The Memory Trap Part-3

Raat ke andhere me apni gaadi teez chalaati hui Aaradhya ki saansein phool rahi thi. Sheeshe me peeche chhoot-ti haveli aur maathe par jami khoon ki boondein bata rahi thi ki 6 mahine ki maasoomiyat aur dhokhe ka ant ho chuka tha. Uske haathon me steering wheel tha, lekin aankhon me ab dar ya aansu nahi the; wahan sirf badla lene ki aag thi.

Rehan ko chot pahunchakar bhaagna toh sirf pehla step tha. Asli khel toh ab shuru hona tha.

Aaradhya seedhe apni sabse purani aur bharosemand dost Ananya ke gupt ghar (penthouse) pahoNci. Ananya shehar ki ek chaalak cyber-security expert thi. Ananya open thi ki woh ladkiyon se pyaar karti hai aur hamesha apni zindagi apni sharton par jeeti thi. Rehan ke dhokhe se pehle bhi, Ananya hi ek aisi dost thi jisne Aaradhya ko us par shak karne ko kaha tha.

Jab Aaradhya ne darwaze par dastak di aur Ananya ne use is halat me, khoon ke daag lage kapdon me dekha, toh Ananya ka chehra sakht ho gaya.

"Aaradhya? Kya hua yeh sab?" Ananya ne use turant andar kheench kar darwaza lock kar diya.

Paani ka glass thamaate hue jab Ananya ne Aaradhya ke gale aur kandhon par nishan dekhe, toh uski aankhon me gussa aa gaya. Aaradhya ne sab kuch bata diya—Memory Wipe Therapy se lekar 'Vikram Mehra' ki asliyat, us raat ki saari baat aur us secret locker ke sach tak.

Ananya ne Aaradhya ka haath pakda. Ananya ke chhoone me ek ajeeb sa apnapan aur suraksha ka ahsaas tha. Usne Aaradhya ke chehre ko sahlaate hue dheere se kaha, "Tumne us par hamla karke bilkul sahi kiya, Aaradhya. Lekin Rehan itna bewakoof nahi hai ki ek baar chot lagne se haar maan jaaye. Woh waapas aayega... aur is baar woh aur khatarnaak hoga."

"Mujhe use barbaad karna hai, Ananya. Usne mere dimaag aur meri zindagi ke saath khel khela... Main use nahi chhodungi," Aaradhya ki aawaaz me bohot gussa tha.

Ananya ne uske aansu poonchhe, "Akele nahi. Hum dono milkar uska samna karenge."

Lekin baat tab aage badhi jab agli subah news me ek nayi khabar aayi.

TV aur social media par news aayi ki 'Vikram Mehra' (Rehan) par hamla hua hai aur woh hospital me bharti hai. Lekin ajeeb baat yeh thi ki police ko complaint Rehan ne nahi, balki uske dost aur business partner Kabir Sidhu ne di thi.

Kabir Sidhu—ek thande dimaag ka aur rahasyamayi aadmi, jo pichhle kuch mahino se Rehan ki har badi deal ke peeche tha.

Usi shaam, jab Aaradhya aur Ananya aage ki planning kar rahe the, Aaradhya ke phone par ek anjaan number se message aaya:

"Tumhare haath par laga khoon abhi sukha nahi hai, Aaradhya. Rehan ne jo tumhare saath kiya, woh galat tha... lekin jo tum karne ja rahi ho, woh tumhe bhi khatam kar dega. Agar apni aur Ananya ki salamati chahti ho, toh 1 ghante ke andar purani textile mill me akele aao. - Kabir"

Aaradhya darr gayi. Kabir ko yeh sab kaise pata? Kya woh Rehan ka aadmi tha, ya is poori saazish ka asli maalik wohi tha?

Ananya ne turant Kabir ka number trace karna shuru kiya. "Yeh ek chaal ho sakti hai, Aaradhya. Main tumhare saath chalungi."

"Nahi," Aaradhya ne kaha. "Kabir jaanta hai ki main tumhare saath hoon. Agar tum saamne aayi, toh woh Alert ho jayega. Tum bahar se meri location aur aawaaz sunna."

Raat 10 baje, purani sunsaan textile mill me Aaradhya jeb me ek chhota chaaku chhipaye andar pahoNci.

Saamne andhere me Kabir khada tha, uske haath me cigarette thi. Uski aankhon me koi josh nahi tha, balki ek gehri saazish thi.

"Tum aa gayi," Kabir ne halki muskaan ke saath kaha.

"Kya chahte ho Kabir? Police ko pakadwana chahte ho मुझे? Jaao bula lo," Aaradhya ne bina dare kaha.

Kabir dheere-dheere chalkar Aaradhya ke paas aaya. Usne cigarette zameen par pheenk kar boots se bujha di.

"Police? Aaradhya, tum samajh hi nahi rahi ho ki khel kitna bada hai," Kabir ne dheemi aawaaz me kaha. "Rehan sirf ek zariya tha. Kya tumhe lagta hai ki 'Memory Wipe Therapy' sirf Rehan ke dimaag ki soch thi?"

Aaradhya ki saansein tham gayi. "Kya matlab?"

Kabir ne apni jeb se ek pendrive nikali aur Aaradhya ki taraf badhayi. "Rehan tumhe apne kabze me rakhna chahta tha, lekin us memory therapy ka asli maalik main hoon. Rehan khud mere kehne par kaam kar raha tha. Woh tumhari yaadein mitaakar tumhe apna banana chahta tha, lekin mera maqsad kuch aur tha..."

Phir Kabir ne ek aisa sach bataya jisne Aaradhya ko hila kar rakh diya.

"6 mahine pehle, jis raat tumhara accident hua tha—woh koi accident nahi tha. Rehan ne hi tumhari gaadi ke brake fail kiye the taaki tumhe hospital pahoNcaya ja sake aur therapy ke zariye tumhare dimaag ka data mujhe mil sake. Tumhare pita ki company ke sabhi secret shares, jo tumhare naam hone the, woh sab us therapy ke code me chhupe hain."

Kabir ne Aaradhya ke chehre ko dekha, uski aankhon me laalach tha. "Rehan ko lagta tha ki woh tumhe paa raha hai, jabki asal me woh mere liye tumhari jaaydad aur secrets khol raha tha. Lekin ab Rehan hospital me hai... aur mere raaste se hat chuka hai."

Isi beech, mill ke bahar baithi Ananya ne apne computer se Kabir ki yeh saari baat record kar li thi. Lekin Ananya sirf Aaradhya ki dost nahi thi—woh Aaradhya se andar hi andar bohot pyaar karti thi, jise usne hamesha chhipakar rakha tha. Jab usne Kabir ko Aaradhya ke itne paas dekha, toh Ananya se raha nahi gaya.

Isse pehle ki Kabir kuch aur kehta, mill ka pichhla darwaza zor se khula!

Ananya haath me gun liye andar aayi. "Kabir! Usse door hato!"

Kabir muskuraaya, "Oh, toh tumhari dost bhi aa gayi? Ananya... the hacker."

Kabir ne ek button dabaya aur mill me charo taraf se uske gundey nikal aaye.

"Aaradhya, bhaago!" Ananya ne chillaate hue Kabir ke gundon par fire kiya.

Wahan bhagdaud mach gayi. Aaradhya ne mauke ka fayda uthakar Kabir par hamla kiya aur uske haath se pendrive chheen li. Kabir ne Aaradhya ko pakda, lekin Ananya ne beech me aakar Kabir ko dhakka diya. Dono ke beech ladai hui, aur Kabir ki gun se ek goli chali jo Ananya ke kandhe par lag gayi.

"Ananya!" Aaradhya ki cheokh nikal gayi.

Ananya dard se zameen par giri, lekin usne Aaradhya ka haath pakda aur kaha, "Mere liye mat ruko... Yeh pendrive lekar niklo! Isme sab saboot hain... Rehan, Kabir aur us clinic ka poora sach!"

Aaradhya ki aankhon me aansu aa gaye, lekin woh pichhe nahi hati. Usne Ananya ko uthaya, apne chaaku se ek gundey par hamla kiya aur Ananya ko kheenchti hui bahar khadi gaadi tak le aayi.

Gaadi me Ananya ka khoon bah raha tha. Aaradhya ne turant apne kapde ka tukda faadkar Ananya ke zakhm par baandhat.

Ananya ne haath se Aaradhya ka chehra chhua aur dheere se kaha, "Maine tumhe kabhi khone nahi diya Aaradhya... 6 mahine pehle bhi jab tumhari yaadash chali gayi thi, tab bhi main door se tumhari hifazat kar rahi thi. Woh log tumhe mitaana chahte the, lekin main aisa nahi hone dungi."

Aaradhya ne Ananya ki aankhon me woh sacha pyaar dekha. Usne Ananya ka haath choomte hue kaha, "Ab hum dono milkar is kahani ko khatam karenge."

Agli subah—Aakhri Badla

Kabir ko laga tha ki usne Aaradhya ko dara diya hai, lekin Aaradhya aur Ananya ne us pendrive ke sabooton ka istemaal karke ek bada plan banaya.

Pendrive me sirf jaaydad ke kaagaz nahi the, balki us illegal clinic aur kai bade logon ke galat kaamon ke saboot the.

Aaradhya ne woh saara data Media aur CBI ko bhej diya.

Saath hi, Aaradhya khud police ke saath us hospital pahoNci jahan Rehan hosh me aa chuka tha aur bhaagne ki koshish kar raha tha.

Jab police ne Rehan ke kamre ko ghera, toh Aaradhya seedhe uske saamne khadi hui. Rehan ke sir par patti lagi thi.

"Aaradhya..." Rehan ki aawaaz kaampi. "Tumne yeh..."

"Maine kaha tha na Rehan," Aaradhya ne thande lehje me kaha, "Tumne mera dimaag mitaaya tha, meri nafrat nahi. Tumne socha main tumhari baat maanungi? Ab tum poori zindagi jail me rahoge."

Police ne Rehan ko pakad liya. Theek usi waqt, Kabir Sidhu ko bhi airport se bhaagte hue CBI ne pakad liya.

Kuch hafton baad...

Shehar se door, samundar kinaare ek khoobsurat chhome ghar (cottage) me suraj dhal raha tha.

Aaradhya balcony me khadi hawa ka maza le rahi thi. Uske chehre par ab koi darr nahi tha. Peeche se Ananya aayi, jiske kandhe par abhi bhi halki patti lagi thi. Ananya ne Aaradhya ko ek shawl di aur uske paas khadi ho gayi.

Aaradhya ne mudkar Ananya ko dekha.

"Kya tumhari yaadon ka woh khaalipan ab bhar gaya?" Ananya ne muskuraate hue poochha.

Aaradhya ne Ananya ka haath apne haath me liya aur kaha, "Purani baatein khatam ho chuki hain, Ananya... Ab mujhe ek nayi shuruaat karni hai. Tumhare saath."

Samundar ki laheron ke saath Aaradhya ka bura waqt beh chuka tha, aur dono ke ek naye, surakshit aur sachhe safar ki shuruaat ho chuki thi.