors, his heart was still beating when we got there and some procedures are being done but the doctor said that his life isn't in danger)"

Sahil said kneeling down in front of me. I was overwhelmed after hearing this news I held onto him and started crying uncontrollably.

"Humeh hospital chalna caahiye (we should go to the hospital)" Sahil said consoling me.

"Yeh prime suspect hai hum isse aise nehi jaane de sakthe (She is the prime suspect we can't let her leave like that)"

My subordinates who were questioning me said.

"Shabhana ko case ki vajah se threat calls aa rahe the, yeh baat usne mujse report kiya tha aur call records filed hai woh check karo aur unko pakdo, falthoo ka time waste mat karo (Shabhana was getting threat calls because of the case she reported it to me and the call records were filed go and check those and find those people instead of wasting your time with this nonsense)"

Sahil said as he took my hand and walked out of there.

***

"Agar aaj isse kuch ho jaatha toh main apne aap ko kabhi maaf nehi kar paathi (if anything would have happened to him today I would never have forgiven myself)" I said as I looked at him through the hospital door.

"Actually mujeh nehi laghta usse kuch hone bhi wala tha, stab wound ithna bhi deep nehi tha aise laghta hai tumeh warn karne ke liye kiya hai unn logon ne (Actually I don't think anything would have happened to him, their stab wound wasn't even that deep it's like they did it to give you a warning)" Sahil said.

"Toh usse kya lagtha hai aise karne se hum daar ke peeche hatt jaayenge? Usne meri ghar pe gusske meri family pe attack kiya hai.....abb tho yeh mamla bohot personal ho gaya hai bai, toh abb main badla loongi, jo bhi ho iss case main jithne bhi log involved hai sabko sazaa dilkar rahoongi main (So what dose this person think by doing this we will get scared and back off? They broke into my house and attacked my family......not this has gotten personal, so now I will take the revenge, I would find whoever is involved in this case and would make sure they are punished)"

I said angrily.

"Toh teek hai jaise hi tum waapas aathi ho..........(Okay then as soon as you come back)"

"Main abhi waapas aa rahi hoon (I am coming back righ now)"

"Karan ko tumhari zarrorat hai Shabhana (Karan needs you Shabhana)"

"Karan ko zaroorat hai protection ki, au raise criminals ko jaane dena usse protect nehi karega (Karan needs protection and letting criminals go won't protect him)"

"Tum sahi keh rahi ho actually, chalo abhi chalthe hai (Actually you are right, let's go now)"

"Karan ko kisi safe location pe shift...(To shift karan to a safe loacation....)"

"Uska intezaam already ho chukka hai (Arrangements for the same have already been done)"

I smiled and he smiled back at me.

***

Sahil's POV

I rushed into Shabhana's office with the newfound information that I was sure would change the tone of the investigation completely.

"Mujeh sabi victims ki case files aur post mortem reports aaj sham thak meri table pe caahiye agar nehi kar paaye toh nikal jaao yahan se job chodkar samje (I want the case files and post mortem reports of all the victims on my table by evening and if you couldn't do it you could leave your job and walk away)"

Shabhana screamed at her subordinates.

"Shabhana yeh deko Julie I case file, Nazneen sach keh rahi thi who waha apni boyfriend ki saat gayi thi lekin woh Naveen nehi tha aur naa hi usne uski rape kiya lekin woh koi aisa hai jiske hamare case se connection hai (Shabhana look at this Julie's case file, Nazneen was telling the truth she went there with her boyfriend but her boyfriend was not Naveen and nor did that person rape her but it is someone who is connected to our case)"

"Kaun? (Who?)"

"Ananya ka victim no.2 Manish Sharma (Anaya's victim no.2 Manish Sharma)"

"You have got to be kidding me"

Shabhana said sitting down holding her head.

***

Julie's statement to the police:

"Manish se main pehali baar apni office main mili thi, hum dono ne ek hi din join kiya tha,woh bohot charming tha helpful tha.....Bohot jaldi hi hamari dosti ho gayi thi aur ek din aise hi maine usse date ke liye poocha usne haan kar diya, woh bohot decently behave kartha tha mere saat aur kuch galat karna toh door kuch galat boltha bhi nehi tha ek din aise hi usne mujeh ek party ke liye invite kiya usne bola kuch purane doston se milne jaana hai uss din hi maine peheli baar Naveen se mili uski saat uski girlfriend Kritika bhi thi, hum logon ne ek do drink peeya toda bohot baatein bhi ki, fir Manish ko kisi ne bola unki ek aur dost ko pick karne jaana hai usse drive karna tha toh who drink nehi kar raha tha lekin usse raasta nehi batha tha toh Kritika uski saat hi cahli gayi, usne kahan do minute main waapas aayega lekin woh aaya hi nehi aur Naveen aur uski doston ne milkar meri rape kiya aur maine baagne ki kosish kiya toh mujeh maara main kaise bhi karke wahan se bachke nikali maine wahan paas waali ek police sation bhi gayi lekin unn logon ne Naveen ki against case lene se mana kar diya fir waha paas ki hi kuch logon ne mujeh hospital pohonjaya meri ghar walon ne mujeh milne thak ke liye bhi mana kar diya meri poori life woh ek din aur woh aadmi ki vajah se barbaad ho gaya (Manish and I met for the first time in my office it was the first day for both of us he was very charming and helpful.....we became friends very quickly one day just like that I asked him out on a date and he said yes, he always behaved very decently with me, forget doing something bad he never even said anything bad to me one day he randomly invited me to a party he said he was meeting with some old friends and that was the day I met Naveen for the first time he was with his girlfriend Kritika, we had a few drinks and talked for a while that was when someone told Manish they had to go pick up another one of their friend, Manish wasn't drinking because he had to drive but he didn't know the way so Kritika went with him, he said he will be back in two minutes but he never came back later that night Naveen and his friends raped me I tried to escape so they beat me up somehow I escaped and went to file a complaint in a nearby police station but they refused to take a case against Naveen later a few people from around the place took me to the hospital and my family refused to even meet me my whole life was ruined because of that one day and that one person)"

***

Soon me and Shabhana was sitting with a girl who worked with Julie who claimed to have information about Manish.

"Kya aapne inko hi dekha tha Julie ke saat? (Are you sure you have seen this guy with Julie?)"

Shabhana asked her, showing her a picture of Manish.

"Ji madam, Julie apni rape case haarne ki baat ahi aayi thi case ki vajah se uski office waalon ne usse job se nikal diya usse aur kahi job nehi mil raha tha aur uski ghar walon ne bhi uska saat chod diya tha, uski yahan pohanjne ki ek do mahine baat yeh banda usse doondthe hue aaya tha woh Julie ko yahan se le jaana caahtha tha lekin woh nehi maani woh toh usko dekthe hi uspe chilane lagthi thi aur woh cup chaap suntha rehtha tha aur kabhi kabhi woh rone lagthi thi aur woh usko sambaaltha tha aur ek din aise hi usne aana hi band kar diya (Yes, madam, Julie came here right after loosing her rape case because of the case she lost her job, and no one was ready to hire her and even her family left her, one or two months after she reached here he came here looking for her he wanted to take Julie away from here but she didn't let him in fact whenever they met she kept on shouting at her and he kept on quietly listening to him, and sometimes she cries and he would console her and one day just like that he stopped visiting)"

"Aur koi aatha tha Julie se milne? (And dose anyone else used to come to meet Julie?)" I asked.

"Woh Nazneen hi aathi thi (just that Nazneen used to come)"

"Teek hai thank you (Okay thank you)" Shabhana said getting up.

***

"Nehi Manish ne mujeh kabhi bhi inn sab ki baarein main nehi bathaya (No Manish never told me anything about all this)"

Shalini Manish's girlfriend said.

"Tumeh lagtha hai ki Manish tumpe cheat kar saktha tha? (Do you think Manish could have cheated on you?)"

"Kabhi nehi, aur yeh incident ki time pe hum dono saat nehi the school ki baat toh hamara breakup hua tha jiske baat hum dono ki doosre logon ko date kar rahe the hum inn sab ki bohot time baat fir se date karne lage (Never, when this incident happened we weren't together after school we broke up for a while during which we both were dating other people a long time after all this happened we both started dating each other again)"

"Aap aisa kuch bhi jaanthe hai jo hamare kaam aa sakthe hai? (Do you know anything that will be of our help?)"

"I am sorry no, lekin main aapki iss case main poori help karoongi, mujeh jaanna hai ki Manish ne mujse ithi badi baat kyu chupayi, aur yeh bhi jaanna hai ki Manish Naveen jaise insaan ko jaantha bhi kaisa tha (I am sorry no but I will fully help you in this case I need to know why Manish hid something so huge from me and I also want to know how dose he even know a person like Naveen)"

***

Shabhana's POV

"Yeh Naveen kithne hot ladkiyon ke saat kaam kartha tha na? (This Naveen used to work with so many hot women right?)"

Sahil said looking at the case files.

"Hot ladkyon ko goorna band kar, actually nehi maare hue ladkyon ko ghoorna band kar aur kaam pe dyaan de (Stop stalking hot women, actually stop stalking dead women and focus on work)"

I said rolling my eyes.

"Main toh bas ek pattern point out kar raha tha (I was just pointing out a pattern)"

"Main na tumhari iss pattern ki discovery ki baarein main tumhari wife ko bolthi hoon fir dekthi hoon kaise who tujeh kisi graveyard main chodke aathi hai (I will tell your wife about your discovery of this pattern then I will see how she will leave you in a graveyard)"

"Yaar tu kithini judgemental hai, tu police hai ki court ki judge? (You are so judgemental, are you a police officer or a judge in a court?)"

"Yeh poori sation ki logon ko laga ki maine apni husband ko maarne ki kosish ki aur main judgemental hoon? (Everyone in this whole sation thought I tried to kill my husband and I am the judegemental one?)"

While we were talking Ayan came rushing inside.

"Fir tapak gaya tu? Kya caahiye tujeh? (You are back again? What do you want?)"

"Kavya" He said.

"Meri pocket main nehi padi hai woh (She is not in my pocket)" I said.

"Ayan relax Jaise hi Nazneen aur Ishaan mil jaayegi hum yeh case solve karenge aur Kavya ko chod denge agar yeh saabit ho jaayega ki uski unn dono ke saat kuch lena dena nehi hai (Ayan relax as soon as we find Nazneen and Ishaan and prove that Kavya had nothing to do with them we will let her go)" Sahil said.

"Woh Jaldi mil jaayenge Sir (You will find them soon Sir)"

Ayan said and as soon as he said that my phone started ringing.

"Hello" I said I picking up the phone.

"Mere paas Ishaan aur Nazneen ke baarein main information hai, dono yahan Mumbai main hai (I have information about Ishaan and Nazneen, both of them are in Mumbai)" A female voice said.

Someone said from the other side.

"Kaunsa Jadoo tona karke aaya hai re tu? (What kind of black magic have you done?)"

I asked stairing at Ayan.

"What happened?" Sahil asked.

I put the phone on speaker.

"Kaun ho tum? Aur tum Ishaan aur Nazneen ki location kaise jaanthi ho? (Who are you and how do you know Ishaan and Nazneen's location?)"

"Aapko jo information caahiye who bhi milegi aur jo help caahiye woh bhi lekin meri ek shard hai (You will get the information you want and also the help that you want but under one condition)"

"Kaisa shard? (What condition?)"

"Mujeh Shalini se milna hai (I want to meet Shalini)"