Thank you all for voting and commenting on the previous story.

Long back a friend from wattpad asked me to post a story on Jeeju Saali... Since, most the stories have the girl marrying her jeeju after her sister dies to look after the baby, I didn't want to go that way. I wanted one where they fall in love before marriage. This story might contain a part which some might think, is adultery (though I don't feel so)

**********

Hearing the doorbell, Om opens the door and finds Gauri at the door with her bag.

"Hi Gauri." Om smiles seeing her as he stepped aside to let her in. "Svetlana, Gauri is here."

"Hi Jeeju... how are you?" Gauri politely asks him as she stepped in.

"I'm good. And you?"

"Good... I am sorry to trouble you people. My flat mates have gone home for the vacation and Ma doesn't want me to stay alone."

"This your house too." Om tells her smiling. "You are always welcome here."

Gauri politely smiles. She knew, she was imposing on them. When she had called her sister to tell her about the visit, her sister had tried her best to make up excuses but their mother had remained stubborn and had called up jeeju to request that she stay there.

"Gauri... I told you that I would come to pick you up, right?" Svetlana asks frowning as she walked out.

"She was just getting ready to pick you up." Om informs her.

"I told you that I couldn't wait till 8 in the evening for you to come." Gauri tells her. "I wanted to get settled as I have a lot of assignments to finish." Gauri tells her.

"8?" Om asks confused as he turned to Svetlana. the time was just 3 in the evening. "I thought you were leaving now."

"I was." Svetlana tells him as she scratched her forehead covering her face. "But first I am going to office. I have some work in the office, didn't I tell you?"

"No, you didn't." Om replies confused.

"I didn't?" Svetlana asks confused. "Maybe it skipped my mind then. Come Gauri, I'll show you your room." Svetlana tells her as she turned around to lead her towards the guest room.

Gauri follows her sister to the room. "Thanks for letting me stay here. I didn't want to trouble you people but Ma was insistent. You guys are still newly married and you would need your privacy." Gauri politely tells her.

"How long would you have to stay here?" Svetlana asks her.

Gauri was a little hurt. She wasn't close to her sister. they rarely talked and they were so different from each other that they could never find a topic that they both found interesting to converse. But her sister didn't have to act as if she was such a burden on her.

Gauri lived in the same city as her sister and her husband. She lived with her friends in a flat near her college, and her sister on the other end of the city.

"Two days."

"Okay. I am going for work."

"You are going?" Gauri asks shocked. Does that mean, she and jeeju were going to be alone at home?

"Yes. Just because you are here doesn't mean I should drop everything and sit at home."

"No." Gauri shakes her head.

An hour later, Gauri had settled in her room and was working on her assignment when she hears a knock at the door. Gauri hurries and opens the door knowing it would be jeeju as no one else was home.

"Did I disturb you?" Om asks her with a smile seeing the books on the bed.

Gauri shakes her head.

"I just wanted to ask you whether you want to have tea. I was going to make some for me."

"Yes." Gauri says smiling. Her evening tea was very important to her. "I'll make?"

"No... you study, I'll make." Om tells her.

"Gauri... your tea is ready." Om informs her.

Gauri walks out of the room to find Om behind the counter of the open kitchen. "Here."

"Thank you." Gauri says smiling as she took the tea and he passes her biscuits.

Gauri pulls out the chair and sits opposite to him while he stood.

"How is college going?"

"Good... and how are things with you?"

"Good." Om tells her with a shrug. "So... how come you didn't go home?"

"I have to meet my Professor regarding my projects, so I couldn't go."

"Ah."

"I am sorry to disturb you both. Ma wouldn't let me stay alone." Gauri regretfully tells him.

"HEY... don't feel like that. This is your sister's house. So it is your house too. You are always welcome here." Om tells her smiling.

"But still, you both are newly married and you would need privacy."

Hearing her, Om's face falls a bit as he looked down thoughtfully.

"3 months... huh?" Om asks her as he looked at his tea.

"Yes. So, how is it living with di?"

Om grins as he shook his head. Gauri didn't know her brother-in-law that well, but she could tell that his smile didn't reach his eyes.

"Are you staying home because I am staying here? Did you have other plans?"

Om smiles at her, a smile that reached his eyes. "You don't worry about me. You concentrate on your project."

Gauri smiles as she looked down. Di is so lucky. He is considerate.

Gauri was feeling hungry. It was already 9 at night and her sister hadn't come back yet. But she didn't know what to do. Should she ask jeeju for food or wait for her sister to get back?

She decides to check on her brother-in-law to see if he has any update on her sister.

She comes out of the room and spots Om on the phone. His back was towards her and he didn't seem to realize that she had come out.

"How long are you going to take?" Om furiously whispers into the phone. "Svetlana, you said you would come back by 5. Bloody hell it is a Sunday! Why can't you leave your office for even one day? ... Why can't you call and inform if you are going to be late? Don't forget that Gauri is home. We haven't had dinner and we are waiting for you here to get home. Yeah fine!" Om says furiously and hangs up turning quickly.

Gauri jumps back realizing he caught her.

Om gets embarrassed seeing her and tells her as he looked around. "Svetlana got some important work. She asked us to have dinner."

"Oh."

"You get ready; we will go out."

"I can cook."

"No, we will go out."

"No, jeeju, I will cook. I'm really hungry and by the time I get ready and we reach hotel and then wait for the food, it would be more than an hour."

"Oh."

Gauri starts to walk around him to go to the kitchen and Om follows her.

"I'll help you."

"No, I will do it."

"If I help then the food would be ready faster, right?"

"Yes." Gauri agrees with a smile.

"What should I do?" Om asks her.

"Can you cut the onions?" Gauri asks him as she decided to make chapatti. "You'll have omelet and chapatti, right?"

"Oh." Om says disappointed. "When you said you would make dinner; I was expecting some chicken curry or such."

Gauri turns to Om in shock and sees him grinning at her. he was teasing.

"Just so you know, my chicken fry is brilliant."

"Is there chicken in the freezer?" Om asks.

"Not today. I marinate it for an hour."

"Hmmm." Om says as he peeled the onions. "I was just joking by the way."

"Even if you were serious, I wouldn't make chicken fry for you now." Gauri tells him grinning.

Om chuckles softly and then sniffs.

Gauri turns to him and sees his eyes already watery and he was just cutting the onions into cubes.

"When I said cut, I meant chop." Gauri tells him hesitantly.

"*sniff* what?" Om looks up with red watery eyes and pink nose.

"God! You are so sensitive to onions?" Gauri asks shocked.

"First time I am cutting it. I can eat it."

Gauri chuckles. "Pass it here, I will do it."

"No... no."

"I will give you a manly job."

"Huh? What is that?" Om asks curiously as he looked up.

"Knead the dough."

*CLANG*

Gauri jumps hearing the sound as Om hit the dough shaking the whole pan. Om turns to grin at her. Gauri chuckles at him.

"So you cook in your flat?"

"We have a routine."

"What routine?" Om asks as he rolled up the dough and pressed hard.

"Monday and Thursday, I will cook. Tuesday I will do the dishes and Wednesday I clean the bathroom. Friday I clean the flat. We are five of us, so everyone has one particular job a day."

"Oh... so you are free on weekends."

"Weekends we mostly out." Gauri tells him.

Hearing the phone ring, Gauri turns to look at Om.

"Can you get that?" Om asks her as his hands were full of dough.

Gauri nods and picks the cordless phone.

"Hello?"

"Hello... Svetlana?" Jhanvi asks from the other side.

"No... I'm her sister." Gauri hesitantly tells her not recognizing the voice.

"Gauri... this is Jhanvi aunty."

"Oh... hello aunty... how are you?" Gauri asks smiling.

"I am good... how are you?"

"I am fine, beta. Om told me that you would be coming. So, are your di and jeeju taking care of you?"

"Actually, di has some work in office, but jeeju is taking care of me."

"Oh."

"I'll give the phone to jeeju." Gauri says as she felt a mood change in Jhanvi.

Gauri walks towards Om and offers him the phone. Om looks at his dirty hands and then he crooks his neck asking her to keep the phone on his shoulder.

Gauri keeps the phone to his ear and Om quickly moves his shoulder up and his head down. For a moment, Gauri's finger gets stuck in between and she quickly pulls her hand away feeling a weird sensation in her. Om looks at Gauri in shock for a second and he quickly looks away embarrassed, feeling a tinkle where she had touched.

They both move aside, hiding their face as they tried to recover from the weird sensation.

Om talks to his mother for a few minutes while Gauri took over the kneading.

"I'll do it." Om tells her.

"I'll do it. Everything else is done." Gauri tells him as she rolled out one chapatti. "Do you want help with that?" Gauri asks him curiously pointing at the phone cradled on his neck.

"it's okay." Om tells her as he took the phone with two fingers and put it on the counter.

They remained silent as Gauri continued to cook and Om sat back.

At night, Gauri comes out of her room to drink water. As she stumbles towards the fridge, she hears furious whispers coming from her sister's room. She couldn't make out the words and she doesn't stay to eavesdrop. She hurries back to her room, deciding not to drink water.

Next day, Gauri was alone as both Om and Svetlana had gone for work. Since, Om had very thoughtfully given her a spare key, she could come and go as she pleased. She went to her college to meet her Professor for a bit and had come back after lunch as Svetlana hadn't made any lunch for her. As soon as she gets home, she starts her work on her assignment. In the evening, she comes out of her room to make tea for her. after she made tea, she cleaned up the place and put everything back exactly as how Svetlana kept it. Even though, Jeeju had said that it was her home too, she didn't feel so, so she was very careful of everything that she touched. As she kept everything back she wondered whether she should make dinner. They had let her stay here and she should do something in return. She quickly messages Svetlana asking her whether it was okay if she made dinner and Svetlana had replied 'whatever'.

Gauri checks the fridge and freezer and realizes that it was practically empty with just some take away boxes. She quickly goes to the grocery downstairs and buys chicken, thinking she would make chicken fry, as jeeju had mentioned it.

Gauri was shallow frying the chicken when she hears the key turning sound. Curiously, she turns to check and finds Om walk in.

"What's that smell?" Om asks with a smell in lieu of a greeting.

"Chicken fry." Gauri tells him grinning.

"Ah... let's see if your chicken is as good as your boasting." Om walks towards her and takes a piece and bites it.

"How is it?" Gauri asks him excitedly.

"Not bad."

"That's it?" Gauri asks her face dropping.

"Yeah... if you had put salt, it would be perfect."

"There is no salt?" Gauri asks panicking. "But I tasted it before..." Gauri stops seeing the twinkle in his eyes. "JEEJU!"

Om chuckles, "It's brilliant as you said."

"Thanks." Gauri smiles with a slight blush.

"I'm going to freshen up."

"Okay... what time will di reach??"

"Don't know. Since you are here she will come early, I guess." Om tells her.

Gauri wasn't very sure that Svetlana would come early for her.

Gauri was back in her room as she worked on her assignment when Om knocks on the door.

"Has di reached?" Gauri asks as she opened the door.

"No, she said she has some meeting today so asked us to eat."

"Ah... okay."

Om and Gauri had a quiet dinner. After dinner, Om takes their plates and starts to wash when Gauri quickly runs behind him.

"Jeeju, I will wash it."

"No need, Gauri. I will do it."

"But jeeju..."

"You are our guest, Gauri." Om reminds her. "You shouldn't even have to cook."

"I didn't mind cooking. Di and you let me stay here..."

"Why do you say that?" Om asks with a frown as he washed off the soap lather from the plates. "Svetlana is your sister. it is our duty. We aren't doing any favor."

But di did act as if she was doing a huge favor on her.

"I still don't understand why you don't stay here when we are here. Why do you have to stay with your friends when we are here?" Om asks her as he shook the plates to drop off the excess water.

"But how can I stay here, jeeju?"

"Svetlana is your sister."

"But still..." Gauri shrugs.

"At least that would save Svetlana all these travel at night."

"What travel?" Gauri asks confused.

"When she comes to your place to help you with your studies." Om says as he kept the plates in the racks.

"What?" Gauri asks confused. "Come to my place?"

Om looks at her confused as his heart skipped a beat. "She comes to help you with your studies, right?"

"Di? No. who told you that? She did?" Gauri asks confused. "She has never come to my place. in fact, after your wedding, I am seeing her yesterday only."

"Are you joking, Gauri?" Om asks her getting angry.

"No, jeeju. She did economics and I am studying Botany."

Om's face goes white as he realized what had been happening all these while. Oh God! How could he have been so blind? So stupid? It was as if suddenly all the pieces were clicking into place.

"Jeeju?" Gauri gently calls him seeing him go pale.

"Every day, she comes home at midnight because she has been helping you with your studies. Sundays she leaves in the morning to help you with your studies." Om whispers to her.

"What?" Gauri asks in shock wondering why her sister would lie like that.

Seeing the fury that was coming over his face, Gauri realized where his thoughts were going. She quickly holds his hand, "No, jeeju... maybe it is something else."

"What else??" Om furiously asks her.

"Maybe she had work..."
"The only days she came home on time were when she had her periods!" Om furiously tells her. "And I was the idiot who never understood that! I was the idiot who she has been fooling for the last three months. I was the fool who believed everything that she said."

"No, jeeju..."

"We have been married for three months and I still haven't kissed my wife. And I like a fool believed it when she said she has headache, she is tired, she is not in the mood. I believed it. I was the fucking fool who waited for his wife at home while she was sleeping with someone else!" Om says furiously.

Gauri's eyes fill with tears in pain, disappointment and fear.

"Please jeeju, calm down."

"Calm down? What do you think she is doing right now, Gauri?"

Gauri gulps as she had no other answer than the obvious. "Let's not jump to conclusions. We will wait till di comes home."

Om looks at Gauri as his eyes filled with furious tears. Then shaking his head, he walks out as he grabbed his car keys.

Gauri had no idea what she was supposed to do. She tried calling her sister but it went unanswered. She wasn't sure whether she should call her parents and finally decided against it as she didn't want to scare them.

Gauri was worriedly waiting in the living room when she hears the door rip open and Om walks in dragging Svetlana behind him. Gauri quickly stands up in worry, not knowing what to do.

"Leave me!" Svetlana says furiously. "What is wrong with you?"

"What is wrong with me?" Om furiously asks her.

"Jeeju.."

"Don't interfere!" Om furiously tells her.

Gauri gulps in fear and slowly starts to walk towards her room.

"Stay there Gauri!" Om shouts at her.

"What the hell happened to you?" Svetlana asks him. he had been waiting in the basement for her and had dragged her home without any explanation.

"Where were you all this while?"

"Office." Svetlana replies.

"Office?" Om asks mockingly. "I went to your office and you had left in the afternoon itself. You left at 2. And you are reaching home only at 11:45."

"The meeting wasn't in my office." Svetlana says as she nervously looked away.

"What about day before yesterday? What about all those nights that you didn't come home saying you were with Gauri?"

Hearing the question, her eyes widen as she looked at Gauri worriedly.

"Where were you?"

"I was with Gauri... right, Gauri?" Svetlana asks as she worriedly looked at Gauri.

Om turns to look at Gauri waiting to see what she was going to say.

Seeing Om staring at her, Gauri turns to her sister and softly asks her, "Where were you, di?"

"I was with you. Why are you lying, Gauri?" Svetlana asks acting shocked.

"SHUT UP!" Om says furiously. "She is not lying. You are the one who is lying. Tell me the truth, Svetlana."

"What truth?"

"Are you having an affair?" When Svetlana remains silent, Om furiously asks "Or is it affairs?"

"How dare you?" Svetlana asks furiously. "I was with the man I love. I am not a slut. I love him. and I will always love him."

Gauri gasps in shock as she covered her mouth to muffle her scream of outrage.

"Then why did you marry me?" Om asks her unable to hide the pain from his voice.

"Because he is married and he can't marry me. My parents kept forcing me to marry you and I had to agree. But I belong to him and him alone. I will love him and I will do whatever I want with him."

"What are you saying di?" Gauri asks her in shock. "He is your husband."

"He might be my husband but he means nothing to me." Svetlana tells her. then turning to Om with a mocking smile she says, "I have never seen a bigger fool than you. you believed everything I said."

"Di, please stop." Gauri begs her.

"I thought I would have to stay away from my Kaali because you had come but then this idiot had believed when I said I have work." Svetlana says laughing. "Anyway, I am glad you found out everything. I was getting sick and tired of your we should work on our marriage speeches and why are you not giving me time blah blah blah. Kaali's wife is not in town. So I am going to his place. I won't be coming back tonight." Svetlana declares and turns around to walk off.

"DI!" Gauri shouts as she ran to her and held her hand. "Don't do this, di. What has happened to you? when did you become so cruel and insensitive?"

"When you are in love, everything is right, Gauri." Svetlana tells her and walk out.

Gauri turns to look at Om and sees him furiously staring at the door. Then he murderously walks towards the door and Gauri hurries to block his way as she stood in front of the door.

"Move out of my way."

Gauri vigorously shakes her head.

"Gauri, I said..."

"No, jeeju." Gauri cuts him off as she cried. "If you go now, one of you will end up killing the other. Please."

"I don't care. I'll kill her." Om tells her as he tried to push her away.

"Please jeeju. I am begging you. please don't do this." Gauri cries as she folded her hands in front of him.

Seeing her crying, Om furiously runs his hands through his hair as he helplessly looked away. "Think of Jhanvi aunty. Think of Tej uncle. Think of my parents. Please."

Om watches Gauri for a while as he thought of his parents. God. Why him? why them?

Turning around he walks to his room.

Gauri sighs in relief as she heard Om slam the door shut. A second later, she hears crashing sound. She stood there listening to Om trashing his room.

After a while, the house had gone silent and Gauri decided to check on her brother-in-law. She worriedly opens the door and sees him sitting on the floor as he leaned against the wall with his eyes closed. Gauri walks towards him and kneels opposite him. she hesitantly keeps her hand on his shoulder, "Jeeju?"

Om opens his eyes to look at her and Gauri gulps a sob seeing his blood shot eyes.

"Why did she do this to me, Gauri?" Om asks her sadly. "True I don't know her much, true I don't love her but I did trust her and I had dreamt of a life with her. then why did she do this? Why couldn't she tell me before we got married?"

Tears fall from her eyes as she listened to him.

"What did I do to deserve this?"

"She didn't deserve you, jeeju." Gauri tells him as she wiped his tears.

"I have never hurt anyone in my life. I never wanted any bad for anyone. Then why did it had to happen to me?" Om asks her as he started crying.

Gauri quickly holds his head and pulls him towards her, hugging him. Om hugs her and cries, her bosom muzzling out his loud sobs.

"Why me, Gauri?" Om asks her as he looked up at her.

Not having any answer, Gauri softly shakes her head at him as she looked at him through tear soaked eyes. Gauri wipes his tears away. Om closes his eyes in pain.

"Please don't cry." Gauri begs him.

Om opens his eyes and now, having his vision cleared, he sees her tears. He gently wipes them as he cupped her face. As they sat their staring at each other holding one another's face, neither knew, who made the first move, all they knew was that their lips had found each other's, first hesitantly and then hungrily.

Gauri was lying on Omkara Singh Oberoi's bed, her jeeju's bed, her sister's bed. She was lying naked. Next to her naked jeeju. How did she let this happen? What was she thinking? But she didn't think. She just went with the flow. She let her emotions guide her. and now, she lay next to him spent after he had brought her to orgasm after orgasm. Realizing what she had done, tears starts flowing from her eyes. The sin she had committed was too big. She had done something with him that she had never thought she would do before her marriage. With a married man. a man married to her sister. how could she betray her sister, her parents and herself like that? Her guilt was eating her up. she wanted to cry out loud. Scream out loud, so loud that it drowns out her thoughts. Gauri turns to look at him, he was staring at the ceiling but she could clearly see the tears that were rolling down his cheek. She wanted to run away. She quietly gets up as she started picking her clothes. After gathering everything, she starts to walk out. She couldn't help it and she turns to look at him and sees him watching her. the guilt and pain were clearly visible on his face. She couldn't stay there anymore. She runs to her room and closes the door. Once she was in the safety of her room, she breaks out into loud sobs.

At the first light of the morning, Gauri had her bag packed. She was going to leave. She couldn't stay there. She will not be able to face her sister or her jeeju. She quietly opens the door and quietly starts to step out and stops in shock seeing Om sitting outside her door, leaning on the wall with his hands holding his head. Seeing her feet, he turns to look at her and quickly stands up. he starts to say something and then stops helplessly. Gauri's eyes starts filling with tears seeing him. his eyes were already red and watery; she wasn't sure if it was lack of sleep or crying the reason. She couldn't look at him anymore, she turns around and walk out while he stood back and watched her leave.

All hell broke loose the next day.

Her mother and father called her one after the other, asking about the issues between di and jeeju. Saying jeeju had called them saying he was going to file for divorce. She had truthfully told them what had happened, jeeju's and di's truth, not her's and jeeju's. then came the next bomb, her parents were coming to town to talk to di, jeeju and his parents the next week, and her mother expected Gauri to also be there.

Since, she couldn't come up with enough valid reasons, Gauri found herself face to face with Om the next weekend. She had avoided looking at his eyes and had her eyes downcast the whole time. Her parents were trying their best to talk di and jeeju out of a divorce.

"Omkara beta, marriage is a sacred relation." Pinky, Gauri's mother gently tells him.

"It wasn't sacred." Om calmly reminds her.

"But still... please think this through. Divorce is a big thing." Shakti, Gauri's father gently tells him. "Svetlana, will not do any such thing again."

"I can't live without Kaali." Svetlana tells everyone.

"And I can't live with her." Om informs everyone.

"Svetlana, you keep quiet!" Shakti angrily tells her.

"I told you that I didn't want to get married. That I loved Kaali and I was happy in that relation but you both forced me into this marriage." Svetlana angrily reminds them.

"You both knew?" Gauri asks her parents in shock.

"They knew. You were another idiot like him." Svetlana tells her in disgust.

Gauri turns to her parents and asks them in shock, "How could you do this to him?"

"We thought after marriage she would change." Pinky whispers.

"She didn't. now, all we want is an amicable divorce." Jhanvi tells them.

"Please once more, we can give this a try." Shakti requests them.

"Gauri... you talk to him." Pinky whispers to Gauri.

"What?" Gauri asks her mother in panic.

"Just tell him that you will make sure Svetlana doesn't do anything like that anymore." Pinky whispers.

"Why me?"

"Because you were here when he found out and you live in this city." Pinky reasons with her.

Gauri closes her eyes in dread, as she wanted to cry. Her guilt still fresh in her mind. Gauri gathering her courage looks up at him and gets shocked seeing him staring at her. he had a frown on his face. She didn't know if it was directed at her or whether he had heard what her mother had said.

"Jeeju..." Gauri hesitantly starts.

Om cuts her off. "I am no longer your jeeju."

Gauri gulps in panic as she quickly wiped away the sweat that had formed on her forehead. For everyone, he said that meaning his marriage to Svetlana, but for him and her, he had been hinting at them and their night of sin.

Gauri clutches her hand together to stop it from shivering and says, "Just give it some time. Don't file for divorce now. I'll make sure that di would never..."

"How can you even think of saying that to me?" Om asks her frowning bloody murder. "Did you forget what happened last week?"

Gauri grips the sofa to hide the fact that she was shaking head to toe.

"Did you?" Om asks her as he stood up and glared at her.

Gauri quickly shakes her head in negative.

Om relaxes a little and turns to Svetlana.

"Svetlana, what do you have to say?" Om asks her.

"I don't mind going on like this. I have no issues being married to you but I will not stop seeing Kaali and don't expect me to be your wife in anyway."

"SVETLANA!" Shakti and Pinky shouts at once.

"I didn't call anyone here for a compromise talk." Om tells everyone. "I just want an amicable divorce. And all I am asking is are you willing for that?"

"I want to discuss with my lawyer about my alimony."

"ALIMONY?" Om asks furiously. "I am not giving you a penny."

"I wasted 3 months of my life. I am entitled."

"You ruined my son's life and now you want money?" Tej asks her furiously.

"Otherwise, I am not going to give a divorce." Svetlana tells everyone.

"I'll see you in court then." Om tells her in a challenging tone.

Very soon, the divorce hearing started and Gauri stayed away from everything. Though she got regular updates from her mother who used to call her to cry about all the slandering that was happening in the court. How stubborn Svetlana was being and not agreeing for a divorce without any benefits. Svetlana had even made fake reports saying that Om had physically tortured her and mainly, on the night he had accused her of adultery. And soon, Gauri got summons from the court. Shakti called up Gauri after that asking her to meet their lawyer as he wanted to coach her on what to say in the court. Gauri refused to see him.

Gauri was the last to reach the court. Since, it was time to commence, everyone was in the courtroom when she walked in.

"Gauri." Shakti sees her first and walks towards her. "I know this is difficult for you, but you have to do this for your sister."

Gauri looks around the court and finds Om. He was with his parents. He was watching her.

"Right now, we should think of Svetlana's future, your future and our family. We will be disgraced in public." Shakti requests her.

"What you are asking me to do is wrong." Gauri tells him.

"I know, Gauri." Shakti says looking down in guilt. "I am helpless. I must ensure both of your future, for that we can't have any kind of disgrace. Please understand me."

"All rise." They hear the order as the judge walked in.

Then everyone starts sitting.

"Come, Gauri." Shakti gestures her towards their seating.

Gauri turns to look at Om and sees that he was still standing and was watching and listening to her. Gauri slowly starts to walk towards him ignoring Shakti's and Pinky's hurt and shocked expression, and Svetlana's anger.

"Our place is here, Gauri." Shakti tells her as he pointed at Pinky and Svetlana.

Gauri shakes her head at him. "You all have already ruined his life. I am not going to let you ruin it any more. I didn't come for di. I came here for him." Gauri calmly tells them and walks towards Om.

Gauri reaches Om and stops next to him. there was a small smile on his lips. Pride in his eyes. He turns to his parents and sees them curiously and worriedly looking at Gauri. "Ma, give space for Gauri to sit."

Tej and Jhanvi quickly moves to the side smiling in relief. Gauri moves in and sits next to Jhanvi. Om sits next to Gauri.

"He was so sure that you would support the truth." Jhanvi tells Gauri smiling in relief.

Gauri turns to look at Om in shock but he was whispering to the lawyer.

"Did you teach her what to say?" Gauri hears the lawyer ask him.

Om shakes his head and he turns to look at Gauri as he answered him, "Gauri will say the truth. She will say the truth as she knows it. and whatever truth she wishes to tell everyone, she can."

Gauri's eyes widen in shock. He just told her that she could tell everyone what happened between them if she wanted. Even though it would jeopardize his case.

Slowly, the lawyers start arguing.

Gauri turns to look at Om and sees him calm and composed. He wasn't the man she had met at his house that day. He seemed to have risen like a phoenix strong and fierce. Om turns to look at Gauri. Gauri quickly looks down not having the courage to look into his eyes. Their night of sin was still plaguing her and killing her slowly. Then she feels him taking hold of her hand and squeezing it, and just as quickly he left her hand.

Soon, Gauri was called.

"Ms. Gauri Kumari Sharma, can you state your relation to Ms. Svetlana?"

"She is my sister."

"Svetlana has accused Mr. Omkara Singh Oberoi of physically assaulting her. She has said that on the night of 18th January, 2017 that he had accused her of adultery and had physically assaulted her that she needed to be taken to the ER. Is it true?"

Gauri turns to look at her parents and they give her a pleading look. She turns to look at Om and he was looking at her with a calm face. This unexplainable confidence of his in her was giving her courage.

"He did accuse her of adultery." Gauri says as she turned to face the Judge. "And di did accept having an affair. After that, Svetlana had left the house saying she was going to spend the night with her lover."

"And what did Mr. Omkara Singh Oberoi do?"

"He went to his room and..." Gauri says and she turns to look at Om and as if guessing what she was going to say, he silently chuckles.

"And?" the lawyer prompts her.

"He cried."

There were murmurs in the court.

"Your honor, please note that according to Svetlana's sister, while Svetlana went to her lover's house, Mr. Omkara Singh Oberoi had been heartbroken and was crying at home. So, her accusation about the assault is baseless and fabricated."

Once, Om's lawyer finished questioning her regarding Svetlana's lies about being with Gauri and all, Svetlana's lawyer started cross examining Gauri.

"Ms. Sharma, for how many days were you staying in their house?"

"2 nights."

"So, do you think it is possible that before you went there, what I mean is the days before that, could it have been possible for Mr. Oberoi to physically harm your sister."

Gauri looks at Om and he had a slight frown but nothing more.

"I don't think he ever hurt her."

"Do you have any proof of it?"

"I don't have any proof but I know what I saw and it was that my sister at no point was afraid of him. she spoke her mind without any kind of fear."

"That doesn't mean he hasn't ever assaulted her. does it?"

"No, but it does mean that she wasn't scared of him. and she didn't think she should be afraid of him."

The lawyer furiously turns to look at Svetlana and their parents.

"Okay. You said he went to the room and cried. Is it possible that he left at any point in the night? That he went behind Svetlana and assaulted her sometime during the night, and you didn't see it? without your knowledge he could have left the house, isn't it?"

Gauri goes pale hearing the question and turns to look at Om. He was watching her, he softly nods his head at her, giving her permission to talk about their night. A truth that would not only topsy-turvy the case, but all their lives.

Gauri turns to the lawyer and asks him calmly, "Where could he have followed her to?"

Gauri looks at Om and sees him smiling so proudly at her. the lawyer had gone pale. She had put him on the spot asking about Svetlana's whereabouts of that night.

"That is not what I asked."

"He didn't leave that night."

"How can you say that for sure?"

Gauri looks at Om and sees him looking at her, he wasn't breathing.

"I was awake the whole night, and I was in the living room when he went to the bedroom and I didn't see him leave his bedroom that night." Gauri says twisting the truth but she still spoke the truth.

"No further questions, your honor." The lawyer says, realizing that Gauri Kumari Sharma's loyalty wasn't towards her sister.

Gauri walks out during recess as she couldn't sit there and witness all that.

"Wow Gauri!" Svetlana says in a sarcastic tone. "I am so blessed to have you as my sister."

Gauri turns to her and tells her in a calm tone, "Definitely not as blessed as jeeju to have you as his wife."

Svetlana furiously glares at her.

"She has ruined everything." The lawyer declares furiously as he joined them with Shakti and Pinky trailing behind.

"Don't you dare take that tone with my daughter." Shakti furiously whispers to him.

"Don't you realize what she has done?"

"I did. At least, one of my daughter stands up for the truth." Shakti says as he looked at Gauri.

Gauri moves towards him and hugs him as she cried softly. "I would have never had any peace if I had lied."

"I am sorry, Gauri. It took me to see you stand there and battle with yourself to realize it. I was only thinking as Svetlana's father. I didn't realize what I was asking you to do."

"As usual, the darling daughter, whatever she does, it is always right." Svetlana says furiously.

"Enough, Svetlana. now, you will listen to me and you will agree to Omkara's terms for the divorce."

"NO!"

"You have no other option." The lawyer informs her.

"What do you mean?" Svetlana asks him furiously.

"Your sister gave her statement. Even though she didn't provide any proof, the Judge can choose to believe her or not. There are high chances of him accepting her statement. That means, he can take a case against you for lying in court. Omkara Singh Oberoi's lawyer will be filing case against you for defamation. And since your sister said that you did accept that you were having an affair, your husband can file a case against your boyfriend for adultery."

"What?" Svetlana asks in shock.

"If a husband can prove his wife was in an adulterous relation, then the man involved can be fined or imprisoned for 5 years or both. Don't you know the law?"

"No... no... I will agree to whatever Omkara says." Svetlana says worriedly. "I won't let anything happen to my Kaali."

And that was the end to the courtroom drama. Very soon, Om and Svetlana were divorced.

Two weeks later, Gauri receives a call.

"Hello?" Gauri hesitantly answers the call seeing the call was from jeeju's house.

"Hello... Gauri... this is Jhanvi Aunty here."

"Ah... how are you, aunty?"

"I am fine, beta. How are you?"

"I am doing good. How is everyone at home?" Gauri asks scared to ask about Om.

"We are fine... but Om, he is still a little depressed. Doesn't go out or anything. Just office and home." Jhanvi tells her sadly.

"Oh." Gauri's heart breaks hearing that and her eyes fill with tears.

"Anyway, I just called to tell you that Tej and I am going back today. After what you did for us, I didn't even thank you properly. I called you for that."

"You don't have to thank me, aunty. I just told the truth."

"But still, you went against your family for Om."

"After what my family did to him, this was least I could do. But Aunty, if you go now, won't... je... he be alone?"

"Tej can't stay away from his work anymore, and I can't send Tej alone as his health isn't at its best. And Om refuses to come home saying he can't leave everything here."

Gauri didn't know what to say or how to react.

"Okay, Gauri... I'll keep the phone now."

"Bye Aunty. Take care of everyone."

Knowing that Om was alone now, Gauri couldn't sit still. Her worry was growing with every second. She tried to suppress these worries, and thoughts of him, as she couldn't have these kinds of worries for him because she couldn't explain why she was so concerned about him and she didn't want to ponder on it too. The stress of her new feelings and the guilt for these feelings were driving Gauri mad, and she spent sleepless nights crying into her pillow.

Finally, her heart won over her brains. Three days later, she was at his door ringing the bell. The moment she rang the bell, her courage deserted her. she quickly turns to run off when the door opens.

"Gauri?" Om calls her from behind.

Gauri stops nervously as she closed her eyes to calm her raising heartbeats.

"Gauri?" Om calls her again.

Gauri hesitantly turns around to look at him.

He was leaning against the doorframe. With a contend smile on his face. Gauri couldn't help but stare at him. seeing that smile on him, was giving her peace. She had been so worried about him all these days.

"Won't you come in?" Om asks her softly.

Gauri slowly starts walking towards him.

"How have you been?" Om asks her as they sat opposite to each other.

"Okay. You?"

"Same."

Then they sat there in silence. Gauri studying her fingers which were on her lap and Om studying her.

"would you like to drink something?"

Gauri shakes her head in negative then realizing that her throat was parched, she gently asks, "Water?"

"Yeah... one sec." Om says and walks off.

"Here." Om says as he offered her a glass of water.

"Thank you." Gauri says as she took it from him and starts drinking the water.

Leaving the tray on the table, Om sits next to her.

Gauri nervously moves away from him as she gulped the water.

"I expected you sooner." Om softly tells her.

"I..."

"I thought of coming to your flat but I wasn't sure whether you would like it."

"I wouldn't." Gauri replies quickly.

Om nods, not feeling hurt or offended. Her honesty was actually a relief and he did appreciate it compared to Svetlana's lies.

"that day at the court... thank you. I know how difficult it was for you." Om tells her. "I had tried my best to not drag you into it but when Svetlana accused me of hitting her that night... I had no other option."

"You were sure I would support you." Gauri states in shock as she looked at him.

"I had faith in you. I trust you." Om says with a lot of conviction.

Gauri looks away unable to face him.

"Erm... that day, I forgot to give this back." Gauri tells him as she took out his house keys from her bag.

"You keep it."

"Why?" Gauri asks him shocked.

"They are yours."

Oh God. Gauri panics understanding that he wasn't just talking about the keys.

"I have to go." Gauri says as she stood up.

[Link For UnnoduNaan Iruntha From Iruvar , Rendered by Arvind Swamy.

https://youtu.be/LdGxIoUeS2Y

Translation courtesy  http://goodlyricsmeanings.blogspot.ae/2011/05/unnodu-naan-iruntha-iruvar.html]

Unnoadu Naan Iruntha Ovvoru Mani Thuliyum

Every Moment That I Have Spent With You,

Marana Padukkayilum Marakkaathu Kanmaniyae

I Will Not Forget Even In My Death Bed, My Dear

Thonnooru Nimidangal Thottanaitha Kaalam Dhaan

The Ninety Minutes That We Spent Together,

Ennooru Aandugalaai Ithayathil Kalanguthadi

Pounds Around In My Chest Like It Was Eight Hundred Years

Paarvaiyilae Sila Nimidam

The Few Minutes We Spent Gazing At Each Other

Bayathodu Sila Nimidam

The Few Minutes We Spent In Fear

Katti Anaithabadi Kanneeril Sila Nimidam

Few Moments Spent Crying In Embrace.

Ilakkanamae Paaraamal

Without Concern For Appropriateness,

Ella Idangalilum Muthangal Vithaitha Mogathil Sila Nimidam

The Few Minutes We Spent Laying Kisses All Over Each Other

Unnoadu Naan Iruntha Ovvoru Mani Thuliyum

Every Moment That I Have Spent With You,

Marana Padukkayilum Marakkaathu Kanmaniyae

I Will Not Forget Even In My Death Bed, My Dear

Ethu Nyayam Ethu Paavam Iruvarukkum Thoandravillai

Which Is Acceptable And Which Is Sin, Neither Of Us Considered It

Adu Irava Athu Pagala Athai Patri Ariyavillai

Had The Day Dawned, Had The Night Set, Neither Of Us Knew It

Yaar Thodanga? Yaar Mudikka? Oru Vazhiyum Thoandravillai

Who Started This, Who's Going To End This. Neither Of Us Saw A Way

Iruvarumae Thodangivittoam Ithu Varaikkum Kaelvi Illai

We Started It Together, And Now There Exists No Questions

Acham Kalainthaen Aasaiyinai Nee Anaithaai

My Fear Disappeared, When You Ignited My Lust

Aadai Kalainthaen Vetkathai Nee Anaithaai

Your Robes Were Shed, And Your Modesty Disappeared

Kanda Thirukoalam Kanavaaga Marainthaalum

Even If I Recall That Captivating Face As Nothing But A Dream

Kadaisiyil Azhutha Kanneer Kaiyil Innum Ottuthadi

I Will Still Feel That Last Tear You Shed As A Wetness On My Palm

Unnadu Naan Iruntha Ovvoru Mani Thuliyum

Every Moment That I Have Spent With You,

Marana Padukkayilum Marakkaathu Kanmaniyae

I Will Not Forget Even In My Death Bed, My Dear

Unnoadu Naan Iruntha Ovvru Mani Thuliyum

Every Moment That I Have Spent With You,

Marana Padukkayilum Marakkaathu Kanmaniyae..

I Will Not Forget Even In My Death Bed, My Dear

"Gauri." Om stops her as he held her hand.

"I shouldn't have come."

"You can't run away from me." Om tells her as he tightened his grip on her.

"This is wrong." Gauri tells him as she felt tears run down her face.

"It's not." Om tells her and before she could guess his intend, he pulls her towards him and hugs her tight.

"Leave me... Jeeju." Gauri shouts as she pushed him away.

"I am not your jeeju, Gauri!" Om tells her as he glared at her.

"You are married to..."

"I was married to your sister. not anymore." Om tells her.

"But it's still wrong."

"It is not wrong. And even if it is, I don't care." Om tells her as he took her hand and gently kept it on his cheek. He slowly runs her palm over his cheek. "All my life, I tried to do the right thing and what did it give me in return?"

Gauri closes her eyes as she tried to fight the feelings the gentle caress was arousing in her.

"And nothing has felt this right in my life." Om whispers to her as he kissed her palm.

"Jeeju..." Gauri starts to say and Om quickly cuts her off.

"Omkara."

"No."

"Say my name, Gauri." Om whispers to her as he moved towards her and cupped her face.

"Please no." Gauri begs him as she broke into sobs.

"Say my name, Gauri." Om whispers against her lips.

Gauri closes her eyes tight as the tears fell from her eyes, she whispers, "Omkara."

"Say it again, Gauri."

"Omkara." Gauri says as she broke into loud sobs hugging him.

Om hugs her tight as he cried in relief.

Once, she had calm down, Gauri starts moving away from him. Om without leaving her, looks at her face and sees her tear soaked face. He wipes her tears as he shook his head at her.

"No more tears, Gauri."

"This is wrong."

"Ask yourself, Gauri. Being with me, does your heart say it is wrong? Don't care whether it is wrong for the world, ask yourself. Please Gauri, tell me the truth. If you say that you don't want to be with me then I will never come near you."

Gauri watches him as she thought about what he said. She couldn't stay away from him, isn't that why she had come? But how could she be with him? the society would never accept them. her parents and his parents will never accept it. then?

"When I look at you, I feel so calm and peaceful." Om tells her. "I look at you and I don't feel like a loser. I feel like there is more in my life worth fighting for."

Gauri couldn't fight herself anymore, and she leans up and takes his lips in hers.

"Unnodu Naan Irunda Ovvoru Mani Thuliyum, Marana Padukkayilum Mrakkathu Kanmaniye." Om softly whispers to Gauri's ears. (Every Moment That I Have Spent With You, I Will Not Forget Even In My Death Bed, My Dear)

"What?" Gauri asks confused as she leaned up to look at him.

Om shakes his head and hugs her tight, "From a tamil movie I watched."

"You speak tamil?"

"I studied in an Ooty residential school."

"I didn't know that." Gauri says as she looked at him.

"We have all the time to learn about each other."

Om turns to look at her as he took her hand and kissed her palm. "Do you regret it?"

Gauri shakes her head in negative.

Om smiles at her.

"Jhanvi Aunty said that you don't meet your friends now."

"I tried Gauri, but every time I look at them, I feel they are laughing at me. As if they are thinking what a fool he was." Om tells her. "I know it isn't true but I get this feeling and I can't stay there. I feel like running away."

"Do you feel like running away now?" Gauri asks him worriedly as she looked him in his eyes.

"No." Om says shaking his head. "I feel safe and content with you."

Gauri couldn't help smile in joy and she moves towards him and takes his lips in hers, kissing him.

"I should go." Gauri tells him as she parted.

"Stay with me."

"But..."

"Please?"

"I don't have any clothes with me."

"We'll buy some. Stay here with me."

In reply, Gauri smiles at him.

After Gauri bought two tops, a pair of shorts and t-shirt and some lingerie deciding to wear the same jeans that she was wearing, Om and Gauri go for dinner. As they waited for their order Om held Gauri's hand across the table.

"You are happy with me, right?" Om asks her.

"I am happy." Gauri tells him. "But when I think about everything else, I get scared. So I am not thinking about anything else or anyone else."

"I can understand what you are saying." Om tells her. "When something feels so perfect, you don't want to ruin it by thinking about other things. Right?"

"Yes."

"I feel the same." Om tells her smiling.

Gauri and Om on their way back home stops at a store to buy toiletries for Gauri. After Gauri had picked tooth brush, shower gel, shampoo and face wash, she goes to the counter to bill. Just as the guy started billing her things, she sees a packet of condom fall on top of her shampoo bottle. Eyes widening, she turns to her right and finds Om standing there with a naughty smile on his face. As she gaped at him, he with a smirk drops yet another packet of condoms. Gauri's mouth makes a 'O' shape then she turns pink blushing profusely. She quickly turns around and runs out of the store.

Om chuckles as Gauri stood near his car blushing. Om walks up to her and kisses her on her cheek. Gauri hits him playfully.

"Why are you blushing?" Om asks her in a teasing tone.

"You are crazy."

Om chuckles as he pulled her towards him.

"Someone will see." Gauri whispers getting nervous.

Om leaves her quickly. "Let's go home then?"

Looking down, Gauri shyly nods her head.

Om and Gauri step into his flat and the moment Om locked the flat, Gauri and Om turned to each other started kissing hungrily.

"Gauri..."

"Hmmm?"

"Say my name."

"Omkara."

"Again."

"Omkara."

"Keep saying it, Gauri." Om tells her as they stumbled into his bedroom.

Gauri spent the next two days with Om and went back to her flat as the week had started and she has college. That night, she was in her room as she thought about Omkara with a smile on her face. She loved him. she was worried when she thought of their future but then she pushes off those thoughts and just concentrated on their present. She hadn't spoken to him the whole day, as her day starts early due to college and he gets back home in the evening late from work. Hearing her mobile ring, Gauri checks and sees Jeeju calling.

Gauri smiles remembering how he kept asking her to say his name. she knew why, he wanted to wipe out the word jeeju from her mind. She cuts the call and with a smile she goes to the contact and edits his name. she changes it to Omkara.

Just as she was saving it, she gets a message from him.

Busy?

She replies. No.

Again her phone rings and this time it flashed, Omkara calling.

"Hello?"

"Why did you cut earlier?" Om asks with a smile as he stretched on his bed.

"I was editing your name."

"My name?"

"I had saved it as jeeju. I changed it to Omkara now."

"Good." Om says smiling happily. "How was your day?"

"It was good. And yours?"

"Good but I missed you when I woke up."

Gauri blushes hearing that. "Then why didn't you call?"

"I knew you would be in class."

"Hmmm."

"Do you miss me?"

"Yes."

"You should stay with me."

"I'll come during the weekends."

"Did your friends ask you where you were these two days?"

"Yes."

"What did you tell them?"

"I told them that I was at a relative's place."

"I thought you didn't lie." Om says in a teasing tone.

"Well, I don't consider that as a lie." Gauri tells him grinning.

"How is that?"

"Well... we are in a relation, right?"

Om chuckles hearing that.

"When will I see you again?"

"Friday."

"I will come to pick you up?"

"No. my college gets over in the afternoon. So by the time you get home from work, I would be there at your place."

"Our place."

Gauri smiles hearing that.

"I spoke to Ma sometime back." Om tells her.

"Yeah?"

"I didn't call her the last three days."

"You call her every day?"

"Yes."

"You tell her everything?"

"No, but from my voice she can sense whether I am happy or not."

"Oh."

"Before she knew I was not happy but I wouldn't tell her the reason. As Svetlana and my parents already had issues."

"Yeah?" Gauri asks shocked, she didn't know that.

"Well... right after the wedding, she insisted that she wanted to join back work and didn't stay at my place for more than a few days. Then she never talked to my parents ever saying she is busy or such. So they were upset with her behavior and had slight issues with it."

"Oh."

"Anyways, what I was saying is that... when I spoke to Ma, she said I sound happy."

"Really?" Gauri asks happily realizing she was the reason.

"I told her that there is someone in my life."

"You did?" Gauri asks shocked as her heart skipped a beat.

"Yes, but didn't tell her your name. I said that we need a little time."

"hmmm."

"Ma said whoever is my choice, she would approve her whole heartedly."

Would she say the same when she knows it is me?

Om and Gauri continued to talk on the phone and during the weekends Gauri went to his place to stay with him.

Om and Gauri were having dinner at Om's place on a weekend.

"There is a party in my office on Monday." Om informs Gauri. Every day he told her what all were happening in his life and she told him about hers.

"You are going, right?"

"No." Om says shaking his head.

"You should." Gauri insists as she grabbed his hand to get his full attention.

"I still feel..."

"You have moved on from that, then why are you still worried about people's reaction?"

"When I am in a crowd, I get uncomfortable thinking that they would ask me about my divorce."

"You are stronger than that."

"No, Gauri." Om says shaking his head as he looked at his plate.

Gauri keeps her left hand on his right cheek and lovingly tells him, "Look at me."

Om looks up at her.

"Are you happy with me?"

"You know, I am. I am the happiest with you."

"Then why are you scared of Di?"

"Gauri... it's just that... I don't know." Om tells her helplessly.

"Do this for me."

"Will you come with me?"

"No." Gauri says shaking her head. "One day you will have to face your friends and coworkers alone. So start now. And I am not ready to be open about our relation just yet."

Om nods understanding her reasoning.

"You can leave in half an hour if you get uncomfortable."

"Will you be home that day?" Om asks her.

"It's Monday, Omkara. I have college."

"It's just that, no matter whether I have a happy day or sad, I just want to come home to you. I just have to know that you are waiting for me here. Then I might be able to handle it better."

"I'll be here, then." Gauri promises him smiling.

Gauri runs to open the door hearing the bell on Monday. She forgot to remove her key from the keyhole. She nervously opens the door, worrying how Omkara's day went.

"How was it?" Gauri asks him.

Om steps in and smiles at her. Gauri excitedly jumps up as she hugged him. "I knew it."

"I had a great time. I never realized that I had missed my friends." Om tells Gauri as he hugged her tight. "Thank you."

"I am so happy for you." Gauri tells him as she hugged him tight.

"I knew you would be the happiest for me." Om tells her as he kissed her on her temple.

"Did you tell Jhanvi Aunty?" Gauri asks him excitedly.

"I spoke to her on my way here." Om tells her smiling, so touched to realize Gauri's concern for his mother.

"She would have been really happy."

"She is really happy. She said, she is dying to meet the girl." Om tells her.

Gauri's smile drops for a second wondering how Jhanvi Aunty would react when she finds out that the girl is her. then she pushes the thought away as she wanted to celebrate Omkara's this victory. It had worried her that he had cut off his social life and friends because of the divorce when he had done nothing wrong. His, this victory over his mind was a victory of hers too.

"Now, let's have a great time." Gauri tells him as she placed teasing kisses on his neck while she removed his buttons.

Couple of weeks later, Gauri reaches her flat and to her utter shock finds her sister in her room.

"Di?"

"Gauri..." Svetlana sobs as she hurried to her and hugged.

"What happened?" Gauri asks shocked seeing her sister like that.

"Kaali cheated me, Gauri. His wife is pregnant." Svetlana wails as she hugged Gauri.

"What?" Gauri asks with a frown.

"His wife is pregnant, Gauri."

"You knew he is married." Gauri reminds her.

"But he told me he was loyal to me. And he made me promise that I would be loyal to him. and now I find out that he was sleeping with his wife also all this while."

"What did you expect from that relation, di? You didn't think he would marry you."

"But I thought he loved me."

"If he loved you then you would have been the only woman in his life." Gauri cruelly tells her.

"I went to meet Om."

"For what?" Gauri asks as her heart skipped a beat.

"I told him everything and I told him that I want to get back with him. I told him that I would be his loyal wife."

"And what did he say?" Gauri asks as she felt the blood drain from her face.

"He said he needs time."

"What?" Gauri asks in a soft voice as she felt faint. Why did he say that? Then what about me?

"I was hoping to stay at his place but when he said he needs time; I didn't want to impose on him. so can I stay with you till he comes to get me?"

"He will come to get you?" Gauri asks shocked.

"Yes. Otherwise why would he ask for time? He has to talk to his family, right?"

Gauri looks away not understanding what was happening. She wanted to keep her faith in Omkara but what Di was saying, was so shocking. And why didn't he call her after di met him?

Gauri curiously checks her phone and sees that he had called her four times and had send her a message.

We need to talk. Call me as soon as you get this.

God! Her phone was on silent during class time.

"Gauri? Can I stay here?"

"Yes." Gauri replies for lack of anything else to say. She quickly replies to Omkara before her sister notices.

Di is here. Can't call now.

He quickly replies.

I need to meet you. how soon can we meet?

Di is staying with me.

Tomorrow, please try to come home or I will come to your college?

Before she could reply, he sends another message.

She told you why she is here, right?

Why did you ask for time?

There was no reply for a bit then her mobile starts ringing. Seeing Omkara calling, Gauri quickly steps out of the room to answer.

"Di, I got a call. I will come now."

"Okay."

"Hello?" Gauri answers the call as she closed the bedroom door.

"Don't you trust me?" Om asks from the other end angrily.

Gauri sighs in relief hearing his anger. God, for a second, she had got worried but his anger confirmed his affection for her.

"I do but I got a little worried." Gauri confesses.

"Why?"

"You both were married, so..."

"We might have been married, but in every sense of the word, only you were my wife."

Gauri's eyes fill with tears hearing that. Then she tells him in a whisper. "I got insecure for a second."

"You know, I love you, right?" Om asks her.

"I do. I thought you did. But you never said anything..."

"You never said anything too." Om reminds her.

"Omkara..."

"I am coming to your place. I want to see you now."

"But Di..."

"I don't care. You come down when I call you."

An hour later, Gauri got into Om's car after lying to her sister that she was going back to college for some work. Om drove the car in silence and Gauri was getting worried with his silence. She was happy that he loves her but she was sad that for a few seconds she doubted his love. Om stops the car near a deserted area in the highway, and steps out.

"All these while, did you think I was with you for just sex?" Om asks her upset.

"No, Omkara... I... I am sorry."

"More than your physical comfort, I needed you emotionally, Gauri. You were there for me. I felt happy and peaceful with you. those days were hell for me. I didn't see you for a long time. Then I saw you in the court and I felt peace and that is when I realized that I needed in you my life. I saw you walk into the courtroom and I felt as if I had come back to life. Before that itself I knew, there was something between us. The moment we slept together I knew; it is us that should be together. I filed for divorce because I wanted to be free of Svetlana but more than that I wanted to be with you. And in the courtroom I realized that I love you."

Gauri starts crying hearing him.

"I love you, Gauri. You are my life." Om says as he hugged her.

"I love you too, Omkara."

"Not anymore, Gauri. I don't want to hide anymore. I want to marry you. please marry me."

"But our parents?"

"We will talk to them Gauri."

"Okay." Gauri says shaking her head. "I can't lose you, Om."

Om smiles in relief.

"I told Svetlana I need time, because I didn't know what else to tell her. I didn't want to say something to her that would create a problem for us and I didn't want to tell her about us before we got a chance to talk to our family as she is very vicious, we can't be sure what she would do. I learned that during the divorce. I was just trying to protect you, Gauri."

"I am sorry, Omkara. I got scared a little. I was always scared that no one would accept us."

"We will get married, Gauri. No matter what."

Two days later, Om called his parents and Gauri's parents to meet. They all met up in Om's house.

"Om, is it true?" Shakti hesitantly asks Om. "That you called us here to talk about your remarriage?"

"It's about marriage but not with Svetlana as you think." Om explains to him, realizing that Svetlana had already told Shakti that Om was going to marry her.

"Then?" Shakti asks confused.

"I love Gauri."

"Gauri?" Shakti, Pinky and Svetlana shout in shock. In varied volumes.

"We love each other." Om explains to them as he gestured Gauri to come to him. Gauri walks to him and he holds her hand.

"I always knew it." Jhanvi says smiling.

"You knew?" Gauri asks unable to hide her joy seeing the smile on Jhanvi's face.

"Yes. I told Tej also."

"How did you know?" Om asks with a smile.

"You were so depressed. You were going to lose the case but you refused to drag Gauri into the case. Then that day, I saw the way your face changed when she walked into the court." Jhanvi says smiling. "Then when I spoke to her, it was as if she was trying to not say your name. I realized that there was something going on. Then after we left, Om had all of a sudden become happy and he told me it was because of a girl. And I knew that it was Gauri."

"So you were having an affair behind my back?" Svetlana asks furiously.

"I don't think you have any right to question me." Om reminds Svetlana. "And no, only after my divorce Gauri and I started seeing each other."

"But it's wrong." Pinky says in shock. "You were married to Svetlana. now, how can you marry Gauri?"

"We love each other." Om tells her.

"No... we came here thinking that you were going to give Svetlana a chance." Pinky tells him worriedly.

"Please don't even think of suggesting that I get back with Svetlana." Om tells her unable to hide his frown.

"We won't." Shakti tells him. "But we can't let you marry Gauri. Such things are not done."

"Why not?" Tej asks in a challenging tone.

"How are we going to answer everyone?" Shakti asks him.

"And if Gauri marries him, then people would think Gauri broke Svetlana's home or they would find out that Svetlana had an affair. We can't sacrifice one daughter's life for another." Pinky adds on.

"Doesn't Gauri have any right to be happy?" Om asks them.

"She has but not like this." Shakti answers.

Deciding that they should know the truth, Jhanvi says gently, "Shakti, Pinky... since we live alone, Om calls me every night without fail to check on us."

"He would talk to us for 10-15 mins but on the weekend, he calls and asks us about our health and quickly hangs up."

Shakti and Pinky frowns not understanding what she was trying to say.

"I always suspected that he wasn't alone that time."

Pinky gasps as she turned to stare at Gauri while Gauri quickly grips Om's hand in fear.

"And you let it go on? You didn't think it important to inform us?" Shakti asks her angrily.

"Yes, I let it go on." Jhanvi informs him calmly.

"Why?"

Jhanvi turns to look at Om and sees him watching her in shock. "Because like everyone else, my son has a right to be happy."

Om smiles lovingly at his mother.

"The girl we found for him, gave him only pain. So, we decided to trust the girl that he chose for himself." Tej says as he looked at Gauri with love.

Gauri couldn't help the tears that fell down her face.

"I thought you would never accept me." Gauri tells them crying softly.

Jhanvi gets up and walks towards her and cups her face lovingly, "The last time we saw our son, he was depressed, he had lost confidence in himself and we were worried for him. and now, he looks so happy, confident and bold, and it is because of you only. How can we not accept you?"

Gauri smiles at her hearing her.

"And, knowing what we know, how can we ever punish you for your sister's crime?"

Gauri hugs her happily as she continued to cry.

"Thank you, Ma." Om tells her with happy tears.

Jhanvi smiles at him as she hugged Gauri.

Gauri walks to Shakti and kneels in front of him.

"Papa?"

"I expected these kinds of things from Svetlana but never from you, Gauri." Shakti tells her sadly.

"I know that I broke your trust and disappointed you. I knew what I was doing was wrong but what I felt for him, I didn't think it was ever wrong. What I felt for him, it wasn't in my control. I love him Papa and he loves me."

"We know Papa that it would be very humiliating for our family to get us married. You would have to answer everyone, people are going to say and make up different kinds of stories. So, we know, you can't give us a wedding. We just want to get married. A court marriage. All we want is your blessing."

Shakti looks at her and asks her, "You can't live without him, can you?"

"No."

Shakti nods. "I am sorry that I can't invite people and give you a wedding like the one I gave your sister."

"I don't want all that. If I get to spend the rest of my life with the man I love with all your blessings, then I don't want anything more from life."

Shakti smiles hearing that.

"Ma?" Gauri turns to her.

Pinky nods with a smile.

"So? You all decided?" Svetlana asks furiously.

"Don't create a scene, Svetlana." Shakti warns her.

"As usual, your darling daughter, ruined everything for me."

"You ruined everything yourself." Om tells her furiously.

Svetlana scoffs and turns to Gauri and asks, "So that is why you told him about Kaali and me. So you could steal him."

"What?" Gauri asks frowning.

"Oh! Don't act so innocent. You were always after him, weren't you?"

"What are you saying?" Om asks her frowning.

"She always knew about Kaali and me."

Gauri gasps in shock. "What nonsense?"

"You were the one who gave me the idea to say that I am with you when I went to meet Kaali."

"Why are you lying?" Gauri asks in shock and turns to look at Om and sees him frowning at Svetlana.

"Omkara, she is lying. I didn't know."

"Of course, you didn't know, Gauri." Om says irately. "Did you forget she called you an idiot right here in this room because you never knew about Kaali and her?"

"I was just trying to protect her as she had made me promise that I should never tell anyone that she was helping me specially our parents."

Om closes his eyes in irritation. "Shut it, Svetlana. I will never believe you over Gauri. I will never doubt Gauri because I know her. and Gauri never lies."

"I am not lying. She is the reason that we are divorced."

"I told you not to call her here." Om turns to Gauri in anger. "I told you she was going to do something like this. She can never see anyone happy. But you were stubborn as you wanted everything out in the open"

"I am sorry." Gauri says regretfully to Om then turning to her sister, she says "Get out, di. You will never be a part of our life ever."

"You heard what my wife said. Now get out of our house." Om tells her.

A year later, Om watched as Gauri walked barefoot in the paddy field of Bareilly as he sat on the ground leaning over a big tree. The first time she had seen this place, she had fell in love with it, the various plants, trees, it had fascinated Gauri. She called it a Botanist's heaven. It was for her that he had left his job in the city and shifted permanently to Bareilly last month and joined his father's farming business. He was even building a school which would start functioning from the next academic year, right now, it had license only for elementary school, but as time goes by, he would expand his school. He was starting to like the life in this village, and now his parents were also with him, life felt complete. Seeing a mosquito flying by, Om quickly waves it away.

"Gauri... it's getting dark. Let's go." Om calls out to her as he pulled the blanket securely around his daughter who was sleeping in his arms. He had asked Gauri what she wanted as a wedding gift and she had replied, "I want your baby." And soon after their wedding, Mishka Singh Oberoi was conceived.

Gauri turns to smile at him and walks back to him.

"Give, I'll take her." Gauri tells him.

"I'll hold her. you wear your shoes. We'll leave quickly. I saw mosquito."

"Oh." Gauri quickly picks her sandals and wears them while Om stood up.

"Are you sure you will hold her?" Gauri asks since he had been holding Mishka for a while.

"Yes, I like to have my girls in my arms." Om tells her as he pulled her towards him with one hand while he held his daughter with the other securely.

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- Lazy