Part 2: Kaatil Mere Hi Kamre Mein Tha

Us ghatna ke do hafte beet chuke the.

Main ab apni naukri chhod chuka tha aur 24 ghante ghar par rehkar Anaya ka khayal rakh raha tha. Anaya dheere-dheere theek ho rahi thi, uski dawaiyan band ho chuki theen aur uske chehre par phir se wohi purani khushi laut aayi thi.

Ek din dopahar ko Anaya nahane gayi thi. Tabhi uska phone baj utha— screen par uske therapist ka naam chamka.

Maine phone uthaya, "Hello doctor, Aayansh baat kar raha hoon."

Doctor ki bhaari aawaaz phone ke doosre chor se aa rahi thi:

"Aayansh ji... main Anaya ki purani files khangal raha tha. Mujhe aapko yeh baat bahut pehle bata deni chahiye thi, lekin usne mujhe kasam di thi. Par ab paani sir se oopar ja chuka hai."

Maine ghabrakar poocha, "Kis baare mein doctor? Aap kehna kya chahte hain?"

Doctor ne ek lambi saans li aur jo kaha, usne mere pairon tale se zameen kheench li—

"Aayansh ji, Anaya ko sirf 'Fear of Abandonment' (khone ka dar) nahi hai... use ek behad khatarnak psychological disorder hai. Woh kisi bhi hadd tak jaakar apne partner par poora control chahti hai. Teen saal pehle uske pehle fiance ne jab usse sagai todi thi, tab Anaya ne yahi drame kiye the. Lekin jab woh ladka phir bhi use chhodkar jaane laga... toh Anaya ne khud ko nuksan pahunchana band kar diya aur dheere-dheere us ladke ke khane mein slow-poison milana shuru kar diya tha!"

Mere shareer mein barf ki tarah thandi siharan daud gayi. Haath kaampne lage.

Doctor ki aawaaz mein ghabrahat saaf mehsus ho rahi thi, "Aayansh ji... kya aapki tabiyat aajkal theek rehti hai? Kyunki pichle hafte Anaya ne mujhse aapke liye bahut heavy sedatives aur neuro-toxic drops ke baare mein poocha tha... wohi dawaiyan jo insaan ki nerves ko dheere-dheere apahij bana deti hain!"

Call kat gaya.

Kamre mein ek bhayavah sannata chhaa gaya.

Meri nazar saamne rakhi kaanch ki meez par padi, jahan chai ki pyali se dhuann uth raha tha. Wohi chai, jo Anaya ne das minute pehle bahut dulaar se mere liye banayi thi.

Achanak beete ek hafte ki saari kadiyan judne lagin... subah uthte hi sir ka bhaari hona, aksar dhundhla dikhai dena, aur pairon ka achanak sunn pad jaana... jise main naukri chhodne ka tanav aur thakan samajh raha tha, woh darasal us zehar ka asar tha jo meri ragon mein dheere-dheere utar raha tha!

Tabhi bathroom ki sink mein paani band hone ki aawaaz aayi. Kundi khuli.

Anaya bahar nikli. Bheege baalon se tapakti paani ki boondein, gaalon par gulabi rangat aur hothon par wohi masoom, begunaah muskaan... lekin aaj us muskaan ke peeche mujhe ek aadamkhor ka chehra dikhai de raha tha.

Woh dheemi chaal se chalti hui mere kareeb aayi. Uski aankhon mein ajeeb si chamak thi—na pyaar ki, na dard ki... balki ek shikari ki, jisne apne shikar ko pinjre mein kaid kar liya ho.

Usne apni thandi ungliyon se mere gaal ko chhua, phir table par rakhi chai ki pyali ki taraf dekha.

Uski aawaaz itni meethi thi ki shahad bhi pheeka lag jaaye:

"Aayansh... chai thandi ho rahi hai, pee kyun nahi lete? Ab toh tumhe kahin bhaagkar nahi jaana hai na? Ab toh tum hamesha-hamesha ke liye... sirf mere paas hi rahoge."

Maine chai ki pyali ko dekha, phir Anaya ki un begunaah aankhon mein jhaanka. Chai ki pyali se uthta dhuann mere aur Anaya ke beech ek khaufnak deewar ban chuka tha. Meri chhati tezi se oopar-neeche ho rahi thi. Ek criminal psychologist hone ke naate mera dimaag cheekh-cheekhkar keh raha tha—Bhaago yahan se, abhi! Lekin mere pair jaise zameen mein jam chuke the.

Maine apni ghabrahat chhupate hue ek gahri saans li aur apne chehre par ek jhoothi muskaan le aaya.

"Are haan Anaya... bas pee hi raha tha," maine kaampti aawaaz ko sambhaltransformation dete hue kaha.

Maine chai ka cup uthaya. Anaya ki nazrein meri ek-ek harkat par tiki theen. Uski aankhon mein ek ajeeb sa pagalpan tair raha tha—woh pal, jab shikari apne shikar ko nigalne ka intezaar karta hai.

Maine cup apne hothon ke paas laaya... aur jaanjane mein, kaampne ka naatak karte hue, poora garam chai ka cup apne hi haath aur shirt par gira diya!

"Aah!" main dard se chillaaya. Cup zameen par girkar chaknachoor ho gaya.

Anaya chaonk gayi. Uska masoom chehra ek second ke liye gusse se vikrit hua, lekin turant usne khud ko sambhal liya. "Aayansh! Dhyan kahan hai tumhara? Jal gaye na tum!"

"Bahut jalan ho rahi hai Anaya, main... main bathroom jaakar thande paani se haath dhota hoon," maine bebasi ka naatak kiya aur tezi se bathroom ki taraf badha.

Bathroom ka darwaza band karte hi maine andar se kundi laga li. Mera dil itni tezi se dhadak raha tha jaise abhi pasliyan todkar bahar aa jaayega. Nal chaalu karke maine thande paani se apna haath dhoya aur turant apna phone nikala.

Mere paas sirf kuch minute the. Agar main seedhe police ko phone karta, toh jab tak ve aate, Anaya ko shak ho jaata aur woh kuch bhi khaufnak kadam utha sakti thi.

Maine turant apne sabse bharosemand dost aur shehar ke senior police inspector—Vikram ko WhatsApp par apni live location bhejil aur ek SOS message type kiya:

"Vikram, turant mere ghar police force ke saath aao! Anaya mujhe dheema zehar de rahi hai. Uski purani files mein saboot hain. Ghar ke bahar chupchap pahuncho, siren mat bajana."

Message deliver ho gaya. Vikram ka turant reply aaya: "10 minute mein pahunch raha hoon. Khud ko sambhalo!"

Main bahar aaya. Anaya first-aid box liye hall mein khadi thi. Uski aankhon mein ab koi masoomiyat nahi thi, balki ek ajeeb sa thandapan tha.

"Aayansh... tum aajkal bahut ajeeb harkatein kar rahe ho," usne dettol aur cotton nikaalte hue kaha. "Chai gir gayi, koi baat nahi. Main doosri chai banakar laati hoon."

"Nahi Anaya, mujhe ab chai nahi peeni," maine himmat jutaakar kaha aur usse do kadam peeche hat gaya.

Uska chehra ekdam sakht ho gaya. "Peeni toh padegi Aayansh. Tumhe meri baat maanni hi hogi. Tum bhool rahe ho ki tum ab kahin nahi ja sakte."

"Anaya, maine doctor se baat kar li hai," maine seedha hamla kiya. "Mujhe sab pata chal chuka hai. Tumhare pehle fiance ke baare mein... us zehar ke baare mein... aur is chai ke baare mein!"

Kamre mein sannata chhaa gaya.

Anaya ke chehre se masoomiyat ka aakhri nakaab bhi utar gaya. Uske hothon par ek bhayankar, viksht muskaan ubhar aayi. Woh dheere-dheere hansne lagi—ek aisi hansi jo mere rongte khade kar rahi thi.

"Oh... toh doctor ne tumhe bata diya?" Uski aawaaz ab bahut bhaari aur thandi thi. "Mujhe laga tha tum usse zyada samajhdar ho Aayansh. Lekin tum bhi baaki mardon jaise hi nikle. Jab main tumse pyaar se rokne ko keh rahi thi, tum meri baat nahi samjhe."

Usne apne coat ki pocket se ek chhoti si syringe nikaali. Usmein ek gaadha, transparent liquid bhara hua tha.

"Agar tum chai se nahi maanoge, toh mujhe yeh tareeka apnaana padega," usne syringe ki taraf dekhte hue kaha. "Yeh tumhe hamesha ke liye shant kar dega. Tum maroge nahi... bas bistar par rahoge. Meri god mein sir rakhkar, hamesha ke liye. Phir tum kabhi mujhe chhodkar nahi ja paoge!"

Woh syringe lekar meri taraf badhi.

Mere haath-pair zehar ke asar se pehle hi sust pad chuke the, lekin survival ka instinct jaag utha. Jab woh mujh par jhapte, maine uska haath kaskor pakad liya. Hum donon ke beech haathaapai shuru ho gayi. Table ka lamp neeche gira, kaanch ke tukde bikhar gaye.

Zehar ke asar ke bawajood maine apni poori taakat laga di aur uska haath deewar par de maara. Syringe uske haath se chhootkar door ja giri.

Lekin Anaya pagalpan ki hadd paar kar chuki thi. Usne zameen par pada kaanch ka ek teekha tukda uthaya aur cheekhte hue meri taraf badhi— "Tum mere ho Aayansh! Sirf mere!"

Isi pal—Dhadam!

Ghar ka main door zordaar dhakke se khula.

Vikram aur teen police waale pistol taane andar ghuse. "Police! Anaya, kaanch neeche phenko! Zameen par baith jao!"

Anaya ek pal ke liye thithak gayi. Usne police ko dekha, phir mujhe dekha. Uski aankhon mein haar ka dar nahi, balki yeh khauf tha ki main usse door ja raha hoon.

"Aayansh... nahi! Inhein mat aane do! Yeh tumhe mujhse door le jaayenge!" Woh paaglon ki tarah cheekhne lagi.

Police waalon ne turant aage badhkar use kaabu mein kiya aur uske haathon mein hathkadi pehna di. Anaya chhatpata rahi thi, cheekh rahi thi, uska poora shareer kaamp raha tha.

Jab police waale use gheet-te hue bahar le ja rahe the, usne mudkar meri taraf dekha. Uski aankhon se aansu beh rahe the, lekin chehre par wohi khaufnak muskaan thi.

"Aayansh... main wapas aaungi. Tum kahin nahi bhaag sakte... tum sirf mere ho!"

Uske yeh aakhri shabd hawa mein goonjte rahe.

Epilogue (3 Mahine Baad)

Anaya ko court ne uski mental condition ko dekhte hue ek high-security mental asylum (manasik chikitsalay) mein bhejne ka hukm diya.

Mera ilaaj hua aur shareer se zehar ka asar poori tarah khatam ho gaya. Lekin mere mann ka khauf kabhi khatam nahi hua. Maine woh shehar, woh ghar aur apni naukri hamesha ke liye chhod di.

Aaj main ek naye shehar mein, ek gumnaam zindagi jee raha hoon. Lekin aaj bhi, jab kabhi raat ko baarish hoti hai aur mere kamre ke darwaze par koi halki si dastak hoti hai... mera dil saham jaata hai.

Mujhe lagta hai ki kahin darwaze ke paar Anaya haath mein chai ki pyali liye khadi na ho... aur muskuraate hue keh de— "Aayansh... chai thandi ho rahi hai."