To Where It All Began ✔

30. What Happened That Night?

1:30 PM, 9th April, Police Headquarters

After giving his blood samples, Shreekant went ahead just like Manoj had instructed him. With a small microphone attached to the collar of his shirt, he twisted the knob to the door of the visitor's room while his heart was pounding in an unknown manner and he thought to himself, "My life is throwing really tough choices at me, will I be able to do the right thing?"

He saw his father sitting on a chair placed in the middle of the room with his head hung down and wrists handcuffed as he placed them on the table in front of him. The place had a cold, eerie atmosphere, and despite being well lit, it was dark for his eyes. Manoj and Kritika were all ready to hear and record the entire conversation.

Striding towards him, he softly whispered, "Papa..." On hearing his voice Anant looked up but within a second hung his head down, not caring to lift his face. He tightened the hold of both the palms together intertwining them and mumbled, "Why are you here? I have told everything already, I don't want to talk or meet anybody now, just go from here."

"Papa, I need to know something, why are you doing this?"

He finally lifted his withered face and shot a glare at him, "I have done everything and I am admitting it, What more are you willing to know?"

Shreekant was intensely gazing into his reddened eyes, "I know whom you are trying to save... I know who is the real culprit"

His words resounded in Anant's ears who was awestruck by the statement of his but still spoke in a raised voice looking at him, "What nonsense are you saying? I am the real culprit and nobody can change that"

With a low-pitched voice, he said in a broken tone, "You are right... You are the real culprit. You are one because of whom Dr. Ratan Agarwal committed suicide. You are the one who made his wife, a widow, and his daughter, fatherless. You are the one who deliberately instigated the fire in the Special Trial Ward, just to make sure that the truth doesn't come out. You are the one who killed Shekhar Dasgupta and his wife. And now you have successfully turned your own son into a murderer"

"I am the culprit and I have told everything. Everything was planned and ordered by me in my consciousness. I did everything 25 years ago and I am responsible for doing everything now also", he replied in a short breath while his voice was clearly fumbling.

He lifted his head and crossed his arms, "You are trying to save Daksh, right? He has already been arrested by Bangalore Police, they have clear evidence against him and very soon he will confess. Do you really think you can avoid and hid the truth just as you like? If it were that way, the truth would have never resurfaced after twenty-five years... Like this?"

Anant was totally silent, not a single word was erupting from his mouth anymore and Shreekant understood that it was time to play the last card, "Do you know the real identity of Anna? Or the real identity of the girl, who was staying with me in the Outhouse? Or even the real identity of your very own employee Disha? Leave them, do you know the person who is sitting in front of you?"

Tiny tears were forming in his eyes, "I am not your son, I am the son of Ganga Mhatre, the woman whose values and affection runs in every part of my body, till now. The same woman, whom I am proud to call my mother, and at the same time equally ashamed to call myself your son. What an amazing gift you have got? One son ties up with your enemies and becomes the whistleblower for his own father's company while the other son becomes a murderer"

Shutting his eyes for a silt-second, Shreekant almost screamed in his hoarse unclear voice, "Come inside..." Anant didn't even care to see the person who had just entered the room while Shreekant continued, "Meet Dr. Amna Biswas, younger daughter of Shekhar and Rohini... the same child with whom Rohini Dasgupta was pregnant when she died. She is alive..."