When The Heart Lies | ✓

[37]

"Day after tomorrow, is the day your life changes."

Thousands of needles prickled his skin as goosebumps risen at the uncertain voice of the lawyer. It was nearly eight in the evening and he had came home for the final prompting of the hearing.

His parents were sitting right beside him on the couch while Rishabh was present, sitting beside the lawyer who had opened all his files and proofs. The air was tense and wasn't reaching Shrey's nostrils as he could feel the world around him stopping slowly.

Only the loud booming voice of the judge was echoing all around. His eyes twitched and closed, just as he would imagine himself getting proven as guilty. His eyes would get filled with unshed tears and heart would start tearing itself.

He couldn't describe to anyone in the room how by listening to each word, he was dying thousand deaths in his mind.

". . . Just like I had told Rishabh two days ago, I have planned to shift the case from a rape attempt to of the fraudulent acts. I have searched on the lady's behavior. Myra, who calls herself the victim has a record of many boyfriends before she got married to Vikas. I have even checked the office footages and movies of functions. She was a clingy one, which Shrey had informed me the first day."

Rishabh kept quiet, listening to everything carefully while observing Shrey's continuous stare on the table. He knew what his cousin was dealing with but seeing him so vulnerable made him feel helpless. He couldn't do anything.

Not even make a fake promise if the upcoming day would bring justice or not.

The proofs were not enough.

The lawyer glanced at his parents and back at Shrey, explaining, "I will mention about how Vikas had shared his doubts with you, months ago about her behavior with his friends. She is flirtatious and seems greedy. The next thing would of sketch of Vikas himself. A clever man. I am going to remind the court the story of how it all happened and how the fraudulent plan started executing."

Shrey's jaw ticked when the lawyer further added, "Then, I will also mention how they have enjoyed the money within a month when Shrey himself was fighting with his life. About Vikas' cousin's marriage and the luxurious dowry. The hospital bills of his treatment after a deadly accident and his preparation to leave country."

Rishabh nodded, feeling a bit confident that this could work if Shrey too won't lose hope. But looking at him, anyone could tell how he was already imagining his life behind the bars.

The lawyer gulped down the water and sighed. He turned pages of the files and looked at the parents. "But the judge will again ask me to showcase the explanation behind the rape attempt. It can happen that at this moment, my counterpart starts interrogating him. For that, Shrey will have to be honest."

Rishabh blinked, observing Shrey's stoned posture and breathed slowly as the lawyer explained, "He can ask if he was already understanding their flirtatious, fraudulent traits. Then, why didn't he stop befriending them? Why didn't he back out?"

Shrey gulped, feeling his stomach rolling at the question. Why? He himself didn't know. After returning from the foreign, he missed his college friends. Vikas and Myra had become the people to his liking. He couldn't back out because he liked their company. But then again, this mere statement would define his stupid character.

The lawyer pointed his finger at Shrey, "Here, you'll have to be honest. You will explain that Vikas was a friend you always wanted. Who could be funny and not treat as you the Royal one?"

Shrey nodded quietly, understanding it all. The lawyer looked down and read the next question, "An adult who has just returned from abroad could not really afford this much to lend others. Where did you get so much money?"