Recap : Kavitha's entry

"Kavitha!" Laksh gasped in horror, grabbing the attention of others, seeing the petite figure standing deadly serene before them.

"Kavitha?" Swara, Ananya and Arvind got puzzled of the most unexpected entry.

"Kavitha as in Sanskar bhaiyya's ex?" Ananya mumbled her question, various questions rushing to her brain but got no response in return. Laksh's face gave away the answer. "Ohh my Lakshmi, new twist!!" She exclaimed in disbelief.

Durgaprasad Maheswari stood dumbfounded at the guest. The girl he saw 3 years before is nowhere near the girl standing before her. The wave of shock and confusion did hit others too, the name was enough.

'What he is witnessing at the moment is a dream!' That is what Sanskar wanted to believe. But, may be, fate is bitterer.

His Past! His Love! HIS KAVITHA!!!!

Whole of his past reeled in his mind in few minutes making his eyes glassy. "Kavitha..." He mumbled softly as a tear escaped his left eye.

Ragini's trance broke on hearing Sanskar's mumbling. She couldn't decipher what to be done at the moment on being pushed to another menacing trench of her life. She glanced Sanskar only to find her all-time support shattering into bits slowly. He was crying! She extended her arms to hold his shoulders in support only to be missed as Sanskar moved forward.

"Sans...." Swara words trailed off as Ragini held her back from stopping Sanskar. No one should be anything other than audience except two.

Sanskar strode towards Kavitha, his eyes trying to study her but in vain. He couldn't guage her. He raised his hands to touch her face thinking, maybe it's a dream; her name not leaving his lips.

"Sanskar..." Kavitha mumbled softly; a soft smile adorning her lips, her eyes slightly glassy but it didn't take much time for it to emit fire, her smile got added with a perfect smirk.

"Whom are you calling out, Mr. Sanskar Maheswari?" Kavitha raised eyebrow folding her hands near her chest, her voice clearly mocking Sanskar.

Sanskar was taken aback at the tone of Kavitha. "That is what I also want to ask. Who are you? You can't be my Kavitha!" He was dazed and his voice came out as whisper. Neither his heart nor his brain could digest the joke happening in his life.

"Right, Sanskar!" Kavitha's voice was calm; maybe before the storm. "I'm not YOUR Kavitha. YOUR KAVITHA DIED! YOU KILLED HER 3 YEARS BACK!"

Sanskar flinched as she roared at him. 'HE KILLED HIS KAVITHA?' Her clenched jaws and tight fist revealed her hostility; her eyes showed something close to hatred in them; was she the one whom he loved all these years?; was she the one who loved him long back?

"Do Maheswari family treat their guests like this?" Her demeanor changed all of a sudden shifting her attention to the family members; her rage doused for the smirk to return. "Malkin, why do you seem to be in a daze?"She asked approaching a bewildered Ragini.

"Mrs. Ragini Maheswari, wife of Sanskar Maheswari, daughter-in-law of the Maheswaris, is standing here like a scared kitten! Tch Tch! I expected more from you." She said gently patting Ragini.

'Why was everyone's mouth zipped all of a sudden?' Ragini mused

"I thought to have a Sherlock Holmes time here but this turned to be a horror story, Sir." Ananya couldn't help getting frenzy on the unexpected turn of events and the building suspense. 

"Hi Devarji!" Kavitha called out to Laksh. "Ohh..I meant Ragini's devarji." She completed with a smirk. The confusion and bewilderment of the Maheswaris excited her, more than she expected.

"And Greetings Durgaprasad Ji! How can I shun you? After all, yours had been the name which used to echo in my ears from long back."

"Th-This girl.. This girl is really Kavitha??" Finally Sujatha managed to speak something for which she got a mere smirk in return. "Kavitha!! Why did this girl come now as if descended from the sky after all these years? Do you even know my son----" She wanted to express her displeasure bluntly.

"Sujatha, this is not the time for all these." Annapurna did cut Sujatha's words. "Have you come here as a guest or our enemy?" She asked even though the answer was obvious for them.

Kavitha's eyes shot up at the question. "I wanted to be something else of you all but few of you mercilessly killed the reason for it and now I intend to be merciless."She tightened her fist digging her fingers into it as she glared Sanskar, who stood frozen, through her reddened glassy eyes and later shifted her gaze to Ragini.

Ragini met the eyes with equal fury as the turmoil she and her family went through lately, hit her wiping off her perplexity. The enemy she waited to show up turned to be the girl she admired the most; her husband's love. The girl Sanskar loved boundlessly; for whom he decided to destroy his own family. Who thought that it would be rewarded like this!

"My room?" Ragini's head shot up to find Kavitha beside her with the usual sly smile. But her eyes....

"I know right...my room!"

Kavitha chuckled as she walked towards the guest room only for her steps to be stopped by a pull on her wrist. She looked up to a fuming Swara, but before Swara could do anything Ragini pulled her back exchanging a gaze with Arvind. We can't let her go away like that!

Kavitha smirked again with a snigger, shaking her head lightly as she continued walking. Only if they knew---- they should know!

"I wouldn't have come, if all I had to do was paying a visit and letting you know who I'm so easily! So better plan something better. Since its face to face now, there are no hidden things; no one to listen to your family talks and strategies. So loosen up, Arvind and Ananya!!"-- and her voice trailed off.

***

Ragini walked into the pitch dark room uncertain of what's waiting for her. It was a long difficult day for everyone. It was hard to convince the family to leave the matter and retire to rooms for the day. At the moment, the mess would only worsen.

An uncomfortable feeling crept inside her heart; the darkness showing her the mirror of her life. She walked towards their bed and saw a fragile figure sitting on the floor, leaning to the bed, clutching to something which seemed so precious.

Ragini sat beside Sanskar silently. She didn't know what to do.

Should she call him and soothe with her words? Or should she leave him alone to let him come in terms with the happenings?

But, they had promised to aid each other in misery, didn't they?

She slowly kept her palms on his shoulders, jerking him out of his trance. Ragini felt him facing her, but the darkness wasn't helping her. She was about to get up to switch on the lights when he held her back. He needed her!

Ragini's eyes welled up as she saw her Sanskar's face under the dim light of bed lamp. His face was tear-stricken, eyes unusually red, hollow and lifeless. It felt as if he lost something invaluable; as if his reason to live--- She shut her eyes in distress.

"Sanskar.." She called out as breaking the long silence.

"It can't be---" Sanskar's whimpered like a child as his voice trailed off.

"Sanskar, Kavitha..." She didn't know what to say to coax him into crying his heart out before her. She couldn't see him suffocating with emotions.

"She can't be my Kavitha!"He couldn't help the rising frustration. He was frustrated at his life. "She's not our Kavitha, Ragini!" He asserted. "She can't be my Kavitha!"His voice softened yet again at defeat.

He relaxed his hands to show her pic to Ragini. Involuntarily, a smile crept up his face.

"See, she's full of life sharing out her happiness among others. She could never live without smile or her pout, how can that girl smirk so evilly? Sh-She could never fake anger; how will she take revenge on someone, on someone whom she loved a lot? She couldn't even ar-arrange a surprise as she always gave away the clues; how will she plot against someone for months; against someone whom she loved a lot?"He ran his fingers through his hairs as his face reddened gradually.

Ragini softly caressed his shoulders trying to soothe his turmoil. "People tend to change with time, Sanskar. Maybe something happened—"

"She loved me Ragini! Kavitha always loved Sanskar! She can never hate me! She can never—" His voice trailed off as Ragini pulled him into a tight hug, seeking solace for both. He held on to her as she is the last straw of his survival. 

"She can't hate me—" He mumbled in between his sobs.

***

Ragini leaned against the headrest as she continued softly stroking Sanskar's hair. Sleep was miles away from her. What if she loses everything in a blink? She shuddered at the thought.

How all these are going to subside? Will she be left alone in the end? Tears rolled down Ragini's eyes as she closed her eyes.

"Come on Ragu.. Don't tell me everything is same as before even now. Hmmm.. Hmmm..." Swara teased Ragini nudging her softly.

"Stop it Swara!" Ragini couldn't help blushing.

"Haww... You're blushing, Ragu.. Can I take it as a yes?" Swara beamed in happiness as her eyes widened in surprise.

Ragini simply nodded her head as her eyes were casted on her fingers; a smile playing on her lips. As Swara held her chin up, she couldn't control her eyes from getting glassy seeing the twinkle in her sister's eyes, her Ragu's eyes.

"This is the best day after your wedding days, Ragu. I'm so so happy."Happy tears stumbled down Swara's eyes.

Ragini took Swara's palm in between hers after wiping off the tears.

"I don't want to be a fool, Shona. I had been pushing away everything away from me but not anymore. He's my life, Shona. I saw him when I felt life draining out of me, urging me to be beside him. He had been there with me, even when I had been hostile with him. I don't want to lose him."

The sisters smiled at each other as their eyes remained misty.

"I LOVE HIM, SWARA!" Ragini confessed. "I love him with my whole heart. I want to breathe life through him. I want to live with him till my death"

Swara hopped on the bed and placed a soft kiss on Ragini's forehead, cupping her face. She was happy and thrilled for her sister.

"When are you going to tell him? I'm excited." Swara shrieked in happiness.

"Hey, lower voice Shona.. I don't know if he's ready to move on from our friends' zone. Let me get myself convinced that he is. Then...." Ragini winked as both chuckled together. "And, don't tell Laksh about this. It will reach Sanskar's ears anyhow. So this is our secret."

"Secret..Secret." Swara actioned as zipping her lips as they continued giggling in her talks.

Ragini wiped her tears shifting her gaze to Sanskar who was lost in his deep peaceful slumber in her lap. Only yesterday she was jubilant over her life!!

And there, Swara continued staring the moon as if accusing it of deception. This deceptive life!!

*Popping my head* Anyone remember me?  I think I'm pretty early.*smiling sheepishly*

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Sameera ❤️