The Oberois breathed in relief when the collective efforts of the police department could finally bring home Anika's adopted brother. The three brothers watched with happy smiles, the union of the brother-sister duo.

"Anika didi, I can't breathe," Sahil exclaimed as his sister continued to hug him tight.

Gauri chuckled as she patted the boy's head.

"Bhaujai, stop it now, you are squeezing the life out of him," she coaxed her sister in law making her part from the hug with a huge smile on her face.

"Ufff, thank you so much Gauri didi," said the former as he embraced her.

"Are you alright Sahil? Did you get hurt?" Gauri asked gently.

"No, I got bored at school and irritating those rowdy uncles was fun," he said grinning.

Gauri raised her eyebrows in surprise and so did the rest of the family.

"They didn't hurt you?" Anika asked knitting her eyebrows.

"Nope," the boy said and Gauri looked at Bhavya in doubt.

"Anika Bhabhi, let him freshen up. You can talk to him then," said Bhavya.

Anika nodded with a smile and took her brother to her room. Looking at the bright smile return to his fiancé's face, Shivaay's heart filled with happiness.

"Thanks so much Bhavya," he said turning to the lady cop who had been of great help to them since the start. His brothers too mimicked him telling her how much her help meant to them.

"It is my duty bhaiyya, you don't need to thank me," she shushed them giving him a hug.

"Billu, after so many days we are again smiling. There is so much to do for the wedding. Let us start the rituals from evening," Kalyani said.

"Yaay, wedding bells ring," Bhavya cheered, parting from the hug making the rest smile.

"Yeah Shivaay. It is already late," Jhanvi seconded her mother in law.

"No issues, we will take over the arrangements. Let the children rest for now," Tej said and Shakti agreed.

"Right. Khoteyo, go and rest for today then. Your fathers gave you a holiday," Kalyani quipped.

"We will thank them if they don't ruin things that are already arranged," Omkara murmured and his father raised an eyebrow.

Kalyani playfully slapped him and said, "My sons know better than that. Stop being sarcastic and go to bed."

Gauri smiled watching her husband and brother in laws bicker with the elder one, blissfully unaware of the eyes watching her with controlled rage.

If not for you, my son wouldn't be stuck with that manhoos... she thought in disdain.

"What is it Pinky, why are you looking at Gauri like that?" Jhanvi asked with furrowed eyebrows.

"Nothing," the latter smiled back.

"I think we should start with the preparations now mummy ji. We have no time to waste," she added looking at her son smiling with his brothers.

"Good, finally you got to your senses," Kalyani appreciated her daughter in law before passing orders as to what needed to be done in the coming days.

Pinky listened to instructions with half mind, all the time controlling herself from walking up to the girl who ruined her plan, thereby spoiling her son's life. Her hands itched to slap and strangling her with bare hands.

One thing she appreciated Anika was due to the fact that the girl never talked back, never tried to show her place and most importantly believed her lies with closed eyes.

But it was not the case with Gauri. The girl questioned, argued with her and had turned her son against her so much that given a choice, he would choose to respect his brother's wife rather than have his mother's side.

That, she can never tolerate.

I will not leave you unscathed... she vowed with determination, her insides burning for vengeance. Outwardly, she smiled at some joke that Rudra cracked on his brothers.

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

"Gauri, please stay with him, I will just come back after talking to daadi. She called me urgently," Anika asked.

"Bhaujai, why are you worried so much? Sahil will be here with me. You go and come back leisurely. I will not leave him alone," she assured her sister in law.

"Haa Bhabhi, I am also there with her. Z category security hai Sahil ke liye," Bhavya said as she walked into the room with a smile.

"Ahh, now I can go out of my room peacefully. I have my most trusted girls squad on cop duty," sighed Anika and went away, giving them a huge smile.

Gauri looked at Bhavya as she calmly settled beside her on the bed.

It was the first time she saw her after their spat over Karan.

"Sahil, come here," Bhavya called the boy who jumped to sit beside her.

"Tell me about your recent adventurous days," she asked him.

"Bhavya di, do you know how to fight? Karan bhaiyya knows how to shot a gun," he said in excitement.

"Acha? What else did Karan bhaiyya do?"

Sahil looked at the two in confusion.

"What else didi? He got me here and you helped him too."

"Did he come to take you away from school?" came the question.

Gauri widened her eyes and looked at Bhavya who anxiously waited for the answer.

"No," said Sahil shaking his head, making Bhavya sigh in disappointment.

"You did not meet him before the day of kidnap?"

"No," the boy said again.

Before Gauri could sigh in relief, he added, "But he called me that day asking me to be brave."

"Brave for what?"

"He didn't mention."

"How did the kidnappers behave with you?"

"They looked terrifying didi but they were nice. They got me good food and I watched movies. I tried to escape once but they caught me. I was sure they will beat me but they said that I will be sent home in a few days if I did not do such a thing again. Since they did not man handle, I decided to keep quite."

"Did you hear those men talk to any person o phone?"

"No, they just used words like madam and sir."

"Then what happened? How did you get back here?"

"Karan bhaiyya came with other police and took me from them. You know that right?" he asked confused as to why she was asking things she already knew.

"You have been a very brave boy Sahil," Bhavya appreciated.

Gauri watched with a sinking heart as the boy grinned happily at the compliment.

"Can I play the video game SSO gave me?" he asked a pale Gauri but Bhavya answered instead.

"Of course, it can be connected to this Tv right? Anika Bhabhi might get angry if we allowed you out of this room."

"Yeah di. I will play here," he said and got up from the bed to move towards the TV.

Bhavya turned to her side and looked at Gauri.

"Did you understand Bhabhi?" she asked placing a hand on her shoulder.

"But bade bhaiyya said that Karan was not involved," Gauri meekly mumbled.

"Not directly but he knew Sahil was going to get kidnapped. He could have told you, he did not."

"Oh god, I was such an idiot," Gauri mumbled again, covering her face in shame.

"There is no difference between the kid and me Bhavya," she further said disappointed at herself.

Bhavya gently squeezed her shoulder as she said, "Not your fault Bhabhi. You are just too innocent to look at the bad around you. I didn't tell this for you to self-criticize. I only wanted to tell you that you cannot trust anyone simply because they talk good to you."

"Sorry Bhavya, I...."

"No need of all that."

"Does everybody know of this?"

"Shivaay bhaiyya confronted Karan and he shrugged it off saying that the pain and anxiety we went through was nothing compared to what he experienced. He also vowed that he will come after Tej uncle if he finds anything against him."

"He confessed that he knew of it. Can't you arrest him now?"

"On what basis? He was careful of the surroundings when he spoke to bhaiyya. We cannot prove anything to the department," she said and Gauri nodded her head.

"All he did was talk to Sahil to be brave and threaten the goons to be good to the boy when he was with them. That is a blessing in disguise because Sahil at least did not sustain any physical or mental trauma from all this."

"Karan must not have helped with the kidnap, so he did not know the exact place that they hid Sahil but he did know that it was going to happen. Sadly, we cannot prove that he knew of it. He was relived of the charges as you asked and he is all set to leave for Delhi tomorrow."

"This is all my mistake Bhavya."

"No Bhabhi. Shivaay bhaiyya let him go because he had a plan in mind. Despite everything, we cannot ignore the fact that Karan is smart. He will be more useful to us outside of the jail rather than on the inside. Every move of him will be monitored and if he gets to the truth, we will know it along with him."

"What about Svetlana?"

"She must have orchestrated the kidnap but she had been careful this time, hiding her identity even from those hired goons. They only received instructions via phone calls and were paid in advance. They don't know who they worked for.

"Omkara ji? Does he know of this? He wouldn't be happy to let Karan go like that."

"He trusts Shivaay bhaiyya's decision," Bhavya assured and the other one nodded her head.

"I fought with him without reason," Gauri said with guilt.

Bhavya smiled and said, "It is okay to quarrel sometimes, you are husband and wife."

"Still, I did not..."

"Forget all that Bhabhi, for now we should focus on Anika bhabhi's wedding. The day's preparations will be managed by the elders. No work for us there."

"Hmm."

"So, we should look after the interesting part. What are the plans for the wedding night, kuch socha apne?"

Gauri widened her eyes at the scandalous question.

"Hum? Hum kya sochenge? I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know? You are a newly wed bride. You should be giving her some tips."

"Tips about what?" Anika who returned right on time, joined the conversation.

Before Gauri could stop Bhavya, the latter blurted out the truth making her mentally groan.

Anika at once took up the cue and teased, "Of course Gauri, you have to give me some tips."

Gauri was irked at them but she decided to humor them for a while. She was happy to finally get her playful sister-in-law back after days of mourning.

"Yeah, she wouldn't miss this discussion for the world. Thanks for being an add on Bhavya," she said in sarcasm.

"Haa too, see Bhavya, she doesn't speak a word about intimacy. You should let some juicy details out for girl gossip. Don't you agree with me?"

"Definitely Bhabhi. After all, experience matters," Bhavya agreed with a laugh.

"Not you too, kitne besharam ho tum dono, (You two are shameless). Also, what experience are you both talking about? We didn't..."

"Yeah, we believed it," the other two chorused.

Gauri rolled her eyes at that comment.

"Why am I even saying it," she shook her head.

"Liar," Anika accused.

"Have you ever seen Om so casual about touching let alone hugging? Hell, I was shell shocked to see him kiss you that day."

"What?" Bhavya asked in surprise.

"It doesn't come out of nowhere. He loves you and he cannot be more vocal about it," Anika continued.

"Omkara bhaiyya kissed Gauri Bhabhi, in front of you?" Bhavya hung to that point.

"Bhavya, it was just.. uh, he was concerned for me. He must have thought of cheek kiss but maybe I accidentally turned my face and he... umm..." she fumbled.

"Shut up," Anika admonished. "Not only me Bhavya, even Rudra and Karan were there to witness the lip lock."

"Lip lock?" Bhavya screamed this time getting Sahil's attention.

"Did I hear lip lock?" he asked turning to the woman gang making them cover their mouths.

Gauri glared at the other two and spoke to him with an embarrassed smile.

"It is lip gloss, Sahil. We are talking about Anika bhaujai's make up requirements," she covered up.

"Sahil, why don't you go to Rudra's room for some time?" Anika asked her brother.

"Sure, I wanted to go out for a change but it was you who wouldn't let me step out."

"I will call Rudra to come pick you."

"What? We are in the same mansion didi. What is this 'pick me up' thing? I can walk to his room," he said and got up to limp towards the door.

"Do not wander anywhere Sahil. I am serious about..."

"Fine," came the response before the door shut close.

"Lip lock," Bhavya mumbled again and Gauri hissed.

"What did I just tell you? It must have been an accidental touch..."

"Oh stop it Gauri," Anika cut her off.

"Bhabhi, weren't you talking about illusions? You told me that you are waiting for him to confess. He is doing it, not in words but in actions," Bhavya asked.

"I want him to say it loud and clear," Gauri replied with a sigh.

"Om had been a commitment phobic since forever. You want him to say the 'love' word that soon. Come on Gauri, he is afraid already."

"Why? I am sure he must have professed his love to that Ridhima. Why not for me?"

Anika and Bhavya gasped collectively.

"He told you about Ridhima?"

"Hmm, just a bit and I didn't want to know more."

"He told you that he loved her?" Anika asked with knitted eyebrows.

"Yes Bhaujai. I know it was in the past but it still hurt when he..."

"He did not love her Gauri. After seeing how comfortable he is with you, I am sure that he had never loved her."

"You are taking his side?"

"No, I am stating the facts. I have seen him with you and I have seen him with her. There is no match at all. Stop waiting for the words if that is the only thing stopping you."

"If not the exact words, I want him to talk to me about his fears Bhaujai. I know he is trying but we still have a long way to know each other."

At that statement, Anika exchanged looks with Bhavya and nodded her head in understanding.

"That means you are not allowing him near you," Anika grimly deduced.

"I shouldn't be saying this but Bhabhi, I feel bad for Omkara bhaiyya too. Are you making him lie on the floor, away from you?"

"What? No, we do kiss but..." Gauri started to explain when she stopped noting the glint in their eyes.

"No, hmmm."

"Go on Bhabhi, continue."

"You both are..urgghh, I am out of here," she said and got up when the two laughed and pulled her back.

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

"Damaad ji?" Sharada sat up from her bed as she saw her son-in-law at the door of her room.

"Please rest maa ji, I will come later," Omkara said.

"No, come inside. Were you looking for Gauri? She didn't come here. She must be with Anika."

"No maa ji. I came here to talk with you."

"With me, regarding what?" she asked him, gesturing him to sit on the couch beside the bed.

"I wanted to ask you if you can shift to Mumbai."

When his mother in law looked at him in confusion, he tried to explain.

"Gauri is worried about your health. If you shift here, she will be more at ease and I will be able to take care of you too. I know you will not like it to stay in the mansion so, I can arrange for a small apartment in the vicinity with a full time house help."

"That is so thoughtful of you beta but I wanted to spend some time in our house. It is the only memory left of my husband."

"I understand but I will also arrange for someone to take care of that house while you are here. Your health is important maa ji."

Sharada was touched by the concern.

"Gauri is so lucky to have you as her husband Omkara beta. After all the pain she went through, Shankar ji, finally gave her endless happiness," she said with teary eyes.

Gauri's mother thought so high of him and he couldn't help but think of what would happen if she ever knew how badly he treated her daughter.

Would she call him a monster too? Will she take her daughter away from him?

Omkara guiltily looked at her and shook his head in a no.

"This is nothing compared to what she did for me maa ji. I had done her so much injustice that even if I do everything right from now, I would still be wrong. I would still be guilty."

"What are you talking about beta? How can you do her any harm? You always protected her and took care of her."

"No maa ji, I..."

"You are scaring my mother Omkara ji," Gauri entered the room with purposeful steps.

"Maa, he is not giving me time owing to his work commitments and he is guilty about it. Nothing more than that," she smiled at her mother.

"Work is important damaad ji, Gauri will understand. You don't feel bad about it," she assured and her son in law just nodded his head.

"Maa ji was asking for you Omkara ji," Gauri informed him.

Omkara looked at Sharada who asked him to go to his mother.

"I will just come," he said to her, leaving the room with Gauri following him.

"Were you about to tell her everything?" Gauri angrily asked her husband once they were alone.

"No, but I think I should..."

"I told you to not be stuck in the past Omkara ji. I don't want my mother to know of any of our misunderstands. What happened between you and me stays between us," she told him firmly.

She would never want her mother to look at her husband with any less love or respect. For that matter, she wouldn't want anyone to find fault in him.

Her husband mutely nodded his head when she asked him what he was talking to her mother before she interrupted them.

When she heard the motive of his visit, she couldn't help but lovingly smile at him.

"Thanks for being concerned about her."

"Maa to maa hoti hai Gauri, chahe vo tumhari ho ya meri. I will always want to take care of them both. You shouldn't be thanking me for it."

Gauri looked around for a second and once she confirmed that they didn't have audience, she neared him and kissed his right check.

Omkara smiled at the gesture but was fast enough to turn his face and kiss her lips when she aimed for a sweet kiss on his other cheek.

Gauri hurriedly parted from the kiss but couldn't pull away from his hold on her waist.

"Cheater," she said trying to remove his hands.

"Guilty but not guilty," he said with a grin kissing her forehead.

"Leave me Omkara ji. If Bhavya or Bhaujai came down and found us like this, I will not be spared. I have had enough teasing for today," she complained.

"Oh, then why do you stay there? You could have come to me."

"Come to you. ha ha ha... They would eat me alive if I moved from there," she sulked making a face.

Omkara laughed but let her go.

"Jhanvi maa ji did ask for you. Go to her while I bring Sahil from Rudy bhaiyya's room," she said and he agreed.

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

Yeah, I know a bit boring update but you will have a dhamakedar drama sequence in the next one.

Vote and comment on this chapter while I write the next part in peace.

Until the next part, signing off, yours Soujanya.