The Path Less Travelled.

Epilogue.

All she knew, was that he was no more.
Nothing else mattered.
Not any more.

She did not remember that her friends had finally managed to drag her away from his lifeless body, hours and hours later.
She was in a daze, not crying, not speaking, not moving. But unwilling to leave him.
Unwilling to leave his hand.
His hand that not had the privilege, even at last, to touch her.

It was days, before she could acknowledge, that she was in a world, where she was alive, and he wasn't.
Days before she could speak again.
And yet, there was always this unbearable weight on her heart, a weight which would never lift.

It was days, before she could process what had happened.
She had finally realised, in those last moments, how much he had loved her.
And she him.
She wondered now, how was she so oblivious to this fact before.
It seemed clear like the day, to her now.

And she had to live with the regret that, she never confessed her love.

....

His lawyers had come to her house one day, giving her some papers.
Her friends were with her that day.
So was Shalini and Abhimanyu.
Because it was the last day before they were to resume active duty.

The lawyers had handed her some papers.
Told her he had left her everything.
And told her one more thing.

Jay : Ma'am, Sir ne mujhse kaha tha, ki anullment papers ki date, apse puch kar final kar du...after...after...everything is ...over.

Jay had always hero worshipped his boss, and was quite affected by what had happened.

Jay : Aur...kuch aur matters hai, regarding company management...but that can wait...till you..say..

Everyone was shocked to hear about this marriage.
And nobody could gauge its reason, when Shalini told them how it took place.

Abhi (to Jay) :  I am sorry,...par...agar Raj ko...inheritance Naina ke hi naam karna tha ...to.. y..go thru this...trouble?

Jay : Sir ne zyada to kuch nai bataya tha, par itna kaha tha ki, company funds ka embezzlement ho raha tha.
Ek minister involved tha, jo defence se jura tha.
He had proofs to bring him down, but wasn't  sure if his plan would succeed or not.
And if it didn't, and he died, leaving Naina everything, a large percentage would go to the goverment as gift tax.
This would be okay, under normal circumstances, but sir knew, that the usage of this money would again be in the hands of that same minister.
Apparently, he was a top ranking one.
And he was corrupt.
Sir did not want any money to fall in that minister's hands.
Thats all he told me.
I dunnoe who he was talking about.

Jay did not understand, but the others did.
They understood much more than Jay did.
They could only stand in awe, of how much effort Raj had put into his plan.

Jay gave the marriage papers, anullment papers, and property papers to Naina, telling her he will be back, whenever she decides.

.......

Naina never anulled the marriage.
She spent her career, in the way Raj had wanted. Became a respected officer.
It took years and years, but she did finally clear his name.

And she remained, at least on paper,
Naina Rajveer Singh Shikhawat.