It had been three days since Sengupta had brought Sharmishtha to the hospital. She was in a coma with very little chance to wake up. The doctors had informed him, "We don't know if she will recover from this ever! She has a toxic brain injury, liver damage, compromised cardiovascular health, neurological damage, broken bones and could have sustained memory loss as well. Treatments are costly and she might never wake up! We want you to be clear about the financial condition here too. Getting emotional won't do you any good!"
Sengupta sighed. He obviously didn't have that kind of money but he couldn't let her die either. Up until now, he, Arjun and Roy split up the expenses amongst them. "We could call her husband! As far as I know, he is filthy rich," Rohan said quietly.
"That's an idea but how are we supposed to contact him? We don't even know who this person is! Even if we could contact him, how would we explain this situation?" Roy asked.
Sengupta was as quiet as ever. He hardly ever spoke. The last couple of days had been the hardest on him. Sharmishtha wasn't the only one! He had around ten colleagues who were also injured, plus the arrests consisted of some very high-profile names and the media was in turmoil! Arjun arrived with coffee for everyone. As he handed the cup to Roy, he suddenly spoke, "Couldn't we just broadcast it on news? That will get his attention I think! That way we won't have to deal with telling him personally either! Sharmishtha lied about her work to him, it would be a lot more complicated to explain now that everyone related to her who knew him is either dead or out of our reach!"
Everyone exchanged glances. They never wanted this to be on news but there was no other way that would be as convenient and fast. As everyone nodded in agreement, Roy and Arjun set out for the office to release the news! Rohan stayed back to watch over Sharmishtha. Sengupta stayed there for a while until he got a call from his office.
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As Arjun and Roy prepared the story to release to the public, Arjun suddenly grabbed Roy's hand and spoke softly, "I am sorry! I should have told you the entire plan. Actually, I should have never agreed to this in the first place!"
"It's not your fault-" Roy tried to console but Arjun yelled out in disagreement, "NO!"
"It is my fault! I knew she was planning for a honeytrap!" his voice went soft again.
"What?" Roy was baffled!
"Yes! It was actually more like catching insects with a light trap...but that's more of the same thing I guess! We had intel on her being a target beforehand..."
"So you decided to take advantage of that and lure them in?"
"Yes...that girl, Sara knew the rest of the plan! The plan didn't sit well with Sengupta at first but after Sharmishtha was abducted...he had to get involved. Sharmishtha didn't leave him any choice. It was either help her or watch her die for him!"
"But why? Why did she need to go this far?"
"Remember what happened five years ago?"
"Yes..wait is this the same group?"
"Yes...there's another thing..."
"What?"
Arjun lowered his eyes. "Tell me!" Roy screamed!
"The accident of Sharmishtha's family...it wasn't actually an accident...they were murdered..."
"So this was motivated by revenge?"
Arjun nodded.
"Dear God Arjun! You should have known better! I understand-"
"No, you don't! You never did! You could never understand what it means to lose family...to have no one...you have never watched a loved one die!"
Roy realised he had stepped on a bleeding nerve!
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It's been six days and Rey was getting impatient by every minute! He arrived at Siliguri and went straight to the police station without any hesitation. As he inquired straight for the highest commanding officer of the district the inspectors tried to make him understand that Sengupta was away on a very important investigation. Vikram, Rey's personal assistant, tried to calm him down and made him leave for the hotel.
"Sir, I will find ma'am. But you need to calm down. I have heard that everyone who surrounded ma'am have already been killed! We shouldn't be hasty. What if she is in hiding and we just barge into someone and they get some information? You know very well that we are being dogged right from the start!"
He had a point. Rey thought. Getting into a taxi, they set forth to the hotel. Vikram had already reserved two rooms for them. As the receptionist handed out the keys, he humbly greeted Rey, "Welcome Mr Roychowdhury. Enjoy your stay!"
As Mr Roychowdhury was trying to find some clothes after freshening up, the noise from the TV news startled him, "The Sight's prized journalist, Sharmishtha Singh Roychowdhury who went missing six days ago during a sting operation, was found in critical condition by the police! She has been admitted to the hospital but her condition remains fatal! Doctors are saying that it's highly unlikely that she will ever recover! More with-"
Roychowdhury was glued to his spot. His wife, his beloved wife for whom he decided to walk back on the devil's road was now fighting death. He couldn't save her. He could never save her. He couldn't save anyone. But when had he truly tried to save someone else? Was he really trying to protect her? If yes, then why was she in that state now? His world around him had shattered with the news. Nothing was making any sense anymore! No! He suddenly got a grasp of his mind! No, she was still alive. What was he thinking? He would make sure that she survived. He would tell her how much she meant to him. He would protect her with his life. And he would make sure that whoever did it would pay for it with their life!