~A New Beginning.~

"As my story came to a close,

I realized that

I was the villain all along."

- Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

************

(Some months later)

"Was it so wrong of me to help someone in need?"

This time, the gloom took disguise, moulding itself into the humans who were ruined by Zaid.

"My child, he didn't even know why he was killed so brutally."

Bitterly, Amira spoke, holding Aris's little body in her arms. Her eyes burned with a fierce mixture of sorrow and hatred as she fixed an accusatory glare upon Zaid, the man who had been the cause of her anguish.

"That's so unfair - your flesh and blood, your child is precious and my child is undeserving of living?"

And, as far as he could recall, for the first time, he found himself on his knees before someone other than Shravya as he stared at the woman and her child with bewilderment etched across his face like a scar.

"We both were innocent, yet, you killed us, and destroyed our life so easily," her words held such bitterness that Zaid couldn't help but shrink back, cowering slightly, afraid.

"You're a hypocrite." Amira shook her head, tears streaming down her face. "And, you deserve every second of this pain."

She pointed a shaking finger at him. "You, the murderer of my child, you should never feel the joy of fatherhood! You should never be loved!"

"You should wreath in this misery alone and forever."

The atmosphere seemed to tremble under the weight of her presence as if nature itself quivered at the injustice she endured.

"You deserve to be punished like this."

Soon, her figure retreated along with her child, vanishing, leaving Zaid alone in the suffocating darkness of his subconscious.

The terrible murmurs of remorse surrounded him and slowly tears left his eyes while a much recognisable voice whispered to him --- it was his father's voice.

"Karma is cruel. I did warn you, Zaid."

With a soft gasp, Zaid opened his eyes to the shadows engulfing his cell, perfectly reflecting the fracas within his troubled mind while he numbly lay on the floor, the cold sensation of the floor providing a strange mean of diverting his mind to reality.

"Bad dream again, huh?" Somewhere in the darkness, the voice of his cellmate came. His name was Bhavin, and he was also twice the age of Zaid.

"Yeah," Zaid replied, glancing at Bhavin who was just lying down on a thin sheet spread upon the floor, a few feet away from Zaid.

"It has become a part of your routine, I must say," Bhavin remarked with a hint of empathy in his gravelly voice. "So, what did you dream about?"

"Of my sins," Zaid confessed, his voice barely above a whisper, as if afraid the walls themselves would judge him.

"Dramatic much," Bhavin let out a soft laugh. "You know you can talk it out to me if you want."

"It's nothing..I...I'm just in love and guilt," Zaid sighed, his gaze fixed on an invisible point in the darkened cell. It has been some months since he arrived in the jail and now his eyes have gotten used to that darkness. "She's a good woman, the most beautiful one, and I just love her so much."

"Why does it sound as if these feelings of yours aren't reciprocated?" Bhavin couldn't help but chuckle at the idea.

"Because they weren't reciprocated exactly. She might have felt sympathy for me, but definitely not love."

Zaid closed his eyes momentarily, then reopened them again. He'd already accepted that, no matter how much he wished otherwise.

"She didn't like you, even with this face?"

Now, there was a teasing note to Bhavin's voice which made Zaid laugh out in levity. "No. She saw beyond my beautiful charade."

"She was perfectly aware of what a monster I was behind this face." A bitter taste lingered in Zaid's words. "And it's not like I had given her any reason to not see me as one."

A hefty sigh escaped him as he delved into the profundities of his remorse, his voice growing heavy. "I hurt her, made her cry, did so many horrible things to her without caring about the consequences, and then. . . ."

Zaid's words died in his throat. He wanted to speak more, yet didn't know how. How was he supposed to describe all that? - all the feelings, even including the ones that make his heart and soul ache so sweetly yet so appallingly.

Oh, how he still remembers her warm smile, her gentle touch, and her alluring scent --- keeping all of that a captive so preciously in his memories.

"Aur phir?" Bhavin asked gently through the silence.

(And then?)

Yet, for the longest moment, Zaid remained silent before eventually, giving up. "Phir muje pyaar ho gaya."

(Then, I fell in love.)

"Galti ho gyi," Bhavin sighed at Zaid's words.

(And it was a big mistake from your side.)

"Hmm. Ek bhut khubsurat galti." Zaid nodded, a smile tenderly curling his mouth as he stared at the ceiling with Shravya in his thoughts, wondering about her and their child. "Sirf vo ek galti, aur ma haar gaya."

(Hmm. A very beautiful mistake. I just made that one mistake, and it turned out to be the foundation of my downfall.)

"As a devious man, I did the only thing I wasn't supposed to do." Zaid let out a dry chuckle, a bitter taste still lingering on his tongue. "I wasn't supposed to fall in love, yet, I did."

"I betrayed the evils within me and ended up in love." He hummed with mirth before letting out a hollow laugh. "And now, I'm paying for that treachery."

"I'm sure it didn't happen by choice," Bhavin remarked, chuckling to also show his amusement.

"But it happened nonetheless. When it came to love, I found myself powerless, helpless with no choices to make, no will to refuse." Zaid shook his head, his finger moving in the air, absentmindedly drawing some imaginative figures.

"I had nothing to say when I was confronted by that blissful feeling, it felt as if I was mute and had never spoken in my life."

He mused, somewhere behind that gaiety his helplessness resonating through every syllable.

"Regardless of the bitter situations, the process was sweet. I knew I was falling. I knew I was losing myself, but still, I was in joy."

"That's why I deserve to be punished severely." His expression twisted with sorrow as he continued to peer at the ceiling.

"How dare of me to fall in love with my victim, the woman I ruined," he added, the weight of guilt heaving down on his shoulders. "That's so shameless of me."

There was a short pause between the two men, neither one spoke until Bhavin brought up a question again: "After getting out of here, will you meet her?"

"No. I destroyed the existence of whatever could lead me back to her," Zaid whispered, the distress in his words clinging to the cold, desolate walls of their prison cell.

"I have nothing left of her." Except her memories.

With that, Zaid turned to face the other side, quiescence descending through while his back shielded his vulnerability from Bhavin as it kept laying bare in his empty orbs.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

The atmosphere inside the prison's canteen was heavy with the weight of palpable uncertainty and pall, along with the sound of clinking trays and low murmurs filling the space.

Rows of worn-out tables and chairs were occupied by an assortment of inmates, each male having their own stories of crimes, shame, and remorses.

Among them, Zaid sat at a small chipped table, blankly staring at his meal while holding a spoon in one hand.

As he attempted to eat, a voice sounded among the other noises, too loud and rough: "Damn it, I almost didn't notice our VIP."

"If anyone still doesn't know - we have a VIP among us, guys."

The noisy atmosphere soon fell mum, all the attention stopping on Zaid's table as a bulky figure of a man approached, exuding a malevolent aura, and stopping right beside Zaid.

"Is the food to your liking, sir?" He leaned in, leering, a spiteful smile gracing his lips as he loomed over.

However, Zaid remained silent, not responding to the man's nasty intentions.

This dirty peasant. All these words of hatred, of scorn and judgement. It's nothing more than the mere ravings of a weakling. - while, a voice, a very familiar one, seemed to snicker in Zaid's mind. Each word dripping with apodictic arrogance.

"Sir," the man sneered this time, leaning closer once again, his foul breath hitting Zaid square in the face. "Are you deaf or stupid?

"Your meal," slipping a bored glance at the food on the plate, a sinister grin crept across that intruder's lips as he rested his arm upon Zaid's shoulder, invading his personal space a bit more. "It can be made more tasty by something else."

The perniciousness in the atmosphere intensified as the man's actions grew more insolent and he spat into the food, a chorus of laughter from many following that act.

This world, these people, will always hurt us.

Yet, amidst the degradation, a chilling voice, unmistakably a cruel version of his own, spoke within Zaid again.

And, I'm the only one who can protect us.

Zaid's hold tightened upon the spoon in his hold and he blinked robotically before glancing at the man in the eye while his other hand shook just a little before it balled up into a fist, nails digging into his flesh.

His expressions were as blank as an empty canvas yet a very deadly storm was churning inside him.

"What's wrong, sir?" The man asked, his eyes glinting with mirth as he patted Zaid's back. "Does it still not seem delectable enough?"

Those who shine the brightest also require the aid of the deepest darkness.

Zaid felt a conversant icy grip wrap around him, and his body trembled involuntarily as he tried to combat that feeling.

So, don't be so wary of me. I'm not the one who is evil, this world is the real evil.

However, it seemed unattainable for him to disregard that feeling, no matter how hard he tried, he felt like losing. 

The glimmers of glee danced furiously in the man's eyes as he shifted a bit and tangled his fingers with the strings of his trousers, keeping his eyes fixated on Zaid. "Should I add something else?"

I'm just trying to protect us, Zaid.

And, just as the man grinned, loosening those strings, Zaid was gone, leaving a metallic clang to reverberate into the surroundings when his hold slackened around his spoon and it clattered to the floor.

"I wonder who taught you manners."

The milieu soon altered into an unsettling calm and before the man could even realize it, Zaid stood up from his seat in a swift and decisive motion and seized his bully's head, slamming it face-first into the befouled plate of food.

Even the air seemed to inert its movements for a second. Everyone fell into an oppressive quietude before their gasps and shouts quickly filled the surroundings, watching Zaid take a fistful of the man's hair, pulling his head up then slamming it back into the plate again, this time harder than the last one.

"How does it taste, huh?" He purred, his voice exuding malice.

It was as if a chasm had swallowed Zaid's previous demeanour, replacing it with a chilling and commanding presence.

"I've heard that the food here is quite good, so please, have some more," his words, oozing a perverse sense of conviviality, taunted his fallen assaulter as he put more pressure on the man's head who could only cough and whimper in protest, struggling fruitlessly.

---✳❇✳---

The sun cast its warm embrace upon the desolated graveyard, where Tanveer stood alone amidst the crumbling tombstones, before a particular grave, his eyes fixed on the gravestone of Afsana Afzal.

The atmosphere hummed with a sacred calm, broken by the rustling leaves when Tanveer knelt beside the grave with an urn cradled between his arms.

"I hope this will finally allow you both to be together," he whispered, smiling softly before opening the urn, letting the ashes swirl within. Those were the remains of his father, Anil Grover.

With a deliberate motion, he began to sprinkle those remains over the earth which also shared its existence with the grave of Afsana.

While some were taken in by the ground, some of the ashes danced in the breeze as if showing that Anil Grover and Afsana Afzal were finally reunited. The same air that flowed around her grave was now also carrying his remains.

Truly, nature never shows any discrimination against anyone. It accepts all the living beings as one.

"May you both find unity in this sacred soil."

A gentle breeze again passed by through the surroundings, whispering of an untold tale from the past as Tanveer rose from his knees and made his way back to his car.

Inside the car, along with the driver, his lawyer was already waiting for him. Tanveer hired him for Zaid's case actually.

"A fight broke out in the prison," the lawyer spoke, shuffling through the tablet in his hold as soon as Tanveer settled inside the vehicle. "It was because of your brother."

Tanveer sighed heavily and nodded in response, staring out into the empty road as they drove away from the graveyard. "Is that going to cause us any further trouble?"

"No, you don't have to worry sir, we can use it in our favour during his hearing in the court."

Tanveer frowned thoughtfully at the words of the lawyer, but kept quiet nonetheless, his mind going back to the thoughts of his step-brother.

"If Shravya wakes up, will you look after her for me?"

Turned out, Zaid wanted him to provide her protection from any kind of harm and make sure that she leaves the Grover estate safely with her Grandma.

It was the favour he asked from Tanveer when they met last time.

---✳❇✳--- 

Shravya's steps were timid and slow as she approached the door of her Grandma's office. A sense of a terrible prognostication hung gloomily in the air when she touched the doorknob, turning it, all the while catching the noise of mumbling voices from inside.

Stop. Don't go.

Unknowingly, her gut churned with unease, a reflexive warning that tugged at her thoughts as the door creaked open, revealing not only her Grandma but several other figures also.

However, her breath hitched in her throat, pulse quickening when she laid her eyes on him - Zaid.

What is he doing here?

Did he come for her?

It's been so long. Is he alright?

Had her letters ever reached him? Did he read them?

Does he still care about her?

Or, does he hate her now?

Questions. So many questions barraged her mind. Her heart was pounding painfully against her chest, her hands clenched into fists, yet, a feeling similar to an indescribable relief seemed to be flooding through her veins as she gazed into the abyss of his dark eyes.

Get away. Leave. Run.

Unease gnawed at her, still, with tears glossing her hazel eyes, she took a hesitant step towards him, only to halt mid-way. Something was amiss; the way he appeared, the way he looked at her --- it was all so unfamiliar. 

Even the way he carried himself made the hair on her nape stand on end, a tingling feeling that made her skin crawl while a lingering sense of disquiet continued to slowly unsettle her. What's happening? Why does it feel as if she didn't know him?

Her Zaid was before her, but she couldn't shake the feeling that he had transformed into a stranger, becoming someone whom she couldn't decipher.

"Finally you're here," Zaid's words broke the silence, his eyes seizing in every form of change surrounding her.

He calmly sat on the sofa, a sight of minacious power and supercilious elegance. His one-piece business suit clung to his form, sculpted like a stunning piece of art, exuding an aura that was both cryptic and perturbing.

His very presence seemed to rewrite the room's ambience, casting protracted shadows and deeper secrets.

"Pleased to meet you." He tilted his head, eyes still locked with hers as her name smoothly came out of his mouth with the corners of his lips twisting into a sinister smile. "Shravya."

And suddenly, a shiver of horror coldly touched her whole body.

Shravya lay motionless on the soft bed, her face framed by strands of her dark hair that spilled over the pillow. The room itself was bathed in a soft, ethereal glow emanating from a lone lamp in the corner. The dwindling night from outside provided no light.

It was in a sudden hushed moment that Shravya's eyelids fluttered, a delicate sign of her returning to consciousness.

Her eyes slowly opened, revealing her hazel brown orbs that had been concealed in the shadows of a coma for months. A faint glimmer of awareness danced within them, like the first rays of dawn finally ending the long night.

However, along with the awareness, the memories of how she got into such condition also flooded in. Panic took over her but it soon faded when her eyes stopped at the sight of her pregnant belly. It was obviously showing now and it looked quite heavy and big.

How did this happen? How long has it been? Is her baby safe?

A fragile frown pulled her eyebrows together and she gently moved her arm, wanting to caress her belly, to feel if her baby was actually alright or not.

But, her movements ceased in-between when she also noticed a figure right beside her. It was a woman. A stranger. Her outfit conveyed that she wasn't a nurse or a doctor either. And she was sleeping, her body was perched on the stool beside Shravya's bed while her head rested on the mattress, near Shravya's belly.

As if sensing Shravya's gaze, the woman moved, letting out a soft groan.

"Who?. . . ." Shravya tried to speak but her throat felt too dry. She coughed lightly to clear up the hoarseness, hoping to make herself known. And soon, the woman jolted awake, her eyes instantly settling on Shravya.

"God! You're finally awake." A wide smile stretched across Nerina's face as she gazed at Shravya who was just frowning at her in confusion.

"Ah, right. Let me help you up." Carefully, she helped Shravya in a sitting position before handing her a glass of water. "Here, drink some. That'll ease your throat."

With trembling fingers, Shravya took the glass from her, noticing how various tubes and machines were connected to her own body.

"Wait here. I'll just go and make a call to the doctor." Nerina stood up, squeezing Shravya's shoulder gently before walking out of the room.

Shravya, still wrapped in the threads of confusion, watched Nerina disappear through the doorway before taking a few sips of water from the glass.

Silently, she put the glass on the side table beside her bed. A soft sigh of relief escaped her as she looked at her swollen belly again, her lips curling into a warm smile when she touched and caressed it.

Suddenly, the door creaked open again, and a faint gasp left Shravya's mouth when her eyes fell upon the figure entering the room. "Dai..maa?" (Grandma.)

With eyes brimming with many emotions, the old woman took tentative steps toward Shravya's bed who straight away wrapped her arms around the woman as soon as she came into an arm's reach.

"How?" Shravya's voice, barely a whisper, broke down into frantic sobs as she cried into her Grandma's comforting and protective embrace.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

I feel so useless right now. I just don't know how I'm supposed to convey that you're my synonym for happiness, for love.

This feeling is so revolting, so shameful, yet, I want to love you.

I love you, Sona.

And, I want to thank you for trying to sort out my chaotic self.

But some things never change.

Whatever I am today, whatever I've become - it all was meant to be from the very beginning. Because, wherever there is light, darkness naturally follows.

Say that, I was born as a mess and I'm supposed to live as a mess.

Tragic. Isn't? But, it's okay. Maybe, that's how our fate was written. You can't help me nor is it your responsibility to do so.

So please, don't blame yourself. It's not your fault.

Moreover, the one who should feel guilty and repent is me. I thought, my Karma will never come, yet, here it is, here I am, and here you are - my absolution, my only peace, resting in the embrace of absolute despair.

Even though I don't deserve a chance to chase after salvation, redemption still came for me, and I am really not going to waste it.

Finally, the moment of rue is here. And, to tell you a secret, somehow, my soul has always been awaiting this abhorrence for myself.

It's hard to say but we both know that we can never be with each other in this life. Even if the wounds ever healed neither you nor I'm blind to look past their scars.

But, I do hope for my soul to find yours in the next lifetime so that we can finally leave the tragedy here and write our story from the very beginning.

In another life, we will definitely have a happily ever after.

Always yours,
Zuzu.

◀▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▶

The letter was crumbling under the hold of her trembling arms. The words written so solemnly on the paper pictured the same essence of the storm inside her.

So, that was it. It's over. Really?

She's finally free.

The air seemed woeful with the scent of fading memories, her soul somehow pointing out the remnants of Zaid's presence and scent within everything as Shravya put the letter away and unfolded the divorce papers on her lap, soon, a pendant, nestled beside the papers, caught her eyes.

The crystal pendant, a symbol of closure and new beginnings, dangled from a fine silver chain, the black rose carved within it glimmering mysteriously.

Shravya's fingers traced the contours of the pendant, it felt cool against her skin, a stark contrast to the warmth of her conflicted emotions.

She felt lost when suddenly a comforting touch landed on her shoulder and she sucked in a shaky breath, acknowledging that her Grandma was still beside her.

Putting the pendant along with the divorce papers back on her lap, Shravya hugged her Grandma again.

"I'm so sorry for not reaching out to you," she mumbled in her embrace. "When I tried to meet you in the orphanage, I was informed that you sold the orphanage and left. No one knew about your whereabouts."

It was true. After Zaid had taken Shravya with him, the old woman sold the orphanage and left the children in the care of another orphanage before embarking on the journey to find her Shravya. Yet sadly, it was all futile when no one was ready to hear her pleadings or offer a helping hand.

Every single person she reached out to backed away after seeing whom she was against. Their mouths were either willingly shut down with money or unwillingly with power and forceful authority.

"I'm so sorry. I should have tried to find you, but I was scared of Zaid catching me again and then hurting you and all the children in the process," Shravya whispered while her Grandma gently stroked her hair.

"I had also given up, my dear. But suddenly, one day I was contacted by his men. They were the ones who bought me here," the old woman spoke with contempt. "Apparently, Zaid Grover was too much of a coward to even meet me."

"But that's good, he should be ashamed of himself." Her tone was laced with bitterness and anger while she slowly unwrapped Shravya's arms away before delicately cupping her face. "Ashamed for whatever he has done to you, my dear child."

"Uske ye karm kabhi usse chain se jeene nahi denge," tears left her old eyes when she spoke this and hurriedly backed away a little to wipe them away.

(His deeds will never let him be at peace.)

At the same moment, the door of the room opened again and Nerina entered inside. Her eyes shifted from Shravya to the old woman standing beside her bed.

"The Doctor will be here soon, if you need anything let any of the servants know," Nerina spoke, smiling slightly, her gaze holding a tiny hint of longing when she spared a last look upon the two figures present in the room before leaving again.

Quietly, Shravya stared at the closed door, no longer feeling alert with Nerina's presence as by now, she knew who she was to Tanveer.

Meticulously, she soon reached out and grabbed her Grandma's arm, holding the old woman's wrinkled hand with great care while stroking her belly with the other hand.

Yes, it was no dream - she was finally free.

In the stillness of the room, a single tear traced a path down her cheek, carrying with it the weight of her sorrows and the bittersweet happiness she was feeling currently.

"Dai maa, can you tie it around my neck?" She asked, picking up the pendant from her lap and handing it over to the woman.

Smiling affectionately, her Grandma nodded and fastened the pendant around Shravya's neck.

The cool touch of the crystal against Shravya's skin sent shivers down her spine, but, there was a smile on her mouth, a poignant one, as she gazed at the window, seeing the sun finally rising, the sun rays peeking inside, one even falling onto her shining pendant.

Her warm tears, the break of dawn outside, and the black rose, though etched inside the crystal of her pendant - all symbolised an end and a new beginning.

A silent reassurance that in endings, there is always an existence of new beginnings.

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So, this was the 1st epilogue and now only one is left before we reach the end.

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