Naina and Rajveer had been mentor- protogee for a long time now, but she never would have expected to hear what he was about to tell her. Staring at him in shock, she asked "You... it was you, Rajveer sir?"
Rajveer gave a slow nod, his voice heavy with the weight of the revelation. "Yes, Naina. I was the one who pulled the trigger, but it was Naveen's request. He wanted to die on his own terms, in the hands of a friend."
Naina felt tears welling up in her eyes and she could hardly believe it. "How can he, how can he give up ."
Rajveer's voice was somber as he explained. "Naveen was in pain, Naina. He wanted to be free, and he trusted me to grant him that wish."
"But why didn't he keep hope?Why did he have to go Rajveer sir?" Naina asked, her voice trembling as she thought of all the things she had been denied. "Why didn't he let me say goodbye?"
Rajveer's voice was gentle as he responded, "You know it was complicated, he was the fugitive on run. He was broken, tired and in lot of pain. He loved you too much to put you through that pain."
Naina was overwhelmed by emotion now. "And you... you granted his wish, didn't you?"
Rajveer nodded sadly. "Yes, Naina, I did. It was the hardest thing I've ever had to do."
Taking a deep breath, Naina tried to speak through her tears. "I don't know if I can ever fully understand this, Rajveer sir . But I hope, in his own way, Naveen bhaiya found the peace he was looking for."
Rajveer looked at her sadly and said softly, "I hope so too, Naina. He was a true friend, and I'll always carry the weight of what we did together."
Naina knew that right now she needed time to process what she had just learned. "I need time to process all of this, Rajveer sir. But thank you for telling me the truth."
The two people sat in the same spot for a few moments, both in their own thoughts. Naveen's death had taken its toll on them both, but after Rajveer had told Naina what had actually happened, it felt like something was lifting off her chest.
