Hello everyone...

How are you all?

Thanks to all for voting and commenting on the previous story.

Previous Story : One Night... (20 – Sep – 2021)

Haven't proofread it.

Finally, I finished the story I have been working on for two weeks now. Don't know, I just couldn't bring myself to write it. maybe I am still hung over the Omkara and Gauri from One Night... or maybe this story is too dull.

I am here with an insensitive/immature hero and all forgiving and a weak heroine. So, please enter at your own risk 😊

"You asked for time and we gave you time. 6 months, Om and now, you are saying you don't want to marry her?" Jhanvi asks him furiously.

"I don't want to marry Ridhima!" Omkara tells her in exasperation.

"Why? Give us one reason!" Tej asks him.

"Because I don't feel anything for her!"

"How many times do we have to explain to you that arranged marriages are like that? you fall in love after marriage!" Jhanvi tells him exasperated.

"I don't think I can ever fall in love with her! I don't find her interesting!"

"Keep quiet! They will hear you!" Tej furiously whispers to him.

"Let them hear! Do you think bringing me here to force me to get engaged to her would make me accept this marriage?" Omkara asks them furiously.

"We are business partners. We are friends. We know each other. This is the best proposal, Om." Jhanvi tells him in an appeasing tone.

"I don't want to marry her."

"Stop being so immature!" Tej tells him angrily.

"You stop being so overbearing!" Omkara tells him angrily.

"Om..." Jhanvi calls him in a calming tone. "Ridhima is perfect for you and our family. Why are you being stubborn?"

"I don't care for her, Mom!"

"Why?" Tej asks him angrily.

Hearing a knock at the door, they all stop.

"Come in!" Omkara calls out to get a break from the situation.

Gauri opens the door and walks in. "Madam is calling you all for lunch." Gauri politely informs them.

"We'll come now." Jhanvi tells her.

Gauri nods and turns to leave.

"Wait!" Omkara says as he looked at Gauri.

He has been seeing Gauri for almost a year now. she was the Kapoor's servant. Always keeping to her work and eager to serve. A little stuck up and no-nonsense attitude. And to top it all off, she was a beautiful girl. She was the perfect and convincing dummy. Someone who is unacceptable and living in Ridhima's house that his parents would drag him out of the house in seconds in fear of causing a scandal.

"What is it?" Tej asks him frowning while Gauri turns to look at Omkara curiously.

"I like Gauri." Omkara declares as he looked into Gauri's eyes.

"What?" Jhanvi asks in shock.

"What do you mean?" Tej asks him in a furious whisper.

"I like you, Gauri." Omkara tells her.

"Ermm..." Gauri looks at Tej and Jhanvi in confusion then looking at Omkara, she tells him, "Thank you for the offer, sir. But I can't accept your job. I owe this family a lot. Please forgive me."

"What?" Omkara asks feeling lost for a second.

"I can ask other servants if they are interested in taking the job in your household." Gauri politely tells him.

"It's okay. no need for that." Jhanvi quickly says.

"You just forget this happened." Tej tells her.

Gauri nods and turns to leave.

"I didn't offer you a job." Omkara tells her.

"Then?" Gauri asks confused.

"Stop it, Om!" Jhanvi warns him.

"Enough of this nonsense." Tej furiously whispers to him.

"I want to marry you, Gauri." Omkara tells her.

"What?" Gauri asks in shock, her heart skipping a beat.

"Stop it, Om!"

"I mean it, Gauri. I love you." Omkara tells her and walks out of the room.

Gauri turns to watch him leave then she turns to look at his parents in shock, not knowing what was happening.

"Don't keep any false hope!" Tej warns her.

"Om is just blabbering things." Jhanvi tells her.

Gauri nods still in shock and worriedly.

"Don't breathe a word of this to anyone." Tej tells her.

Gauri nods in yes.

"And stay away from my son." Tej tells her and walks off with Jhanvi.

Gauri stood rooted to the ground, not understanding what had happened.

Omkara happily walks into his room, and starts to pack his bag as now, his parents wouldn't let him stay in this house, where his supposed unacceptable "love" was staying, Omkara thought with a chuckle. Forget staying, his parents won't even force him to come here for visitation.

"What was that?" Tej asks him furiously as he walked into the room.

"You asked for a reason and the reason is I love Gauri." Omkara tells him.

"She is a servant!" Tej reminds him.

"But I love her."

"Why are you packing, Om?" Jhanvi asks him suspiciously.

"I told you why I don't want to marry Ridhima. So, now we can leave, right?" Omkara asks confused.

"You are marrying Ridhima." Tej tells him.

"I'm marrying Gauri." Omkara replies.

"Stop it! not another word! We'll never agree to it!" Tej tells him.

"All I need is Gauri's permission." Omkara tells him.

"I'm going to tell Shakti to fire that girl." Tej declares.

"What?" Omkara asks in shock, he didn't consider that his parents would get Gauri fired because he was supposedly in love with her.

"And what reason are you going to give?" Jhanvi asks him in shock. "You can't tell him Om is in love with their servant. If we tell him then he would decide not to let Ridhima marry Om."

Interesting! Omkara thought hearing that.

Tej furiously sighs. "Don't create any issue, Om." Tej tells him. "Just forget that girl. Concentrate on Ridhima, she is your future!"

*********

Gauri was still reeling from the shock of the sudden declaration. She couldn't make head and tail of this. He was getting engaged to Ridhima, their marriage has been fixed for months and he has been coming to this house all this while to meet Ridhima. Then where did she come in between from?

Omkara was heading to his bedroom after his meal when he notices Gauri coming from the opposite side. Gauri was someone he had always noticed. She was unbelievably beautiful for one and that she had an aura of touch-me-not around her. no one has ever ignored him like Gauri did, it is not that she had ignored him, she was more focused on her work that she didn't give him a second glance, and that had made him take notice of her. his parents used to force him to come here to meet Ridhima and the only entertainment he had was watching Gauri go about her work because she was such an eye candy.

Hearing footsteps, Gauri curiously looks up and sees Omkara coming from the opposite side and his gaze on her. she quickly looks down in panic and hurries off. Omkara was amused seeing so many expressions on her face at once for the first time, as she hurried by him, he couldn't help but chuckle and that had made her run making him laugh.

*********

Gauri stayed away from Omkara for the rest of the day while Omkara had silently enjoyed the turmoil his parents were going through because of his lie.

Omkara was walking to his room at night to sleep when he hears a sound near the pool area, curious, he looks out and sees Gauri sitting by the pool. Curious about what she was doing so late at night, he goes to check.

He sees that she was talking on the phone and hesitates wondering whether he should go back in or not.

"Hello Ma... how are you?.... no, I simply called... just to talk to you... oh... oh okay then you sleep, I'll call some other day... good night Ma." Gauri says and hangs up the phone with a sad sigh.

"What are you doing here?" Omkara asks her.

Gauri gasps in shock and turns to him, hearing him.

"It's me - Omkara." Omkara tells her seeing her panicking.

Gauri quickly stands up to run to her room.

"Where are you going?" Omkara asks her seeing her all set to bolt.

"Your parents told me to stay away from you." Gauri informs him.

Omkara chuckles hearing that. "They will say all that. you just ignore."

"I've to go." Gauri tells him and starts to walk off. then stopping, she turns to him and asks him, "Why did you say that?"

Hearing the question, Omkara was about to tell her the truth when his eyes catches a movement and he curiously looks and sees Ajay watching them curiously. Ajay was the nephew of Shakti Uncle and if he sees them at night together then he would definitely inform Shakti Uncle about it and that might get him to call off the wedding.

"Because I love you, Gauri." Omkara lies with a smile.

"Your marriage is fixed with Ridhima Madam." Gauri reminds him with a frown.

"It is not fixed. Our families thought it would be a good idea to get us married. I asked our families for time to take a decision and I realize that we are not suited. But my parents are not ready to accept it." Omkara tells her.

"You should tell Ridhima Madam this then." Gauri tells him. "You all are here to fix an engagement date."

"She also thinks that after marriage everything will be fine." Omkara tells her.

Gauri had nothing more to say. So, she turns to walk off when she notices Ajay watching them. she nervously turns to Omkara and asks him, "Can you walk with me to the servants' quarters?"

Omkara was surprised at the request but he nods. "Sure."

"Thank you." Gauri says and she starts to walk to the servants' quarters with Omkara tagging behind her.

They silently walked towards the servants' quarters. Gauri gets into her room and turns around to face Omkara at the door. "Thank you." Gauri tells him.

Gauri was about to close the door when Omkara gently calls her name.

"Yes?"

Grinning, Omkara leans to the door. "Ghosts aren't real."

"What?" Gauri asks confused.

"Or are you scared of the dark?" Omkara asks her teasingly.

Seeing the impish way, he was smiling at her, Gauri couldn't help smile. She closes the door without replying.

Omkara was struck seeing her smile. It was the first time he was seeing her smile and it was the most beautiful smile.

Gauri turns around to go to her bed when she notices Vasundhara watching her.

"What was that, Gauri?" Vasundhara asks her with a frown.

"Nothing." Gauri says quickly shaking her head.

Vasundhara walks to her and warns her. "We are servants here. We should never forget our place."

Gauri nods.

Vasundhara keeps her hand on her shoulder and gently tells her. "I'm not blaming you, Gauri. Your age is that. It is easy to get lost in this age. But remember that these boys from rich family, all they want is just one thing from us servants. They will make promises and all, but remember they will never make you a part of their life. after they have their fun, they will go away. and it is us, who will have to pay the price for it. never forget your place, Gauri. you're just a servant."

"I won't." Gauri promises.

Vasundhara nods. "Go sleep then."

Gauri nods and walks to her bed. She lies on her bed as she tried to sleep, as she kept reminding herself not to forget her place and not to think of the handsome man who had fearlessly declared that he was in love with her to his parents.

Omkara falls on his bed ready to sleep. hearing a message alert, he checks his phone and sees that Ridhima had sent him a good night message. Disinterestedly he throws the phone on bed without replying.

He didn't want to think of Ridhima or his parents pressurizing him for marriage. he didn't want to spoil his sleep. sighing, he closes his eyes as he turned to lie on his side, hugging a pillow. As he was drifting off to sleep, his mind was filled with Gauri's smiling face, and he sleeps off with a smile on his face.

*********

"Good morning, Omkara." Ridhima says seeing him walk into the living room.

Omkara stops and sees Ridhima sitting with his parents and her parents. Omkara nods in reply, making his parents glare at him for not vocally replying. Seeing that, Omkara stretches his hand wide and arches back, yawning. "Where is Gauri? I want tea."

Tej and Jhanvi furiously glares at him hearing that.

"Hey you! get tea for Omkara." Ridhima instructs one of the servants.

"Ask Gauri to make. The last time, she made tea for me, it was nice." Omkara calls out to him.

"yes, sir."

"Come and sit here, Om." Tej tells him angrily.

Omkara happily walks to the couch and sits next to him. Omkara sat silently as everyone talked about random things. when Ridhima had tried to talk to him, he had acted busy with his phone, ignoring his father's poking and mother's subtle coughing. Few minutes later, a servant brings him tea.

Omkara takes a sip and sighs dramatically. "Amazing tea. Gauri makes the best tea. Shakti Uncle, please give her to me."

Tej turns white in shock while Jhanvi furiously pinches Omkara slyly.

Shakti chuckles. "We all are coffee people, so we never had her tea. Is it that amazing?"

"Oh yes." Omkara lies, he wasn't even sure whether Gauri made that tea.

"If you like her tea so much, when Ridhima comes there, we will send Gauri as dahej." Pinky jokes.

Omkara turns to his mother and asks excitedly. "Gauri as my dahej?" then sadly pouting he says. "But I want her as my bride."

"Will you shut up?" Jhanvi asks him in a furious whisper.

"She is a girl, she is not a thing that you send her off as a dahej." Tej says with a frown hearing the unpleasant joke.

"I didn't mean it like that, Tej bhaisaab." Pinky quickly says contrite. "It was just a joke."

"It's okay, Aunty." Omkara tells her. then turning to his father, he whispers, "Dahej or whatever, how does it matter how she comes? All that matters is that she comes to me."

"Will you shut up?" Tej asks him in a furious whisper.

"Do you even like her? why are you speaking so lowly about her?" Jhanvi asks him with a frown.

"Oh I love her." Omkara quickly replies. "And I am so glad to see that you both are already caring for your bahu."

"Shut up!" Tej whispers at his wits end. Then turning to Shakti he says, "Actually, Shakti... something has come up and we need to leave today itself."

"But you were planning to stay here for three days and finalize the engagement dates and all the other details, right?" Shakti asks shocked.

"I already told Ridhima what I think of all this." Omkara informs Shakti with a frown.

"Stop it, Om." Jhanvi whispers to him.

"It is all going to be fine, Omkara. trust me." Ridhima tells him with a reassuring smile.

Omkara furiously sighs.

"We'll decide it some other time. if this wasn't important then we wouldn't have gone."

Omkara quickly looks down to hide his smile. Finally, his trick had worked.

"Then let Omkara stay here." Ridhima says.

Omkara quickly turns to Tej faking excitement. "I'll stay, anyway, I've to convince Gauri to marry me."

"No... no..." Tej tells Ridhima quickly. "Om is needed for this work."

"Oh." Ridhima says disappointed.

"Oh." Omkara also says disappointed as he made puppy faces at Jhanvi.

*********

Omkara was walking with his bag when he notices Gauri walking to the kitchen.

"hey!"

Gauri turns to look and seeing him, she starts to run off.

"You don't have to run." Omkara laughs seeing her taking his parents orders so seriously. "I'm leaving."

Gauri stops hearing him and turns to look at him in shock.

"Bye. See ya." Omkara says.

Gauri nods and watches him walk off.

*********

Two weeks later

Omkara was fuming as he drove to the village to Shakti Uncle's ancestral home with Ridhima. Their parents had decided a month long vacation there and all the engagement and wedding details were going to be finalized then.

"Why don't you understand Ridhima, that I don't want to marry you?" Omkara asks her irately.

"Omkara, why you don't understand that we are perfect for each other?" Ridhima asks him.

"We are not! We have nothing in common. The only topic that we can have a conversation on is that me telling you to stop this engagement and you wanting it to happen. The one topic we can talk on and that also we can't agree on it."

"I love you, Omkara."

"Ridhima, if my father didn't threaten to disown me, then I wouldn't even be here right now!"

"Everything is going to be fine after marriage, Omkara. you just wait and see."

Omkara furiously hits on the steering wheel and he drives on without saying anything.

*********

"Welcome to our home." Shakti says happily as he invited Omkara and his parents in.

"This is amazing." Tej says seeing the house.

"I grew up here." Shakti informs him as he gestured them to sit.

Everyone sits and Omkara looks at a place to sit, noticing the only place to sit was the one next to Ridhima, he walks to the couch his parents were sitting and squeezes himself in between them.

Jhanvi and Tej irately looks at him.

"Let's have some refreshments first." Pinky says.

Omkara curiously looks up and sees Gauri walking in behind her carrying a tray filled with drinks. His face breaks out into a big smile on unexpectedly seeing Gauri. he hears his mother's soft gasp

Cheekily, he leans towards him mother and asks in a whisper. "Mom, can you see Gauri? or am I imagining her?"

Jhanvi turns to gape at him.

Then leaning towards Tej, he asks in an excited whisper. "Dad, pinch me. I think I am daydreaming of Gauri."

"What?" Tej asks with a frown.

Omkara excitedly points at Gauri. Tej turns to look at what he was pointing and stops in shock seeing Gauri walks towards them.

Gauri comes to them and offers the drink. Jhanvi quickly takes it. Omkara takes the juice and looks at Gauri. Gauri at the same time, raises her eyes to look at him, her gaze filled with nervousness.

"Hi Gauri." Omkara whispers with a smile. "Doesn't this feel like that bride seeing ritual... what do you call it, Mom?"

"Will you shut it?" Jhanvi quickly whispers.

Panicking, Gauri quickly moves to Tej with the drinks.

"How come Gauri is here?" Jhanvi asks still reeling from her shock.

"We had sent some of the servants to clean up the house and we needed servants here to cook and do all the work." Pinky explains. Then smiling at Omkara, she says, "Since, Omkara likes Gauri's tea we thought we would bring her also."

"Awww... you all brought Gauri for me?" Omkara asks excitedly smiling.

Gauri looks at him in shock while Tej and Jhanvi pinches Omkara.

"Anything for you, Omkara." Shakti says with a smile.

"I didn't like her tea. It wasn't that special." Ridhima says with a frown.

"It all depends on one's taste, Ridhima. For me, Gauri's tea is the best in the world." Omkara tellls her.

Gauri gapes at Omkara in shock while Tej quickly changed the topic. Seeing Ridhima glaring at her, Gauri quickly hurries to the kitchen.

*********

Gauri was sweeping the floor when Omkara walks into the room. seeing him, Gauri quickly grabs the broom, mop and bucket to leave the room.

"You don't have to run away whenever you see me." Omkara tells her.

"I've to." Gauri replies as she started leaving.

"My parents will say all that. you just be comfortable and do whatever you want." Omkara tells her feeling a little guilty for causing her trouble.

"I've work to do." Gauri tells him and starts to leave.

"You do your work. I'll go." Omkara tells her.

"It's okay, I'll do this later." Gauri tells him.

"No... no... you do your work. I'll go." Omkara tells her and starts to walk off. then he stops and turns to her and tells her. "I'm glad you are here, Gauri. I was dreading the stay here. With you, I will at least have some company."

Gauri's eyes widen in shock hearing that.

"See you later." Omkara tells her.

"You should see Ridhima Madam, not me." Gauri tells him softly.

"Please Gauri, not you too." Omkara says tired.

"You are here to fix your marriage with her." Gauri reminds him.

"I don't want to marry her and I have told her and my parents that. it is not my fault that they are being stubborn about it."

Gauri didn't know what more she could say. So, she just gets back to work. Omkara watches in amusement to have her dismiss him and ignore him yet again.

*********

The next few days, went uneventful though, Omkara and Gauri did meet and while Omkara tried to chat with her, Gauri would run away.

One night, Omkara was walking around when he notices, Gauri sitting in the living room and speaking on the phone.

"Hello, Ma... how are you?... oh you watch TV, I'll call you later." Gauri says with a sad sigh and hangs up the phone. She hugs her legs and rests her head on her knees.

"Why do you call your mother so late at night?" Omkara asks her curiously.

Hearing him, Gauri jumps in shock.

"You okay?" Omkara asks her in concern seeing her getting scared. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"I'm fine." Gauri replies.

"Are you ok ay, Gauri? you look upset." Omkara asks her in concern as he kneels in front of her.

"You should go sleep. it is late." Gauri tells him as she stood up to leave.

"What happened?" Omkara asks with a frown seeing the mark on her hand. He gently holds her hand and looks at her hand. There was an imprint of someone's fingers on her wrist.

Gauri quickly pulls her hand back.

"Gauri, is someone misbehaving with you here?" Omkara asks her frowning in anger.

Gauri gulps hearing his question.

"Gauri, who was it?" Omkara asks her getting angry at the thought that she was being hurt like this.

"The lock on kitchen door isn't working." Gauri tells him softly as she looked down.

"So?" Omkara asks confused. Then he asks her in confusion. "You sleep in the kitchen?"

"This is an old house, they don't have servants' quarters." Gauri tells him nervously.

Omkara sighs hearing that. "You come and sleep in my room then."

"What?" Gauri asks in shock as she stepped back.

"Have I ever misbehaved with you?" Omkara asks her offended.

Gauri shakes her head in negative.

"You'll be safe in my room." Omkara promises her.

"It won't be proper. I'll sit here. Madam's and Sir's room and your parents' room are close by. They'll hear me if..." Gauri tells him.

"Who the hell is he, Gauri?" Omkara asks her furiously.

Gauri shakes her head in negative as she looked down. "You please go sleep."

"You come and sleep in my room."

"No." Gauri replies seeing that he was going to argue, she says, "It's not that I don't trust you. if Ridhima Madam or anyone finds out we stayed in one room then it could create problems for you and me."

Realizing she was going to be stubborn about it. he tells her. "You go sleep in my room. I'll sleep somewhere else."

"No... no..."

"Don't make me drag you to the room, Gauri." Omkara warns her.

"Where will you sleep? there are no free bedrooms too."

"That I'll manage. Don't worry about me." Omkara tells her. "Go sleep in my room."

Seeing Gauri about to reject again, he says, "Otherwise I am going to sit guard for you here or kitchen or wherever you are."

"It's okay. I'll go." Gauri tells him and turns to go. Then remembering the long walk to the room, she hesitates worriedly.

"I'll come with you." Omkara tells her.

They start walking to his bedroom. "Why aren't you telling me his name?"

Gauri shakes her head and keep walking.

Omkara opens his bedroom door for her. Gauri gets in and turns to look at him.

"Lock the door and sleep peacefully."

"Thank you." Gauri whispers, her eyes filling up feeling grateful.

"Good night." Omkara tells her and closes the door for her.

Gauri locks the door and leans on the door. feeling safe and secure after a long time. her eyes filling up with tears at this gesture of his. No one had ever shown this kind of care for her, ever.

Early morning, Gauri before anyone could wake up, hurries out of Omkara's room so that no one would see her there. she was hurrying to the kitchen when she passes through the living room and stops in shock seeing Omkara sleeping on the couch.

Seeing him sleep so uncomfortably on the couch, her eyes fill up. What good deed did she do in her life that a man like him fell in love with her? and what crime did she commit that she could never accept his love because she is only a maid.

*********

"Mom..." Omkara walks to his parents' room.

"Hmmm?" Jhanvi looks up at him curiously.

"I need to tell you something." Omkara tells her as he sat next to her.

"What happened?" Jhanvi asks him in concern seeing him so serious.

"Last night, I found Gauri sitting in the living room." Omkara tells her everything.

"Who was it?" Jhanvi asks in shock.

"I don't know. She wouldn't tell me. I've no idea who it is and why she wouldn't tell me."

"There are so many male servants here. It could be anyone." Jhanvi says thoughtfully.

"Just help her, Mom." Omkara requests her.

Jhanvi thoughtfully looks at him.

*********

Gauri was cooking when Jhanvi walks to her.

"Gauri..." Jhanvi gently calls her.

"Yes, Madam." Gauri quickly turns to her.

"Om told me what happened last night." Jhanvi tells her gently.

Gauri quickly looks away worriedly.

"Who was it, Gauri?" Jhanvi asks her softly.

Gauri shakes her head in negative.

Even after Jhanvi asked her again and again when Gauri remained silent, Jhanvi gives up.

"I'll talk to Pinky." Jhanvi says with a sigh.

"Please don't tell her." Gauri quickly tells her.

"Why?" Jhanvi asks her shocked.

"I don't want to cause any trouble."

"But Gauri..."

"Please Madam?" Gauri pleads her. "Ma wants me to stay here."

"Fine." Jhanvi says giving up.

*********

"Om..." Jhanvi gently caresses a sleeping Omkara's hair.

"Hmmm?" Omkara sleepily turns on the bed as he stretched.

"What happened? Why are you sleeping now?"

"I couldn't sleep last night." Omkara says stretching and yawning.

"Hmmm." Jhanvi says softly. "I spoke to Gauri."

"Did she say who it was?" Omkara asks coming awake completely.

"No." Jhanvi replies.

Omkara sighs.

"I spoke to Pinky. I didn't tell her what happened last night. I told her Gauri is a young girl and there are male servants here and it is better that Gauri is given a room. I even suggested that she let Gauri sleep in Ridhima's room."

"Ridhima won't agree." Omkara says shaking his head.

Jhanvi sighs. "There is an old store room that they don't use anymore. Gauri would sleep there from now on."

"Store room, Mom? she is not a thing, Mom." Omkara tells her in shock.

"This is not our house, Om. there is a limit to we can interfere." Jhanvi tells her.

"Maybe we should give her a job, Mom." Omkara tells her in concern.

"I'll ask my friends, Om." Jhanvi tells him then she tells him in finality. "She can never come to our house, Om. we'll never accept her as our bahu."

"Mom..." Omkara gently starts.

"There is no compatibility between us and her. not family wise. Not education wise. Not status and class wise. Just because I tried to help her on humanitarian grounds doesn't mean I accept her as your life partner." Jhanvi tells him.

Not wanting to cause any problem for Gauri after what she is already going through, Omkara tells her. "I lied, Mom. I don't love her."

"What?" Jhanvi asks in shock frowning at him.

"I wanted to leave their house and I knew how Gauri is unacceptable. So, I just lied that I love Gauri so you would let me go from Ridhima's house."

"Om, you told her you love her. what if she believes it?" Jhanvi asks him in shock.

Omkara chuckles. "Gauri is too focused. She always ignores me. she doesn't care for me, Mom. now, not even a little. If I try to talk to her, she runs away."

"If you don't love her then why are you trying to talk to her?" Jhanvi asks confused.

"Who else would I talk to here? Ajay? That guy is so weird. Then you all oldies?" Omkara asks shrugging.

"Ridhima." Jhanvi reminds him.

"Please, Mom. why don't you understand? I don't want to marry her."

"Why don't you give her a chance?"

"I did, Mom. for 6 months. I can't stand her. I can't think of spending my life with her."

"She is nice girl."

"She is not, Mom!" Omkara tells her frowning. "Have you seen the way she treats Gauri?"

"You show so much attention on Gauri, she is bound to feel offended."

"If I show attention on Gauri then it is my mistake. Not Gauri's. and even before I started talking to Gauri, Ridhima was rude to her. she is rude to all the servants here. When I was small, if I ever behaved rudely to anyone, you would scold me. Ridhima is rude to everyone other than us and you don't think it is wrong?" Omkara asks her.

Jhanvi thoughtfully looks at him.

"I'll not be happy with her, Mom. I feel suffocated near her." Omkara tells her.

"Okay... I'll talk to Tej. You please be patient. He really wants you to marry Ridhima. It will take time... but you be patient."

Omkara nods.

*******

"Thank you."

Omkara stops in midstride and turns to look.

"Thank you. Pinky Madam told me to sleep in the store room." Gauri tells him with a relieved smile.

"Who was it, Gauri?" Omkara asks her.

"I don't want any issues." Gauri tells him shaking her head.

Omkara sighs. "If you have any problems tell me, okay?"

"Thank you." Gauri tells him and walks off.

*******

Omkara takes a sip of his tea and grimaces. He keeps it to the side.

"What happened, Omkara?" Pinky asks seeing him do that.

"Nothing, Pinky Aunty. Tea taste weird." Omkara tells her.

"Gauri's tea is no longer perfect?" Ridhima asks with a smirk.

"One can't always cook a perfect meal all the time." Omkara replies to her.

"If it is not perfect then she shouldn't be sending it to the table. Her job is to make perfect food." Ridhima replies to him.

Omkara furiously sighs as he looked at his mother. Jhanvi awkwardly looks at him.

"I'll have fresh tea made for you." Pinky tells him.

"It's okay, Aunty. I'll have this. Don't trouble Gauri." Omkara tells her.

"Trouble? That is her job!" Ridhima tells him frowning. Then turning to one of the servant, she says. "You! Tell Gauri to make another tea."

Omkara was about to refuse when the servant interrupts.

"Gauri isn't here. Madam send her to the market. I made the tea." He tells her hesitantly.

"Oh! I forgot. She isn't back yet?" Pinky asks realizing.

Omkara couldn't help grin hearing that. "So, Gauri didn't make it... huh?"

Ridhima frowns furiously and turns to the servant. "Go make another one. It better be perfect this time."

"I said it is okay. I'll have this." Omkara tells her.

"No need!" Ridhima says furiously. "There are other people here who can make tea better than that Gauri!"

Omkara furiously turns to glare at his mother and sees her worriedly looking at his father. Thank God, finally they were starting to see what he was telling them.

The servant takes the cup and goes back inside.

Omkara ignoring everyone got busy on his mobile as he didn't want to talk to anyone, right now.

"Sir..." the servant offers him the tea.

"Thank you." Omkara says with a smile feeling a little guilty and sorry for the man for the fuss that had happened.

Omkara takes a sip and says with a smile. "This is perfect. Thank you."

Ridhima scoffs loudly. "Told you others can also make perfect tea."

"It is not rocket science, Ridhima." Omkara replies fed up.

"From now on, you make tea for Omkara." Ridhima orders the servant.

He looks at Ridhima a little worriedly and tells her. "I didn't make this. Gauri did."

Omkara's eyes widen in shock. His heart started slamming against his chest. He had lied about Gauri making the perfect tea but had he unconsciously taken a preference to the tea that Gauri made?

Omkara was too busy lost in his thoughts that he forgot to even gloat over Ridhima's obvious shock and fury.

*******

"How is your tea different from his?" Omkara asks her curiously.

"What?" Gauri asks confused.

"The tea you make and the one he made tasted different." Omkara explains.

"Ah!" Gauri softly smiles realizing. "He makes strong tea. You like medium strong. That is why it tasted different."

"How did you know I like medium strong?" Omkara asks shocked.

"Once when you had asked me for tea, when I asked you how you liked it, you had said that you didn't want the tea to be too strong and not too light."

"And you remembered?" Omkara asks her not even remembering that incident. He had always liked the tea he drank at the Kapoor's and he had thought the household made good tea, didn't think it was Gauri who was always making it for him.

"It's our duty to remember what you all like." Gauri replies to him as she got back to cooking.

Omkara smiles seeing that he was again dismissed.

Grinning he walks out realizing that it was not that he had developed a preference to Gauri's tea, it was just that Gauri had always kept his preference in mind when she made tea for him.

Omkara couldn't help chuckle thinking that if his parents had still been thinking that he was in love with Gauri, they would have freaked out at this incident.

*******

Hearing a loud commotion, Omkara runs out of his bedroom to investigate. Following the sound, he ends up at the store room where Gauri had shifted to. Everyone was crowded in the small room.

"What happened?" Omkara asks confused.

Hearing him, his parents turns to look at him and when they moved, through the gap, he sees Gauri crying.

"Gauri? what happened?" Omkara asks in concern, his heart paining seeing her in tears.

Gauri helplessly looks at him as she cried.

Seeing him, Ridhima smirks at him. "Jhanvi Aunty's ring was missing. When we searched her things, we found it among her things. Gauri stole Jhanvi Aunty's ring."

Omkara turns to look at Gauri in shock.

Gauri looks at him and helplessly cries. "I didn't steal. I am not a thief."

"Then how was it among your things?" Ridhima asks her furiously.

"I didn't steal, Jhanvi Madam. I didn't even go to your room today." Gauri tells her as she cried.

Jhanvi helplessly looks at her not knowing what to believe.

"We should call the police. They will make her confess." Ridhima decides.

"What is the need for all that? I got the ring back. that is enough." Jhanvi tells her shocked.

"Fire her, Mom!" Ridhima tells Pinky.

"But I didn't steal." Gauri tells her crying.

"She has never taken anything without permission." Pinky says in confusion as she looked Gauri.

"Then how did the ring end up with her?" Ridhima asks furiously.

"That is what even I don't understand." Pinky says thoughtfully. "Maybe she couldn't resist the temptation seeing the ring."

"I say call the police." Ajay says.

"Please... I didn't steal." Gauri tells them.

"That you tell to the police." Ajay tells her and takes his mobile to call the police.

Seeing that Omkara says quickly, "Gauri didn't steal it. I gave it to her."

"What?" Ridhima asks in shock.

"You gave her my ring?" Jhanvi asks in shock.

"You said..." Tej furiously starts and then stops remembering all the people gathered there.

"Er... yesterday, I had forgot my wallet in the garden. Gauri found it and returned it to me. so, I gave her the ring as a reward for her honesty."

Gauri gapes at him in shock hearing his blatant lie.

"You gave her my ring as a reward?" Jhanvi asks him shocked.

"Whatever is yours is mine too. So, I gave it. I wanted to reward her for her honesty and I found the ring on your dressing table, so I gave it." Omkara says shrugging.

"Are you some king to reward a peasant with jewellery like that?" Ridhima asks him not believing it.

Omkara shrugs and says, "Makes me feel like an important and big person when I do such things."

"But why didn't she say that you gave it to her?" Ajay asks in uncontrollable fury.

"I'm sure she would have, if you and Ridhima had shut your mouth for a minute and given her a chance to explain." Omkara replies.

"Enough." Shakti says. "Let's not drag this on."

"Yes. It was a misunderstanding." Pinky says as she walked to Jhanvi and handed her the ring.

Jhanvi turns to Gauri, she tells her. "I'm sorry, Gauri. I didn't know Om gave it to you. it is his fault. He should have told me that. here, you can keep this."

"Please don't apologize. It is not your fault." Gauri quickly tells her still reeling from Omkara's lie. Seeing Jhanvi extending the ring to her, she says. "I don't want that."

"Om gave it to you. you keep it." Jhanvi tells her.

"No, please don't ask me to take it. I can't."

"Don't force her, Mom." Omkara tells her and leaves the room.

Jhanvi nods and one by one everyone leaves.

Ajay walks to Gauri and furiously whispers to her. "He is not going to be here to save you all the time. one day he will leave, and it will be you and me, again."

Gauri worriedly gulps hearing him and she quickly moves back.

"Where was this chastity and all when you went to his bedroom last night?" Ajay asks her furiously.

Gauri's eyes widen in shock hearing him.

"You think I didn't see you go with him to his bedroom?"

Gauri gulps realizing that Ajay saw Omkara take her to his room, but he didn't see that Omkara had immediately left and he assumed that she slept with Omkara last night.

"He is not like you." Gauri fiercely says, this slander on Omkara she couldn't take.

Ajay furiously grips her hand and pulls her close to him. "I can fuck you as good as him. actually, I can fuck you better."

Gauri pushes him away in disgust and runs out of the room.

*******

"Why did you lie?" Gauri asks Omkara in tears. "You didn't give me that ring then why did you lie for me?"

"Because my heart said you wouldn't steal." Omkara replies.

Hearing him, Gauri runs to him and hugs him as she broke into tears.

Omkara was shocked at the way she had hugged him. then he hugs her and gently tries to console her. "It's okay, Gauri. I know you are not a thief."

"I didn't steal it." Gauri tells him as she broke into loud sobs.

"I know... maybe Ridhima did that to take revenge for what happened earlier." Omkara guesses in suppressed fury.

"It is not her." Gauri tells him as she hugged him tight in fear.

"Then? Who was it?" Omkara asks frowning, getting angry at the humiliation that she had gone through.

"I don't want to stay here anymore. Ma won't let me leave. We owe them money, if I leave then we will have to give the money at once. Please take me from here. I don't want to stay here. If I stay here, he will rape me one day." Gauri tells him crying.

"Who is it, Gauri?" Omkara asks her furiously.

Gauri looks at him and looking to his eyes, she tells him. "Please take me from here. I want to be with you."

Omkara stops in shock hearing that. "what?"

Gauri lovingly cups his face and tells him. "I love you. I'll come with you anywhere. Please take me with you. please don't leave me."

Omkara's heart skips a beat hearing her. he stops breathing realizing what she had said.

"When your parents said that they won't accept me, I tried to stay away from you, I tried to forget that you love me... but now, I can't."

"Gauri..." Omkara whispers, his heart slamming against his chest. "I lied."

"What?" Gauri asks in confusion.

"I don't love you, Gauri." Omkara confesses raked with guilt.

Gauri steps back in shock, her eyes filling with fresh tears, her heart breaking into pieces.

"Our parents wanted us to get married. I asked them for time to take a decision. They gave me 6 months and after that I knew that I couldn't live with Ridhima. When I told him that, Dad said he would disown me if I didn't agree to marry Ridhima. I didn't want to marry her. they forced me to come and stay at her place to fix an engagement date. To leave from there, I lied that I love you. since you lived in that house, I knew they wouldn't let me stay there if they thought I loved you and you were a servant, how much ever nice they are, they are very class conscious, so I knew you were unacceptable to them."

Hearing his confession, Gauri stares at him in shock unable to handle this pain and rejection.

"I'm sorry, Gauri. you used to always ignore me. You never gave me a second look. You didn't care for me, so, I never thought you would fall in love with me. I didn't think you could love me." Omkara confesses his eyes filling up seeing her heartbroken expression. "I didn't think you could feel for me. all I thought about was to how to get the engagement called off. I thought you would be a perfect dummy to scare my parents."

Gauri closes her eyes tight, her heart breaking. Vasundhara's words ringing in her ears. They will never make you a part of their life. It is us, who will have to pay the price for it. Never forget your place, Gauri. you're just a servant.

"Please say something, Gauri." Omkara pleads seeing her silent.

Gauri opens her eyes and looks at him. Seeing the pain in her eyes, his heart breaks.

"No one has ever loved me." Gauri whispers. "When you said that you love me, I so desperately wanted to believe it that I forgot who you are and who I am... I forgot my place." Gauri says closing her eyes to stop herself from crying. "I'm sorry I forgot my place. I forgot that I am just a servant and you can never love me. I'm sorry. Please forgive me."

Hearing her apologize to him for his crimes, Omkara helplessly looks at her, too raked with guilt.

"I am sorry." Gauri whispers and turns around and runs out of the room.

"Gauri!" Omkara calls her.

But she ignores him and runs off. Omkara runs behind her. Gauri goes to the store room and closes the door ignoring him calling out to her. Omkara was about to knock on the door when he hears her wailing loudly from inside the room. hearing her heart wrenching cries, Omkara leans on the door. her each cry a stab to his heart. her pain, squeezing his heart and killing him. he falls on the floor as he helplessly listened to her cries.

********

Omkara spent a sleepless night, thinking about Gauri and the pain he caused her. next morning, the first thing, he looks for her. he finds her in the kitchen making breakfast.

"Gauri..." Omkara softly calls her.

Gauri stiffens hearing his voice. She hesitantly turns her head to his side without looking at his face.

"I'm really sorry for what I did, Gauri. I never thought... I didn't want to hurt you, Gauri. it wasn't my intention." Omkara tells her regretfully.

"You don't have to apologize. The mistake was mine." Gauri tells him softly.

"It was not. I shouldn't have..."

"If anyone sees you here then they are going to misunderstand." Gauri tells him.

"Gauri..." Omkara helplessly pleads.

"Please, sir." Gauri whispers. "I'm begging you. please don't cause any trouble for me."

Omkara sighs and leaves from there.

******

"Om..." Jhanvi gently calls him as she walked into his room with Tej.

Seeing them, he says tiredly. "Mom... Dad... I don't want to marry Ridhima. I'll never marry her."

"Actually... we came to tell you that only." Tej says a little embarrassed.

"What?" Omkara frowns in confusion.

"After seeing the way she is behaving, I realize that you were right." Tej guiltily says.

Omkara sighs in relief hearing that. "Thank you, Dad."

"We'll leave today itself. I'll speak to Shakti now." Tej tells him.

Omkara's heart skips a beat hearing that. he couldn't leave Gauri in this condition.

"No... don't talk to him now." Omkara quickly tells him.

"What?" Tej asks frowning.

"I just need some time." Omkara says.

"For what?" Jhanvi asks frowning in confusion.

"I'll tell you both later. I need some time. I've to stay here."

"For what?" Tej asks him suspiciously.

"I'll explain later." Omkara tells him and walks off, not wanting to tell them about Gauri right then.

******

The next day again Omkara tries to talk to Gauri. but Gauri avoids him and stayed away from him.

Dejectedly, Omkara was sitting with his parents, Shakti and Ridhima. his thoughts on Gauri. filled with regret and guilt for the pain Gauri was going through because of him.

"What happened to you?" Jhanvi asks him curiously.

Omkara shakes his head in negative as he looked away.

Pinky walks in as she hung up the phone. "It was Nayantara." Pinky informs Shakti. "She is telling not to send her."

"What drama is this?" Shakti mutters irately.

"What happened?" Jhanvi asks curiously. "Is everything alright?"

"That Gauri is acting out." Pinky says shaking her head irately.

Omkara frowns hearing that.

"Gauri? what happened?" Jhanvi asks confused.

"She is saying she wants to leave. After that small misunderstanding she is saying she wants to go home." Pinky says irately.

"Being called a thief is a small misunderstanding to you?" Tej asks her shocked.

"She was humiliated." Jhanvi reminds gently.

"Gauri wants to go home?" Omkara asks her shocked. His heart starts slamming against his chest, realizing that it wasn't the theft issue but him that had made Gauri take such a decision.

Ridhima laughs hearing that. "Oh she wants to go home. But her mother doesn't want her there."

"What?" Omkara asks frowning. "Why wouldn't Gauri's mother want her home?" he remembers Gauri mentioning that the day before also.

"She is stepmother. Not real mother." Shakti says in a dismissing tone.

"Oh. And she doesn't want Gauri home? What about her father?" Jhanvi asks feeling sorry for Gauri.

"He died when she was some 10 years old." Pinky tells them.

"Her mother died during child birth. Father was a drunkard. When she was 9 or 10, he married again but shortly after that he died. Since then she has been working as a maid."

"Gauri has been working as a maid since she was 10 years old?" Omkara ask shocked out of his wits and his heart bleeding for Gauri.

"Yeah!" Ridhima says with a mocking smile. "She has studied only till 5th standard. Bloody illiterate."

"It is not Gauri's fault that she isn't educated. It is her mother's fault." Omkara furiously tells her.

"Yeah, right! I'm sure she was dumb. Her sister is a nurse. If she was good, then she would also have been educated." Ridhima says in a bitchy tone.

"She has a sister?" Omkara asks confused. Gauri had said no one loved her.

"Step sister." Pinky replies.

Omkara turns to Ridhima and says, "So, Gauri's stepmother made her work as a maid so she could educate her own daughter and you are saying that Gauri is dumb? Are you so dumb to not realize that Gauri is a victim?"

Ridhima furiously glares at him. "She is a beggar! She begged my parents for money for her so called sister's wedding. And she promised to work off the debt and now she wants to leave without paying us back or work off the debt."

"How much does she owe you?" Omkara asks her furiously.

"What?" Ridhima asks frowning at him in anger.

"What are you doing, Om?" Jhanvi asks him in shock.

"How much does Gauri owe you all?" Omkara asks again.

"Calm down, Omkara. we were just talking. Why are you taking this all personally?" Shakti asks him shocked.

"Shakti Uncle, how much does Gauri owe you?" Omkara asks in calmer tone.

"Why do you care, Om?" Tej asks him in shock.

"Shakti Uncle?" Omkara pointedly looks at Shakti ignoring his father.

"About 175000." Shakti replies.

"Just 175000?" Omkara asks shocked.

"Just?" Ridhima asks him mockingly. "That is a huge amount for her. she has to work..."

"You are making her your slave for this amount?" Omkara asks furiously.

"Om, stop overreacting." Jhanvi tells him in shock.

Omkara takes his mobile and transfers the amount to Shakti's account. "There! I've transferred the amount. Gauri doesn't owe you anything! she is free to leave this job if she wants to."

Saying that Omkara furiously walks off.

"What nonsense is this, Tej?" Shakti asks furiously.

"Why is Omkara getting so concerned for a maid?" Pinky asks him angrily.

"Ajay warned me that Omkara is showing undue interest in that girl and was running behind her. but I didn't take it seriously because I thought he had more class than to run behind a maid." Shakti says angrily.

"Om considers Gauri a friend." Jhanvi explains to them.

"Friend? She is a bloody servant!" Ridhima says furiously offended.

Tej helplessly turns to Jhanvi and asks in a whisper. "Why is Om making us stay here? Why can't we leave?"

******

"Gauri..." Omkara walks to Gauri.

Gauri hesitantly looks at him and then quickly looks away.

Omkara sighs seeing the way that now she couldn't even look at him.

"Did you want something?" Gauri asks him softly.

"I've paid Shakti Uncle the money you owe them." Omkara tells her.

"Why?" Gauri asks him in shock as she frowned at him, looking at him.

"You were forced to stay here because of the money you owed them. now, you are free to decide whether you want to continue to work for them or not."

"Whether it is to them or you, a debt is still a debt."

"You don't have to pay me back." Omkara tells her shocked.

"Why?"

"Because I don't want it back."

"I can't take your money." Gauri tells him in finality.

"Why, Gauri? I know I hurt you but we were friends right?" Omkara asks her guiltily.

"No. you are malik and I am a servant. I'll pay you back the money as soon as I can." Gauri tells him and walks off.

******

"Om... what is happening?" Jhanvi asks him as she walked into his room.

Omkara sighs seeing her.

"Tej and I am no longer feeling comfortable in staying here. After what all happened the last few days, it feels like we don't even know them." Jhanvi tells him regretfully.

"I was always uncomfortable around them." Omkara tells her.

"Then let's go from here."

"I can't. not now." Omkara tells her guiltily.

"Why? What happened? Tell me." Jhanvi asks him.

Omkara helplessly looks away.

"Does it have anything to do with Gauri?" Jhanvi asks suspiciously. "She is leaving tomorrow."

"She is going?" Omkara asks her shocked. The thought that Gauri going away hurting him.

"You paid the debt. She told me that she will pay us back. as soon as she gets another job, she will start returning the money. I told her she doesn't have to but she insisted on returning it."

Omkara helplessly looks at her.

"What happened, Om?" Jhanvi asks him in concern.

Omkara looks at her and with tear filled eyes, he confesses. "Gauri loves me, Mom. I hurt her."

"What?" Jhanvi asks in a shocked whisper.

"I didn't think..." Omkara breaks down into tears as he told her what happened.

Jhanvi sighs furiously. "You were insensitive and immature."

"She trusted me. she loved me. she said no one ever loved her. she has been alone all her life and I broke her heart. I hurt her so much that now, she somehow wants to go away from here. Even when someone was molesting her, she had borne it all and stayed here. What I did... she decided to leave."

"Leave it, there isn't anything we can do now. I'll try to get her a job with one of my friends."

"Her mother doesn't care for her. what if whatever happened here, happens there too?" Omkara asks her worriedly. "We'll take her to our house."

"No." Jhanvi says sternly. "Om, after today we won't have anything to do with her. I told you she can never be a part of our life."

"What is wrong with her, Mom? it is not a crime to be poor or be a servant." Omkara asks her offended.

"Stop it, Om. you are already feeling guilty for what you did and she is in love with you. You should stay away from her." Jhanvi tells him.

******

Gauri was walking to the store room to pack her stuff when she feels someone hold her hand and pull her. Gauri yelps in shock.

Ajay quickly covers her mouth and Gauri starts pushing him in panic.

"So, you are leaving tomorrow?" Ajay asks her as he pushed her to the bed. "What about me? it is not fair that only he gets to have you even I want a piece of you."

******

Omkara stops in shock. "Did you hear Gauri shout?"

"No." Jhanvi replies confused as she looked around and tried to hear something out of ordinary.

"I heard." Omkara replies as he got up from the bed and ran out.

"Om... where are you going?" Jhanvi asks him as she ran behind him.

"Gauri is in trouble." Omkara says as he ran as fast as he could, his heart slamming against his chest, he saying fervent prayers in panic for Gauri's safety.

Omkara opens the store room door and finds it empty. Panicking, he turns around and runs through the corridor. "GAURI!" Omkara shouts scared out of his wits.

"She might be in kitchen." Jhanvi tells him.

"No... no... I heard her shout." Omkara tells in panic as he ran. "GAURI!"

He was passing by a closed room when he hears a whimper. He stops and tries to open the door and finds it locked.

"GAURI!" Omkara bangs on the door.

Hearing Omkara's voice, Ajay stops in shock. Gauri tries to push him off as she struggled to push his hand off her mouth so she could alert Omkara but Ajay tightens his grip.

"Shut your mouth." Ajay whispers to her as he moved on top off her to hold her still.

Then they hear a loud bang. Ajay and Gauri stop in shock hearing the sound then another loud bang and the door breaks open.

Omkara steps in and stops in shock seeing Ajay lying on top of Gauri.

Seeing Omkara Ajay panics, Omkara furiously runs to the bed and pulls Ajay off Gauri and throws him across the room. Ajay falls crashing to the wall.

Gauri scrams out of the bed, crying and scared.

Seeing her like that, Omkara's fury increased hundred fold and he runs to Ajay and starts bashing him up.

"Gauri, are you okay?" Jhanvi asks her in shocked whisper.

Gauri looks at Jhanvi and helplessly cries.

"What is happening here?" Shakti asks in shock as he came into the room with Tej, Pinky and Ridhima behind him.

"Om... what are you doing? Stop it." Tej tells him in shock as he ran to Omkara and pulled him off Ajay.

"I'll kill you, asshole!" Omkara screams in fury as he kicked him.

"Stop it! how dare you hit Ajay?" Shakti asks furiously as he pulled Ajay up and away from Omkara.

"What are you doing, Om?" Tej asks him in shock. "What did he do?"

"He is jealous!" Ajay says furiously.

"Jealous?" Omkara stops in shock hearing him.

"He and Gauri are having an affair. When I found out, Gauri tried to seduce me to make me keep quiet. He found us together in the room and started beating me." Ajay says angrily.

"Don't you dare fucking lie, you asshole!" Omkara furiously says. "Gauri is not characterless."

"Gauri is Omkara's mistress."

"He is lying!" Gauri shouts in anguish. "He was trying to rape me."

"I was trying to rape you?" Ajay asks in fake shock. "You, who have been sleeping with him, in his own fiancé's house?"

"There is nothing between Omkara Sir and me!"

"My son is not like that!" Tej furiously defends Omkara.

"Do you want proof?" Ajay asks him. "I saw him take her to his room."

"He was keeping me safe from you!" Gauri argues.

"Safe from him?" Pinky asks furiously. "How dare you call him a rapist?"

"Because he is one!"

"You are in my room! you came here." Ajay reminds her.

"You dragged me here."

"That is right, you came into his room." Pinky says in realization.

"This is why you never took his name." Jhanvi says in shocked realization. "They wouldn't believe you. they would instead accuse you."

Gauri nods in yes.

"You believe her?" Ridhima asks Jhanvi in shock.

"Yes. Because we knew someone was trying to hurt her. I should have known then itself it was a family member otherwise why would she be scared to name him." Jhanvi says in regret.

"Omkara has been cheating on me and you are siding with her?" Ridhima asks her furiously.

"Cheating on you?" Omkara asks Ridhima furiously. "To cheat on you, what relation do we have?"

"How dare you say that?" Shakti asks in shocked fury. "You were going to get engaged."

"I wasn't. I told her clearly that I didn't want to marry her. it was her, that was shamelessly clinging on to me!"

"So you would have an affair with our maid in my own house?" Shakti asks furiously.

"Gauri is my friend. I am not having any affair with her."

"Chachu, check the CCTV footage from our house. I saw him take Gauri with him that day. they were talking near the pool area and from there they went together to his room." Ajay accuses them.

"CCTV footage?" Omkara whispers in shock. Then he turns to Gauri and asks her in shock. "There were CCTV there. that is why you were sitting there, so he doesn't attack you?"

Gauri nods. "I was working late in the kitchen. After that, I was going to servants' quarters when he... I pushed him off and ran. There is no CCTV or anyone on the path to the servants' quarters, so I was scared to go alone."

Omkara walks to Gauri and asks her in pained whisper. "How long has he been troubling you, Gauri?"

"Ever since Ma took loan from them. he knew, whatever he does I won't be able to leave." Gauri whispers as she broke into tears.

Omkara hugs her unable to see her like that.

Gauri quickly struggles to free herself from him, but Omkara hugs her tighter.

"You are not alone, Gauri. I'm with you." Omkara whispers to her with furious tears.

Hearing him, and feeling safe in his safety net, Gauri hugs him and breaks out into loud sobs.

Omkara hugs her and holds her securely in his arms.

Everyone looks at them in shock. Tej and Jhanvi worriedly looks at each other.

"Do you need any more proof?" Ajay asks seeing that.

"He was rejecting me for this lowlife?" Ridhima asks furiously feeling humiliated seeing her love hug her maid.

"Gauri is no lowlife." Omkara furiously says. "She is better than all of you put together."

"We should call the police. Ajay should be punished." Tej says.

"Why should Ajay be punished?" Shakti asks furiously.

"Because he tried to rape Gauri." Jhanvi replies furiously.

"So she says!" Pinky angrily says. "Instead of Ajay's, if she had taken Omkara's name, would you say the same?"

"No because I know my son."

"And we know our nephew!" Pinky argues.

"I saw with my own eyes he trying to rape her." Jhanvi reminds them.

"You saw us together in bed. I don't deny that we were going to have sex. It was consensual." Ajay states.

"If you don't shut your mouth, I'll kill you!" Omkara furiously says.

"Keep quiet, Om." Jhanvi tells him.

"Stop trying to protect your son!" Pinky furiously tells her.

"Protect me? from what?" Omkara asks her angrily.

"By hiding your affair with that servant!"

"There is nothing to hide!" Omkara says furiously. "There isn't anything dirty between Gauri and me to hide."

"Yeah, we are seeing that." Ridhima says with furious tears.

Hearing that, Gauri starts to move away from Omkara. Omkara holds her and pulls her closer to him.

"You can accuse us of whatever you want. It will not make it true."

Ridhima scoffs furiously. "You just wait and see. You rejected me, right? you will see what I will do. I'm going to tell all how you were having an affair with my maid!"

Jhanvi and Tej gasps in shock.

"It is not true." Jhanvi argues vehemently.

"You don't have to tell anyone anything." Omkara tells Ridhima. "I'll tell the whole world."

"What?" Tej asks Omkara in shock.

"I'm going to marry Gauri." Omkara informs his parents.

Gauri stops in shock and moves back to look at him. Omkara turns to her and tells her. "I want to marry you, Gauri."

"Stop it, Om." Jhanvi tells him angrily.

"Why are you saying things like these?" Tej asks him in shock.

"No, Dad. I'm not just saying this to argue. I am going to marry Gauri."

"Stop lying." Gauri whispers to him, once again hurt by him.

"Gauri, this time, it is no lie. This is no trick. I am serious."

"I won't marry you." Gauri whispers to him in shock, fresh tears filling her eyes.

Omkara turns to her and tells her earnestly. "Gauri, I know, I hurt you. I betrayed your trust. It wasn't my intention. But I did hurt you. I am sorry for that."

"I won't marry you." Gauri repeats and freeing herself from him, she runs out of the room.

Ridhima laughs cruelly seeing that. "The great Omkara Singh Oberoi is rejected by a mere servant."

Omkara turns to Ridhima and points out to her. "Gauri rejected me, Ridhima. She didn't shamelessly run behind a man who had no interest in her." Then without saying anything else, he walks off from there.

*********

Omkara softly knocks on the door. Gauri turns to look at him in the midst of her packing.

"I meant what I said, Gauri." Omkara tells her softly.

"I don't trust you." Gauri tells him as she turned to pack her bag.

"I know." Omkara says ashamed of himself. "This time, Gauri. whatever I am saying and doing, I am doing from my heart."

Gauri shakes her head not believing him as she continued to pack.

"Please forgive me, Gauri." Omkara pleads as he walked to her.

Gauri looks at him and tells him, "Thank you for saving me. if you hadn't come..." Gauri stops, her eyes filling up.

"I'll always be there for you, Gauri. I won't leave you now. I promise."

"I'm going home." Gauri tells him as she closed her bag.

"I'll take you to your home."

"It's okay, I'll go."

"What if Ajay comes after you?" Omkara asks her.

Gauri stops in shock, fear filling her heart at the possibility.

"Please let me take you home safely."

Gauri nods feeling relieved at his offer.

Omkara smiles gently. "Thank you."

"Thank you." Gauri tells him.

Omkara looks at her for a few seconds and asks her gently. "Will you ever be able to forgive me?"

Gauri doesn't reply as she looks away.

"How much ever long it takes, let it take. How much ever time you need, you take. I'll wait for you."

Gauri looks at him in shock. Frowning she asks him, "Why?"

"If any girl will come into my life then it will only be you." Omkara vows.

"Why?" Gauri asks him again.

"I don't know." Omkara replies with a helpless shrug.

*********

Omkara walks into his parents' room.

"What was that?" Tej asks him angrily.

"Om, we already told you that we'll never accept a maid as our bahu." Jhanvi tells him.

"It is not a crime to be a servant." Omkara tells them.

"It is not but we don't want our bahu to be a naukrani."

"She won't be a naukrani when she marries me."

"Stop it, Om!" Tej tells him angrily.

"If I get married then it will only be with Gauri." Omkara informs them.

"No, Om." Jhanvi says stubbornly.

"You know everything that Gauri went through then how can you be like this with her?" Omkara asks them hurt.

"You are feeling guilty for breaking her heart. that is why you want to marry her." Jhanvi points out.

"I do feel guilty. I hate myself for hurting her. but the truth is, I like Gauri. Gauri loves me. I know we will be happy together."

"This is guilt, Om! once this guilt is over then you'll be left with regret that you jumped into this and married her." Jhanvi warns him.

"I have faith in Gauri and me." Omkara tells them stubbornly.

"Stop it Om!" Tej tells him sternly. "Go pack your bag, we are leaving this place."

"You both go home. I am taking Gauri to her house."

"What?" Jhanvi asks shocked.

"What is the need for that? if you are so concerned about her then my driver will take her home. You come with us." Tej tells him.

"I've to be sure that Gauri reaches her home safely. I'll take her." Omkara tells them.

Seeing Tej was getting furious, Omkara tells them. "Gauri refused to marry me. after what I did, she needs time to forgive me and trust me again. so, for now I'll take her to her home. After that we will decide what needs to be done."

*********

Since they started late in the evening, halfway through the journey, Omkara decided to halt at a hotel. Gauri had remained silent throughout the journey and Omkara after few attempts had decided not to disturb her.

Omkara stops in front of the hotel room and hesitantly turns to Gauri. "Gauri, I don't want you to stay alone in a room. we'll stay together in one room."

Gauri looks at him in panic.

"It's twin beds, Gauri. two separate beds." Omkara quickly explains to her. then he says gently, "I know you no longer trust me. but this, you can trust me. I'll never hurt you like that. I promise."

Gauri nods as she looked down sadly. Omkara sighs in relief and opens the bedroom door. they both walk in.

After a quiet dinner, they both go to sleep.

Omkara lie awake on his bed as he watched Gauri sleep. he didn't know when he took the decision to marry Gauri. till he had said it, even he hadn't realized that he was thinking on those lines. But once those words were out of his mouth, he realized that this is what he wanted and nothing ever felt so right. was it guilt? Like his mother said? He didn't know. But he knew his mother was wrong, this guilt will never leave him. the heartbreak that Gauri went through would haunt him till his last breath.

he didn't want to leave her with her mother. Gauri has suffered a lot because of her mother, but Gauri wasn't ready to come with him now and he had no choice. Till she started believing in him again, there was nothing he could do. He knew Gauri trusted him. otherwise she wouldn't be with him in this room now. she wouldn't let him accompany her to her mother's. She trusted him to keep her physically safe. She trusted him to keep her body safe. But she no longer trusted him with her heart. that trust, he lost completely.

Hearing a whimper, he sits up and looks at her worriedly. Gauri starts breathing fast and a second later, she sits up in fear.

"Gauri?" Omkara calls her as he ran to her.

Gauri looks at him and around the room in worry.

"Gauri? are you okay?"

"Water." Gauri whispers.

Omkara quickly turns on the light and grabs a bottle of water from the table and gives it to her. Gauri quickly gulps it down.

"Did you have a bad dream?" Omkara asks her softly.

Gauri nods as she closed her eyes to calm her raising heart.

"You are safe. I am with you." Omkara tells her as he moved to her and gently hugs her. "I'll not let anyone hurt you."

Gauri sighs as she rested her head on his chest.

"Everything will be fine." Omkara promises her.

"Your parents left you." Gauri softly says sadly.

"They went home. After I take you to your home, I'll go home. I'll see them there." Omkara consoles her.

"You shouldn't have decided to accompany me. your parents didn't want that."

"I wanted to do this."

"They don't want me anywhere near you."

"It's not their say. They will have to accept that you are going to be with me forever now." Omkara tells her.

"I won't."

Omkara feels sad hearing that. Without saying anything further, he hugs her tighter.

*********

"Thank you." Gauri whispers as she tried to take the bag from him.

"I'll bring it." Omkara says as he moved his hand away.

"It's okay. I'll go." Gauri tells him.

"I'll come inside with you. meet your mother and leave."

Knowing he would be stubborn, Gauri nods and walks with him.

"As soon as I find a job, I'll start sending you little by little the money I owe you."

"Gauri, whatever is mine is yours." Omkara tells her.

"It is not." Gauri replies sternly.

Omkara sighs, as long as Gauri doesn't believe that his intentions towards her were genuine now, all that he says to her would be empty promises for her.

Omkara and Gauri walk to the house and knocks on the door. Nayantara opens the door and seeing them, she furiously glares at Gauri.

"Why did you come here?" Nayantara asks her angrily.

"Ma... the money we owed them, Omkara Sir paid them. I left that job now." Gauri tells her.

Omkara furiously glares at Nayantara seeing the way she was talking to Gauri.

"And I know, that money was payment for what." Nayantara says in disgust.

"What?" Gauri asks in shock. "It is a loan. It is not a payment."

"Pinky Madam called me and told me everything." Nayantara tells her.

"It is not true, Ma." Gauri tells her realizing what Pinky Madam would have told her. "There is nothing like that between us. that Ajay was making up stories. He tried to rape me, Ma."

"Stop your lies!" Nayantara says furiously.

"It's the truth." Omkara furiously tells her. "They are the liars."

"What are they going to get by lying?" Nayantara asks him.

"Gauri is your family and you are choosing to believe those strangers over her?"

"She is not my family. Keeping her with us was the biggest mistake I did."

"Keeping her with you? you had send her off to work as a servant when she was just a kid." Omkara furiously reminds her.

"What was I to do with an orphan then?" Nayantara asks him.

"Educated her like your own daughter!"

Nayantara furiously glares at him. "This is my family matter. I don't owe you any answer."

"Ma, please stop talking to him like that. He came all the way here for me."

"And I know how you would have repaid him for that." Nayantara says in disgust.

"Shut up. If you insult Gauri once mo..."

"Stop it!" Gauri tells Omkara in shock. "She is my mother."

"I am not your mother. And I have no place for people like you in my house. Get out." Nayantara furiously says and closes the door on Gauri's face.

"Ma..." Gauri bangs on the door in panic. "Ma, please open the door. Please, Ma? I've no one else other than you. Ma, I'm your daughter. please open the door, Ma."

Omkara watched for some time, Gauri knocking on the door and pleading for Nayantara to open the door when Nayantara didn't open the door, he gently holds her by her shoulder.

Gauri turns to look at Omkara, and tells him as she cried. "I didn't do anything wrong. You know that. please tell her that I am not bad."

"You are not wrong, Gauri. everyone wronged you. stop crying." Omkara tells her as he lovingly wiped her tears.

"Please tell Ma to open the door." Gauri pleads to him.

Seeing her like that was killing him, but he had no other choice than being honest to her. "She won't open the door, Gauri."

"Why?" Gauri asks him sadly.

"Because she was never your mother and for her, you were never her daughter." Omkara gently tells her.

Hearing him, knowing that no matter how much ever she tried lying to herself, it was the real truth Gauri burst into loud sobs and he quickly hugs her.

*********

Once Gauri had calmed down, Omkara takes her to his car.

"Where are you taking me?" Gauri asks shocked as he guided her into his car.

"I'm taking you home." Omkara tells her.

Gauri frowns hearing that. "No... no..."

"Gauri, we will go home." Omkara tells her again.

"Your parents won't like it."

"I'll handle my parents. today or tomorrow, they have to accept that you are going to be my life partner."

"I am not." Gauri says shaking her head vehemently.

"Then my parents have to accept that I am going to wait for you all my life." Omkara says.

Gauri stops in shock hearing that. Omkara closes the door and walks around the car and gets in while Gauri sat as if lightning struck her.

*********

"We won't accept her as our bahu." Tej says in finality after hearing what had happened.

"Whether you accept it or not, the day Gauri agrees to be my wife, we'll get married." Omkara informs his parents.

"Have you gone crazy, Omkara?" Tej asks him angrily. "Why are you trying to get us humiliated by marrying a servant girl?"

"I don't find anything humiliating in being a household help." Omkara tells them.

"Please stop it, I'll go from here." Gauri tells them seeing them fight.

"You won't go anywhere. You will be with me." Omkara tells her.

"I don't want to be with you." Gauri tells him.

Omkara turns to her and takes her hand in his, "I know you are angry with me. I know you don't trust me. I know you are hurt. And I also know that you still love me."

Gauri gulps hearing that.

"But you don't love her." Jhanvi points out. "What you are feeling is guilt for hurting her."

"I don't know whether I love Gauri or not. But I know this, that Gauri, her happiness, nothing is more important for me than that. No one is more important than Gauri for me."

"It is guilt, Om." Jhanvi tells him in exasperation.

"I do feel guilty for hurting her. but that doesn't change the truth that I like Gauri. that I believe that Gauri and I can have a good and happy life together."

"We will never allow it." Tej tells him.

"Om..." Jhanvi tells him in an appeasing tone. "I'll find a safe place for Gauri. a better life for her. I promise you."

"Do you want me to live my whole life alone?" Omkara asks her.

"Stop this nonsense! Om, why don't you understand that you are ruining your life because of guilt?"

"And why don't you understand that, if Gauri is not in my life then I will not be happy anymore."

"Please Om, you are ruining your life in guilt and this stubbornness." Jhanvi pleads him.

"Mom, what makes you think that I will never be able to love Gauri?" Omkara asks her. "Whether I love her today or not, I know tomorrow I will love her, because with each passing second Gauri is becoming dearer to me."

"You have gone crazy in guilt, Om."

"Please stop this. I don't want to stay here. I want to go. Why did you bring me here? I told you I didn't want to come here." Gauri tells him hurt and humiliated.

Hearing her, Omkara turns to his parents. "I'm asking you for the final time, will you accept Gauri as your bahu?" Omkara asks his parents.

"No." they both says angrily.

"Your permission is only needed for Gauri to be accepted as your bahu, not as my wife. For that I don't need your permission."

Having no other option, Tej uses his brahmastra "If you insist on marrying her then I will disown you."

"I know, Dad." Omkara nods his head, a little hurt. "For you always, more than my wishes, your decisions are important. And for me, Gauri is more important than anything else."

"What?" Tej asks in a shocked whisper. The fear of being disowned had made Omkara agree to give Ridhima a chance and now...?

Omkara turns to Gauri and tells her gently. "You wait here. I'll just come now."

Then Omkara runs inside while Gauri uncomfortably stood with his furious parents. they kept staring at Gauri furiously for a long while, while Gauri looked down, unable to face them.

"We'll give you anything you want, just leave our son." Jhanvi pleads her.

"You don't have to give me anything. I'll go." Gauri tells them sadly.

"If that was the case then you wouldn't have come here." Tej accuses her.

"She didn't come here because she wanted to come. she came because I forced her." Omkara furiously informs his parents.

They all look at him and stops in shock seeing him coming with two bags and a laptop bag.

"Where are you going, Om?" Jhanvi asks him shocked.

"I'm disowned. Did you forget?" Omkara asks her back.

"You are behaving like a spoilt stubborn child!" Jhanvi tells him in exasperation.

"And you both are behaving like a classist elitist high society people who are refusing to accept a girl because she was a servant." Omkara tells them angrily.

"Om if you leave this house with her then you won't have any relation with us. you will have no job and no money." Tej warns him. "Not even the car that you are using now."

Omkara turns to Tej and tells him, "I'll have Gauri and that is enough for me."

Gauri who was about to protest stops in shock hearing him. Omkara turns and holding Gauri's hand, he walks out of there while Gauri worriedly looked at his parents who were looking at him walk out heartbroken.

*********

"You should go home." Gauri tells him.

They were once again staying in a hotel.

"If I go back there then it will be with you." Omkara tells her.

"I don't want to be with you. I'll go from here." Gauri tells him.

"Gauri, I was ready to stay away from you once till you decided to come with me when I thought you were going to your mother's. now, I will not leave you."

"If you are worried where I will go to, I'll find a job. Everyone needs a maid."

"If you are going to leave me thinking that I would go back home, then I won't. wherever you go, I will follow you there. if you are going to be a maid then I will also get a job in that house. if they don't give me a job then I'll wait outside that house for you all day, every day."

Gauri looks at him in shock. "Why are you doing all this?"

"Because this is what my heart is telling me to do."

*********

Next morning.

Hearing Omkara curse, Gauri turns to look at him in shock.

Omkara looks up and sees Gauri watching him. "We'll have to vacate from this hotel in a few minutes."

Gauri nods in confusion.

"Dad froze my bank account." Omkara informs her.

"What?" Gauri whispers in shock.

"It was an account Dad opened for me when I was in school. I've been using that ever since. My salary, all my savings is in that account."

"You should go back home." Gauri tells him worriedly.

"Now that I am penny less, do you think I will be a burden on you?" Omkara asks her softly.

"I am burden on you." Gauri tells him hurt.

"Am I a burden on you?" Omkara asks her again.

"No."

"Then what makes you think that you are a burden on me?" Omkara asks her back.

Gauri helplessly gives up.

"We'll leave immediately from here." Omkara tells her.

*********

"Why are you doing this? Why can't you just go back home? And let me leave?" Gauri asks him.

"Because I want to be with you."

"I don't want to be with you."

"You promised me that you would come with me anywhere. That you want to be with me."

"I thought your love was true then." Gauri whispers as she looked away.

"But your love was true then and now."

Gauri looks at him feeling hurt hearing that, she looks away, her eyes filling up.

"Will you forgive me, Gauri?" Omkara asks her softly. "Ever?"

Gauri gulps hearing him. she looks far off and says softly. "I should find some work."

"You have been working round the clock for so long. You take a break. I'll find a job." Omkara tells her lovingly.

"I was a maid, I am a maid and I'll always be a maid." Gauri tells him thinking he was ashamed of her reality.

"You don't always have to be a maid, Gauri." Omkara tells her. "I want to give you all that you lost in life."

Gauri turns to him with a confused frown.

"Starting with education."

Gauri stops breathing in shock hearing that. education, wasn't that something that she had always craved for? Always wished that had she been educated then she wouldn't have to go through all that she went through?

"Omkara?"

"Yes, that's me." Omkara says as he stood up and turned to the man. "Rudra, right?"

"Yes."

They shake hands.

"Can I see the watch?"

"Sure. Like I said, I don't have the box with me." Omkara tells him as he handed him his watch.

"That is okay." Rudra says as he inspected the watch.

After satisfied with everything, Rudra hands Omkara the money and leaves with the watch. Omkara puts the cash safely in his bag and turns to Gauri.

"Are you sad?" Gauri asks in concern for he had to sell off his watch to have cash now.

"Yeah, a little." Omkara replies as he grabbed all their bags. "I wish I was wearing AP. That would have got double the money but it is at home."

Gauri gapes at him in shock and Omkara cheekily grins at her. seeing him grin like that, she couldn't help and she smiles. Omkara smiles even more seeing her smile.

"Let's go. We need to check out the apartment." Omkara tells her.

Gauri nods.

"It is a studio apartment, Gauri. till I get a job and we are a little steady, we need to be on a tight budget." Omkara tells her gently.

Gauri nods.

Seeing that Omkara leans down and drops a kiss on top of her head. Gauri turns to look at him in shock.

"That was for not asking me again to go back home." Omkara cheekily tells her.

Gauri turns a little pink and she says as she looked away. "I was about to."

"Then I am glad that I was faster than you." Omkara cheekily tells her.

Gauri blushes hearing that.

*********

It was a moderate apartment with necessary furniture. Gauri and Omkara decided that the apartment was manageable for them and they decided to rent it. and within minutes everything was finalized and they moved in to the apartment.

"What are you doing?" Omkara asks her seeing her making her bed on the floor.

"Going to sleep." Gauri replies confused.

"Sleep on the bed." Omkara tells her confused.

"No... no." Gauri replies shaking her head.

"Gauri, I'll sleep on the floor, you sleep on the bed."

"I am used to sleeping on the floor. You can take the bed."

"I can't sleep on bed when you are sleeping on the floor."

"We can't sleep on the same bed." Gauri tells him frowning.

"I understand. You sleep on the bed, and I'll sleep on the floor."

"No, I can't." Gauri replies and lies on the floor.

Omkara looks at the bed. If the bed hadn't come with the apartment, then he would have changed the bed and got two single cots. He walks to the bed and grabs his pillow and sheet. He makes his bed a little away from Gauri on the floor and goes to sleep.

Gauri watches Omkara sleep. she didn't know why she was listening to him like this and doing everything he was telling her to. Maybe it was because, from the age of 10 she has been taking orders from others that she no longer has the ability to refuse someone or give orders. Seeing him, sleep on the floor like that, having left his family, his life behind for her, it was hurting her. she was the reason for his current condition. Her heart breaking seeing him lose so much because of her, but then a corner part of her heart, felt joyous also for the way he had turned out, but the question was for how long?

*********

"My friend arranged a job interview for me." Omkara informs Gauri.

Gauri nods hearing that.

"I'll come back soon. you'll be fine, right?" Omkara asks her.

"Yes." Gauri replies.

"Wish me luck."

"If you would just go back home then you wouldn't have to do all this." Gauri tells him softly.

Omkara sighs tiredly. "I'll bring lunch when I come back." saying that Omkara leaves for the interview.

Omkara was halfway on his way to the interview. Though more than the interview, his mind was on Gauri. he knew that Gauri wasn't happy to be with him. the pain and betrayal that he gave her was too big. It was still a blessing that she was still talking to him and being civil with him. but he knew for sure that if she had a chance then she would leave him. the only reason she was with him even now was because that she still loved him, she was feeling indebted to him for the money he gave her and for saving her from Ajay and because she had nowhere else to go. Omkara stops in shock, what if she left him now that he wasn't there with her?

Leaning towards the auto driver, he tells him frantically, "We have to go back."

Heart slamming against his chest, Omkara rings the doorbell when Gauri didn't open the door, with dread he opens the door and finds it unlocked. Worriedly, he opens the door and finds the flat empty.

********

Praying hard, he heads to the railway station as the watchman said that he had given Gauri the directions to the railway station. All the way to the railway station, he kept looking for a glimpse of her. praying hard that she hadn't taken a train yet, he runs into the station. If she took a train, then he didn't know how he was going to find her.

As he frantically ran through the station, he finds her sitting on one of the bench. Sighing in relief, he runs to her.

"Gauri..." Omkara gasps in relief.

Gauri looks up at him in shock. "You?" Gauri asks in shock.

"I got scared that you would leave and came to check..." Omkara confesses to her.

Gauri looks away hearing him.

Omkara sits next to her. "I know, I hurt you, Gauri. I know I broke your heart and betrayed your trust. But now, my intentions and my resolve are as true as your love for me. please, Gauri. don't leave me."

"I have never met my real mother. I don't even know anything about her. there wasn't anyone to tell me about her. Baba was forever drinking. He was never in his senses. One day, he brought home Ma and Richa. I was so happy that I was going to have a mother and sister. But they didn't care for me. few months after he got married, Baba died. That time, Ma told me that for us to survive I should work and she send me to a house to work as a maid. From that house to another and to another. I kept going from houses to houses but never to my home. I was surrounded by many people, but none of them were my apna. Then you came. You told me in front of your parents that you love me. no one has ever loved me, and when you told me that, I believed you because I wanted it to be true. I wanted to be loved. You helped me. you treated me like a friend. You saved me. I couldn't help falling in love with you even when I knew that Ridhima Madam loved you. I just couldn't help it. then just like that you told me it was all a lie and you didn't love me." Gauri tells him as she silently cried.

Omkara gulps in guilt. His one lie had given Gauri hope and then he had destroyed it.

"Now, I know you are filled with guilt and regret. That is why you are doing all this. Your mother is right, once your guilt is gone, then everything will be back to how it was."

"No, Gauri. please trust me, I really like you. I believe that we can be happy together." Omkara tells her earnestly.

"I've no place to go. Ma doesn't want anything to do with me. I know you are worried about me. about where I will go. I understand that you want to protect me. you want to do good for me. you left your family and your life behind for me. I know all that. I know your intentions are all good." Gauri turns to him and finally looking at him, she tells him, "But you are forcing me. you are taking away my freedom. My choices. How are you different from Ma? She didn't give me a choice, she told me to go and work. How are you different from Ajay? He also didn't take no for an answer."

Omkara's heart breaks hearing that. his eyes fill up realizing Gauri was right. he had been forcing her. he had been deciding for her. he had been so sure that she would accept him one day that he just didn't give any heed to her protests.

"I don't know where I want to go. But I know, this is not where I want to be. This is not where you should be. You should go back to your family."

"You go, Gauri." Omkara tells her softly. "Wherever you want to go, you go. I won't stop you. I will not come behind you."

Gauri's heart break hearing that and the sadness in his voice.

"Where ever you go, just let me know where you are so I know you are safe."

Gauri nods hearing that.

"I'll wait for you here. The day you change your mind, please come back to me. however long it takes, know that I am waiting for you."

Gauri's eyes fill up hearing that.

"I won't go back home. If I will ever go back home, then it will be only with you otherwise I won't go back."

"Your parents love you."

"I know." Omkara replies. "But this is my decision." He takes his wallet, and take out the money. He keeps it in Gauri's hand.

"I don't want."

"You'll need it. keep it. if you need anything, please call me. I'm always there for you." Omkara tells her and standing up he says. "Bye Gauri. please let me know where you are. Don't worry, I won't come behind you and trouble you. I promise. I'll wait for you here."

Gauri watches him walk away, her heartbreaking seeing his heart break.

***********

Omkara walks into the empty flat heartbroken. He looks around and feels lonely. he had left home and he was sad but now Gauri left him and he was heartbroken. He sits on the floor, as he gave into his tears.

Hearing the doorbell, he opens it and stops in shock seeing a tearful Gauri.

"Gauri?" Omkara whispers in shock.

"Now I will leave only when you tell me to leave you." Gauri tells him with a soft smile and tear filled eyes.

Unable to believe his ears, his heart skipping in joy and smile breaking out on his face, he says as he walked to her. "That day will never come."

Gauri softly smiles hearing that. Omkara hugs her and Gauri hugs him back. when she hugged him, he lifts her off the ground and hugs her tight.

"You came back for me?" Omkara asks her as he looked at her.

"You were going to be alone. You were in pain. I can't see tears in your eyes." Gauri tells him.

Omkara lovingly kisses her on her nose.

Gauri cups his face and kisses him on his forehead and hugs him happily.

*********

Omkara walks to the dining table after collecting their lunch. He starts taking it out of the cover as Gauri brought the plates. Seeing her, he smiles at her and she smiles back at him.

"Instead of buying food from out I can cook them." Gauri tells him as he served for her.

"No, it's okay. you don't do any work. You just chill." Omkara tells her with a smile.

"I would be bored if I have nothing to do." Gauri tells him.

"You'll have to start your studies soon." Omkara reminds her.

Gauri smiles hearing that. "Yes, but I want to cook. I don't want to buy food from out."

"You sure?" Omkara asks her in concern.

"Yes."

"Okay, if that is what you want." Omkara tells her with a smile. "I won't force you for anything. Whatever you want to do, we will do that."

Gauri smiles hearing that. "Then let's go for shopping after lunch, Omkara Sir?"

Omkara leans towards her and tells her softly. "Om."

Gauri blushes hearing that. "Om." Gauri says shyly as she looked down.

Omkara smiles hearing that, and places a light kiss on her cheek. "Let's go after lunch, Gauri."

*********

By night they had got some necessary items and grocery. Till late night, they were busy setting everything up.

After everything was done, they step back and look at everything. Satisfied, they turn to each other and smile.

"Is this like how you envisioned?" Omkara asks her.

Gauri nods happily.

Omkara walks to the bed and pull the curtain near the bed, covering the bed from view and giving complete privacy to the bed.

"Your bedroom is also ready." Omkara tells her smiling.

"No... no... you take the bed." Gauri tells him shaking her head.

"You take the bed, Gauri." Omkara tells her.

"No, I'm used to sleeping on the floor, you sleep on the bed."

"No, you sleep on the bed."

Gauri takes the sheet and makes her bed on the floor.

"You are so stubborn!" Omkara says irately.

Gauri turns to look at him and sees him making his bed on the floor. "Even you." Gauri irately tells him.

Omkara turns to scowl at her and sees her scowling at him. seeing that he couldn't help chuckle and she also chuckles seeing him chuckle.

"Good night." Omkara tells her smiling.

"Good night." Gauri shyly replies as she smiled at him.

*********

"All the best." Gauri wishes him the next morning.

"Thank you." Omkara smiles happily at her, he had got his interview rescheduled to this morning.

"Are you nervous?" Gauri asks him as she walked with him to the door.

"No." Omkara replies smugly smiling. "I was good. Everyone knows that. I'm confident."

Gauri grins seeing his smug smile.

"Bye." Omkara lovingly caresses her cheek.

Gauri blushes.

Seeing that, Omkara leans down and kisses her forehead.

*********

Hearing the door bell, Gauri runs to the door and opens it.

"Hi!" Omkara says happily seeing her.

"Hello... how did it go?" Gauri asks him excitedly.

"I got the job." Omkara tells her happily. "I'm starting work tomorrow."

"Congratulations!" Gauri says as she jumped excitedly.

Seeing her so happy for him, Omkara hugs her. Gauri blushes as she hugged him shyly.

Omkara smiles and kisses her on top of her head.

*********

Two days later, Gauri was home when someone rings the bell. Curious, Gauri opens the door and finds Omkara at the door.

"What happened? Did you forget something?" Gauri asks him in confusion.

Omkara walks in as he shook his head, depressed.

Gauri holds his hand to stop him and asks in concern. "Om... what happened?"

Omkara looks at her and tells her sadly. "Our company called my boss and told him that if I continued to work there, they wouldn't give them any more business."

Gauri gasps in shock hearing that.

"They fired me." Omkara informs her sadly.

Gauri cups his face and then she hugs him to console him.

"Dad was not cruel, then why is he doing this, Gauri?" Omkara asks her as he hugged her sadly.

Having no answer, Gauri just hugs him in a bid to console him.

*********

Few weeks later, Gauri watches Omkara depressed working on his laptop. He had got few more job offers but they were all snatched within days due to call from his father. Seeing him sadly sighing, Gauri walks to him and stands next to him. on the laptop screen there was a photo of his father with Shakti Sir and Ridhima Madam. Gauri keeps her hand on his shoulder.

Omkara sighs as he looked at her. "There are too many complications to break the partnership. It is not that easy. I guess that is why they are still there. Looks like Ridhima also joined office."

Gauri gently rubs her hand on his shoulder. Omkara turns to her looks at her helplessly.

"Dad looks depressed. He might be feeling trapped with them. He would be feeling alone there."

"You should go back, Om." Gauri tells him gently.

Omkara shakes his head and hugs her around her waist. "No."

"I'll stay here. You go and sort everything at home."

"Dad wanted me to leave office. If he needs me he will call me back."

"Maybe his ego might not let him call you back."

Omkara leans back and look at her face. "I can't stay away from you, Gauri."

Gauri's heart skips a beat hearing that. she leans down and he meets her halfway, their lips gently and nervously touching. Pulling her to his lap, Omkara deepens the kiss. Hugging each other, they passionately kiss.

*********

Gauri blushes as she shyly pushed Omkara away. "Go sleep."

Omkara grins as he pulled her closer to him and nibbles on her lips. Gauri couldn't resist him and she hugs him and kisses him back.

"Now, go sleep." Gauri tells him as she pushed him away.

"Noooo." Omkara pouts as he tries to pull her back.

"I'll hit you. go." Gauri tells him as she blushes happily.

Omkara chuckles and he walks to his places and lies on the floor as he looked at her. Gauri also lies on her place and blushes as she looked at him.

Omkara gestures her with his head to go to him. Gauri grabs a hair brush from the dressing table and throws it at him. Omkara chuckles as he catches it. he sends her a flying kiss. Blushing, Gauri turns around facing the other side giving her back to him and tries to sleep.

After some time, Gauri turns around and looks at Omkara and finds him sleeping. Quietly, she gets up and walks to him. she sits down next to him and gently runs her hand through his hair. She leans down and lovingly kisses his forehead. Omkara turns around and keeps his head on her lap in sleep. Gauri lovingly caresses his head with a soft smile.

She still loved him dearly. She knew he was trying to atone for his mistakes and now, he was genuinely trying. She knew he cared a great deal for her. but she just couldn't bring herself to trust him again. she wasn't going to expect anything from him. whatever he was going to give her, she was going to cherish it because she knew that once he leaves her life then she is going to be alone all her life. the care and concern that he was showing her, no one ever did show her, not even her father. So, as long as he wanted her with him, she was going to be with him, cherish all the love and care he was showering her. be happy with him and love him.

*********

"Good morning." Gauri says happily seeing Omkara in the kitchen.

Omkara frowns at her and asks her, "Why is my tea not tasting as good as the one you make? Is there some secret ingredient that you are not telling me?"

"How many times have you watched with hawk eyes to find this so called secret ingredient?" Gauri asks him chuckling as she was walked to him.

Omkara frowns as he wrapped his hands around her waist and kisses her. Gauri hugs him as she kissed him back.

"I wanted to make nice tea for you but this sucks." Omkara sadly pouts.

"Your tea isn't bad. I like the ones you make." Gauri tells him.

"Yours is the best."

"I'll make tea for you." Gauri tells him smiling.

"No... I'll have this... why waste milk and all like that?"

Hearing him, Gauri sadly smiles. They were on a tighter budget now.

Seeing that, Omkara lovingly smiles at her. "It's okay. we will manage."

Gauri reassuringly smiles at him and hugs him. she had tried talking to him about she also working but he didn't want that. she understood his need to provide a better life for her and once he found his footing he intended to send her back to school.

********

"Gauri... there is this opening." Omkara tells her as he browsed the newspaper classifieds on his laptop.

"Where is it? is it some company you know?" Gauri asks him curiously.

"No... this is a small garment factory. The owner is looking for a manager cum supervisor. Salary is not that great but I feel I should try."

"You can get better job, Om." Gauri worriedly tells him as she walked to him.

"A job is a job, Gauri."

Gauri nods.

"We might not be able to move to a one-bedroom apartment." Omkara gently tells her.

"You paid the rent for the first 6 months for this apartment, right?" Gauri asks him confused.

"Yeah, but when we took this place, I thought once I get a job we can move to a bigger place. I thought I would get an amazing offer immediately." Omkara regretfully tells her.

"This is a nice place, Om. I like it here."

"You sleep on the floor, Gauri." Omkara sadly points out.

"Even you."

"I wished we at least had a couch, then I could sleep there, so you would sleep on the bed."

"It is okay. I am fine and comfortable here."

"We might have to move to a smaller place if I get this job. We won't be able to afford this place for long." Omkara worriedly tells her. "I wanted to give you the best and.." he sadly stops.

"This is heaven for me." Gauri tells him as she lovingly cupped his face. "First time, I feel as if I have a home."

Hearing that, Omkara's eyes fill up thinking of her life before. Omkara hugs her stomach.

Gauri hugs him securely.

"So, when do you have to go for the interview?" Gauri asks him after a while.

"I've to call him. I'll just call him and see." Omkara tells her and starts making the call.

Few hours later, Omkara walks back into the flat.

"How did it go?" Gauri asks him as soon as she opened the door for him.

"I got it." Omkara tells her happily as he hugged her.

"I knew you would get it. who wouldn't want you?"

Omkara rolls his eyes hearing that. Gauri glares at him making him chuckle.

"Are you really happy?" Gauri asks him worriedly.

"Yeah, Gauri. I am. Kaali Takur seems to be an egoistic jerk... but it's okay. I am happy we have a job." Omkara tells her smiling.

Gauri frowns hearing that. "If he acts rude to you then you quit immediately. Don't let anyone treat you badly."

Omkara lovingly smiles at her, he leans down and takes her lips in his. Gauri kisses him back.

Omkara places gently kisses down her chin to her neck and he gives open mouth kisses on her neck. Nervous and filled with passion, Gauri grips his shirt as she closed her eyes in bliss. Omkara grips her waist and pulls her closer to him.

Few minutes later, they stop and blissfully smile at each other. They hug happily.

********

"How was work?" Gauri asks Omkara eagerly as soon as he walked in the next day.

"Good..." Omkara replies as he hugged her.

"Really?" Gauri asks him not convinced.

"It is hectic but I am happy, Gauri." Omkara tells her.

Gauri nods as she hugged him.

"I never realized how much hard work it is to work on ground level." Then he smiles at her and says, "Guess, I am learning new things."

Gauri smiles and lovingly kisses his cheek.

********

Few days later, Omkara comes back from work.

"What happened?" Gauri asks him worriedly seeing him lost in thoughts.

"Takur saab asked me who Shakti Uncle is." Omkara tells her as he smiled at her.

"Why?" Gauri asks confused.

"Shakti Uncle called him and told him to fire me."

Gauri's heart skips a beat hearing that, her eyes filling up.

"Awww love no..." Omkara quickly cups her face. "Takur saab told him to fuck off."

"What?" Gauri asks feeling relief rush through her.

"Takur saab doesn't take orders from anyone. He even told Shakti Uncle that he is giving me 5000 rupees' increment just because of Shakti Uncle's call."

"He did?" Gauri asks shocked and feeling happy.

"no... don't be happy!" Omkara quickly tells her.

"What?" Gauri asks confused.

"Takur saab gave me Rs 500 increment but if Shakti Uncle asks me then I am to say, he gave me 5000." Omkara tells her chuckling while Gauri gapes in shock.

"You leave all that..." Omkara tells her excitedly. "Do you realize that it was Shakti Uncle who was calling all my previous work? It was not Dad!"

Gauri's face breaks out into a big smile hearing that. feeling relief rush through her because she had been feeling guilty for all that Om had to go through because of her.

"Dad is not cruel... so, I just couldn't understand why he would do that. he took my car and froze my bank account to make me go back home. But he is not cruel to block all means of my survival. He wouldn't make me suffer like that. I misunderstood that." Omkara tells her regretfully.

Gauri smiles happily and hugs him. "I am so happy it was not your parents."

"Even me." Omkara tells her as he hugged her in relief.

********

Few weeks later, Omkara comes back home from work.

"Give me your hand."

"Why?" Gauri asks smiling as she extended her hand to him.

Omkara keeps money in her hand. "I got my salary." Omkara tells her excitedly.

Gauri looks at him in surprise and seeing the joy on his face, she smiles a little sadly and a little happily. he might have made 50 times more before but the joy on his face now was so blissful.

Omkara kisses her on her forehead and starts to walk off.

"Here, take the money." Gauri reminds him as she offered the money to him.

"You keep it."

"Why?" Gauri asks confused.

Omkara walks to her and holding her hands, he tells her "I don't want you to be ever in need of money. So, you keep it."

"But this is your salary." Gauri reminds him in shock.

"It is our money, love. yours and mine. You keep it."

"But you would need money." Gauri tells him as she tried to hand him the money.

"What's the big deal?" Omkara asks with a shrug and a chuckle. "If I need money I will ask you." shaking his head he walks off.

Gauri looks at the money and her eyes fill up. She holds the money with both her hands and takes it to her chest. She has been working since she was 10 years old, and never even once had she seen the money she had worked so hard for and earned. Never even once she had held it.

********

One day, Gauri and Omkara were home when they hear the doorbell. Curious, Gauri opens the door and finds Nayantara at the door.

"MA!" Gauri excitedly says as she hugged her. "You are here?" Gauri asks unable to believe her eyes.

"Yeah... yeah..." Nayantara pats her on her back as she looked in.

"Om... Ma is here." Gauri excitedly informs him as she held Nayantara's hand and leads her in.

Omkara looks at her in shock, his heart slamming against his chest. "Hello." Omkara politely says as he walked towards them.

Nayantara nods at him as she walked to the seat and sat down. "I'm here to see you." she informs him.

"What?" Gauri whispers in shock and confusion.

"Why?" Omkara asks frowning.

"Sit." Nayantara tells him.

"Sit, Gauri." Omkara tells her as he gestured to the seat and he pulls a chair from the dining table and sits down.

Gauri sits down as she confusedly looked at her mother, her heart breaking a little that her mother wasn't here to see her.

"It's been almost three months since she has been with you." Nayantara says.

"Hmmm." Omkara nods.

"You two aren't married also, right?" Nayantara asks with a frown.

"Yeah... we still haven't got married..." Omkara quickly starts to explain but Nayantara cuts him off.

"I can understand."

"What?" Omkara asks confused.

"You are the rich son of a rich father and she a servant."

Omkara starts to get angry while Gauri looks down feeling hurt.

"You boys will have only fun with girls like her."

"It is not like that." Omkara heatedly tells her.

"You don't have to lie to me. I can understand, for a while it was an entertainment for you to go against your family and do all this. But now that newness is over, you had your fun with her you would probably be bored with her."

"What?" Omkara frowns hearing that. "How can you even say that? you are her mother!"

"That is why I am here. To take her back home."

"What?" Omkara asks his heart skipping a beat.

"You want to be rid of her. your parents want you back home. So, why don't you speak to your family, give us a settlement and I'll take Gauri from here." Nayantara offers.

Omkara furiously turns to look at Gauri and sees her eyes filled up as she stared at Nayantara in shock and hurt.

"Ridhima Madam spoke to me. Ajay Sir said he will find a job for Gauri or maybe even convince pinky Madam to rehire her if she apologizes to Ajay Sir."

"They sent you here?" Omkara asks her furiously.

"They gave me your address. But mind you, I'll take Gauri only if the price is right. Don't try to fool me. For three months Gauri has been with you so don't think you can get her off your hands that easily."

"Are you even a mother? How can you even talk of your daughter like this? You who kicked her out accusing her of this same thing!" Omkara reminds her.

"What can I do when this is what she has become? And don't act so offended and all in a bid to get off on a cheap deal!"

Omkara gets up and walks to her. he pulls her by her hand and walks to the door. he opens the door and slightly pushes her out of their home.

"You've been living off her hard work all her life and now you want to live off her by selling her?" Omkara furiously asks her. "As long as I am alive, I will never let you hurt her again."

Nayantara furiously looks at him.

"I am not trying to get rid of Gauri. I love her. I can't live without her. and why we aren't married, the only reason we are still not married is because Gauri refused to marry me. the moment she agrees to marry me, we will be getting married." Omkara furiously informs her and shuts the door on her face.

Omkara turns around and sees Gauri watching them in shock. He walks to her and cups her face.

"Are you okay, love? Baby, please don't take to heart what she says. She is not your mother. She was never your mother."

Gauri nods sadly her eyes filled up.

"You don't believe all that she said, right? you don't think I am with you for fun."

Gauri shakes her head in negative. "You don't worry. I am fine." Gauri tells him as she hugged him.

"I got scared when I saw her." Omkara softly confesses to her.

Gauri curiously looks at him as she moved back. "Why?"

"I thought she was here to take you back."

Gauri sighs sadly.

"You were so happy when you saw her." Omkara worriedly says. "I know you didn't want to stay with me."

"That was before." Gauri tells him as she held his hand.

"If she hadn't asked for money to take you home, would you have gone with her?" Omkara worriedly asks her.

"Even if she had begged me, I wouldn't have gone back. I told you, I will only leave when you ask me to leave."

"And I told you that day will never come. I love you, Gauri." Omkara tells her as he cupped her face and kissed her.

Gauri kisses him back, her heart skipping a beat remembering the last time he had said that to her.

"I love you, Gauri." Omkara whispers as he showered kisses all over her face.

Gauri also places kisses on his face.

Omkara bends down and lifts her up in his arms and walks to the bed.

********

"What are you thinking?" Omkara asks her as he turned to her in bed.

"Everyone at Shakti Sir's house accused us of this. Today, even Ma... and now, we are..." Gauri worriedly looks at him.

"Gauri, they accused us of something dirty. But this, this is our love. It is not dirty." Omkara tells her. "Do you regret this?"

Gauri shakes her head in no.

Omkara smiles. "For them it might have been lust. But for us it is love, Gauri. I know you would need time and more confidence and trust in me to say it again, but I know you love me, Gauri. and that is enough for me."

Gauri nods hearing that.

Omkara smiles at her. "Smile, love."

Gauri smiles then seeing his smile, she blushes. Chuckling, Omkara takes her lips in his.

"You know, what I am most happy about?"

"What?" Gauri asks him with a smile.

"Finally, we are going to sleep on the bed."

Gauri chuckles loudly hearing that. Omkara chuckles. They kiss each other and rolls over.

********

Hearing the bathroom door open Gauri turns to Omkara.

"Finished shower? Come, I'll serve dinner." Gauri tells him with a smile.

Omkara walks to her and pulls her close to him. "Whole day I've been away and now I am home, you just want to make me have dinner and put me to sleep?"

"Yes!" Gauri replies giggling happily.

"Ah haan." Omkara picks her up and throw s her over his shoulder and walks to their bed.

*******

"I am hungry." Gauri tells him as she snuggled him.

"Hungry for me or hungry for food?"

Gauri gives him a look as she grins. "For food."

Omkara makes a disinterested and disappointmented face.

Gauri chuckles seeing that.

Omkara chuckles. "Come, let's eat then." Omkara says as he sat up. He sees Gauri taking her clothes and asks. "Why are dressing up when we will remove it right after dinner?"

Gauri's mouth drops open hearing him as she gaped at him.

Chuckling Omkara wears his shorts. "You come, I'll reheat the food."

Omkara walks to the kitchen area and starts reheating the food.

"Need help?" Gauri asks him.

"No, got it." Omkara replies as he turned to look at her and stops in shock seeing her with just the blanket wrapped around her, his eyes widen.

"Any way I have to take it all off, so why wear them?" Gauri asks with a sexy shrug.

Omkara gulps. "Are you really hungry?"

"Yes." Gauri replies with a cheeky grin.

"You are too cruel, love."

Gauri laughs softly.

*******

"Gauri... see this!" Omkara calls out to her as he hurried to her with his iPad.

"What?" Gauri asks curiously as she looks at the screen and seeing a news article and the photo. "Ajay Sir?"

"A girl from his office filed a molestation case against him." Omkara informs her.

Hearing that Gauri sighs in relief. Her eyes filling up, she turns to Omkara and tells him, "He tortured me a lot. I was so helpless."

Omkara cups her face and tells her, "You are not helpless any more, Gauri. we are together now."

Gauri hugs him in relief.

Few minutes later, Omkara calls Jhanvi.

"Er... hello?" Jhanvi answers the call a little hesitantly and a little happily.

"Mom..." Omkara whispers feeling homesick. He hadn't spoken to his parents after he left home. "How are you?"

"Hmmm." Jhanvi replies without any words.

"How is Dad?"

"Fine... how are you?"

"Good, Mom. We are fine." Omkara tells her, his eyes filling up.

"Hmmm."

They both remained silent for few more seconds waiting for the other to speak. "Why did you call?" Jhanvi finally asks him.

"Did you see the news about Ajay?" Omkara asks her.

"Yes."

"Gauri and I'm going to the police station to tell them about what happened with Gauri. will you also come?"

*******

Evening, Gauri and Omkara go to the police station.

"We saw this news in today's paper." Omkara says as he showed him the newspaper.

The inspector looks at it and asks, "Do you have any information regarding this?"

Omkara looks at Gauri for a second then he tells the cop. "Gauri used to work as a maid in his house. he had tried to rape her."

"is this true?" Inspector asks Gauri.

"Yes." Gauri nods.

"When was this?"

"About 4 months back."

"Why did you wait for so long?"

"We didn't have any proof. It was his and his family's words against ours." Gauri tells him helplessly.

He nods. "Tell me what happened."

Noticing Jhanvi walk in, Omkara quickly gets up. "Mom is here." Omkara happily informs Gauri.

Soon, they three give their statements.

"Thank you, Mom." Omkara tells her as they walked out.

"I didn't come for you." Jhanvi replies as she kept walking.

"Mom..." Omkara gently calls her.

Jhanvi looks at him.

"I love Gauri." Omkara informs her. "I really do, Mom."

Jhanvi looks at Gauri without saying anything. Gauri guiltily looks at her.

"I am waiting for the day you and Dad would call us back home, Mom." Omkara tells her as he walked to her. he kisses her forehead. "I love you, Mom. and I miss you both."

Jhanvi's eyes fill up hearing that.

"See you." Omkara tells her with a sad smile. "Let's go, Gauri."

*******

"I'll come early today." Omkara tells her as he walked out the door.

"It's okay. I'll go by myself." Gauri tells him.

"It's your first day of school. I want to come with you." Omkara tells her excitedly.

"Okay." Gauri says with a smile.

"So, be ready on time." Omkara tells her as he pecked her lips.

*******

Evening, Gauri got ready for her evening classes and was waiting for Omkara. hearing her mobile ring, she quickly answers it seeing it was Omkara.

"Hello, Om? where are you? I'm getting late."

"Er... hello..." a stranger says on the phone.

"Who is this?" Gauri asks confused. "Where is Om?"

"Yours is the last dialed number... that is why I am calling you."

"What? I don't understand. Who are you? Where is Om?"

"The owner of this phone met with an accident."

*******

Frantically crying and fervently praying for his safety, Gauri follows the nurse to the observation room.

"There." the nurse points.

Gauri sees Omkara lying on the bed with his hand bandaged in a sling, his leg plastered up and a gauze on his forehead. The bed upper area was slightly raised and he was lying in a sitting position, looking to the side lost in thoughts.

"Om..." Gauri hurries to him as she cried.

Hearing her, he turns to look at her.

Gauri's heart breaks seeing his eyes filled up. "Are you in pain?" Gauri asks him worriedly as she cupped his face.

Omkara shakes his head in negative as he looked at her.

"Are you okay?" Gauri asks him worriedly.

"I am sorry." Omkara whispers as tears fell from his eyes.

"Why?" Gauri asks him in confusion.

"I was careless." Omkara confesses.

Gauri stops in confusion and shock.

"I wanted to get home quickly. It is your first day of school. I saw the signal turn green but I thought I would be able to cross the road before the vehicles could pass through. I am sorry, Gauri." Omkara tells her as he looked at her. "I shouldn't have done that. if anything happens to me then you would be all alone. It would break your heart; it would hurt you. I knew all that but still I was careless. I am sorry."

Gauri's eyes fill up with fresh tears. He met with an accident. He was almost killed and his concern was for her.

"I am sorry, Gauri."

Gauri kisses his forehead. "I love you, Om."

"What?" Omkara asks his heart skipping a beat. "Did you just..."

Gauri smiles at him. "Yes. I love you."

"You trust me?" Omkara asks her still in joyous shock.

"I trust you, Om. today I got the courage to tell you."

Omkara's eyes fill with fresh tears. "Thank you."

"Stop crying and get well soon." Gauri tells him as she wiped his tears. Then smiling happily, she tells him. "Now, you get well soon. once you get better, we will get married."

"You really mean it?" Omkara asks her smiling in joy.

"Yes." Gauri tells him smiling happily as she hugged him.

"I love you, Gauri." Omkara tells her as he hugged her with one hand.

"I love you, Om."

"Doctor is here." A nurse informs them.

Gauri quickly moves away from Omkara as the doctor walked in. he started checking Omkara, checking his charts and asking him question.

"You can shift him to the room." Doctor tells the nurse.

"Do I have to stay here?" Omkara asks him.

"Yes. And we need to do a head scan also."

"Why?" Gauri asks worriedly.

"He hit his head. So, we really have to see..." and he starts talking in a lot of medical terms scaring Gauri.

Once the doctor left, the nurse hands Gauri the bills. "You need to pay these bills. And this is the one for scan. Once you pay that, you need to submit it so we can take him for the scan."

Gauri gulps seeing the amounts on the bill.

"Can we afford it?" Omkara softly asks her once the nurse left.

Gauri shakes her head in negative her eyes filling up. She was the one who was handling their finances.

"Show me the bill."

Gauri extends her hand in front of him so he could see the bills. Omkara quickly flips through the bills and sighs loudly.

"My phone is with the nurses I think. Get it. I'll call Takur saab and ask him for an advance for my salary. You settle the bill, we'll go home."

"Om, we need to do your head scan." Gauri tells him shocked.

Omkara tells her in a calming tone. "Gauri, I am fine. There is nothing wrong with me."

"Doctor said clot..."

"Gauri... you know how the hospital management is... they just say all that to make us do lot of tests so they can make money. I am perfectly fine. Just get me my phone."

"Will you ask him money for the scan also?"

"Gauri, I can't ask him for too much money. And we don't have to waste money on these useless tests."

"Can you ask any of your friends?"

"No, Gauri. I can't. I already took money from them before I got job with Takur saab. i can't keep asking them for money. please just do what I am saying." Omkara requests her.

*******

Seeing Tej and Jhanvi hurriedly walking towards her, Gauri runs to them.

"Thank you for coming." Gauri says in relief.

"Where is Om?" Tej asks her.

"Is he alright?" Jhanvi asks her worriedly.

"Doctor said he needs to have a head scan. But we don't have the money for that." Gauri tells them.

"Head scan?" Jhanvi asks in shock.

"I'll go from his life. I'll go away. just please do his treatment." Gauri pleads them as she broke down.

Jhanvi stares at Gauri in shock hearing that.

"Where is Om?" Tej asks her starting to panic.

"In the observation room."

Tej and Jhanvi quickly hurries to see their son.

*******

Gauri was breaking down as she packed up her things. it killed her to go away from Om like this but she had no choice. For her, his health and safety was most important.

She had stayed in the hospital till he was taken for his head scan and she had quietly left without telling him or his parents. Hearing the doorbell, Gauri leaving her bag, wiping her tears, goes to open the door.

She opens the door and finds a furious Omkara balancing himself with the help of their building watchman.

"Om?" Gauri whispers in shock. "How come you are out of hospital?"

Without replying to her, Omkara starts hoping to the bed. The watchman helps him to the bed and helps him settle on the bed.

"You go. Thank you." Omkara tells the watchman.

"Okay sir. If you need anything, just call me." he tells them and leaves.

"Om... why did you leave the hospital? Did the doctor tell you that you could leave? What about the scan?" Gauri asks him worriedly as she walked to him.

Omkara hands her an envelope.

"What is this?" Gauri asks him confused.

"For this piece of paper only you bartered me off, right?" Omkara asks her angrily. "Keep it!"

Gauri opens the paper and seeing it all in English and technical, she asks him helplessly. "What does this say?"

"Just like I told you, that I am fine."

Gauri closes her eyes and says a prayer to thank the Almighty.

"Did they discharge you?"

"As soon as I got the scan results, I left from there." Omkara furiously informs her.

"How can you do that, Om?" Gauri asks him in shock.

"Get lost, Gauri!" Omkara furiously tells her.

"Om..." Gauri gently keeps her hand on his shoulder.

Omkara furiously shrugs her hand off. "You abandoned me! You promised you would never leave me and you just abandoned me there!"

"I had to be sure you were fine. I had no choice, Om." Gauri helplessly tells him.

"You had choices, Gauri. you could have chosen to be with me. but you chose to leave me." Omkara accuses her. "Do you know how I felt when my parents told me that you were not there? that you left."

"if I was in your place would you have agreed to go home without doing the scan?" Gauri asks him.

Hearing her question, Omkara stops and looks away knowing he would have done the same.

"I'm sorry, Om."

Omkara looks at her and helplessly asks her, "Why don't you understand that I prefer death to living without you?"

Gauri cups his face and kisses his cheek. "Sorry. I am sorry."

Omkara keeps his forehead on her forehead and tells her, "Don't ever leave me again."

"I won't. I promise."

"Hmmm I forgive you."

Gauri rolls her eyes hearing him.

"What? You never forgave me!"

"I did... just forgot to tell you." Gauri tells him with a shrug.

"How sweet, Gauri?" Omkara tells her sarcastically.

Gauri chuckles. "It's not as if you didn't realize it."

"Still it would have been nice of you to say it."

"I forgive you, Om." Gauri tells him genuinely.

Omkara smiles and hugs her in relief. "Thank you, Gauri. I am so sorry, I hurt you."

"It's okay, Om." Gauri tells him smiling.

Omkara smiles.

"Does your parents know that you came home?"

"They will know soon enough." Omkara tells her with a shrug. "Gauri, I feel very dirty. I want to take a shower. Can you help me to the bathroom?"

"Om... you won't be able to take a shower in this condition. I'll give you a sponge bath."

Omkara nods.

*******

Gauri had just finished giving Omkara a sponge bath when they hear the doorbell.

"Could be my parents." Omkara tells her.

"Oh okay." Gauri worriedly replies as she helped him wear his shorts. "I'll put your shirt for you after I open the door."

Gauri hurries to the door, her heart slamming against her chest in fear on wondering how his parents are going to react to her still being there.

"Is Om alright?" Jhanvi asks her as soon as she opened the door.

"Yes. He is inside." Gauri informs them.

Tej and Jhanvi walks in and sees Omkara on the bed. They walk towards him.

"You left without a word." Tej furiously accuses him.

"Who leaves a hospital like that, Om?" Jhanvi asks him angrily.

"After the deal you made with Gauri, how do you expect me to stay there?" Omkara asks them back.

"Deal? We didn't make any deal with her!" Tej furiously tells him.

Confused Omkara looks at Gauri.

"Om, Gauri told us that she would leave you if we do your treatment. In our worry it didn't occur to us what she was saying. When you asked for her and when we couldn't find her that time only we realized that she had left." Jhanvi informs him. then turning to Gauri she asks her. "Do you think we are so heartless that to get our son his treatment we would make such deals?"

Gauri gulps hearing them.

"And we are not so scruppleless that we would ask a girl who has been living with you for so long to just leave." Tej informs Omkara with a frown.

Hearing them, Gauri guiltily says, "I am sorry. My ma, she... I forgot how parents really are."

Omkara holds her hand and squeezes it gently. "It's okay." Omkara then looks at his parents and says, "I am sorry. When you said that she might have left and she had said that to you, I thought... I am sorry."

Tej and Jhanvi nods.

Omkara smiles and tells Gauri, "Gauri, get them chairs to sit."

"It's okay." Tej and Jhanvi quickly tells her.

But Gauri hurries off and grabs two chairs from the dining table. Seeing that, Tej quickly takes one from her.

After Tej and Jhanvi sat, Gauri walks to the bed and helps Omkara wear the shirt. Tej and Jhanvi watches how gently, caringly and carefully Gauri was making him wear the shirt.

"Gauri said you've financial problems. You can't go for work also. Gauri can't go for work leaving you all alone at home. You need someone around you to even move around." Tej tells him.

"We'll manage." Omkara tells them.

"It's better if you come back home." Jhanvi tells him.

"I told you I'll only come back with Gauri."

"We meant you and Gauri." Jhanvi tells him.

Omkara and Gauri look at each other in shock. Then Omkara turns to his parents and asks them, "Is it only till I get better or you are asking us to come home forever?"

"You said you love her." Tej asks him.

"Yes, I do. We even decided to get married once I get better." Omkara informs them.

Tej nods. "Let's go home then."

"You accept me?" Gauri asks her eyes filling up with joy.

Jhanvi looks at her guiltily. "Om is our only son, so when he said he wanted to marry a maid... we couldn't accept it.... and also that he was filled with guilt then that we thought he was making another mistake."

"You didn't deserve this kind of treatment from us. we are sorry." Tej tells her.

"You don't have apologize." Gauri quickly tells him. "I am just so happy that you accepted us and our relation."

"Thank you, Dad... Mom..." Omkara says his eyes filling up.

******

That night itself, Gauri and Omkara moved back into his house. things started getting better from then. Gauri started getting close to Tej and Jhanvi. On Tej's advice Gauri opted for private tutoring at home so she could write her board exams earlier. Omkara resigned from Kaali Takur's job and rejoined their company though he was currently working from home.

"Lawyer called." Omkara informs Gauri one night in bed.

"And?" Gauri asks worriedly seeing him hesitant.

"Your mother and sister lied in court that she never took any loan from Shakti Uncle."

"How can they lie like that?" Gauri asks shocked.

"Shakti Uncle might have offered them money. with her lie then your argument that you were helpless and trapped because of the money you owed might be proved false by their lawyer." Omkara worriedly tells her.

"But how can she lie?" Gauri asks him helplessly.

"We have no proof, Gauri."

"There is proof." Gauri tells him as she sat up.

"What proof?" Omkara asks as he tried to sit up.

Gauri helps him sit up.

"Ma had come to Shakti Sir's house to ask for the loan. He didn't give her the money in hand. He said he will transfer it to her account so that there would be proof that he gave her money."

"And he did?" Omkara asks excitedly.

"Yes. Next month onwards he didn't give me full salary as he deducted the monthly money we promised to give back. he sent money to Ma's account."

Omkara sighs sadly. her salary went to her mother. Gauri never got to enjoy the fruits of her labor.

"And Vasundhara Kaki also knows about this. Maybe she might also come to testify."

"Awesome! Let me call the lawyer."

*******

Gauri was sitting with Jhanvi and going through Omkara's childhood pictures, laughing and listening to Omkara's childhood antics.

"Gauri Madam, Omkara Sir is calling you." One servant informs her.

"Maa, I'll come now." Gauri tells her and hurries to their bedroom.

As she is nearing their bedroom she could hear him loudly calling out to her. "GAURI... GAURI!"

"COMING." Gauri calls out as she ran to their bedroom.

"GAURI!"

"What happened? Are you okay?" Gauri asks as she ran to him in concern.

"Where were you?" Omkara asks her frowning.

"I was with Maa... what happened? Did you need anything?"

"I didn't see you the whole day." Omkara grumbles.

"What?" Gauri asks in a confused tone.

"Ever since we have come here, you are ignoring me." Omkara mutters as he looked away.

"Achchaa..." Gauri smiles as she sat next to him. "You were missing me?"

Omkara frowns at her, "You obviously didn't miss me."

"You were working and I didn't want to disturb you."

"You never disturb me."

"Awww." Gauri lovingly kisses his cheek.

"Get lost."

"But you called me here." Gauri reminds him.

"Oh otherwise you wouldn't have come?"

"Such a grumpy baby you are." Gauri teases him.

Omkara glares at her.

"I like talking to Maa and Papa... they are so nice." Gauri tells him as she took his hand in hers. "I have never had people treat me with so much love other than you."

Omkara looks at her starting to feel guilty.

"I'm not ignoring you, Om."

Omkara nods. "It's just that, it was just both of us. We could be together and talk to each other whenever we wanted. I didn't have to share you with anyone. In my possessiveness I forgot how you were feeling." Omkara confesses to her.

Gauri smiles hearing that. "It is going to take a little time getting used to this new situation."

Omkara nods. "Sorry... in my possessiveness... I just..."

"It's okay. and you are scooped up in the room full day. you should come and sit with us outside this room."

"Too much work." Omkara tells her pointing at his laptop.

"Work later. Now, you come with us. and after some time I'll take you out to the garden."

"Hmmm okay."

Gauri pulls Omkara's wheelchair close to the bed and helps him sit on it. then she starts wheeling him out.

"Gauri..."

"Yes?"

"I'll say all this... but you be however you want. If you want to spent time with Mom and Dad then you do that."

"Then you cannot say all this." Gauri points out to him cheekily.

Omkara frowns at her. "You want me to hide my feelings from you?"

Gauri chuckles. "No, my grumpy bear."

"Hmmm."

Gauri leans down and asks him. "And you know what I love the most in this world?"

"Me?" Omkara asks grinning happily.

Gauri grins hearing him. "You and spending time with you."

Omkara smiles happily hearing that. "But I love you more."

"This is not a competition." Gauri mutters to him.

"You could have at least argued that you love me more than that." Omkara mutters. "It is not possible but you could have lied."

"You are mad." Gauri tells him.

Omkara was with Jhanvi and Gauri, chatting to them when Tej reaches home.

"Dad, you okay?" Omkara asks him in concern seeing him irritated.

"Shakti didn't come for the meeting." Tej informs him furiously. "Says he is held up with Ajay's case."

Omkara sighs hearing that. "It's okay, Dad. He can't drag this on. One day, he has to agree for dissolving this partnership."

"Yes." Tej sadly sighs.

*********

"What are you thinking?" Gauri asks Omkara as she wheeled him around the garden.

"About Dad." Omkara replies disappointedly. "All these months he didn't initiate the breaking of partnership because I wasn't in office and I wouldn't get what I rightfully be getting. Just a meager percentage because I am no longer associated with the company. Now, Shakti Uncle is doing all this, Dad is regretting kicking me out. I feel sorry for him."

Gauri hugs him from behind.

"And top it off, I have to handle all these remotely. I am not able to be with him in the office."

"Just one more month and they will remove your plaster. Then you can go."

"Yeah."

"Tell me... what is the first thing you would do when your leg gets better? Or first place you go to?"

"First thing?" Omkara asks as he turned to her. "Make love to you."

"What?" Gauri turns pink hearing him as she looked around to see if someone was around.

"What else?" Omkara asks her. "With the way we were, I can't believe we hit such a bit road block."

"Shut up." Gauri tells him blushing.

"We can still do it, you just don't want to be adventurous."

Gauri turns completely red hearing him.

*********

"What did the lawyer say?" Gauri asks Omkara as soon as he got off the phone.

"Ajay is sentenced for 3 years." Omkara informs her smiling happily.

Gauri sighs in relief, her eyes filling up and a smile on her face, she hugs Omkara.

"You won, Gauri." Omkara tells her smiling.

Gauri kisses his cheek. "If it wasn't for your insistence then I wouldn't have gone to the police. I would have been scared of being branded a loose woman in front of the world."

Omkara sadly smiles at her.

"I'll go tell Maa and Papa." Gauri excitedly tells him.

"Gauri... there is one more thing." Omkara informs her.

"What?"

"Shakti Uncle, Pinky Aunty, Ridhima are all charged with perjury and they have gone out on bail."

Gauri nods.

"Even your mother and sisters are charged with perjury." Omkara informs her.

"What?" Gauri whispers in shock.

"Court has ordered an investigation on your mother on child labor for making you work."

"Oh." Gauri whispers her heart beat fast against her chest.

"Do you want me to try for their bail?" Omkara asks her.

Gauri gulps hearing that and she thoughtfully looks away.

"If you want, you just have to tell me, Gauri."

Gauri looks at him and tells him, "When Ajay Sir try to hurt me and I escape from him, I used to call Ma... to talk to her, to share my fear. but she never spoke to me even once, Om. She never consoled me. She said I was making up stories to leave work and come back home. When they made up stories about us, she believed them. Even Richa didn't help me." Gauri turns to him with tear filled eyes and tells him. "I can't forgive her, Om. I just can't. If it was Richa in my place, she wouldn't have forced her to stay in a place she didn't want to or felt safe. I can't forgive them."

Omkara cups her face and with a smile reassures her. "You don't have to, love."

Gauri smiles and hugs him. "I just want to think about our marriage now, nothing else."

Omkara smiles hearing that.

"Maa was saying now just a week for the wedding, so we should stay in different rooms and not see each other. She says it makes the heart grow fonder."

"Tell her, we'll leave home then." Omkara warns her.

Gauri giggles hearing that.

"No one keep you away from me." Omkara vows.

"I know." Gauri replies with a smile as she took his lips hers and kissed him.

*** The End ***

*Phew* Finally finished it!

I don't know whether you guys liked this story. it was such a hard story to write. And I know the ending was quick... I just couldn't write any more. Sorry about that.

Please leave your comments and thoughts, and also votes.

- Lazy.