Sameer was in a disoriented state when he came out of the residential complex where Shraddha and Rahul lived.

How could they?

A part of him still felt that this was all a nightmare. No one could harbor such hatred in them to want to destroy someone, that too, in the name of love!

He kicked the road as he walked towards his hotel. The chilly winds of Pune slapped him across the face, but he didn't pay heed.

After walking for about half an hour, he finally arrived at his hotel. It was nearing ten in the night now, but Sameer had no appetite left. He ambled over to the lift and reached his room. Once inside, he slowly pulled out his shoes and lay there on the bed, lost in thought.

He then picked up the telephone and asked to connect to Delhi. Deepika received the call.

"Sameer bhaiya? Aap kaise ho? Kahan ho? Theek ho? Mummy ki halat kharab hai aapke baare mein chinta kar karke-"

"Theek hun....Mummy ko phone de...!" Sameer said quietly.

He heard Deepika calling out to their mother and then footsteps in the distance, drawing nearer.

"Sameer! Tu kahan hai? Theek to hai na tu?" Vishakha spoke hurriedly. Her voice was laced with worry.

"Hmm...theek hun. Yahi batane ke liye phone kiya tha. Aap pareshan mat ho," he added after a pause, "Mom, main soch raha hun kuch din zara Ahemdabad hoke aaun. Munna, Pandit se mil lunga. Thoda man halka hoga."

"Haan beta...bilkul jao. Wo dono tumhare saath rahenge to mujhe fikar nahi hogi!"

After a few casual remarks, Sameer disconnected the phone on the pretext of being tired.

Vishakha looked at the receiver and then her bloodshot eyes sprang towards her husband, who had come and stood next to her, anxious for news of Sameer. His face was fraught with guilt as he asked, "kya kaha? Kahan hai wo?"

"Theek hai keh raha hai, lekin aawaaz bahot udaas hai. Kuch bataya nahi. Keh raha hai ki Ahemdabad jaa raha hai, Munna Pandit ke pass. Ek baar wapis aa jaye to aap khud hi sach bata dena. Ab main apne bete ki nazron mein aur buri nahi ban sakti. Na maine use kabhi maa ka pyaar diya, na use kabhi baap ka sukh mila. Sari umar akela hi raha. Aur jab use koi mili jo use chahati thi, usne use bhi kho diya- aapki wajah se...aur kaaran fir se main hi bani... "

Mr. Somani nodded tiredly. He and Vishakha had a huge fight when he came home that night. She told him about Naina's visit and how she'd incriminated him of sabotaging her life.

Mr. Somani then told her the truth. He told her that he'd indeed received a phone call from Naina's house all those years ago, but he thought it must have been one of those scammers who have their eyes on their business and their wealth. He explained to her that he'd thought that Naina and her family were nothing but gold diggers. They must have realized Sameer was a golden goose and with a loose character, he could easily be pinned for getting a girl pregnant. He'd seen a fair amount of this world to know such people did not stop at using their daughters as a means to an end. And even if it was a genuine case, Mr. Somani had confessed that he hadn't expected Sameer to be in love with the girl. At that time, his relations with Sameer weren't harmonious- add to it, the stress of his father-in-law fighting for his life in the hospital, he had snubbed them off and forgotten about them. Later, when Sameer had tried to take his life, he'd remembered the call. He had then realized that Sameer too must have been deeply in love with that girl. In his defense, he had tried to collect some information on Naina, but got to know that by that time, she was already married. Mr. Somani had then thought it wise to keep quiet and let Sameer move on in life. That was part of the reason he handed over Somani Publication House to him to run, in the hope that he'd immerse himself in work. Bitterness for the one you love, often instills a drive to succeed in life was what he felt.

Vishakha had hollered at him for keeping this a secret from Sameer and from her. She was also ashamed of the way she'd behaved with Naina. After all, the girl had been a victim of circumstances and whatever happened to her, Sameer had been equally at fault. And then she realized- if Naina was pregnant with Sameer's child, what had happened to it? Did she abort? And the thought sent chills down her spine. She became morose. But what if she hadn't? Was her daughter...what was her name? Diya...yes...was Diya Sameer's flesh and blood? Was it why Sameer was so concerned about her, so attached to her? Did he know too? That must be why he and Munna, Pandit were hesitant to talk to her. But now all was lost. Naina belonged to someone else. She couldn't bring her back into Sameer's life- all because her husband had been vindictive against Sameer, had labelled him as a lad with loose morals. For a moment, she wondered how her husband would have reacted had she done something similar to Rohan. Her eyes flicked to his and she knew.

He would have never forgiven her.

***

Naina stepped out of the train onto Platform number 2. She lifted Diya off the train and put her down on the ground. And then she hauled the two pieces of luggage that she'd brought along. Years of practice at carrying her own luggage, with a young daughter, often a toddler had made her an expert. She pulled one of the bags over her shoulder and carried the suitcase in her free hand. Her other hand was firmly ensconsced in Diya's tiny palm.

"Diya, mummy ke saath me chalna. Idhar udhar nahi bhaagna," she instructed, and the mother-daughter duo began making their way out of the platform.

It had hardly been a minute when she felt a tug at the suitcase and the bag being pulled away from her. Startled, she turned in the direction of the person who'd taken her things and unknowingly backed away a step. Her mouth fell open at the sight.

Anand was holding her bags, his eyes on the brink of tears and his lips distorted into a small, sad smile- a nostalgic, regretful smile.

Before Naina could regain her speech, she was pulled into a fierce hug by Bela.

"Chachaji...chachi...!" she whispered through the hug, still dazed at seeing them after years.

Preeti was standing right behind her mother, waiting to embrace her next.

In the next few minutes, much to Diya's confusion, there was a mix of hugs, tears and apologies rendered between her mother and those strangers.

"Yeh...yeh Diya hai?" Preeti's eyes widened suddenly. And without waiting for an answer, she scooped her in her arms. "Naina...yeh kitni pyaari hai...iski aankhein ekdum teri jaisi hain!"

And then all eyes focused on Diya, caressing her cheeks, pinching them, patting her hair and that elderly couple held her in their arms one by one, excitedly discussing how cute she was, that her fingers were like her grandmother's and so on.

Naina softly caressed her hair and told Diya. "Diya beta...yeh aapke nana ji, nani ji hain. Inhein namaste karo." Diya folded her hands in front of Anand and Bela. "Namaste nana ji, nani ji."

"Aur yeh mausi hain aapki, Preeti mausi!"

"Namaste mausi!" Diya murmured in her sweet crackling voice.

"Namaste beta...," Preeti mausi planted a big kiss onto her cheeks.

Few minutes later, they were seated in the silver Santro that Anand had brought a few months ago on a loan. Naina praised the car, while Diya was fixated with the slightly ripped plastic covering the seats. It seemed that each one of them was feeling slightly uncomfortable. Though they were all a family, each one of them was grappling with the decisions of their past. They were all talking formally, with Anand and Bela commenting on Diya's features and her progress, worrying about her illness and what Naina was doing to contain it. There were references of how much Naina had grown in these past five years. What age had not done, had been done by the lessons life had in store for her. She seemed wiser to the world and its ways, and humbled by the tragedies inflicted upon her.

As they stood outside her maternal home, Naina noticed her father and brother, her elder uncle and aunt and her cousin Pralay, were nowhere to be seen. Sadly, she presumed that she was still not forgiven by her entire family.

She then saw an unknown lady emerge from the adjacent flat. Her eyes flicked to the door which had a different name plate on- which meant her elder aunt and uncle no longer lived there. Preeti told her that a year after she left, her tauji had gotten some really good cases, and earned a great deal of money. They had then moved to a more spacious house on Satellite road. Pralay, who was now in his teens, was sadly turning troublesome. He hardly studied, dawdled his time, took the money his father earned for granted, and was seen in the company of bad boys a few times. The family, including Anand and Bela were trying their best to steer the child back on the path of righteousness.

Naina sat down on the familiar sofa set in the living room, her eyes still searching for her father and brother. Diya was taking in the new house. It was as if she'd been alone all these years, and all of a sudden, she was bombareded with family members she'd never seen, places she'd never visited. Naina hesitated and finally asked about Arjun and her father.

Anand and Bela exchanged a look. They had been fearing this moment. Anand then explained that Arjun had quit Cricket after he got a government job in the hydropower unit in Himachal Pradesh. He, his wife and his two-year old daughter now lived there with him. A year before, Rakesh's health had deteoriated and he'd left to be with his son. It had been hardly two months there when he suffered a heart-attack and passed away. The news of her father's death settled like a heavy rock in her heart. She cried for a while, while Anand and Bela consoled her, reminding her that no mortal had control over the will to live or die. They told her that they were proud of what she'd made of herself- how she'd fought the odds against her, battled the world all by herself and that, if there was anyone who had to be ashamed, it was they, her family, who should have protected her, whatever be the case.

For lunch, Bela had cooked all the delicacies Naina had once savoured, but now she ate mechanically. Perhaps because it had been such a long time, or the news of her father's demise, or the awkwardness of being back in the home from where she was kicked out, or her guilt gnawing at her for tumbling her and her family's world upside down.

Diya meanwhile had struck a camaraderie with Preeti mausi and was awed at suddenly having a nana and a nani pampering her. Bela kept checking with Naina before serving anything to Diya, while Anand was advising Naina to consult one of his friends, who was an excellent pediatrician.

Except this, there was no real conversation, conversation about their past, their unresolved issues- of all that had transpired five years back till present. As if everyone was putting on a charade.

Preeti's husband and children popped in around noon. Pleasantries were exchanged. Naina observed that Jitesh did not ask her anything about her husband. So he knew. He took his leave an hour later as he had to get back to work and left the children there with Preeti. Diya was thrilled to have cousin brothers to play with. God seemed to be in a bountiful mood today. First such sweet Nana-nani, then a fun mausi, and then two lively cousin brothers who were equally exalted to have a sister to play with.

By evening, emotions got the better of all of them and the conversation finally turned frank and open. Anand nearly cried as he begged Naina to forgive him for being such a pathetic uncle, a pathetic father. If she had done something wrong, he should have still stood by her and not left her alone to fend for herself. Bela had already broken down and kept apologizing for differentiating between her and Preeti. She'd been so taken aback by her pregnancy that she forgot that Naina was at the end, a young girl, inexperienced in ways of the world. If she'd been charmed by a boy, or fallen in love, it wasn't all her fault that she was abandoned by him. Bela should have protected Naina like a mother would have, but she hadn't.

Preeti too asked for her forgiveness. She had been too absorbed in the fantasy of her wedding and partly enraged at the fact that Naina had kept such a huge secret from her, and at the way she defied those who loved her. She had deluded herself into believing that Naina hadn't trusted her, so she mustn't trust her back. It had been too much- with the stress of wedding over their heads, her pregnancy, the image of the family at stake with hordes of relatives swarming about, and then Sameer's betrayal.

Anand told her that a few weeks after she left, he'd been overcome by grief and by the sense of injustice he'd meted out to her. He and Bela had gone to the ashram to meet her, to help her during her pregnancy and had been thinking if they could put up the child for adoption. They would make sure the child was brought up properly and cared for, and Naina could begin her life afresh. Bela, having given birth herself, knew about the maternal chords that bind a mother to her child, and was certain Naina would not be able to stay away from her progeny. Still, she decided to try with her husband, for the sake of a new life for Naina. But when they'd arrived at the ashram, they were informed that no girl named Naina had come to them in the past few weeks, nor had any pregnant woman sought shelter there.

They'd been shocked, and morose, worried that something had happened to her. They enquired in other nearby ashrams as well, filed a complaint with the police, hoping they'll maintain secrecy but couldn't find her. They'd spent all these years in guilt, in sadness, chastising themselves, hoping against hope that she would come home one day, and then fearing the worst that something had happened to her. And when two days ago, Preeti had bumped into Swati and got to know that Naina was alive and married in Delhi, it was as if a new life had been breathed into them.

Naina then explained that the train journey from Vadodara to Jaipur had been an arduous one, especially since they'd travelled a lot in the past few days- to the village, then to Vadodara and all of it had an impact on her health. She hadn't been eating properly and was almost feverish. A kindly old lady, Mrs. Arora, a co-passenger in the train, had helped her throughout the journey. A few minutes before they'd been about to disembark, Naina had fainted. Mr. and Mrs. Arora had taken charge and rushed her to a nearby hospital as soon as the train halted at Jaipur. She was given a drip, and some multi-vitamin supplements and kept under overnight observation. An hour later, when she regained consciousness, they were there by her side. They told her that her baby was safe, and it seemed that she'd passed out from stress. They asked about her family, her husband, at which she broke down and told them her story and how with nowhere else to go, and not wanting to kill her child, she was headed for an ashram in Jaipur. The couple took pity on her and asked her to stay with them instead of the ashram. They gave her a room to stay in their house. Mr. Arora was an editor for a local magazine and after getting to know of her qualification, got her some copy-writing work that she could do from home. That and the money given by Chachaji helped her wade through financial distress.

Now that she thought about it, she wondered how the couple had trusted an unknown woman they'd just met, and why she'd put faith in complete strangers herself. It might have been stupid for her- even dangerous, yet she followed them. About two months later, she got a house on rent for herself nearby, where Mrs. Arora used to drop by frequently to check upon her. They helped her with her medical bills and doctor's appointments. As much as her health allowed, Naina did some freelancing for Mr. Arora's magazine. That gave her a tiny income to sustain her household, not that she could afford everything that a mother-to-be should eat, or the way she should take care of herself.

It was after Diya's birth that she'd gone to AIIMS for her checkup and ended up settling in Delhi. She told them all about bumping into Arvind there and how she'd found a family for herself in Delhi too. Mr. and Mrs. Arora kept visiting her frequently, till about two years ago when they left the country to be with their daughter and son-in-law in the US. Naina said the kindness the couple had shown her made her love them like her own parents.

Chachaji and Chachiji berated themselves, and silently thanked the Gods for taking care of their daughter when they failed to do so. Her noble deeds of some past life must have brought such angels to her, who helped her through those tumultuous times.

Naina told them how she hard she had to try to assimilate in her new life. There were many societymen who still felt she'd been abandoned by her husband. "Which is partially true anyway!" said Naina bitterly.

"Naina sun, ek baat kahun to bura to nahi maanegi?" Preeti said slowly. Chachaji and Chachiji fell silent. This was the moment.

"Kya?" Naina asked.

"Humein...hamein lagta hai ki tujhe Sameer ko leke bahot badi galatfehmi huyi thi," Preeti said.

Naina's face lost colour. She gulped, her eyes flickered over to Chachaji and Chachiji.

"Beta, shayad humein puri baat nahi pata," her chachi whispered.

"Matlab?"

"Kuch din pehle, maine bataya na mujhe mujhe market mein Swati mili thi." Preeti started.

Naina looked at Preeti in surprise. "Haan toh?"

Preeti nodded. "Wo Munna aur Swati ne shaadi kar li hai."

"Jaanti hun!" Naina uttered.

"Tujhe kaise pata?"

She shook her head. "Chod wo sab...tu bata kya kehna chahti hai?"

Preeti then briefed her about her meeting with Swati, Munna and Pandit as Naina listened on in shock.

"Agar tu chahti hai to unse ek baar mil le," Preeti said.

Chachaji said, "Naina beta, ek baar baat karne mein to koi harz nahi."

"Haan beta, ek baar mil ke to dekh le. Aage to teri marzi," Bela added.

Naina wasn't sure but convinced herself to meet them once. Maybe she could get some idea on Sameer's side of the story.

An hour later, Munna, Pandit and Swati entered their house.

They'd brought Mihir along with them. Pandit's wife, Anjali was back at home with their infant daughter, Prachi. The trio felt that Naina might feel awkward discussing such personal things of her life in front of Prachi, whom she'd never met. 

Swati eyes teared on seeing Naina. The two friends assessed each other for a minute and then Naina let out a shaky smile. That was enough for Swati. The two friends seized each other in a long embrace and sobbed together.

"Kahan chali gayi thi tu Naina? Aise koi karta hai kya? Mujhse bhi nahi kaha? Mujhe to batati na!" Swati sobbed.

Naina didn't answer but held onto her.

When they finally broke apart, Munna let out a small smile. "Kaisi hai Sipahi? Tu to badi bahadur nikli."

Naina smiled back at him sadly.

Pandit too greeted her. "Naina, yaar maaf kar de humein. Hum teri musibat ke samay...sab gadbad ho gaya. Hum kuch jaan hi nahi paaye!"

Naina just shrugged. "Tumhe kaise pata hota."

She spotted the young kid holding Munna's hand. This must be Mihir! He resembles Munna a lot. She beamed at Mihir and held out her hand for him. Mihir looked once from his mother to his father.

"Beta, aunty ko Namaste kaho!" Swati urged him.

Mihir folded his hands and greeted Naina. Naina blessed him and said to Munna and Swati, "bilkul papa pe hai, haina?"

Munna and Swati beamed and nodded, as Mihir freed himself from his father's grasp and hurried over to the group of children there. Diya was elated at having another child for company. "Who were these people? And where had they been all along?" she wondered.

Swati, Munna and Pandit met Diya and like everyone else, told her how her eyes were Naina's and the rest she'd taken after her father.

Bela chachi brought in tea and snacks for all of them, and then she and chachaji retreated to their room to let the youngsters talk in private. They took the children along with them. Apparently, it was time for Maggi and some storytelling.

Preeti sat next to Naina on the sofa, holding her. Munna and Pandit were perched on chairs opposite them. Swati was sitting on another sofa by Naina's side.

"Naina, tu Sameer ke baare mein jaisa soch rahi hai, wo vaisa nahi hai," Swati said.

"Haan Naina, main manta hun tujhe humpe vishwas nahi hoga. Hum uske dost hain, lekin Swati toh teri dost pehle hai na?" Munna added.

"Usne humein tere baare mein sab bataya tha, shayad Nanu ke accident ke kuch time pehle hi," Pandit exclaimed. "Hum uske kehne se pehle hi samajh gaye the ki wo tujhse pyaar karta hai, par khud nahi jaan paa raha tha."

"Wo tujhe chod ke nahi gaya tha Naina. Wo tujhse bahot pyaar karta tha- aaj tak karta hai. Bharosa kar Naina!" said Munna.

Naina was silent, mulling it over.

Munna glanced at Pandit and heaved, "Agar uski zindagi mein teri koi ahemiyat na hoti to kya wo apni jaan dene ki koshish karta?"

"Jaan dene ki koshish?" Naina raised her eyes in horror. "Kya?" she spat.

"Haan Naina, jab Sameer ko teri shaadi ke baare mein pata chala- bilkul toot gaya tha wo. Usne neend ki goliyon ka overdose le liya. Chamatkar tha ki wo bach gaya," Pandit informed her.

Vishakha's words rang in her ears. "Agar is baar use kuch ho gaya na...!" Naina's face paled.

"Yeh kab hua?" she meekly asked.

"Nanu ke jaane ke kuch mahine baad hi...wo Ahemdabad aaya tha tere liye...jab suna tu kisi aur ki ho chuki hai to do teen din sadme me raha...aur pata nai kaise nind ki goliyaan le li...ICU me rakha tha use- bahot nazuk halat thi. Agar Ramdhari samay par na dekhta to aaj wo hamare beech nahi hota."

Naina shivered as she envisioned the scenario where Sameer was no more. Even after all their history, she could not bear to have anything hurt him. Her mind wandered for an instant to the time she decided to keep Karwa Chauth for him in Mrs. Arora's house- just to protect him. Silently, she thanked the Gods for listening to her prayers.

And then she steeled herself. "Agar wo mujhse pyaar karta tha, to kya mujhe dhundhne ki koshish na karta? Maine use kitne phone kiye- ek baar bhi usse baat nahi huyi- aisa kaise ho sakta tha agar use mera khayal hota toh. Aur uske papa ne bhi yahi kaha tha na ki...," Naina's voice broke.

"Papa ne?"

Preeti took it from there. "Haan, actually hum logon ko jab sab pata chala to Tauji ne Sameer ke ghar Delhi phone kiya tha. Toh uske papa ne uske baare mein, hamare baare mein, Naina ke baare mein kaafi ulti seedhi baatein ki- unhone kaha ki Sameer characterless hi hai- aur bhi ladkiyon ke sath aisa kar chuka hai!"

Munna and Pandit exchanged shocked glances. "Somani uncle ne kaha aisa?" Pandit gritted his teeth.

Preeti nodded.

"Naina, humein nahi malum tu Sameer ki family ko kitna ache se jaanti hai. Mr. Somani Sameer ke sautele papa hain, aur wo use kuch khas pasand nahi karte. Ab to dono fir bhi theek hain ek dusre ke sath, lekin ek time par unhe ek dusre ki shakalein dekhna bhi gawara nahi tha," Munna explained.

"Aur nahi to kya. Isi wajah se to Sameer hostel mein raha itne saal, kyunki wo use apne ghar pe nahi rakhna chahte the!" Pandit added. "Lekin wo aisa karenge, yeh to humein bhi umeed nahi thi."

When this did not elicit a response from Naina, Pandit added desperately, "Usne tujhe bahot dhundha tha Naina. Bahot zyada. In fact, jis din Nanu ka wo accident hua, us din bhi subah se hum dono use hostel mein phone kar rahe the, lekin wo bahar tha- Mumbai me bhatak raha tha, tujhe dhundh raha tha. Aur jaise hi Nanu ke baare mein suna, wo sadme mein chala gaya tha Naina. Use kuch hosh hi nahi tha."

"Hum jaante hain uski kya halat thi un dinon- na khata tha, na pita tha, bas Nanu pe ek tak uski nazar lagi rehti thi. Aur agar tune yahan phone kiya to kasam se Naina, humein nahi pata...us time hum sab Nanu ko leke bahot pareshan the...aadhe se zyada time hospital mein hi rehte the hum sab."

"Arey use hosh bhi nahi tha ki wo Ahemdabad chod ke Delhi jaa raha hai. Beech mein usne tujhe yahan phone bhi kiya tha, par shayad Preeti ki shaadi ka mahaul tha to baat nahi ho paayi. Fir jaise jaise uske Nanu ki tabiyat bigadne lagi, Sameer ki khud ki halat bhi kharab ho gayi. Bas samajh le ki wo do-teen mahine unke, aur fir unke jaane ke gham mein khoya raha. Aur jab hosh sambhala, to suna ki teri shaadi ho chuki hai!"

Another silence followed. Naina was fidgeting with her pallu.

"Naina, use kuch nahi pata tha tere sath kya ho raha hai. Na hi Somani uncle ne humse kabhi zikr kiya. Use to Diya ke baare mein bhi bas kuch din pehle hi pata chala, jab tune use bataya," Swati explained. "Aur sach kahun to humein bhi."

"Wo tere ghar tak bhi aaya tha. Use yakeen nahi tha ki tune shaadi kar li. Use tab bhi galatfehmi lag rahi thi. Lekin yahan aake logon ki baatein sunke use sach ka ehsaas hua, aur fir wo depression me chala gaya, aur pata nahi jaane anjaane mein wo nind ki goliyaan le li."

"Itne saal, wo bas yahi samajhta raha ki tune use dhokha diya hai. Tune usse pyaar nahi kiya tha. Tune use apna dost bhi nahi maana. Naina, Sameer ko laga ki usne pehli baar, apne dil ke saare raaz, saare zakhm, saare armaan, kisi ke saamne khol kar rakh diye, aur usne bhi use dhokha de diya. Use...use laga tune uske upar Arvind ko chuna, kyunki wo uske saamne kuch bhi nahi tha- na uska parivaar tha, na achi job, na stability, upar se itne addictions-"

Naina's eyes shot up towards Pandit, and Preeti's hands wrapped around her tighter.

Pandit noticed this and added, "Galat mat samajh Naina. Aisa nahi hai ki hum tujhe blame kar rahe hain, lekin uska dil bahot buri tarah toot gaya tha. Ek baar tune bataya bhi hota to bhi wo samajh jaata. Matlab hum bhi samajhte hain ab Naina, ki teri kya majburi rahi hogi. Aur nahi bhi ho to bhi har insaan ko uske bhale bure ka faisla karne ka haq hai."

Naina looked away, her eyes watering. She could not bring herself to tell them anything- all that had transpired in her life. All this while, she'd blamed Sameer for her misery, but she was now hearing that he was equally tormented at being separated from her.

Munna sighed. "Agar ek baat kahun toh...tum dono hi ek dusre se pyaar karte the, par shayad waqt, ya kismet- wo tumhare sath nahi the. Tum dono ke beech jo bhi hua, wo ek bahot badi galatfehmi ke alawa kuch nahi tha."

Naina sniffed, her heart plummeting. Tears grazed down her cheeks.

"Naina use kareeb ek saal laga, khud to strong banane mein. Usne apna saara dhyaan, saara samay Somani uncle ki publication agency mein daal diya. Samajh le yeh uske liye ek naya janam hai, zindagi ne use ek dusra mauka diya hai."

Munna, Pandit, Swati and Preeti continued to discuss, while she remained silent. Preeti did most of the talking on her part, of what she'd faced all along, but Naina's mind was elsewhere. She sat stoic, her face expressionless, her eyes teary, as she churned all this newfound information, trying to sift the strands of truth from this intricate fabric of deceptions. On one hand, there was her family, her friends asking her to trust Sameer, and on the other side were the cirumstances she faced due to his betrayal and those evidences- the diary, the photographs. Her heart oscillated to and fro, unable to decide what to do.

Finally, she spoke, "Agar tum sab jo keh rahe ho wo sach bhi hai toh- wo diary, wo photos, letters- kya wo sab bhi jhoot hai? Kya main Sameer ki likhawat nahi pehchaanti? Wo sab kyun likha usne fir? Agar wo mujhse pyaar karta tha, itna pyaar karta tha, to fir wo sab kya tha...kyun mere baare mein wo sab likha tha....wo kisi aur ke sath kyun tha? Bolo!"

Munna and Pandit fell silent and looked at each other. Munna then said, "Naina, sach kahein toh is baat ka jawab to hamare pass bhi nahi hai. Hum sirf itna jaante hain ki jahan tak humein pata hai, us waqt Sameer ki zindagi mein tere alawa koi aur ladki nahi thi. Na hi humne aaj tak kisi Shreya ka naam suna hai na hi Sameer ka shaadi ka kuch iraada hi tha tab."

"Naina, hum sirf itna keh sakte hain ki agar Sameer keh raha hai ki wo diary usne nahi likhi, to wo sach keh raha hai. Humein uspe bharosa hai. Wo kisne kiya, kyun kiya- yeh sab humein nahi maalum, bas Sameer ka usse koi lena dena nahi hai," concluded Pandit.

They said it with a finality. There was not a shadow of doubt in their eyes. They had full faith on their friend.

Long after they were gone and Naina was alone with her thoughts, that feeling in her heart that she was mistaken, exaggerated. But how much could she trust Sameer's best friends? It was true that Swati was her childhood friend, but then she was Munna's wife too. But Preeti- what benefit could Preeti have in all this? Did she trust them all?

With this thought, she turned to Preeti. They were sharing their childhood bed, the children ensconsced between them, sleeping peacefully.

"Preeti?"

"Haan?" She couldn't sleep too.

"Tujhe kya lagta hai?"

"Kis baare mein?"

There was a pause and then Naina said, "Sameer! Aaj jo sab Munna, Pandit, Swati bol ke gaye- kya wo sach keh rahe hain? Ya sirf Sameer ko defend kar rahe hain?"

Preeti rolled over and turned to face her. "Naina, Sameer ko defend kar ke unhe kya milega? Unke hisaab se tera apna parivaar hai- pati hai, beti hai. Wo jaante hain ki tu apna ghar to nahi todegi, chahe tu Sameer se aaj bhi pyaar karti ho, chahe use maaf bhi kar de."

Naina didn't respond immediately. "Tune pakka unhe kuch nahi bataya?"

Preeti shook her head. "Nahi. Maine kuch nahi kaha. Unka yeh jaanana zaruri nahi laga mujhe."

Naina wringed the edge of a pillow cover with her finger, still unsure.

"Naina, log kya keh rahe hain mat soch, bas apne dil ki aawaz sun. Tu Sameer pe vishwas karti hai ya nahi yeh tujhe khud hi tai karna hoga. Apne mann ki sun, wo kya kehta hai. Agar tera dil kehta hai ki Sameer saccha hai, toh jaake usse baat kar. Aur nahi toh, bhool jaa is sab ko, bhool ja Sameer ko- apni zindagi ki ek nayi shuruaat kar. Is baar main hun tere saath Naina."

"Dil ki sunke toh meri yeh halat huyi Preeti!"

"Nahi Naina. Yeh sab hua kyunki na tune, na Sameer ne apne dil ki suni. Agar suni hoti, to tune apni feelings ke baare mein use kab ka bata diya hota. Aur aaj chahe aar ya paar, halaat bahot alag hote."

She was right, obviously. Naina hesistated. "Mujhe fir se bharosa karne mein darr lagta hai Preeti. Dimag se sochun to abhi bhi kuch cheezein uske khilaaf hain, par uski kuch baatein- jis tarah se usne meri madad ki, Diya ka khayal rakha hai...Munna-Pandit ke hisaab se wo yeh sochta raha ki maine use dhokha diya- uske upar kisi aur ko chuna, lekin fir bhi usne meri zarurat ke waqt mujhse koi badla nahi liya. Diya ko bhi itna pyaar diya hai usne, aur uske ilaaj ka kharch, use hospital leke jaana hota tha to har samay wo mere sath hota tha. Aur yeh tab jab use Diya ki sacchai bhi nahi pata thi."

"Hmm...soch Naina, agar wo tujhse pyaar na karta to kya wo yeh sab karta?" Preeti asked her.

Naina thought for a moment and then shook her head. "Kya pata use baad mein pyaar hua ho?"

"Possible hai," Preeti contemplated.

"Par agar aisa hota to wo kisi aur se shaadi ke liye haan kyun karta?" Naina asked.

"Wo teri married life mein interfere nahi karna chahta hoga...nahi chah raha hoga ki tera basa basaya ghar uski feelings ki wajah se toote...shayad isliye move on karne ki koshish kar raha hoga?" answered Preeti.

"Har cheez ka jawab hai na tere pass," Naina sighed.

Preeti shook her head. "Har cheez ka nahi Naina, har cheez ka nahi."

Naina peered at the ceiling, pondering over her words.

Preeti propped herself on her elbow and remarked, "Naina, kayi baar duniya ek sacche insaan ko jhootha samajh leti hai, kyunki saare saboot uske khilaaf hote hain. Lekin iska matlab yeh nahi ki wo insaan jhootha hota hi hai."

"Tu uski side le rahi hai?"

"Naina, main teri hi side hun behen. Agar wo saccha hai, to bhi tu hi jeetati hai, aur agar wo jhootha hai to bhi tu hi jeetati hai!"

Naina did not answer.

"Ek baar usse baat kar le. Phone pe mat karna. Delhi jaake aamne saamne, shaant dimag se baat karna. Sab sach sach. Ab kuch mat chupana."

Naina kept pondering over what had been said that evening, reliving the past, when drained by the physical fatigue of the long train journey, she was engulfed in a deep sleep.

***

Sameer rang the bell of his Ahemdabad residence.

"Ramdhari?" he called out when he didn't answer the door.

A few minutes later, he heard a shuffling of feet behind the door and Ramdhari looked at him in surprise.

"Arey Sameer bhaiya? Aap?" he asked, taking his bag from his hands and ushering him in. "Aap bina bataye aaye. Hum so rahe the bhaiya isliye darwaza kholne mein der ho gayi!"

Sameer nodded wearily. "Wo achanak mann hua to aa gaya. Tu soja jaake koi nahi!"

"Arey nahi bhaiya. Aap baithiye. Hum aapke liye paani laate hain."

Sameer flopped down on the sofa, stretching his hands on the backrest. He was exhausted from the emotional upheavel, from the physical toll travel had incurred on him in the past few days. His thoughts as usual crept back to Naina and to Diya, to Rahul and Shraddha and their treachery.

"Naina would never believe me! I'll never get to see Diya," he thought morosely.

Ramdhari entered the living room with a glass of water in his hands.

Sameer gulped it down gratefully. "Bhaiya, hum aapke liye ek cup badhiya si coffee laate hain. Aap thoda susta lijiye. Fir fresh ho jayie, naha lijiye. Bahot thake huye lag rahe hain. Hum aadhe ghante ke andar khana laga dete hain."

Sameer sipped his coffee, his thoughts still revolving around the family he could have but never had. His eyes wandered over to the portrait of his Nanu, hanging on the opposite wall, beaming down at him.

He walked over to it and stared at it for a long time. His hands then caressed the frame softly, where Nanu's face was pictured.

"I miss you Nanu. I miss you!" And then he kept gazing at the frame, silently pouring his heart out to his grandfather. He knew he could understand. He knew he was listening.

After a few minutes, a strange warmth surrounded his being- almost as if his Nanu was enveloping him in a hug, consoling him. His anxiety, his despair eased and he suddenly felt calmer than he had in days.

His delirious mind almost heard his Nanu utter, "Aise ghabrate nahi bete. Honsla rakh. Sab theek hoga. Main hun na?"

Sameer's eyes shot up at these words. He was sure he'd imagined them. Yet for some unknown reason, he believed the words- believed that Nanu was still there, looking out for him.

He showered and ate his lunch in relative peace. It was almost five by the time he finished. He had a quick call with Rita about any issues or updates that had crept up in his absence. She filled him in on the details. He got to know that Naina had come to the office and he had missed her. Rita told him that she had started the process for the publication. If only he could get a chance to talk to her- to explain her- to tell her all this. If only, he could convince her of his love.

He was so exhausted by the time he finished that he decided to call Munna and Pandit later and went off to sleep. He had a long, sound slumber- his dreams alternating between chats between him and Nanu, of Naina smiling up at him, and Diya frolicking in his arms. He dozed so soundly, that he slept right through dinner and woke up in the wee hours of the morning.

***

"Naina?"

She could hear him calling out to her. She ran towards the source of sound, giggling, "Sameer?"

He'd vanished from there.

She turned around and heard his voice from another corner, "Naina!"

She rushed again, but could see no one. And then she heard him chuckling.

She rolled her eyes. It was he who'd called her for dinner onboard the deck tonight. It was a breezy evening, the dusk brimming onto night. Stars were beginning to light up the sky. As soon as she'd stepped out, she'd noticed a table for two set on the aft side, candles ensconsced in glass jars, waiting to be lit for their evening to begin. A single red rose was beckoning to her from the side of the table.

Naina smiled and picked up the rose, when she heard Sameer's voice calling out to her again.

She ran towards the source of sound, but again the corner was deserted.

"Where was he? Why was he playing hide and seek with her?" She mused. If only Sameer would stop his antics and come to her.

"Naina?" She heard his voice again, now from a completely different direction. She was tired of the chase now. "Sameer! I'm getting tired. I can't keep running after you forever! Come and get me if you want to!" she shouted.

And then she stood waiting for him, playing with the rose in hand. She was keeling over the aft railings of the cruise ship, when she felt a palm cover her eyes from behind.

Her face lit up into a smile, but something was odd about that touch. Before she could dwell upon it, she felt a jolt from behind. She was pushed forward and lost her footing. She screamed as she tumbled head-first out into the sea.

Naina flapped her limbs wildly, but she was sinking below the surface. She could see her breath gurgling above her, and the faint reflection of the stars started vanishing, engulfed instead by intimidating dark clouds.

She thrashed her arms against the water, calling out to him, but her words were obscured by the bubbles of air coming out of her mouth. With great difficulty, she rose to the surface, and noticed Sameer standing there- up on the deck. He had his back to her. He was wearing her favorite poloneck black Tee, his hair dancing in the roaring wind. She called out to him, but he couldn't hear her, or pretended not to. And then she noticed a female appear in front of him, and he was laughing with her, unaware of Naina's presence.

Naina struggled to see who it was, but her face was obscured in the now pitch-dark skies. She was twirling a red rose in her hand- the same rose that must have fallen from her hands as she fell. And then she threw her arms around Sameer, pulling him into an embrace, the rose still clutched in her hand.

Noooo....That was her rose. That was her Sameer!

Horrified, Naina shrieked for Sameer's attention again, but to no avail. The sea was turning violent, the skies umbral. She could hear the roaring lightning cracking up the skies, the flashes turning her momentarily blind. The thunder shook her to the core, as she struggled to stay afloat amidst the raging sea. The waves lashed at her, determined to punish her, while she helplessly screamed for Sameer, using all her strength not to drown.

And then he was gone, vanished. So was the girl. The ship was nowhere to be seen, as Naina found herself lapping through the angry waves, fighting off the torrents of rain insistent on drowning her. She struggled to stay afloat, for what seemed like ages, fighting her destiny- all alone.

Sameer had abandoned her. He had not wanted her there. It had been a charade all along. He was...was with someone else. He never cared that she was gone. He wanted her gone. He had pushed her. The realization added to her misery, shadowing her will to survive, but she fought on. She had to get back to land. She had to live.

Her body was giving up, but her mind was prodding her to survive. She observed sharks clustering around her, waiting for her misfortune to strike, waiting for her to go down, so that they could devour her. And fear gripped her harder. She swam against the tormenting waves, helplessly searching for a sign of a shore, some help, praying to Gods for the thunder to abate.

Just when she felt her legs concede defeat, her starved body giving up, she heard him- heard him calling out her name. A beam of light shone on her face.

And then as suddenly as he'd vanished, he appeared afloat a small boat, shining the torch light on her face. His face was white with fear, his eyes huge with shock, his hand extended out towards her.

"Naina! Hold my hand!" He shouted against the roaring skies and the spitting sea.

She was stunned to see him there, extending a helping hand.

"Naina?" He called out again, his tone more desperate. He was leaning over the boat to reach out to her.

But why does he want to save me now? Why is he back?

Naina's mind was unable to understand. She saw those sharks in the distance, awaiting their prey. She observed the brooding skies, the churning sea, and Sameer in the midst of it all, trying to protect her.

"Naina! Hold my hand! Naina, I'll save you!"

She stood in a moment of indecisiveness.

"Naina!" he called out again. "Come with me."

And she stood there in the rumbling sea, and finally took a leap of faith and was about to clasp his hand, when she woke up in a sweat.

What was it that she saw? A nightmare? A dream? She was heaving, and reached for the water by the bedstand. The children and Preeti were fast asleep. Naina gulped down the water, trying to make sense of the odd dream. What was her mind trying to tell her? Was it an inner voice guiding her?

She tossed and turned for the rest of the night, trying her best to fall asleep again. Yet all she could do was analyze the vivid dream.

As the sun came up, Naina extracted herself out of the bed. By the time, she had bathed and dressed, she could hear Bela chachi tinkering in the kitchen.

She went and greeted her chachi, who was fixing tea. Naina told her that she'd make tea and poha for breakfast, and that chachi should rest. The truth was Naina couldn't bear to talk to anyone right now. She wanted to be alone with her thoughts.

As the tea boiled on the stove, Naina wondered about her life, the conversations of the past evening, Preeti's words the night before, the dream- that mysterious woman (was it Meghnaa, or Shreya- their images that her mind had conjured?), the raging seas that she braced alone, Sameer betraying her, pushing her, and then trying to reach out to her, trying to save her.

And for the first time, she tried to put herself in Sameer's shoes and think.

What if she'd been wrong all along? The possibility scared her and yet ignited a streak of hope. Preeti was right. Just because a person was convicted and had all the evidence against him, did not confirm his crime. What if it was all a setup?

The deviations in character from the Sameer she knew and the Sameer she thought he was for real, stood out glaringly. For example, till now, he hadn't married or spoken of anyone by the name of Shreya. Also, if he hadn't cared for Naina, he wouldn't have given her an advance for her book. On top of it, he had borne a majority of Diya's medical expenses- this without even being aware of the fact that Diya was his own daughter. Why would he do that if he didn't care for either of them?

That look in his eyes when she had shut the door on his face the last time- he was defiant that he wasn't wrong. His eyes were pleading, imploring her not to take Diya away from him. The love, the compassion he'd showed towards Diya- the bond- could all that really be fake?

She jogged her mind back to their college days. When she had gotten the diary, despite the glaring proofs, she had found it difficult to believe that he was playing her. So firm was her trust in him. Later, she had attributed that misplaced faith on the fact that she had become so blind in love that she had not been able to read Sameer's true character. But now when she came to think of it she knew it wasn't just that. Yes, she'd always been exceptionally forgiving when it came to Sameer. But deep down, it was because her inner voice never believed that he could cheat her.

Almost half the college knew that Sameer and Naina were very close friends- it was evident after the way he'd smacked Tibrewal in public. And since the time they'd come together, Sameer hadn't been known to hang out with any other girl. Naina had neither seen him with anyone nor had heard of any such thing. Also the other Naina in his diary- that Naina Choudhary had been committed to someone else- the name she couldn't remember. And why would he make fun of Meghnaa if he was really dating her and cherished her company as much as the diary claimed?

Most of Sameer's time was spent with her- studying, travelling, talking and romancing. Surely she would have noticed his dwindling attention if he was dating so many other girls. And if his parents had been as loving and affectionate as the diary claimed, would they not have come for more than one Parents-Teacher Meeting back in school? She hadn't ever seen them except their first time there- that also when he'd gotten into trouble during the paper stealing incident. After that, it was always his grandfather who checked on his progress. Another thing that was a misfit with Sameer's purported relations with his parents as per the diary, was the phone call between her Tauji and his step father. If Mr. Somani had thought of Sameer as his own son, he would never have bad-mouthed him to her Tauji.

She remembered how Sameer would always get upset himself whenever he hurt her and always tried to make it upto her. He always put her wishes above his own- strived to fulfill the simplest of her demands- like the ice-cream at Bandra, even when he knew they might get stuck in a terrible storm.

Munna and Pandit had just confirmed that Sameer had indeed visited his Nanu and met them, just days before the results of their final exams. That meant he wasn't lying when he'd told her that he was going to Ahemdabad as Nanu had some urgent work for him.

But then why didn't he answer any of her calls- the messages she'd left with Shraddha- ?

Shraddha...

A sudden jolt of realization streaked through her- she couldn't place her finger on it, yet something unsettled her as the name crossed her mind. Shraddha- she was the only one who knew where she had gone. It was Shraddha who had told her that Sameer had asked her not to bug him and that he'd moved on. If he had moved on, why did he try to take his life? Maybe, he'd realized his love after the news of her marriage. Yet, she only had Shraddha's word to vouch for the fact that Sameer wasn't interested in her. But what reason would Shraddha have to sow the seeds of contempt in her mind against him. Shraddha was one of her closest friends in college. Though she'd never confessed her feelings about Sameer to her, she was sure deep down, Shraddha must have known, as had most of the college.

With these thoughts in mind, Naina finished dicing the chillies for the poha. She took an onion and peeled it off. All of a sudden, as she stared at the onion, she recollected a scene from a movie that she'd seen with Sameer during their hostel days.

The heroine, who was a journalist, had been giving a lecture on truth. She held up an onion in front of the audience and declared that truth was like an onion! The audience looked on confused. She then started whittling away the onion, layer by layer and said that you could keep peeling layers off it. With every layer you remove, you discover a story that feels real, vivid and you feel you've arrived at the truth. And then the next layer follows- another story, another angle, another depth- another truth. And you keep digging for the search of the ultimate reality- the core of all this- the point where the search would end. In the end, she peels off the final layer and is left with nothing. This she says, as she holds up her empty hands, is the truth. Despite all the digging, all the stories, the insights, sometimes we never find the truth. So do we keep digging one story after another, looking at different perspectives, layer by layer, or do we have an obligation to stop at a point- accept what we see for the truth, or keep at it until we've destroyed what we'd been looking for in the first place.

Naina felt exactly as if she'd been seeing layers upon layers of the same story and it was upto her to believe what she felt was the truth before she lost it all and ended up with nothing.

In that moment of epiphany, she decided she had to speak to Sameer, once and for all. She checked the clock. It was 7.30 am. Rita would be in office by 9. She would call his office and see if Sameer was in as yet. If he was, she would book her return to Delhi. Maybe she could leave Diya with chachaji and chachiji till she had her conversation with Sameer. She was tired of hanging in the middle of nowhere all these years. Yes, she would meet Sameer and take a decision- this way or that way.

It was 8 am and Diya was still asleep. "Diya beta utho, kitni baar utha chuki hun!"

"Mumma, sone do na," Diya grumbled.

"Nahi beta, itni der tak nahi sote. Aath baj gaye hain. Utho, nana nani naraaz ho jayenge!"

With great difficulty, she extracted Diya out of bed by 8.30. She's just like her father, she thought. Hates mornings!

By nine, she was hastily feeding Diya, who was already restless at the thought of playing with her cousins. Preeti was having a harder time with her two boys, who were throwing tantrums at having their hair washed.

Preeti hollered at them and the two kids, now scared, tiptoed into the bathroom quietly. Naina laughed. "Preeti, tu itni disciplined type kaise ho gayi?"

"Mat pooch! Tera acha hai behen- ladki hai! Bhagwan ne pata nahi yeh ladke banaye kyun hai!" Preeti exclaimed as she pulled up a chair and slumped down on it in exhaustion.

"Acha? Iske bhole bhale chehre pe mat ja...abhi khuli nahi hai itna," said Naina as she pinched Diya's cheeks and she giggled. "Sau ladkon pe bhaari hai. Beti kiski hai?" She raised her eyes meaningfully at Preeti.

Preeti smirked as she reminisced about Sameer back in their school days. How the moment he'd set foot in their school- he'd become the most popular and the most notorious student to have entered PVKM. If only things had gone well between him and Naina, they would all have been sitting together, laughing at those memories.

Naina fiddled with her tea cup. "Preeti, maine bahot socha. Tu shayad theek hi kehti hai. Mujhe ek baar fir Sameer se baat kar leni chahiye."

Preeti's eyes lit up. She nodded encouragingly. "Bilkul sahi decision hai. Duniya ke bade bade masle baat cheet se sulajh sakte hain to tum dono ka jhagda nahi suljhega? Dekh tujhe kisi ke pressure mein aane ki zarurat nahi hai. Baat kar ke dekh, tujhe kya lagta hai. Is baar hum sab tere sath Naina. Tu bilkul mat ghabra."

Naina then went over to the telephone and connected to Sameer's office.

Rita picked up on the first ring.

"Good morning Rita. Main Reena Mittal bol rahi hun. Sameer sir wapis aaye hain kya? Mujhe unse kuch zaruri baat karni thi."

"Arey Reena ma'am. Good morning. Meri sir se kal sham ko hi baat huyi thi. Abhi to wo Ahemdabad mein hain, keh rahe the do-teen din mein aa jayenge."

"Ahemdabad mein?" Naina was shocked.

"Haan sir pehle kuch kaam se Poona gaye the, fir yahan aane se pehle Ahemdabad ruk gaye. Aapko to pata hi hai na ki unke nanaji ka ghar hai wahan, aur unke family friends bhi hain wahan pe, to frequently aate jaate rehte hain."

Naina fidgeted with the telephone cord. "Wo...unhone mere baare mein kuch pucha? Mera matlab ki book ki printing ka delay ho rha hai toh...?"

"Ma'am maine unhe update de diya tha ki aap forms leke gayi hain. He said okay, no problem."

Naina got off from the call white-faced. Chachaji was sipping tea at the dining table and Preeti was drying her kids' hair with a towel. Bela chacha peered out from the kitchen. "Kya hua?"

"Wo Ahemdabad aaya hua hai!" Naina uttered.

"Yeh to bahot hi achi baat hai!" Preeti exclaimed.

Bela chachi nodded and thought, "Jaise kudrat hi use khinch laayi ho!"

Naina remained silent, lost in thought. Chachaji understood her feelings. "Beta, tumhe kisi cheez se darne ki zarurat nahi. Hum sab hain tumhare sath, wahan jo bhi ho, tum par kisi bhi tarah ka dabav nahi hai."

Naina nodded and started preparing for her meeting with Sameer.

After weeks of ignoring exercise, Sameer opted for a long run around his neighbourhood. He then tended to the plants he'd sown in his garden once when he was nursing his broken heart. They all were now flowering bushes and trees.

By 10.30, Sameer was showered and dressed in a freshly laundered cream shirt and a pair of jeans. He was sitting at the breakfast table, eating butter toast and drinking his coffee. He was feeling much better today- lighter even. Maybe the ambience of this place was at work- Nanu's house always felt like his true home, or perhaps it was because he was fully rested after days. He folded the newspaper that he had just finished reading and got up from the table. Ramdhari announced that he was going to the vegetable market and it would be a while before he was back. Sameer nodded and handed him some cash that he could use. He then decided to call Munna and Pandit and ask if they could spare some time for him today.

Just as he was trotting over to the phone, the doorbell rang. Thinking Ramdhari had forgotten something, Sameer walked swiftly to the door and without bothering with the peep hole, opened it wide. The sight almost knocked him off his feet.

Naina was standing there in front of him, dressed in her yellow chikankari suit. Half of her hair was pinned at the top with a hair clip, and the rest of her luxurious mane flowed down her shoulders. She was clutching a purse in her hands. Her ears were pierced with her usual tiny gold hoops. She wore a bindi and no make-up.

What was wrong with him? How could Naina be here? Was it an apparition? A dream? Wait, was he still asleep?

He almost pinched himself, when she spoke. "Hi!" That mellifluous whisper jolted him into consciousness. She was here for real.

He struggled to find his voice. "Hi!" He whispered back throatily.

She looked around her to the side, and then bit her lip. He noticed her fingers wringing the straps of her purse. She looked back at him and tried to smile.

Then Sameer realized she was still standing in the doorway, unsure if she was invited in or not. He hastily moved aside. "Come in!"

She obliged gratefully.

Sameer led her to the sofa, still confused as to what she was doing here in Ahemdabad, much less in his house.

Naina sat down hesitantly. She scanned the luxuriously furnished room- mostly decked with pieces of antique-styled furniture. It must have been there since his Nanu's time. Her gaze flicked to the garlanded photo-frame of Sameer's grandfather. She recollected his face from the time she had seen him at their school. He'd been a trustee there in addition to being Sameer's guardian. He'd meant more to Sameer than anyone had ever had. And all this while, dealing with her own trauma, she hadn't known when he'd passed away- that is until Munna and Pandit laid the facts bare to her. Chachaji and chachiji corroborated the year of his death by telling her it was big news in Ahemdabad that day, and it was a few months after she'd left. She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn't notice Sameer's eyes boring into her.

He cleared his throat.

Naina jumped out of her reverie.

"Ummm...Chai? Coffee? Ramdhari bahar gaya hai, but I can make-"

She shook her head. "Nahi, thank you! Ghar se pike aayi hun!"

Ghar se?

"Wo...main Ahemdabad aayi thi....Chachaji, chachiji, Preeti ne bulaya tha...aur aaj subah pata chala tum yahan ho...toh," she answered in response to his questioning gaze.

Sameer was stumped. She had reunited with her family? Good for her.

"Diya aur A...Arvind bhi aayein hain saath?" he asked after a few minutes elapsed in silence.

"Diya ko saath laayi hun. Abhi ghar pe hi hai. Arvind Delhi mein hain," she hesitated, "Tum chaho to Diya se milne aa sakte ho kabhi bhi. I'm...I'm sorry main gusse mein bahot kuch bol gayi thi, par Diya pe tumhara bhi haq hai aur wo bhi tumse bahot attached hai!"

Sameer didn't know how to answer. What had brought about this change in her? She was allowing him to see Diya again? "Thank...thank you!" he croaked.

Sameer sat down on the sofa in front of her. An uneasy silence prevailed as both wondered what to say to the other.

Naina was looking down, fidgeting with her purse straps. Finally, she said, "Kal Munna, Pandit aur Swati ghar aaye the!"

If he'd been surprised before, this piece of news completely boggled Sameer. "Munna? Pandit?"

Naina nodded.

"Kyun?"

"Baat karne...tumhare baare mein," her eyes locked with his for a brief moment and then darted back to her purse.

"Mere baare mein? Mere baare mein kya baat karne aaye the?"

She didn't answer, struggling with how to broach the topic that was there on her mind.

"Kya-," she looked at him again, "-kya tumne mere jaane ke baad, sach mein mujhe dhundhne ki koshish ki thi?"

He blinked at her question, then slumped back onto the sofa. He laced his fingers together and took a deep breath. "Yeh main tumhe pehle bhi bata chuka hun, lekin tumhe meri baat ka yakeen hoga hi nahi."

There was another pause and then Naina blurted, "Agar tum sach mein mujhe dhundh rahe the toh fir tumne Shraddha se yeh kyun kaha tha ki main tumhara picha chod dun, ki main tumhe pareshan na karun?"

Sameer did not look surprised. "Na meri Shraddha se koi baat huyi thi na maine use aisa kuch bhi kaha tha."

Naina was shocked. "Main use keh ke gayi thi ki Sameer ko mera message de dena. Use call bhi kiya tha. Tumhe bhi call kiya tha infact, lekin tum hostel mein nahi the."

Sameer's brows furrowed in irritation. "Mujhe kisi ne tumhara koi message nahi diya! Aur vaise bhi Naina, agar tumhe jaana hi tha to kisi aur ko batane ke bajaye mujhe bata ke jaati na!"

It was Naina's turn to get irked now. "Tumhe wo raat yaad bhi hai? Tumne mujhse kitne kharab se baat ki thi Sameer? Tumhe apne alfaaz yaad hain? Aise mein main tumhe bata ke jaati?" She glared at him and he turned away sadly. "Main bahot upset thi. Phir bhi us raat maine tumhara bahot intezaar kiya tha ki shayad as usual gussa hai. Aa jayega manane...lekin na tum aaye na tumhara koi phone aaya."

"Naina dekho, main manta hun ki maine us din jo kaha galat kaha, par tumhe kabhi yeh nahi laga ki mere saamne tum kisi aur ladke ki photo leke aaogi aur kahogi tum usse shaadi karne wali ho, to mujhe gussa aayega? Matlab, ek second ke liye farz karo ki jo tumne kiya, wo main karta...Kisi ladki ki photograph leke aata aur kehta isse meri shaadi tay ho rahi hai- wo meri diary wali Shreya jaise...uspe tumhe bada yakeen hai na...mujhse bhi zyada- tab tumhe kaisa lagta?"

Naina was at a loss of words.

"Bura lagta na?" he pressed.

She lifted her eyes to him. "Tumhe bura laga tha? Tum jealous the?"

"Of course main jealous tha! Tum mujhe mujhse zyada ache se jaanti ho, tumhe fir bhi yeh nahi samjha? Usi raat ko mujhe finally realize hua tha ki main tumse pyaar karta hun aur tumhare bina nahi reh sakta. Main tumhe nahi kho sakta tha Naina, nahi chahata tha tum kisi aur ki ho jao," he gritted his teeth, "-jo tum ho hi gayi!"

When Naina didn't say anything, he continued, "do you know us din subah 6 baje se naha dhoke taiyaar hoke, haathon me gulaab ka guldasta liye result section ke bahar tumhara wait kar raha tha. Mujhe laga kitni bhi naraaz ho, result dekhne to aayegi hi, fir chahe jo ho- tum haan bolo ya naa, apne dil ki baat tumse keh hi dunga. Tibrewal ne mujhe dekha aur good luck tak bola! Sham hone ko aayi lekin tumhara naam-o-nishan nahi tha. Kritika dikhi to maine usse tumhare baare mein pucha. Usne kaha tumhari dadi bua beemar hain to tum bahar gayi ho. Jab raat tak tumse baat nahi hui, to main ghabrane laga. Agle din tak tumhara koi call nahi, kuch pata nahi to main Mumbai mein, bhari baarish mein tumhe dhundhne nikla. Ab batao itne bade sheher mein maine tumhe kahan kahan nahi dhundha hoga? Har hospital mein pata karta raha...Lekin tumhara koi ata pata nahi...aakhir tum gayi kahan thi?"

"Par main Shraddha ko bata ke gayi thi...pata nahi usne-"

"Fir wahi Shraddha! Maine kaha na tumse Naina, usne mujhe koi message nahi diya. Aur please baar baar us aurat ka naam mat lo mere saamne," he clenched his teeth. Naina was taken aback by the anger in his eyes.

An uneasy silence prevailed between the two as each tried to calm themselves down.

She tried a different topic. "Tumne...mere jaane ke baad, matlab...shaadi ka sunke...Munna Pandit bata rahe the ki...tumne...apni jaan...".

Sameer brought his palms to his eyes and nodded. "Haan ki thi khudkhushi ki koshish. I'm not proud of it and I don't even remember if it was intentional or if I just wanted to finally get some sleep – jabse tumhare baare mein suna tha...almost teen raat se soya nahi tha."

Naina's eyes widened in horror. She panicked. "Sameer, tumhe kuch ho jata toh-?"

"Ho jaata toh? Toh kya? Kamse kam yeh jee ka janjaal to na hota- tumhe bhi mukti milti, mujhe bhi!" He snapped.

Naina got subdued by his outburst.

He took a deep breath. His gaze fell on her hands which were again playing with the staps of her purse. She was anxious. "I'm sorry. Beeti baatein chodo. Bolo tumhari kya madad kar sakta hun?"

"Tum to yeh saabit karne wale the ki wo diary, wo letters, photos sab jhooth hai?"

His eyes levelled with hers. "Wo sab jhooth hi hain."

When he did not elaborate, she prodded him on. "Wo sab tumne nahi likha tha?"

"Tumhe kya lagta hai Naina? Ek baar thande dimag se socho...main jaanta hun is waqt tum mujhse nafrat karti ho, lekin kabhi kisi zamaane mein humne bahot kareebi, bahot haseen waqt bitaya hai ek dusre ke sath. Kya tumhe sach mein lagta hai main us time kisi aur ke sath involved tha?"

Now Naina brought her palms to her face. "Mujhe nahi samajh aata Sameer, nahi samajh aata! Mera dil kehta hai tum nirdosh ho, lekin dimag...dimag nahi manta!"

That suddenly calmed Sameer. A part of her still believed in him!

"Naina?" he edged closer to her, perched at the edge of the sofa.

"Sameer, agar wo sab tumne nahi kiya to kaun kar sakta hai aisa? Bolo? Kispe yakeen karun, kispe nahi...main fir se tum par bharosa karun aur tum fir mujhe taqleef pahunchao....is baar to meri beti bhi hai mere sath- main use to nahi tootne de sakti." She then broke into sobs, her eyes veiled with her hands.

She was confessing all this to him! That meant subconsciously, she still trusted him.

"Naina, listen," he pulled her hand away from her face, so that she would look him in the eye.

"Main tumhari zindagi nahi barbaad karna chahta. Ab tum kisi aur ki ho- maine tumse kitna pyaar kiya, tumne mujhse kitna pyaar kiya, isse ab farak nahi padta. Bas main Diya ko nahi khona chahta. Main use tumse cheen nahi raha hun. Bas agar tumhe sach mein lagta hai...dil ke ek kone me bhi lagta hai ki main nirdosh hun, to please mujhe usse kabhi kabhi milne dena...bas, that's all I need."

Naina nodded amidst her sobs.

There was another silence and then she asked, "tum jaante ho wo sab kisne kiya tha?"

Sameer turned away from her, contemplating whether to tell her or not, and then nodded.

"Toh batao mujhe!"

"Agar main tumhe bataunga, to tum yakeen nahi karogi. Mujhe khud ab tak yakeen nahi ho raha hai!"

"Sameer, tumhe meri kasam. Batao. Main janana chahti hun!"

"Kasam nahi Naina please! Aur vaise bhi kya karogi jaan ke? It doesn't make sense now. It's just too late. I don't want you to have any regrets at this point. We had a chance together and we missed it. Now life has moved on- without us." He heaved a sigh and said, "Let's start again- as strangers- jaise humara na pehle koi ateet tha, na hum mein mohabbat thi, aur na ab hai."

"Lekin yeh sach nahi hoga. Maine hamesha tumse pyaar kiya!"

"Tum samajhti kyun nahi Naina? In baton ka ab koi matlab nahi. Kya Arvind hamare baare mein jaanta hai? Kya use Diya ki sacchai pata hai?"

Naina nodded.

"Naina, wo already bahot understanding hai. Main uski jagah hota to kabhi yeh sab bardasht na karta- main kya koi bhi husband yeh tolerate nahi karta ki uski wife apne ex se mile ya close aaye. Mere hisaab se tumhe mujhse koi sambandh nahi rakhna chahiye. Agar wo allow kare to bas Diya se kabhi kabhi mujhe milne de."

"Arvind ko tumse koi problem nahi hai- ab!"

"Ab?"

"Haan pehle bahot gusse me the wo, par jab maine unhe sab sach bataya to wo shaant ho gaye."

Sameer shrugged. "Obviously, gussa jayaz hai. As I said no husband would tolerate his wife's ex, who's still very much in love with her, to be around her. Wo aadmi mahaan hai jo aise scenario mein shaant baitha hai- infact tumhe mujhse milne de raha hai." He added as an afterthought, "Does he know you are here?"

"I will tell him. Don't worry."

Neither of them spoke for a while. And then Naina said, "agar main tumse ek sach kahun to kya tum mujhe apna sach bataoge?"

Sameer turned to her. "Ab tumne bhi mujhse jhooth bola hai? Don't tell me!" His mouth fell open.

Naina flinched. "Wo actually, yes!" and she began, "Main tumse bahot gussa thi, socha tha nafrat karti hun. Us din jab publication house mein tumhe itne saal baad dobara dekha...to bas laga mujhe kismet phir se maarne aayi hai. Maine socha tumne mujhe dhokha diya, itna bura kiya mere sath, Diya ke sath, kitni aur ladkiyon ke sath, aur tum aaj itne successful ho- sab kuch hai tumhare pass, aur main aaj bhi darr darr ki thokar kha rahi hun- family se alag hui, Diya ki beemari, paison ki kami, na ke barabar career...aur uspe tumhara wo arrogant, smug sa attitude- toh maine taish mein aake tumse jhooth bol diya ki...," Naina trailed off.

"-ki?" Sameer was at the edge of his seat now.

She gulped. "-ki Arvind mere pati hain!"

Sameer's jaw dropped to the ground. He took a minute to process it. "What, come again?"

"I mean that- I'm not married to Arvind, or to anyone. I never married."

Sameer was finding it difficult to think. "But...tumhari family ne...Arvind ka rishta...yeh sab...," he pointed to the sindoor and mangalsutra.

"Yeh to majburi hai...ab samaaj mein rehna hai to bin byaahi maa banke to nahi reh sakti na...log kya samajhte mujhe, aur Diya ke baare mein kya kya baatein karte. Isliye maine sabse kaha ki mere husband US mein rehte hain."

"Par agar wo tumhara husband nahi- to fir tumhare saath kyun rehta hai? Is he...is he your boyfriend?" He asked incredulously.

"Shh. Nahi! Wo mere saath nahi rehte. Wo log side ke flat me rehte hain!"

"Wo log?"

"Wo...aur unki wife. Aur ab unka baby bhi!"

Sameer shook his head, baffled. "Wife? Baby?"

"Tumne abhi pucha tha na main us raat hostel se kahan gayi thi?"

Sameer turned towards her and nodded.

"Jab tumne mujhse wo sab kaha, to mera dil toot gaya tha. Main us din tumse apne dil ki baat kehna chahti thi, ya fir chahati thi ki tum mujhse kaho ki tum mujhse pyaar karte ho aur mujhe kisi aur se shaadi nahi karne doge..."

Sameer folded his hands and waited.

"Jab last time hum saath the- mere birthday ki subah? Yaad hai meri dost aayi thi- Shefali?"

Sameer creased his forehead and nodded. He remembered.

"Tumhare jaane ke baad, usne mere room pe wo condom ka wrapper dekh liya aur mujhse sab sach ugalwa liya. Jab usne suna ki hamare beech koi commitment nahi hai to usne mujhe samjhaya ki mujhe tumse clearly baat karni chahiye- kyunki jo hum kar rahe the wo sahi nahi tha. Bilkul sahi kaha tha usne!"

Sameer was listening intently. "Shefali ka idea tha main kisi aur ladke ka naam leke, ya koi rishte ki baat chala ke tumhe jealous karun. Agar tumhe farak padta, matlab tumhe meri parwah thi. Aur nahi toh...," she trailed off.

Sameer's eyes widened. "Toh...?"

"Toh...Arvind aur Shefali ek dusre se pyaar karte the- wo uske college ke senior the. First year ke baad se mera zyadatar waqt tumhare saath beetata tha to usse milna-julna kam ho gaya tha. In fact, Arvind se to main bas ek hi baar mili thi- first year ke around.

"Khair, college ke baad Shefali ne airhostess banane ki training li thi aur wo job dhundh rahi thi. Udhar Arvind ki Masters khatam ho rahi thi. Dono shaadi karna chahte the lekin Arvind ki family nahi maan rahi thi kyunki Shefali Christian hai- isliye bahot resistance tha. Usi dauraan Arvind ko US mein ek bahot achi research opportunity mili. Agar wo ek baar jaate to saal bhar se pehle aana mushkil tha. Isliye Shefali ki mummy ne insist kiya ki agar Arvind serious hai to Shefali se shaadi kare aur use apne saath leke jaye. Shefali ne mujhe wahi bataya ki chahe jo ho jaye, Arvind ki 100% commitment thi uske liye. Isliye un logon ne court marriage karne ka decision liya. In fact, wo mujhe us din yahi batane aayi thi ki usi week ki court me date thi aur wo chahti thi ki main ek witness banun.

"Ab time kam tha, aur main tumhe kisi aur ke naam se kya jealous karwati. Toh Shefali ne hi Arvind ki photograph di aur kaha keh dena ki iska rishta aaya hai. Tum Arvind ko nahi jaante the, na kabhi dekha, na uske baare mein suna. Shefali ne kaha agar tum mujhse pyaar karte ho to anyways tumhe sab pata chal hi jayega, aur nahi to koi farak nahi padta!"

"Tumne kisi aur ke husband ki photo mujhe dikha di?" Sameer exclaimed in disbelief.

Naina flinched and nodded.

"Matlab Arvind ka rishta kabhi tumhare liye aaya hi nahi tha?"

"Nahi!" She shook her head.

He felt restless and got up from the sofa. He churned whatever she'd said in his mind.

"Lekin jab hum tumhare ghar gaye the, tab tumhari society mein log keh rahe the ki tumhari shaadi kisi US mein rehne wale scientist se huyi hai. Aur...aur wo to tumhari caste ka bhi hai toh..."

"-Wo mere gharwalon ne jhooth bola tha taaki sab ko lage ki main videsh chali gayi hun, aur itni jaldbaazi ki shaadi pe shaq na karein..."

Sameer jogged his mind. "Par maine tumhari shaadi ki photo bhi dekhi hai!"

"Photo?"

"Haan- tumhare ghar pe...tum dono varmala liye khade ho, ek dusre ke side mein!"

"Oh!" Naina understood. "Ek minute!" She fumbled in her bag and extracted the picture. "Yeh wali?"

Sameer took it from her. "Haan exactly yahin...dekha tum ise apne saath bhi rakhti ho!"

"Sameer! Main chachaji, chachiji aur Preeti ko dikhane ke liye kuch albums aur photos leke aayi thi- wahi purse mein rakhi hain tabse."

Sameer looked at the photo again. "Dekho tumne lal sari bhi pehni hai...aur wo kaise tumhe dekh raha hai!"

"Sameer!" Naina seemed piqued now.

"Kya?" He gave her a skeptical look.

She raised her brows. "Shefali Christian hai, maine bataya na?"

"Toh?"

"Toh mere left mein dekho...dulhan wo hai- white saree mein!" She pointed at the photograph.

Sameer squinted at the girl on Naina's side carefully. Recognition dawned on him. Of course! This was the same girl who used to live below Naina's house in their Ahemdabad society once. Shefali De Souza.

"Dhyaan se dekho...Arvind Shefali ko dekh rahe hain...mujhe nahi. Hum to sirf saaliyan the jo apne jeeja ji ko tang kar rahe the. Aur isse pehle tum pucho to wo varmala mere haath mein hai kyunki Shefali ne thodi der baad nikaal di thi- use gende ke phool se allergy hai."

"Par yeh lal sari?"

"Ohho. Tum to usi pe atak gaye. Lal hai to kya hua? Zaruri hai kya lal pehna hai to dulhan hi ho? Shefali ki mom ki saree thi. Mujhe wahi pasand aayi aur maine pehen li!"

Sameer shook his head. This was difficult to digest, but now as he looked at the photograph, it did make sense.

"Toh tum us raat Shefali aur Arvind ki shaadi attend karne chali gayi thi?"

"Kind of!" Naina shrinked at his words. "Us raat main bahot upset thi toh maine Shefali ko call kiya. Usne mujhse kaha ki main uske pass aa jaun."

"Tum to bol ke gayi thi ki tumhari dadi bua ki tabiyat theek nahi hai!"

"Toh kya bolti? Un sabko kya lena dena tha? Bas ek Shraddha ko bolke gayi thi ki tumhe mera message aur address de de aur usne bhi tumhe nahi bola!"

Sameer blew air out of his mouth, still shaking his head in disbelief.

"Us raat main bahot royi- bahot zyada. Fir Shefali aur uski mummy ne mujhe samjhaya ki main himmat se kaam lun. Unhone agli subah phone karke mera result pata karwaya. Fir taaki mera mind divert ho, main Shefali ki shaadi ki tayyari mein help karne lagi. Do din baad shaadi court me register huyi, aur fir ek chote se mandir mein pheron ki ceremony ki, ki shayad Arvind ke parents usme shaamil ho jayein, par wo nahi aaye. Is dauraan main fir bhi Shraddha se puch rahi thi in case tum mujhe dhundh rahe hoge, lekin jab usne kaha ki tum mujhse milna nahi chahte to mera dil aur toot gaya. Maine fir tumhare hostel mein jab phone kiya to pata chala tum pura din bahar the. Aur fir uske agle din tumne hostel hi chod diya tha."

"Matlab tum Shefali ke saath thi, aur main soch raha tha tum kisi hospital mein apni bua dadi ke pass ho. Paaglon ki tarah tumhe Mumbai ke sare hospitals mein dhundh raha tha!" He shook his head, "Naina, maine keh ke bhi gaya tha ki tumhara phone aaye to mujhe batayein, lekin fir raat ko jab achanak se Munna se baat huyi aur Nanu ka pata chala toh...," he stopped himself.

"Sameer, I'm really sorry about Nanu. Mujhe unke baare mein kuch nahi pata tha."

He sighed and nodded. "Aage batao!"

"Jab meri family ko pata chala ki maine Shefali ki shaadi ek Hindu ladke se hone me help ki hai, to wo naraaz ho gaye. Chachaji aur chachiji mujhe ghar le jaane ke liye aa hi rahe the- saath me fatkarne ke liye Taiji aur tauji bhi aa gaye. Bahot daanta, gussa kiya mujhe ki society mein log tarah tarah ki baatein kar rahe hain Shefali ke character ko lekar, aur mera naam aa gaya to unki bhi badnaami hogi."

"Kya? Kyunki usne ek Hindu se shaadi ki?"

"Haan...aur wo bhi bhaag ke!"

Sameer shook his head.

"Jab main apne parivaar ke sath college wapis aayi to socha ek baar dekh lun ki tum wapis to nahi aaye ho...shayad kuch galatfehmi ho aur tumne room na khali kiya ho...bahana bana ke wahan se nikli toh tumhare hostel ke gate pe Rahul mila- aur baaki to tum jaante hi ho!"

Sameer grinded his teeth. Rahul!

He leaned himself against the window wearily. An hour had already gone by. He stared at the photograph again- as if the people would jump out of it and cry April's Fool. Only it was still November. All of this was so incredulous, Sameer half-expected to wake up to the sound of his alarm. Suddenly, this Shefali had come into the picture and she changed everything. But where was she up till now? He had never seen her around in the past few months.

He voiced his concern to Naina, "Par maine aaj tak Shefali ko kabhi tumhare sath nahi dekha- aur us raat...Diwali ki raat ko to wo A, mera matlab Arvind, akela raat ke 12 baje tumhare ghar pe aaya tha."

Naina nodded. "Tumne Shefali ko dekha nahi zyada, kyunki wo aadhe se zyada time hospital mein hi rahi hai is saal!"

"Hospital?"

"Haan...she was pregnant...and kaafi complicated pregnancy thi. She had two miscarriages before. Doctors ne unhe advise kiya tha ki bacche ke liye na jaayein, kyunki pregnancy aur childbirth se Shefali ki jaan ko bahot risk tha. Those two miscarriages were a blessing in disguise for them, they said. Par Shefali ka man nahi maanta tha. She was too keen on motherhood. Ajeeb baat hai na, mera plan nahi tha fir bhi shayad ek time par na chahate huye main ek bacchi ki maa ban gayi. Aur wo maa banene ke liye beqarar thi, par laakh koshishon ke baad bhi nakaam thi. Irony of life!

"Khair, finally the third time, they were successful. Or Shefali was successful you can say. Arvind ko malum nahi tha ke Shefali abhi bhi try kar rahi hai. After the last two times, he didn't want to take any risk on Shefali's life. She was all that he had, he used to say. Wo bacche ke bina jee sakte the, lekin Shefali ke bina nahi. Par Shefali ne zidd ki ki wo us pregnancy ke sath continue karna chahti hai...aur usne kiya.

"Pregnancy kadam kadam pe challenging thi- Shefali ka blood pressure kaafi high rehta tha, tabiyat bahot kharab aur gynaec issues ke saath saath Diabetic alag ho gayi thi. She was almost bed-ridden and severly ill most of the time. Isliye jitna bhi Arvind save kar paate the, wo Shefali ke medical expenses me lag jata tha, aur unka time bhi zyadatar hospital mein Shefali ki dekhbhaal mein beetata tha. Mere pass bhi jitna tha, maine unhe diya. Aur udhar Diya ke bhi kharche kam nahi the. Wo toh tumne bahot help ki...

Sameer waved her off. "Ab to mat hi bolo...meri bhi beti hai. Aur to kuch kar nahi paaya uske liye."

Naina nodded. "Anyways us raat bhi Arvind isiliye aaye the. Shefali admit thi- premature labour tha. Doctors ko surety nahi thi ki Shefali theek rahegi ya baby survive karega. Maine Shefali ke kapde, aur agar baby hua to uski zarurat ka sara samaan pack karke rakha tha. Arvind to pura time hospital mein the. To us din bas wo wahi samaan lene aaye the."

"Us time uski delivery hone wali thi?" Sameer asked.

Naina nodded. "Actually kuch time baad hi huyi thi- Diwali ki agli subah. Shefali ko lekar main already bahot tension mein thi us raat, aur achanak Diya ko tez bukhaar chadhana. Bulaati bhi to kise bulati- Arvind already pareshan the, hospital mein the. Shefali ki chinta, Diya ki chinta, bacche ki chinta. Isliye tumhe call kiya...khair bhagwan ki daya se sab theek ho gaya- they had a baby boy...."

Sameer was stunned. "So Arvind and Shefali are married, and they just had a baby boy?"

Naina nodded.

"Ab dono theek hain? Shefali aur baby?"

"Haan dono theek hain. Bas Shefali ko weakness hai abhi bhi. Zyada chal fir nahi kar sakti"

"Toh isliye wo party mein bhi nahi thi? Fir wo Arvind kyun aaya tha?"

"Actually main bahot confused ho rahi thi tumhare behavior se. Us raat tumne...tumne mujhe...kiss kiya...aur fir agle din Noopur ke saath the...mujhe samajh nahi aa raha tha-."

Sameer interjected her, "-Usi subah Noopur ke papa ka accident ho gaya tha. Toh main pura time hospital mein tha. Aur mujhe guilty bhi feel ho raha tha ki main Noopur ko dhokha de raha hun aur tum Arvind ko." He added mumbling, "Guess only one of us was guilty."

Naina bit her lip, but Sameer prodded her to go on.

"Shefali baby mein lagi thi. To main unhe batane gayi ki main jaa rahi hun. Maine decide kiya tha tumse khul ke baat karungi. Toh Arvind aur Shefali ko laga raat ka time hai- mujhe akele nahi jaana chahiye. Shefali ki mom aayi huyi thi. Unhone kaha wo uska aur baby ka dhyaan rakh lengi. To Arvind mujhe le jaane ke liye tayyar ho gaye the...

"Arvind ko actually nahi pata tha maine tumse kya jhooth bola hua hai! Jab party ke baad raat ko tum nashe me the...toh wo bahot gussa ho gaye...bahar nikal kar unhone bahot daanta ki mera boss mujhse aise badtameezi karta hai to maine unhein kabhi kyun nahi bataya. Jaise tum unhe nahi jaante the, vaise hi wo bhi yeh nahi jaante the ki tum meri life ke wahi Sameer ho- Sameer Maheshwari, na ki koi aur Sameer Somani. Tab maine unhe sab sach bataya, aur yeh bhi ki maine apni weakness chupane ke liye tumse jhooth bola tha ki wo mere husband hain.

"Wo is baat par bahot naraaz huye. Aur is par bhi ki yeh jaante huye ki jis Sameer ne mujhe dhokha diya tha, wahi mera boss hai, maine fir bhi uske sath contract sign kiya, aur na Arvind ko na Shefali ko pura sach bataya. Wo log financially meri bahot help kar chuke the, main jald se jald unka karz utarna chahti thi. Isliye tumhare sath contract sign kiya. Fir jab maine unhe puri baat batayi, kaise tumne Diya ki help ki, hum sabki help kar rahe ho financially bhi, aur ek support bhi ho tab wo shaant huye.

"Aur Shefali- wo khafa nahi hui?" Sameer asked, still cynical.

"Jab Shefali ne sab suna to wo bhi bahot naraaz huyi mujhse, bahot gussa, aur fir bahot hasi. Kehne lagi ki yeh sab uske stupid photo wale idea ka nateeja tha. Wo emotional bhi huyi ki main unki financially help karna chahti thi. Arvind bhi jab shaant huye to unhone party mein tumhare behavior ko analyze kiya, fir jo sab tum mere liye kar rahe the, bina sach jaane jaise tum Diya ki dekh bhaal karte the- yeh sab jaan kar unhe yakeen ho gaya ki tum mujhse pyaar karte ho. Shefali ne mujhe tab bhi samjhaya ki mujhe clarity se tumse baat karni chahiye.

Sameer leaned back against the window frame and groaned. "Yaar yeh sab kya ho raha hai? Tumne Arvind ki photo dikhayi, mujhe bola wo tumhara pati hai...aur main itne time se ghut ghut ke mar raha hun ki tum meri nahi ho saki..."

Naina lowered her head. "I'm sorry Sameer. Mujhe soch samajh se kaam lena chahiye tha. Mere Arvind ke prati koi galat intentions nahi hain...wo bahot ache insaan hain."

Sameer pursed his lips. "Still Naina...kitna weird hua hoga sab..."

Naina was contrite. "Hmmm."

"Toh tum paanch saal se Arvind aur Shefali pe dependent ho?"

"Dependent to kya hi hoti. Wo bechare to dono khud struggle kar rahe hain! Fir bhi jab maine maanga, bina kisi hichkichahat ke meri madad ki hai- aaj tak karte hain."

Sameer felt bad that he'd misunderstood Arvind and his intentions. He felt indebted to him and Shefali for taking care of Naina and Diya for him, that is, if he had any right on them. Would he be categorized as a father who knocked away a girl and then left both her and their child to fend for themselves? If only he'd known in time. If only she had told him before.

He turned to her. "Tumhe...tumhe apni pregnancy ka pata kab chala tha?"

"Kaafi baad mein...Preeti ki shaadi ke aas pass. Maine tumse bahot contact karne ki koshish ki. Even wo sab diary aur letters padhne ke baad bhi. Jab pata chala toh first trimester khatam ho raha tha."

"Tumhe teen mahine ho chuke the?" Sameer exclaimed in disbelief.

Naina nodded. "Sameer, main samajh nahi paayi thi. Mujhe laga meri date bas thodi irregular hai- shayad exams ka stress ya tumhe khone ka- mere birthday ke time par jab tum aaye the, tab main already pregnant thi!"

"Kya? Par tab toh tumne kaha tha na ki tumhari date aa chuki hai?"

"Mujhe laga tha lekin main galat thi. Baad me doctors ne bataya, kabhi pregnancy mein bhi bleeding hoti hai- initially jab baby implant hota hai, ya fir kisi kisi ko to pure nau mahine hoti hai- kisi ko kam, kisi ko zyada."

Sameer was stunned. "Really?" He shook his head. "Tum us waqt already pregnant thi...," he repeated to himself, revisiting that night in his mind.

Naina shrugged her shoulders. "Bas jaanti nahi thi."

"Kab hua hoga yeh?"

"Yaad hai exams se just ek week pehle...tab hum careless ho gaye the- shayad usi time. Par fir jab date aa gayi, to mujhe laga safe hain- sab theek hai."

Sameer now remembered that time as well- how their emotions had got the better of them. He felt really sad at their missed chance together. If only he'd known- she'd known- somehow- by some means.

"Aur tumhari family?" he finally asked, already scared of her answer- scared of what all she must have suffered.

He noticed the sudden shift in her mood. She became unbearably sad as she began narrating the entire ordeal- of discovering her pregnancy, trying to get in touch with him, and how her family got to know her dreaded secret, and the way she was treated post the revelation. Sameer was horrified and filled with remorse at what all Naina had to endure because of him. Tears that were twinkling in her eyes reflected the ones in his.

Unable to restrain himself, he went and sat next to her. "I'm sorry!" he whispered, taking her hand in his. "I'm really sorry Naina...sab meri wajah se hua...Tumhari, Diya ki- dono ki life kharab hui-"

Naina shushed him. "Tumhe kaise pata hota Sameer...kaise pata hota!"

His finger rubbed the back of her palm as he stared into the distance, still chastising himself for not being available when Naina needed him the most. "Still...par tumhare pass Delhi ka number bhi nahi tha na...aur yahan bhi agar Munna, Pandit ya Ramdhari ko pata hota to zarur baat ho jaati, fir yeh sab na hota."

Naina opened her mouth to tell him about the phone call they'd made to Delhi, and of the way his step-father had treated her. But then she remembered that Sameer now worked for him and how according to Munna, his relationship with him had improved. She didn't want to ruin it all for him. And anyways, what had to happen, had happened. No one could change it now.

Instead she said simply, "Shayad tab naseeb hamare saath nahi tha Sameer."

"Tumhare chacha-chachi ne bhi tumhe chod diya...Preeti bhi nahi...Naina, I can't imagine, tumne sab akele kaise jhela!"

Naina shrugged. "Pata nahi kaise Sameer. Shayad mujhe himmat aur jeene ki chah Diya ki wajah se mili. Main nahi chahati thi ki use koi taqleef sehni pade....use ek acchi zindagi dena chahti thi." She wiped her eyes with her dupatta.

"Naina? Ek baat puchun? Tumne kisi aur se shaadi kyun nahi ki? Kabhi socha nahi? Matlab, main khush hun ki nahi ki, par wo mera selfish interest hai, par koi tumhare sath hota toh shayad tumhari zindagi aasaan ho jaati."

"Jhoot nahi bolungi Sameer- koshish ki thi maine ki tumhe bhool jaun. Koshish ki fir se apni zindagi ki nayi shuruaat karun." She then spoke at length about the broken marriage proposal in the village. "Bas mujhe laga main kisi aur se sach chupa ke use dhokha nahi de sakti. Acha insaan tha wo. Par hota to wahi hai jo hona likha hai. Aur uske baad se koi aisa mila nahi- na Diya ke saath mera dhyaan gaya." She also told him how Arvind and Shefali had tried to set her up with one of his friends, who was divorced, but when he learnt of Diya's ailment, he refused.

Sameer did not know whether to thank his stars for the rejection Naina faced all those times, or curse them for the misfortune she endured alone. All he could do was lock his fingers with hers, reassuring her that he was there with her this time.

Naina then told him about the abortion to which she had said no. Sameer learnt how her family had not supported her decision of keeping the baby initially and she'd been sent aboard a train to an ashram. Sameer's heart convulsed with fear, scared that there was a point in time where Diya's parents could have led to her being killed- before she saw the light of the day. He uttered numerous times that he was grateful to Naina that despite of the circumstances, the misunderstandings, she'd risked it all- her family, her reputation, her life- just to bring Diya into the world. Sameer's respect and love for Naina grew in leaps and bounds when he heard of her decision. He wasn't sure he would have been courageous enough to do the same thing had he been in her shoes.

Next, she narrated the scenario of how she met the Aroras enroute her journey to Jaipur, and how they helped her when she fainted. Naina told him that Mr. Arora also got her some freelance assignments to tide her by financially, in addition to their support and the money Chachaji had given her.

It was a difficult journey as a single, unwed mother. Every year, she would take Diya to Jaipur and stay for a month or so with the Aroras, and would lie to her acquaintances in Delhi that they were going to visit her husband in the States, or that she was going to her in-laws' place in Jaipur. Yet she knew several societymen suspected her of being abandoned by her husband, especially since the Aroras moved to the US and her Jaipur plans were cancelled.

Naina told him about all that she'd faced, each and every thing in detail- all the rejection, the spurning from the world. Yet all these years, she lived- trying her best to forget her own pain just for the sake of her child- their child. She tried to put on a happy face in front of the society, all the while overcoming her sorrow to make ends meet.

Tears flew down uninhibited across her cheeks. "Pata hai Sameer, main itne saalon se sochti rahi ki sab tumhari wajah se huya. Par aaj mujhe pata hai- isme tumhari utni hi galti hai jitni meri. Humne ek dusre ke saath sab share kiya, bas apne dil ki baat nahi. Aur humein samajhdaari se kaam lena chahiye tha- jo hum karte the, wo theek nahi tha. Aur uski saza Diya ne bhugti, hum dono ne bhugti. Mujhe bahot baad mein pata chala tha tumhare Nanu ke baare mein, aur yeh ke tum isliye ghar pe nahi the. Mujhe laga tumne mujhe dhokha diya- use kiya. Aur kahin na kahin, wo sare saboot, wo photo, wo diary, wo letters- sab mujhpe haawi ho gaye...jaise har cheez ne mujhe yakeen dila diya ki main tumhare liye kabhi kuch mayene hi nahi rakhti thi."

"Aisa nahi hai Naina, aisa nahi hai....tumse zyada to maine kisi ko chaha hi nahi tha...tum mere liye sabse zyada mayene rakhti thi- tum meri zindagi thi Naina!" Sameer shushed her. He hesitated for a second and then put his arm around her.

"Rakhti thi? Ab nahi?" she asked expectantly through her sobs. Had Noopur really taken her place in his heart?

Sameer let out a small smile. "Ab bhi bahot mayene rakhti ho, lekin ab koi hai na jisse main tumse zyada pyaar karne laga hun."

Naina tried to stifle her tears. She nodded in understanding. "Noopur bahot achi ladki hai!"

Sameer was startled. "Haan, bahot achi hai. Par unfortunately, maine uska dil dukhaya hai Naina. You know why?"

She looked up at him expectantly.

"Because no matter how hard I tried, I could never love her."

This statement caught Naina unawares.

"Toh mujhse zyada tum kisse pyaar karte ho?"

Despite the tears choking his own voice, Sameer let out a small chortle. "Come on Naina! I thought you were smart!"

Naina looked nonplussed and then realization dawned on her.

Sameer let out a small smile and shrugged. "Sorry Naina, but Diya has taken your place!"

A wave of relief washed over Naina. Diya...! "Tum sach mein Diya se itna pyaar karte ho Sameer?"

"Haan Naina. Jabse usse mila, mujhe koi anjaan cheez uski ore khinchti thi. Main toh jaanta nahi tha ki wo meri hi beti hai, phir bhi pata nahi kaise....Ek baat kahun, jo pyaar ek baap apni beti se karta hai na, utna pyaar wo kisi aur se nahi kar paata, aur na hi uski beti ko usse zyada koi aur chah sakta hai. Yeh ab samajh aaya mujhe."

Naina smiled and involuntarily leaned her head on his arm. They sat like that for a while.

Then Naina remembered something. She pulled her handbag out once again, and extracted the photo albums that she'd brought along with her. She showed him pictures of Diya as an infant, cradled in her lap or playing with Mrs. Arora, Diya as a toddler- crying, crawling or smiling in her arms. There were pictures of Arvind and Shefali too with her and Diya. Sameer's eyes welled up at the childhood of his beloved child – all the memories and the firsts that he'd missed.

"Tumne kabhi dhyaan nahi diya ki Diya kabhi Arvind ko papa nahi kehti?" Naina asked as Sameer's hand caressed a picture of a two-year old Diya.

His eyes flicked to hers. "Haan...kuch time pehle khayal aaya tha. Actually, us din Diya ne mujhse kaha ki uske papa videsh mein rehte hain, aur wo bahot gussewale hain," he looked at her pointedly.

Naina bit her lip. "Gussewali baat to sach hai vaise."

Sameer mumbled. "Tumhe to jaise gussa aata hi nahi! Vaise aur kya kaha hai tumne Diya ko mere baare mein?"

"Yahin ki koi puche to keh dena papa foreign mein rehte hain. Jab wo thodi badi ho jayegi tab unse milwaungi use- aisa use promise kiya tha. Socha tha, badi hone par samjha dungi."

"Usne apne papa ki koi photo nahi dekhi?"

"Ab tak nahi...lekin ab school jaati hai, dusre bacchon ki baatein sunti hai to papa ke baare mein puchti hai. Uske sawaal mushkil ho rahe hain- kehti hai papa se hum kabhi kyun nahi milte...photo maangti hai ki mere papa kaise dikhte hain- maine kaha ki mere pass se unki photo gum ho gayi hai, jab papa se milenge tab bahot saari photos khinchenge."

Sameer's eyes were fixed on a picture of them playing together. "Kaash tum aur Diya mujhe pehle mil jaate Naina. Kaash!"

"Socho, kamse kam hum ab to mile. Kya hota agar main kabhi Delhi aati hi nahi, ya tumse milti hi nahi!" remarked Naina. "Fir hum aaj tak yeh unhi galatfehmiyon mein jee rahe hote!"

Sameer nodded slowly. "So to hai...par Naina vaise tum Jaipur mein thi...toh fir wahan se Delhi aayi kab?"

"Diya ke paida hone ke just baad!"

"Kyun?"

"Jab Diya paida huyi to mujhe kuch sahi nahi laga. Mujhe koi experience to tha nahi. Mrs. Arora ko bhi laga theek ho jayegi. Lekin uski body se kaafi smell si aati thi- uske paseene se, uski urine se...aur phir maine tumse kaha tha na, Diya paida hone ke time se bahot gori thi- us time to bahot unnatural sa lagta tha. Mahina beetne ko tha, jab humein kuch samajh nahi aaya to main bahot ghabrane lagi. Mr. Arora ne apne ek doctor dost ko Delhi mein phone kiya. Wo AIIMS mein the. Unhone kaha wahan le aaun bacchi ko aur wo check-up karenge. To main agli hi train se Delhi aa gayi."

"Akele?" Sameer's heart saddened again that he wasn't there when she and Diya needed him.

Naina nodded.

"Main wahi test results ka wait kar rahi thi, Diya andar admit thi- aur tab mujhe wahan Arvind mile- firse!"

"Firse?"

"Haan. Shaadi ke kuch time baad hi wo dono America chale gaye the. Arvind ne wahan bahot tarraki ki. Apni PostDoc complete ki. Fir kaafi bade bade research projects haath mein liye. Fir achanak se BioTechnology ka boom khatam ho gaya aur IT aa gaya. Unki research grants cut hone lagi. Dheere dheere, unke pass kaam khatam ho gaya aur visa expire ho gaya. Unhe bahot struggle ke baad ek research opportunity mili AIIMS mein. Wahan unhone mujhe achanak by chance dekha aur pehchaan liya.

"Jab mere sath wo sab hua, tab wo dono honeymoon pe the, aur fir uske ek do hafte baad hi dono US chale gaye the...isliye unhe kuch pata nahi tha ki mere sath kya hua, na Shefali se baat huyi thi meri...wo haal chaal puchne lage...par unhe dekhte hi main toot gayi aur bataya ki meri beti beemar hai, doodh bhi nahi pi paa rahi. Unhone turant Diya ko check kiya- uske symptoms puche. Fir blood reports jab aayi to check kiya. Wo kuch bol to nahi rahe the par pareshan the. Kabse hain symptoms pucha...jab maine bataya ki wo ek mahine ki ho rahi hai, to wo zyada worried ho gaye. Fir consulting doctor se baat ki. PKU hi tha. Unhe to genetic diseases me bahot experience hai. Wo dekhte hi samajh gaye the, lekin umeed kar rahe the kuch misunderstanding ho.

"Wo Jaipur ke hospital pe bahot gussa huye- unki carelessness par ki jaldi test kyun nahi kiya- PKU ke symptoms obvious the. Fir unhone mujhe samjhaya ki aur tests karne honge toh hi assess kar payenge ki kuch brain damage ya heart pe asar to nahi hua ya koi aur vital organ to nahi affected hai.

Sameer gulped.

"Bhagwan ki daya se kuch major nahi nikla." Relief washed through Sameer.

Naina continued, "Unhone mere husband ke baare me pucha. Maine taal diya. Fir unhone Shefali ko phone karke bulaya. Dono mujhe apne ghar le gaye. Jab meri puri kahani suni to dono bahot gussa huye- tum pe, mujh pe, aur bahot dukhi huye ki mere aur meri bacchi ke saath itna bura huya. Fir dono ne mujhe bahot samjhaya, bhagwaan pe bharosa rakhne ko kaha.

"Jab tak Diya ka treatment chala, Arvind aur Shefali ne mujhe apne ghar pe hi rakha. Mere sath hospital mein rehte rahe- financially bhi madad ki. Dheere dheere mujhe pata chala ki unki khud ki problems kitni hain aur wo bahot struggle kar rahe hain.

"Diya ke discharge hone ke baad maine wapis Jaipur jaane ka socha, par un dono ne kaha main wahi reh jaun. Shefali bhi akeli thi, main bhi. Unhone mujhe unhi ki society mein ek ghar rent pe dilwaya. Shefali ne suggest kiya ki main apna naam change karun- pehchaan badal dun- ek nayi shuruaat karun. Mera kaafi kharcha uthate rahe wo dono- Diya ki treatment ka sara expense unhone kiya. Baad mein mujhe pata chala ki Shefali ki khud ki tabiyat kitni kharab thi, fir bhi wo air-hostessing kar rahi thi. Ek private airlines mein opportunity mili thi- kuch mahine kiya bhi usne, lekin frequent flying and travelling, odd schedules se uski tabiyat theek nahi rehti thi. Aur usi time wo fir se pregnant huyi to chodna pada, aur fir miscarriage. Unke financial issues bhi bahot the, plus Arvind ki family ne inter-religion shaadi ki wajah se unhe cut-off kar diya tha."

They had not realized when, during the course of their conversation, they had been wrapped in each other's arms. Sameer was listening attentively, his fingers caressing her hair.

"Bas tabse hum teeno saath hi hain. Ek family ki tarah. Maine Mittal surname bhi unhi ki wajah se liya tha. Bahot ehsaan hain unke mujhpe aur Diya pe."

Sameer held her hand and caressed it. "Aur mujh par bhi."

She looked at him. "Yeh meri kahaani hai Sameer. Kya ab tum bataoge ki wo diary tumne kyun likhi thi- kya mujhse koi bhool huyi thi-?"

Sameer cut her off. "Wo diary Meghnaa ne likhi thi. Aur is sabke piche wo Rahul aur Shraddha the."

Naina's eyes widened in astonishment. She couldn't seem to grasp it. "Kya?"

Sameer then narrated the entire series of events- the revelations- how he'd tracked down the truth in the past few days. He recounted his meeting with Tibrewal, with Meghnaa and how she'd transformed into a new leaf and the most shocking blow that hit him was the treachery by the now husband-wife Rahul and Shraddha.

Naina was aghast by the end of the tale. "I don't believe it!"

Sameer sighed. "I don't blame you. Mujhe ab tak khud yakeen nahi aa raha to main kaise umeed karun ki tum aisi kahani pe vishwas kar logi!"

"Shraddha tumse pyaar karti thi? Mujhe kabhi pata hi nahi tha....wo aisa kaise kar sakti hai mere sath?" Naina shook her head several times. "Maine baar baar usse pucha ki tumse baat huyi ke nahi, usne tumhe mera message diya ke nahi..."

Sameer heaved despondently.

"Aur Meghnaa? Wo sudhar gayi?"

"Bahot zyada...yakeen nahi hua mujhe toh."

"Itna bada plan...koi aise kaise kar sakta hai...humne kya bigaada tha kisi ka...Mera sar chakra raha hai!"

Sameer nodded. "I understand. Mujhe to lag raha hai jaise koi ajeeb si filmy kahani ho- aur hamari life barbaad karke, khud shaadi karke baithe hain!"

Naina's eyes fell upon their hands clasped together, and how they were engulfed in each other's arms. She lifted her gaze to him. "Kya hamari life barbaad ho chuki hai?"

Sameer gazed into her eyes. "Sab tumhare upar hai Naina! If you can find it in you to trust me again....but I won't blame you if you cannot. I just want you to be happy, Diya to be happy...bas!"

"Aur Noopur?"

"Noopur aur meri shaadi toot gayi hai Naina. Maine bataya tha na."

"Par kyun?"

Sameer then recounted the events of the night after the party- how Noopur had seen through him, how she'd realized he was still in love with someone else, and how he'd confessed to kissing her in front of Noopur. He told her he hadn't wanted to hurt her by disclosing to her that Naina still worked with him. That time, he'd decided their relationship would be completely professional since he didn't want to retract the offer for her book. He'd found himself drawn to Diya, to her and hadn't been able to control himself. And in the end, he had ended up hurting Noopur. He'd failed to realize that Noopur's feelings for him had gotten deeper.

Naina felt extremely sad to hear about Noopur. Her animosity towards her, which had stemmed from her proximity to Sameer, vanished as she learnt of her heartbreak. She knew what it felt like to be betrayed by the one you love with all your being- the feeling when your dreamy world comes crashing down in an instant.

"I'm sorry," she said simply.

Sameer shrugged. "Tum kyun sorry bol rahi ho. I should never have accepted the proposal. I did a lot of bad things and hurt a lot of good people- you, Diya, Noopur....it's my fault."

"Sameer, every one of us has a dark side to them that makes us do bad things, things that we regret, decisions that are wrong, but we have to move past them. Sometimes, knowingly or unknowingly, we hurt those we love the most, those who care for us the most. But we are all humans at the end of the day. We aren't infallible. Life can't be about holding grudges and sorrows- look where it has led me."

Sameer was pensive. "I was so scared of falling in love and being hurt again that I never listened to my heart. And see what I did to you and inevitably hurt myself too. I lost the family I could have had Naina, all because of my foolishness, my anger."

Naina took a deep breath. She understood where he was coming from. "Aisa to main bhi keh sakti hun Sameer."

He turned to look at her.

"Tumhe pata hai main us din ke baad apne papa se kabhi nahi mil paayi. Maana unse mujhe kabhi wo pyaar nahi mila jo main chahti thi, par fir bhi the to wo mere papa hi. Aur meri wajah se kya mere parivaar ka sir nicha nahi hua, kya chacha-chachi ka dil nahi dukha? Jab kal maine papa ke baare mein suna to main bas yahi sochti rahi ki agar maine dimag se kaam liya hota, josh me na behki hoti to shayad unko aakhiri baar dekh paati- wo dil me yeh gham to lekar toh nahi marte ki unki beti ne unhein dhokha diya. Ab chachaji, chachiji, Preeti hain mere pass- main bas yahi koshish kar sakti hun ki aage se dhyaan rakhun, unhein na khoun. Tumhe na khoun."

Sameer hadn't known about Rakesh. Though he had personally never liked the man, he was in the end Naina's father. He caressed her cheek softly, sadly. Sameer knew words couldn't lessen the pain of losing a loved one. But he wanted her to know that he was there for her- she could lean onto him.

She tried to blink away her tears. "That's life Sameer- achi ya buri, haseen ya dardnaak- jo kuch bhi beeti hum pe- wo hissa hai hamari zindagi ka- aur jab tak hum jiyenge, hum use bhula nahi payenge. Jaise kisi ko khone ka dard hamesha saath rehta hai, kisi ko paane ki khushi bhi rehti hai...but waqt kisi ke liye nahi thamta...humein aage badhna padta hai, fir se sahi galat decisions lene padte hain....zindagi achi ho ya buri- jeeni padti hai."

They were both silent for a few minutes. Naina was leaning against his chest, and Sameer was caressing her hair, both lost in their own thoughts.

"Are you planning to marry?" Sameer asked out of the blue.

This took Naina by surprise. She raised her head to look at him. "Depends on if you ask me!"

Sameer raised his brows at her and smiled. "Acha to mere puchne ka intezaar kar rahi thi?"

Naina punched him on his arm shyly. "Toh? Jab maine shaadi ke liye pucha tha, to toh pata nahi kya bol gaye the!"

"Ohh haan...kya proposal tha wo. Seriously Naina! Hats off. Guinness Book of World Records mein aana chahiye- best marriage proposal ever- kisi dusre ki photo dikha ke jealous karwao. Tumhari wo Shefali madam se milna padega. Kahan se idea laayi-?"

This earned Sameer another smack, but he caught her hand mid-air. He locked his eyes with her and pulled her closer. His spare hand trailed its fingers down her cheek, as his eyes roved over her face- taking it all in. The red dab of sindoor, the golden and black beads around her neck no longer bothered him. They were for him. She was his.

"Naina!" he whispered. "I Love You. I don't even know since when. Perhaps since the day I almost collided with you on my first day at school- or the time you took me to that ice-cream parlour and got me soaking wet, or the time you sashayed across me in that pink saree- or the first time my lips touched yours- or the day when I finally realized it- I have no clue Naina. But I do know one thing- I never stopped loving you- not even for a moment. Even when I wanted to hate you, I longed for you. Only you. Nothing could ever change that. And now I don't want to take any more chances. I don't want to lose you again." He gulped, his fingers playing with the errant strand of her hair swaying about.

Naina was breathing heavily at the proximity, finally listening to the confession of love she'd always longed for.

He was waiting for her answer, mustering restraint not to press his lips against hers.

She spoke softly, her eyes mesmerized by his. She inched closer to him and whispered. "Toh?"

He felt himself losing focus. He pulled away slightly, so that Naina could think straight. "Toh ek baar phir bharosa kar paogi mujh par?" he whispered, dead-serious, even amidst the wild beating of his heart. "Soch ke jawab dena Naina. Tum aaj jo bhi faisla logi- wo hamari zindagi ka rasta tai karega. Diya ke pressure mein aake mat socho. I will provide for her the best I can irrespective of your decision."

She peered into the depths of his eyes. This was her truth. She didn't want to dig any further. And she gave in to the voice ringing deep inside her for years, the voice that said- give him a chance, give in to your love again.

"I love you too Sameer. Since forever- since the moment I set my eyes upon you, I understood what it meant to love. I changed, my life changed the day I met you."

Sameer couldn't help but smile despite tears stinging his eyes. "Do you trust me? Will you give me a chance to prove myself?"

Naina nodded. "Don't break my heart again, I'm warning you. Or you'll break Diya too."

"I won't. I promise!" He hesitated. "Thank you Naina...thank you for believing in me again."

His eyes searched hers. And then he finally popped the question she'd been waiting for since years.

"Will you be mine forever? Will you marry me Naina?" His voice was hoarse, quivering.

As soon as she heard it, Naina felt as if her soul was delivered the salvation it seeked. Her body racked with emotion, and she tried to smile. A tear threatened to form in the corner of her eye. Before it could slide down her cheek, his finger wiped it away.

"Is the thought of marrying me so bad?" he grinned.

Naina broke into a giggle amid her sobs, amazed at his ability to joke at such a critical moment.

"You didn't answer me," he persisted.

"Do you really need an answer after I told you how much I've always loved you? Of course, I'll marry you!"

He couldn't believe this was for real. Couldn't believe that the impossible had turned out possible. Couldn't believe that life had given him another chance, them another chance. Couldn't believe his damn good luck!

His heart soared. The ecstasy in his searched for the joy in hers. And without wasting another second of their lives together, he pulled her in and kissed her. Naina's arms wrapped around his neck of their own accord as if they'd never parted, as if they knew she was where she belonged. She was finally at peace. She was home.

Her fingers combed his hair and pulled him closer, unable to get enough of him. Her soul had been parched without him, and the touch of his lips once again nudged the buds nested deep in her heart. The petals of her soul slowly unfurled- the garden bloomed, the joy persevered. Love reigned once again in their hearts, now beating as one- beat by beat, together in their ups and downs for eternity.

The clock ticked by, but Sameer and Naina did not part. Their mouths explored the familiar plains, the territories they'd known once devoured voraciously. And despite surrendering themselves to the moment, the kisses weren't as sensual as they were needy. They were kisses of longing, kisses of forgiveness, kisses that promised a brighter future, kisses that confessed their unending love for each other.

It was the doorbell that brought them both to their senses.

"Ramdhari!" Sameer's eyes darted to the wall clock. It was nearing 1 now.

Naina and Sameer patted their hair and adjusted their clothes, quickly making themselves presentable. Sameer planted a quick kiss on her cheek, before rushing to the door.

As soon as the door opened, Ramdhari entered in a hurry. He was blabbering, "Bhaiya, hum jaate jaate pehle Mahadev ke mandir hoke aaye...aap ghabraiye mat, Bholenath sab theek kar denge-". He stopped mid-sentence as his eyes fell upon Sameer's grinning face and then at the lady standing next to the sofa.

"Naina?" Sameer gestured her to come over and Naina obliged meekly.

"Mahadev ne sun li Ramdhari. Sun li," Sameer started. "Apni Bhabhi se milo...Naina, yahin hain hamare Ramdhari bhaiya!"

Naina folded her hands at him shyly.

Ramdhari was rendered speechless and he looked from one face to another to see if they were pulling his leg. And then he broke into a big grin. "Namaste didi. Bhaiya rukiye....," he took out a parcel from his pocket. He unfolded the brown paper, and offered, "Lijiye bhaiya, bhabhi...Bholenath ka prasad hai...sach mein bhagwan ne jaise hamari dil ki baat hi sun li...wo bhi turant...Bholenath baba ki jai!" He folded his hands in obeisance towards his Lord Shiva.

Sameer and Naina then went and paid their respects to Nanu. Sameer thanked him profusely. He knew Nanu must have worked some magic, begged and prayed to Lord Shiva to bring happiness in his grandson's life once again. He peeked at Naina, her hands folded, her eyes closed in front of Nanu's portrait, still unable to believe all of it was real. He was feeling like the luckiest man alive on earth.

Ramdhari had hordes of questions for them, but Sameer said he'd explain everything in detail to him later on. At that moment, he was desperate to meet his daughter.

Sameer then took Naina back to her home. Chachaji, chachiji and Preeti who were waiting anxiously for Naina were pleasantly surprised on seeing Sameer with her. Naina's face was aglow with happiness. And the huge smiles on each of their faces told the family exactly how the meeting had gone.

The moment Sameer entered their home, he went over and touched Chachaji and chachiji's feet.

"Mujhe maaf kar dijiye chachaji, chachiji. Mujhse bahot badi galti huyi hai. Please....aur ab main wo galti sudharna chahta hun. Agar aap ki ijazat ho to main Naina se shaadi karna chahta hun."

Their happiness knew no bounds. Preeti wrapped Naina in a tight hug at the news and chachaji and chachiji blessed the couple. Chachiji declared that she was going to prepare something sweet for the occasion and decided on besan halwa according to Sameer's choice.

Suddenly, Diya appeared out of a room inside as she heard her mumma's voice and another familiar voice. When she saw Sameer, her face lit up!

"Sameer uncle!" she exclaimed happily and ran towards him.

Sameer was overcome with joy on seeing his Diya again. He pulled her up into a tight hug, almost sobbing as he held her daughter, never wanting to let go. "Mera bacha!" he declared, patting her head and hugging her again and again. The emotional sight brought tears in chachaji and chachiji's eyes. Preeti looked from Sameer and Diya to Naina and she knew her sister had taken the right decision.

Diya did not leave Sameer's side that entire afternoon, nor did Sameer let her out of his sight. As if he felt he had to make up for the lost time of the past five years. They had to think on how to break the news to Diya, so that she would accept Sameer as her father. For now, they just let her call him uncle, and though it wrenched his heart, he hoped he'd hear the word 'papa' from her very soon.

The same evening, Sameer and Naina met and broke the news to Munna, Pandit and Swati. Their initial surprise gave way to elation and they congratulated them heartily.

Sameer told Naina that he had to inform his parents of the news as well, and would like it if she and Diya would accompany him back to Delhi. So they booked their flight for the very next day. Naina had argued that she could take the train, but Sameer had objected.

That night when she was alone, Naina mused how her life had changed in the last 24 hours. She did not know whether her decision was right or wrong, but she'd given in to her heart this time. She would wait and see how life plays out in future. At present, she was more worried about her reception at Sameer's house, especially when Vishakha saw her again after their last meeting. And now Diya was also in the picture. She was also scared of what Mr. Somani would have to say and whether they will accept her as family. Sameer had assured her that he would not leave her side, come what may this time. And if his family did not agree, he would try hard to convince them. If they did not get convinced, he could fend for Diya and Naina himself.

Naina's thoughts wandered to Rahul and Shraddha, and their conspiracy. Shraddha- she had never expected this from her. And yet, it all fit. She had been in love with Sameer all along, and Naina had never known it. She suddenly remembered her dream of that morning. So, Shraddha was the mystery woman? The dream had been so symbolic, so prescient that Naina shuddered.

Wanting to vent out her emotions, she pulled out her writing journal and scribbled.

It was as if she'd been aboard an ill-fated ship all this time, caught in the middle of nowhere, in a stormy sea, in a raging storm, that threatened to blow her existence to pieces. All these years, the storm had thrashed her, beaten her, churned her along with the irascible seas and finally dumped her alone on the banks of an island. And when she opened her eyes, fearing that her end was near, she saw him bearing down upon her- her rescuer beaming at her, smiling at her. And in that moment, she knew- it would be all right. They would be all right. 

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Dear friends,This is the last chapter of this story. As you would have already guessed, this chapter was more than twice the length of a usual chapter. It took me a long time to write, and a lot of rework was needed. And I know, there would still be errors and mistakes in flow. Everytime I read it, I come up with something to change. I would like to thank all of you wonderful readers, for your immense time and patience, and for your understanding at my lowest of lows. This chapter is dedicated to each and everyone of you. I may not know all your names, but I do feel a certain kinship, a certain bond with you all. Last, but not the least- do drop in your comments. If the last chapter was upto the mark or not, things you felt were amiss, or areas that could have been dealt better, and also things that you liked about this update (I hope there is something! :)). PS: I plan to write an Epilogue for this story after this. I have noted a few suggestions that you posted on my wall. I would try to do my best to incorporate them.