Leaving?

Shahana was leading Prachi to her room. A million questions on the tip of her tongue, that she was somehow holding back till they reach the solitude of their room. Prachi was just walking in a trance remembering the hurt brown eyes, that were broken but still cared for her. It showed in the look he gave her, that how much she still mattered to him, even though she was the sole reason for his grief. 

They reached the room and as soon Prachi sat on her bed Shahana started boomeranging  her with questions.

"What is wrong with you Prachi? you haven't eaten since the day before yesterday. You said you were doing all this for Maasi. How do you think your sacrifice is going to help massi if you won't be there? You think her being with Mr. Mehra will help is she lost her another daughter ? Have you utterly lost it? What the bloody hell were you even thinking?" Shahana asked in complete bewilderment. Her usual chirpy nature thrown out of the window. How can she keep her cool as she witness her sister putting fire to her own life.

Prachi, not having enough energy, replied in a simple monotone, "That's the thing, that I just can't stop thinking. I just can't help but think how screwed my life has become. I've hurt the only person that I've come to love. I stole the light from his life when he was the one to make my world bright. Every time I want to do something, anything it reminds me of him. And how I burned his life to ashes. 

Because of me Maya charged fake molestation case on Ranbir. And even now he Because of me Rhea lost her love for Ranbir. Because of me every function ever happened in the MK mansion turned gloomy as every time something bad happened to me. Maa was missing Papa these last twenty years because she had me with her. Now that I am being distant to them, have you seen how much Maa Papa and Rhea resembles a happy family. Rhea was right from the beginning, I am the sole reason for everyone's sadness. 

I'm not doing any good to anyone here. I'm nothing but a burden who do nothing good but instead bring darkness to those whose life I touch. Every single life that I touch get filled with grimness. I have decided Shahana. I'm gonna leave." she said , her voice breaking in the middle, but resolve clear in the last.

"WHAT!!! What the hell do you mean by you are going to leave?" Asked Shahana baffled.

"I mean that after my Birthday I'll go to Hoshiarpur. I was already going to leave to Mumbai for job after Rhea and Ranbir's marriage. Why to endure more hurt myself and inflict pain to others when I can just get rid of the heartache sooner. I've already cleared two set of online interviews and the last personal interview was scheduled after the marriage in the company itself. But now I'll spend the time till the interview in Hoshiarpur, I'll even spend some time with Beeji." said Prachi.

"You have got to be kidding me. You can not just leave, Have you ever thought what will happen to your parents if you left?" Shahana tried to make her see sense. But her attempts were too weak, as Prachi continued "I'm not joking. I can NOT live here. I feel suffocated here. I feel like my soul is torn into shreds. I feel like I'm gonna ruin everything, every happiness this family has. I'm breaking apart Shahana, and I know that you can see it. I can not risk everyone else to see it too. Before I kill their marriage spirit I'll leave. I was going to leave, so why not now." a few tears left her eyes.

Shahana knew that her pleas will fall on deaf ears, so she said something that Prachi was least expecting, " Okay then, You can go. You can leave and go where the hell ever you want, but I am coming with you." Prachi, tried to refuse her but she cut her off by saying, "I AM COMING WITH YOU. I'm not going to let you go that easily. " she stated firmly, but then seeing her tears she hugged her, and added softly, "None of it is your fault Prachi. Not even a single thing is your fault, so don't blame yourself." A few of her own tears flowing down her cheeks.

They heard footsteps coming and pulled back quickly wiped their tears. They relaxed as they saw Pragya enter with a tray of food in her hands and a small smile on her face.

"Here I brought food for you." Pragya put the tray on the bed in between the two girls.

"Maa I can't eat this much." protested Prachi.

"It's for the both of you. And Shahana make sure that she eats properly. If she don't, feel free to force feed her. And give her those vitamin tablets afterwards. Okay?" Instructed Pragya in a firm mother tone and left after Shahana positively replied to do as said. After Pragya left Prachi and Shahana ate peacefully as Shahana directed their conversation to lighter topics.

~*~

Pragya was walking towards the kitchen after giving food to the girls and making sure that Shahana will make Prachi eat and will also give her the prescribed energy supplements. Her thoughts were in a wind whirl and her heart was clutched with grief when she bumped into someone. She would have fallen back if two hands had not held her shoulders and made her steady on her feet.

It was Abhi who had caught her. "Woah chashmish, just because your husband is so handsome doesn't mean you will be daydreaming about me all the time." he said in a teasing tone. But as soon as she looked up with teary eyes, he became serious and asked her in a panicky tone "Hey fuggi, what happened why are you crying? Is everything Okay?"

That was all it took for her to finally break down, right there. She was about to fall on her knees, had Abhi not been still holding her shoulders. He led her to the couch in living area. Small sobs still breaking from her chest. Thankfully, no one was there.

"Pragya what happened? What's the matter." Abhi asked again, kneeling in front of her.

"I'm not a good mother. I'm the worst mother. No one in the entire world should be unfortunate enough to have me as a mother." Cried Pragya, hiding her face in her hands.

"No, don't say such stupid things. You are the best mother one could ever wish for. You brought up Prachi to be so kind hearted and sweet and the beautiful human that she is. That too alone. You are not a bad mother, not at all." He tried to reason with her, but she only shook her head.

"No I am a bad mother. I lost Kiara. I couldn't be there for Rhea when she needed me. And now.... now that I finaly had Rhea back I...I am loosing Prachi. I... I am loosing my touch with her. I have lost her.... so much that she wants to leave. She is..... leaving us." she said, another set of tears breaking loose.

"Leaving?" asked Abhi at which Pragya just nodded her head lightly.

"Did she said that to you herself?" asked Abhi once again. His voice expressing no emotions. Pragya shook her head.

"Then how can you be so sure? She must be saying something else and you grasped something else." He reasoned, but again Pragya shook her head.

"I heard her talking to Shahana." she started telling him

Flashback

Pragya was walking towards Prachi's room with the tray of food in her hands. She turned the knob to open the door, she had just cracked open the door but stopped to adjust the tray. She was about to open the door ajar when she froze in her tracks. She strained her ears to listen again to be sure she didn't heard wrong. To her hearts dismay she had heard right. She stood there unable to move, listening.

"Maa was missing Papa these last twenty years because she had me with her. Now that I am being distant to them, have you seen how much Maa Papa and Rhea resembles a happy family. Rhea was right from the beginning, I am the sole reason for everyone's sadness." WHAT?

I'm not doing any good to anyone here. I'm nothing but a burden who do nothing good but instead bring darkness to those whose life I touch. Every single life that I touch get filled with grimness. I have decided Shahana. I'm gonna leave." She heard Prachi say and her hand flew to her mouth, stifling her gasp.

"WHAT!!!" Shahana had shouted "What the hell do you mean by you are going to leave?"

"I mean that after my Birthday I'll go to Hoshiarpur. I was already going to leave to Mumbai for job after Rhea and Ranbir's marriage. Why to endure more hurt myself and inflict pain to others when I can just get rid of the heartache sooner. I've already cleared two set of online interviews and the last personal interview was scheduled after the marriage in the company itself. But now I'll spend the time till the interview in Hoshiarpur, I'll even spend some time with Beeji." said Prachi. What hurt?

"You have got to be kidding me. You can not just leave, Have you ever thought what will happen to your parents if you left?" Shahana said. Prachi continued "I'm not joking. I can NOT live here. I feel suffocated here. I feel like my soul is torn into shreds. I feel like I'm gonna ruin everything, every happiness this family has. I'm breaking apart Shahana, and I know that you can see it. I can not risk everyone else to see it too. Before I kill their marriage spirit I'll leave. I was going to leave, so why not now." At this a lone tear came free from her left eye.

"Okay then, You can go. You can leave and go where the hell ever you want, but I am coming with you. I AM COMING WITH YOU. I'm not going to let you go that easily. " Shahana stated firmly. 

Flashback over

"What how can she leave, Just like that?" Abhi said exaggerated "I'll go talk to her." he said getting up, but Pragya stopped him. 

"No, If she found out that we know, it'll just make her go earlier." she explained.

"Than what do we do? just see her leave? I can not let her go. Not when I've met her after twenty awaited years." said Abhi. 

"I know, and trust me, I am not going to let my family shatter once again." Pragya said a resolve in her eyes that was equally conveyed by her voice.

"I trust you Pragya and I know that you will never let our family drift apart. But how are you going to stop her without talking to her on this matter?" 

"She said that she is alone and she feel suffocated, we will have to cheer her up and show her that it is HER family. We will have to show her that she BELONGS here." She explained.

"But it is going to take time, we don't have enough time as she is going to leave in three days." he expressed his concern. 

"I know and I have a perfect plan to stop her, cheer her up, and help her." she assured him and reached for her mobile looking for a number and after a short search she dailed it.

~*~

Rhea had heard Pragya telling Abhi that Prachi was leaving just after the Birthday, and she could not be happier. She had not heard the entire conversation, she just heard that Pragya had listened to Prachi telling Shahana that she will leave and had left from there as she could not see her mother in pain.

"But it is for your own good mom," she said, sitting on her bed in her room.

"Prachi would not have been happy seeing Ranbir being mine. And you would have been sad because of her. You would not have been happy for your other other daughter because of your elder daughter. You would have given all your attention to her and not be by my side as the mother of the bride. Because of Prachi you would have ignored me. But not now, now she will leave and all of your love, affection and focus will be for me and me only. Slowly but surely Ranbir will move on too. He will have to, after all for how much time he will be able to resist me?" She smirked. 

"Well why not start trying now?" she said to herself and left to find Ranbir in his room.

She reached Ranbir's room only to find it empty she then thought of him being in Aryan's room and went to check there. She found him talking on mobile facing the other direction. She closed the door softly, adjusted her dress, pulling her off shoulder top a little and throwing her hair behind her back to expose her collarbones, and slowly made her way over and back hugged him shocking him and turning around, pushing her off him. He quickly muttered something on his phone that sounded like 'talk to you later'. She took it as he too wants to spend time with her and that's why he disconnected the call, and proceeded to hug him. Not caring when he moved back a little, and not at all minding when he did not reciprocated the hug. 

"Rhea what are you doing?" he said, trying to get out of her grasp. 

"Well what does it seem like? I am trying to get romantic with my workaholic to be husband." She replied, batting her eyelashes.

"Rhea-"

"It's Okay Ranbir" once again trying to hug him more closely.

"Rhea-" He tried again.

"It's fine Ranbir we are going to get married." she said while putting his arms around herself, and holding them there

"But we are NOT yet." He tried to pull back but to no avail.

He already knew that Prachi was the only girl for him. And standing there with his arms, though forcefully, around Rhea, it became more prominent in his heart that no one can take her place. Not even her own twin sister. Her own flesh and blood, who had spent same amount of time in the exact same womb. But she could never give him the same comfort, happiness or any other feeling that Prachi could make him feel. His Prachi could make him feel. Not even close.

Rhea took his not pulling back as her victory, and pecked his cheek, bringing him out of his trance. And he immediately pulled back. She was about to reach for him again when the door suddenly opened. 

"Aryan are you coming? Massi-" there stood Shahana, her mouth open, not able to complete what she was saying.

"What the hell? Don't you have any manners to knock the door before coming in?" shrieked Rhea. 

"Oh hello, if you are being so desperate than make sure to lock the door to before hand." replied Shahana in a fitting manner.

"We do whatever we want in our room. You have no right to just barge in." replied Rhea in a 'Oh-so-Rhea' way.

"First of all this is NOT either of your room. This is Aryan's room and he knew that I was coming. Massi and Mr. Mehra had asked me to go back with Aryan and bring my stuff over." replied Shahana shutting Rhea up.

"Shahana, Aryan is here." came a voice from behind. They turned to see Prachi and Aryan coming towards them. 

They looked around on them three. Rhea left from there, smirking. 

"Prachi why did you came here? You just took such strong medicine. You should not have come." said Shahana, concerned.

Prachi looked once at Ranbir and hurt flashed across her eyes. She casted her eyes down. 

"Aryan came looking for you in my room. I just wanted to get out of the room for sometime, so I wanted to come with you two. But you are right, I shouldn't have come. I'll be waiting by the car." saying this she hurriedly left.

Shahana was about to follow her when Ranbir called out her name and she turned around to look at him with an unreadable expression. "Thanks you saved me, just now, from Rhea." he said with a small smile.

"But I couldn't save her." saying this she also left.

Ranbir looked at Aryan, who was looking at him with a pitiful reaction and gave him a quizical look. Aryan pointed at his face and he too left. Confused, Ranbir walked towards the mirror to find out what had gotten into them. And there it was, looking back at him, mocking him, a large lipstick mark on his cheek.

Cursing his bad luck under his breadth, he left for his room, not before wiping the mark with his hand.

A/N :- Hey Honeybuns! Sorry to disappoint you lot who thought that Pragya will hear about the deal, but making her come to know about the deal just yet will result in ending of the story and I have planned way too much fun in this story to let it go in vain. 

I know this chapter was not so much fun in the beginning but believe me next chapter will be Awesome. Also as I asked who was the third person. You will get to know it in the chapters that will follow and you won't be disappointed. 

Do share your thoughts on this chapter. Inline comments are merrily welcome. You can point out any mistakes you find in the chapter. If you liked the chapter please do Vote and Comment, it will mean a lot.

# Who do you think Pragya called?

Lots of Love,

Simran