Dev's POV

When I entered my office, Jatin was in his cabin with Michael sitting on the floor with bruises on his face. They looked like they just had a heated fight inside the cabin. The papers were all messed up and the vase on the table was broken. I looked at Michael at horror and glared at Jatin for answers.

"Why the hell are you still sitting quiet? Do you want to answer or shall I play a live video, right now?" Jatin glared at Michael.

He turned towards me and continued.

"Dev, I came here to check about the company's money missing fiasco and guess what else I found?" he said showing me the video that played in the camera. Seeing the video, my pupils dilated in shock.

It was the video of Nisha pushing Sonakshi in the storage room. That video was exactly taken that day when her father met with an accident.....Shit.... was it because of this, she had a back pain? But before I could process the full video, Nisha's voice echoed in the silent cabin.

"What did you think? You could easily steal a few seconds from Dev and make me jealous?" she laughed.

"Excuse me! Mind your own business Nisha... I am helping you just because you are Dev's cousin. Dare you touch me again.... I swear I will kill you" Sonakshi said but her face was etched with pain.

"Kill me? Are you serious? I asked you to move away from my path didn't I? Did you listen? You know what? Your countdown has already begun dear Sonakshi Bose.....Every minute from now, you are just going to face tortures. Nothing else... And nobody would be there to help you! Got it?" Nisha said and walked away leaving.

My blood started boiling at the wicked lady who tried to harm my Sonakshi in every way. I had never seen this side of Nisha in my entire life. Is this what Sonakshi had to go through in this office? The image of my poor Sona lying down there felt too much as I turned my gaze away from the TV.

"That's how I found her that day Dev. I wanted to tell you about it. But she was the one who stopped me. She said that you won't believe her without proof........And there is another video you have to see" Jatin said as my whole body went rigid.

I was scared to see any more videos. The guilt and hurt were all too much to bear that I thought I could just faint due to exhaustion. When the next video played, my eyes went wider than ever.

It was the image of Nisha and Sonakshi arguing in the office. But what shocked me was, it was on the same day where Nisha accused me that I was not paying enough attention to her ever since I got married. It was the same day Sona spotted me and Nisha hugging in the office. What the hell?

"Hey...I told you! It won't be long for me get close to Dev... Do you know that we literally stayed together for three years? Did you really think that he would forget me and get close to you? Listen Sonakshi. Your time is coming soon.....just get ready to leave the Dixit's mansion!" Nisha uttered

Every time she opened her mouth I got angrier. How dare she speak like that? Such a shameless woman....

"You know what? I don't like talking to people with low IQ... So just leave me and save your lectures for someone else because if you think that your words are going to provoke me, then you are wrong! You may have stayed with him for three years. But you still couldn't win his heart. No matter where he stays or who he stays with, his heart belongs to me and I know that I don't need to worry about anything." Sonakshi rolled her eyes

"Look here Sonakshi... If I could fake myself as Neha and spoil your relationship, then you should have known. I would go to any extent to spoil your marriage..."

"And...........I am already halfway successful"

Those words stuck in my mind like a horrifying nightmare. Everything made sense now. She had been trying her best to chase away Sonakshi. But I was the dumb one here. I didn't even see that coming. The only person whom I called as a close friend......betrayed me. She had been the one who was the cause of my pain.

AND ALL THE WHILE.....I HAD BEEN TURNING TO HER FOR MY SOLACE?

My eyes were narrowed, rigid, cold, hard. In that moment I knew she was already far away. Once more she was the enemy. I drew in a deep breath, while Jatin explained to me how he heard that Nisha and Michael talked about hacking the cameras.

Due to fear, Michael spilled the beans about how Nisha seduced him to help her. He helped Nisha to hack the security cameras while Nisha stole the key from Sonakshi's cabin and opened the locker, thus placing all the blame on her.

Now it was all clear. And even after knowing the truth, my heart didn't feel any better. It felt hundred times heavier.

There was no fault of Sonakshi's. She was innocent like always. I am the culprit here again. My body felt like many needles were pricking my skin. The pain came in waves, what I should have done or said differently, what I shouldn't have done at all. I can't undo it, but can I make it right? I just didn't know. But all I could do was try...

I looked at Michael who was already bruised. I had no energy to hurt him.

"You are fired..... Just get lost." I said in a weak tone and he was shocked. Even Jatin was stunned. They never thought I would forgive him. But I didn't feel like punishing Michael as I knew he was just being used in this process. Just like me.

"I am sorry sir.......... I am really sorry. Nisha pulled me into this. I am ready to tell this truth anywhere you want. Thanks for not reporting me to the police." He joined his hands gratefully and fled from the place.

"Are you mad? Why would you leave him?" Jatin asked being frustrated.

"He reminds me of myself Jatin..... I was used just like him......and fooled in the end. Now the real person who we need to face........is Nisha!" I said as my eyes turned red and blurred with pain and fury.

I am not going to let her live in peace...

*End of POV*

It felt like the longest wait in their lives. Asha was calling every ten minutes to check whether her daughter was awake. But every time, she received a negative answer from Dev, she would grow nervous. Pooja tried consoling her over the phone but it was useless. Nobody's solace was enough for Asha's plight.

Dev was dying every minute. He couldn't even walk around with the heaviness in his chest. He felt too drained and suffocated. He had no strength to answer any calls or listen to anyone's queries. He just wanted to be left alone till he was allowed to meet Sonakshi.

Time passed, but no one came outside to update him about Sonakshi's state. He watched out for every nurse who walked out of the room but all of them walked away without answering him.

After about twenty minutes, Dr Prathap walked out of the operating theatre. His eyes were droopy and his shoulders were drawn with worry.

"Mr Dixit, I am really sorry" he gave an apologetic expression, making Dev's heartbeat increase.

"Doctor... Please tell me she's alright." Dev almost begged. He couldn't make out anything apart from that sentence. He could feel his body was shaking with fear.

"Sonakshi's condition hasn't improved at all. We have waited for a long time. Trust me when we say that we have tried our best. I am extremely sorry to say this again. But there's no improvement in her condition at all since the past twelve hours. So...." He paused while Dev looked at him with teary eyes. Dev already knew what was going to come out. However, he was in denial mode.

"No... I don't believe this" Dev covered his mouth and shook his head negatively. He just couldn't accept anything negative from the doctor's mouth.

"I am sorry Mr Dixit. Mrs Sonakshi has already gone into coma. There's nothing we can do now..." He spoke sadly as loud gasps were heard around him.

Everyone was shocked while Dev was still lost in the daze. His heart was unable to accept the doctor's words. He just stood there with frozen expressions, trying to register what the doctor just said.

"Coma? No way....it's not possible doctor. Please.... Please check again. There should be some treatment. There should be something you can do. I don't mind even if the treatment is expensive. Please... Please save her." Dev blabbered as Jatin stood there, digesting the doctor's words.

"It's not about the cost Mr Dixit. Actually, your wife... She is really depressed. She has mentally given up. She is not fighting anymore. In such cases, the patient has to be a little strong too. But looks like your wife has given up. It's really difficult for us to monitor her progress this way. I am sorry.... You may see her after she is moved to the observation ward." he spoke softly as Dev just kept denying. He felt like the entire world was against him.

The fact that Sonakshi has given up made him weak on his knees. He couldn't bear the weight of his mistakes. If she went into coma, Dev would never be able to forgive himself ever again. That's when he recalled Sonakshi's words she said in her house.

"There will one day when you will come to know the truth Dev... That day, it would be too late for you to regret or ask for forgiveness......maybe it would be too late for you to trust me again..." – Chapter 31

Dev froze. Was this the end? He didn't even have a chance to gain her forgiveness. Was life that cruel to him?

"Devvv....Dev" Jatin jerked him out from his thoughts. But Dev was gone too far with his thoughts to be brought back. He felt like his entire world had collapsed and he was the reason behind it.

He had no one to blame but himself.

Jay was standing there, trying to search some consoling words for his son. However, he knew that whatever he said would be useless at that moment. His son had lost his child and nearly lost his wife. The last twenty-four hours really flipped their lives upside down. Nothing he said would make any sense now. Looking at Dev, he couldn't help but feel choked up with emotions.

Jatin really felt helpless at that moment. No matter how screwed up the situation was, he couldn't help feeling terrible for Dev. Dev was a nice guy after all. His love for Sonakshi was really selfless. His only flaw was his anger. But he even tried to change that for Sonakshi. However, it was too late now.

Dev opened his eyes and it flared with anger.

After a long time, his eyes were searching for the rest of his family members. His mum, mami and the most horrible backstabbing bitch, Nisha...

He composed himself and stormed towards Nisha catching a glimpse of his mami standing there with fearful expressions. Without any further hesitation, he slammed the chair hard with his hands causing everyone there to flinch. Nisha stood up from the chair and was about to explain something. But before that, Dev grabbed her arms harshly and pulled her body towards him. She winced in pain and screamed in terror.

Jatin, Pooja and Jay looked at Dev with shock as they knew what to anticipate out of that moment.

Dev's eyes blazed with fire as the urge to kill every single person behind Sona's accident was controlling his brain. The grip he had on Nisha was more than what he would impose on anyone. He didn't even care for the fact that she was a girl. His grip tightened on her hand causing imprints that could etch on her skin for days.

Without any warning he slapped Nisha hard, making her fall on the floor with a loud thud sound. This grabbed the attention as everyone feared of his monstrous rage. Ishwari and Radharani were too shocked to even react to anything. They were too scared to even stop Dev.

"You bitc-" before he could pull her up by her neck, Jatin and Jay stopped him. They knew that if allowed Dev to do anything, he would end up murdering every single person there.

"Dev... What the hell are you doing? Why are you raising your hands on a girl?" Jay shouted cluelessly.

"Dev.... Whatever it is, we will proceed legally! You can't abuse her like this. If you do, then they would have the power to file a case back at us." Jatin whispered strongly with a heavy grip on Dev's arms. His voice held a desperate plea.

But Dev didn't care. He yanked his hands and took a flask near the chair. Like a mad man, he broke it in the middle of the corridor, making the glass shatter on the floor. No one moved. Everyone were terrified. No one had seen an angry Dev before. Not even once. Ishwari was gobsmacked. She didn't even know how to approach him at that point of time.

Ishwari walked slowly and touched Dev's shoulder, trying to calm down her son but that only increased his anger as he flinched away from her touch.

"DON'T!!!!! Don't touch me!" he screamed. Jay was in complete shock while he watched his son acting insane towards his family members.

"Don't you dare touch me..... Who are you to command me? Huh? Who the hell are you all to chase my wife out from my house? Don't you even have a tinge of guilt inside? She is in this state because of all three of you! And here, you guys are trying to play a drama?" he screamed as Ishwari's face paled.

He couldn't take it. The increasing agony in his heart overtook his voice. He clenched his eyes shut in pain, controlling the sob that threatened to escape his mouth. No matter how much he tried, he couldn't absorb it. Tears fell freely on his bearded cheeks as he slumped down on his knees in defeat.

"Why?" Dev's voice chocked as he stared at the bruised Nisha. The more he saw her, the higher his anger grew

"Why did you do this to me? Why?" he repeated and this time, everyone was stunned.

His eyes bored holes at Nisha who was still gulping down her fear. Her whole body started aching due to the rough fall she had, but that was the least of worries now. She was shivering in fear. She couldn't come out with proper answers as she didn't know what Dev was even asking her.

"You are such a great actress, Nisha. All this while, I could never find out your true colours. Hates off. You were so great that I never had the opportunity to see through your lies. If anyone's betrayal broke me today, it's yours. If you had a problem with me, you should have told me damn it!!!!"

"And you..." he pointed at his mother.

"How could you...do this to her? You cheated an innocent person just because you wanted.......money?" he asked his mother with disgust. Ishwari's mouth opened and closed, unable to speak out anything.

Dev screamed as the agonising hurt spread throughout his body like a wild fire. He held his hands to his heart and screamed, making the audience around increase. Jatin tried to move closer, but Dev's condition worsened with everyone's presence. He was completely losing his mind.

"What did she ever do to you all? Her only mistake was to fall in love with me. She did a huge mistake by loving me...and marrying me! I am the sinner here. It's me." Dev cried as Ishwari's eyes teared.

"Dev....I didn't..........." Ishwari started but Dev raised his hands and stopped her.

"Please........... Don't lie anymore. I have found out every single thing that you guys did over the past few years..............behind my back." he choked. "You thought I wouldn't find out right?........But sadly I did mom." He sniffled and smiled sarcastically at her.

Ishwari's eyes widened as she looked at Nisha and then back to Dev. Her eyes pleaded him for explanation but her son Dev, was long gone. He had died the minute Sonakshi went into coma. The guy who was standing in front of her was someone else. He was a broken man. The betrayal and pain was burning in his eyes as she felt too ashamed to even see his face. She never thought that she would see her son in such a state. All her plans had backfired and now, she felt totally helpless.

"Sonakshi never spoke a word bad about you. She had always respected you like her own mother.....But what did you do? You planned to kill her? Really?" he asked as Jay gasped in shock.

He looked at Dev and back at Ishwari for answers. But Ishwari's eyes confirmed the accusations that Dev openly placed.

For the first time, Ishwari was at loss of words. She felt as though Dev was stabbing a knife and twisting it inside her heart. Every word he spoke fell on her heart like arrows. She felt as though she wasn't strong enough to take it.

"And you..." Dev pointed back to Nisha,

"From the day I revealed to you about our marriage, you said no. I thought you were saying for my well-being.... But how wrong was I? I kept my enemy closer than my loved ones. You are the worst creature alive on earth. You took advantage of my trust..... You went after my Sona again and again...........until she has stopped fighting. Now she is almost dead. Are you happy?" he asked and completely broke down.

Pooja cried as she saw Dev losing all his hope. She shook her head and fell on her knees. Jatin moved back and forth, not knowing who to console. Pooja's face looked at though she was going to face a cardiac arrest. He looked very worried for his wife while his friend was losing his sanity on the other side.

"Dev, get up... Let's leave first." Jatin intruded, but Dev rudely shook his head. He was adamant on wanting his answers that day. He glared at Nisha and wiped his tears angrily.

"Tell me Nisha. Why did you do it? What was it for? For me?" he asked Nisha as an eerie silence lingered in the air. Everyone stared at Dev with shock. Jay couldn't even connect the dots.

"TELL ME!" Dev yelled, making Nisha flinch.

"Y.....yes....I love you Dev." Nisha cried as Jatin just shook his head in dismay. Pooja looked up at her and tried to register those words in her head. She fought the urge to walk up and slap Nisha.

However, this just came down as a huge shock to Neha and Jay. They were totally clueless about what was happening around them. They stared at Nisha like she was insane. But Dev looked like he had already expected that from her.

"Love?" Dev chuckled.

"Do you know what love is? You killed an innocent girl in the name of love! But Sonakshi............ My Sona sacrificed herself for me in the name of love. Her love was selfless, just like her. But you are a selfish bitch! You cheated her using Neha's name. You separated her from me three years ago and now.........lifelong..." he cried as Nisha stared at him in bewilderment. Neha just stared at Nisha in shock.

Dev turned around and looked at his mother bitterly.

"And you, supported her? You wanted me to marry off to Nisha just because you thought that Sonakshi was from a middle class family?" he asked his mother with tear filled eyes. He never thought that his mother could do such a nasty thing to anyone but she proved him wrong today.

"Dev.....I.......am..........I just thought that......" Ishwari mumbled as choked on her tears and cried bitterly.

"Thought what? That it was okay for you to chase her away when I am not around?" Dev chuckled sarcastically.

"SAYY" he screamed, but there was nothing Ishwari could say now. She had lost in her battle.

"Oh my god.... You wanted money right? Take it. I have it all, right now. My company, my wealth, properties, money, jewels and everything.....just take everything you want. But give me back my Sona. Just give me back my old Sona. CAN YOU DO THAT?" he screamed and the nurse from next door rushed out.

"Excuse me mister... can you lower down your volume. We have patients next door." She shouted and Jay calmed her away. Looking at the mess that Dev created, even Pooja was worried. She looked around and signalled Jatin to do something.

"There's nothing you can say, right? CAN YOU GIVE ME BACK MY WIFE?" Dev cried as he hiccupped between his tears. Jay looked at Ishwari baffled.

"Ishwari, what is he saying? Is it true? Were you behind all of this?" Jay gasped while Jatin felt bad for him. Poor Jay... he was totally another victim in all this mess.

"Yes, she did it, dad. She was the one who was behind my failures. She was the reason why I lost my soul three years ago. She separated my life away from me. She tortured Sona so much..... so much. Today Sona is in coma only because of her and this traitor!" Dev pointed at his mother and Nisha.

His eyes showed so much of hatred that it was possible to be burnt by them. Jay shook is head in complete disappointment. For the first time, he felt like he have lost in life. He felt betrayed by his own wife. He never expected Ishwari to be part of such a cunning plan.

"Dev... I am sorry" Ishwari mustered the courage to utter those words, but Dev shooed her away.

"No, don't come near me. My anger would burn you away. You guys have killed her! You all planned and killed my wife. Killed her emotionally! Killed the only selfless soul who was breathing for me! Killed my only hope...... My only treasure. Now......there's nothing more you guys can take from me! Nothing... There's nothing with me, except my life." he sobbed like a child, making everyone's heart bleed.

If there was someone crying more than Dev, then it was Ishwari. If she had known the impact that Sona would have on Dev, she would have thought twice about executing it. She thought that Dev would easily overcome Sona's memories. But she was so wrong.

She misjudged her son's love for his wife.

"Let's go home Dev.... Please" Jatin hugged Dev's shoulder, making him stand up on his legs. But Dev didn't budge. His entire body fell limp due to the heaviness in his heart. He couldn't bring his legs to work. He felt so weak and emotionally drawn.

"Now there is nothing for me left here, Jatin. How will I live? How will I live without her, yaar?" he questioned as Jatin stood numb.

He couldn't even form the proper words to console his friend. Dev looked weaker than any patient in the hospital. It has been more than a day since he last ate but there was no hunger in him. Only pain. The agony that was reflecting in his eyes made it harder for everyone to stare at Dev.

"I thought I had everything. How wrong was I? Actually, I didn't have anything with me. Sona was my everything. She was all I ever had. She was the only one who was true to me all this while. They even killed my child, Jatin... There is no forgiveness for that." he groaned as his head started to pound heavily.

Nisha looked at him and frowned.

"Look Dev, I didn't mean to hurt her. She was only-"

"Stop saying anything, before you see my real anger." Dev was quick to interrupt. This was a bad time for Nisha to speak. He knew that if he heard her for another second, he would literally kill her in anger.

As soon as the anger came, Dev's face changed into hurt again. He faced Jatin and sobbed on his friend's chest. Jatin's body paralysed as hurt spread throughout his heart.

"It's okay Dev..." he patted on his friend's shoulders.

"They could have taken my life instead, Jatin...." Dev bawled and pulled away from the hug.

"Mark my words Nisha Bharadwaj," he pointed a finger at Nisha, "Sona is fighting for her life.....because of YOU!" his red eyes made Nisha stumble at her place.

"If anything happens to her, I swear you wouldn't be able to live in this world......peacefully forever!"

Dev's eyes stared at everyone with betrayal. He threw his head behind and laughed aimlessly.

Bitter tears filled his eyes as he spoke, "Actually..... It's all my fault... I failed to recognise the betrayer who resided in.....my own house......" His voice trembled

"You were right Jatin. I am the dumbest person on earth. I never trusted Sonakshi. I deserve this pain. I wasn't there when she needed me the most.... In fact, I wasn't there for her any of the time. I left my wife and my child in the middle of the road. The guy whom I accused last night.... The same guy whom I didn't trust, came for her rescue.....But the family whom I trusted......" he didn't complete as he howled in agony. The pain was unbearable.

"Aaarh...." He screamed, wishing that his pain would disappear in the air.

Jatin's eyes started to water. Finally, his fears became true. Dev was a fully broken man now. Nothing he said would change the truth. He couldn't deny nor support him.

Even Jay was crying now. He couldn't believe that he was so disillusioned about his family.

Pooja couldn't take this emotional turmoil anymore. She stepped away from the place and decided to sob her miseries alone. She needed some air to breathe. Sonakshi's state and Dev's breakdown was paining her. She had no idea that Dev's family was so cruel. She had no words to console anyone. Therefore, she found it pointless to be there. Standing there was pure torture!

Everyone was crying in one corner. The evil ones were crying due to the fear about their lives whereas the rest were crying, thinking about their miserable fate. Jatin eventually decided to voice out and console his friend. Even when his heart was filled with pain, he knew that this was the right thing to do.

"Don't lose hope Dev. When Sonakshi left the house, she didn't lose her hopes. My friend is a strong woman. She is a fighter. Nothing will happen to her.... Her recovery is only in your hands now...." Jatin said and Dev glanced up at his friend.

"Ja....Jatin.....I....I.. never..."

"It's ok Dev. Everyone makes mistakes. After all, we are all humans. Not god." Jatin whispered and smiled at Dev warmly. Jatin's words slowly brought some light Dev in heart. Even in that pain, Dev could make some sense with Jatin's words.

However, his cries never ceased.

That night, Dev's cries melted every heart that was made of stone. It was a cry that shook the walls of the hell. A cry that woke even the dead...and the cry that reached up the gates of the heavens.

In the moment of misery, the three culprits of the Dixit house stood numb, not knowing how their future was going to go in that house anymore.

Because the next day onwards, a new life was awaiting them.

********************

So everyone wanted the direct face-off of Nisha-Ishwari and Dev....and we finally got one! Wait and watch for more action.... From now on, I will try and not make my chapters too emotional. My readers have cried buckets.

Thanks for the constant support!! I love you all.... I love reading all my comments. Different people have different views and I have fun reading them.

Spoilers below:

When life was being unfair....he decided to challenge the world with his ruthless behavior. The Dev Dixit who loved his family and friends have disappeared.....the devil in him is gonna surface!!!! - Chapter 75😈

When there is no room in hell, the dead will start walking in the Earth.... He is dead.... yet alive...
He buried his emotions...
His eyes no longer hold any love or mercy.....
Meet the New Dev Dixit - Chapter 75😉

In order to rise from your own ashes.... a phoenix has to burn - Dark Passion