Jarurat nahi aaj mohobat ki humhe
Kal huhe the tab uska gurur tha,
Hum hi naye the ishq ke sehar mein
Hume kya pata tha unka ghar toh
Bewafai ke liye mashhur tha.

A breathless whisper escaped from Ananya's lips, laden with profound shock, "Dev."

He recoiled as if struck, his voice rising with a tempest of pain and fury, "Yes, the very same Dev whom you betrayed so callously, whose life you extinguished with such tender treachery."

Ananya approached him with hesitant steps, her regret palpable in every movement. She reached out, her trembling hands gently cupping his face. Tears welled in her eyes as she spoke, her voice breaking, "Da... Dabbu, are... are you truly alright?"

Dev turned his face away, his eyes squeezed shut against the onslaught of tears. He could barely contain his anguish as she continued, her voice laced with desperation, "So... all of that, it wasn't just a nightmare. De—Dev, you were really there with me, every moment, at home."

He grasped her hands and wrenched them from his face with a force that left her staggered. His voice was a caustic blend of anger and heartbreak, "Yes, everything that transpired over the past months, it was all because of me."

Ananya's eyes brimmed with tears, her breath coming in shallow, pained gasps. The enormity of her sins weighed heavily upon her. Dev’s gaze bore into hers, his voice cold and unforgiving, "Are you terrified of what will happen to you now, or do you regret that I survived?"

She shook her head vehemently, her tears flowing freely. She threw her arms around him, clinging desperately, "I'm... I'm sorry, Dev. I am truly sorry. Please, forgive me."

Dev laughed bitterly, the sound resonating with sarcasm and despair. He pushed her away, the chasm between them feeling insurmountable. He gripped her shoulders, his hold unyielding and painful, "Why, Ananya? Why did you do it? Didn't you see my love? Fine, you didn't love me, but who gave you the right to shatter my heart? I loved you with an intensity bordering on selfishness, and you... you betrayed me."

Ananya, her face streaked with tears, said, "I... I know, Dev. What I did wasn't just a mistake; it was a grievous sin. But I didn't realize then that I was destroying myself, not just you. But now, I can't live without you. I know how I've been without you. It's been unbearable."

Dev pushed her away with a force that sent her reeling, "Don't try to deceive me with these false promises, false words, false love. My heart is already shattered; don't attempt to mend it."

Ananya, still crying, approached him again, cupping his face tenderly, "No... no, Dev. This is the truth. It's not a lie. I... I truly love you."

Dev pulled her closer, holding her face in his strong, calloused hands. His voice was frigid and piercing, "If you loved me, then why didn't you tell the truth when I asked if you were loyal to your husband? Why didn't you confess that you tried to kill me? The truth is, Ananya, if Ray hadn't betrayed you, you wouldn't have been troubled by my departure at all."

Ananya, her eyes swimming with tears, protested weakly, "That's not true, Dev."

Dev, his anger erupted like a volcano, shouted, "It is true, Ananya. I thought I would inflict so much pain upon you that you wouldn't be able to endure it, but in all this, it was I who was dying. I suffered a thousand times more. It tore me apart; I found no peace. I wanted to end you, but my heart shielded you. Why, Ananya, why? Because I loved you. If you had asked me once, I would have given my life for you. I would have died a thousand times for your happiness. But you obliterated my happiness by forging a life with me under false pretenses."

He collapsed to his knees, his sobs wracking his body. Ananya fell beside him, "No, Dev. I... I didn't want to hurt you, to inflict pain upon you, to betray you. I was blinded by Ray. Please forgive me, Dev. Please."

Dev, struggling to control his tears, said, "No. I'm not sorrowful that you caused my demise. Even death would have been a solace if it had been at your hands. But the agony is that the person I cherished more than myself never truly loved me. It was all an illusion. I never compelled you to marry me. If there was any love in your heart, even if it was one-sided, then why this deceit?"

Ananya, shaking her head, insisted, "No, Dev. Every moment spent with you was my deepest desire. I wanted that."

Dev stepped back, his face a mask of anguish, "But you did betray me. Enough is enough. This ends here. My heart belongs to you, but my mind is against you. Every time I see you, I remember that night, that false love. I die a hundred times over."

Ananya whispered, "Dabbu," her voice barely audible.

Dev, barely controlling his emotions, said, "No, Ananya, don't call me that. I'm sorry, truly sorry that I loved you, that I harbored expectations from you."

He approached her once more, cupping her face, their foreheads touching. She smiled through her tears, their breaths intermingling. But his next question shattered her completely.

In a deep, cold voice, he asked, "Tell me the truth, Ananya. That day... in the rain, when we came close, when we shared those moments, did you regret it even then?"

He paused, his breath hitching, before asking, "Were you still in love with Ray that day?"

Ananya's eyes filled with tears, her heart breaking anew as she realized the extent of her betrayal. She couldn't bring herself to lie anymore, "No... now I am yours, and I will always be yours."

Dev, with all the pain festering inside him, asked, "Yes or no?"

Ananya remained silent, tears streaming down her cheeks. He laughed bitterly, her tears speaking volumes.

He asked, "On our wedding night... did you purposely hurt yourself to avoid being close to me?"

Ananya, her voice trembling, said, "Dabbu, why are you bringing this up now? Please, not this."

He interrupted her harshly, "I asked, yes or no?"

Ananya nodded her head, overwhelmed with grief, "Yes."

Dev's heart shattered completely. He approached her, caressing her face gently. She was terrified, but suddenly he pulled her into a tight embrace. She cried out his name, hugging him back with all the strength she had left.

---

Dev spoke, his voice thick with sorrow as he wiped away his tears, "Why did you love me so much, Ananya? Why did you stay so faithful? It's not entirely your fault. The real mistake was mine. I loved you too much. I pinned all my hopes on you. That's where I went wrong. I'm sorry. The truth is, I don’t even know why I'm still alive, troubling you like this."

Ananya tightened her embrace around him, her voice trembling with urgency, "No, Dev... absolutely not. I've already lost you once, and I can’t bear that pain again. I won’t let you go anywhere, not this time."

Dev let out a painful laugh, "How ironic is this love of ours, Ananya? The love I cherish so deeply is also my greatest sorrow."

Ananya's tears flowed freely as she broke the embrace, her voice choked with emotion, "Dev... Dev, you can give me any punishment you want. I won't utter a word of protest."

Dev smiled sadly, kissed her forehead gently, and pulled out a gun. His voice shook with tears, "There's only one punishment for betrayal like this... death."

Ananya froze for a moment, then wiped her tears away and closed her eyes with a serene smile, nodding her head in acceptance.

Memories of every moment she had spent with Dev and her mother flashed before her eyes. She heard the ominous sound of the trigger being pulled.

After a few tense moments, she opened her eyes, feeling nothing. She was shocked to see Dev standing at the edge of the building, the gun now pointed at himself.

Ananya screamed his name and lunged towards him, but he held up his hand to stop her and took a step back.

"No, Ananya. Don't come any closer," Dev said, his voice firm yet filled with sorrow. "You are my love. I can't kill you. What can I do? I love you too much. If I had wanted to kill you, I would have done it in London itself. I wanted to make you suffer, but I couldn't even do that. I made a promise that the day my love for you would end, would be the last day of my life. This betrayal is forcing me to hate you, but my love for you will never die. I can't live without you, but I can't stay with you either."

Ananya was crying uncontrollably, begging him not to move any further. Just a few more steps and he would fall. He smiled painfully and continued to step back.

"Dev... Dev, please come to me. I'm sorry, Dev. I will leave, I'll go far away from your life, but please, don’t hurt yourself," Ananya pleaded desperately.

Dev smiled through his tears, "Ananya, I'm just your obsession. Leave now. You love Ray."

Ananya sobbed, "No, Dev. Ray was an obsession, a stubborn wish I wanted to fulfill. You are my true love, the one I want to lose myself in. Dev, I love you... I love you so much. Please, don't leave me."

Dev's smile was filled with tears, "You love me... that's all I ever wanted to hear. If I wanted to die, I would have done it the day you poisoned me. But I stayed alive to take the blame for my death off your shoulders. You would have lived with guilt every moment, believing you killed me. But don't worry, now you won't have to. You won't need to be afraid anymore. I promised you I would give you whatever you wanted. You wanted my death, so here it is, for you."

Ananya shook her head frantically in denial. Dev took another step back and said, "No, Ananya. These tears don’t belong in your beautiful eyes. These big, heavy tears don't suit you."

Ananya cried harder. Dev said, "Just one last time, Ananya..."

Dev recited:

"You are the intoxication of every moment of my life,
The reason my breaths continue,
You are the reason my heart beats."

Ananya cried out his name as he took another step back. The gun fell from his hand. He said, "I will love you forever, Ananya." With that, he fell from the roof of the building. Ananya screamed and covered her ears, shouting, "Devvv!"

She collapsed to her knees, her eyes tightly shut, her heart shattered.

---