The Prodigal Son (Complete)

Epilogue

I stood here, by the window that day, watching the rain. I was trying to count the droplets that morning, quoting Erik Erikson and Shakespeare.

In the social jungle of human existence, there is no feeling of being alive without a sense of identity.(Erik Erikson)
What's in the name?(Shakespeare)

I stood right here, by the window, waiting. I was waiting for a decision. A verdict that could give me back a name that I wanted or for a lifetime put a tag of con man on my head.
I stood right here waiting for the court to decide my fate.

That day I had my family beside me. Dida, Di, Jiju, Chatterjee uncle, Rahul, Basundhara and my Shehnaaz, they were right by my side. I knew whatever happens, I will have them with me, forever. But I needed what belonged to me.
I needed something that Sourav Dewan and Mahima Dewan had given me. My name.

Tanushree was sure the verdict would be in my favour. She was confident. And I trusted her as she had really done a brilliant job. The evidence she had collected and the ones Basundhara gave were enough to prove the truth. Still I was very nervous. I didn't show it to anyone but from inside I was a mess.

As we entered the room, I looked around and remembered the first day I was here. A lot had changed in that one year. The shy, confused and scared Ratan Kumar is no longer among us. Today he has been replaced by the confident Sidharth Dewan. I scanned everyone's faces. Darshan and Barun looked pale, still recovering from their little adventures that I had sent them to. Nirupama Dewan, my respected step mom, was worried. Pritha was absent from the court and perhaps planning to be permanently absent from Darshan's pathetic life.

On my side, I could see the nervous faces of Saivi di and Basundhara. Rahul and Jiju had no expression on their faces. But the only one who was cool as cucumber was my Shehnaaz. She was confident in winning the case. I smiled seeing her. My nervousness was less.

After the judge announced the verdict, we all stood up and suddenly I couldn't see anything. It was all blurry. I rubbed my eyes only to realise I had tears in them. The moment the judge left, I sat down. My legs were trembling by then. Truth was slowly sinking in. I was soon surrounded by smiling faces of people who truly loved me. They were hugging me and congratulating me.

I turned towards the other side and saw the police arresting my step brother and my brother-in-law. My stepmother was talking to her lawyer, stopping the police from putting on the cuffs. I don't know why I didn't feel good about it. Perhaps I really didn't want anyone to suffer as I knew the pain of staying away from the dear ones. That was the new me, the Ratan Kumar side of me. But my Sidharth Dewan side was somewhere relieved to see my culprits sent behind the bars. He was feeling triumph.

The Prodigal Son Returns, read every newspaper headline, the day I was supposed to return to the office. I couldn't sleep the previous night and took an hour to decide what to wear, just out of excitement. I realised my love for the business was still there inside me.
The moment of happiness was however short lived.

I was dying to drive my favourite car. I took it out that day. As I entered the gates of the Dewan Groups building, I felt my adrenaline rising. I was thrilled to start working again. I looked at the name Dewan Groups with pride. Everyone was waiting for me at the entrance just like the day I became the Chairman. I got down and just then I heard a loud noise. I turned to see an accident in front of the gates. And right at the very moment I felt a piercing pain and something warm near my chest. I slipped my hand under the coat and took it out to see blood. I couldn't breathe anymore and I fell on the ground.

It is said that the third time was lucky. Luck for my enemies meant death for me.
And luck was indeed on their side. I was shot right on my chest. The bullet had fractured my ribs and entered the wall of my heart. I was bleeding from inside to death. I could see the faces of all my loved ones, fading away right in front of my eyes. I could see my future that I had planned with Shehnaaz, dying along with me. Everything was turning into darkness as I fell into a black hole.