ᴇx-ʙᴏʏʀꜰʀɪᴇɴᴅ, ɴᴇxᴛ ʜᴜꜱʙᴀɴᴅ

Chapter 54

Yuvaan

"What did you say?" I asked her.
I saw her face freeze, and this is exactly what I expected after putting her accomplice in front of her eyes.
"I... I meant..." she tried to speak.
"You've worked with him?" Dad asked.
"What does that mean, Didi?" Mom said.

"I'll tell you what that means." Arush's voice emerged from the corner, where he was sitting silently. He came next to me.
"What's going on beta?" Mom looked at me, Arush and Rohan, who was near me too.
"Just answering Bua's questions." I said.
"Coming back to this guy," Rohan said, "Bua can never be wrong now, can she?"
We saw Bua's eyes fill with fear and rage.
"Bua indeed has worked with him." Arush said, "Look." He pointed to the TV and soon, there were pictures, taken by Siraj, in the same place where they met and Siraj and recorded.
Bua's face froze.
"This... this is a lie. I don't know this man."
"But you just said you know him?" I asked.
"Yuvaan? What are you doing?!"
"Bua, I'm just trying to clear the confusion. You said you know him and I can see that you do but now you're saying you don't know him. Please help me understand what's going on."
"That's not me. Identified thefts are very common these days, someone has dressed as me and has taken this picture, or it's AI."
"Hmm, you're right. Identity thefts are common, maybe someone used AI to crop you into this image setting, right?"
"Exactly."
"But then.... How do you explain this?"
I looked at Arush and he played the video, the same video which I was shown.

"Meenakshi Ji, what do I have to do?"
"You have to just go to the bank and stand there, around her. We will edit it to look like you were talking to her."
"Okay ma'am."

I saw everyone's face freeze and Bua's forehead fill with sweat beads.
"It's not me Yuvaan. I don't know who is sending this to you and who has framed me, but it just sounds like me. It's not me."
"Oh right. Voice modulation? Right?" I asked.
"Yes. Exactly. It's very common."
"You're right. It's very common, like this na?" I said and continued the video.

"Shravan, your job in Yuvaan's office helps me a lot, because of you I found out he's digging up the truth of the past again."
"Ma'am, thank you. Yuvaan is softening up to her again."
"He won't after this."

'Mukesh Bhai, I'm married to him now, you really think that I can't win him back. After 4 years, I've gotten the chance to finally continue my plan again, I'm not letting it go this time.'
'Kya karegi tu?'
'I'm playing hard to get. I know Yuvaan likes that. Once he's mine again, I'll continue my plan. Vamika is already in my finger, Yuvaan will come back. His family loves me anyway.'

"Ma'am this is amazing. It sounds exactly like Nishtha."
"I know. This way he'll once and for all kick that girl out of his life."
"Can I ask why you hate her so much?"
"You don't need to know the whole story, but in short, her place belongs to someone else, and that someone else needs to be there for me to get what I want."
"This didn't work last time, would it work now?"
"Last time it was just pictures which I used and it managed to keep them away for 4 years. An audio file in her voice will thrown them away for good. I'm sure."
"I'm sure ma'am."
"You'll get your payment. I have enough money through how much I got through Vamika 4 years ago. Just make sure the doctor gets his cut."
"The doctor?"
"The doctor who I told that Nishtha faked her report."
"Of course ma'am, it'll be done."
"Last time it was partial coma, let's hope she goes into a whole coma this time."

Dad stood up in anger. Mom had tears in her eyes as she stood up, unable to balance herself. Vamika stared at the TV screen. I enjoyed this.

"WHAT IS THIS MEENAKSHI?!" Dad roared, loud enough for everyone to get scared.
"I... I don't know Rajesh." She said, trying to keep her confidence.
"WHAT IS THIS? I am asking you one last time." He said sternly.
"It's not me." She looked at me, "It's not me, Yuvi. I have had no problem with Nishtha."
"You had no problem with Nishtha?!" Mom scoffed, "You hated her ever since he brought her home that day as his girlfriend."
"Only because she seemed like someone who would be after his money Jaya."
"Have some shame. You're defending this."
"Yuvaan, you believe me, don't you? Who sent you this? Was it that girl? Just because she is a computer scientist doesn't mean she can use her technology this way.... To break families!"
"First of all, Nishtha is a Data Engineer, she works with data to make sure that the wrong data is permanently erased from the rest of the datasets." I said, looking at her, "Secondly, how can it be Nishtha? She isn't here."
"I.... I..."
"Your game is over. Aunty Ji." Arush said.
"It's better you stop trying now, coz," Rohan said and looked at the door. We all turned and we watched 2 police men enter, "Anything you say can and will be used against you."
She clenched her fist and came to me, "How dare you?"
"I should ask you the same thing. How dare you? HOW DARE YOU THROW MY GIRLFRIEND FROM ME? HOW DARE YOU FRAME HER AND LIE ABOUT IT? AND MOST OF ALL, HOW DARE YOU BLACKMAIL YOUR OWN NIECE FOR MONEY?!" I yelled.
"Wh...What?" Dad asked, looking at me and then Vamika, "Vami?"
Vamika ran to Dad, "Dad... it's true... I..." She looked at me.
"Tell them, Vamika. The police is right behind you and the proof," I said looking at Bua, "is on the next slide."
"Dad... I... this was in first year, when Nishtha Di was in her final year and Bhai was working in the company. I... I suddenly started getting calls from an unknown number, saying that he knew things about my...."
"About?"
"My... my ex boyfriend, Dad. He was from a rival company of ours and.... And I knew you'd approve my relationship. He was in the same college as me, and I don't know how this caller found out about us and he had pictures of me and him at one party. We... we didn't do anything that night but the pictures he had made it look like we did, and if you all found out,  you would easily believe the pictures and there is a confirmation of my relationship."
"And?"
"I tried to handle it, by selling my clothes and... trying to arrange the 60 lakes that he asked, but Nishu Di found out, she was in the same place as me and.... I couldn't hide her call in front of her. She heard me talk. I told her everything and she told me so many times to tell you about the relationship but I couldn't... I just couldn't because he also told me not to tell. He wanted to make things work for me, but.... He also knew that if his family found out, they would shift him to the US. He arranged some of the money and I.... Nishtha Di sold her car, and gave me the money. I gave it to him."
"Who was the guy Vamika?" I asked.
She pointed at the gambler, "H...him."
"How did you know?"
"Because... he was there when Di and I went to give the money. When I came back home, I... I was running inside when I saw Bua in the garden, talking to the same man and him giving the money to Bua. I took a picture and tried to run away but Bua found out and she made me delete it, and.... She threatened that if I came in between her plans, she will expose me."
Everyone gasped.
"Nishtha Di knew Bua was behind everything because I told her, but before I could send it to her, she had made me delete it."
"But technology is advanced.... Like Bua said," I added, "we were able to get the picture anyway." I said and showed the picture on the screen.
"Nishtha Di took the blame for me and she stayed silent for all those years because she knew I really loved him and she knew that if we do anything against Bua... she would use her power to shut us up. She tried to talk to Bhai..... but..."
"But I, like a fool, threw my girl away. When all she was trying to do was save me and my family."

I saw Bua's face change and I watched Mom go up to Bua and slap her tightly across the cheek.
"How dare you blackmail my daughter?!" She screamed at her, "How dare you deprecate my son and his wife?! FOR WHAT?!"

"I'll answer that." I said, holding Shreya by the arm and bringing her next to Bua, "Bua wanted that Shreya, her family friend's daughter, marry me. Why? Because Shreya lost her parents when she was 16 and Bua raised her. She thought that if Shreya would become my wife, Bua would atomically have a lot of ownership. So she cracked a deal with Shreya, who, by the way, was only sponsored by Bua. Bua has no motherly feeling for Shreya. She told Shreya to marry me and transfer half of the things to her, and in return she would help the marriage and would convince Yuvaan, because Shreya had been into me since college days, am I right, Shreya?"
Shreya didn't answer, just looked down. 

"HOW DARE YOU?" Dad yelled. Bua didn't answer either, "Officer. Take these two away."
"Dad.... Shreya didn't do anything wrong. She wasn't involved in the identity theft."
"She sided with Bua."
"So let her only be punished accordingly. Please."
"Fine." Dad said and looked at the cops, "I am aware you know what to do, Sir. Please take them. I'll be in first thing tomorrow to get the court case started."
"Sure Mr Nanda." The cop said then looked at me, "Please submit the slides for us to use as evidence."
"Sure Sir."
They were taking Bua and Shreya away when Dad said, "Officer, make sure she either gets a life-imprisonment or a death sentence. Nothing else."

They took Bua away and I looked at Dad, who was hiding his tears. Mom sat on the couch, with tears in her eyes and Vamika ran to hug me.
"I'm sorry you had to find out this way." I said to all of them, "it's the only way she wouldn't doubt me."
"You did the right thing Yuvaan." Mom said, "All my children went through so much and I was in the dark about it. I want no more secrets."
"Yes Mom." Vamika and I nodded.
"Nishu? Does she know about this?" Mom asked.
"No. Not yet."
"Okay. Vamika?" She looked at her, "Are you still with that boy?"
Vamika looked, afraid, "Mom.... I..."
"I asked you a question."
"He's a good guy, Mom. He helped her through it. Nishtha knows about him."
"Call him home tomorrow."
"Okay Mom." She said.
"And you." She looked at me, "Find my daughter and bring her home."

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