As per the poll results, heres the update

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Prateek opened the door& was stunned by what he saw-
The person whom everyone had presumed to be dead, was standing in front of hm- all fit& fine
He came out of his thoughts when the person hugged him tightly

Person-how are you dad?

Pr-neil...neil beta tum zinda ho?

Yes, it was neil
He understood that since there was no news about his survival from the mission, everyone had presumed that he was no more
He broke the hug

N-dad men jaanta hu ke aap kya soch rahe h
Men sab kuch batata hu
Aur aap se kuch sawaal toh muje bhi karne h

Prateek let neil enter& everyone was delighted to see him fit& fine

(Im not giving too many details of that emotional drama bcz i dont wanna waste time on these doglapan wale log)😒😒😒

While everyone else was happy, amol& kanchan were just faking to be happy
Kanchan whispered in amol's ears

K-bhaiya waapas aagye h
Iska matlab samajh hi gaye hoge

Am-haa
Jo property hume& humari future family ko exclusively milne wali thi wo ab phirse divide hojayegi 50-50 men
Khair filhaal toh kuch nahi kar sakte

Neil moved his gaze around in search of avni& Their child, who must be 5/6 months old by now

N-dad avni kaha h?
Aur humara baccha?

S-arre
Men bhi kitni badi bewakoof hu
Abhi tak tuje tere bete se milvaya hi nahi

Savitri went inside& came back with a baby boy

S-ye dekh neil
Iska naam teri hi yaad men rakha tha-jo tu chahta tha
Ansh

Neil's happiness knew no bounds on holding his baby in his arms for the first time& he started to cradle ansh in his arms

Everyone was happy for him, excluding kanchan& amol
But they faked to be happy, so that their real intensions dont get exposed
But everyone's smile faded on hearing neil's next question

N-avni kaha h?

Nobody spoke a word so neil tried to read them by their facial expressions, which increased neil's suspicion 
Since they werent responding, neil decided to search for avni by himself

He was just going to pass the dark room when he noticed a huge lock on the door
His instincts told him to check the room once

N-mom, naniji, iss room ki chabi kaha h?

Savitri didnt now how to answer so she thought of brushing the topic away

S-arre beta wo toh store room h
Uski chabi kyu chahiye?

Now, neil suspected everyone even more but he didnt want to waste time on their silence so he fetched a hammer& hit the lock constantly

In the 3rd attempt, the lock fell to the ground& neil at once opened the door's handle
He kicked the door& the sight in front of him left him shocked-

His wife was laying on the rough floor like a lifeless human
Even in the extreme darkness present in the room, he could clearly notice her puffy eyes& pale face
She looked terribly weak& drained
Neil immediately went to her& pat her face few times

Avni slowly opens eyes
She smiled on seeing neil but felt that its again her dream so she fainted again
That was when he noticed her white saree& there was no signs of a married women on her

He immediately concluded what his family had assumed about him
All this made neil furious but he realised that avni was in much more sensitive condition so he decides to deal with his family later

N-we will to go to the hospital immediately jaan
I wont let anything happen to you

P-neil men chalta hu tumhare saath
Tum akele avni& ansh ko nahi le ja paoge

Although neil was angry at his family, prateek's statement did make sense so he agreed

*****

Hospital-

While the doctors were checking avni, on neil's insistence, prateek told neil whatever happened with avni, in his absence
He was stunned to hear how avni was mistreated in his absence- she literally starved for food& water
No wonder she had lost so much weight

N-muje aap se koi baat nahi karni h dad
Apki koi bhi safai aapke crime ko defend nahi kar sakti
Aap ghar men sabse bade h- at least aap toh koi stand le sakte they na

Apne avni ko apni aakhon se torture hote hue dekha phir bhhi chup chap sab ignore kardia?
How could you dad?
Haalath dekhi h apne uski? 

Prateek was about to say something but the doctor came, gaining neil's attention

N-doctor how is my avni?

Dr-looks like nobody took good care of her after her delivery bcz she really weak& malnourished
She needs proper meals& good amount of rest too

And for better treatment, i would rather suggest you to take her to a city hospital bcz there are very limited facilities in this local village hospital

On hearing the doctor's statements& seeing avni's condition, neil felt pathetic on having such a heartless family
Neil decided to follow the doctor's suggestions& take avni to the city after her condition improves a little

P-neil beta...

Neil showed his hand

N-im sorry dad lekin aap ja sakte h
Men avni& ansh- dono ka dhyaan rakh lunga
Avni ke saath jo kuch bhi hua uske baad men aap logo pe na trust kar sakta hu na apko maaf kar sakta hu

Suddenly neil saw avni opening her eyes in slits
But since she had remained in the dark room during her pregnancy& after delivery too, avni had now become resistant to sunlight
She immediately shut her eyes& opened them again, after adjusting to the light

While neil was smiling brightly bcz she gain consciousness, avni still felt that its her dream
But she spoke neil's name in broken tone

A-neilu tum yaha ho?
Nahi-ye phirse mera sapna hoga
Muje pata h
Men phir so jaungi& ussi dark room men uthungi

Kaash ye sapna na hota
Kaash tum yaha sach men hote neilu
Pata nahi tum ab iss duniya men ho bhi ya nahi
Jab se tum mission pe gaye& ansh paida hua, mene tumhe dekha h na ansh ko
I miss you neilu
Plz come back

Neil felt helpless at avni's condition
He was beside her but she thought of it as her dream
He got up from the chair immediately& gave an extremely angry look to prateek

N-dekh rahe h ke kya haal kar diya aapne uss bechari ka?
Sapne aur asliyat men farq nahi kar pa rahi wo

Prateek knew that he& others at home were at fault so he carefully handed ansh to neil& left the hospital, sighing in guilt
Neil put a sleeping ansh in the cradle beside avni& faced her again
He gently caressed her cheeks

After prateek left, neil immediately hugged avni

N-jaan im here
Ab men kabhi nahi jaunga
I promise you

A-neilu tum sacchi men ho yaha?

N-haa avu
Men bhi& humara chota sa ansh bhi

A-muje wo dark room wapas nahi jana
Jab tum nahi they tab pata h mere saath kya hua?

She was about to cry but neil rubbed her back& kissed her head

N-men sab jaanta hu avu
Par ab koi tumhe mujse door nahi karega jaan
Im here na?
You are safe now

Avni couldnt hold her tears& broke down on realizing that neil was back& he had rescued her from the dark room
Her cries had no limit today bcz her prayers to god were finally fulfilled

Neil continued to rub avni's back to calm her

Neil realized that all this has had a huge impact on avni emotionally
He understood that it will take her some time to fully accept that he was actually with her& she wasnt dreaming

He was determined to bring his old fearless avu back
Now, every morning, she will always find him beside her, her being fastened in his embrace- safe from all the cruelties of the world

A-neilu...neilu...ansh ka...kaha h?

N-ye dekho
Kitni shanti se so raha h

Neil carefully picked ansh in his arms& passed him to avni, who kissed his face multiple times
She scanned him from head to toe& realized that his features resembled both of avni& neil

Phir Chandni Ratein Wo Aayengi
Phir Se Milenge Hum Sanam
Phir Roshni Kheedki Se Aayegi
Phir Humpe Hoga Kuch Karam

Phir Wado Se Hoke
In Khaabon Ko Bo Ke
Ye Rista Nibhayenge Hum

Phir Barsega Sawan
Mehkega Wo Aangan
Ke Aayega Mohabbat Ka Mausam

Subah Ko Jaga Ke
Tu Khud Ko Saja Ke
Mera Hi Deedar Karna

Mera Intezaar Karna
Mera Intezar Karna
Zara Aitbaar Karna
Mera Intezar Karna

Phir Zindagi Khul Ke Lehrayegi
Sang Chalenge Har Kadam
Phir Aashiqui Aalam Mehkayegi
Honge Juda Na Hai Kasam

Ho Apna Basera Jo Mera Wo Tera
Baatenge Ho Khushiyan Ya Gham
Ek Beti Khuda De Bas Teri Tarah De
Hum Usko Sehlaenge Hardum

Subah Ko Jaga Ke Tu Khud Ko Saja Ke
Mera Hi Deedar Karna

Mera Intezar Karna
Mera Intezar Karna
Zara Aitbaar Karna
Mera Intezar Karna

Mera Intezar Karna
Mera Intezar Karna
Zara Aitbaar Karna
Mera Intezar Karna

N-its getting dinner time
Men tumhare dinner ke baare men pata karke aata hu
Ansh also must be hungry so you feed him in the meantime

Neil was about to get up but avni held his wrist

A-plz dont go

Neil understood her fears

N-relax avu
Men abhi gaya& abhi aya

Avni finally detached her hand from neil& he went
Avni looked at ansh& adjusted her dress to feed him

*****

After dinner-

Neil gave avni her medicines& she consumed it
Although the doctor had told avni to take rest, she was finally meeting neil after so many months that she wasnt ready to sleep& continued to talk while neil just smiled at her

N-chalo avu
Ab bohot hogyi baatein
Baki baatein kal karenge
Ansh bhi so gaya h& tumhe bhi rest ki bohot zarurat h

A-ok
I will sleep

N-good girl

A-but on 1condition

N-what condition?

A-you sleep beside me

N-baby theres not sufficient space on the bed
You will feel really squeezed

A-so i will sleep above you
And you wrap your arms around me, like we always used to do
Plz?

Neil melted in front of her requests

N-ok fine

A(happily)-thank you neilu

Neil removed his shoes while avni made some space for him
As he lay beside her, she immediately shifted herself over him, making sure to not affect the drip attached to her wrist

Neil smiled& covered themselves with the blanket
As he pat her hair, avni snuggled into him& soon slept off
After staring at avni for a while, neil also went to sleep

*****

Next day-

AvNeil were sleeping in the same position when the nurse came& requested neil to get off the bed

He whispered her that if he moved out, avni will freak out on not finding him beside her
It had already happened early in the morning, when he got off to use the washroom& avni thought that neil's return was a dream, she was bought here by her in laws& then left alone

Her eyes had automatically blurred bcz of tears
She had only calmed down when she saw neil coming out of the washroom
He immediately consoled her but after he lay back in bed, it took him some time to calm avni

On hearing this, the nurse sighed& agreed to neil's request
She asked him about avni's health& then left, after making further updates in avni's patient chart
Neil noticed avni's slightly open mouth
He smiled at it

N(to himself)-i will help you in recovering jaan
I wont let you remain so scared of such normal things

*****

Same afternoon-

After lunch, on avni's request, neil had agreed to sleep beside her
But instead of falling asleep, she was busy playing with his fingers, like a small kid

Neil smiled at her antics but his attention got diverted when he noticed the doctor coming in the room with police

Neil got off the bed& gave them a confused look

Doctor- officer khanna, while treating your wife, me& my team noticed alot of marks on her body- as if someone was beating, hitting& slapping her frequently bcz some marks are recent while some were old& these are signs of domestic violence so its a police case& they want to take your wife's statement, to file an FIR

N-ok
I understand the seriousness of the situation so me& my wife will definitely coorporate

The doctor nodded& left after whom came the main officer of the team

N-DD?

DD-neil?

DD told his constable to wait outside so they left

Then, he turned to face neil
Both of them were surprised to see eachother after such a long time so they shared a hug

DD-its been so long

N-indeed
We lost contact after completing school

All this while, avni was giving the 2friends a strange look but soon, she understood their relation

DD faced avni& greeted her with respect &avni gave a small smile

DD-we need to take bhabhi's statement

Neil turned to face avni

N-avu, you take rest for a while
Im outside& i will be right back

Avni nodded& neil left with DD

*****

N-DD can we skip this statement part for the moment?
Men situation ki seriousness ko samajhta hu
But avni iss waqt statement dene ki haalath men nahi h

Jab men usse hospital laya tha toh dad ne muje bataya ke mere absence men gharwalo ne usse kese mistreat kia& wo sab sun ke i clearly understood ke usne bohot kuch endure kia h& it would be really painful for her to recollect everything

Men itne months usse door raha hu ke ab muje sach men apne saamne dekh kar usse yakeen nahi ho raha
Shes really scared
Kya uske behalf pe men statement nahi de sakta?

DD-hmmm
I see
Well since tum uske husband ho& youre the 1st person closest to bhabhi so i can request for this to commissioner sir

Humare paas kafi type ke domestic violence ke cases register hote h
Kabhi husband ne torture kia hota h
Kabhi in laws& family ne
Aur kuch case men dono ne
Toh doctors unko counseling sessions recommend karte h
Aur uske alava bhabhi ke saath max time spend kar

N-haa
Mne decide kiya h ke army ki job chod du

DD-so why dont you join me?
Men aaj hi commissioner sir se baat kar leta hu

N-thanks alot for the offer DD but agar mene wo job li toh im sure ke dheere dheere mera work load bohot increase hoga

Uske wajah se men ghar se jaldi niklunga& raat ko der se ghar aaunga& i wont be spending any time with avni& ansh& they will end up staying alone at home, throughout the day

Avni ki haalath pehle jesi hi hojayegi
I cant let her feel lonely or anything like that
Muje koi esi job chahiye jisme men avni ko apne saath hi la saku

DD-hmmm
Idea!
I had a classmate in college
He& his wife now own a radio station
Ali &riya

So if you want i can talk to them
I will ask him in case they can give you the afternoon shift
Na subah jaldi nikalne ki tension na raat ko late ghar jaane ki tension

N-suits me well, agar vacancy ho toh

DD-dont worry
They must be having somone who can take up the night owls wala slot- 3/4 am wala& will give you the afternoon slot

N-thank you so much DD

DD-no need to thank me
After all what are friends for?
Men aaj hi baat karta hu& i will let you know

On behalf of avni, neil gave the statement- describing everything which avni went through
Even the points which prateek forgot to mention/ didnt mention on purspose, he included them too after asking from avni
After that, DD left the hospital with the constables& neil went back to the room

A-kya baat kari tumne neilu?

N-mene tumhare behalf pe statement diya h
Ab complaint file hogyi h toh jald hi police ghar walo ko arrest karne jayegi

Avni was at a loss of words

A-muje justice mil sake uske liye tum apni family ke against khade hogye?

N-jaha meri wife ki respect na ho, men usse family nahi bula sakta
Aur wo mere blood relative ho ya na ho- jo unhone tumhare saath kiya wo ek heinous crime h& they deserve to be punished
Ab tum iss sab ke baare men mat socho& take some rest

Avni stretched her arms towards neil, indicating that she wanted to hug him
Neil smiled& again lay beside avni while she shifted herself over neil& soon dozed off

Neil smiled& kissed her hair

N-my jaan
I love you

Huff!
2867 words
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