More Than Meets the Eye (An Ishqbaaz FF) ||✔||

4.

A/N: Please do leave comments to let me know your views and opinions

"Yeh tumhara naya favourite hangout spot hain?" Svetlana said as she took the seat opposite to the addressed person.

Shivaay found himself in the same room with the same person as he was with two days prior. He didn't know what came over him but she was the first person he wanted to see after meeting with Roop. 

"Main tumse baat karna chahta hoon." Shivaay said sadly.

Svetlana crossed her arms. "Tum baat hi kar rahe ho."

"I don't know main...main kya kahoon, kaise kahoon..." Shivaay fumbled.

"Araam se socho, hume kuch aur kaam thodi hi hain." Svetlana said indifferently, leaning back into the chair.

"You were right."

Svetlana perked up slightly at this.

"Tumhari family ke saath jo hua, tumahre father ke saath... tumhare father ke maut ki zimmedaar ek Oberoi hi hain. Likin woh bade-papa, babdi-ma, mom ya dad nahi hain." 

"What are you trying to say?" Svetlana growled.

"Unhone ne mujhe aaj hi bataya; KM ki aag, mere parents ko frame karne, mere father-in-law in death, tumahare father ki death ki zimmedaar... Roop bua hain."

"What the hell! Yeh kya nayi bakwaas hain? Just because maine bola Roop ne tumhare khilaaf planning ki thi, tum use hi KM haatse ki liye zimmedaar thaihraoge?" She yelled.

Wordlessly, Shivaay reached into his coat pocket, pulled something out enclosed in his fist and placed it in front of Svetlana. When he removed his hand, Svetlana gasped seeing the object. She vividly remembered how the cold band contrasted with the general warmth of the hands that caressed her face or how she complained about metal hurting her when she gave high-fives to the wearer. It was unmistakably her father's ring.

"Yeh... yeh  tumhare paas kahaan se aayi?" Svetlana breathed heavily. 

"Kal raat ko, Kalyani Mills mein... Mr Kapoor ki body ke paas." Shivaay said.

"Wha...what Mills...raat...body... what the hell are you saying?!" Svetlana roared.

"I know yeh sab tumhare liye bahot zyaada shocking aur confusing hain. Main poori baat samjha sakta hoon, just listen to me once." Shivaay requested.

Svetlana gripped the ring in her hands. "Speak."

"Parso tumse milne ke baad, maine Roop Bua ko confront kiya..."

Shivaay told Svetlana about what happened at Kalyani Mills the previous night, the confrontation with his parents, finding out Anika's father is Harsh Vardhan Trivedi and finally Roop's revelation of the setting KM on fire, murdering Mr Kapoor and Mr Trivedi, framing the Oberois and blackmailing him with  Pandora's Box worth of fake evidences she possessed.

Svetlana's expression was a combination of disbelief, horror and betrayal. Her entire life had been a lie. The woman who was supposed to helping her avenge her father's death was the one who killed her father. She screwed her eyes shut and clenched her fists before exhaling deeply and looking back at Shivaay.

"Aur mujhe yeh narrative suna rahe hain because...?"

"Because you deserve to know ki tumhare father ke saath asal mein hua kya tha. Jo sach tumhari family believe karti aayi thi woh fabricated hain aur... meri family ki wajah se tumhari family ko taqleef hui. I thought the least I could do is tumhe sach bata doon." Shivaay said with remorse.

Svetlana scoffed and bitterly said, "Thank you, mujhe sach batane ke liye. Mujhe batane ke liye ki Roop Singh Oberoi mere dad ki kaatil hain aur the great Oberoi Family ne unki maut ko kitni asaani se chhupa diya. Now at least main apne cell mein baithe-baithe mein soch sakti hoon ki mere dad ko kabhi justice kyoon nahi mila aur kabhi milega bhi nahi. Unki murderer ek Oberoi jo thaihri."

"Aur isi baat pe main tumhe galat saabit karoonga." Shivaay said and Svetlana gave him a questioning look. "Unke khilaaf saboot milte hi main Roop Bua ko arrest karwaoonga."

Svetlana's eyes widened while Shivaay sighed.

"Humare family issues ki wajah se hazaron logon ki jaan gayi, hazaron families barbaad ho gayi. Un sabhi families ko justice dilana meri zimmedari hain. Main is waqt kuch nahi kar pa raha kyoonki Roop Bua ke paas mere parents aur father-in-law, dono ke khilaaf bahot strong saboot hain. Agar woh arrest ho gaye to KM ke asli gunhegaar ko kabhi saza nahi milege, un saare victims ko kabhi justice nahi milega. Mujhe pehle un nakli evidences ko destroy karna hoga likin woh hote hi main tumhare father ko justice dilwaaoonga. Yeh Shivaay Singh Oberoi ka promise hain."

There was long moment of silence afterwards. Svetlana crossed her arms and asked, "Aur is promise ki keemat kya hain?"

"Kee...keemat? Promise ki keemat, a...as in?" Shivaay asked.

"Come on Shivaay. Main Svetlana Kapoor hoon. Zindagi ki taur-tareeke bahot achhe se jaanti hoon likin usse bhi baihtar main tum Oberois ko jaanti hoon. Maine apni aadhi zindagi tum logon ke saath bitayi hain. I know you too well and everything is deal to you, especially something so big. So tell me, is promise ke badle mujhse kya chahte ho?"

"Forgiveness." Shivaay replied. "Main chahta hoon tumhare dil mein jo kadwahat hain, use bhula ke tum bade papa ko maaf kar do."

She narrowed her eyes. "Nice joke. Ab sach mein kya chahte ho, woh batao."

"Do you think I'm joking here? Main tumhe unhe maaf karne ke liye is liye keh raha hoon kyoonki jab tak tumhare dil mein badle ki aag jal rahi hogi, meri family ko kabhi chain nahi milega." Shivaay told her.

"Just because Tej ne mill ko aag nahi lagayi doesn't make him innocent. Usne sach ko dabaya hain aur woh bhi ek crime hain." Svetlana chided.

"I am not denying that. But this is different. Tum bade papa ki zindagi mein aayi kyoonki tum badla chahti thi. Likin uski wajah se badi-maa, Om, Ru, Prinku; inhone innocent hote hue suffer kiya hain."

Shivaay paused for moment and looked at Svetlana. She was silently glaring the table but was clearly aggravated.

He continued with a softer tone. "Aur main jaanta hoon tumne bhi suffer kiya hain. You were misguided and manipulated but main chahta hoon tum us baat ko bhoola do, leave the past in the past. And rahi baat justice ki, I understand tum humse badla apne father ko khone ki wajah se..."

"It is not about my dad! Tej se mera badla is not about my dad!" Svetlana snapped, shocking Shivaay.

"M...Matlab?" Shivaay asked, making Svetlana realise what she accidently said.

"It's... just..just forget it. Bhool jaao maine kuch kaha." Svetlana looked away and tried to dismiss the topic.

"No, tumne abhi kaha ki bade-papa se tumhara badla is not about your dad. Toh kya reason hain? Batao mujhe. Please." Shivaay insisted. 

"I just want to help. I really do." He added earnestly.

Svetlana stared long at the table while cracking her knuckles. She sighed deeply, looked up and asked, "Tumne mujhse zyaada cheap, ghatiya aur giri hui aurat nahi hogi, right? Saalon tak apne baap ki umar aadmi ki mistress ban ke rahi, phir paisa-power ke liye usi ke bete ki fiancée banne ko tayyaar ho gayi and unke har dushman se haath mila liya."

"Of course." Shivaay scoffed but then his eyes widened at what he just blurted . "Of course not! Main aisa nahi soch raha, not at all." He tried to cover up.

Svetlana chuckled dryly. "Yahaan sirf hum dono, aur do policewale hain, you don't need to lie. Besides, poore duniya mere baare mein yahi sochti hain, I have quite the reputation." She added before a longing look came into her eyes.

"But it wasn't always like this. Of course life asaan nahi thi, likin ek time tha jab main... khush thi. I was happy...and loved. I was... married to a man who loved me. He loved me more than anyone ever did. And I... was a mother... to a beautiful, beautiful baby girl." 

Svetlana didn't have to look up to know Shivaay's jaw was on the floor.

"W...wa..."was"..?" Shivaay asked carefully and almost hesitantly.

""Was"..." 

Svetlana's face fell as she recounted the day that destroyed her life. And her.