The Girl Next Door: Epilogue

"Send in the next patient," Dr. Mithila instructed her assistant.

Meera entered the cabin. Mithila smiled brightly to see her.

"Close the door," Mithila ordered her assistant who had escorted Meera, "And we are not to be disturbed till the end of this session."

The assistant obediently nodded and left closing the door behind her.

"How are you Meera?" Mithila asked.

"I'm good...I just brought you a little something," Meera said offering a box of home made sweets, "I don't think I could ever return the favor of what you have done to help me...I just thought I'd make you something sweet to say thank you..."

Meera had tears of gratitude in her eyes. Mithila held her hand firmly to comfort her.

"You are welcome Meera," she said gently patting her hand.

"I bought my way around most things...but you, you went out of the way to help me, you took risks to help me...and I'm just a nobody..."

"Don't ever say that again Meera," Mithila said, "When I heard your story...you know Meera, in my line of work, I hear a lot of tragedies and I feel empathy for them...but you are different, you are a fighter Meera, and all I feel for you is respect. And when I saw the videos Alisha accquired, I was convinced what I was doing was right."

Meera smiled. She had a look of satisfaction on her face.

"So, everything went according to plan?" Mithila asked.

"Yes," Meera said taking a deep breath, "The virus you acquired was crafty. It was no big deal for Alisha to seduce that sex maniac. The hacker I hired also did his job well, giving me a strong lead over them. And I guess Reyansh didn't notice that small needle prick until after 3 months when the virus started causing the disease."

"So how is he now?" Mithila asked with a wicked smile.

"Well," Meera said smiling back, "I did have one of my boys check on him, well the disease is destroying is his skin with every passing day. It has spread to his face now, making him look really ugly, and he has confined himself to his house now. I don't think he'll ever be able to live a normal life again."

Meera leaned back on her chair and continued, "That son of a bitch was too proud proud of his looks. He thought he was so attractive that no girl would refuse him sex." Suddenly her face was clouded with grief as she said, "My sweet Naina di was loyal to the man she loved, so she so politely requested him not to touch her. And that bastard was so offended that he raped her!"

Mithila held Meera's hand comforting her as Meera held back her tears. "I could have just used plain old battery acid, but that was not enough!" Meera said gritting her teeth, "I want him to melt and rot away slowly...very slowly."

Mithila got up from her chair and offered a glass of water to Meera as she was getting agitated. Meera drank a sip of water and closed her eyes letting her tears flow.

"You've won the battle girl," she said patting Meera's back gently. "Dr. Aarav's suicide was all over the news, and Neil is rotting in jail. But Armaan is still out there...and honestly that worries me. You've wounded him deeply and let him go alive, are sure it is a wise thing to do?"

"I wouldn't worry about him," Meera said, "As long as Pankhudi is alive. He loves her deeply and his current focus is on finding her. I've asked the boys to make sure to keep her alive and keep moving her to different places frequently so that Armaan doesn't find her too soon. Because once he does, he will come after me."

"Are you really willing to take that risk?" Mithila asked.

"What's the fun in killing Mithila?" Meera asked, "I never intended to kill any of them. All I really wanted was to make them suffer for the rest of their lives. I took away from them what they loved they loved the most..."

"You are not getting my point Meera" Mithila insisted, "You will have to look over your shoulder for the rest of your life. Armaan is the wisest and richest among them and has the strongest network. I can't imagine what he'd do if he gets his hands on you...or Alisha for that matter. He knows about Alisha, doesn't he?"

"As long as I have Pankhudi and I keep ker alive, I always have something to trade," Meera assured.

"It is not very reassuring Meera," Mithila warned, "I don't have a good feeling about this. Please reconsider. If you don't care for your life, at least secure Alisha."

"If it really comes to a face off Mithila, I'll show him what I can really do," Meera said with a confident smile.

"I have faith in your abilities Meera," Mithila said, "Just, take care OK?"

"Thanks again for all your help and support Mithila," Meera said with a warm smile.

Meera left the clinic and went to the beach. The same beach where she found Naina's broken shoe, where she cried and screamed at the injustice done to both of them.

Her heart felt peaceful now as she sat down on the sand and let the waves touch her feet. The cool sea breeze caressed her hair. The sun had set and the sky was crimson. A wave swept over her and the water drenched her completely. She closed her eyes and felt the water gently touch her body. Her heart was finally at peace.

"I hope you rest in peace now, my sweet Naina di," she whispered.

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

Dear Readers,

This story ends here. If you would like to read a sequel or a spin off featuring a retaliation by the men, or any other parallel story line, please leave a comment or a message.

Thank you for your support.