Note : Messed up Update. Not edited

"Bhai, Bhabhi, Ananya.. Come down for breakfast." Uttara rushed to the study.

"Uttara, we will have it later. You go and have with elders." The lame attempt to shoo away interruptions was shown by Ananya.

"But Badi maa said that discussions can wait half an hour. Your wish. She will give you earful." Uttara shrugged and went; she neither wanted to force them nor leave them in hunger.

Everyone sighed. The elders were adamant on talking the things at night which they managed to postpone. Now, without a clarity between themselves, they need to face their questions.

As they began to walk to the dining, Sanskar's phone rang.

"It's important call. I'll attend and join you guys."

***

"Bhai!" Laksh calls out to Sanskar as others left the study. "Everything handled? You talked to her?"

Sanskar nods a yes.

Laksh sighs in relief. "Did you say it to her?" He asks with a slight grin, cocking his eyebrows.

"Not the right time, lucky." Sanskar patted Laksh dousing his relief and excitement.

"What!!?" Laksh said exasperated. "Bhai, it's necessary. You can't just risk your life. Will you wait for any pandit ji to tell the 'subh muhurat' to you?"

The day when Madhu was exposed; in study

"Bhai, I have checked Mehta's file. Just confirm it once. We should send it today. Do you need to visit doctor today?"

Sanskar was lost in thoughts about the incidents. "Huh?.. No lucky. I spoke with doctor yesterday. He's in Patna for a week. So... And the file is fine."

"So how do you feel Bhai?" Laksh asks playfully all of a sudden.

"The clauses seems fine. Why? You went through them, right?"

Laksh rolls his eyes. "Let's talk about you.."

"Me?.. I'm good now. Ragini is better---

Laksh narrows his eyes with a grin and wiggle his eyebrows.

"What?"

"Arre, say na Bhai.."

"Oh.. Woh.. " Sanskar looks here and there. "You won't stop nagging, right?" Sanskar says rubbing his eyebrows.

"Aah.. I got my answer." Laksh winked at Sanskar.

"Thanks." Sanskar rolled his eyes.

"I'm happy, Bhai." Laksh smiled heartily patting Sanskar's shoulder. "So when?"

"When what?" He spat.

"Come on, Bhai! There would have been a moment when it clicked that 'your heart is no more yours'. And when are you telling her?" Laksh asked enthusiastically.

Sanskar rolled eyes at his brother unknowingly. "It didn't occur in a moment, Laksh. It was gradual; on considering her as my wife from the moment I filled her Maang, the initial months where we spent time laughing with each other, when she used to talk to me like a child, and on comforting each other. And when I felt I'll lose her, that moment made me realise that my life will be meaningless without her." A small smile played on Sanskar's lips, his eyes twinkling with adoration.

"And regarding letting her know about my feelings, not now Lucky. Let her recover. And I guess, she needs a little more time."

Sanskar heaved a sigh. He was tired yet relieved! "What necessary at the moment is trust and we trust eachother very well. I don't want her to think that I'm confessing my feelings just to ward off her insecurities."

"Bhai, but--"

"Lucky look, Ragini knows that I'm always there for her, what she means to me and that she's a part of my life which I can never lose. That's enough for us to stay together.

Yaar, she is a simple girl who cherishes special moments in her life and I want to make our moments special. She would have dreamt of being special in someone's life. She deserves it! I want to create tiny moments for her. I want to give her all she deserves, even if it costs my life. And, this time is the worst for it." Sanskar tried to put together words on what he wanted.

"You're right Bhai! But, maybe the confession from your side will help you both in this crisis! Kavitha is your ex-gf. A part of your life which has the strength to destroy your present and future. Just think about it!!"

"Kavita.... I need to talk to her! And she's my past! I will make sure she's doesn't mess up the present or future. And I can't let her affect the things I'm yet to do. Ragini and I have been together for months but it has been long since we have spent some time with eachother without any worries. And.... it's just that.... IT'S NOT THE TIME!! NOT TILL KAVITHA GOES!"

****

Uttara ran down the stairs as their new guest followed her to the dining hall and settled opposite to DP.

"Tch! You could have atleast taken care of your guest's likes, Sujatha aunty. Anyways, I don't expect you to feed me. But... Forget it!" Kavitha said with her usual sly smile. Grabbing her phone, she stood up to walk away after glancing the family at once.

After a few steps ahead, she turned around only to talk to Arvind. "Better advice the person who you send to follow me against irritating me!"

***

A few minutes later, Sanskar and Laksh joined the family at the dining, the atmosphere unusually tensed.

"Anything happened?" Sanskar enquired noticing a serious Arvind with a deep frown.

"Huh... Nothing bhaiyya. That ghost didi managed to appear for a minute just to make everyone sulk. What I'm understanding is, why she is being a damp cracker. She's the villain who is supposed to be lava; burning her enemies around her. But..." Ananya trailed off seeing Arvind's glare and stuffed an additional piece of paratha into her mouth. "Character mein kyun nahi aa rahi hai yeh!!" She murmured to herself.

Sujatha had her brain messed up since last evening, courtesy, the drama unfolded before her eyes.

"Look Chora, I don't want that witch here for long. Do whatever you have to and pack her up at the earliest. And you have to do this. I don't want her to drag Ragini into more problems. She has managed to torture our child for long. If she is trying to do something vile again, I won't think twice before feeding poison to her, I'm saying." Suji said breathing fire.

"Maa, we said, right. Everything will be fine." Ragini tried to coax Sujatha for the nth time from morning and passed a smile to Sanskar. The only thing blinked in her brain!

"I believe the decisions won't make things worse, Sanskar. It shouldn't! I don't want to interrupt what you are trying to do right now. But if things get worsen, we have our ways to tackle it." Durgaprasad said with a tone of finality.

Sanskar nodded meekly and gestured Adarsh reminding him to have a talk with the senior Maheswaris regarding the Mehtas.

***

"Everything will be fine, right Maa?" Ragini let the warmth of her mother's embrace seep through her. It has been long she got a moment to be held by her mother; to be in peace.

"Everything will be perfect soon, Ragu!" Sharmishta stroke her head lovingly as she closed her eyes in worry mumbling a silent prayer for her words to turn true.

Swara was sitting besides her father who had a speedy recovery. He could now sit properly and had attempted to walk few times.

"How's Sanskar and Laksh?" Shekhar asked in a low voice.

"They're in the study, Baba, with Aru and Ananya. You were dozing off whenever they came to see you." Swara said with a soft smile as she held a morsel before his lips.

***

"Tell us about that day, Sanskar." Arvind broke the silence prevailed; his mood still sore.

Sanskar heaved a sigh. Even now, his heart sank on thinking about the day. The day when he lost his life once! Is that day, that feeling going to be insignificant?!

"Since Bade Papa didn't favour the relation, I had moved out from here and we decided to get married a week before her birthday.

Three years ago...

"How do I look?" Kavitha was ecstatic as she slightly twirled in her simple wedding attire.

"What I had imagined and what I got to see!!" Sanskar sulked rolling his eyes.

"Why?... Hey stop that, you idiot! I know I'm looking beautiful." She twitched her lips making Sanskar smile.

"Why do you ask when you know that you won't get a straight answer from me?"

"Today is not like any other day. I just wanted to hear once from you." The playfulness in her tone was replaced by warmth and a tinge of blush adorned her cheeks.

"Beautiful than ever!!" Sanskar entwined his fingers with her's as they crossed the road to reach the temple. "Bhagwaan will forgive this thuchch manushya (insignificant human) for lying once to make a naari (woman) happy!!" He said dramatically as she swat his arm following his.

"I'm afraid, Sanskar!" Kavita couldn't be silent as nervousness began to engulf her, a feeling of uncertainty bubbled inside her. "Of something.. I don't know. You won't feel guilty of going against your family, would you?"

"We spoke about this, Kavitha." Sanskar tightened the grip as they ascended the steps. "We decided it together, didn't we? You and I are enough for us." They halted at the steps as he clasped her hands.

Kavitha hummed in agreement smiling, the smile failing to reach her eyes. "I wish it was in better circumstances. But that doesn't matter as long as you're with me." She tried to cheer up again.

"But... I miss something." She sighed. "My phone!?" She got tensed all of a sudden. "Few minutes, Sanskar. I had it in my hand." She ran down the stairs searching for her phone.

Sanskar sighed. She wanted everything to be simple, filled with happiness and was fretting over the opposition from his family.

"Bhai, please come back. We can solve the matter. I will speak to Papa." Laksh tried to convince Sanskar to return to Maheswari Mansion over phone but in vain.

"We could have handled in a better way Laksh. You spoiled it. I can't let Kavitha go through the insult she faced from your father just because of she's not a girl whom he can accept as his daughter-in-law. I love her and today we are stepping ahead to create our own small world---"

"If you think everything will go as you intend to happen, then it is not going to happen Sanskar Maheswari. Remember, you're nothing without being a Maheswari! You're just going to see what's life and how dreadful it can be!" Durgaprasad Maheswari's voice boomed from the other side as he snatched the phone from Laksh, making Sanskar disconnect the call.

"SANSKAAARRR!!!" Kavitha screeched as a car sped towards her, sweeping her feet off the ground, making him freeze for a second.

"When I managed to move aside the crowd, what I saw was her, lying soaked in her own blood." Sanskar gulped down the lump formed in her throat. He felt a hand on his shoulder, which somehow soothed him a bit and he turned to find Ragini blinking her eyes, mouthing 'It's okay' to him.

"You didn't get her to hospital?" Arvind asked.

"Yes, at the very next moment people arranged a vehicle and also informed the City Hospital. But she was hurt badly and had internal haemorrhage. Doctors couldn't save her from slipping into coma."

"So you're saying that she was in vegetative state!" It came more of as a statement from Arvind.

"The next day I woke up in hospital bed and came to know that she was moved to Healthline Hospital in Mumbai by her Papa. When I managed to reach there, I got to know that she's...." he trailed off.

Taking a deep breath, he continued. "Her phone was left at the accident spot. Maybe her relatives got to know in that way. I can't remember if anything else transpired between all these. But her news of her demise was not a secret. I had our common friends in Mumbai. And they were with me those days for support."

"And she's now standing alive before you!" Ananya chirped lazily as she continued noting the points in her diary. "You missed something! We can talk to her parents."

"She considered her maternal uncle and aunt as her Ma-Papa. What I came to know was that they left to New York just after the accident and declined to talk to me, even about Kavitha."

"This is so stupid!!! Sorry for being insensitive. But haven't you attended the funeral or visited the grave?? How can you be so sure that Kavitha was actually dead? Maybe she remained in coma and woke up later. In New York, maybe!! Waise, these sautans always do this, you know. At first they make a temporary exit, lets the hero or heroine's life settle and once the sautan feels that they breathed normally for few hours or days, they make the re-entry like a tornado making the life scattered. Then we need to gather the pieces but the damage will be done, right?" Ananya ranted in a go, her expressions varying from pissed off, pondering, disappointed and back to pissed off while Swaragini smiled slightly shaking their heads. 'Thodi pagal hai kabhi kabhi!'

"Anything else, Sanskar?" Arvind asked after glaring Ananya.

"Kavitha had kept a surprise for me!! She said she will say it on her birthday." Sanskar sighed visibly tired from all the memories gushing to his mind.

"What?!!" Ananya jumped a little from her seat. "Surprise!! What surprise? Something personal about her? You both had a long-term relationship and yet there were secrets! Was she going to tell to that she doesn't love you? Or---"

"After marriage?" Arvind cut off Ananya in between. "What's wrong with your brain lately?"

"Maybe!" She replied confused. "Sir, this is so disappointing! I had prepared a hell lot of questions for that supposed villain Ms. Mehta and it all went wasted. We would have closed this case yesterday itself. Yeh kaisi baat huyi. I'm feeling bad for myself." She pouted as Arvind rolled his eyes on her childishness.

"Waise, are you sure that Durgaprasad uncle don't have a hand in it?" Ananya raised her eyebrow.

Laksh hummed in agreement to it. "Papa was furious back then. But he just wanted Bhai to back off from the wedding. He threw words in anger for sure, but he meant the difficulties Bhai would face without family for aid given that we lived in joint family. And I also intended to convince Papa but ended up in a mess."

"Aap kuch sahi karte kab ho!!" Ananya murmured it more like a statement.

"Huh!?" Laksh raised eyebrows at her to which she twitched her lips while others rolled their eyes.

"But the main point is..." Sanskar said slowly skeptically "the car which hit Kavitha was ours!"

"What!?" Ananya and Arvind shrieked while Ragini and Swara gasped.

Filler episode it is, I know!

Thanks a lot for the reads, votes and comments so far.

With Love
Sameera ♥️