Chapter - 98
Hello, beautiful people! ??
"How are you, R-9?"
Silence.
The figure blinked, confused.
A breath trembled.
"W... who is R-9, Siya?" the voice cracked.
"See... see what they did to me."
"S-save me... please."
I didn't flinch.
I didn't step back.
I tilted my head slightly and asked, my tone unchanged,
"Save you from whom?"
Breathing turned uneven.
"How can I save you... from me?"
The figure shook their head weakly.
"What... what are you saying?"
"What have I... I done that you—"
I cut them off.
My voice rose — not in madness, not in hysteria — but sharp, final, piercing the room like a blade.
"You killed my parents."
The words hung in the air.
Straight.
Heavy.
The figure froze in horror.
"You killed my parents, R-9... or should I say, Mrs. Rawat."
For the first time since I entered that room...
my calm shook.
Her face turned pale.
"S... Siya," she stammered, panic filling her eyes.
"W-what are you saying?"
"Howcould I kill Priya and Jai?"
"No... no... you're misunderstanding."
"We were best friends, beta."
"How can I kill my best friend?"
"And... and what is this R-9?"
"Who is R-9?"
I laughed.
Not softly.
Not sweetly.
I laughed in a way that made even mami ji flinch.
That laugh carried years of silence... years of unanswered questions.
I walked to the chair that was already placed in the center of the room and sat down slowly.
Aarav sat beside me without a word.
His hand found mine — firm, grounding.
I looked at him once.
He didn't speak.
He only blinked.
That was enough.
I turned back to her.
"Misunderstanding?" I asked calmly.
"Tell me... what exactly am I misunderstanding?"
"That you are not R-9?"
"That you didn't kill my parents?"
"That you didn't kill my baby brother... who never even got to see the world?"
"That you didn't kill my childhood?"
"That you didn't try to kill me too?"
My voice didn't shake.
"Or am I misunderstanding that you are not responsible for my memory loss?" I added quietly,
I leaned forward slightly, eyes locked on hers.
"Tell me... you are not behind everything."
She shook her head rapidly, tears forming.
"W... what are you saying?"
"I... I didn't do anything, beta—"
"Stop."
My voice cut through the room, loud and sharp.
"Don't call me that."
She froze.
"When you say beta," I continued, cold and steady,
"It sounds like you're cursing me."
I stood up slowly.
"Do you think I'm a fool?"
"Or just a five-year-old child who can't understand anything?"
"A child who can't search for answers?"
My eyes burned, but no tears fell.
"I survived," I said quietly.
"I remembered."
"And I found you."
The room fell silent again.
And this time...
she had no words left.
I placed the file in front of her.
R-9 / 0909.
Her pupils widened.
And in that moment...
I saw it.
Not shock.
Not confusion.
Fear.
The kind that comes when the past finally catches you.
And suddenly... my mind went back to the beginning of everything.
Flashback
The day Avi slipped into the coma...
my world stopped breathing.
I was standing outside the room when Rohan started talking — evidence, suspects, theories.
"Stop," I said quietly.
He froze.
"I don't want to know anything right now," I told him, my voice breaking for just a second.
"I only want my Avi safe."
Rohan tried to say something, but I didn't wait.
I pushed the door open and went inside.
Machines.
That steady beep.
His still body.
I sat beside Aarav, held his hand, and rested my forehead against it.
Please come back to me Avi, I begged silently.
That night...
When the hospital lights dimmed and the corridors grew quiet, I sent one single message.
To Rohan.
To Arjun bhaiya.
To Mr. Chauhan.
Meet me tonight. Inside the hospital.
Come without revealing your identities.
The hospital belonged to the Rathores.
Information leaking out was almost impossible.
Still...
I couldn't take any risk.
They came silently.
No guards noticed.
No cameras followed.
Arjun bhaiya had already taken care of that.
We met in the hospital storeroom — a place no one visited unless they had to.
Dim light.
Cold air.
And four people carrying the same fear.
Arjun bhaiya spoke first.
"I've erased and altered the CCTV footage. No one will trace this meeting."
Rohan looked at me.
"Every clue points to Vikram. Everything suggests he is R-9."
I nodded slowly.
"But still," I said calmly,
"We haven't received any real information from the men Rohan placed inside the company."
Silence filled the room.
Then I spoke again.
"R-9 knows everything about us," I said quietly.
"And we know nothing about him."
"That... is his biggest strength."
All three of them listened carefully.
"So whatever we do," I continued,
"R-9 must not get even the smallest clue."
"He should believe that because of Aarav... we are weak."
"That we've given up."
"That Aarav is in a coma, and we're no longer a threat."
My fingers clenched unconsciously.
"Maybe he's planning something," I added.
"Maybe he isn't."
"But he must think we can never reach him."
Mr. Chauhan spoke carefully,
"So... what's the plan, bhabhi?"
I looked at all three of them.
"From now on, we doubt everyone."
"Mr. and Mrs. Rajvansh."
"Mr. and Mrs. Rawat."
"And anyone who was ever close to my parents."
"We collect every detail. Every connection. Every hidden link."
They nodded.
We divided the work silently.
Then Arjun bhaiya looked at me, his voice firm.
"Bhabhi," he said,
"You just have to play one role."
I looked at him.
"The queen."
"Live your normal routine. Attend events. Smile. Stay visible."
"Rohan will stay with you."
"You just command."
"We'll do everything you say."
I didn't respond immediately.
I only thought of Aarav lying unconscious... trusting me without knowing it.
Then I said softly,
"Then let R-9 believe I'm just a waiting wife."
"Because the day he realizes the truth..."
I paused.
"That day... this game ends."
After two days...
We met again.
Same place.
Same silence.
Only this time, the air felt heavier — like it knew we were close.
Arjun bhaiya spoke first.
"I checked Mr. and Mrs. Rajvansh carefully," he said, serious.
"I didn't find anything that links them directly to R-9."
He paused for a second.
"Just one thing... Mrs. Rajvansh's birthday is on 9th April."
I nodded but didn't react.
Then Mr. Chauhan spoke.
"Bhabhi," he said calmly,
"Mr. and Mrs. Rawat's marriage anniversary is on 9th September."
My eyes lifted to him.
He continued,
"One more thing... Mrs. Rawat belongs to the Raizada family."
Rohan added,
"Yes, Rani sa. And Mrs. Rawat is the one handling your mother's company."
"Mr. Rawat has never gone inside the company," he said.
"Not even once."
"Mrs. Rawat visits only two or three times a month."
He placed a few papers on the table.
"These documents came from Rakesh — the man we placed there as an employee."
I picked up one sheet slowly.
"And whoever R-9 is," Rohan continued,
"He's involved in human organ trafficking."
"He's hiding it behind the medical supply chain."
The room went silent.
Mr. Chauhan broke it.
"This is not as simple as we thought," he said firmly.
"Give me all the documents."
"I'll dig deeper."
A few days later...
My phone vibrated once.
Meeting tonight.
When we gathered again at the same place, Mr. Chauhan didn't waste time.
He placed a thick file in front of us.
"Every transfer order," he said slowly.
"Every clearance."
"Has the same mark."
Arjun bhaiya frowned.
"A signature?"
Mr. Chauhan shook his head.
"No name."
"Only a code."
He turned the file toward us.
R-9 / 0909.
My breath stilled.
"So," I said quietly,
"This means either Mr. Rawat or Mrs. Rawat could be R-9."
Mr. Chauhan nodded.
"Exactly, bhabhi."
We started checking the files Rohan had brought.
One by one.
Then... my eyes froze.
I leaned closer.
"Wait," I whispered.
Everyone looked at me.
I pointed at the page.
"See the way this 9 is written."
I pulled out another document.
"And see this one."
My fingers trembled slightly, but my voice stayed calm.
"It's the same."
"The same curve."
"The same cut."
Slowly, my eyes lifted.
And in that silent moment...
Everything pointed to one person.
Mrs. Rawat.
The truth finally stood in front of us.
Flashback End
The room came back into focus.
Mrs. Rawat was still staring at the file, her hands trembling slightly, eyes fixed on those pages like they might vanish if she looked away for even a second.
I watched her quietly.
Carefully.
"Before you deny it," I said, my voice calm, almost soft,
"tell me... how many lives did you destroy?"
She didn't look up.
"How many families did you break?" I continued, my tone steady.
"How does a person do something like this only for money?"
My chest felt tight, but my face stayed blank.
"How can someone become so heartless," I asked,
"that they don't think even once before ruining people's lives?"
"Did your husband never come to your mind?"
"Didn't your daughter?"
She snapped her head up.
"Don't you dare speak about my daughter!" she screamed.
I didn't flinch.
"I didn't do this just for money," she said, her voice shaking with rage.
"I did it for power."
I stayed silent.
She laughed bitterly.
"When I married Vikram and came into the Rajvansh family," she said,
"he was just a caretaker of Priya's father."
Her eyes burned.
"Veer bhaisahab was always out. Priya was busy with college and her life."
"But Vikram... Vikram handled everything."
She clenched her fists.
"And then the will came," she continued.
"And do you know what Vikram got?"
"A token of love," she scoffed.
"Nothing else."
"Not the company."
"Not the credit."
"That company," she said loudly,
"the one Vikram helped build — it was written in Priya's name."
"When Priya said she didn't want it," Mrs. Rawat laughed darkly,
"it was decided the will would be changed."
Her voice softened for a moment.
"But Vikram never felt bad," she said quietly.
"He said whatever he is, it's because of Harish uncle."
"He didn't want anything."
I listened.
"Vikram had a small company started by his father," she went on,
"which Harish uncle handled."
"Later, Vikram took over."
Her eyes filled with something dark.
"And still... he loved Priya."
"He respected Veer bhaisahab."
She slammed her palm on the ground.
"Vikram did all the hard work," she shouted.
"And who enjoyed the profits?"
"Priya."
"Veer bhaisahab."
"I couldn't watch that anymore."
I met her eyes.
"And then one day... I found out something."
I felt my chest tighten.
"Your mother," Mrs. Rawat said slowly,
"was in love."
"With a middle-class boy."
She smiled — cruel.
"And that day," she said, "I decided to destroy the fake pride Harish Rajvansh had built."
I stayed quiet.
My face showed nothing.
No shock.
No tears.
But inside me...
every memory shattered again.
Still, I stood there.
Calm.
Composed.
Listening to the woman who destroyed my world...
explain why she felt justified doing it.
She took a slow breath and continued, like she was telling a normal story.
"First, I arranged a man for your mother," she said.
"A very respectful one. Rich too. From a good family."
My nails dug into my palms.
"Harish uncle liked the proposal," she went on.
"There was nothing wrong with that boy or his family."
She looked at me, eyes sharp.
"Then I went to Priya," she said.
"And told her — I know you love someone."
Her lips curved faintly.
"I told her — today it's me, tomorrow your father will know. So it's better you tell him yourself."
I closed my eyes for a second... then opened them again.
"Priya trusted me," she said calmly.
"She thought I was right."
"So she told her father."
Her voice hardened.
"But he didn't agree," Mrs. Rawat continued.
"Because he had already given his word to that family."
"In between all this," she added,
"I kept Vikram busy."
Her eyes glinted.
"And I pressured Priya — think about your father, think about your family."
My breath felt heavy.
"I arranged a fake medical report," she said coldly.
"Harish uncle's."
"She believed he had cancer."
The word cancer stabbed deeper than any knife.
"So she agreed," Mrs. Rawat whispered.
"And I told her — don't tell anyone you know this."
"She believed that too," she smiled.
"She thought Vikram and Veer bhaisa didn't want her to know."
My heart pounded, but my face stayed still.
"It was me," she continued,
"who planned your father's accident."
"On the engagement day."
My world tilted.
"And it was me," she said without blinking,
"who sent the information... through someone else."
She looked almost proud.
"Just like I planned," she continued,
"your mother ran to the hospital."
"When she returned after marrying your father," she laughed softly,
"everyone was angry at her."
I swallowed.
"After that," she said,
"I made sure she never met anyone."
"Veer bhaisa went abroad again."
"Vikram stayed busy with Harish uncle."
"And every time Harish uncle wanted to meet your mother," her voice lowered,
"it was me who blocked it."
"I never let the message reach her."
"I told Harish uncle — she doesn't want to meet you."
My chest burned.
"And Harish uncle didn't die from a second heart attack," she said quietly.
The room went dead silent.
"I killed him."
She said it like a fact.
"I named it a heart attack," she continued,
"because how long could I keep Priya and Harish uncle apart?"
"If she met him," she said sharply,
"everyone would know I was behind everything."
I felt numb.
"And after his death," she added,
"I provoked Veer bhaisa."
"I told him — Priya never came when uncle called her."
"Veer bhaisa was angry," she said quietly.
"He never thought calmly."
I listened.
My spine was straight.
My face... empty.
"He did something I didn't even expect," she paused,
"but it worked in my favour."
Her words kept echoing inside my head.
My parents.
My grandfather.
My entire childhood.
All destroyed...
by one woman's hunger for power.
Still...
I didn't cry.
My pain stayed silent.
She continued, her voice steady, like she was reading a report.
"After that, I separated Veer bhaisa and Vikram," she said.
"Just a little distance between them... but enough."
"Veer bhaisa went out of the country again."
"And Vikram started handling the business."
She looked at me, almost searching for something.
"I helped Vikram," she added.
"But still... whatever he was handling of Rajvansh family was never truly his."
Her jaw tightened.
"So how long do you think I could live with the fear," she said,
"that someday someone would come and take everything from us?"
I stayed quiet.
"The only thing I knew," she continued,
"was that Priya would never take that company back."
"She always said — if it belongs to Vikram, then it is his."
Her lips curved faintly.
"At first, I ran the company the way Vikram did."
"Then slowly..." her eyes darkened,
"I started meeting powerful people."
"I built my own business," she said,
"hiding everything behind that company."
"I thought... if something ever went wrong," she shrugged,
"the company was in Priya's name."
"So I wouldn't have to fear anything."
Five years.
She said it so casually.
"Five years passed peacefully for me."
My chest felt hollow.
"Then," she continued,
"I found out about Sukoon Orphanage."
Her eyes lit up — not with kindness, but calculation.
"And I got a perfect idea."
"If I got that orphanage," she said,
"I could use the children for my business..."
"And in front of the world," she smiled coldly,
"I would look like a woman doing charity."
She leaned forward.
"And the land," she added,
"the land Sukoon is built on..."
"It's prime land."
I clenched my jaw.
"I thought I would shift the orphanage somewhere else," she said,
"Two profits in one deal."
"But..." her voice hardened,
"your father didn't give me that land."
I felt something break inside my chest — quietly.
"So I started blackmailing him," she admitted.
"Sending threats."
She looked at me directly.
"And do you know what your father did, Siya?"
I didn't answer.
"He made a will," she said slowly.
"He put that land in Priya's name."
My breath caught.
"He added a non-sale clause," she continued.
"And made sure it could only be transferred to you..."
She paused.
"But only as a caretaker."
The room felt smaller.
"That land slipped out of my hands," she said bitterly.
"And then I found out Veer bhaisa was coming back to India."
"And he wanted to meet Priya."
Her voice lowered.
"So I made another plan."
"I involved your tauji and taiji."
My heart tightened, but I stayed still.
"My original plan," she said, without shame,
"was to kill you along with your parents."
The words landed like poison.
"But I told your tauji and taiji," she added,
"I'll kill only Mr. and Mrs. Rajput."
"They could keep you."
She paused.
"But someone..." her eyes narrowed,
"saved you."
Silence swallowed the room.
I finally spoke — my voice calm, steady, almost distant.
"So many plans," I said softly.
"So many lives."
I looked at her.
"And still... you stand here," I whispered,
"thinking you were right."
My eyes burned, but no tears fell.
Because some pain doesn't cry.
It just stays.