*Kalpana Pov*

"Have the food, Kalpana." I heard someone saying and I did calmly sitting between them while no one uttered a word.

"I shouldn't have asked you to call your... your friend." I heard another voice but kept quiet.

"I will take Sudhir and let him sleep along with Nivaan." I heard another voice and I wish I can come out all this and speak to them.

"Talk!" someone mumbled placing a hand on my shoulder.

"All these years, I was not taking care of him. Some stranger was doing everything and here I felt... I..." I trailed off choking on my words.

"You are a good mother, Kalpana. The things you can give to him don't decide that." Aunty said, but I shook my head.

"She was supposed to be my best friend, but all she was just a spy for him." I mumbled closing my eyes.

"I think she was just not that. She was really distressed and guilty and I can see she cares for you." Mridula said.

"Stop it, Mridula." Nipuna mumbled and I realized it is her hand on my shoulder.

"I became a secretary and I think I am not eligible even for normal post, except the starting clerk job." I said shaking my head.

"I don't think so, Kalpana." Mridula said in a confident tone.

"How can you say that?" I asked really surprised with her words.

"Because I was there in the room hearing everything but leave that matter. How about you test yourself and then decide what you are really eligible for?" she asked back.

"How?" I asked her frowning.

"I heard Dileep is in need of a new secretary. Why don't you apply for him?" she asked.

"I don't want another pity job." I replied frowning.

"Well, we need not tell him you are when you go for interview. He will return within a few days. By that time be ready with needed documents and go for it." Mridula added and everyone sat silent.

"You are a genius." Nipuna said and I slowly nodded.

"But... but I didn't resign from my previous job." I mumbled frowning.

"Just call him and ask him to free you from the company. That's the least he can do for you." Nipuna said, waving off my words.

"Why don't you call now? He can send you the documents needed by tomorrow." Mridula advised.

"If you don't get selected, you can apply for another position in the company. And first try this." Aunty said and I nodded after a few minutes of thinking.

I held my phone tightly for a few minutes sitting on the bed and dialed his number before pressing it to my ear.

"Kalpana!" he whispered the moment he lifted the call.

"I am applying for a new job and I need relieving from your company." I said, ignoring everything and just made the brain stay alive.

"Where... where are you?" he asked and I closed my eyes not knowing what to do.

"Pallavi didn't tell you?" I asked sharply remembering her words from morning.

"She was there!" he stated and I took a deep breath.

"She was here and gave a summary of the play you both designed." I added still feeling the sharpness in my tone.

"Can I come near you?" he asked making me tighten the hold on my mobile.

"For what? Was everything not enough? Did I breathe at least on my own? Or was it designed?" I asked and he didn't utter a word.

"Please! I need to talk to you." He added.

"Fine! But bring the needed papers too." I mumbled and gave him the address while he noted before saying when he will be here..

Where did that anger come from? When all I want to do is cover myself from the hurt. Everything was a full pledged plan! I thought falling back on the bed.

"Are you sure?" Aahil asked when I sat after finishing my breakfast.

"Yeah! I am fine with meeting him alone and he will not come inside the house. We will talk outside." I replied.

"No! Aahil will come out with you." Mridula said and I frowned at her but everyone accepted.

He is not dangerous! I wanted to shout. But he is not completely safe to be with too! I added to myself hugging myself and walked out by the time we heard a vehicle.

"Kalpana!" I heard his whisper and he started walking towards me from his car but stopped seeing Aahil.

"I think I will be here, but you guys should be in my sight." Aahil said and stood there while I started walking towards Manohar who stopped in his tracks.

"Who is he, Kalpana?" he asked in a whisper.

"You need not know. What do you want to say? Did you bring the papers?" I rushed off feeling the fast beating of the heart.

"Who is he, Kalpana?" he asked again and I sighed.

"My cousin's husband." I replied and he let out a breath making me realize he was holding one.

"I need to tell you so much." He mumbled, staring at my eyes.

"Yeah? Another set of revelations? How many times will we go through this?" I asked him still hugging myself.

"I know whatever Pallavi said is not the matter you would bear so I didn't want to burden you already with everything that is said." He replied and I gave a laugh.

"Burden me? Don't you think it is my right to know everything?" I asked back.

"I know! Seems like I always do wrong for the people I care for." He replied, moving his hand to his hair passing the fingers through it.

"How many people are there?" I asked him, frowning ignoring the small stab.

"Mom, Pallavi and you! I have hurt all three people successfully." He replied and gave a laugh, which is so hollow that I shivered.

"You are here to say something." I mumbled, walking towards the bench present and sat down with him sitting beside me.

"Where shall I start? Maybe from the beginning." He mumbled to himself and glanced away from me.

"That day I just said I am that poor son whose father left and had a difficult life but mine is nothing before my Mom. In short words, I tortured her. I tortured her, Kalpana." He said fisting his hands.

"I don't understand!" I mumbled frowning.

"Until he entered our life, I killed her with the questions of where is my father. After he left, I took all the anger on her. I didn't go to school properly and always got into all kinds of trouble. There she was, doing every work to give me a good life while I gave her double work. I used to scream to bring my father." He said and shook his head.

"All the kids does that with troubled surroundings." I said not liking the way he is taking the burden of a small kid's behavior.

"No! I was the worse and when that woman finally entered our home displaying what actually happened, I took a worse turn. This time I was angry with her for allowing him near to us for those two years. I love her, but I also felt too much anger inside." He said rubbing his chest.

"She became the scapegoat." He added.

"I used to ask for everything that I see and god!" he broke off standing up and took a few steps away.

"She worked more and more to fulfil them." He said in such a low voice that I wouldn't have heard if not for the silence.

"She never said anything?" I asked and he shook his head with his back to me.

"She feared! She feared that she will fail to bring me up on her own if I was not happy." He replied, moving his hands to place them on his shoulders pressing his face between them.

"Then?" I asked in a whisper.

"Then I joined a gang when the anger started increasing when I was fifteen. That seemed to be the last straw for her because the next day she collapsed." He replied and hung his head.

"If not for one of the teachers who reached my home to ask about why I am not coming to school, she would have been taken away from this world." He added and slowly turned around.

"I nearly killed her, Kalpana. I nearly killed my own mother due to my selfishness." He said, staring at my face, but I shook my head, trying to keep the tears from falling and to breathe without choking on it.

"And then Pallavi! You know I promised her that she will never be hurt by anyone the day I took her with me. Then again, she is crying for the loss of her friend. If not for my selfish reason she would have become your friend without knowing anything and maybe you both would have been still together." He mumbled and walked back to sit beside me while I felt a little guilt to hear her crying but I pushed it away.

"Now it is turn to hear about me, right?" I asked turning to sit side ways.

"Yes! Do you know I got my act right after that hospital incident and did everything to never disappoint my Mom again. And with Graddad's help it was more possible to see that she gets everything for the complete hardship she went through. Do you know what amazes me?" he asked, sitting sideways himself to be before me directly.

"What?" I asked, staring at him.

"Her biggest regret is that she had to leave me with some other people and to not see me all the time of a day except morning few hours and at night when I would have already slept off. She feels sad that she didn't see me playing and staring at everything in amazement. She feels sad for missing to hear my first words and my first steps which happened when she was at work. After everything I did, even today she will say the same things." He replied and I fisted my hand to not move it forward to hold his but I couldn't stop myself and moved it touch his but immediately moved it away.

"So, I decided the day you will not miss any of such and started the construction of baby center even before you accepted the job offer. That is the reason for it and the job offer is to make sure I can be there if you need anything. And it was the same job from before the office you worked." He added.

"I don't deserve any of the promotions right?" I asked, folding my arms and he laughed making me frown at him.

"How can I say this?" he mumbled and then nodded to himself.

"I never gave you, any job for the sake, I wanted to, Kalpana. But I will accept one thing. The training of the employees has been started for your sake. We really did give the promotions based on the way everyone coped with such trainings which were conducted every few years. The other thing is I made sure your name was there at every training. No one could bear all that training so they were given with some gap but you weren't. You think less of yourself, Kalpana. I should actually thank you." He continued to talk while I continued to let everything sink in.

"Thank me?" I asked him frowning.

"Yes! If not for you then there are no changes in training proposal and if not for that then the company wouldn't have found the hidden gems. Because of that we were able to open branches in many other places and send many from the office as heads and for other positions. You deserved each and every promotion you got." He explained, giving a small smile.

"You could have just made me stay at my old job. Why did you bring me near yours when you didn't meet me for so many years? And... and why the need to go in such high lengths?" I asked shaking my head.

"Because after Sudhir is born, a new feeling started. Until, then make sure you get a job at proper place was like a responsibility, but the guilt started." He replied.

"For what?" I asked him frowning.

"I met Jay's Mom a few months after your marriage. Actually, she stopped me from walking in a restaurant and started being her usual self. I couldn't bear it with her pointing out my lackness and said I can always have a kid through artificial insemination and that I am searching for a perfect person for that. She got pale and left, but... but I think that threat made her go such extent with you." He explained.

"You knew about her involvement from that time?" I asked him and he nodded.

"Then what about the act of playing god with me regarding the people around me?" I asked and he flinched a little.

"You remember the first guy that was around you? When he started showing interest, Pallavi casually told me between our talks. I got some cases of sexual harassment, saying he is doing that for some girls in the finance department. We were investigating and it is nearly proved. But I removed him worried he would do something like that with you. Then I thought what if... some people are there who can be some other danger, but we never know." He replied.

"So, you placed only good people as per your view?" I asked and he nodded.

"I was worried." He mumbled.

"You wanted to be best at your responsibility and the guilt so you did all that for a stranger." I said shaking my head.

"You were not a stranger for me, Kalpana. I never met you, but I know you. Pallavi just talk generally like she talks about all her friends. I heard some things about you that I couldn't help but get the feeling of knowing you more. All those years I felt like I already know you, but that day when I came to your floor to meet you, I was..." he trailed off.

"What?" I asked, leaning forward.

"I was doomed! I was... was pushed so out of my place that I became rude. I didn't know what was happening. You were supposed to be someone who is my responsibility and who got hurt because of me. Then slowly with each passing day, I started to think too much about you. So much that many times I ended up with the food over my head with any girl I went for dinner." He replied and jerked back hearing his words.

"I know, I was sick, but I couldn't stop myself and fought at every step. How can I even try to get near you? You deserve some good man with whom you can have a family. But I am not those both." He added, shaking his head.

"You thought I should choose one of the good guys from the office and settle?" I asked and he shook his head in negative.

"It is Pallavi's thought that you should move on as she thought you are very lonely and you deserve to be happy. I just... I just never said anything as I am with that thought or against it. The good guy concept is only to keep it safe in the company which benefited all the women. So, I started that in other branches also and to shift all the little harmful near the place where there is no women." He replied and I just sat there.

"In the end, I couldn't stop myself from entering your beautiful world. I didn't want to leave no matter what happens that I stepped away from reality. How did I think I can go one without telling you the truth?" he asked himself.

"The papers!" I mumbled forwarding my hand and he stared at me for a few seconds before taking them out from inside his coat along with a pen.

I signed on one paper looking his signature and took the other copy before forwarding my signed one.

I stood up and started walking away, but stopped before turning around asking, "Why didn't you tell me all this that day when you revealed the other secrets?"

"I don't know! I am just like this, Kalpana. I always have a difficult time saying everything I wish to. I didn't even do it before my Mom, but now... now you deserve that I do." He replied.

"You have difficulty in opening up and worry too much over everything and then feel responsible for every small thing just like when I fell and sprained my ankle. At that time you felt like you purposefully pushed me." I mumbled, shaking my head staring at him.

"I know! Too many lackings." He mumbled back, giving a small smile making me observe his features with all the questions leaving the head at least for now.

He stared at me without blinking and I finally looked away saying, "Have a good life."

"Kalpana!" he mumbled and felt him getting up.

"Have a safe journey." I added and walked away towards Aahil who is sitting at a far away bench.

"Sorry!" I mumbled, knowing well, we took too much time.

"Don't worry about it. Is he leaving?" he asked and I nodded, walking inside, ignoring everything.

"Tomorrow I am going to take Sudhir for admission. I was suppose to take him yesterday. But..." Aahil trailed off.

"Sure! I will come along with you." I mumbled and he nodded.

"Dileep will return tomorrow afternoon as per his call today morning and will go to office only. If you still don't want him to know who you are, then it is better if you go tomorrow only." He advised.

"Thanks! I will do that." I said, gripping the paper, hoping what Manohar said is true and I get this job based on his words.

I sat down with Mridula and Nipuna giving them a small smile while still gripping the paper. After a few minutes, when I heard the call leaving, I released the grip before sagging back to the couch releasing the breath.

"Will you be fine?" I asked, smiling at Sudhir the next day when we reached the school and he nodded before we walked inside along with Aahil at ten where the classes already started.

Within a few minutes, Sudhir got joined while Aahil drove me towards Dileep's office. He wished me luck and I nodded before walking inside the company building.

"Sir has reached early, but is in a meeting. He will be with you soon." The receptionist said and gave the directions for his floor.

I sat for a half an hour and heard the footsteps making me look up to see a man walking towards the Dileep's cabin, but then I realized it is him from the photos I saw at his house.

"You are here for an interview?" he asked, frowning at his mobile not even looking at me.

"Yes, Sir!" I replied and he waved me to follow.

For the next few minutes, he just sat there frowning at his phone and then sighed before keeping it away.

"Let me have your file." He said and I immediately gave him.

"Hmm... seems like you learned so many things in a short period of time and there are no complaints from the company about you too. What is the reason for the shift?" he asked, keeping the file away.

"My relatives live here and I thought of staying with them." I replied honestly.

"Okay! Let's start the interview." He said and it indeed started.

I tried as much as I can and I know I am doing good, even though his expression was bland but he finally broke out a smile.

"You are hired." He said those words, forwarding his hand.

"As your secretary?" I asked, shaking his hand.

"As my secretary! But can you do me a small favor?" he asked and I nodded.

"I need to go to my home. Seems like my wife is upset with me. Can you make sure the files are arranged and also see the mails before noting down the ones which you feel important? I know too much work on the first day, but after everything is set after a few days, the work will be very less. You see, my wife is pregnant and I had to stay for so many days away. I hope you can understand." He added in a fast mode.

"Sure, Sir!" I mumbled nodding.

"Perfect! Now, I will note what you need to do." He said and did that before leaving the office in a rush.

I have seen the love between Aahil and Nipuna. And Dileep too seems to be mad for Amrin. What would it be like for someone to be that mad for someone?

I shook my head to leave the thoughts and tried to do as much as I can like he asked me to. And in no time it was time for school to finish while I finished my last file.

I left the office, noting everything down and rushed for a taxi before reaching the school by the time the children are coming out.

"How was the school?" I asked the moment Sudhir rushed towards me.

"Good!" he replied, smiling and I glanced to my side to see Nipuna.

"I would have brought him, right." She said but I smiled at her.

"That Dileep ordered me to bring Nivaan home before taking his wife to their flat." She added shaking her head with irritation.

"Their flat?" I asked her frowning.

"Yeah! It is on the top floor of the company. It is their getaway and here I thought he will get the shock of his life when he gets to know the secretary, he is praising is my cousin." She repaid smirking.

"Praising?" I asked in a shocked tone.

"Yes! I made Amrin promise not to tell him about you until he sees for himself tomorrow." She replied and laughed to herself while I shook my head not understanding but she is my cousin.

We both walked towards her car along with Aahna and Nivaan as Urmila already was taken by Mridula a few hours back as she was in play class.

"Who is he?" Nipuna asked the moment we reached the house.

"Manohar!" I replied, staring at the person standing at the place we both sat yesterday.

"Shall I send Aahil?" she asked, but I shook my head.

I got down along with Sudhir while all other walked inside. He smiled at Sudhir and walked near to us before kneeling before him.

"How are you, Sudhir?" he asked, moving his arms to hug him, but Sudhir moved away, making me stare at him in shock along with Manohar.

"You made my Mom cry." Sudhir mumbled and hid himself behind me.

I turned to stare at Manohar only to see him going pale, still kneeling on the ground. He closed his eyes, but I didn't miss the pained expression.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, but he shook his head.

"Sudhir!" he whispered and I contemplated whether to stop him from reaching Sudhir or let him do it.

I finally stepped a little away, making it easy for him to reach my son. I know he hid so much, but I can never mistake his genuine care for Sudhir.

"I am sorry! I shouldn't have but I did something wrong. But... but I promise you on my life, I will never make her cry." Manohar pleaded with him while I bit my lip.

"You can hit me if you want." He offered when Sudhir stayed silent.

"You will not let my Mom cry?" Sudhir asked after a few minutes and he shook his head.

"Okay!" he mumbled and stepped near Manohar before hugging him while Manohar hugged him back tightly.

"I am sorry!" Manohar whispered and I rubbed my face while taking deep breaths to keep the tears at bay seeing their both expressions.

"Thank you!" I heard Manohar's whisper after I felt his one arm hugging my knees, making me move towards them and he pressed his head to my stomach.

I couldn't help but place my hand on his hand and another one on Sudhir's. I gulped, feeling so emotional that for a second I thought I will just melt on the spot.

"You both must be tired. I will meet you tomorrow." He said after a few minutes and released both of us before standing up.

"Manohar..." I started saying, but he cut me off saying, "Take care! And I love you."

And just like that he got inside the car before driving away while I stared at the back of the car with my mouth open not understanding what is going on. He will come again tomorrow?

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now, who is missing Jay? i am! anyway, i told from the beginning that this is not normal kind of stories i write and i am trying something new and will be trying forever... if i dont try then i will not know myself right? so, i will keep on torturing u guys with my trials... bear with me :P

And manohar can never be understood clearly... we can be clear baout jay too but not manohar... he is one of a piece trust me and u will understand with the next following chapters...

how is the chap???

comment plz and vote...