Author's POV:

Present

Priya had cried so much, her eyes were swollen, almost shut. Neil held her tight as she wept. Nila too stood beside and was crying. Kashi was close to her, almost like a second mother. Nila spent most of her time with Kashi as Priya would be mostly busy with work.

They were waiting for Arjun to come and take them to the hospital for a last time body identification. Even though Priya knew it was Kashi, her mind refused to believe it. She was a mess. She was angry at herself for not finding the killer. She made exactly the same mistake of not taking the opponent seriously which she had done 5 years ago. Again she paid the price by losing one of her close ones.

'Is the past repeating itself?'

They heard the screeching of tires outside and soon Arjun walked in. He motioned Priya to come with him and she nodded. She asked Neil to take care of Nila till she came back and left with Arjun.

"W-we need to call her p-parents," Priya's voice was thick as she fumbled for a tissue. Arjun extended the box that was in the SUV. She pulled out a few and blew her nose and wiped her face.

"They are in Bangalore, right?" Arjun asked as he turned the stirring to the left side taking a sharp turn.

"Yes, I have their number," she said to Arjun. "Should we call them?
What do we say? How do we tell?" Tears rolled down her cheeks once again. "Kashi is their only child."

Arjun could think of no way to sugarcoat what was to be done. He took a deep breath and turned to face Priya.

"First let's go to the hospital."

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Arjun's POV:

I glanced at my watch and groaned internally. It was almost midnight and the busy roads of Mumbai were still stacked with people trying to reach their destinations. I averted my gaze to the lady beside me, curled up into a ball she didn't look like the fearless Priya Mehra I knew. She looked weak and tired. Most importantly lost.

In the hospital when I told her to identify the body, I saw the fear in her eyes, fear of knowing that her best friend was never going to come back. Identifying the body hadn't been easy. The image of the body locker being pulled open to reveal her best friend would be the one staying with her for a very long time. But she had done it. She took a deep breath to control her tears from falling and made a positive identification. The face was almost unrecognizable. Mehra identified the body with help of the cut on her ring finger on the right hand.

As soon as we came out Mehra broke down. It was the second time I saw her in this vulnerable state. The first time was at her parent's funeral. I hugged her tightly as I tried to console her. I was angry and helpless. It pained to see Mehra in a broken state. The helplessness I felt made me determined to catch the bastard who was behind no matter what.

"Did you eat anything?" I asked as I stopped near the food court. She shook her head and looked down.

"I don't want anything." I heard her murmuring.

"You need to eat Mehra. We need to catch that bastard as soon as possible." I tried to reason. "Come let's go eat something."

"I am resigning." It took me a few seconds to realize that she was being serious yet I wanted to confirm.

"Are you serious?" I asked, hoping that she was trying to make a terrible joke.

"Yes, Arjun. I don't want this job anymore," she replied and I saw a tear falling from her eye which she wiped quickly.

"Why in the world are you even thinking of this?" I was bewildered by her stupid decision. How could she even think of resigning? I knew she loved her job and was proud of it.

"Cause this job has given me nothing other than pain. It took away my loved ones. The only person left is Nila. I can't afford to lose her too," she replied among her frustrated sobs.

"But Mehra, we need to catch the killer. He is too dangerous and Kashi deserves justice."

"You can do that, Arjun. You are capable of doing it alone. I can't do this anymore. Please." Her sobs were getting louder and more intense. I felt it was better to not probe the matter for now. She first needed to get some food into her.

"Fine, as you wish but right now come let's eat something," I said as I took her seat belt off and gestured to her to get down.

She breathed out and opened the door but then I stopped her. "Otherwise you stay here. I will go get something." She nodded back and sat back comfortably. I got some noodles and two glasses of water for us. She ate quietly. She just didn't have the energy to argue.

"Why does it always happen to me?" I heard her asking. "Why her, Arjun? She was innocent."

I didn't know what to reply, because I had no idea why a serial killer would go to this extent.

'Psychological problems maybe?'

"Did you talk to her parents?" I asked, trying to change the topic.

"Yea, I did. I didn't know how to console them. They were so heartbroken. It's all because of me," she replied, her voice cracking.

"It's not your fault. Stop blaming yourself, Mehra," I shouted angrily. I was getting frustrated because she was blaming herself even though she didn't do anything.

She looked taken aback by sudden outbursts but didn't say anything. I wanted her to shout back at me like the old Mehra but she didn't. She just looked down with those bleary eyes.

"I am sorry, Mehra. But I need you to be strong like the old one."

"I don't know how to get back to my old self. I-"

Before she could complete her words my phone rang. It was Ajay.

"Check your phone, sir. Please come to that location as soon as possible and bring ma'am too," he said in a hurry.

"Ok, but what is the matter?" I asked, confused.

"We got the killer, sir."

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