Impassive, Khushali stared at Sidharth, contemplating on how to explain about the condition that Sidharth had to clear before finally getting the package. The condition, was confusing for her as well, but she had to test Sidharth, to not have any regrets later.

"What's the condition, Khushali? How do you want me to testify that my intentions are good and I'm not lying to you?" asked Sidharth in a formal tone. The bliss that had dominated his being a while ago, vanished completely. His face was blank.

"This," she pointed toward something on the bed, just beside the wooden box. White, it was a paper envelope. Seeing it, Sidharth raised his brows. But Khushali could guess he knew what it was, which only made her wonder something.
Did apart from me, Sagar had let almost everyone else know what was going on?
Not a betrayal, but hurt. That what she felt because even today she didn't know what this package held, and how potent it was.

"You want me to open that envelope?" asked Sidharth, not actually perplexed. His voice sounded as if he was just a stride away from his Eureka moment. And maybe, the grand closure he had been awaiting for months now. His wife knew.

"Yes, and no." she affably answered. Not sparing a glance to Sidharth, who now seemed perplexed, she picked up the envelope. She opened its already broken seal and took out a letter from it, which seemed slightly old and withered as well.

Something on her face seemed to convey how hard it was for her to hold it in her hands. Perhaps, this one letter only brought some memories she had been trying to escape ever since last three years. Yet, they keep coming back to her.
It's the last time.... she assured herself. And with that, she took a deep breath and forwarded the letter to Sidharth. Without speaking a word, she gestured through her hands to him to read the letter. Perhaps, this was the right time she had been waiting for.

"Are you sure, you want me to read this letter? It's addressed to you, Khushali," mumbled Sidharth, slightly unsure. But Khushali was no fool to not guess the excitement in his voice on getting his hands on this letter. Yet, she knew he had suffered enough without even a mistake of his.
"And its also signed by Sagar. I think it's some pers―"

"Read it, the entire letter. If you want this package. It's your test. Solve the riddle in this letter, and this package is yours," said Khushali. Her voice sounded dead, but her eyes were even a more excruciating sight to look at. Red and moist. "If not, then I suppose you don't deserve this package."

"Fine." came Sidharth's response, a bit late. Certainly, he did contemplate whether she really meant what she had said. Surely, she did.

Khushali watched as he began to read the letter. She could―with no difficulty―read it along with him. After all, having read it uncountable times she knew each and every word of this letter. It had always been soothing for her, when dealing with Sagar's death ... a letter written by him. Why, she didn't know, and for what, she'd know in a while. She could guess that.

My Sweetest Khushali,

Did I ever tell you how your name reflects the happiness your mere presence fills me with? Like a captive, I could never make myself tear my eyes off of you, because I always feared that if for even a moment I looked away, you might disappear. You're that dream, that I never thought would fulfil, but it did. And I was afraid to lose you, I never wanted to experience such calamitous catastrophe. But I think I never realised how much cataclysmic it (can or) will be for you until ....

I never imagined one day I'd have to write this letter to you; not everything we imagine takes place nor everything we avoided does spare us.

I know as you're reading this letter, I'm no longer beside you. I'm sorry for the pain your going through, and breaking your heart and my promise. Please forgive me. Because though harsh and brutal, this was necessary for the bigger picture which may seem blur at the moment but eventually you'll see why.

I can guess, there are a lot of unanswered questions that you wished I had answered before I ... but, don't worry, I'll do that now. However, I can't promise if I'll be able to resolve each of your query because although some questions seem very easy to answer, their answers are so complicated that sometimes even words fail to inculcate everything that's needed to be explained.

Now starting off, let me answer your very first question: Why did I leave this letter with Raima and not directly delivered it you?
Well, I could've but there was something that was lingering behind and I didn't wish it to catch a glimpse of you ... it could've latched itself to you as well. Raima seemed a better bet, and I'll forever be grateful to her for this favour of her. Despite all our crazy fights and altercations, she proved that she indeed is your best friend, the best you can ever have ... maybe.

Now the second question: what's in this package? And why have I left it with you?
To be honest, I don't want you to know this until the right day comes when someone will come to retrieve it from you, when I don't know and who I can't reveal. It's upto you to decide whether you're capable enough to not let your vision blind you ... again. But till then, promise me―if you can―never open this envelope and try to see what's in there. It's a secret of mine that I'm trusting you, my life with.

But, I do want you to know that whatever it holds, it's too dark for you. It has the might to normalise someone's life or shred it to nothing. Just be careful who you trust it with. I'm hoping your instincts are still working well. You're one intelligent woman, Khush.

The third question: why did I have to leave you so early in life when I promised to be with you till the end of ours lives when we would've been an old couple with handful of kids and lots and lots of grandkids?
Like I said earlier, it was necessary for the grander picture. Simply because lives of a dozen people matter more and are lot precious than just a single life of mine. I'm sorry, but that's the truth.

I know, I know there are few more questions like when will be the right time, who's that person, when and how will you meet that person ... but I won't allow myself to answer them for you. It's you who has to answer them, like I said earlier. But remember, deception is a bloody good player. Keep your vision clear.

It's gotten a lot serious, isn't it? Here's something that I had written some days back for the love of yours for words. Also, it's something that I wanted to convey to you, but couldn't. Anyway, read it now and maybe understand what I couldn't convey through my words before ....

In this world, there's no hero or villain. Humans, though, have this tendency to view this world and its people in terms of white and black, but fail to see that the spectrum of our vision is blinded enough to believe that a certain colour shall always represent what we perceive as evil or even godly.
However capable our sight is, the incapability of ours stem from the fact that we fail to see how humans are just a mix of white and black. Grey. That's what we are, just it differentiates into two as life decides to come in the way in forms of circumstances of which some breaks us, others make us stronger. And no, these circumstances aren't always testing times ... some are what people around us makes us go through which only leads us to inching towards either the lighter shade of grey which is optimistic and full of hope, or towards the darker shade of grey which is pessimistic and only feeds off the pain and sufferings of human life.
I know, this seems slightly out of context but I do believe that it is even true that no one is born evil ... just situations often lead to undesirable phases which causes unpleasantly experiences and turns someone bitter and resentful, frequently becoming what we call evil.
But remember one thing, despite what all bad deeds a person do, they do deserve forgiveness. Because the power that forgiveness has, I don't think anything else is so potent to even compare. Think about this, otherwise... your fate will decide what course of life you deserve.

Yours forever
Sagar Malhotra

P.S. Since I know you'll face trouble in deciding who's that person I have referred to in this letter, here's a small riddle (as you well aware of how much I love riddles). Hope it'll be helpful to you.

True, life ends when the funeral pyre burns the body made of flesh and blood to ashes, but it remains behind with the one who hovered in your thoughts till the very last. And it'll only let go, when the last chapter is forgotten and forgiven, and not buried deep in earth. For that requires a little deception, because black doesn't always support the lies.

P.S.S. The day you'll solve this riddle, you'll be ready to part with my memories as well.

While reading the letter, an array of emotions played on Sidharth's face. Happiness, relief, sorrow, disbelief, horror, respect, hatred and lastly, love. He didn't look up, until Khushali came to stand beside and gently pulled the paper away.

For a moment, Sidharth seemed numb. But quickly he regained his composure, and looked thoughtfully at Khushali. There appeared to be no emotions on her face, such tranquillity that seemed serene on her. However, Sidharth knew how contradicting it was.

"The riddle, what's the solution for it?" questioned Khushali, her voice still blank. It was just like she didn't know Sidharth, as if she didn't have any association with him. Strange enough, only last night they had consummated their marriage. That's lethal that package was.

Sidharth didn't respond, and Khushali wondered why. The expression on his face has strengthened her belief that he was the one Sagar was referring to in his letter. Yet now, it seemed another play of deception.

"Are you going to answer, or should I keep this package back?" she stared at him, with an emotion which could pierce anyone's heart, so of Sidharth's. Getting no response from him, she started to move toward the bed. But Sidharth's voice halted her dead in her tracks.

"The answer to this riddle is you and me," he answered, quietly but firmly. His eyes fixated on the floor.

"How?" asked Khushali curiously. The impatience to know the answer seemed to overpower her, though she didn't notice, and moved back to stand infront of Sidharth. She clutched the letter tightly in her hand; this was her moment of the real revelation.

"Life ends when the funeral pyre burns the body made of flesh and blood to ashes, but it remains behind with the one who hovered in your thoughts till the very last―isn't this refering to you? Life ends but it remains behind with the one who hovered in thoughts till the very last. Weren't you the one Sagar loved the most, even more than his mother? If that's true then it was you who lingered in his mind in his last moments, not his mother. Otherwise the recipient of this letter would've been his mother, Suhasi auntie and not you," Sidharth explained, the affirmative look on his face only solidified his reason.

"And why you? How are you the answer of this riddle?" quizzed Khushali. The amazement at this new revelation and the fact that Sagar loved her to the extent of choosing her over his mother for something so crucial, only made her restless to know rest of the mystery as well. "Speak up na."

"And it'll only let go, when the last chapter is forgotten and forgiven, and not buried deep in earth. For that requires a little deception, because black doesn't always support the lies―last chapter forgotten and forgiven and not buried deep in earth: this refers to our current situation, the one we've been in since the time I came to know about Vivan's frauds and wrongdoings in both the companies. None of us have been able to move past it because we're still hiding under the covers to not let Vivan get an air of hint about what we're upto. It makes sense right, Mrs. Mehra?"

"I'm not good with riddles, and as a matter of fact, I'm not good with anything that involves deceit and deception," she blatantly said. But the way Sidharth passed her a smirk, she realised her folly and corrected herself. "I mean, I'm not really good at this thing. So you have to clear it to me. Even Sagar knew I'm a failure at solving riddles and mysteries."

"I know," Sidharth smiled faintly, shaking his head slightly. "Coming back to the last part of the riddle, For that requires a little deception, because black doesn't always support the lies―I think I have something that will make it easier for you to understand this riddle."
He rushed toward his bookshelf, while Khushali stood with bemusement. He opened the last drawer under the partitioned racks of the shelf where he usually kept his important files and papers. It made Khushali think what had he been hiding there this all along.

Had Sagar sent him a letter, too. she mused, little envious.

It took Sidharth few minutes to fish out what he was trying to find. When he found it, he took it out. A letter, probably. He strode back where to Khushali was standing and forwarded the paper to her.

With vague bafflement, she took it. She unfolded it to read, but it wasn't a letter. A printout, that it was of some email. Quite weird, the name of the sender was Sea End. Never had she heard of this name. But when she read the mail, it didn't take her more than a few seconds to realise that it was who. Sagar.

"On the evening of the day Sagar's accident―which I believed happened around midnight―happened, I had received this mail in evening. Just like you, even I was puzzled as who was this Sea End that had sent me this mail," Sidharth began to explain as Khushali finished reading the letter. From her face it was clear she had understood the meaning of the last part of riddle. But Sidharth decided to explain it anyway. "I thought to reply back, but before that Sagar called me up and had a small conversation. Wait, let me play it for you." He tapped on the old model of phone that he brought along with the letter. With few more taps, a recording started to play ....

"Sidharth, can you please record this call?"
Khushali heard Sagar's voice. He sounded ... crestfallen.

"But why? Is everything alright, Sagar?"
Sidharth had asked.

"Yes, everything's alright. But just do what I'm asking you to. I have very little time."
From the way his voice sounded, Khushali wondered whether he was crying or was even in a worse situation.

"Okay."
The genuine concern in Sidharth's voice didn't go unnoticed by her. She knew he did care for Sagar.

"Listen, I think you must've received the e-mail I sent you some time back from a new e-mail id with the username Sea End. That's me, Sidharth―

"But why?"

"―because I don't want anyone to know about the mail I have sent you. It has have to remain between the two of us, only. And you know, after Khushali, I trust you the most because I never find black, evil. It's just been associated with chicanery and fraudulent, but its not what people perceive it as. Trust me, you'll need a little deception and shrewdness too, if you want to save your friend. Don't delay―"

"Sagar? Sagar, what are saying? Sagar?"
But the call ended.

And so did the recording.

A moment or two, Khushali and Sidharth, both stayed quiet. Neither of them knew what to say or do, especially when finally the last few pieces of the jigsaw puzzle like mystery were fitting down. But it was distressing too, because someone had a paid a heavy price for it. That someone being Sagar.

But something struck to Khushali, and she picked up her old cellphone. Promptly she booted it, and tapped it a few times. She had something similar to share with Sidharth, and she knew it was another clue that Sagar had left for them before he died ....

"I truly love you, Khushali. You mean everything to me, you're my life. I don't know what goods I have done in my previous life that I got you as my life partner. Really, I never knew, I'd be this grateful ever in my life. Thank you so much, Khush, for coming into my life. You know, even if I die today, I know my life and its greatest treasure will always be safe with you. Always. Of course, until someone more worthy won't enter your life. Maybe that will be the time when my life would give you a closure to me and my love for you ...." with this, his words trailed off.

"Have you noticed he had left both of us with so many clues? Yet it took us so long to finally understand it. Really, that chap was smarter than all our wits combined," amusedly mumbled Sidharth. Scratching the back of his neck, he waited Khushali to speak. But she didn't, as she was busy reading the content of mail.

"Sidharth,
You're one person I can trust with this little secret of mine. There's no other person who deserves to know this information more than you. Because though, you have your life to live, you'll still do everything to keep my life safe which is so dear to me that the one thing that had made me put so much at stake, is still with my life.
Wait for the right time to retrieve it.

P.S. Those who don't have anything to lose, wins the most. Keep this in your mind.

Yours Truly,
Sea End."

"For that requires a little deception, because black doesn't always support the lies―because I never find black, evil. It's just been associated with chicanery and fraudulent, but its not what people perceive it as. Trust me, you'll need a little deception and shrewdness too, if you want to save your friend―it was you, Sagar had referred to, the right person. The one he told me to wait for! It's y-you!" whispered Khushali, her voice choking with realisation. She hung her head low, inundated by guilt. She couldn't believe that some days prior to this revelation she had believed Vivan and doubted Sidharth to be her Sagar's murderer when infact Sagar had trusted Sidharth so much, that he knew that after he'd be gone, Sidharth would still try to unveil the truth. He did too.

"Those who don't have anything to lose, wins the most―this is why I had to pretend that you mean nothing to me through that drama with Mayera, which also made Vivan believe that Mayera was just a pawn I was using for extracting as much information as I could. See, Sagar left even this advice for me that I never believed would turn out to be this helpful to me," Sidharth said, his eyes moist. He sat beside Khushali and hesitant, though, he wrapped his arm around.

Instantly, a feeling of soothing calm rushed through Khushali. She kept her head on his shoulder, and sighed. She tightly fisted Sidharth's white shirt in her hand. While the other hand held on to the letter; the letter which was just a reminder to her that she wasn't Sagar's fate. She was someone else's destiny, who had only become her life because that someone―Sidharth―had paid the bitter price for this gamble of fate, just as much as Sagar had to pay. With the only difference that Sagar's torments didn't last for long, while Sidharth's were yet to end.

She would be lying, if she ever say that Sagar never loved enough and she could neither deny that Sidharth didn't love her in his own way. But still, in her heart she knew the exact gravity of Sagar's sacrifice, and what circumstamces must have compeled him, as she, too, was somewhere responsible for his death. However, she was also responsible for what Sidharth had to go through, all this while.

"It's because of Sagar, Khushali, that today you're in my life. Probably, I now know that he loved you more than anything in his life, more than I could ever love you, for he wasn't scared of the fate that awaited him, unlike me."
She heard her husband mumble this faintly, rubbing her arm gently. But her heart knew it was a lie. For her husband was nowhere frightened of the next leap that his life was about to take. He was resilient, but she wasn't.

"You're ready now ... to let me see the package?"
Sidharth's voice brought back Khushali from her musing. She looked up at him, and found him looking no less enthusiastic than a five-year-old who wanted to see his present after he had been told to wait for an entire year. Perhaps, Sidharth had waited longer.

"Yes, you may, Mr. Mehra," she winked, acting as though none of the emotional drama had had happened few minutes back.

She turned back and picked up the brown envelope. But suddenly, her hands became sweaty, a feeling of unknown nervousness gripped her being. Had the moment arrived, for this truth to get revealed? She couldn't decipher, but maybe it was.

A long breath, and she passed it to Sidharth, who seemed just as nervous as her. This one package was about to decide the course of life he'd receive if and not this didn't turn out to be what they believed it would be.

"Here, take this," Khushali passed him a paper knife that she took out from the bedside table. Sidharth hadn't taken notice when she got up to get it for him.

"Okay," he sighed. "You're ready?"

"Just as much as you are." Khushali pressed her lips together. She blinked her eyes to assure him that what they were upto now was the need of the moment. The sooner they'd be done with it, they sooner they could move on in life. Certainly, they deserved an end from this mess.

With one strike, Sidharth opened the envelope. A few folders containing papers were inside it, which Sidharth pulled out and with them a black USB flash drive. There was also a CD in the envelope.
As the went through the contents of the envelope, Sidharth began to study the files while Khushali checked the USB flash drive on her laptop. One after other, he continued to go through them with such elation that Khushali―who had been observing him constantly―guessed that it was what he had been trying to get since past three years.

Indeed, they were.

"Khushali! That's it! It is what we've been needing for so long!" exclaimed Sidharth, a wide grin spread on his face. He pulled Khushali in a hug, so ecstatic, that Khushali couldn't recall when had she seen him this exuberant last.

"I'm happy for you, Sid," she hugged him back. Perhaps, her nightmarish past would soon let go of her. All the lives would be saved now. She couldn't be more rejoiced. Though, a part in her wished that Sagar hadn't had to die to facilitate this victory of theirs.

"You know it has all the proofs that I had been trying to get my hands on." A newfound joy dominated Sidharth's voice. He continued, "Sagar had―I'm sure―collected these corroboration when I was busy with handling the legal formalities of his company. He had done his investigation. And that too so precisely that not even the best lawyer in this entire country could prove Vivan innocent. All the defrauding and unethical deals that Vivan had done, these papers have details of every single business deal of his."
He fisted his hands, so hard that his knuckles turned white. "And now, I'm sure Mayera is gonna be so happy to hear this. She and others have been working so hard to get out of this quicksand, and finally we'll be free, from all the charges and the fate that someone had forced upon us to escape it himself."

"Yes, we will. I'm su―" Khushali began to speak, understanding well what he was feeling in this moment. She was relieved too, thrilled more than him. After all, hadn't her past haunted her enough? But she'd be soon over him.
Or maybe, sooner than she expected.

A buzzing sound of Sidharth's cellphone interrupted Khushali in her speech. He instantly went to pick it up and answered it. Just as he began to hear what the caller had to say, a fear gripped Khushali's heart.

From her past few days' experience, whenever she had found herself a little happiness, something even horrendous happened. What had occurred this time, that she had to know.
But am I being intuitive or just is it just my credulousness? Or really something has again happened....

"Damn it!"
Sidharth threw his phone across the room. His buried face in his hands and slumped down on the floor. Frustrated, he ran his hands through his hair. When it didn't help, he clenched his palm and punched the wall, before slumping on the floor again. This time in despair.

Unresponsive, he kept silent, not responding at all to Khushali who called out to him few times.
At last, she sat down beside him. But couldn't comprehend how to console him.

"Sidharth, what happened? Why aren't you responding me? What's wrong?" she quizzed him anxiously. She wrapped her arms around him, but it didn't help him even then.

He didn't respond, at first. Khushali didn't probe him. She rubbed his arms, trying her best to relax him. From the way he had reacted, she couldn't understand what had suddenly gone wrong. Or maybe, even more grave.

"Sidharth, baby, what's wrong? Please answer me now. You're just scaring me as hell," she cupped his face. Her voice was so heavily dominated with anxiety and concern, and hints of fear, that it compelled Sidharth to look up at her.

He held her hands, with which she had cupped his face. He brought them closer to his face, and pressed his lips against them, before finally speaking out.
"Vivan's aware of our plan, he knows we've been fooling him since the beginning. And now he has ... he has ...." he couldn't complete his sentence. The words seemed stuck in his throat, making it difficult for him to speak.

"He has, what? What, Sidharth?" demanded Khushali. She stared at him, awaiting his reply. But the trepidation in her heart only enveloped her more.

"Rehaan. He's in jail, police has arrested him. Malhotra family has filed a case of murder and fraud on Rehaan, and he's been arrested!" he gritted his teeth. "We were this close, this close," he pointed toward his index finger and thumb, which were almost touching each other, "to exposing Vivan. But he has again, again outwitted us by getting Rehaan behind the bars along with Arhaan on the charges of assisting Rehaan in Sagar's murder. Jay's been suspended as well! It's all over!"

"What?" asked a visibly appalled Khushali. She couldn't believe what she just heard.

"Yes, that asshole has managed to push us back in that hole we've been trying so hard to crawl out of. If getting all three of my friends arrested wasn't enough, he has sent Mayera a mail saying that if we don't give him this package within 24 hours, tomorrow he's gonna press charges of cheating on both me and Mayera for deceiving him. And the bloody jerk has proofs too to support his charges on us as well! We're doomed, Khushali, we're doomed!" he cried, again covering his face with his hands. "It's all over."

"But we have this package? Why are you worried? We can prove with ease that the main culprit is Vivan, and not you all. Don't lose your hopes please," pleaded Khushali, sounding more self assuring than assuring Sidharth.

"Yeah right, but do you think it'll work when six lives are stake and clearly Vivan's a winner because we don't have any evidences to prove that it was Vivan who had killed Sagar and not Rehaan, and the police report that we had, its already with him! Even if I use the files and the information that Sagar had left behind for us, it'll only state that Vivan has committed those frauds, but what proof will we have to convict him as a murderer? Tell me! It's all over!"
He continued to cry.

His answer turned Khushali mute. Just a while back she thought she'd finally be able to get rid of her past and start afresh in life. But God had again disposed off her plans. She was even deeper in a mess than before. And there's no way out now ... or maybe there was.

"No, this isn't how we had planned this all. This isn't right, we can't put you at stake, not even for my brother, or husband. You're not gonna do this, Khush. I won't let you!" cried Mayera in despair, her words were only reflecting her broken state.

Khushali wiped her tears, she couldn't bear to see Mayera so wretched. Mayera's grief-stricken voice had already broken her heart into pieces when she had called Mayera to enquire about the situation and she had wasted no time in reaching beside her.

Khushali and Sidharth had reached Mayera's apartment few minutes back when they found out from Mayera that Arjun had been summoned to the police station over doubts that he had been helping out Rehaan and Arhaan in hiding facts and evidences related to Sagar's death. Obviously, after being instigated by Malhotras, or actually just one Malhotra: Vivan.

"It's too late, Mia," she said, before taking her hand out of Mayera's grip.
This was her time, her last opportunity to compensate for every pernicious situation that she had made these seven people go through. And she was sure, she had no going backs. For she knew, in this moment only she could save them. Even Vivan wanted the same.

While on her way to Mayera's residence, Khushali had received a text from Vivan. The text wasn't long or elaborate. Just short and crisp with the minimum yet enough details.

I don't want anyone else to come for the negotiation apart from you. If you don't turn up, then I would be left with only one choice and that is to submit the pictures and recording I have of Sidharth, which confirms your darling husband's involvement in my slain brother's death.

V. Malhotra

"Let's go, Sidharth. I don't want to be late."
With the brown envelope in her hand, and the rest of the documents, she walked out of Mayera's apartment. Determined as she was, her heart was scared too. If anything went wrong, she'd be responsible for ruining the lives of Sidharth and his friends. But if she didn't take this risk, their lives were already doomed. It was a do or die situation, and Khushali would rather die while trying than die while doing nothing.