Omkara snatched his phone and talked to the caller angrily "Who the hell is this?" he asked.

"Om baby... it is me your Lizze" said the voice and he groaned.

"Congratulations on your pregnancy... call me when you know the name of your child's father" he growled into the phone and she gasped.

"Om... it is you...that night at the bar" she started and he cut her off.

"That night and the many nights before... I didn't sleep with you and unfortunately that is mandatory for you to get pregnant with my child... science isn't that developed yet that children can be born out of a mere touch or hug" he explained patiently and Lizze sobbed.

"Om... I thought it was you I slept with that night... who was it then?" she asked and he rolled his eyes.

"The last I saw; Larson took you away from me at the party... you might start with asking him first" he advised before he ended the call muttering 'Good God'

He turned his head towards Gauri who resumed reading her book and tried to repair the damage.

"Gauri... she is just a friend I met in UK... I didn't sleep with her I promise... please trust me" he said but she refused to turn her attention towards him making him shut up.

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It was the day of engagement and Shivaay was busy in looking after the arrangements.

"Mom... when will you reach?" he asked into the phone.

"Okay... I will let the engagement start then... try to come sooner... yeah...everything is taken care of. You just have to come on time... okay... I will call you later"

"Shivaay... when will your mother come? It is almost time" asked Shakti. Shivaay explained that she will reach in a short time and they start with the rituals in the meanwhile.

Gauri was near the stage giving company to Priyanka when Omkara silently walked towards her. She wore a violet colored lehenga-choli which matched with the theme. Her neck was adorned with diamonds designed into a beautiful necklace made of platinum, her ears with matching jhumkas and hands wore plain violet bangles interspersed with silver ones. She left her hair open, with long ear chains pinned to the sides completing the traditional look.

Her blouse was backless and Omkara ran his hand gently over it before he whispered in her ears "You look breathtakingly beautiful Gauri"

Gauri sucked in a breath before she turned around to look at him. He looked dashing in his grey colored ethnic wear, hair open and eyes pouring out love as he looked at her.

"Bhabhi... where is mom?" asked Priyanka and Gauri broke out of her daze and turned to the bride, explaining that she is on her way to the function.

Omkara was having a great time irritating and provoking Gauri. He never wasted a single moment in the last two days, finding ways to spend time with her and talk to her warming her up to him and making her forget her anger towards him. He was sure she forgave him but was still keeping him away for some reason which he had no idea of. However, he vowed to find it out soon.

He glanced at the guests around him, some walking around to show off their designer wear, some busy taking selfies and others helping in the preparation. He was about to return his focus back to his girl, when he saw Shivaay yelling at some waiter who was profusely apologizing to him.

The next instant Shivaay looked at the entrance and his face relaxed, happiness replacing the earlier frown. He looked in the direction and saw a woman walking towards his friend. Intrigued, he focused his attention on the woman whose face wasn't clearly visible as Shivaay was covering her.

The next minute, Shivaay moved to the side and Omkara got a glimpse of her face making him gape in shock.

What is she doing here? What connection does she have with Shivaay? Was she one of their guests? Better if he fled the place now before he comes face to face with her.

Gauri felt Omkara freeze beside her and turned to look at him to note that he saw Shivaay's mother. She gently touched his arm grabbing his attention.

"Are you okay?" she asked him and he nodded absent mindedly.

"I... I will just come..." he said and took a step away when she stopped him.

"The ceremony is about to start... stay here" she said taking his hand surprising him but nevertheless, he let her.

Let that woman go to hell, he wasn't going to miss his chance of staying with Gauri, she voluntarily holding his hand. Gauri smiled at him and he returned it with one of his own.

A few peaceful moments later,

"Omkara" called Shivaay making him turn around "Meet my mother" his friend said showing him the woman he started to dislike "Radhika Shukla" he completed the introduction and Omkara clutched Gauri's hand tight for support.

Radhika looked at her son with a smile while the later gave her a blank look. She raised her hand to touch him when he moved back.

"Nice to meet you aunty" said Omkara with a stoic face making her smile dim and Shivaay held her shoulder in a gesture of comforting her.

The rest of the engagement went in a blur for Omkara who held on to the only sense of comfort he had and Gauri let him hold her without complaint.

**********************************************************************************

Omkara sat in his room staring at his phone. He wanted to call his father and inform him of the new trouble he needed to face. His birth mother wanted to take away the woman he loved to give her to her adopted son Shivaay. How to tell his father about it, without making him go berserk with fury to march here and kill her on spot.

Great... a woman who cannot be a mother to her own child claims to give the best to a son who is not even her own. What does Shivaay have that he doesn't? For the first time he felt bad for himself... How should one ask a woman who is his mother biologically but not emotionally, requesting her not to snatch away his happiness?

He felt irritated with himself, his life and the circumstances which lead him lose Gauri in the first place. His mother was the root cause of everything that went wrong in his life. He felt like yelling at her to kindly pack her bags and get lost from the place, to not torture him further. Alas, he doesn't have the right to do so, taking she was the mother of his love's fiancé and he himself was the outsider.... A mere guest.

He cursed out aloud banging on the side desk of the bed and heard a yelp from behind him. Only then did he realize that Gauri was in his room looking at him concerned.

Why? Why is she concerned now? She was happily talking to her mother in law whose son she is about to marry. For once, he started to feel insecure about her. Why the mixed signals if she loved him and not Shivaay. Why is she engaged to Shivaay but comes to him to console him when she knew he was in a bad mood. Why?

"Why are you here Gauri?" he asked her.

"You seemed disturbed... so I thought to check upon you" she said nervously tapping her foot.

"Why? How do I matter to you? Do you agree that you love me and my pain affects you?" he asked stepping closer to her and she moved away again.

Irritation got the better of him and he angrily spoke "There... you gave away your weakness... you jerked me off that night and burst out in anger because my touch affected you... you run away from me every day because you fear that you will give in to my love... you keep throwing the exact words which will hurt me to keep me away from you... keep lying to me but I know you better" he said.

"Shut up... just because I am quietly listening, doesn't mean I agree with all the rubbish you utter. Come out of your dream land Omkara... I don't have any feelings towards you and your touch doesn't affect me"

"Prove it then" he asked her again and she huffed in annoyance.

"What if I don't"

"Then I will continue to pursue you. Or better I will talk to your family members this instant that I love you and you love me too... let me see what they will choose... your engagement or your happiness which is with me"

"You have gone mad"

"I am mad after you... I am not going back without you Gauri... let it be by hook or crook...I don't care" he said and she gaped at him.

"Am I a commodity now? You decide you don't need me and throw me out of your life... not bothering to know my opinion on it... now you think you want me and threaten me to come back to you... I thought you were more than this Omkara ji" she said angrily and Omkara closed his eyes cursing himself.

"Gauri... I am sorry... I regret what I did" he said holding on to the last threads of patience "All I ask... is for one last chance to make things right... please"

Gauri turned to the door ignoring his pleas when he pulled her to him. Gauri struggled in his hold trying to get away while he refused to let go of her warmth.

He knew he is wrong in pushing her but she gave him no choice... whenever she called him Omkaraji, his heart burnt and he has to cool it down with her touch...her essence. It is needed that she herself realizes the fact that she still loves him if she doesn't already know it.

"The more you fight, the more I will push my limits Gauri..." he said before he firmly held her bare waist and pressed on it looking into her eyes making her go completely still. She looked at him her eyes as wide as saucers... He raised one hand to softly caress her cheeks.

"Tell me what is stopping you... to not love me back though you want to?... your anger towards me? ... your family? Or is it Shivaay?... What is it" he asked her as gently as possible reining in his anger.

"Do you want me to woo you? Is this a plan to make me beg?" he asked and she remained silent.

"I love you Gauri" he said making her look at him and he noticed the unshed tears in them.

"If it gives you happiness, I am ready to beg and grovel for your mercy... If it is your parents that is posing a problem then I will talk to them and convince them to give you to me. If Shivaay is the problem then I will handle him too... just tell me what you want" he asked her while she looked at his shirt's button with great interest.

He lifted her chin to make her look at him "Do you want me to go away?" he asked softly and she looked at him wordlessly though he could clearly see her refusal.

He smiled at her kissing her forehead and she closed her eyes relishing it. "Go..." he said leaving her "I got my answer".

Gauri turned to leave; her eyes downcast while she walked to the door. When she held the handle, Omkara repeated the words which she said after their first kiss "Don't make me wait forever Gauri"

Taking one last longing look at him, Gauri left the room making Omkara more confused than before.

**************************************************************************************

Gauri ran down the corridor... she ran to the confines of her room and closing the door with a bang not bothering to lock it, she fell on her bed crying into a pillow which helped muffle her wails.

She loves him... she loves him more than her dreams, her goals and herself. But she cannot tell him that yet.

She thought of the day one year six months back. That fateful day, when he spoke to his father as if she didn't mean anything to him, her heart broke to pieces. She thought it could never become one again but her Shankarji helped her understand her love. Had Arjun not called her then, she wouldn't have known that Omkara was planning to confess his feelings and propose her.

Gaining her confidence back, she took a U turn to return to his house and there she saw him sobbing in the arms of his father cursing himself for hurting her. She forgave him that very day... how can she remain angry at him, when his only mistake was to fear that he would come between her and her dreams... How can one hate someone who puts your happiness before their own.

Didn't she do the same thing? She was ready to let go of her dream for a while because she wanted him to be happy and he let go of his dream of a happy future because he wanted her to be happy. True that he didn't realize that for her happiness meant him and she didn't realize that her compromising, would drive him away. He said he will come back for her and she decided to wait for him till then.

She didn't want to confront him that very day asking him to marry her. He might have done it for her but he would be in constant fear that he would lose her someday and that she didn't want. His assumption that love cannot be unconditional and that life needed to be perfect for one to be happy with... should be changed. For that, she needed to know what actually happened with his parents and she did just that.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Shivaay gently touched her head.

"Gauri" he called her.

She tried to stop those sobs but they wouldn't. She turned to him and hugged him tight as he hugged her back, his own eyes wet.

"I cannot act anymore in front of him jiju... I cannot hurt him further" she said and he nodded kissing her temple.

"It is so difficult for me to see him so close yet not able to tell him how much I love him...it is so difficult when he shows so much love in his eyes yet I cannot tell him that I love him too. I want to hug him and take away all his worries but I am afraid he would know... he would know that I forgave him"

"How long will this continue?" she asked parting from the hug and looking at him in question, controlling her hiccups.

"Just a few more days Gauri.... I never expected this to go this long... I am so sorry" he apologized.

"I planned that he comes here, once he gets to know that you moved on. You will act ignorant for a few days so that he stays a bit longer. Since mom will be here, I thought he will get to know her during his stay and because he doesn't know of her betrayal maybe he would accept her soon after which we gradually tell him what happened"

"I never expected mom to go to Kaali uncle and Omkara to learn the truth. Now with him disliking her, getting them close will be impossible if he knows that you are not angry at him at all." Shivaay explained and Gauri nodded her head understanding.

"Jiju... may be we can directly tell him..." she started and Shivaay sadly smiled at her.

"I don't know much about him Gauri but if I were in his place longing for a mother for a whole life and then the first thing I get to know about her is that she will not stay for long in this world, I will not be able to handle it" he said.

"No matter how much he dislikes her... there must be some part of him that yearns for her... he will definitely feel bad about it but more than pity I want him to get to know that mom has changed and she loves him now so that he will love her too... this is her wish and I intend to fulfil it" he determinedly said.

Gauri has no choice but to silently accept fate... may be she can stop being too harsh towards Omkara and at least be a friend and support him for now, make him come close to his mother before he knew the truth... Just a few more days... and she can tell him how much she missed him... she wished.

"Don't worry Rudy will come along with his mother in a few days... till then try and keep distance from Omkara. Please Gauri you are the only reason he is still staying in the same place as mom. If not, he will take you home in no time... can you please do this for your mother in law?" he asked and Gauri closed her eyes in defeat before nodding her head in a yes.

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There you go... tons and tons of drama...

Tables turned ... haven't they... some of you did have doubts that all this is a plan... yes... it is a plan but the motive is not Gauri's revenge. 

I was in two minds whether to reveal everything now or later but then I thought this is the right time.

I am sorry if you are not happy that Gauri is not angry at Omkara but it is her nature. You all know Ajay was a jerk yet she stayed in that relation for two years, cried for him for one year after that... I also described her personality in Omkara's words... "She is like a tree... who selflessly gives..." that is what makes Omkara weary of her right?...How can she hate Omkara when she understands that he did what he did thinking about her happiness...

For the nth time, Omkara is not a villain nor is he a misogynist who illtreats women and takes people for granted. He is a scared human... faulty ... yet he strives to be the perfect man always trying to abide by rules. That is not a sin and he deserves love irrespective of whether he is the "Omkara". Even if he is Ajay or Vijay or any tom dick and harry I would have given the same ending.

Coming to the story line... I always take the title seriously. This story is all about Omkara... How his life becomes better once he realizes that perfection should be in our efforts not in the people surrounding you.

Emotions can be perfect, efforts can be perfect, in fact any non-living thing can be made close to perfect but when it comes to life, perfection is meagre.

Let me know your thoughts...

There are many other questions readers have which cannot be answered in the comment section... you can ask me now if you want them cleared. I will answer them in the next update.

Till then, signing off... yours Soujanya.