Your fabricated lie

2 - Back to work

Sometimes, a good cry and a source to rant it out is all we need. That day, Rajesh was being that source Anu was in need of. Being strong forever is a myth. Everyone becomes weak at sometime and rely on loved ones to heal. Letting guards down at worst is absolutely fine. Just don't try pretending as if you are strong when you are not. It hurts even more.

After a solid ten minutes of letting all those suppressed tears, all three got a hold of themselves. Getting back to his position, "Do you know what the stages of grief are?" Rajesh asked.

Wiping her runny nose, Anu looked at him paying attention.

"Denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance... It doesn't stop here. There is another stage the world is not aware of," after a long pause and intense eye stare, "...revenge," he said and that sounded even more convincing because of his red eyes. Anu's eyes enlarged and Gautham's heart skipped a beat.

"Whoever killed my brother is having fun out there and here you, me and Priya are going through hell while being alive. Is it fair?" Rajesh said.

Gautham was shocked. He didn't want Rajesh to brainwash Anu because Anu in revenge mode is not healthy for the world. He tried to stop him but Rajesh was not in position to listen. Rajesh continued saying, "It took exactly six days to reach the sixth stage. But in your case it will take longer than I have expected. I mean, look at you - you are still in the first stage". He moved towards and held her palms.

"I… want you to take the long jump. Just fast forward a couple of years but please enter the sixth stage as fast as possible because I can't do this alone," he begged her to help him to get a hold of the culprit. Little did he know, he had no need to beg her. Just a word would do things he could ever think of.

Rajesh's words did go into the clumsy brain of hers but it was taking more time than expected to organize them.

"Tomorrow we have a case hearing," Rajesh said while Anu was staring at the white marble floor. "Look at me," he commanded and so did she look at him with a couple of tears running down the cheeks.

"You have no idea how badly I want you to be in court. So, please do come. I will take care of all the paper and legal work. Just be there by ten o'clock," he finally told his plan of getting her back to the case and the place she belongs to. He rose up and grabbed his keys.

Before leaving, "Don't forget to wear your black coat," he looked over his shoulder.

It was again just the two of them. Gautham slowly approached her with the thought of letting her know the consequences. "Anu, think before – "

"Gautham, get me all the case materials of the last two hearings," she said and he understood that it was too late for him to state out the consequences but still somewhere deep down he wanted to make an effort. "Anu, I am really glad that you took this step but this isn't the time to make impulsive decisions. Think wisely. Besides, I am not the prosecutor for this case".

"So, you want me to stay still and do nothing?" She sobbed. Gautham replied saying, "I didn't mean it - okay, let me rephrase it. We are aware that Aditya's wife is alive but have you ever thought of the reasons for keeping it off the records. I mean, why would he do that? Or else is it because he also doesn't know where his wife is? – There are n-number of dimensions and I want you to check with all those dimensions before making a move".

He further said, "Remember, not only a minister but a soldier can also block the king's move. Even after all this, if you want to get revenge… Agent 007 reporting Ma'am''. Anu chuckled a little. It took fifteen days and now there are signs of hope on her face. Doesn't matter what the cause is.

For the first ten hours she surrounded herself with a bunch of papers and for the next six hours she had a sound sleep as her body needed it. Anu is still not sure of what she is going to do. The only thing she had in her mind was to honor Rajesh's request. After all she owes one.

Wearing that outfit after one whole month brought a lot of mixed emotions and the first was, the memories of Karthik. The dress, profession, court, case, her brother's presence… every little thing reminded her of Karthik and in no time she started crying again. This time she didn't even have Gautham beside her as he had to report to his boss.

It took a while for her to gain composure over self. Pooling her courage, she stepped out of her room. Anu first dropped off her son and his bodyguard near his school. Ever since that incident, Anu and Gautham appointed a 24/7 security for their son.

Crossing the busy roads and heavy traffic she finally reached court. Sitting in the car for a while and breathing heavily, she tried to calm down herself. The first person she wanted to see after stepping out of the car was Rajesh but to her astonishment, it was Aditya. The moment she saw him, she understood that for the next few seconds it's going to be a silent eye war.

Trying her best to treat him like thin air, she walked past him and the second scenario was Gautham opening the car door for his junior, the prosecutor for this case aka, Devansh. That sh*t was even more infuriating to watch. In fact, she herself wanted to kill that as**ole and end up in jail rather than being defense attorney for this case.

Ignoring that she walked forward and the third sight was a bit emotional. She saw her best friend, Lavanya. The immediate reaction of her best friend was running into her arms while Anu was still contemplating if it is okay for her to accept that hug. Before she could decide her stance, Lavanya already hugged her.

"Welcome back!" She greeted her.

"Are you really celebrating?" Anu said that made Lavanya step back. Glaring at her friend, Anu said, "I will never, ever excuse you for all those things you did that I could ever imagine of". Lavanya understood that Anu is still upset.

Finally she met Rajesh. "All set?" He asked to which Anu nodded her head.

Though she nodded, she was unsure about it and that was clearly seen on her face. Noticing her nervousness, "Don't worry. I will take care of things. You just have to be by my side," he said.

At that moment, moral support and the thought of togetherness is all Rajesh needed. Surprisingly, Anu gave all those when she herself needed support.

They held onto each other as that was their last straw.