Chapter 1
The prison visitor room was silent except for the ticking sound of the old wall clock.
Nethra sat across from Viraj, her eyes filled with pain yet holding onto hope.
“Viraj… I know you didn’t do this,” she said softly. “I’ll definitely find who did it and make them pay. These walls may look silent, but I can feel the loneliness trapped inside them… and the truth too.”
Viraj looked at her quietly. His eyes fell on the bracelet around her wrist — the one he had gifted her long ago. Even after everything, she still wore it.
“The truth can’t stay hidden forever, Nethra,” he said with a faint smile.
Nethra’s eyes turned emotional.
“We may be apart for now… but not forever. Every place still holds our memories, Viraj. Don’t think you’re lonely in here. Even if you are alone… I’m always with you.”
She slowly stood up and left.
As she reached her apartment, she noticed someone standing near the entrance.
“Jaanu!”
Jaanu, who had returned from abroad for vacation, immediately ran toward her and hugged her tightly.
“I wanted to spend this vacation happily with you,” Jaanu said sadly. “But then I heard Viraj was in jail. I was shocked.”
Inside the room, Jaanu finally asked what had happened.
Nethra took a deep breath.
“You know Viraj and I work in the same company — AIM Company. He was the manager handling an important project. The department head told him to keep the project code secret until the official launch. But on launch day, everyone was shocked because the same project was already released by JK Company.”
Jaanu listened silently.
“They blamed Viraj,” Nethra continued. “Because he was the only one who knew the complete code. Everyone believed he sold it to JK Company.”
“Do you suspect anyone?” Jaanu asked carefully.
Nethra nodded slowly.
“Rahul.”
Jaanu looked surprised. “Viraj’s best friend?”
“I don’t know… but whenever Rahul visits Viraj in prison, he looks nervous and guilty. He never stays long.”
Jaanu fell silent for a moment before saying, “Then let’s find the truth.”
The next day, both of them visited AIM Company searching for clues.
As they walked through the office corridors, Nethra smiled sadly.
“This is where Viraj used to bring coffee for me every morning,” she whispered. “And look there… our names are still written on the wall.”
She touched the faded handwriting gently.
“Life is nothing but memories,” she said. “These walls know every truth… and every moment we lived together.”
While leaving the building, they suddenly saw Rahul stepping out of JK Company.
Nethra immediately called him and asked him to meet them at a nearby restaurant.
Rahul arrived looking nervous.
“Why were you at JK Company?” Nethra asked directly.
“I… I wasn’t,” Rahul replied quickly.
Without speaking, Jaanu showed him the photo she had taken.
Rahul froze.
After a long silence, he finally spoke.
“Three days before the project launch, my sister called me crying. Someone had kidnapped her. At the same time, my mother called saying some men had entered our house and threatened them with knives.”
His hands trembled.
“I didn’t know what to do. Then I got another call. They told me to hand over Viraj’s project code… or they would kill my family.”
Nethra and Jaanu stared at him in shock.
“I had no choice,” Rahul continued painfully. “That night, I secretly copied the project code and gave it to the manager of JK Company. They warned me not to tell anyone. After that, they released my family.”
His eyes filled with tears.
“Viraj trusted me more than anyone. But I betrayed him. I even used my own name as the password because I never thought things would go this far. I regret it every single day.”
Nethra’s voice broke with disappointment.
“Viraj never deserved this from you, Rahul.”
Jaanu immediately said, “If you really regret it, then help us prove the truth.”
Rahul nodded silently and handed over every evidence he had — voice recordings, messages, and proof against JK Company.
The evidence was submitted in court.
On the final hearing day, everyone waited anxiously.
The lawyer presented all the proofs clearly before the judge. Soon, the truth finally came out.
Viraj was declared innocent.
The manager of JK Company was arrested for threatening Rahul’s family and stealing the project illegally. Rahul was suspended from work for three months for hiding the truth and leaking confidential information.
When Viraj walked out of the courtroom, Rahul stood there unable to even lift his head.
“I’m really sorry, Viraj,” he whispered.
Viraj looked at him quietly.
“If you had told me the truth earlier, I would’ve helped you,” he said calmly. “I would’ve even changed the code before launch. Nothing was more important than your family… or our friendship. But why did you do everything alone?”
Rahul couldn’t answer.
Viraj slowly walked away.
Rahul stood there with tears in his eyes.
“You may forgive me one day,” he whispered to himself, “but I can never forgive myself.”
Outside the court, Nethra waited for Viraj.
The moment he saw her, he hugged her tightly.
“I know how much you struggled for me these days,” he said emotionally.
Nethra held him closer, tears slipping down her cheeks.
“I’m just happy you came back.”
While returning home, they stopped near their old college.
For a moment, both of them simply stood there smiling at the memories.
“Do you remember this place?” Nethra asked softly. “The first day we met… it was raining, and I didn’t have an umbrella.”
Viraj laughed gently.
“So we shared mine.”
“And right there,” he pointed ahead, “you proposed to me.”
Nethra laughed shyly.
“I knelt down and proposed first. Usually boys do that, but I wanted to surprise you.”
Viraj smiled warmly at her.
“Then one day, I’ll kneel for you again… this time with a ring.”
Nethra blushed.
When they reached home, both families were already waiting happily for Viraj’s return.
During the cheerful conversation, Viraj suddenly walked toward Nethra and knelt before her.
“Let’s get married,” he said softly. “We’ve already waited long enough.”
Nethra smiled through tears.
“Yes. If we wait any longer, it’ll only become harder.”
“I love you,” she whispered.
Their families burst into happiness as she accepted his proposal.
Soon, the wedding date was fixed.
On the wedding day, the entire hall was filled with joy. Family members, AIM Company colleagues, friends, and Jaanu all attended happily.
Viraj had invited Rahul too.
But Rahul never came.
The guilt in his heart still stopped him from facing Viraj. He only sent a wedding gift with a small note wishing them happiness.
After every storm they faced, Viraj and Nethra were finally together.
As the wedding rituals ended, Viraj gently kissed Nethra on her forehead, his eyes filled with emotion.
And somewhere between the old prison walls, the office corridors, and the college memories…
their love still remained alive in the silence of the walls that still listened.
