Chapter 26

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The high sun and the burning winds felt more paining today , mistakes , why, actually how can she do that , neither she had left that phone nor this would have come up , to add more guilt to her regretful eyes were the unavailable cabs , only she knew how she ran that rows unknowingly of how many kilometers she actually rushed . Finally she stood there , panting heavily , dizzy eyes and with heavy steps , she rushed up the floor.

The cabin slided and she hurried in , she ran down the aisle to the ICU unit when she saw a huge crowd gathered at the door , this wasn't that eerie until she noticed Kabir in the crowd. She hid behind the pillar before he could spot her.

"No.......", A tear ran down her tired eyes but then she witnessed something that just stopped her breathe , something that just vanished every dizziness and it was him.

The police grabbed Vansh by his collar and dragged him out of the ICU. A number of guards encircling him as if he was some terrorist. They brutally dragged him out and threw him into the van .

Riddhima rushed behind but a hand held and pulled her to a side. It was Pihu.

"Pihu........ Vansh.....",

"Riddhi calm down..",

What did she even mean , calm , wait a minute , she looked at Pihu with horror filled in her eyes,"Ishani and Aryan ............"

"They are safe , they will be under police protection from now.",

Riddhima sighed , she turned to the door which slowly closed as the crowd went out and then  Kabir walked out while his men followed him. Her heart was choking at what she saw just now, but why...

She rushed to the ICU, the guard stopped them , they looked inside, Ishani was sitting with tears in her eyes and Aryan sat on the seat in no state to think anything.

"Aryan....", Pihu spoke .

Aryan looked up and signalled the guards ,the guard let them in. Advait entered behind them.

They came near them and Aryan stood up in rage.

"What you were telling me  , Vansh was framed , Vansh is innocent, and look what he did. He just tried to kill Ishani .......",

Riddhima looked at Pihu in shock and Pihu downed her head, what , no what is all this happening.

"We are very thankful to you both for saving Ishani's life but just never show us your face again.........".

Riddhima looked at him and then at Ishani. She felt as if something was killing her but whatever they say she can't believe Vansh tried to kill her sister. No..... why she is even thinking that.

Pihu held her hand and walked out while Advait followed them.

"What is all this Pihu and why were you silent when he said Vansh tried to.......",

Riddhima turned her head in disgust.

Pihu took a deep breath.

"Because he did.".

Riddhima expression turned bewildered she looked at Pihu and then at Advait.

"Are you both mad.",

She shouted.

Pihu walked out of the hospital hall and Riddhima rushed to her.

"Tell me exactly what happened....",she looked at Pihu with a dying hope.

"Vansh tried to kill her but it was necessary........" Riddhima looked at them confused.

"Can you clear, please ....", She held her head in frustration.

"When we received your call we rushed to the hospital , I tried but Vansh .....

We knew Kabir would arrive before us and thus we had no option rather than to do this.....",

Pihu looked up at Riddhima whose look hadn't changed a bit ," Till we reached here he had  already arrived ,Vansh rushed inside ICU and took up the knife putting it to Ishani's neck, before Kabir could do something to them, Advait had informed the police already and they arrived at the same time . They arrested Vansh and they left the protection here for Ishani and Aryan.",

Riddhima looked at both with a mixed expression of guilt and helplessness,

"We had no option Riddhima... truly , we had no option even if we had reached here before Kabir ; Ishani and Aryan wouldn't have listened to him and Kabir would have arrived ,we had to do this... ", Advait spoke in hustle.

"....portrayed himself as a murderer so that Ishani and Aryan could be safe...",

Tear rolled down Riddhima's eyes.

"All this has happened because of me......" , Pihu held her.

" No Riddhima one day or the other it would have occurred....."

Riddhima wiped her tears.

"No , it won't have occurred unless I dropped that phone in stupidity...",

Pihu wiped her tears," Riddhima you can't be weak now , one mistake can't break you , ok...",

Riddhima held her hand ," But its breaking me ...",

Pihu signalled Advait, " Come Riddhima , we have to leave.",

" No....", She backed , "Not before he is safe.",

Pihu looked at her helplessly,

"Riddhima just look at your self , you want to save him no...", Riddhima nodded.

"First you have to be strong.".

Riddhima looked at the hospital building , the piercing rays of the sun , were slowly blurring her vision , the dizziness was taking over her anxiety.

"Vansh saved his family and now we will save him.", And she stumbled to the ground before she could kill herself more in that guilt...

The burning rays were no more there , a cool soothing air has replaced it, her body didn't felt dieing in need of water but ... Vansh. She woke up with jerk , checking around restlessly ,she took a deep breath , they had brought her home.

Wiping the sweat off her forehead , she stood up but before she could step , the same eerie dizziness forced her to bed,

" What is happening to me." A tear ran down her eyes, she held the bedsheet but even her hands didn't obeyed her.

She looked up at the ceiling,

Kabir hasn't left one proof to save Vansh what will she do now,  he is not here , had they given food , god, his medicines are here only, what if they torture him, a shivering tear felled down her eyes when , Pihu entered her a glass of water , she went pale looking at her.

" Riddhi....", She ran up to her.

"Pihu let's go to the police station...", She said restlessly.

Keeping the glass on the self Pihu couldn't comprehend why she was behaving like that , in any situation any , she had always amazed her with her patience and today , when she need it most , she...

"Riddhi , if you have to save him to have to be strong...", Riddhima turned her head in frustration.

"You can't loose patience okay...",

Pihu stood up.

Helping her seated she took up the glass of water , when Riddhima's eyes felled on the black file.

"It's totally what the police record say.... Vansh hired a killer and killed his family , the pact he signed with him and then killed him too ; other medical records proving him mentally ill.....", Pihu spoke in disinterest.

Riddhima took up the file and threw it , till it banged on the wall and all the framed documents fluttered in the air but then her eyes stopped at one thing.

She stood up stumbling and slowly picked up the photo,

"Vansh killed him , he is the one who killed his family .", Pihu spoke as Riddhima examined it.

"But he is alive.....", Riddhima turned to her.

"What!",

"I saw him today in...... in the mansion."

"Are you sure.",

"Offcourse I am sure, When I went to his study to figure out which important meeting he had and this man was there ............",

"This means.........", Pihu looked at Riddhima.

*****

Presently , she took a deep breath , cigarettes choked her left over heartbeats, she looked up at the screen , few minutes more.

Her eyes rolled at the couple of men that were standing at the door with another cigarette in there hands , its been 18 minutes since the timer is on but she can't bear it , she just can't , the deep wounds the knife has encrafted on her skin are paining , paining as the floor covers a pattern with her blood , her tored up cloths are adding more to it. She looked up again ... she was shocked when she came across that picture and that man , well it was great , you killed someone who is still alive , and she looked up at the same man but this time , smoking the cigar standing in front of her.

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P.S.

Mistakes make you weak but never let it weaken your strength , always remember mistake and sin are different things...