The first thing Naina saw when she stepped out of Thor Hotel was the badly injured Abhishek seated in Angad's car. She ran to the car and knocked on the window of one of the front doors. It took a few seconds to gain his attention. He looked up at Naina and pointed his chin while she asked him to pick up her call.

"Naina..." His voice trembled the first thing he picked up her call. "I'm sorry, Naina. I had to confess everything to Angad. I'm so sorry."

She sniffed her nose hard and replied, "That's fine, Abhishek. It's not your fault."

"No, Naina!" He banged on the door. "This wouldn't have happened if I did that to you that day."

"It's okay, Abhishek. It's not that you know about us, did you?" She questioned. "Anyways, I'm going home. Do you want to join?"

"I wish but I can't. Angad has locked me up here," Abhishek sulked. "You go home safely."

"Okay," she replied, almost breathless. "Bye!"

***

Naina could barely try to sleep that night. She wanted to forget that slap. She wanted to forget that day. She wanted to forget him. But she couldn't.

The one thought that circled her mind was not how to escape from Angad, but how to let Meeta escape from Angad.

Meeta would never deserve a guy like Angad.

She wanted to distract, so she scrolled through her gallery. After fifty pictures and ten videos, she stumbled upon a video of herself with Angad. It was a video from her father's funeral where Angad had proposed to her. Looking at the angle, she was able to guess that Charlotte shot the video. She couldn't help but admire that soft-boy Angad for whom she fell in love.

She was looking at how Angad, a resident surgeon at one of the best hospitals in New York, was on her knees. That made her blame God for sending a curse-in-disguise as her boyfriend.

That was when the plan struck her. She closed the gallery app, opened Instagram, and texted Meeta first.

Naina: Hey, Meeta!

Naina: Are you free tomorrow?

A few seconds later, she received her reply.

Meeta: Hi! I'm going to a salon tomorrow. I'm free after that.

Meeta: What's up?

Naina: What is the timing of your appointment?

Meeta: Evening at 4.

Naina: Okay. Are you free in the morning?

Meeta: Yup!

Naina: Okay, shall we meet at a café tomorrow? Morning at 10?

There was silence on Meeta's side. Yet, she replied after a minute.

Meeta: Sure!

Naina: Thanks a lot! And... Could you please bring Angad with you?

Meeta: I don't know whether he would come.

Naina: Don't tell him about our plan, please.

Meeta: I think I can try.

Naina: You must, Meeta. We need to continue the conversation only if Angad was there.

Meeta: Well, consider it done.

Meeta: Are you okay?

That question made Naina to have an urge to postpone her plan. But, she resisted it.

Naina: Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for asking.

With that, she unlocked her mobile and closed her eyes, feeling lighter.

***

THE NEXT DAY...

Naina's hopes skyrocketed the moment she saw a gleaming copper Hyundai car in front of the cafe. She was very sure that it was Meeta. But, she wanted Angad there. Meeta got off from the driver's side, which made Naina skip a million beats. She went to the other front seat and opened the door, only for Naina to see Angad there. He still hadn't seen Naina waiting for the couple inside but was facing the opposite side.

A few seconds later, when Angad and Meeta were entering the cafe, anger and fury possessed Angad as he saw his slut ex. Meeta, trying to lighten the mood, waved at Naina and greeted, "Hi, Naina!"

"Hi, Meeta." Though she couldn't greet with a cheerful hi, Naina managed to do it wearily. Though she was greeting Meeta, her senses were on Angad, who was ignoring her gaze. "Take a seat, both of you."

"Sure," Meeta mouthed and sat on the chair opposite Naina's, along with Angad. "Ummm... Did you order something?"

"Yeah. A cappuccino." Naina eyed Angad while uttering his least favourite coffee. "You can order one for yourself."

"Oh, sure!" Meeta turned her focus to Angad and asked, "What about you, Angad?"

"No, thank you." He nodded and tried to smile, unaware of the events yet to happen for a matter of hours.

"Ummm, waiter sir!" Meeta called for the nearby waiter. He strolled to them and asked for their orders while Meeta replied, "A cheese sandwich. And... This gentlewoman--" She pointed at Naina and continued, "-- had ordered a cappuccino. Is that ready?"

"Oh, yes, ma'am. It will be here soon, ma'am." He turned away and went to the pantry.

"So--" Meeta shifted her focus to Naina and asked, "I thought you were going to tell something."

"Well--" Naina looked at her surroundings, faced the couple and was ready with her plan in hand. "-- I thought letting this issue go loose. But, I fear it can't keep quiet. I wanted to cooperate. But, it's my fiance who urged me to let the truth out. You wanted justice, didn't you, Angad? Here we go."

Naina rummaged for her mobile in her handbag, and when she took them out, she took time to search for something. After a while, she showed her mobile screen to Meeta and Angad. The expression changed from plainness to pure shock.

After two minutes, when the video ended, Naina took her mobile back while Meeta was eyeing her best friend with tears in her eyes. She looked back at Angad, who looked like searching for a bluff.

"Meeta, that's--" Meeta never gave him a chance to speak further, but instead, she slapped him so hard that he was a step away from forgetting his name. "Ow!" He yelped while rubbing his cheek. "Meeta..."

"Shhh!" Meeta hissed. "So, were you cheating on me, Angad? Was Subhadra right that day?"

"Meeta, but--"

"I asked you to shut your fucking mouth, you shitty bastard!" Meeta stopped him midway by yelling loud enough to gain the attention of the cafe. She could barely breathe that moment as sad sobs escaped from her lips longing for breath. She could neither sob, talk, nor make any noises. Her lips were still quivering while Naina extended her hand with a glass of water.

Meeta tried to gulp down the water but sent them back to the glass while sobbing. Tears were flowing at the speed of Maglev while Meeta could do little to control them. In vain, she placed the glass back on the table and wiped off her tears.

"You said that you love me, didn't you?" Meeta questioned Angad, her eyes red with fury. "Answer my question, Mr Angad Sharma!" Angad nodded a yes. "Why did you have to lie?"

"Meeta, we were in love. But, we broke up recently. We are no longer a thing," Angad stammered.

"Meeta, yes. We broke up. But, it happened two days ago. He was in love with me even before you met him. And, he knew before that we were friends." Naina ignited the fire in Meeta's anger and chose to play the villain here.

"See? What would you like to say? And, wait! Why did you slap Naina yesterday?" Meeta was no longer a crybaby but the investigator. As she noticed Angad's gaze darting to Naina, Meeta raised her voice by asking, "Stop looking at her and answer me. Why did you slap her?"

"Abhishek and Naina kissed each other when we were together. They cheated on me." It was Angad's turn to turn on his tear taps.

"But, we never kissed," Naina commented in a cold tone and leaned back on the chair with her arms crossed. "Abhishek tried to kiss me. But, I stepped out. Because I loved you back then."

"Is it okay if I slap you for fucking my best friend behind my back?" Meeta crossed her arms and shot a deadly glare at Naina.

"Meeta, that's different. I was never interested in you. I loved Naina. You were kind of like a hindrance to our relationship." Angad crossed his arms as well.

"Likewise, Naina was not interested in you. She loved Abhishek. You were kind of like a hindrance to their relationship." Though Meeta was not sure of what she was talking about, she was sure that she was trying the counter-response to him.

"But, why did she have to date me when she's interested in him?" Angad raised his voice a little.

"And, why did you have to get engaged to me when you're interested in her?" Meeta spoke with a voice louder than him.

"Guys, please." Naina had finally decided to get inside their argument. "Listen." She took a deep breath. "I'm not here to listen to you guys discussing about me. Meeta--" She shifted her focus to Meeta. "I'm sorry. And you know that I mean it. When we were together, I persuaded him to talk to you and the elders about us. But, he never did. Hence, I broke up with him so that he could relish your love. But, after that slap last night, I realised that this man--" She pointed at Angad. "-- doesn't deserve any woman. Hence, as your friend and as his ex, it's my responsibility to reveal everything to you."

Meeta closed her eyes and let out a deep breath through her mouth to think hard. She had seen the warning signs in Angad before. But, it was her blind love for him that ignored them. Though it was Naina and Angad who cheated on her, her senses were also a part of it. Then she was clear, it was up to her whether to accept Angad or not.

She opened her eyes and replied, "On assessing both of your points of view, I think I am clear with what to do. And, I have to say that Naina has accomplished her mission in a way. Angad has the best ways to coax women. He's quite soft. But, that doesn't make him the best man for my life. Yeah, I still love you after all that I heard. But, I fear that I end up being unlovable if I lead my life with you. Hence, I am letting you free from this moment. Thank you!"

With that, Meeta got off from her place to her car, not before looking at her first love for the last time.

Angad shifted his focus to Naina, who was leaving already, and asked, "Why did you reveal everything to her?"

Naina stopped midway and replied, "I told you, didn't I? You don't deserve women."

***

Naina and Mrs Mathur were at Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay Airport, Agra, with the injured Abhishek helping them with carrying the luggage.

"Why did you have to do it, Abhi? Naina, ask him to stop it," Mrs Mathur urged.

"It's okay, Aunty. I can still do it," Abhishek replied affirmatively. "You need to take a rest now." He grunted while placing the last luggage in the baggage scanner. While walking to the other end, he went near Naina and asked, "I wish I had that guts of yours."

Naina, who already knew what he was talking about, replied, "You'll never know what it took for me to do that."

"Do what?" Mrs Mathur, who had no idea about Naina sabotaging Meeta's wedding, questioned while Abhishek and Naina nodded no together.

"So, Miss Naina Mathur, also known as the Star of Vogue--" Abhishek tried to say something while Naina interrupted.

"Heartbroken Star," she corrected with a fake chuckle.

"Okay. So, I want this independent girl to listen to me for a few minutes. Done?" He had his thumbs up while she nodded a yes. "You know what? Men today have forgotten the spelling of true love. I'm talking about my past self as well. But then, choose a man who lives up to that word, irrespective of whether he's from New York, Delhi, or Amritsar. Till then, be that sun of your sky, because the sun is the biggest star, right? Best of luck! Don't wait for a man while you're equal to a city full of men."

Soon, they heard the flight announcement for their flight to New York.

"Thank you, Abhishek!" Naina whispered while Abhishek managed to shoot a friendly grin. "See you soon. Take care of Meeta.

***

So... Here we go with it! I could see you all ready to chase me with weapons, but guys, this is the best I could do for you all.

If you think that the kalesh ends here, wait for the last chapter, i.e. the next chapter.

YES! WE REACHED THE END! WE DID IT!

Stay tuned for the last chapter and the epilogue. See you soon!

Song Courtesy: Vigilante Shit by Taylor Swift.