Love vs Vengeance : Chapter – 6

Darkness was all around. Rowdies were searching for Jolie. Somewhere, Jolie was hiding, crying in pain.
“Maybe this is what fate has written for these lives…” Oliver looked around and began to sing, “Jolie… Jolie…” as he searched.

Just then, Jolie appeared from behind. Oliver subtly signaled the rowdies, who slowly approached. They all exchanged glances and smirked.

Jolie slowly turned around. The moment she saw the Yamadootas (messengers of death), she broke down, cried in despair, and fell to her knees.

Oliver grabbed a rod and struck her hard on the head.

“Amma!” Jolie screamed. She fell to the ground, staring blankly. Her face soaked in blood, her eyes full of tears.

Oliver signaled to one of the rowdies, who handed him a gun. Without hesitation, Oliver shot Jolie.

---

“No!” Alina jolted awake.

Just then, Jolie entered the room. “What happened, Alina?” she asked, concerned.
Alina clung to her.

Looking around and realizing it was still night, Jolie said, “Let’s go have dinner, come on. You slept since evening… Was it a nightmare?”

Alina, drenched in sweat, nodded with a frightened expression.

---

The Next Morning

Alina woke up slowly. It was already 8:30 AM. She walked outside. Her mother was working in the kitchen and, noticing Alina had woken up, said,
“Go freshen up. Come have tea.”

As Alina looked around, memories of her nightmare returned.
“Mom… Mom, where’s Sister?” she asked.

“She went to the temple early in the morning. You know how crazy she is about God. Said today’s an auspicious day.”

Alina started getting anxious again and slowly walked out into the garden.

The garden was lush and full of flowers. Butterflies fluttered, and the sky was clear.

Suddenly, she called her sister in a panic. But before she could get through, her sister Jolie called.

“Hello Sister!”
“Hello Alina… Alina…”
“Where are you?” Alina asked, panicking.

“Oliver is here. He’s been following me. I just finished praying inside the temple and came out. He was right outside. I’m feeling a little scared.”

“Don’t be scared, Sister. There are people in the temple, right? Stay there. Don’t come out. I’m coming to you right now,” said Alina, hurriedly getting into her car.

As she sped away, her mother came out with a teacup.
“Where are you going?” she asked, but Alina didn’t respond.

Her mind was full of fear. The nightmare from last night seemed to be becoming a reality.

---

At the Temple

Alina reached the temple. Her sister’s car was parked nearby. She looked around and went inside.

People were praying, chanting mantras. Everything looked normal.

Alina called out, “Sister… Sister…” while looking around.

She paused and looked at the idol of Parvati and Lord Shiva. Their faces looked serene. Tears welled up in her eyes. She closed them and silently prayed.

As she walked further into the temple, she saw Jolie giving prasadam to everyone. Alina ran to her and hugged her tightly, tears streaming down her face.

“Why are you so worried, Alina?” Jolie asked.
“You said Oliver was here! How can I not worry?”

“He was outside. He saw me, but I’m okay,” Jolie said.

Just then, Alina walked outside again. Jolie followed. They both saw Oliver standing at a distance, staring at them.

Alina was filled with fear. She stormed toward him, grabbed his collar, and yelled:
“Leave me alone! How long will you keep torturing me? Leave my family alone. If you want to kill someone, kill me!”

Oliver stammered, “Hey Alina, let go…”
Jolie also tried to stop her, saying, “Alina, people are watching!”

Just then, a woman’s voice asked, “Who’s that girl?” Oliver turned back slowly. A woman stood there holding a pooja basket.

Oliver quickly said, “She’s our friend, Aunty.”

Jolie pulled Alina away.
“Alina, are you mad?” she said.

Alina cried and stood in silence, deep in thought.

---

Later That Day

Alina sat alone in the garden. It was evening.

Jolie came and gently placed her hand on Alina’s shoulder.
“How long will you keep suffering like this?” she asked.

Just then, someone approached. They turned to see Smith.

“Hello sir!” said Jolie, getting up. Alina also stood up.

“Hey, relax. Sit down,” he smiled.

“Why are you here, sir?” asked Jolie.

“Please, don’t call me ‘sir’. Just call me Smith.”

“Jolie, Alina – you’ve both become really close to me during this case. Your father used to invite me for dinner often… You’ve become good friends.” He smiled warmly.

“Thank you, sir,” said Alina.

“Again with the ‘sir’? Call me Smith!” he laughed.

“Okay… Smith,” Alina smiled hesitantly.

“Well,” he said, “I came to invite you to my sister’s birthday party next weekend. You must come.”

“Umm… okay…” they both hesitated.

“We don’t have many relatives here, so we’re just inviting the people we know well,” Smith added.

“We’ll come for sure,” they say with a smile.

Just then, Alina’s mother arrives and serves everyone snacks and tea.

---

Birthday Day

Both Alina and Jolie go to Inspector Smith’s house together. The house is beautiful. They both get out of the car and look around. Smith walks over to them.

“I thought you might not come, but I’m really glad you did. Thank you so much,” he says.

“No way, Smith. You came personally and invited us to your home. How could we not come?” says Jolie. Alina smiles softly.

Alina’s eyes then fall on something…
“Smith… Sister, look over there,” she says. Both of them turn to look. There, Oliver is standing, smiling and talking to someone.

Immediately, Alina says, “Smith sir, what is he doing here?”

Smith softly replies, “Alina, please don’t get me wrong. He’s my sister’s friend. She insisted on inviting him because she said he’s going through a lot… I tried explaining to her…”

Alina gets upset, “If you had told me before, I wouldn’t have come, Smith. You know what he did to my life.”

Smith takes Jolie and Alina aside.

“Listen, Alina, I’ll tell you something, but please understand I’m not supporting him. I met with higher officers for your case. You know what they told me?

‘Smith, you said that girl’s hand was injured. How can she write properly?’ But think about it — if someone’s heart is completely filled with sorrow and they feel death is the only escape, even with an injured hand, they’ll still write somehow. That’s why the handwriting was a little shaky.’ That’s what they said.”

“This is what happened, Alina,” says Smith.

Alina asks with concern, “Are you saying that Bella really killed William?”

Smith bows his head silently.

Jolie intervenes, “Oh god, Alina, we came for a birthday today, not to talk about the case.” Just then, Smith’s mother arrives.

“Son, everyone is waiting inside,” she says.

“Let’s talk about this later. Come inside,” says Smith.

Everyone heads inside. Smith’s sister is beautifully dressed. Everyone goes over and wishes her, giving her gifts.

Oliver also gives her a gift, saying, “Happy birthday, Jasmine. May you always be happy.”

Alina gets furious inside… “Calling her ‘dear’ and pretending like this… disgusting,” she thinks.

Alina and Jolie give their gift too, and despite Smith’s requests, they leave after dinner.

---

Time Passes

One night, Oliver calls Alina. She’s furious but has no choice and answers the call.

“Hello, Alina. Is there anyone beside you?” he asks.

Alina looks around. “No one’s here,” she replies and walks into her room. “Why did you call again?” she says, tearing up.

“Please, Alina, why won’t you believe me? I have to tell you the truth — about William and Bella. Please come to the place I mentioned. Trust me,” says Oliver.

Alina, conflicted, says, “What should I do?”

“Please, Alina, trust me,” Oliver pleads.

They meet at a dimly lit location.

“So, is this where you brought me to kill me?” she says.

“Stop it, Alina, enough of your words. Just listen to what I have to say,” Oliver replies.

“What more do you want to say, Oliver?” she says, crying.

“Please don’t cry, Alina. Let me speak,” he begins.

“Look, I had some bad habits before. But that doesn’t mean I’m someone who would destroy hearts. After everything that happened to you, I gave up those bad habits too.

That day, when you slapped me in front of everyone and spoke those words… they changed me completely. From that day, I genuinely wanted to be your friend. Then William disappeared, Bella took her own life, and you all began suspecting me.

Yes, the police arrested me. Before I went home, I watched you to see if anyone was trying to hurt you.

I learned that Bella would never betray you.

Alina, now I’m about to tell you something unbelievable. But please, we have to plan this carefully and catch the real criminal. I know it’s hard to believe, but you must believe me.”

Alina says, “Oh, so this is your new plan?”

Oliver replies, “I knew you’d say that. But you must believe me.”

“Fine. Who hates me so much that they’d go this far?” Alina asks.

Oliver takes a deep breath.
“Alina, it’s… Inspector Smith’s sister, Jasmine. She’s my friend. She used to call me ‘Anna’ (big brother). She reminded me of my own little sister who passed away long ago.

One day, while I was thinking about you, she called me. I told her everything that had happened. She said she knew William.

She’s studying in a hostel. One night, she posted a WhatsApp status of her birthday with friends — and William was in the photo. Around William’s picture, someone had drawn a circle and written: ‘R.I.P. Kedarnath.’”

Oliver pauses.

Alina urges him, “Why did you stop? Tell me!”

“In that photo, there was Jasmine, William, and a few other students. Among them… among them…”

Oliver trails off again.

Alina, anxious and tense, says, “Tell me, Oliver! Who was in that photo?”

“Even your sister Jolie is in that photo…”
“Huh… what do you mean by that smile?” Alina asks.
“Yes, Alina. I’m telling the truth. Your sister is in that photo too,” Oliver says, showing her the picture on his mobile.

Alina looks at it in shock. “If my sister is in it, so what? What’s your intention?” she stammers.
“Alina, I didn’t believe it at first either. But when Jasmine told me, I was shocked. Even during the recent birthday party, your sister acted like she didn’t know anything when she saw Jasmine. That’s when we really started to doubt her.”

On the phone that day:
“Hello Anu, in the photo with William, there’s a girl in a blue dress. Who is she?” Oliver asks.
“Oliver, that’s Jolie — a real demon in disguise. She smiles on the outside, but inside, she’s very cunning. Always speaks ill of others and wants to be above everyone else. Appears very cool and sweet on the outside…”

“She enjoys hurting others with words. William couldn’t take it anymore and told her, ‘Your attitude isn’t right. Change yourself.’ But by then, Jolie had already fallen in love with him. She pretended to change, but one day she was caught again, hurting another girl.”

“A few days later, she confessed to William, ‘I love you.’ But William told her, ‘I will never love someone like you. I want someone who truly loves others, who not only thinks about her happiness but also about others’. That’s the kind of girl I want. And I don’t have those feelings for you. Forget me.'”

“She couldn’t handle that rejection. Time passed. A few days later, William left the hostel and returned home. Now he’s studying here,” Oliver says.

Alina collapses to the floor, crying, “Why didn’t my sister tell me any of this?”
“Calm down, Alina. There’s no solid proof that your sister did it. And I definitely didn’t commit the crime,” Oliver says.

Just then, a sound comes from behind. Alina turns to see Jolie standing there.
Alina, shocked, asks, “Sister, what is all this? Why did you hide everything from me?”

Jolie, looking hurt, says, “What, Alina? Are you doubting me too?”
“Please, sister, tell me the truth. Just tell the truth!” Alina shouts.
“Look, tell me Oliver is lying. Say it!” she pleads.

Jolie suddenly bursts out laughing.
“Why are you laughing at a time like this? This is no time for jokes!” Alina says.
“Okay, Alina. Everything is true…”

Oliver and Alina are both shocked.
“What? You mean all this… Why?!” Alina cries.

“Hey Alina, I’ve held a grudge against you since childhood. Before you were born, mom and dad used to love me so much. But after you came, you became their precious little girl. Everyone adored you, pampered you. I couldn’t take it, and that’s when jealousy and hatred took root in me.”

“You always came first in class. Dad would scold me because of you. ‘Look at your sister, learn from her,’ he used to say. One day, he even said, ‘If you don’t study well, I’ll send you to the hostel.’ I hated staying there, but he didn’t listen to me no matter how much I cried. He sent me to the hostel, and you stayed home happily with mom and dad.”

“That’s when I met William… But in the end, he rejected me too. A few days later, during your birthday party, I came home. That day, you showed me William’s photo. Just seeing it filled me with pain, anger, and hatred toward you. I acted like nothing was wrong and even went to buy a gift for you.”

“Personally, I took William’s number. I called him near the party venue and told him I wanted to meet. I told him I was Alina’s sister. He was shocked. I told him to leave you alone, but he refused. So I took advantage of that and stabbed him with a knife.”

“I paid two guys to bury his body somewhere nearby. Gave them some money and promised to pay the rest the next day. Later at the party, I acted like I knew nothing. When you found out William was dead, you broke down… but inside, I felt so happy.”

“I pretended to be there for you… but that day, your dear friend Bella—” Jolie stops mid-sentence.
“Hey! What did you do to Bella?!” Oliver shouts.

“That day she said she wasn’t feeling well and called me over. I came with you out of boredom. We all took photos at her house. In the evening, we both returned home. You fell asleep crying over William. After returning, I realized I had left my phone at Bella’s place.”

“When I went back, I heard Bella on the phone. My phone’s speaker was still on.
‘Hello madam, when will you give us the remaining money?’ the guy asked.
‘What money?’ Bella replied.
‘Don’t try to act smart. You killed William, right? We buried him for you. You gave us some money that day and said you’d pay the rest later,’ he said.”

“As I walked in, Bella saw me and was terrified…

“Hey Jolie! What have you done? What is this? You… You are the one who killed William, aren’t you?” Alina exclaims in shock, her anger rising.

“Hey, that’s not it, Bella…” Jolie stammers.

Bella was about to call someone on the phone.

I tried hard to stop her. “Please, don’t do this. Listen to me!” I pleaded.

But Bella, crying, was determined to make the call. Seeing my chance, I grabbed a rope lying nearby and strangled Bella. She struggled desperately, twisting and turning. Within moments, she too left this world.

I made it look like a suicide. Using my intelligence, I even wrote a suicide letter. I have the talent to make it look like anyone wrote it,” Jolie boasts.

At that moment, a thought strikes Alina. She remembers an incident from a few days ago when the postman came to their house. Her father was not home, and Jolie had signed for the letter in his place, imitating their father’s signature.

Alina gasps. “So… it was you… You did all of this?”

“Yes, Alina! It was me. I did everything!” Jolie confesses, her face twisted with a cruel smile. “Just because of my grudge against you! While pretending to love, I was actually filled with revenge.”

“Watching you suffer like this makes me so happy, my dear sister! And thanks to Oliver, everything worked in my favor. Everyone suspected him instead!”

“Now what? He played the hero while I was made the villain! Even now, I heard you talking on the phone and came here,” Jolie says, pulling out a gun and pointing it at Alina and Oliver.

Oliver quickly pulls Alina behind him. “Look, Jolie, you’ve already committed too many crimes. Jasmine’s brother was about to expose you, but I stopped him because I believed you couldn’t be this cruel. I was wrong. Now, there’s no way I’m letting you go,” Oliver says firmly.

Jolie laughs. “Oh, Oliver, Oliver… Now I’ll kill you both and disappear from here. And when people find your bodies, they will assume you both died fighting each other.”

Alina, desperate, pleads, “Sister! You’ve already done so much wrong! Please stop!”

At that moment, Oliver lunges at Jolie, trying to snatch the gun. A gunshot echoes.

A bullet pierces through Oliver’s body.

“Ahh!” he screams in pain, but even then, he tries to shield Alina.

Two more shots hit him.

Despite his wounds, Oliver pushes Alina away. “Run… Run, Alina!” he gasps before collapsing to the ground.

Alina screams and runs away.

She hides somewhere, trembling, and slowly takes out her phone, messaging Smith. But he doesn’t see it.

“What do I do now?” she whispers to herself.

Meanwhile, Jolie sings eerily, “Alina… Oh, Alina… Where are you?”

Suddenly, Jolie spots Alina.

She points the gun at her.

“Sister, please… Please let me go! I’m your little sister!” Alina cries.

At that moment, someone yells, “Jolie!”

Taking advantage of the distraction, Alina dodges.

Jolie turns quickly and starts shooting.

Alina somehow escapes and runs back.

Smith and a few constables arrive, along with Jasmine.

Jolie sees them. “Oh, so everyone is here now?” she smirks.

Smith points his gun at her. “Drop the gun, Jolie. Now.”

Jolie chuckles. “What, sir? Are you going to shoot me? I won’t give you that chance.”

Before anyone can react, she shoots herself.

Alina and Jasmine gasp in horror.

Alina collapses, staring in shock. Jasmine holds her close.

Smith and the constables check Jolie’s lifeless body. Meanwhile, an ambulance crew takes Oliver away, still breathing faintly.

With his last strength, Oliver calls Smith on the phone…

Alina, overwhelmed with emotions, remembers her childhood with Jolie. The love and care Jolie showed her… but in the end, it was all an act, fueled by jealousy and revenge. The truth crushes her heart.

A Few Days Later

Alina’s parents, devastated by the truth, are filled with guilt and sorrow. Slowly, they start recovering.

Miraculously, Oliver survives the attack.

One day, Alina’s family decides to leave their house, unable to bear the painful memories. They move to their native village.

Smith, Jasmine, and Oliver bid them farewell. As they cross the road, Alina’s parents walk ahead, while she lingers behind, lost in thought.

Suddenly—

A speeding truck crashes into Alina.

“Alina!” everyone screams.

She lies in a pool of blood, looking at the people around her. Memories of her life flash before her eyes. Slowly, her vision fades…

But then—

Alina opens her eyes.

She sees nothing but darkness. Then, in the distance, a light shines.

She walks toward it. The world around her is peaceful—trees, lakes, and a serene atmosphere.

She looks down. She’s wearing a white dress.

Tears well up in her eyes as her past flashes before her.

Suddenly, she feels a hand on her shoulder.

She turns around—

It’s William!

Overcome with emotion, she laughs and cries at the same time, hugging him tightly.

Then, someone else appears.

It’s Bella, also dressed in white.

Alina calls out, “Bella!” and hugs her.

Now, in this new world, Alina is at peace.

Meanwhile, in the real world—

Oliver runs an orphanage, naming it the “Bella-William-Alina Foundation.”

Alina’s parents live in a distant village, still grieving. Oliver visits them often, taking care of them as his own.

Smith and Jasmine continue to check in on them, making sure they are okay.

It takes time, but they all slowly heal.

Alina and her friends, in another world, are free from pain and suffering, finally happy.

THE END.

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