Hello everyone...

Thanks to all for voting and commenting on the previous story A Little Bit Of Trick & A Little Bit Of Love (Posted on 19. Jul. 2024).

Two of you guys asked me whether I am reading any M&B books, I am not. I am just reading the synopsis of M&B books and drawing story ideas from them. It is just that I am reading a lot of synopsis, I am not able to remember the book names.

This one, I got the idea after the synopsis of After the Billionaire's wedding vows...

Everyone keeps asking me to write an angsty story, and I always shy away from it, because I can never fully redeem the hero. So, technically...

But then hardcore Rishabh fans are going to believe that it is all (or partially) Madhu's fault

Oh and yeah..

Warning: never ending story.

Word Count 40555

Rishabh walks into Mukund's house and sees Mukund with his parents.

"Rishabh... come... come..." Mukund's mother very warmly says seeing him.

Rishabh politely smiles at her as he looked at Mukund and his father.

"Trishna asked you to come?" Mukund asks him.

"She called me." Rishabh says.

"You go call Trishna." Mukund's father tells him.

Mukund walks off.

"You should make them understand, Rishabh. You don't give up on marriage like that." Mukund's father softly tells him.

Rishabh dryly nods as he thought of the irony of it.

"Bhai..." Trishna calls him as she ran to him.

Rishabh stands up and Trishna runs into his arms. Rishabh hugs her. "What is happening here, Trishna?" Rishabh asks her gently.

"I don't want to stay here, it is pure hell here." Trishna declares.

"No one is forcing you to stay here." Mukund tells her.

"Keep quiet, Mukund." His mother scolds him.

"I don't want to stay here." Trishna turns to him and furiously tells him.

"Can you both calm down." Rishabh asks then he turns to his sister and asks her. "What is the issue?"

"He is rude and arrogant. Treats me like shit." Trishna tells him.

Rishabh furiously turns to Mukund but before he could say anything, Mukund asks Trishna, "How else should I treat after the way you keep insulting my parents? You are so rude to them."

"Is that true, Trishna?" Rishabh asks her in shock.

"I just tell them some truth and they are so interfering." Trishna says furiously.

"Giving advice is not interfering." Mukund says furiously.

"Trishna, calm down. We won't say anything to you from now on. You don't give upon marriage like this." Mukund's mother gently tells her.

"Aren't you talking now?" Trishna asks her.

"What the hell, Trishna?" Rishabh asks her furiously.

"GET OUT!" Mukund says at the same time.

"Mukund..." Rishabh starts.

"No, Rishabh. I tolerated it for a long time. My parents adjusted ever since we got married. Not any more." Mukund says stubbornly.

"I'll take Trishna home now. You both calm down, think with a clear head..." Rishabh starts to say.

"If she wants to stay here then she has to stay here as my wife." Mukund says in finality. "If she wants to be a queen bee here with my parents acting like her slave then she can find another husband."

"Fine!" Trishna says as she turned and walked off. "I'll send someone for my stuff. Let's go, bhai."

"Trishna..." Rishabh tries calling after her but she ignores. He turns to Mukund.

Seeing Rishabh going to convince him again, Mukund says. "Of all people, you should be the one to understand me, Rishabh. Even you had a bitch for a wife."

**********

"Mom..." Rishabh gently calls her as he stood outside her room that night.

"Come, Rishu." Radha says tired as she held the bridge of her nose.

"Did you talk to her?" Rishabh asks her as he walked to her and knelt in front of her.

"Yeah, I did. She is so stubborn. I don't know what I am going to do." Radha tells him sadly.

"Everything will be fine, Mom. You don't worry. I'll handle it." Rishabh tells her as he held her hand.

"I never expected her marriage to go so wrong. Everything was perfect. They were of our status, good family, they were equal to us in every way." Radha tells him.

"I know, Mom." Rishabh says remembering how his mother had looked high and low to find the perfect husband for Trishna.

"She wants divorce, Rishu." Radha tells him worriedly.

"To be fair, Mom, I feel Mukund was right. If Trishna can't respect his parents then I'll support him if he decides to divorce her." Rishabh tells her.

Radha worriedly looks at him. "She is your sister, Rishu."

"And they are his parents." Rishabh reminds her.

"What fate is this? Both my children divorced." Radha laments.

Rishabh frowns and asks her. "Why was Trishna discussing my marriage to Mukund?"

"Mukund is her husband, Rishu, you can't clearly expect her to not share things with him." Radha tells him.

"She shouldn't have." Rishabh says, still not over his anger.

Radha holds his hand and says, "it's been so long, Rishu. I want to see you married now. With a good wife and your children."

"I can't, Mom. I am sorry." Rishabh says as he stood up and walks off.

**********

Two days later, Rishabh was in his office when Radha calls him. His mother rarely came to office nowadays, she has semi retired.

"Hello, Mom?" Rishabh answers the call.

"Rishu, I don't want to hear any excuses. I am going to Kapoor's house and you're coming there now." Radha tells him.

"For what?" Rishabh asks frowning.

"Every time, I ask you to meet a girl, you refuse and you don't turn up for the meeting. This time, you are coming. I am going to sit at Kapoor's house till you turn up. How much ever humiliating it is I will not leave before you come." Radha tells him stubbornly.

"Don't do this to me, Mom. You know everything." Rishabh tells her in shock and hurt.

"For how long should I watch you live like this, Rishu? Even if you don't want, I want to see you lead a happy married life. With children." Radha tells him.

"Mom... I just can't."

"You are burying yourself in work. You don't even spent time with us."

"I do, Mom." Rishabh argues though he knew he did drown himself with work so he doesn't have to think of what his life was now.

"If you did then I wouldn't miss my son so much, Rishu. After Trishna's wedding, I've been feeling so lonely, Rishu because you just don't spend time with me. You are working from dawn to midnight. You only come home to sleep nowadays. I don't know what is happening with you any more."

"Mom, I swear I will spend more time with you." Rishabh quickly says.

"I'll wait for you there." Radha tells him and hangs up.

Rishabh furiously screams. He hears a door open and his PA runs in.

"Sir..." Bittuji calls him worriedly.

Without looking up, Rishabh says angrily. "Nothing, you go."

Bittuji turns to walk off then he hesitates for a few seconds. "Sir..."

"I said leave." Rishabh says without looking at him, he gets up and tries to walk off his anger.

"I don't know whether I should even be telling you this." Bittuji starts.

"Not now!" Rishabh says angrily.

Bittuji turns to leave.

"What is it?" Rishabh asks, hoping it is something that he can use as an excuse to not go to the Kapoor's without hurting or insulting his mother.

"Er... I had gone to see one of my friend. And er... I ran into..." Bittuji worriedly looks at him and sees Rishabh watching him with a frown. "Madhu Madam."

"What?" Rishabh asks in a shocked whisper. Madhu was in town?

"She said she moved back to Mumbai and was staying in that building." Bittuji says. "I didn't ask her anything else."

Rishabh frowns as he stared down Bittuji, though his full attention was on Madhu. "Where is this flat?" Rishabh asks him.

**********

"Good Morning." Madhu says smiling happily seeing Aryan sleepily squinting at her on her phone screen.

"Is it morning?" Aryan asks as he sat up, trying to keep his eyes open.

"Since hours." Madhu tells him chuckling.

"Flat was so silent, I just slept off." Aryan tells her.

Madhu chuckles.

"How is the flat there? All to your satisfaction?" Aryan asks her.

"Yeah. But we really didn't need this big penthouse." Madhu tells him.

"If I had an inclination of your transfer I wouldn't have signed up the project to turn Nanu's mansion to a hotel." Aryan says.

"It's not that, I feel this is too big. It is as big as the Delhi penthouse." Madhu tells him.

"I'm planning to shuttle between Delhi and Mumbai every week now."

"You know, you don't have to do that." Madhu tells him feeling guilty.

"I don't want to be that couple that meet only during weekends." Aryan says. "If I could have shifted completely to Mumbai, I would have. But my family is here and I cant stay away from Delhi office like that. But I can work from Mumbai office every alternate weeks."

"It is going to tire you out." Madhu tells him worriedly.

"I'm used to travel for work." Aryan reminds her.

"Yeah, I know."

"Why you didn't like the penthouse?" Aryan asks her.

"It is amazing. I just felt that we really didn't need two penthouses."

"That is going to be our primary home. I was thinking we would need a big space when we start considering kids. Then we have to move again, so better this."

"Hmmm." Madhu bites her lower lip as she lowered her gaze.

"What now?" Aryan asks her.

"Did you speak to Ma?"

"I did." Aryan sighs loudly.

"She didn't change her mind." Madhu guesses.

"I know my mother, she will come around."

"We won't get married till she gives her permission." Madhu tells him.

"Even I won't marry without her permission. And she will agree." Aryan tells her.

Hearing the door bell ring, Madhu says. "Someone is at the door. I'll call you in the evening."

**********

Madhu opens the door and stops in shock seeing Rishabh.

"Rishu..." Madhu whispers in shock seeing him after 5 long years.

Her heart beating like crazy seeing him, her senses coming alive seeing the man who had been the love of her life, her reason for living. She studies his face as she took in the subtle changes of last 5 years.

"Hi, Madhu." Rishabh says as he glared at her. He steps in.

"What are you doing here?" Madhu asks him in shock as she took a step back, trying to keep the distance.

"I heard you were back in Mumbai, so I thought I would swing by and see how you are doing." Rishabh tells her.

"Why?" Madhu asks him in shock.

"Just to see how happy you are after you threw away our perfect marriage." Rishabh angrily says.

Madhu scoffs loudly hearing that.

"How did you know I am staying here?" Madhu asks in confusion then she guesses. "Bittuji."

"He told me you stay here. And when I checked the tenant list, whose name do I find? Aryan Singh Rathore. I took a wild guess and rang the bell." Rishabh tells her.

"I never changed my number. You could have just called and I would have told you, how I am doing. You didn't have to take this trouble."

"Mama..."

They both stop as they turned to the sound.

"Mama... there are kids playing down, can I go play with them?" Yash asks her as he ran to her.

Madhu looks at Rishabh to see how he was reacting to seeing the son he had abandoned so mercilessly 5 years ago.

Rishabh steps back in shock, his eyes filling up as he stared at Yash, then he accusingly looks at Madhu.

"Mama..." Yash holds her hand and shakes it.

Madhu looks away from Rishabh and looks at her son.

"Please, Mama?"

"Okay." Madhu says and turns to look at her live in maid and sees her cooking in the kitchen. "Leela, can you take him down?"

"Yes, just 1 minute." Leela says as she started wrapping up her cooking.

"Hi..." Rishabh says softly as he knelt down next to Yash.

Seeing Rishabh speak to their son for the first time, Madhu felt her eyes fill up. What was he doing? Why after all this time?

"Hi." Yash says smiling at him.

Rishabh lovingly keeps his hand on Yash's cheek. "You look exactly like your Mama."

Yash smiles happily hearing that.

"You've your Mama's smile." Rishabh says.

From his sound, Madhu could make out that Rishabh was on the verge of crying. Madhu felt herself wanting to cry.

For how long did she wish to see Rishabh with their baby before she had given up hope?

"What is your name?" Rishabh asks him.

"Yash Kundra." Yash tells him.

"What?" Rishabh whispers in shock.

"Yash Kundra." Yash repeats.

"Yash, let's go?" Leela asks him.

"Yeah." Yash says and he runs out without waiting for Leela. "Bye, Mama... bye Mama's friend."

Madhu watches Rishabh watch Yash run out in shock.

Seeing him stare at the door that Yash had run out of, Madhu starts to ask him to leave. After all these years, he had come to snub at her, not to meet their son. "Rishu..."

Rishabh furiously turns to Madhu and accuses her angrily. "THAT IS MY SON!"

**********

10 years ago

Holding Madhu's hand, Rishabh walks into his home. He sees his mother and sister sitting there. Noticing them walk in, he sees the frown come over his mother's face.

Madhu worriedly looks at Rishabh and he gives her a reassuring smile and gently guides her to sit on one of the couch.

"Mom..." Rishabh says as he looked at his mother.

"Who is this, Rishu?" Radha asks him as she looked at Madhu with a frown.

"This is Madhu, Mom. We were in the same school. She was my junior, Trishna, you know, Madhu, she was your senior in school." Rishabh says.

"I knew it. I told you, Mom, that he was dating that orphan scholarship girl. You didn't believe." Trishna says.

"Is it true, Rishu?" Radha asks him in shock. "I didn't believe her when she told me. I told her that you would tell me if you were in love."

Rishabh guiltily looks at her. "I love Madhu, Mom."

"Is that why you brought her here? To tell me that?" Radha asks him frowning as she looked Madhu up and down.

Madhu nervously gulps, her heart slamming against her chest.

"We want to get married, Mom." Rishabh tells her.

"Married?" Radha asks in shock. "You are just 21. You just joined office."

"Is she even marriageable age? She is just a year elder to me." Trishna asks in shock.

"Madhu turned 18 three months ago." Rishabh informs her, then kneeling down, he holds Radha's hand and gently tells her. "Madhu is pregnant, Mom."

**********

"Are you upset that we didn't have a grand wedding?" Rishabh asks Madhu as he hugged her from behind.

Madhu shakes her head in no as she smiled at his reflection on the mirror. "Marriage is marriage, be in court or a grand venue."

Rishabh smiles as he kissed her cheek. "I love you."

"I love you too." Madhu says as she turned to smile at him.

"Are you upset that you have to quit college?" Rishabh asks her softly.

"Mom is right, my priority should be the baby now." Madhu tells him.

"After Dad died, Mom singlehandedly raised Trishna and me. She had to work and be a full time mother. She did so beautifully. And it was not easy. She doesn't want you to go through what she did." Rishabh tells her.

Madhu smiles at him. "This is for our baby, Rishu. I'll do anything for our baby."

Rishabh smiles as he kept his hand on her stomach. "I'm going to work hard and give our baby the world." Then he cups her face and lovingly shook her face. "Even you."

"I know, Rishu." Madhu says as she hugged her.

"Madhu, just remember, Mom is everything to me. She has raised us with so much love in spite of all the hardships. Never hurt her. And always take care of her." Rishabh tells her.

"Your family is my family, Rishu. I have no one else. She is my mother too." Madhu tells him as she smiled at him.

Rishabh smiles happily hearing that, he leans down and her lips in his.

**********

"Don't forget, at 3 we have the appointment with the doctor." Madhu tells him as she walked to his car.

Rishabh smiles at her and tells her. "I'll come for lunch. We'll have lunch together then we can go see your doctor."

"Okay... have a nice day." Madhu says.

Seeing Rishabh leaning towards her, Madhu shyly looks around and then quickly kisses his cheek, he also kisses cheek.

"Love you." Rishabh tells her.

"Love you too." Madhu says happily.

She watches Rishabh drive off then smiling happily she walks back in.

She sees Trishna and Radha, she walks to them. "Aren't you going to office, Mom? And you Trishna, what about college?"

"Why? Do you want us gone?" Radha asks her rudely.

"What?" Madhu whispers in shock and confusion. "I was just..."

"My son might be blinded by love. I am not. So don't try your tricks on me." Radha tells her.

"What tricks, Mom? I am not playing any tricks." Madhu tells her in shock.

"Just stay out of my sight. And don't try to build any relationship with me." Radha tells her.

**********

"Hey..." Rishabh says happily as he walked in to their bedroom then seeing Madhu sadly sitting on the couch, he asks in concern. "Madhu, what happened?"

Madhu looks at him with tear filled eyes.

Rishabh sits next to her and hugs her. "What happened, love?"

"Your mother hates me." Madhu tells him as she hugged him.

"What?" Rishabh chuckles. "Mom can never hate anyone. It is not in her to hate. You're just worrying over nothing."

"No, she hates me." Madhu tells him as she cried.

"She doesn't. I know my mother." Rishabh says reassuringly. Then realizing that Madhu wasn't convinced, he takes his mobile out and dials his mother's number as he put it on speaker.

"Hello, Rishu? Reached?" Radha asks.

"Yeah, Mom."

"Had lunch?"

"Not yet."

"Why? Madhu is pregnant, Rishu. She should have her food at the right time." Radha tells him in a slightly scolding tone.

Madhu looks at Rishabh in surprise while Rishabh gives her didn't-i-say-so look.

"We are just going down to have lunch." Rishabh says.

"Let me know after you see the doctor."

"Yes, Mom." Rishabh says then he chuckles softly and says. "Mom... I don't know why Madhu got this idea that you don't like her... she is worried sick."

"What?" Radha asks shocked. "Why wouldn't I like her? She is carrying my grandchild of all things."

Grinning, Rishabh adds, "and she loves your son like crazy."

Madhu blushes hearing that.

"Aww." Radha says then she says hesitantly. "Rishu... I think it is my fault."

"What, Mom?" Rishabh asks in confusion.

"That Madhu thinks that I am not happy with the wedding." Radha explains.

"Come on, Mom. It is not your fault. Why would you even think so?" Rishabh asks her in shock.

"You know... I didn't even know about her. Then one day, my dear son comes and says he loves another girl... I think, I got a little possessive, jealous and insecure, your love for me was being split with someone else." Radha tells him. "I shouldn't be feeling that. It happened so suddenly..."

Rishabh chuckles. "You are so cute, Mom. You know, you are everything to me. Even Madhu knows that."

"Still... will you say sorry to her for me?" Radha asks him.

"She is listening." Rishabh tells her.

"Madhu, I am..."

Madhu quickly cuts her off. "No, Mom. I think I misunderstood. I am sorry."

"Kids don't apologize to their parents, Madhu." Radha tells her.

Madhu smiles hearing that.

"Now, go have something to eat. My grandchild is hungry."

"Okay, Mom. I'll see you back in the office." Rishabh says and hangs up. Then he looks at Madhu. "Happy now?"

Madhu nods as she smiled. "Sorry, I created unnecessary issue."

"It's okay, baby." Rishabh says as he hugged her. "Whatever it is, you tell me. We will sort it out."

**********

"Everything is going to be fine, Madhu." Rishabh tells her as he gently helped her remove her clothes.

"I am scared, Rishu." Madhu tells him worriedly.

"Don't worry. We'll take every care." Rishabh tells her as he helped her put her loose top.

Madhu nods as she lay down. "Stay with me." Madhu says as she held his hand.

"I'll." Rishabh says as he kissed her forehead. "Let me just call Mom and give her the update."

Madhu nods and she watches Rishabh walk out to the balcony to call his mother.

"Hello, Rishu... what did the doctor say? Is everything okay?" Radha asks him.

"No... it's bad." Rishabh says worriedly.

"What happened?" Radha asks him.

"Things are not looking good. Madhu is on bed rest. She might have to be on bed rest the whole pregnancy." Rishabh tells her. "Till the first trimester is over, we can't say anything."

"Oh God. Don't lose hope, Rishu. Everything will be fine. We'll get the best doctors. And get her the best treatment." Radha tells him.

"Thanks, Mom. I have to go. Madhu needs me." Rishabh tells her.

"Yeah, stay with her."

**********

"How are you, Madhu?" Radha asks Madhu.

"Okay, Mom." Madhu says as she worriedly shook her head.

"She had little spotting today. I spoke to the doctor." Rishabh tells her.

"What did he say?"

"He said if it increases to bring her in."

Radha nods. "Even I have had it with Rishu, Madhu. Nothing to worry about." Then smiling as she looked at Rishabh she says. "And you can see what a healthy big boy we have here."

Rishabh and Madhu smiles, feeling a little relieved and hopeful.

Radha turns to Rishabh and says. "You haven't come to office in two days, Rishu."

"Madhu needs me here, Mom." Rishabh tells her.

"I've called a home nurse. She will stay with Madhu full time." Radha tells him.

"But, Mom..."

Radha cuts him off. "How long are you going to stay like this? The whole pregnancy? You've responsibilities at office too. And a nurse is more equipped to take care of Madhu than you."

Rishabh looks at Madhu.

Understanding he was asking her opinion, she asks "Can't he work from here?"

"How can that be possible, Madhu? Please understand, Madhu. He is in charge of a big corporation. He has responsibilities to a lot of people. And you're sleeping and resting the whole day. He is really wasted here." Radha tells her.

Madhu looks at Rishabh hopefully. She so badly wanted him to be with her.

"I'll go, love?" Rishabh asks her.

Hearing his question, Madhu nods.

"I'll be back before you know it." Rishabh tells her as he kissed her cheek. "Take care, if anything, call me immediately."

Madhu smiles softly. "Don't worry. I'll be fine."

Three nights later, Madhu miscarried the baby.

**********

Madhu was in her room as she cried for their lost baby.

"It's not the end of the world. Why are you moping like this?" Radha asks Madhu as she walked into her room with Trishna behind her.

Madhu looks at her in shock.

"Can you stop your act? My son is getting depressed seeing your weeping. He is not able to move foreword." Radha tells him.

"It hurts, Mom." Madhu tells her as she cried.

"Why do you act as if you even care for the baby?" Radha asks her.

Madhu looks at her in shock.

"You had that baby to trap my innocent son to marry you. You think I don't know a gold digger like you?" Radha tells her.

"What are you saying, Mom? I didn't try to trap, Rishu. I would never do that. I love him." Madhu says crying hearing the cruel accusations.

Radha scoffs. "And right after you married, you miscarried. Not before the marriage. After the marriage."

"What are you saying, Mom?"

"Did you have an abortion? Did you take any pills? Now that you got what you wanted, this child was a burden." Radha tells him.

"Mom, I don't think she was even pregnant to begin with, Mom." Trishna tells her.

"Why are you being so cruel? I didn't hurt my baby. I didn't cause the miscarriage." Madhu says as she breaks down completely.

**********

"How could she say that I killed our baby, Rishu?" Madhu asks as she wailed, hugging Rishabh.

Rishabh hugs her as he tried to console her. "She would never say such a thing, Madhu. Why would she say that?"

"I didn't kill our baby, Rishu. I did everything the doctor told me to. I swear." Madhu was inconsolable.

"I know, Madhu. And Mom knows it too." Rishabh tells her, his heart breaking seeing her like that.

"No... she said I killed our baby. You know, how much I loved our baby." Madhu says crying.

"I know, Madhu. I know. I'll speak to Mom. It is just a misunderstanding." Rishabh tells her as he calmed her down.

Just as Rishabh was going to see his mother, Radha had come to their room.

"Madhu, should I bring your dinner now, bacha? Or do you prefer to come down and eat with us?" Radha asks her.

Madhu stops in shock seeing her acting as if nothing was the matter.

"Mom... did you tell Madhu that she killed our baby?" Rishabh asks her.

"WHAT?" Radha shouts in shock. "How could you ask me such a cruel thing, Rishu?" Radha asks as her eyes filled up.

"You did." Madhu accuses her.

"Mom will never say that, Madhu." Rishabh says angrily.

"She did." Madhu says as she cried.

"Madhu, is this about when I asked you whether you had followed everything the doctor said? And whether there was any chance we could have avoided it?" Radha asks her in shock.

"You asked Madhu that?" Rishabh asks her in shock.

Looking at Rishabh, eyes filling up, Radha says "We lost my grandchild, Rishu. I was hurt and I was just talking to Madhu and it slipped out... I shouldn't have asked her that... I am sorry." Crying Radha turns around and walks off.

"That is not how she said it." Madhu tells Rishabh.

"Madhu, you heard her explanation. She was grieving." Rishabh tells her helplessly. "Just like you."

"Rishu..."

"I agree she shouldn't have said that. But we all grieve differently. You are not the only one who lost her baby, Madhu. I lost my baby. Mom lost her grandchild. Trishna lost her nephew. We all are grieving." Rishabh gently tells her. "It just slipped out of her. Please forgive her. Let it go."

**********

"Mom... are you okay?" Rishabh asks her as he sat next to her.

"I shouldn't have said that to Madhu." Radha says sadly.

"No, Mom. Madhu misunderstood you. I am sorry." Rishabh tells her.

"I didn't even mean it like that. I was just talking to her, and I just asked. It was wistful thinking that I unknowingly spoke." Radha tells him helplessly.

"I know, Mom. You don't have to explain. I apologize for Madhu." Rishabh tells her.

"No, Rishu." Radha says as she lovingly kept her hand on his cheek with a smile.

"Madhu is in grief and she misunderstood."

"I think, somewhere in her, she blames herself for the miscarriage." Radha says.

"It was not Madhu's fault." Rishabh quickly defends her.

"I know, Rishu. But I feel, Madhu somewhere holds herself responsible for it. That is why, she is unconsciously trying to project it on me." Radha tells her.

"Mom." Rishabh whispers in shock.

"Don't talk to her about it. It is going to hurt her more."

"Should I take her to the doctor, for counseling or something." Rishabh asks her worriedly.

"No, Rishu. Just give her time. She will be fine."

Rishabh nods.

Radha dramatically sighs.

"What, Mom?" Rishabh asks her in concern.

"You rushed into it, Rishu." Radha says softly.

"Into what?"

"Marriage." Radha tells him as she looked at him.

"We had no choice, Mom." Rishabh tells her.

"Now, maybe you and Madhu should take time out from each other. Nobody really know you two are married." Radha tells him.

"I can't live without Madhu, Mom. Even Madhu can't live without me." Rishabh says then hurt he says. "I thought you loved Madhu."

"I do. That is why I said that."

"What do you mean?"

"Madhu is just 18, Rishu. She is just a child. Even you are very young. You both shouldn't be handling the intricacies of marriage at this age. Madhu is not physically or mentally mature to handle marriage, husband or household. She should be finding herself at this age." Radha tells him. "even you."

Rishabh guiltily looks at her.

"Maybe in a couple of years, if you two still want to be together, maybe then we can..."

"We are sure, Mom." Rishabh tells her as he cut her off. "Madhu is not just my high school sweetheart. We have been together for 4 years. I am as sure of my love for her as I am of your love for me. Even Madhu. We don't need time to realize that. She is my soulmate. And I am hers."

Radha sighs. "I just said because I care for Madhu."

"I know, Mom. You are right, Madhu is young. But our love is strong enough to survive anything."

Radha nods.

"I was thinking, Madhu should go back to college. Once she gets busy with her studies, she will slowly come out of her grief."

"Whatever you think is best for her."

**********

"Be happy, okay?" Rishabh tells her as he dropped her outside her college.

Madhu smiles as she nodded at him.

"I'll send the driver to pick you up in the evening." Rishabh tells her as he kissed her.

"Bye." Madhu kisses him.

Madhu walks into her class and sees her old friends. They wave at her happily and she walks to them.

Madhu was talking to her friends when, "Is that you, Madhu?"

Madhu turns back and sees Aryan behind her. She smiles at him.

"You are back?" Aryan asks happily as he hugged her.

"Yeah." Madhu says smiling.

"Awesome. Why didn't you tell me your were coming? No calls after marriage."

"I wanted to surprise you." Madhu says smiling. "I got busy." Madhu says softly.

"I didn't understand why you had to quit your studies." Aryan says as he looked at her then he asks her excitedly. "How is the little one doing?"

Hearing about her baby, Madhu's eyes fill up.

Seeing her tear-filled eyes, Aryan immediately understands, and he hugs her, holding her head against his chest. "I am so sorry, Madhu."

"I don't want to talk about it, okay?" Madhu softly says.

"Of course."

Hearing her mobile buzz, Madhu takes her phone and sees that Rishabh had messaged her.

All okay? How is it going?

Madhu smiles as she replied. All good. Met everyone. With Aryan now.

Hi to him. Have fun. Love you.

Love you too.

**********

Madhu got busy with her college while Rishabh got busy with his business. Though they were busy with their things, they were happy together. But at the home, Madhu started realizing that her mother-in-law and sister-in-law hated her. Though it broke her heart, she tried her best to win their approval. Every time they said anything cruel, Madhu took it to Rishabh, who refused to believe his mother could be cruel and then Radha would easily manipulate him.

The biggest gripe of Radha against Madhu was that she wasn't good enough to be Rishabh's wife, and in the case of when someone is told something over and over again, they start believing it. Like wise, Madhu started believing that she wasn't good enough and deserving.

"You are eating, Madhu?" Radha asks her in shock as she walked to Madhu with a big tray covered with a cloth.

Madhu stops serving her food and looks at her in shock.

"What is wrong, Mom?" Rishabh asks in shock. "We always have breakfast at this time."

"But it is Karva chauth today." Radha says as she looked at Madhu in disappointment.

Madhu gasps in shock. "I didn't know." Madhu turns to Rishabh guiltily. "I am sorry, Rishu. No one told me."

"It's okay, Madhu." Rishabh says smiling as he kept his hand over hers.

"You are married girl. You should have known." Radha tells her frowning.

"Mom, Madhu has never done all this before. You could have reminded her." Rishabh gently tells her.

"I am a widow, Rishu. I don't keep track of it. Just now, I was speaking to my friend and that is when I realized it. But Madhu should have kept track of all these. This is about your life." Radha says disappointed.

Hearing his mother address herself as widow, Rishabh felt sorry for her. He keeps his hand over hers. "Let it go, Mom."

"I would have done everything if I had known, Mom." Madhu guiltily says.

Radha sighs dramatically. "This is why I said you are not ready to take the responsibilities of a wife."

Rishabh and Madhu guiltily looks at each other, they both knew they were too young to be married.

"Did you eat anything?" Radha asks her.

"No."

"You can still keep the fast then." Radha says.

"There is no need for it." Rishabh says.

"No, I want to." Madhu tells him quickly.

"You sure?" Rishabh asks her.

"Yes." Madhu tells him as she smiled at him.

Rishabh smiles. "Okay, let's do it then."

"What do you mean?" Madhu asks smiling, seeing him smile.

"You fast, I fast." Rishabh tells her.

"You don't have to do that." Madhu quickly tells him.

"What am I going to do with a long life if my darling is not there?" Rishabh asks her as he leaned towards her and kissed her cheek.

Madhu happily blushes.

"You should have told me that you were going to fast. This is Madhu's sergi." Radha says.

"That's okay, Mom." Rishabh says smiling.

Neither Madhu nor Rishabh wondered how Radha was able to arrange sergi in five minutes

"Okay, let me go before I get tempted by the food."

Madhu chuckles as she watched Rishabh walk off.

"Here." Radha says as she extended the sergi.

"Thank you, Mom." Madhu says as she took it from her then guiltily she says. "I am sorry, I forgot."

"What is new in that?" Radha asks her. "You just have to keep proving that you are not good enough for my son."

Madhu felt bad hearing that. "I have never followed these rituals. In my orphanage we didn't have all this."

"If your parents were there then they would have told you. But then who are your parents? They knew when you were born itself that you were going to be a failure and disappointment." Radha says as she walked off.

Madhu grips the sergi as she fought her tears.

**********

Slowly, it started affecting Madhu and Rishabh's relationship.

"I topped my class." Madhu says excitedly as she walked in.

Only Radha and Trishna were there.

"Oh, so you've good memory and can mug up." Radha says dismissively. "Congratulations on not being a complete loser."

Madhu's smile drop and all her happiness at her achievements draining completely.

**********

"Come on, Mom might have been joking." Rishabh says chuckling.

"No." Madhu stubbornly mumbles.

"It is such a good day. Why do you have to ruin our mood, Madhu?" Rishabh asks her fed up.

"Why does she keep undermining all my achievements?" Madhu asks him.

"She is not doing that. Mom adores you." Rishabh tells her.

"She hates me. Even Trishna."

Rishabh groans in frustration. "Can you stop it? Can we go down for dinner? Mom and Trishna would be waiting."

"No. I don't want dinner." Madhu says as she lays down.

"Fine! I am going." Rishabh says and walks off.

**********

"Where is Madhu, Rishu?" Radha asks as Rishabh was alone.

"She slept, Mom. She didn't want dinner." Rishabh lies.

Radha makes a sad sympathetic face. "She has been studying so hard. She wasn't sleeping well also. Good thing, she is resting now. Come, let's eat."

Rishabh smiles at his mother, though he felt anger rising towards Madhu for not seeing his mother's loving nature.

"I was thinking we should have a party. Madhu came first." Radha says excitedly.

Rishabh chuckles. "Mom, it is just a semester exam. People will think we are crazy."

Radha grins. "I think I got too excited, first time one of my children is topping class."

"I wasn't bad." Rishabh tells her grinning.

"You didn't come first." Radha teases him.

Rishabh smiles though in his heart he was upset that Madhu was taking forever to adjust into their family.

**********

Slowly, Madhu started hating being at home when Rishabh wasn't around. So, citing one reason or the other, Madhu started hanging out with her best friend Aryan more and more, which led to deepening their bond.

"Who is that boy, who keeps dropping Madhu home every night, Rishu?" Radha asks him, one day while they were in office.

"What?" Rishabh looks at his mother frowning, at her tone.

"One boy keeps dropping Madhu home every night. Trishna was telling me." Radha tells him frowning.

"Did you mean Aryan?" Rishabh asks her.

"I don't know his name. But what is Madhu doing with him?"

"He is her best friend, Mom." Rishabh says then frowning he asks himself. "Why didn't Madhu ever invite him home?"

"Why is she with this boy so much?" Radha asks him.

"Mom, he is her best friend. I know him. Very sweet guy." Rishabh tells her then smiling, he reassures her. "Don't worry, Madhu is safe with him."

"But what is the need for her to be with him like that? I don't think it is right."

Rishabh chuckles hearing that. "What wrong can happen?"

"I don't think it is nice, Rishu."

Frowning, he asks, "Is it that you don't trust Madhu. Madhu loves me, Mom. Aryan is her best friend. It is just that."

Realizing that Rishabh trusted Madhu blindly and she might get into his bad books if she accused his wife of adultery, she decides to change tunes. "It is not that. What will our neighbors say?" Radha asks him.

"Just because of what people will say I will not ask Madhu to sacrifice her friends and stay at home full time." Rishabh says frowning.

"She is never home, Rishu." Radha softly tells him.

Rishabh sighs. "Mom, I'm busy with work, you are busy in office. Trishna has her friends circle. What is Madhu going to do at home alone?"

"That is true." Radha says not wanting to stretch and ruin things between Rishabh and her.

Rishabh reassuringly smiles at her. "You only say Madhu is too young to be married. She is still in her teens. Let her enjoy life, Mom. Let her hang out with her friends, party with them. I don't ever want Madhu to think she lost out of things because we got married early. Even Madhu wants the same for me."

**********

"What the hell are you saying, Madhu?" Rishabh asks furiously.

"Do you think I am a slut, Rishu?" Madhu asks as she cried her heart out.

"Why would you say that, Madhu? Have I ever said anything like that?" Rishabh asks her furiously.

"Your mother did." Madhu tells him.

"What?" Rishabh asks shocked. "Mom would never say that."

"She did."

"She is too decent to say something like that." Rishabh says furiously.

"She said I don't know who my parents are. The way I am friends with Aryan, she is sure that I might be some prostitute's child." Madhu says as she cried.

"Come with me." Rishabh says as he took her hand and marched to his mother.

Radha was with Trishna in the TV room.

"Mom, did you call my wife a slut or say that her mother is a prostitute?" Rishabh asks Radha.

"WHO DARE SAY THAT ABOUT MY DAUGHTER-IN-LAW?" Radha asks furiously as she stood up.

Madhu stares at her in shock.

"Madhu said you did." Rishabh softly say.

"Why would you say something so disgusting, Madhu? I always tell you that I am your mother and... why would you lie, Madhu?" Radha asks hurt.

Rishabh turns to Madhu and says. "I told you my mother would never say anything so disgusting. Why would you lie like this?"

"I didn't lie. She said I was having an affair with Aryan!" Madhu furiously argues.

"What?" Radha asks in shock then she says. "All I asked you was Rishabh said Aryan is your best friend so why you never invited him home and introduced us. I never said anything else. I never implied I had any doubts regarding your relation to Aryan. I know you love Rishu. Why would you make up stories like that, Madhu?"

"That is not true." Madhu argues.

"That is what happened. I was there. She said she didn't want to bring Aryan home and Mom was hurt but she didn't say anything." Trishna says.

"You are lying. You were not even there!" Madhu furiously says.

"ENOUGH, Madhu!" Rishabh shouts furiously. "All these days, I have been patient. Every time you tried to cause issues between Mom and me, I thought you are young, you are immature, it will be fine with time. You are never home. You are not trying to build a relation with my mother and sister, I didn't say anything because I thought you were adjusting but you are accusing my mother of disgusting things. I will not forgive that."

"You don't believe me." Madhu whispers in shock.

"After all that you did, are you blaming me for it?" Rishabh asks her furiously.

"Rishu, I am not lying."

"I just don't want to see your face right now, Madhu. Just leave."

"Rishu.."

"Can you just leave so I can apologize to my mother for you?" Rishabh asks her furiously.

Hurt and broken, Madhu walks off.

"Mom... I don't know why Madhu is doing all this... I am so sorry." Rishabh tells her helplessly as he held her hand.

"Trishna, why don't you go to your room?" Radha asks her.

Trishna leaves.

"Sit with me, Rishu." Radha says tired as she sat down.

Rishabh sits next to her.

"Why does Madhu dislike us so much?" Radha asks him sadly.

"I don't know, Mom. I don't know what changed. Before marriage, she was so eager to meet you. She used to say that even though she never met you, she loves you. In her heart, you are her mother." Rishabh says hurt. "I don't know what has caused this change in her."

"Maybe, Rishu..." Radha says thoughtfully. "She is just possessive about you. She is so young. Maybe in her immaturity she thinks that I am more important to you than her. Maybe she wants to keep her to herself in her insecurity. She is an orphan after all."

"I told her that you are everything to me." Rishabh whispers in shock. "You think she got insecure?"

"Maybe." Radha replies sadly.

Rishabh puts his head down tired and thoughtfully.

"I think you and Madhu should move out, Rishu. Move to your own place." Radha gently tells him.

"What are you saying?" Rishabh asks her in shock.

"Maybe if you are away from us, Madhu might feel secure." Radha tells him.

"Mom, after Dad died, life had been hell for you. You were all alone, you couldn't trust his relatives, Nani and Nanu were old, you had no one to help you, still you fought for Trishna and me. You took care of us. Protected us. Looked after the company. And I am not going to abandon you just because Madhu doesn't understand that there are other people in my life other than her. We are not going anywhere." Rishabh says angrily.

It took Madhu and Rishabh three days, for Rishabh to forgive Madhu for her supposed lies and Madhu to forgive Rishabh for his lack of faith in her. They forgave each other but neither forgot and the wedge was created.

**********

And things came to a near end. It was their second wedding anniversary.

"Mom... Rishabh had called from the airport." Madhu says.

Radha looks at her waiting for her to continue.

"He was saying that we should go out for dinner." Madhu tells her.

"Okay, go." Radha tells her irately.

"He meant all of us." Madhu tells her.

"Us? For your anniversary dinner?" Radha asks her mockingly. "So later, you can accuse us of crashing your dinner?"

"No, Mom. I would love it if you could come." Madhu says sincerely, somewhere in her, she still held out hope that one day she would be accepted by her mother-in-law.

"No." Radha says.

Madhu turns to Trishna. "What about you, Trishna?"

"If you are not going to be there, then yes. If you are going to be there, then no thank you." Trishna tells her.

Madhu gives up and calls up Rishabh. "They are not coming." Madhu informs him.

"Okay... I got luggage. You get ready. I'll be there soon." Rishabh tells her.

"Okay."

Later, Rishabh and Madhu were leaving for their dinner.

"Are you two going out?" Radha asks in shock.

"Yeah... for dinner. You forgot?" Rishabh asks confused.

"What?" Radha asks in shock. "Why didn't you tell us, Madhu? We thought you two had no plans and we were having a small celebration here. Trishna even baked a cake."

"I told you." Madhu reminds her in shock.

"Madhu, you didn't invite Mom and Trishna to come with us for dinner?" Rishabh asks her frowning.

"I did and they said they were not coming." Madhu furiously argues.

"What are you saying, Madhu? You didn't ask us anything." Radha asks shocked. "If you had told us, we wouldn't have done the decorations and all. I did ask you whether you and Rishabh had any plans."

"You did no such thing."

"You didn't say we were to dress up for the celebration." Trishna says acting shocked as she walked in. "Should I change?"

"No... they are going." Radha says.

"We are not going. Come, Mom." Rishabh declares as he walked off to the dining room.

Radha smirks at Madhu and walks off. Madhu follows them.

They walk to the dining room and sees the place decorated.

"Madhu has her heart set on going out for dinner. Why don't you two just cut the cake and go for your dinner?" Radha asks them.

"No, Mom. We are having dinner together." Rishabh stubbornly says.

"You knew Rishabh and I were going for dinner." Madhu furiously shouts.

"Stop shouting at my mother, Madhu." Rishabh says furiously.

"Your mother! That is all you see!" Madhu accuses him. "You never see what they are doing to me."

"What are you saying, bhabhi?" Trishna asks as she kept the cake on the table.

Madhu was too furious, that she marches to the table and furiously pushes the cake off the table.

"Madhu." Rishabh furiously shouts.

Glaring at him, Madhu turns around and walks off.

**********

Rishabh furiously opens the door and barges in. Madhu ignores him.

"I was away for a week from our family. I thought the night I reach if I go off with my wife for dinner, then my mother and sister might feel bad. So, I suggested that we go for dinner. I explained to you that. If you didn't want to include them you should have just told me that. I would have understood." Rishabh says furiously. "Instead you chose to lie to me. Trishna and Mom were trying to make us feel special. You destroyed the cake she made."

"When are you going to open your eyes and see that your mother and sister are nothing but manipulative liars?" Madhu asks him furiously. "Stop being so blind to your mother. Every mother raises their children. It is hard but they all do it. Your mother also did."

"Yours didn't." Rishabh reminds her.

Madhu stops in shock, she couldn't believe he had took her worst pain and threw it at her face. Her eyes fill up.

Rishabh felt like a cad of the worst kind for bringing up her abandonment by her birth parents, but he was too angry with Madhu to apologize to her for that.

"Finally, you started speaking your mother's language." Madhu points out as she fought her tears.

Hearing her bring his mother into this again, Rishabh lost it. "I am done, Madhu. I have done everything I could to make you happy. To build a life with you. But that is not what you want. What you want, I cant give you."

"All I wanted was your love and faith." Madhu tells him.

"No, you want to drive a wedge against my family and me, so you can have me all to yourself." Rishabh accuses her.

"You're speaking but all I am hearing is you repeating your mother's words." Madhu accuses him.

"I want divorce." Rishabh tells her.

"What?" Madhu stops in shock, her heart breaking.

"Let's separate, Madhu." Rishabh tells her.

"No, Rishu." Madhu breaks into tears as she ran to him. "Please don't leave me, Rishu. You know, I have no one else. You are all I have. I will die without you, Rishu. I love you so much, please don't leave me."

Rishabh's eyes fill up seeing her break down like that.

Madhu hugs him as she cried helplessly. "Don't leave me, Rishu. Please, Rishu. I am begging you, Rishu."

Rishabh cups her face as he cried. "What happened to you, Madhu? Why did you change so much? Why are you being so insecure, possessive and jealous of my family? Don't you know how much I love you and them?"

In that second, Madhu knew, if she defended herself, she would lose him forever, so she lies. "I will change, Rishu. I wont cause any problems. I will not speak a word against your mother or sister. I promise. Please don't leave me."

Rishabh hugs her. "Please, Madhu. I don't want to lose you. I love you so much."

**********

Holding Rishabh's hand, Madhu walks to Trishna and Radha.

"I am sorry, I did all that." Madhu whispers as she looked down.

"It's okay, Madhu, we just want you and Rishu to be happy." Radha says.

Madhu nods. "I am sorry, Trishna, you had baked the cake for us so lovingly. In my insecurity I destroyed it. I am very sorry."

"It's okay, bhabhi." Trishna says.

"Let's eat dinner." Rishabh says, not wanting to drag this issue further.

**********

A year later, Madhu walked in with Rishabh and Radha to Aryan's Mansion. His grandfather had passed away, and they were there for the funeral.

Madhu and Radha spoke to Aryan's mother and sister while Rishabh had stood with Aryan.

Seeing Aryan looking at her, Madhu walks to Aryan and holds his hand. She gently squeezes it. Aryan softly smiles at her as they spoke.

"They are calling me." Aryan says and walks to speak with someone.

Madhu moves to Rishabh. "Mom was asking whether it was okay to leave."

Rishabh nods. "Yeah, we will leave. Do you want to stay here?"

"I think I should stay. Aryan might need my help around here." Madhu tells him.

"Okay." Rishabh gently smiles at her. "I'll pick you up in the evening." Rishabh says as he kissed her temple.

"I can ask my driver to come." Madhu tells him. Even though Rishabh had suggested she learn driving, she hadn't learned it, because she was sure she was too dumb to conquer driving skills.

"No, I'll pick you up on my way home."

"Okay." Madhu smiles. "bye."

**********

"I heard that Aryan is from Delhi." Radha says on her way to office with Rishabh.

"Yeah, Mom. His family is there."

"So, why is he studying here?" Radha asks him.

"His maternal grandparents stay here. When his grandmother died, his grandfather was alone. He had business here, so he refused to move to Delhi. Aryan's mother was worried about her father staying alone, Aryan had just finished his 12th that time. So, they thought it best that Aryan join college here, and stay with his grandfather." Rishabh explains.

"Oh, so, now that he finished graduation, he might go back to Delhi to do his post graduation." Radha guesses.

"Maybe, Mom. Madhu didn't say anything. I don't think they have made a decision, the death was so unexpected."

**********

By evening, all the mourners had left and only a handful of people were left. Aryan's sister Arpita was on a call, and his mother, Narmada had gone to lie down. So, Madhu was sitting alone as Aryan had been busy settling all the bills.

Seeing a message from Rishabh, Madhu checks her phone.

Are you ready to leave?

Yeah, everything is settled here.

Okay, then I'll leave office in 5 mins.

"Your mother-in-law seemed like the wicked witch of the west." Aryan says as he sat next to her.

"What?" Madhu asks in shock as she turned to look at him.

"It's just the way, she was looking at us when we were together verses when she spoke to me when Rishabh was with us." Aryan says.

"Hmmm." Madhu had learned the hard way to keep her mouth shut when it came to her mother-in-law.

"Is she treating you well, Madhu?" Aryan asks her in concern.

"Yes." Madhu replies, any other answer would have made her disloyal to Rishabh.

"It didn't look like that to me. You never speak of them." Aryan says.

"I don't want to talk about it." Madhu tells him as she looked away.

"Are you at least talking to Rishabh about it?" Aryan asks her.

Madhu fought hard to control her tears remembering how he had threatened her with divorce when she had.

"All okay, Madhu?" Aryan asks her in concern as he kept his hand on her arms.

"Your grandfather passed away, we shouldn't be gossiping."

Aryan softly chuckles. "Understood. Whenever you feel like talking, I am here for you."

Madhu nods.

"I though feel like having a word with Rishabh." Aryan tells her.

"Are you mad?" Madhu asks him frowning.

Aryan shrugs then he curiously asks. "Why did your mother-in-law come? She doesn't know any of us."

"You're my best friend and Rishabh felt our family should be here."

"That was considerate of him."

"Yes, he is very caring and loving." Madhu says.

Aryan looks at her with a surprised frown. "I never doubted that, Madhu." Then he asks her worriedly. "Do you doubt it?"

"No." Madhu says though she wasn't sure whether she was lying or not. If he still loved her would she feel so lonely in that house and marriage?

**********

"Trishna was saying that Aryan had come to drop you today, Madhu." Radha says at dinner.

"I went with him to college today for admission." Madhu tells her.

"He is going to do his post graduation here?" Radha asks surprised.

"Yes."

"I thought he was staying here for his grandfather. Now, why is he staying here? I wonder."

Madhu had picked on that insinuation for a while now, but she wasn't going to fall prey to that and lose the only solace in her life apart from Rishabh.

"He has to take over his grandfather's company. So, he is going to study and work here. By the time he finishes PG, he plans to learn everything, and has things running in his absence when he moves to Delhi." Madhu tells her. "His mother is looking after their business now. Just like you, after his father died, his mother has raised Aryan and his sister singlehandedly while managing their business."

Radha didn't like being compared to someone else but she doesn't show it. "It is not easy to take over a company and look after two kids."

"And you did an amazing job at both, Mom." Rishabh tells her, smiling proudly at her.

Radha smiles at him happily.

**********

Madhu watched Rishabh as he read some messages on his phone as he lay next to her.

As Rishabh got more involved in his business, he got busy. Majority part of his day, he spent working, sometimes he left very early for work, and he always came just at the time for dinner. They rarely spent time together now outside their bedroom. In their bedroom also, they didn't speak much. It is not that they did not speak, they did, but nothing meaningful. It is all just mundane things, about what is happening in each other's life on a superficial level.

Madhu couldn't help wonder whether if they hadn't got married when they did, would they have broken up. And she knew, if they did break up, then it wouldn't be because she didn't want to be with him. But she couldn't say the same for Rishabh.

Sometimes, she found herself wondering whether Rishabh would have ever married her if it wasn't for the pregnancy.

And the more she thought of it, the more convinced she was that Rishabh wouldn't have. Somewhere in her, she had started to believe what her mother-in-law and sister-in-law, always made a point to throw in her face, Rishabh was over his high school love, he was staying with her now, because he was married to her and stuck with her. He had no other option.

Madhu felt that Rishabh never really needed her. And she was such a failure in everything, he regretted marrying her. There was nothing for him in their marriage or her. He didn't need her like she needed him. Except for when they made love. When they made love, it felt like old times, passionate and beautiful.

Seeing Rishabh keep aside his mobile, she turns to him, he smiles at her.

"that merger I told you about. We are going ahead with it." Rishabh tells her as he moved to her.

Madhu moves to him as she snuggled into his arms.

"I might have to be away for a week or two."

"Will you miss me?" Madhu asks him softly.

"I am going to be super busy." Rishabh tells her then he starts nibbling on her lips. "But I will miss you every second of it."

Madhu hugs him as she kissed him.

**********

Madhu felt depression engulf her, or was it panic, she didn't know. All she knew was that she was going to be alone now.

They had given their final exams and Aryan was preparing to move back to Delhi. Spending time with Aryan helped her take her mind off things at home.

Rishabh had got more busy with work, if that was even possible. Her in-laws hated her and didn't let her forget it for a single second.

Now that, she had stopped telling Rishabh anything regarding what they say, she was able to avoid fights with Rishabh, though at times they managed to cause trouble between Rishabh and her, but she doesn't let it fester, she quickly gives in, apologizes and appease Rishabh.

Because she knew, if she didn't, Rishabh was going to leave her one day.

And she couldn't think of life without Rishabh.

Now that Aryan was going, she didn't know where she would run off to when things got so hard for her at home.

"Check this out." Aryan says as he turned his phone to her.

Madhu looks at the photos and sees that it was the photos of a penthouse.

"You are still adamant on living alone?" Madhu asks shocked.

"For last two years, I lived alone. Now, I can't live with Ma and di." Aryan says.

Madhu frowns at him in disappointment. His mother and sister were adorable and loving.

"My Ma can be a little bit of a helicopter Mother. And di is also no less. Now, I can't imagine people running behind me checking whether I ate, what I am wearing, why I am working late, where I am going, where I am coming from. I will visit them every other day and weekends." Aryan tells her.

"Your Ma agreed?" Madhu asks him.

"When I promised her that I will go home every weekend, she gave in."

**********

"Madhu, Trishna and I am planning to go to the spa in the evening. Do you want to come with us?" Radha asks her excitedly.

Madhu was quickly on her guard, firstly her mother-in-law spoke to her this happily only when she had a trap set for her, and secondly, her mother-in-law never invited her anywhere.

"No, Mom. I went to the spa just two days back. You guys have fun." Madhu tells her with a polite smile.

"Oh, then why don't you and Rishu go for dinner? We are planning to have dinner and come back. Servants will also get a break." Radha tells her.

And Madhu knew what her mother-in-law was at. She had heard her tell the servant that she won't be home for dinner.

"She has plans with Aryan, Mom." Rishabh tells Radha. "Let me see, if I can I will join you two for dinner."

"With Aryan?" Trishna asks. "Is that why you refused to come with us? You could have just told us that."

"No, I refused because I went to the spa just two days back." Madhu says as she showed off her manicured nails. "If I hadn't, I would have asked you to reschedule so I can join."

"Yeah, why do you think Madhu has to make up excuses?" Rishabh asks Trishna, frowning.

"No, I didn't mean like that." Trishna says quickly.

"Actually, Rishu, it is a ladies night at the spa, we will be having dinner there." Radha tells him then turning to Madhu, she says. "Why don't you reschedule your dinner with Aryan to another night. I don't want Rishu to be alone."

Madhu worriedly looks at Rishabh then she looks at Radha and says. "I can't reschedule. Aryan is leaving for Delhi tomorrow."

"I am not a baby, Mom." Rishabh says chuckling. "For half a night, I think I can manage by my own just fine."

Radha gives a smile. "You know, a mother's heart."

Rishabh smiles at her.

"You can join us." Madhu tells him smiling.

"No, you guys have fun. I'll be fine." Rishabh tells reassuringly then grinning he adds. "And you two have been planning this for a while now, and from what you told me it is going to be a crazy night and I want no part in it. And plus, I have no idea what time I will leave office today."

"Okay." Madhu says with a smile and leaves the table, as she didn't want any more discussion on this with her in-laws.

"I can't believe she would ditch bhai for Aryan. It is as if for bhabhi, Aryan is more important than bhai." Trishna complains.

Rishabh turns to his sister and says in displeasure. "I have ditched Madhu a lot more times for work, that doesn't mean business is more important to me than Madhu."

"Yeah, Trishna... why are you saying such things?" Radha asks her frowning at her. "We all know how much Madhu loves Rishu. Aryan is just her best friend."

"Please make her understand, Mom. I won't tolerate anyone slandering my wife." Rishabh tells Radha and gets up and walks off.

**********

Drunk and after dancing crazily for a long time, Madhu and Aryan, laughing and gasping for breath, walk to their seats.

They falls to their seat as they sat side by side. Slowly their laughter dies down.

"I am going to miss you like crazy when you go." Madhu tells him as she looked at him.

"Even I will miss you." Aryan tells her as he smiled at her.

"You better call me and come to see me. Don't give me the bullshit of being busy with work."

"I won't. You should also come to Delhi to visit me."

"I will, now, whenever Rishu has to go to Delhi, I'll come with him."

"Otherwise also come. Plan with him and come." Aryan tells her.

Madhu looks down sadly and says. "He is always busy."

Aryan watches her for a long time then he says, guiltily. "My life is there. My family, my business, it's all there. I've to go."

"I know."

"I don't like leaving you and going." Aryan says.

"But you've to go." Madhu says sadly then perking up, she tells him. "I have Rishu."

"I don't know why you refuse to tell me what is happening at home. I know you are not happy. Don't keep it all in you. At least share it with Rishabh."

"I don't want to lose him. I cant tell him anything." Madhu tells him then eyes filling up, Madhu says, "He won't believe me."

"Why won't he believe you? You are the love of his life." Aryan reminds her frowning.

"No, the love of his life is his mom."

"That Cruella de Vil?" Aryan asks shocked out of his wits.

Madhu nods. "You know, they even try to make him think that you and I am having an affair."

"Affair?" Aryan shouts outraged.

"But my Rishu doesn't believe it. He trusts me." Madhu tells him smiling.

"See, he trusts you and you say he won't believe you."

"He won't believe me against his mom."

"Should I give some supari against that Dolores Umbridge?" Aryan asks her.

"No! That is Rishu's Mom. Rishu will be hurt." Madhu tells him angrily.

"You're your biggest enemy, Madhu." Aryan declares.

"So be it. I won't let anyone hurt my Rishu." Madhu declares.

"Fine!" Aryan gives up.

"When you and Rishu won't be here, I will be all alone." Madhu says lost in thoughts and dreadfully adds. "With them."

Aryan worriedly looks at her.

"Even you won't be here, who will I run to?" Madhu asks worriedly.

"You know, we have other friends." Aryan gently reminds her.

"Most of them are moving away for jobs."

"I'm just a phone call away. One call and I'll come flying." Aryan promises her.

**********

Madhu opens her bedroom door and staggers in then stops in surprise seeing Rishabh waiting for her.

"You didn't sleep?" Madhu asks as she squinted at him.

"God, you're so drunk." Rishabh says in shock.

"Once in a blue moon I drink and I wanted to be drunk today." Madhu informs him as she tried lean on him, though misjudging their distance by a good two feet.

Rishabh hurries to her and holds her. "Careful, love."

"Love." Madhu smiles dreamily. "You're the love of my life. I love you so much."

"I know, baby." Rishabh tells her as he smiled at her.

"I love you the most in this world."

"I know." Rishabh says happily.

"Not Aryan." Madhu says shaking her head. "He is my best friend. And you're the one I love."

"I know, Madhu." Rishabh says feeling guilty. "I don't know why Trishna was thinking all that."

"You trust my love for you. And I love you all the more for that."

"I'll never doubt your love for me, Madhu."

Madhu worriedly asks him as her eyes filled up. "Will you ever leave me, Rishu?"

"Never, Madhu." Rishabh tells her shocked. "My life is with you."

"And mine, with you."

"Come, let's get you out of these clothes." Rishabh tells her as he took her to the bathroom.

Rishabh had stripped Madhu and took her to the bathtub when he hears her phone ring.

"I'll come now." Rishabh tells her and goes to the bedroom to check.

Seeing it was Aryan, he answers the call. Before he could say anything, Aryan asks. "Idiot, did you reach your room or hit your head somewhere and die? I am still outside waiting."

Rishabh smiles. "She did, Aryan."

"Rishabh..."

"Yeah, Madhu is fine, Aryan. You go home. Just message me when you safely reach your room."

"I will." Aryan replies then asks offended. "But before that, do you think I am having an affair with your wife?"

Rishabh sighs sadly, realizing that Madhu told Aryan about it.

"When I met your wife AKA my best friend, she was already in love with you and dating you. That is a big no entry in my eyes!"

"I know, Aryan. I know you two are best friends and nothing more." Rishabh tells him in an appeasing tone.

"Good. You better make it clear to that Bellatrix Lestrange."

Misunderstanding, Rishabh says. "I already spoke to her. She won't say anything like this again."

"Good."

"Rishu... I am drowning... I am drowning." Madhu calls out panicking.

"I've to go. Call when you reach." Rishabh says hurriedly and hangs up. He runs to the bathroom.

"Rishu... I am drowning. Save me." Madhu calls out as she sat in the tub with the shower water hitting her head.

Rishabh runs and turns off the shower.

Madhu splutters as she hugged Rishu. "You saved me. My hero."

Rishabh grins as he grabbed a towel and wiped Madhu down.

"Why didn't you sleep, Rishu?" Madhu asks him remembering.

"I was waiting for you." Rishabh tells her.

"Why? I told you I would be late."

Rishabh kisses her cheek. "I find it hard to sleep without you in my arms."

**********

"How did you do?" Rishabh asks excitedly as soon as he answered the call.

"I topped." Madhu tells him excitedly.

"Awesome... I just knew it!" Rishabh says excitedly. "Congratulations, love."

"Thank you." Madhu says smiling.

"We should celebrate. Let's go out for dinner."

"Tonight?" Madhu asks excitedly.

"Yeah... just check with Mom and Trishna whether they want to join us."

"Okay."

"Okay, I have to go." Rishabh tells her and hangs up.

Madhu opens whatsapp and takes their group chat. She had created this family group, and any kind of conversation with her mother-in-law and sister-in-law, she did through that, so they are not able to mislead Rishabh later.

I topped and Rishu wants to celebrate, he was suggesting dinner, what say Mom? Trishna?

Congrats bhabhi... I'm in the mood to stay in tonight.

Congratulations bacha... so proud of you... even I am in the mood to stay in tonight.

Madhu sighs seeing that. Thank you.

Then Rishabh messages.

Madhu... Be ready at 7. Just co-ordinate with Bittuji which restaurant you prefer and he will make the reservation.

**********

Madhu was just about to go to her bedroom to get dressed for dinner when Radha reaches home.

Madhu politely smiles at her and continues on.

"Rishu was saying now that you finished college, you should join office." Radha says.

Madhu stops as she looked at her. Rishabh had mentioned that to her over the years. Because of that she hadn't attended any of the campus interviews, and plus she knew, she wouldn't crack any of those interviews, so she didn't bother.

"I can join whenever you say." Madhu tells her.

"I don't know where I can put you, so you don't make a mess of my company." Radha tells her.

Madhu doesn't say anything.

"I think you can be admin assistant or something. Don't think you're good enough for anything else." Radha says and walks off.

For a second, Madhu stops in shock wondering whether she was smart enough to be only an admin assistant. Education wise, she was much more qualified to be in a higher post, but was she not talented and smart enough for that?

**********

Madhu watched as Rishabh busily typed away on his mobile. Ever since they had sat down, he has been busy on his phone.

"Rishu..."

"One minute, Madhu." Rishabh says as he typed away without looking up.

Madhu sat there as she watched for couple of minutes as he either typed away or read something on his mobile.

She wondered why he brought her here, if he was going to be busy with his phone.

Did he think she had come for the food?

The waiter comes with their food, Madhu politely smiles at him as she sat back, so he could place the food.

"Rishu..."

"You start, Madhu." Rishabh tells her as he continued to be busy on his phone.

Madhu sighs and just watched him for the next five minutes.

"So, what were we saying?" Rishabh asks smiling as he kept his phone aside.

"Nothing." Madhu replies.

Rishabh looks at her surprised and asks, "You didn't start?"

"We came to eat together, right?" Madhu asks him back.

Realizing she was upset, he keeps his hand over hers. "Sorry."

Madhu nods. She had lost all her appetite and excitement for their dinner, now, she just wanted to go back home. At least there, she would be in the comfort of her bedroom, not be a decked up lamppost watching him be on his phone.

"You know, how it is... so many things needs my attention." Rishabh tells her.

"Yes, you should give your attention to all those priority things." Madhu says as she served for him.

Rishabh looks at her confused for a few seconds then he asks. "Are you upset with me?"

"No." Madhu replies as she served for herself.

"I am sorry." Rishabh says realizing she was upset. He takes his phone and switches it off. "See, I've switched it off. I am 100% here."

"You don't have to do that for me." Madhu tells him shocked.

"If not for you, then who else?" Rishabh asks her smiling.

Madhu gives a half hearted smile.

She felt worse that he was giving her his attention because she had made a fuss. It felt like charity.

"Come on, sweetie... let it go." Rishabh says as he took her hand and kissed it. "It is such a great day for us."

Finally Madhu gives in. "Okay." And she softly smiles at him.

Rishabh smiles at her. "You know, I am so excited to work with you." Rishabh tells her.

Madhu smiles hearing that.

"Did you talk to Mom? Mom and I had discussed today about it." Rishabh asks her.

Madhu knew that Rishabh would never think of hiring her as an admin assistant but if she said that his Mom said that, then this moment of theirs would be ruined completely, so she says. "I was in a hurry to get dressed when Mom reached, I didn't get a chance to talk to her in detail."

Madhu looks down wondering when she learned to lie like this with a straight face and that too to Rishabh.

And she knew, it was a habit she had developed over the last 5 years to save her marriage.

It broke her heart to realize that saying the truth would ruin their marriage and she would end up losing Rishabh forever.

"More than me, Mom is excited about you joining." Rishabh tells her.

"Ahaan." Madhu says as she faked her smile, though her heart had started slamming against her chest.

"Mom was saying that you work with her, she will train you and when she decides to step down, you can take over from her."

"Me?" Madhu asks shocked.

"She said Trishna won't like it, but she will handle Trishna." Rishabh tells her. "So, when are you going to join?"

Madhu couldn't work with her mother-in-law. She wouldn't have her criticize her and point out her shortcomings every second of the day. And she realized that, her intention was not to train her, her intention was to show to Rishabh what an utter failure she is. No way in hell, she would give Trishna's position for her. It is all to hoodwink Rishabh.

"Madhu?" Rishabh calls her when she remained silent.

"Rishu... I had been thinking that I will find another job." Madhu gently says.

"What? Why?" Rishabh asks her in shock. "We had decided that you would join office after your studies, right?"

"You had suggested and I had been thinking about it."

"Oh." Rishabh whispers as he sat back.

"I feel if I join the office then it would be because I am married to you. Not because of anything else."

"Madhu, I joined the office because I am Mom's son. Not because of anything else." Rishabh reminds her.

"But that is different, Rishu."

"How is it different for my wife and me?"

"I want to do it own my own. With my merit." Madhu tells him.

Rishabh sighs as he looked away upset.

"Rishu... please don't be upset."

"I was just excited about working with you." Rishabh says disappointed. "But at the end of the day, it is your career and your decision."

"Thank you." Madhu says smiling.

Rishabh shakes his head as he leaned forward to eat "I even thought, if you work at office then it would be easy for us to plan a baby, you know, the maternity leave, you could work at your convenience."

"Baby?" Madhu asks in surprise.

Rishabh looks at her in surprise. "We will be married for 5 years in a few months. Isn't it time we think of babies."

"Have you been thinking of babies?" Madhu asks him smiling.

"Yeah... I was waiting for you to finish your studies. And I feel now, we are old and mature to have a baby." Rishabh tells her smiling.

Madhu couldn't ignore Radha's words hidden in what he said. "Did you speak to Mom about it?"

"Why should I speak to Mom about this?" Rishabh asks confused.

"No, she used to say we were young."

"That time we were young." Rishabh admits. "That was then."

"We'll tell her when I am pregnant. I don't want her getting her hopes high because we don't know how long it will take us to get pregnant."

"So, you want a baby?" Rishabh asks her smiling.

"Yes." Madhu says smiling.

Rishabh smiles happily hearing that.

"I want to be with the baby till he is big enough. So, I will wait before I start working." Madhu tells him. "I want to be a full time mother."

Rishabh takes her hand in his. "I promise, I'll be with you all the way."

**********

Madhu steps out of the dressing room and sees Rishabh leaning against the bedrest going through the book she has been reading.

"What are you reading?" He asks her smiling as he flipped through the book.

Madhu smiles.

"It is all murder and gore."

"It is investigation." Madhu tells him as she walked to him.

Rishabh holds her hand and pulls her on his lap. Madhu smiles as she wrapped her hands around his neck.

"What happened to your romance addiction?"

"I hate luv stories." Madhu cheekily tells him.

Rishabh looks at her for a few seconds, as if trying to figure out her secrets.

"What?" Madhu asks him softly.

"Do you love me, Madhu?" Rishabh asks her softly.

Madhu lovingly cups his face. "If not you, who else will I love?"

Rishabh watches her for a few seconds, trying to understand her. "Sometimes, I feel that you don't love me like you did before."

Madhu uneasily looks at him, wondering if that was true. Could she ever stop loving him? Love him any less than she did before?

Seeing her look thoughtful, he says "At times, I feel like you are holding a part of yourself back. Hiding it from me."

Madhu looks down, and says "You are so busy, Rishu. At times I feel you have no time for me."

"Why didn't you say anything?" Rishabh asks her in shock.

"I didn't want to complain. I didn't want to be a nagging wife." Madhu says.

"Why do you think like that? If not me, who will you share it with?" Rishabh asks her in shock.

Madhu felt her eyes fill up hearing that. Should she share her concerns with him? Tell him that she still felt like an outsider to his family, and to an extend to him?

"After the troubles we had at beginning, I thought we had adjusted to our marriage." Rishabh says. "I thought everything was perfect."

Hearing that, Madhu held her tongue.

"Why didn't you tell me that you felt I didn't give you time?" Rishabh asks her as he cupped her face. "After all, I am working so hard for you Only. For you, mom and Trishna."

"I know." Madhu says as she looked down.

Seeing her upset, he promises her. "I will cut down on work. I will make sure, that we always have our time together." Then smiling, he says. "Now that we are planning a baby, I want to be a hands on Dad. For you and our baby."

Madhu smiles hearing that then leaning towards him, she takes his lips in hers. "Then let's try for that baby."

**********

For the next two months, Madhu simply sat at home as they tried for a baby. Madhu sighed in relief when Trishna's college reopened after her summer holidays. Staying home with Trishna the whole day was pure torture.

"Mom got the business woman of the year award." Rishabh excitedly informs Madhu.

"Wow, that is great." Madhu says genuinely happy for her mother-in-law. She did work hard for it.

"Congratulations, Mom." Madhu wishes her.

"Thank you, beta." Radha says smiling.

"Congratulations, Mom." Trishna says as she hugged her.

"Thank you, my baby." Radha says as she kissed her.

"When is the function?" Trishna asks her.

"It's this Wednesday evening at 7."

"Are we all going?" Madhu asks, not wanting any kind of confusion later.

She hated that she had to think one step ahead like a chess player now.

"Yeah. Just one hour function, we all have to be there." Rishabh tells her.

"Okay. What is the dress code?" Madhu asks.

**********

"You come with Mom and Trishna. I'll come to the event from office directly." Rishabh tells Madhu as he buttoned up his shirt.

"Okay."

Hearing her mobile ring, Madhu checks it and excitedly tells Rishabh. "It's Aryan."

Rishabh smiles seeing her excitement.

"Hello!" Madhu says excitedly as she answered the call.

"What plans for tonight?" Aryan asks her.

"Are you here?" Madhu asks jumping in joy.

"Yup! So, dinner tonight?"

"No..." Madhu says. "Mom got an award. We are going for that."

"How about tomorrow? I'm here for only two days. Have work in office, can't meet during day time, so dinner tomorrow?" Aryan asks her.

Madhu turns to Rishabh and asks him. "Do we have any plans tomorrow evening?"

"Dinner with Aryan?" Rishabh asks as he got ready.

"Yeah. He is here for only two days."

"No plans, you go." Rishabh says.

"You won't come?" Madhu asks him a little upset.

Rishabh looks at her, and sees her waiting for his reply. Every time, he had any plans with his friends, Madhu always came with him. But it was a busy day in office tomorrow. Seeing her waiting for his reply, Rishabh says. "After office, wherever you guys are, I'll come there."

Madhu smiles hearing that then she tells Aryan. "Tomorrow is on. Rishu will also come."

"Great. So, I will see you guys tomorrow. I'll message you the place and deets." Aryan says and hangs up.

Madhu runs to Rishabh and hugs him happily. "I am so excited to meet him."

"You really missed him." Rishabh says with a smile seeing her excitement.

"Yeah... you know, I don't have many friends." Madhu says as little melancholically. "After he moved, I feel a little lonely."

Rishabh looks at her in shock, hurt and concern. "Madhu, I am here, right?"

Madhu looks at him, and says a little softly. "You're always busy, Rishu."

Rishabh guiltily looks at her. "I'm sorry, Madhu. You know how things are at office. I promise, I will make time for you."

"You did promise that." Madhu whispers softly.

"I know, Madhu... two projects are in the final stage, once I wrap those up, I promise, I'll cut down on work, and spent time with you." Rishabh tells her.

"Okay." Madhu mumbles as she hugged him, realizing that she no longer had any faith in his promises.

**********

Madhu closes her eyes as she fought the nausea. She keeps her eyes closed as she tried to stop her head from spinning.

Hearing the door open, Madhu lightly opens her eyes and sees that it was Radha.

"Servant said that you are not well." Radha says frowning at her. "What are you playing at?"

"I think I got food poisoning. I threw up and I am still feeling nauseous." Madhu weekly tells her. "Is it time to leave?" Madhu asks as she sat up and then feeling the nausea, she stops as she covered her mouth with her hand, willing it to stop.

"Yeah, it is time." Radha tells her.

"Trishna, can you please help me with my sandals?" Madhu asks her. "I am feeling dizzy when I look down."

"Help you with your sandals?" Trishna asks offended.

"You don't come." Radha tells her.

"But Rishu wanted me to come." Madhu tells her.

"You come like this and humiliate us by throwing up all over the place?" Radha asks her.

"I'll take some medicine." Madhu tells her.

"It is already humiliating for us to introduce you to people and if you come like this, throw upon someone, and you will, it will just humiliate us further. So, do me a favor and just stay here." Radha tells her. "Please don't ruin my day."

Madhu who was feeling physically weak, felt depressed hearing that. She nods.

"Let's go, Trishna." Radha says and walks off with Trishna.

Madhu takes her mobile to inform Rishabh when she was hit by nausea and throwing her phone, she runs to the bathroom.

Few minutes later, Madhu comes back and crashes on the bed.

Almost an hour later, Madhu felt much better, actually as if, she wasn't sick anymore. Madhu takes her mobile to call Rishabh to tell him to send his driver so she could go, as she had given her driver an off.

The phone rings for a few times then he cuts the call. She called again and he cut the call. Third time she called, his phone was switched off.

**********

"Where is Madhu?" Rishabh asks as he joined Radha and Trishna.

"Didn't she call you?" Radha asks him.

"No... where is she?" Rishabh asks confused as he looked around.

"She didn't come." Trishna informs him.

"Why?" Rishabh asks shocked as he took his mobile to call her.

Radha quickly holds his hand to stop him. "Keep that aside. It's starting."

Rishabh frowns as he watched someone speak on the stage, his mind on why Madhu hadn't come. She knew how important this was. Then why didn't she come?

Few minutes later, Radha was called to stage. Rishabh and Trishna clap with everyone as Radha got on stage.

"Bhabhi should have been here." Trishna whispers to Rishabh.

"Why didn't she come?" Rishabh asks Trishna confused.

"She said she was sick."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Rishabh asks in shock and worry as he took his phone to call Madhu. "Is she okay?"

"I'm sure she was acting." Trishna tells him.

Rishabh frowns. "Why would Madhu act?"

"Mom had cried on the way here." Trishna informs him.

"What? Why?" Rishabh asks in shock as he turned to look at his mother in worry.

"Mom forbid me from telling you but today, it was too much. Bhabhi should have come."

"Tell me what?" Rishabh asks her.

Trishna looks at him thoughtfully then making up her mind, she tells him. "Bhabhi is very rude to Mom."

"What? No. Madhu loves Mom." Rishabh argues.

"She hates Mom. She thinks you always prioritize Mom over her." Trishna tells him.

Rishabh frowns hearing that. Didn't Madhu complain that he wasn't giving her time? Was she taking it out her anger on Mom?

"When you are not around, she is horrible to Mom."

"Why didn't Mom tell me that?" Rishabh asks her in shock.

"Mom is worried for you. Last time, you had threatened to divorce her. Mom is worried, you might do it this time. She said bhabhi will learn to adjust in some time." Trishna says then angrily she says "It;'s been 5 years and she is still treating us like we are some villains in her perfect love story."

"Madhu was hurting Mom all this while?" Rishabh asks hurt and angry.

"Once she even asked her why she doesn't leave you alone! That is why Mom and I don't come when you call us when you two go out." Trishna tells him.

Radha comes back and sits next to them. "What are you..." then seeing Rishabh's expression, she asks Trishna angrily. "Did you tell him anything?"

"I did." Trishna says. "I couldn't keep quiet any more."

"Trishna, i told you, Madhu wasn't acting this time. She really looked very sick." Radha tells her in an angry whisper.

"So, was she acting other times?" Rishabh asks his mother softly.

Radha looks at him and then gently says. "Leave it, Rishu. She is just a little possessive about you."

"She has been hurting you all these years and you didn't say a word to me? Why, Mom?" Rishabh asks her furiously, his eyes filling up, he couldn't believe that Madhu could be cruel to his mother.

"She is my daughter and I know, one day, she will understand that I am not her enemy." Radha gently tells him. "You don't go ask her about it. She is very sick."

"How you care for her, Mom and she just..." Rishabh stops as he looked away, his eyes filling up, his heart breaking.

He hears his mobile ring and sees it is Madhu, he angrily cuts the call.

**********

Seeing Rishabh gulping drinks and after drinks, Trishna whispers to Radha. "Mom, we should say something about that Aryan also. He will kick her out immediately."

Radha turns to Trishna irately, "Haven't you learned anything? We slander his wife, he forgets everything and will start to defend her."

"I honestly think there is something going on between Aryan and her." Trishna tells her.

"Aryan is as rich as us. I don't think there is anything going on. If there was, she would have divorced Rishu, took alimony and went with him." Radha says.

"I don't understand why he trusts her so blindly." Trishna says in hatred.

"He doesn't. He trusts me blindly." Radha tells her smirking.

**********

Hearing the door burst open, Madhu sits up in shock. She sees Rishabh staggering in.

"Rishu... I called you couple of times, why didn't you answer?" Madhu asks him as she ran to him and held him.

Rishabh pushes her away. "Don't touch me."

"Rishu, I was sick, that is why I didn't come." Madhu tells him.

"You look fine to me." Rishabh accuses her.

"That is why I called you. To ask you to send the car so I could come."

"How much more will you lie, Madhu?" Rishabh asks her furiously.

"Lie? I am not lying, Rishu. I was really sick." Madhu tells him.

"You can stop your act." Rishabh tells her. "Mom told me everything."

"What did she tell you?" Madhu asks him worriedly, her heart panicking.

"All these years, you were acting in front of me as if you care for my mother and sister. You have been hurting my mother behind my back." Rishabh accuses her.

"What?" Madhu asks in shock. "It is them who has been hurting me behind your back. Always insulting me. Saying I am not good enough for you."

"YOU ARE NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR ME. FOR MY FAMILY." Rishabh furiously tells her.

"What?" Madhu asks her heart breaking. "You don't mean that." Madhu whispers as her eyes fill up. "Please tell me you don't believe it like them, Rishu." Madhu begs him as she cried.

It was in that moment, she realized that how much her heart had wanted to believe that Rishabh still loves her, even though she knew he didn't love her.

"I shouldn't have married you." Rishabh tells her.

Madhu stops in shock, all her fears and insecurities coming true.

"Please Rishu, whatever they said, it is all lies. Please believe me. I haven't done anything." Madhu begs him.

"I won't believe a word that you say, Madhu. You are nothing but an insecure, manipulative Liar."

"Rishu... I didn't do anything, Rishu." Madhu says as she broke down.

"Stop crying." Rishabh says as he angrily wiped off her tears. "You always trapped me with this. Not any more."

"Please, Rishu." Madhu begs as she cried.

Rishabh stares at her for a long while as she cried then he says. "I wish I never married you, Madhu. I wish I never met you. I never got you pregnant. I wish I realized that you don't deserve me. You are the biggest mistake of my life."

**********

Madhu stood there staring at the door that Rishabh had walked out of. Tears streaming down her face as she realized that everything was over.

All these years, she had stayed here for Rishabh, and now even he didn't want her. Broken, Madhu walks out of the room, down the stairs, to the main door and she walked out of the gate, not even realizing that the security was asking her something. And she kept walking and walking.

Madhu stops as she looked around in shock. She didn't know where she was. She was alone and in some by lane and it was practically empty. She looks for her phone and realizes that she had nothing. She had walked out empty handed. Panicking, she looks around and sees a watchman sitting in front of a building. She runs to him.

"Bhaiyya... can you please give me your phone? I just want to make one call." Madhu asks him.

The watchman looks at her in confusion.

"Please, bhaiyya, just one call."

Seeing her crying, the man without thinking, in confusion gives her his phone.

Madhu takes the phone and presses the number without thinking. She was about to press the dial button when she realizes that there was no use in calling Rishu. He didn't want her.

Madhu deletes the number and dials Aryan's number.

"Hello?" Aryan sleepily answers the call.

"Aryan." Madhu whispers as she cried.

"Madhu? Is that you?" Aryan asks in shock as he sat up, his sleep leaving him completely.

"I have left home." Madhu tells him as she cried. "I don't have anywhere to go."

"Madhu, where are you?" Aryan asks her worriedly as he jumped out of his bed.

"I don't know." Madhu replies.

"Whose phone is this? Give it to them." Aryan tells her.

"He wants to talk to you." Madhu tells the watchman as she extended the phone to him.

He takes the phone and speaks into it. Madhu watches as the man gave Aryan instructions on how to reach.

Half an hour later, Madhu sees Aryan's car stopping in front of her. Aryan hurries out of the car and runs to her.

"Madhu..." Aryan hugs her. "What happened? Are you okay?"

"Rishu doesn't love me. He doesn't want me." Madhu says as she wailed hugging him.

**********

Aryan took her to his mansion. He helps her to the bed. Kneeling next to her, he gently tells her. "You sleep. We'll talk in the morning."

Aryan stands up to leave when Madhu holds his hand. Aryan sits next to her.

"Rishu said I don't deserve him." Madhu tells him as tears dropped from her eyes.

Aryan takes a sharp breath hearing that. He keeps his hand over hers.

"All these years, I never told him what his sister and mother were doing to me. All the lies they said, all the hateful things they said, nothing, because I wanted to be with him. But all this while, he was staying with me just because he had married me. I mean nothing to him." Madhu says as tears fell from her eyes.

Once she started she couldn't stop. The things she had kept bottled up inside her for the last 5 years, erupted like a volcano and slowly flowing out like lava.

As she unloaded herself, she felt lighter and free. As she spoke her heart, Aryan didn't say a word. It helped Madhu to speak as she got what she had needed. Someone who would just listen without giving their two cents.

**********

"Rishu..." Radha gently shakes him awake.

Rishabh sits up as he held his head. His head was splitting with headache.

"Did you sleep here last night?" Radha asks him.

Rishabh nods as he covered his eyes.

"What is this, Rishu? Is this the way to behave? Did you fight with Madhu last night?" Radha asks him in a disapproving tone.

Rishabh sighs as he closed his eyes tight remembering what he had told Madhu in drunken anger.

"Madhu might be upset, you go see her." Radha gently tells him.

"You care for her so much, Mom. Why can't she see that?" Rishabh asks her hurt.

"She is young, Rishu."

"She is not, Mom. Stop covering up for her." Rishabh tells her fed up.

Radha sighs. "I won't say anything. You go and speak to Madhu. I don't want you both to fight over this. After all she is sick."

"She is fine. She is not sick." Rishabh informs her. "Trishna was right, she was acting."

Radha looks genuinely taken back. "She wasn't?"

Rishabh shakes his head.

Radha couldn't understand what Madhu was playing at, she had honestly believed that Madhu was sick last night.

"Just let it go, Rishu. She might not have been in the mood to come. I don't want you two to fight over me." Radha tells him and leaves.

Hearing his mother show so much care for Madhu while Madhu had been so cruel to her, made him all the more angry at her.

Rishabh furiously runs his hand through his hair. He was not going to turn a blind eye to what Madhu was doing to his family. He is going to make it crystal clear to Madhu that she will have to accept and treat his family with respect if she wanted to be with him. This was the last time he was going to forgive her insolence towards his family.

Rishabh goes to their bedroom and finds it empty. He goes to freshen up and take a shower so he could clear his head.

Rishabh comes out of his shower and realizes that Madhu was still not back. Thinking she was somewhere else in the house, Rishabh takes his mobile and dials her number, so he could ask her to come to their room, so they could talk in privacy. He hears her mobile ring in their room. Furiously cutting the call, he walks out of the room. He walks around the house three times looking for her.

Wondering, he goes out to check if her car and driver were there and sees they were. He walks to the gate.

"Did Madhu go out?" Rishabh asks the watchman.

"Madhu Madam went out last night."

"What?" Rishabh asks in shock. "Last night? Where?"

"I tried asking her. She didn't say anything, she just walked off."

Rishabh panics hearing that. Whole night she was out? where could have Madhu gone off to? How could she just leave like that? Where is she now?

He takes his mobile and dials her number. It took a few seconds for him to remember that Madhu's phone was in their bedroom.

Panic hits Rishabh hard realizing that he had no way to reach Madhu.

Where could she have gone? She didn't have any relatives. They were her only family. She didn't have many friends here. Most of them moved away for work or marriage. It was just Aryan, and he was in Delhi... no, he is in town!

Rishabh scrolls through his mobile and finds Aryan's number. He dials it, his heart beat fast in panic, praying hard that Madhu was with Aryan. If she wasn't with Aryan, he didn't know what he was going to do. If anything happens to Madhu... he couldn't live without her.

"Hello?" Aryan says in a clipped tone.

"Hello, Aryan... is Madhu with you?" Rishabh asks him in a frantic tone.

"Yes."

"Thank God." Rishabh says in relief. "I'm coming there."

God, Madhu was going to get hell from him for scaring him to death like this.

**********

"You said you've to be in office today." Madhu asks Aryan as they waited for Rishabh to reach.

"It's okay. I have told them I won't be coming in today." Aryan tells her.

"You don't have to do that. You can go." Madhu tells him in shock.

"I'm not leaving you alone here." Aryan tells her then frowning in confusion, he says. "Unless you want privacy to speak with Rishabh."

Madhu shakes her head as she looked down. "No."

They hear the door bell ring, Madhu sits up, her heart flaring up realizing it is Rishabh.

A minute later, Rishabh walks in with a servant. Showing Rishabh the room, the servant walks off.

Madhu slowly stands up seeing Rishabh look so furious.

Aryan keeps his hand on Madhu's arm. "You guys talk. I'll be in the next room."

Madhu nods and Aryan glaring at Rishabh, walks off.

"What the hell is this, Madhu? Who leaves home like this?" Rishabh asks her furiously.

"Why should I have stayed?" Madhu asks him. "I don't deserve you."

Rishabh closes his eyes in regret and says in guilt. "I didn't mean that, Madhu."

Madhu shakes her head as tears spilled from her eyes. "No. You believe it. That is why you said it when you were not in your senses."

"How can you believe that, Madhu?" Rishabh asks her in shock.

"You wished you hadn't met me." Madhu accuses him in a whisper.

"I was angry, Madhu." Rishabh tells her. "After hearing what you have been doing to my mother, how do you expect me to react?" Rishabh asks her angrily.

"I didn't do anything." Madhu argues angrily.

"Don't lie to me, Madhu." Rishabh says furiously.

"I'm not lying. Your mother and sister are the liars." Madhu tells him as she angrily stared at him. "They are nothing but liars."

"I will not tolerate a word against my mother." Rishabh furiously tells her.

"But you would tolerate against your wife." Madhu accuses him.

Rishabh stares at her shock. "Now, you are accusing me, Madhu?"

"You never cared for me, Rishu." Madhu tells him.

"How can you say that, Madhu?" Rishabh asks her in shock. "What haven't I done for you?"

"No."

"No?" Rishabh asks her in shock. "First two years of our marriage was sheer torture for me but I never gave upon you. I stood by you even after all that you did."

"Torture?" Madhu whispers in shock, her heart breaking.

"Then things changed and I thought you were finally happy with my family but all these while you've been acting in front of me. Hurting my family behind my back." Rishabh accuses her, his eyes filling up.

Madhu holds down her sob, hearing his heartless accusations.

"I did everything to keep you happy, Madhu. I just wanted a happy life with you. We have the perfect life. Everything is good but why are you not happy. Why are you not satisfied? I don't know what more you want? What more can I do that we have a peaceful life. What do you want me to do?" Rishabh asks her fed up.

"I want divorce." Madhu tells him.

"What?" Rishabh whispers in shock. "Divorce?"

Madhu nods. "Let's end this, Rishu. I don't want to continue this farce anymore."

"FARCE?" Rishabh shouts in fury. "You call our marriage a farce?"

"It was a mistake for you." Madhu reminds him.

"Madhu, I was drunk. I was not in my senses." Rishabh says as he held her hand.

Madhu pulls her hand back. "When not in your sense, you speak what is in your heart."

**********

"She doesn't want to listen to anything I've to say. She is adamant on divorce." Rishabh says as he broke down hugging his mother.

"Madhu asked for divorce?" Radha asks in shock though she was happy and sharing a smile with Trishna.

"What will I do, Mom? I can't think of living without Madhu. How could she say that she wants to leave me?" Rishabh asks her.

"I will go see her, Rishu. I will talk to her." Radha tells him.

**********

"Why did Rishu say he doesn't want divorce?" Madhu asks Aryan in confusion.

"Maybe because he still loves you." Aryan replies as he looked at her.

"No, he doesn't love me." Madhu stubbornly says as she looked down.

"He came running when you left home. That doesn't seem like a man who is not in love." Aryan tells her.

Madhu thoughtfully looks at him.

Aryan leans towards her. "Madhu, Rishabh loves you. I don't know why you are not seeing it. He looked so broken when he left."

Madhu looks at him in confusion, feeling helpless, her eyes filling up, because her heart wanted to believe it so much but her brain kept telling her the opposite.

"They have been telling you for so long that Rishabh doesn't love you, that he married you only because you were pregnant, you've started believing it." Aryan gently tells her. "Madhu, even after everything that you told me, I refuse to believe that Rishabh doesn't love you. Yes, he is blinded by his love for his mother but he loves you. Madhu, that woman has been manipulating you for the last 5 years, so don't forget that she has had whole of Rishabh's life to manipulate him."

"Does it matter?" Madhu asks him helplessly as tears fell down her eyes.

"It doesn't?" Aryan asks her in shock.

"He might love me, but he doesn't trust me. He will always believe their lies over my truth." Then breaking down, she asks, "For how long should I apologize for things that I didn't do?"

Aryan kneels next to her and hugs her.

"I put up with everything because I wanted to be with Rishu. I was so shamelessly desperate that I just kept clinging on. Always holding my breath, watching my back, looking for traps, and last night, everything they told me, everything I feared, Rishu said those. I am just tired, Aryan. I just cant do this anymore." Madhu says as she cried her heart out.

**********

They hear the doorbell ring, Aryan curiously checks his mobile to see the front door camera.

"Is it Rishu?" Madhu asks him eagerly.

"Cersei Lannister." Aryan declares as he stood up.

"Mom?" Madhu asks in shock.

Aryan nods as he stood facing the door. Radha and Trishna walk in.

"Why are you two here?" Madhu asks them as she stood up.

Radha looks at Aryan and tells him. "This is a family matter, if you could just..."

Aryan stares her down and says. "If you think I will leave Madhu alone with you for even a minute then remember, I am not Rishabh."

"Look at that." Trishna says snottily. "I told you there is something going on between these two."

"Shut your mouth and stand there. If you open your mouth I will throw you out. Don't forget you are under my roof." Aryan tells her.

Trishna gasps in shock and outrage and turns to complaint to her mother. "Did you hear..."

"SECURITY!" Aryan shouts.

Two guards come running in.

"Throw this woman out." Aryan orders them. "Not just outside the house. Outside the gate."

Trishna turns pale seeing the men walk to her and she instinctively holds Radha and Radha also holds Trishna to protect her.

"NO!" Madhu shouts as she turned to Aryan. "That is Rishu's sister. You cant insult his sister."

Aryan glares at Madhu then he gestures the guards, dismissing them. Then looking at Trishna, he says. "You're lucky. Madhu is in a charitable mood."

Trishna glares at Aryan then murderously at Madhu.

"Say your piece and get out of my house." Aryan tells Radha.

Radha indignantly glares at him then she turns her wrath on Madhu. "Rishu told me that you asked him for divorce."

Madhu nods.

"Good. Finally, you have come to your senses. Let's just get the divorce done with. Then, I can get my Rishu married to someone deserving."

"Hopefully, someone in your mirror image." Aryan says as he studied his nails. "That will be an apt punishment for Rishabh, for life."

"Aryan..." Madhu turns to him in a pleading tone.

Aryan stops.

"I am going to find a girl from a good family, who will be a worthy Kundra bahu. Not a bastard like you!" Radha says furiously.

"SECURITY!" Aryan furiously shouts.

"Aryan, NO!" Madhu shouts.

The men come back in.

Glaring at Madhu, Aryan tells the securities. "Respectfully escort Rishabh's mother and sister to the car." Then turning to Radha, he tells her. "Get the hell out of my house."

**********

"What did Madhu say?" Rishabh asks eagerly as Radha and Trishna walked in. "Did she come with you?" Rishabh asks as he looked behind Radha.

"She didn't, Rishu." Radha tells him.

Heartbroken, Rishabh asks her helplessly. "How can she give upon us? Is it so easy for her to leave me?"

"We tried a lot, Rishu. We even begged. But she just remained stubborn." Radha says as she gently held his hand.

Rishabh helplessly sits down. "Why is she doing this? I gave her everything. We were so happy. Why is she throwing our marriage away?"

"She is living with that Aryan now. And you are asking this question?" Trishna asks him.

"Aryan is her best friend." Rishabh furiously tells her as he stood up. "Trishna, one more time you slander my wife, I will slap you."

Trishna looks at him in shock. "You are threatening me for that girl."

"She is my wife!"

"She left you!"

"That doesn't give you the right to badmouth my wife." Rishabh furiously warns her.

"Rishu..." Radha gently holds him, to calm him down.

"Madhu is not a cheat, Mom." Rishabh warns his mother defensively.

"I know, Rishu." Radha gently tells him.

Hearing his mother agreeing, Rishabh calms down. He sits down sighing loudly.

Radha glares at Trishna who was furiously staring at Rishabh.

"I think, Rishu." Radha gently says as she sat next to him. "You and Madhu should move out. Madhu will agree to come back, if you agree to move out."

"Do you think so?" Rishabh asks her hopefully.

Radha stops thunderstruck realizing that Rishabh was willing to leave home for that Madhu. Leave her for that gold digger.

Then he worriedly asks her. "Will you feel bad, Mom? I promise, I'll come and see you everyday."

Seeing Radha staring at Rishabh in shock, Trishna quickly steps in. "You're going to give into her demands?"

"Demands?" Rishabh asks as he turned to Trishna.

"Bhabhi told mom that she will think of coming back, if you agree to move out and Mom promises to cut off all ties with you and agree for wealth partition." Trishna tells him.

"Madhu said that?" Rishabh asks in outrage. "That I have to cut off all ties with Mom?"

"I tried protesting and she threw us out." Trishna tells him.

"They threw you out?" Rishabh asks furiously.

"Yes! Like criminals we were taken out of their house." Trishna furiously tells him.

"And Madhu didn't say anything?" Rishabh asks furiously.

"She threw us out." Trishna says.

"I can't believe Madhu would do that." Rishabh whispers in shock.

"Trishna, what is wrong with you? Why are you adding ghee to the fire? I told you not to tell him that." Radha asks her in a fed up tone.

"For how much longer, are you going to cover up Madhu's crimes, Mom?" Rishabh asks her.

"Rishu..."

"I was so desperate for her that for a moment that I thought of leaving home, leaving you, for her." Rishabh laments in guilt.

And Madhu chose that moment to call him.

Seeing Aryan calling, flash on his screen, Rishabh furiously answers the call.

"You threw my mother and sister out?" Rishabh furiously asks her.

"They were being disrespectful. Your mother said cruel and disgusting things regarding me, Aryan got offended on my behalf and he had his guards escort them out." Madhu tells him.

"My mother said cruel and disgusting things? And you expect me to believe that?" Rishabh asks her angrily.

"No. Even though it is the truth, I don't expect you to believe that." Madhu tells him.

"Madhu, you're ruining everything." Rishabh warns her in a fed up tone.

"I thought our love could survive everything, Rishu." Madhu says as her eyes filled up. "But it couldn't survive your love for your mother. Let's not drag it on then, Rishu. Before we start hating each other let's file for divorce." Madhu says as she fought her tears.

"Fine!" Rishabh furiously replies. "Let's get divorced!"

**********

"Madhu..." Aryan gently calls her. "Are you adamant on divorce?"

"Yes." Madhu replies.

"You are sure, right?" Aryan asks her. "I feel you should give Rishabh one more chance. Talk to him. He clearly doesn't want to end the marriage. You both love each other."

"He agreed."

"He might have done it in anger." Aryan gently tells her.

"He doesn't trust me, Aryan. I can't live with someone who doesn't trust me." Madhu tells him giving up.

Aryan sighs hearing that.

"Do you think I should try working on the marriage?" Madhu asks him softly.

Aryan looks at her as he tried to make up his mind. "You want to know what I honestly think?"

"Yes."

"I honestly think that you should have kicked him out of your life ages ago. He doesn't deserve you. I should beat him to a pulp for what he did to you. But what I think is not important because at the end of the day it is your life, your marriage and your decision." Aryan tells her.

"It took me so long to take this decision. I don't want to go back now." Madhu tells him.

Aryan nods. "I was supposed to go back tomorrow. I can stay till Tuesday max."

"You go.. I'll.."

"We are not going till we come to an understanding regarding the divorce proceedings." Aryan tells her.

"We?" Madhu asks confused.

"When I am going, you're coming with me to Delhi."

"To Delhi?" Madhu whispers in shock.

"I don't want you staying here alone. You come to Delhi with me. Ma, di and I will be there with you." Aryan tells her.

Madhu realized that she needed to go somewhere else, far from Rishabh. She knew she was taking the cowardice way out by running away but she just couldn't stay close to Rishabh. She needed this distance from him.

Madhu nods.

"Give me your ID proof so I can give it to the travel agent to book your ticket." Aryan tells her.

"It's at home." Madhu tells him.

"Let's go get it then." Aryan says then noticing that she was still wearing the clothes that she wore last night, he says. "Check di's room. I am sure there will be something that you can wear."

**********

"What the hell are you doing here? Get out of my house!" Trishna furiously shouts.

Rishabh looks up and sees Madhu and Aryan. Thinking she had come back, he quickly stands up. "Madhu..."

"I just came to get my things." Madhu tells him.

Rishabh stops hearing that.

Madhu without saying anything, walks off to their room. Rishabh watches Madhu walk off, fighting the temptation to go after her. He starts to go after her, to convince her to stay.

"Didn't you hear? Get out of my house." Trishna tells Aryan.

"Trishna, he is Madhu's best friend." Rishabh tells her.

"He threw us out of his house." Trishna furiously reminds him.

"That doesn't mean we lower ourselves to his level." Rishabh tells her.

"I'm not here to stay. I'll leave as soon as Madhu is done." Aryan tells her. "I have no intention of leaving Madhu alone here for even a second."

"This is her home!" Rishabh furiously reminds him.

"This was anything but home to her." Aryan tells him.

"Rishu... stop fighting." Radha gently requests him then turning to Aryan, Radha says. "Aryan, you're her best friend, you should be advising her not to give upon the marriage, instead you're supporting her."

"I'm respecting her wishes. If I decide to take things into my own hands and be the best friend that I want to be, then the first thing I would have done was file a mental abuse case against you and your daughter." Aryan tells her.

"How dare you come into my home and threaten my family?" Rishabh asks furiously.

"You didn't do your job, Rishabh, that is why I am having to do yours." Aryan tells him.

"Aryan... Rishu..." Madhu says as she ran to them. "Please stop. We are leaving."

"You are leaving." Rishabh whispers hurt.

Madhu looks at Rishabh, her eyes filling up. Realizing that she was giving up the one good thing in her life, but she just couldn't go on like this.

"I took my ID cards, certificates and sim. I haven't taken anything else." Madhu tells him then looking at Trishna, she says. "You can check if you want."

"Why are you talking like this, Madhu?" Rishabh asks her furiously.

Madhu shrugs not wanting to another fight with him.

"Anyway, you're leaving, so, why don't you tell us what you want for alimony?" Trishna asks her.

"I don't want anything." Madhu tells Rishabh.

Aryan takes a furious breath.

Madhu turns to him, hearing him.

"Alimony is your right. You're entitled to it." Aryan tells her.

"I didn't marry Rishu for money. I never wanted his money. I am not a gold digger." Madhu tells him as her eyes filled up. "I didn't get pregnant and trap him into marrying me for his wealth."

"Trap me?" Rishabh asks outraged. "We both were equally responsible for that pregnancy. why would you say that?"

Madhu looks at Radha then she pointedly looks at Rishabh.

Rishabh shakes his head, fed up. "You have to stop..."

Aryan cuts him off and interjects. "You really need to stop asking questions to which the answers you neither believe nor accept."

Rishabh frowns hearing that. "I know my mother."

"And you don't know your wife?" Aryan asks him back, before Rishabh could answer, Aryan says. "Hell, Rishabh, I met your mother for 5 minutes and I knew what a horrible mother-in-law, she was to Madhu. And you've been living with them for 5 years and you didn't see that? I asked Madhu and she wouldn't tell me anything because she didn't want to be disloyal to you by speaking against your mother. And you're accusing that girl of playing games behind your back?"

"Please stop, you two." Radha requests not wanting Aryan to hit Rishabh with any more home truths. She turns to Madhu, and pleads her. "Madhu, I am begging you, you don't throw away your marriage like this. bacha, I am..."

"So, in front of Rishabh, she is bacha and otherwise she is a bastard?" Aryan asks her.

Radha gasps loudly. "How can you say something so evil? Madhu, have I ever treated you like that?"

"You don't have to answer to these, Mom." Rishabh tells her quickly.

"Rishu... I never..." Radha starts, bringing in the water works.

"Rishabh's Mommy." Aryan calls her dripping with mocking respect.

Radha looks at him.

"One more time, you show your this double face act, I am going to browbeat Madhu into giving her marriage one more chance. You know, decide against divorce." Aryan tells her.

"I don't want anyone convincing Madhu to stay with me." Rishabh furiously says.

"Can I convince you to look towards your mother, who had just shut up completely when I threatened her with reconciliation?" Aryan asks him.

Panicking, Radha says. "Rishu... I just..." Radha cries shaking her head.

"Mom... I know you, Mom." Rishabh says as he reassuringly hugged her. "You don't have to give explanations."

"Let's go, Aryan." Madhu tells him.

Aryan looks at Rishabh and says, "Even I was raised by a single working mother. She has made as many sacrifices as your mother. But she did raise me to be intelligent enough to see when I am being played. And when the stakes are as high as this, I am not going to trust her blindly like you're doing."

"My mother deserves my trust." Rishabh tells him.

"And Madhu doesn't?" Aryan asks him back.

Rishabh looks at Madhu and sees her watching him. "Madhu betrayed the trust I had in her. She hurt my family. Now, she is letting you insult my family."

Aryan looks at Rishabh in disgust. "If Madhu tells me that your whole marriage, your mother was sleeping between you and Madhu, I will believe her. Because that disgusting, your mother is, and that horrible, a husband you are."

"LET'S GO, ARYAN!" Madhu says fed up, as she held his hand and drags him off.

"My lawyer will get in touch with you, Madhu. We're getting divorced." Rishabh furiously declares.

**********

Aryan took Madhu to busy necessary clothes and things for her before they headed home. Just as Madhu reached his home, Madhu was hit by her morning sickness.

In her heart break and pain, Madhu didn't realize it was morning sickness, while Aryan simply assumed it was because of the stress for her situation.

**********

"Did you speak to our lawyer?" Radha asks Rishabh.

"No." Rishabh tells her tired.

"Rishu, I'll handle the divorce proceedings." Radha gently tells him.

"What?" Rishabh turns to her frowning in confusion. "I can handle it, Mom."

"Yesterday things were so horrible. I don't want the divorce to get nasty. If you and Madhu come face to face specially with that Aryan around, it is going to be a disaster. Madhu might consider me an outsider. But she is my daughter, Kundra bahu, when we end this relation, I want it to be done with all dignity. So, I'll handle it, Rishu." Radha tells him.

"They insulted you, Mom." Rishabh argues.

"I'll handle it, Rishu. And all communication will be through the lawyer. I just want to make sure, everything goes in a dignified way."

"Fine, Mom. Whatever you feel is right." Rishabh says tired and depressed.

**********

When one more day, she had her morning sickness, Madhu started having her doubts.

She takes her mobile and calls Rishabh, so they can go to a doctor and confirm.

"Are you calling to apologize and tell me you want to come back?" Rishabh asks her as soon as he answered the call.

"No."

"Then I don't want to hear anything."

"No, Rishu... I think..."

Rishabh cuts her off. "My lawyer will get in touch with you. Whatever you want to tell me, do it through him from now on." Rishabh says and hangs up.

Madhu closes her eyes depressed.

"Madhu... shouldn't we meet a lawyer?" Aryan asks her curiously.

"Rishu said his lawyer will get in touch."

"You're going to use his lawyer? How can you trust them?" Aryan asks her in shock.

"I don't want anything from this divorce other than divorce. So, it doesn't matter." Madhu says with a shrug.

"I don't think it is a good idea, but it is your decision." Aryan says shrugging and he turns to walk off.

"Aryan... I want to see a doctor."

"Are you sick?" Aryan asks her in concern.

Hearing his question, Madhu blinks as she looked away, unable to answer him. She should be having this conversation with Rishabh and not Aryan.

Seeing her hesitating, he asks gently. "Are you pregnant?"

"I don't know."

"Did you tell Rishabh?"

"I tried. He hung upon me. He said I should speak to him through his lawyer."

"Call him again, Madhu." Aryan tells her.

"What is the use? It matters only if I am pregnant. Otherwise there is no point."

Aryan nods. "I can take you now."

**********

Rishabh reads the divorce papers with a heavy heart. His heart breaking realizing that Madhu and he were never going to be together again.

Finishing reading, he keeps the stack of papers on the table. He takes the pen, his heart and brains screaming at him to not sign.

"Sign, Rishu." Radha gently tells him.

With tear filled eyes, his vision blurred, Rishabh quickly signs on all the necessary places.

Radha takes the papers from him and double checks. "I'll get this to Madhu now."

Rishabh nods as he stood up and walked off.

**********

Madhu was sitting by her phone as she waited to hear from the hospital.

She keeps her hand on her stomach as her heart kept whispering that she was pregnant. Since last night, she had been thinking and she had already made her decision on what she was going to do, if she is pregnant.

"Here." Aryan says as he offered her a tall glass with red juice in it.

"What is this?" Madhu asks confused.

"Pomegranate juice. Google says it is good during pregnancy." Aryan tells her.

"You know, it is not confirmed. I could not be also." Madhu says gently.

"It is a good juice for even not pregnant women." Aryan says with a shrug.

Madhu smiles hearing that. Aryan chuckles as he side hugged her. "So, good to see you smile."

Hearing the door bell ring, they part as Madhu kept the juice on the table.

"I guess psycho mom is here." Aryan says.

Sure enough, Radha walks in with a lawyer.

This time, they didn't talk much.

Madhu didn't want to speak to Radha while Radha didn't want to say anything that would make Madhu change her mind about divorce.

Madhu was reading through the divorce papers when she hears her mobile ring. She picks it up and sees it is from the hospital, she quickly takes the phone and walks out of the room.

They waited for Madhu to come back for a while.

"I've other commitments. Can you please check what is taking her so long?" The lawyer asks Aryan.

Aryan nods and walks out to check on Madhu.

**********

Madhu sighs when Rishabh cut her call. She dials again and he cuts her call again.

Madhu closes her eyes, her heart breaking.

She thought of messaging him but then her ego and pain got in the way. If this is how Rishabh wanted to learn about his baby, then so be it.

"Madhu... they are doing a lot of illegal shit." Aryan tells her as he walked to her.

Madhu shrugs, not turning to look at him.

"You are supposed to live apart for a year for mutual divorce. They are saying they have handled it all." Aryan informs her.

"It doesn't matter. I just want this done with." Madhu tells him.

"Are you crying?" Aryan asks her as he walked towards her. Seeing tears running down her face, he says gently. "Madhu, there is still time. It is not too late to change your mind."

"For what? Rishabh is never going to believe me."

"Maybe you can convince him to move out."

Madhu shakes her head as she wiped her tears.

"Who called, Madhu? Was it the hospital?" Aryan asks her, understanding she wasn't crying over divorce.

Madhu nods her head as she looked down hurt.

"And?" Aryan asks her gently.

"I tried calling Rishabh, he is not answering my call." Madhu whispers.

"Try again, Madhu."

Madhu shakes her head as she looked at him. "He should be the first one to find out and he should hear it from me, but now I've to tell his lawyer instead." She leans to his chest as she cried.

Aryan hugs her.

**********

"There are a few things that you need to add then only Madhu will sign the divorce papers." Aryan tells them as he walked back with Madhu.

"Why won't you sign?" Radha asks furiously.

"Madhu is pregnant." Aryan informs her as Madhu and Aryan sat down.

"You are pregnant?" Radha asks in shock, going pale.

Madhu refuses to look at Radha and she doesn't reply also.

"Madhu gets full custody with Rishabh having visitation rights. And it will be supervised visits." Aryan tells the lawyer.

Madhu frowns hearing that and says angrily. "Supervised? Rishu would never hurt our baby."

"I know that. But can you say the same for her and her daughter? Because I can't." Aryan asks Madhu.

Madhu looks at Radha and sighs in disgust. She nods. "Supervised visitations."

"As child support, you will give a one time payment of 25 lakhs." Aryan informs the lawyer. "Madhu doesn't need your money. You and your daughter has been accusing Madhu of having an affair with me. So, this payment is just to make it clear to everyone that this child is Rishabh's."

"I will give you 1 crore to abort this baby." Radha tells Madhu.

Madhu furiously looks at her, wanting to kill that woman, seeing the juice Aryan had got her, Madhu takes it and furiously throws the content on her face.

Radha splutters in shock as she jumped up.

"GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!" Madhu furiously shouts at her.

"From next time, you'll come alone. She will not come with you." Aryan furiously tells the lawyer. "And pass on my message to Rishabh. Tell him to fucking man up and handle his divorce like a man, instead of having his mommy handle that too."

**********

"Did she sign?" Rishabh asks his mother as she walked in to his cabin.

Knowing Madhu will not sign the divorce papers without the baby clause. Radha says. "She asked for alimony. We had to make new papers."

"Alimony?" Rishabh asks in shock. "So, that is why she had called?" Rishabh asks disappointed.

"She had called?" Radha asks in shock.

"I didn't answer." Rishabh says with a sigh. "I just didn't want to hear what she wanted to say. She is stubborn about divorce. So, whatever she has to say doesn't matter."

Radha thanks her stars hearing how close it had been. "We have made the necessary changes. You need to sign the papers again."

Rishabh sighs, his heart breaking at the thought of having to go through his divorce papers once again. Why is Madhu doing this?

"Leave it here, Mom. I'll read it and sign."

"It is is the same papers, Rishu. I've read it. Just added the 25 lakhs alimony. You sign."

"25 lakhs, Mom?" Rishabh asks her shocked. "That is peanuts. Madhu is my wife and she is entitled to half my wealth. 25 lakhs is too little. I don't want her to ever be in need for money. 25 lakhs is too less. She is my wife, Mom."

"Rishu, let's just stop this back and forth. You just sign the papers. I'll talk to Madhu and come to an understanding regarding the money." Radha tells him. "Just sign."

Rishabh takes the papers and starts signing them.

**********

"Rishu signed?" Madhu asks in shock, her heart breaking realizing he had signed away all his rights over their baby, though relieved that he didn't fight her for their baby.

"Mr. Kundra feels 25 lakhs is too less for the baby and he is giving a one time settlement of 25 crores." Lawyer informs her.

"I don't want his money." Madhu says offended. When he doesn't want the baby, why is he giving money? She was the fool who had sat by the phone waiting for him to call. A part of her was even scared that he would refuse to go ahead with the divorce because of their baby, and she had even been mentally preparing herself for a long drawn out divorce battle.

"Madhu..." Aryan turns to her pissed. "Rishabh Kundra is that baby's father. That baby is entitled to his father's wealth. That baby is the Kundra heir. In your ego, you can't deny your baby what is his right."

Hearing him say that, Madhu realized that she couldn't deny the baby, his rights. Madhu nods.

"If you don't want the money then don't touch it. I'll set up a trust fund for the baby with that money." Aryan tells her.

Madhu nods and signs the paper.

Later, as she left Aryan's mansion with Aryan, she messages Rishabh.

I am going with Aryan to Delhi. Aryan insisted that I stay with him. So... that is where I will be.

In case, Rishabh wanted to be a part of her pregnancy, then he knew where to find her.

Madhu stares at her phone screen as the single tick turned to double tick and then it turned to blue double tick. Then she kept staring for a long time, waiting for some reply but nothing came.

**********

Present Day

Rishabh furiously turns to Madhu and accuses her angrily. "THAT IS MY SON!"

Madhu looks at him frowning in confusion. "Yes, he is."

Rishabh stops in shock and asks her, as his eyes filled up. "How could you do this to me, Madhu?"

"Do what?" Madhu asks him confused.

"You kept my son away from me!" Rishabh furiously says.

"You knew where I was. I told you where I would be. It is you, who had turned your back on our baby!" Madhu furiously tells him.

"I turned my back?" Rishabh asks her furiously. "You hid him from me?"

Madhu looks at him in shock. "Are you serious?" Madhu asks him in fury.

"How could you do this, Madhu? Why do you keep punishing me for loving you?" Rishabh asks her in anguish.

"What the hell did I do now, Rishu? What is my big crime now?" Madhu asks him furiously.

Rishabh looks at her, his heart breaking. "When I saw Yash, I thought you had moved on. You had another man's baby. It nearly killed me, Madhu. Then I find out that Yash is my son. Our son. I don't know what hurts more, Madhu. Thinking that you moved on or finding out that you hid our son from me."

"I didn't hide Yash from you." Madhu says furiously. "It is you who had never looked back at him. Never come for him."

"How could I come when I didn't know?" Rishabh asks her furiously. "If I knew I would have been a part of his life. I am his father. Do you think any parent can abandon their child?"

"As you had once very kindly pointed out, my parents did." Madhu tells him.

Rishabh stops feeling as if she had slapped him with that. He remember saying that cruel thing to her. His heart breaking remembering the pain on her face. "I should have never said that, Madhu. I am sorry." Rishabh regretfully says. "I was cruel and I shouldn't have ever said that to you. No matter how angry I was, I shouldn't have said that."

"It doesn't matter." Madhu says dismissing it, wondering why she brought that up after all these years.

"I am sorry, Madhu." Rishabh says then he says, "If I had known I would have been there. Why didn't you tell me, Madhu?"

Calming down, Madhu says. "Yes, I admit, it was my mistake that when Yash was born, I didn't inform you. But that is because all through out my pregnancy, you never cared to find out how the baby was doing. Whether everything was fine with the baby. You didn't care. So, I didn't think you cared enough that I should inform you."

"If I knew, do you think I wouldn't have been there with you?" Rishabh asks her hurt.

"You knew and you weren't there." Madhu accuses him.

"You never told me!" Rishabh furiously reminds.

"I tried! But you told me if I wanted to tell you something it should be through your lawyer. So, I had to tell your fucking lawyer and that witch of a mother about our baby!" Madhu furiously tells him.

Rishabh stares at her in shock. "After all these years, why do you hate my mother so much? What has she done to you?" Rishabh asks her furiously.

"What hasn't she done?" Madhu asks him back.

Rishabh sighs furiously. "I am not going to waste my time on you. I am taking my son and leaving. My son is going to be with me!"

"You wish." Madhu scoffs. "Did you forget that you signed away all your rights to me over our baby?"

"I did no such thing." Rishabh says furiously.

Madhu stares at him in shock, finally realizing. "I should have known. When she offered me 1 crore to abort the baby, I should have known she would do something like this."

"Did you just say my mom offered you money to abort my baby? Abort my son?" Rishabh asks her furiously.

Madhu still in confusion, was thinking out loud. "She did. But then your lawyer had come back and said that you felt 25 lakhs was too less for your baby and you wanted to give 25 crores. She wasn't with him then, so I had no reason to doubt him... I thought..."

"25 crores? It was 2.5 billion and it was alimony!" Rishabh furiously reminds her. "It was not for the baby."

"Alimony?" Madhu shouts at him in shock. "I told you on your face that I didn't want alimony then how did you believe that I would take alimony?"

Rishabh stops in shock hearing that.

"Let me guess, your mother told you?" Madhu asks in disgust.

"She told me you changed your mind." Rishabh says in confusion.

"Ah if she says, then it must be true." Madhu mocks him.

"We are talking about my son, not my mother." Rishabh reminds her.

"Your son that your mother snatched from you. It was not me. I gave you visitation rights, Rishu."

"Mom would never..."

Madhu cuts him off. "I have proof."

"What?" Rishabh stops as he looked at her in confusion.

Madhu's eyes fill up and she tells him. "This time, I have proof of my innocence."

"What proof?" Rishabh asks, his heart breaking seeing the raw pain in her eyes.

Madhu turns around and walks to her bedroom.

Rishabh follows her. He watches as she checked cartons kept in the room. She pushes them around till she found the one marked as Documents.

She opens it, and starts going through them. She pulls out a folder and takes out a paper.

She turns to him as she fought furious tears. "Yash's birth certificate. You didn't deserve it, Rishu. I thought you abandoned Yash, you never acknowledged him. You never came to see him. Still I gave him your name. Your name is there in the father's column."

Rishabh takes it as he looked at it. His eyes filling up seeing his name.

"Aryan made a trust fund for Yash with the money that you gave. I didn't take a penny from it. 25 crore that you gave, it is his." Madhu tells him as she passed another file.

Rishabh opens it and sees it was what Madhu said.

Wiping away her furious tears, Madhu says. "Your lawyer gave 25 crores. You are saying 2.5 billion. I don't know who stole that money. Your lawyer or your mother and sister. I don't know. I didn't see that money. But if you are saying 2.5 billion then I believe you, Rishu. That is the difference between you and me!"

"I did give, Madhu. You were my wife. You were entitled to half my wealth. Mom and Trishna wouldn't let me give half. Finally, they agreed to this amount. Mom said even you had agreed." Rishabh tells her, his eyes filling up. "Maybe the lawyer tricked Mom? He stole the money?"

Madhu furiously stares at him.

"We didn't want to waste time making new papers, you remember the papers had 25 lakhs that you initially asked?" Rishabh asks her. "Maybe he..."

Madhu turns to look inside the carton and asks him. "Don't you have your copy of our divorce papers?"

"It's with Mom." Rishabh says. "I didn't want to look at it."

"Did you read the divorce petition before you signed?"

"Yes."

"Both times?" Madhu asks him.

Rishabh stops as he looked at her.

"Let me guess, Mom might have said it is same papers just the alimony add on? And that she read it?"

Rishabh nods.

Madhu stands up, and takes his hand and keeps the divorce papers in his hands. "Congratulations, Rishabh Kundra. Your blind trust in your mother, not only cost you your wife, your son too."

Dreading, heart slamming against his chest, Rishabh opens the folder. He flips through the pages till he found what he was looking for.

Finally, unable to ignore his mother's truth, Rishabh falls to his knees and screams out loudly.

Unable to see him like that, Madhu runs to him and hugs him. Hugging Madhu, he cries out loudly for the wife, son and life, he lost because of his blind devotion to his mother.

"Why did she do this to me, Madhu? What did I ever do that she did this to me?" Rishabh asks her as he broke down.

"It was not you. She hated me and she saw our baby as only my baby." Madhu tells him.

**********

Madhu moves back as Rishabh had calmed down.

"Remember, I didn't come for your mother's award function?"

Rishabh looks at her then he nods.

"I was having my morning sickness in the evening. By the time, you came back, it had passed. I didn't come for the function because I didn't know morning sickness could come in the evening and I really thought I was sick." Madhu tells him.

Rishabh's eyes fill up remembering how he had accused her of acting, how he had screamed at her, hurt her with his cruel words and she had been pregnant with his baby then.

"I hurt you so much." Rishabh says as he closed his eyes.

"You did." Madhu agrees. "For years your mother and sister had been saying I wasn't worthy enough to be your wife. I didn't deserve to be there. And that day, you said the same thing to me."

"I didn't mean it, Madhu. I don't know why I said those cruel words." Rishabh helplessly tells her.

"I think it took me a long time to realize that just like how they kept telling me these things, they might have been telling you also the same thing."

"No, they never did." Rishabh tells her.

Madhu shakes her head. "They were direct with me. But they won't be direct with you. It would all be in subtexts. You won't even be realizing they are saying all that. Unconsciously, it might have all got registered in you. And it came out that night. Maybe, without you even realizing somewhere in you, you believed it."

"No, Madhu. I always considered you my blessing. My one and only." Rishabh tells her. "I still love you, Madhu."

Madhu looks away, she looks at the unpacked cartons and says to him. "Right after we reached Delhi, Aryan made me go for counseling. He said I have been under too much toxicity that I need to clear my head before Yash was born. They had ruined me in such a way, that I believed I wasn't good enough. That I had no qualities in me. I didn't even have the confidence to apply for jobs that I was actually qualified for. It took me a long time to regain confidence in myself." Madhu turns to look at him. "It took me a long time to learn to love myself. But I did. Now, I have no need of your love in my life."

Rishabh crawls to her and holds her hand and pleads. "Please, Madhu. Don't say that. I'm sorry I didn't trust you when you needed me. I am sorry that I was a horrible husband to you. You punish me in whatever way you want. But please take me back. I am begging you, Madhu."

Madhu gently pulls her hand away from his.

"Aryan asked me to marry him. He said he has fallen in love with me." Madhu tells him.

Rishabh stops in shock, felt as if his heart had blasted in his body.

"He loves Yash. And Yash loves him."

"And you?" Rishabh asks her in a soft voice.

"Aryan has been with me through my worst. He stood by me and Yash when we had no one."

Rishabh gulps hearing that.

"I might never love him the way I loved you but I know, Aryan will never hurt me the way you did."

Rishabh's eyes fill up with fresh tears.

"You should go, Rishu." Madhu says as she stood up.

"Madhu..." Rishabh begs.

"You can come to meet Yash but your toxic family can never come anywhere near him." Madhu tells him then looking at him, she says softly. "Please show yourself out, Rishu." Then she walks out of the room.

**********

Hearing his mother's and sister's voice, he looks up at the door and sees them walking in.

"Trishna, i don't want to hear anymore talks on divorce." Radha tells her fed up. "You're going back to Mukund."

"God, Mom!" Trishna says fed up. "I am not going to divorce Mukund. I love him."

"Then what is all this?" Radha asks her.

"Mukund refuses to move out of his parents' place. So, I'm going to tell him that I'll divorce him if he doesn't agree to move out. He loves me, he will agree to anything to not lose me." Trishna tells her and excitedly adds. "I've already shortlisted two mansions."

"You should have told me earlier itself. Do you realize how worried I was thinking you were going to get divorced?" Radha asks her pissed.

Trishna laughs. "You were screaming at me, so I didn't say anything."

"Do you think your plan will work?" Radha asks her.

"It will. Did you forget how bhai held that Madhu under his thumb with the divorce threat for years?" Trishna asks laughing.

Rishabh frowns hearing that. What the hell was she saying? When did he do that?

"Don't say his name." Radha says angrily. "Where is he? Is he home?" Then she calls out loudly. "Rishu."

"I'm here." Rishabh says as he stood up.

Radha and Trishna turns to the sound.

Radha walks to him angrily. "You humiliated me, Rishu. I was waiting there for you. For hours. You didn't come. How could you humiliate your mother like this? They had asked me to leave! Why would you do this to me?"

"I told you, I won't come." Rishabh reminds her.

"Why? Madhu is gone! When are you going to accept that and move on?"

"In the last 5 years, there hasn't been a second when I hadn't thought of Madhu." Rishabh tells her, his eyes filling. "You knew that."

"Madhu walked out, Rishu. Why are you ruining your life? If not for you, at least for me, can't you move on?" Radha asks. "Is this why I had raised you, fighting the world? Stop hurting your mother like this, Rishu. It is killing me to watch you like this."

"Can't you see that I am suffering without Madhu? Can't you see how dead I feel inside without her?" Rishabh asks her.

"She didn't deserve you, Rishu. She left you." Radha tells him angrily. "And I will not let my son ruin his life like this. Till you agree to get married, I will not have a drop of water." Radha threatens him.

Rishabh looks at her, tears falling from his eyes, he says. "I never told you, Madhu and I were trying for a baby."

Radha stops hearing that. Then she says uncomfortably. "It is good you didn't. A child being born in a broken home is horrible." She walks to him and holds his hand. "Rishu, I'll find you the best girl. A befitting wife for you, who will give you children and heal your broken heart. Just do as what I say."

"His name is Yash," Rishabh informs her.

"Who?" Radha asks confused.

"The son you snatched from me. The son you asked Madhu to abort. Our son." Rishabh tells her.

"What?" Radha whispers in shock.

"I've a son, Mom." Rishabh tells her as he cried.

"What are you saying, Rishu? Why didn't Madhu ever tell us?" Radha asks.

"She told you." Rishabh accuses her.

"She didn't." Radha argues. "I would have brought my grandson home if I knew."

Rishabh takes the divorce file he took from his mother's locker and hands it to her. "You knew."

Radha goes pale seeing that.

"Rishu... I..."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Rishabh asks her.

"Madhu told me not to tell you. She said she would abort the baby or give it up for adoption if I ever told you. She was scared that you would refuse to give divorce if you found out about the baby." Radha tells him.

Rishabh stares at his mother in shock. Wondering how he had believed her all his life, and how easily she was lying and making up stories. He felt disgusted with himself, if he hadn't seen her for what she was, he might have ended up believing her and doubting Madhu once again.

"I was helpless, Rishu." Radha says with tears. "Did you see him? How is my grandson? Does he look like you?"

"So, she told you about the pregnancy."

"But threatened me." Radha tells him. "I'm sorry, Rishu. I should have told you but I was worried for my grandson."

"It is true, bhai. I was there." Trishna tells him.

Rishabh looks at them, and asks. "So, Madhu wanted to hide her pregnancy from me. Then why did she tell you both about it? Why not hide it from you two?"

Radha and Trishna gulps hearing that.

"Er... otherwise how could she ask for money?" Radha asks him.

"She could have asked as alimony." Rishabh points out.

"But she had to tell me so to add the baby clause. She got full custody," Radha says.

"Is she stupid? I would have seen the baby clause when I signed the petition." Rishabh asks.

"She said it was my job that you don't read it." Radha tells him. "She threatened me, Rishu."

"So, let me get this straight. Madhu wanted money, but not as alimony but for child support, but she didn't want me to ever find out that we have a baby. So, she threatened you and made you trick me into signing over all my rights over our baby to her. You were worried for the safety of my child that you had no other option but go through with it." Rishabh asks.

"Yes." Radha says eagerly as she held his hand. "You see that I was helpless, right?"

"After all that, Madhu gave me visitation rights to the baby she never wanted me to find out about." Rishabh softly says as he looked his mother in the eye.

Radha gasps as she moved back in shock. "Rishu... it is not..."

"Don't bother. I know the truth now. I will not believe a word that comes out of your mouth." Rishabh tells her, his eyes filling up.

Radha goes pale hearing that.

"Why did you hate Madhu so much? All she did was love me." Rishabh says tears dropping from his eyes. "Even before she met you, she considered you her mother but..."

"Mother?" Radha cuts him off furiously. "How did she even think that? That she is good enough for us. She is not good enough to be a maid here and she wanted my son! Do you know how I felt every time she called me Mom?"

Rishabh steps back in shock, seeing his mother for what she really was.

"She doesn't even know where she comes from! After the way, she trapped you with pregnancy, I'm sure she is some whore's daughter." Radha says venomously.

"I GOT HER PREGNANT! Does that make me a whore's son?" Rishabh furiously asks her.

Radha gasps in shock, tears filling her eyes, this time, genuine tears. "What did you call me, Rishu?"

Rishabh stares at his mother without answering.

"Apologize to Mom, bhai." Trishna says furiously.

Rishabh ignores her, and tells Radha. "If you didn't love Madhu. If you thought she wasn't good enough, then you could have just told me. I would have taken her away. I would have moved out. I would have kept her away from you."

"Leave my son to her?" Radha asks furiously.

"5 years, Madhu was here. In those times, never once did you see how perfect she was?" Rishabh asks her as he cried.

"I was waiting for you to come to your senses and understand she was not worth it. I was waiting for you to tire of her and throw her out."

"Tire?" Rishabh asks her in shock.

"You were young and in lust. You were supposed to get over her!" Radha furiously accuses him.

"Lust? I love her!" Rishabh furiously shouts.

"High time you got over her, Rishu." Radha says dismissively. "There are a million other women, more deserving to be our family than that girl."

"What about my son?" Rishabh asks her.

"Your son has that orphan's blood." Radha reminds him in a disgusting tone.

"He has my blood!" Rishabh furiously shouts. Then he whispers in horror. "You asked Madhu to abort our baby."

Radha defiantly looks at him.

"The first baby we lost, did you do something that caused the miscarriage?" Rishabh asks her in horror.

"Of course not!" Radha shouts.

"I don't believe you." Rishabh says.

"I didn't do anything." Radha argues then she adds with a shrug. "I knew she was heading for a miscarriage."

Rishabh stares at her in him shock, he couldn't believe his mother could be this cruel. "You asked Madhu if she caused the miscarriage. And I didn't believe her when she came to me with her pain."

Rishabh screams in anguish, running his hands through his hair. He turns to her and says to her. "I loved Madhu. But I trusted you above her. I took your side always. I didn't realize what you we're doing to her. What I was doing to her. I was so blinded by my love for you that I tortured my wife. I was all she had and I never took her side. I helped you destroy her."

"Today, when Yash smiled at me, he reminded me of how Madhu used to smile at me. Her whole heart would be on her face then. And I couldn't help wonder when was the last time she had smiled at me like that, and I couldn't remember."

Rishabh says brokenly. "You snatched her happiness from her. And I helped you do that."

"Before we got married, she was a happy soul. Slowly I stripped her happiness away from her and I didn't even realize what she was going through. I trusted you so much, I believed every single word you said that I wasn't even willing to listen to Madhu's concerns, and I kept blaming her for not being content. For not being happy. For not being part of the family." Rishabh says then laughing humorlessly, he says, "She was never treated like a human by any of us. We had the perfect life and I blamed her for walking out. She was in hell. But because of her love for me, she put up with it all for me. And I hurt her and that too when she was pregnant with my baby. And she had enough. And she walked out."

"Why are we talking about her? She is gone. She is your past! Grow up and move on!" Radha tells him furiously.

"She is moving on." Rishabh informs her, his heart breaking. Rishabh looks at his mother, and says. "Look hard, Mom. I am standing right where she left me."

"What?" Radha asks confused.

"She is going to marry Aryan. And she should. He did for her all that I should have done for her." Rishabh says broken.

"Finally! I kept telling you all that she is having an affair with him. No one believed me. Not even when she started shagging up with him." Trishna says triumphantly.

Rishabh turns and slaps her hard that she falls to the couch in impact.

Radha shouts as she ran to Trishna. Trishna stares at Rishabh in shock and tear filled eyes.

"What is wrong with you, Rishabh? Is this how I raised you? You are hitting your sister."

"Where did you raise me, Mom? You just manipulated me and molded me into what you want me to become. And this is what you molded me into." Rishabh tells her.

Turning to Trishna he says, "One more time, you say a disrespectful word against Madhu, I will kill you."

"If Mukund finds out what you did..." Trishna starts to threaten him.

Rishabh scoffs. "Be grateful if he doesn't divorce you. He is not a wimp like Madhu's husband."

Trishna looks at him in shock hearing that.

"I want you both to stay out of my life. You two are dead to me." Rishabh says and turns to walk off.

He stops and turns to them. "I gave 2.5 billion for my wife. Madhu had asked money for our baby. But she got only 25 crores. I know you both stole it. You have time till 12 pm tomorrow. If that money is not back in my account, you both can spent tomorrow night in jail." Rishabh tells them.

"Are you threatening to send your mother to jail, Rishu?" Radha asks him in shock.

"My mother is dead. Now, I don't care where her corpse is rotting." Rishabh tells her and walks off.

**********

Seeing two missed calls from Aryan, Madhu goes to the balcony and calls him.

"Hey..." Aryan comes on video call, she could see that he was home. "I called you earlier. Didn't get a chance to speak to Yash today. Where is he?"

"He slept. He made some friends. He was playing with them and came home tired." Madhu tells him.

"That is nice... but you look upset." Aryan points out. "What happened?"

Madhu sighs. "Rishu had come today."

"Rishabh? Why?" Aryan asks in shock. "After all these years?"

Madhu nods as she thought of Rishabh.

"Why?"

"He heard I was here. So he came."

"Just like that?" Aryan asks surprised, then he asks gently. "Did he meet Yash?"

"He did."

"And?"

Madhu's eyes fill up. "He didn't know about Yash."

"What do you mean?" Aryan asks frowning. "You told him about Yash."

"His mother didn't tell him."

"But he gave money for Yash." Aryan reminds her.

"He thought he was giving alimony."

"Fuck." Aryan whispers in shock.

"He never knew I was pregnant." Madhu says as tears fell from her eyes.

"That is why he never came to visit Yash." Aryan whispers in shock.

Madhu nods.

"How do you feel about all this?" Aryan asks her gently.

"I had this bitter feelings regarding him, when I thought he had turned his back on our son. Now, knowing he didn't know, it makes that bitterness go away." Madhu tells him.

Aryan nods hearing that.

Madhu hears Aryan's secretary ask him something.

"Yeah, you go." Aryan says then he quickly says. "Just order dinner for me before you leave."

"Did you start looking for a cook?" Madhu asks him.

"Didn't get time." Aryan tells her.

"Leela should have stayed there." Madhu says guiltily.

Aryan chuckles. "She looked scandalized when she thought she has to stay here alone with me."

"Yeah, she did." Madhu chuckles.

"She preferred moving with you.. You need someone to baby sit Yash when you are at work." Then grinning he adds, "Then you're a terrible cook. Leela should be there with you guys."

Madhu nods as she smiled.

They were silent for a few seconds, lost in thoughts.

"Do you blame yourself?" Aryan asks her. "That Rishabh didn't know about Yash, do you think it is your fault?"

"I shouldn't have trusted his mother. I knew how she was." Madhu says thoughtfully.

"His lawyer was there, and you had no reason to doubt him." Aryan reminds her.

"Yeah, but I knew how his mother is. Maybe whatever the lawyer told us, he genuinely thought it was from Rishu and his mother was just a mediator." Madhu says. "But I don't blame myself for Rishu not knowing about Yash. It was our marriage and it was our divorce, Rishu should have handled it, instead of letting his mother handle it."

Aryan nods. "You have come a long way from what you were during your divorce."

"I know." Madhu replies then she says. "Every time Yash asked about his father, it killed me that Rishu abandoned Yash, but now, I can tell him that Rishu never came because Rishu never knew about him."

"How do you feel after meeting Rishabh?" Aryan asks her softly.

"I don't know." Madhu replies as she shrugged.

Aryan doesn't say anything, he just stares at her thoughtfully.

"What are you thinking?" Madhu asks him.

Aryan shakes his head. "Nothing. When are you going to tell Yash?"

"Tomorrow."

*********

Rishabh was leaving for office when his mobile rings. He checks the display, and stops in his track, his heart skipping a beating seeing that it was Madhu calling.

"Hello?" Rishabh answers the call. His eyes filling up.

"Hi..." Madhu says hesitantly. "I just called to tell you that, I told Yash about you."

"You did?" Rishabh asks shocked and surprised. "What did he say?" Rishabh asks eagerly.

"I told him, you didn't come all these years not because you didn't love him. You didn't know about him. And that you love him. He wants to meet you."

"He wants to meet me?" Rishabh asks happily, as tears fell from his eyes.

"Yes.. Yash is starting school only tomorrow. He is home full day today. You can come anytime today."

"Can I come now?" Rishabh asks her eagerly.

"Yeah... sure."

*********

Heart slamming against his chest, nervous and excited, Rishabh rings the bell.

Madhu opens the door.

"Hi." Rishabh softly says.

"Hi." Madhu replies. It felt so awkward to meet him now. "Come in."

"Is it Papa?" Yash asks as he came running out of the room.

"Yes." Madhu replies as she looked at him.

Rishabh looks at Yash, and sees him looking at him, then Yash walks towards them.

Yash reaches Madhu, and he leans on her and holds her hand as he watched Rishabh.

Rishabh kneels down in front of his son. "Hello, Yash." Rishabh softly says.

"Hello, Papa." Yash shyly says.

"I'm sorry, I didn't come to see you sooner. I didn't know..."

"Mama told me." Yash tells him.

"I'm sorry, Yash."

"It is okay." Yash replies then he asks him. "I made a card for you. Would you like to see?"

"I would love to." Rishabh tells him.

Yash takes a folded A4 size paper and gives it to Rishabh.

Rishabh takes it and sees two stick figures in the front, one big and one small, holding hands. He understood it was supposed to be Yash and him. His eyes fill up, and opens the card, and sees it was written, welcome Papa and at the bottom, From, Yash.

"Mama helped me write that but I made the card. Did you like it?" Yash asks him eagerly.

"This is beautiful." Rishabh says as tears drops from his eyes, he hugs Yash as he cried silently. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Yash tells him as he hugged him happily.

*********

Madhu watched as Yash and Rishabh spend time together.

Yash was a lot like Madhu, very loving and eager to please. Which helped a guilt-ridden Rishabh to speak to his son, and most of the conversation was carried out by Yash.

Yash was showing off all his drawings to Rishabh as Rishabh marveled at how talented his son is.

Yash turns the page and shows another stick figure. "This is Leela kakhi. That is Leela Kakhi."

Rishabh looks at the open kitchen and sees the maid cooking. He nods.

Yash turns the page to show another stick figure. "This is Aryan. Do you know Aryan?" Yash asks Rishabh.

"Yash." Madhu calls him in a warning tone.

Yash turns to his mother and frowns. "Everybody calls him Aryan. Even he told me I can call him Aryan."

"Still he is elder to you, you can't call him by his name." Madhu tells him.

Yash makes a grumpy face and turns to Rishabh. "Aryan Uncle."

Rishabh nods.

"Do you know him? He stays with us." Yash tells him.

Madhu shakes her head. Yash did have the snobbish Kundra traits in him. Staying with us, indeed.

"I know Aryan." Rishabh replies, his heart feeling heavy.

"This is him." Yash tells him then turning to Madhu excitedly he says as he jumped off the seat and ran to her. "Mama, I want to show Papa to Aryan uncle. Give me your phone."

Madhu looks at Rishabh for a second and their eyes lock.

"Mama, give."

"He'll be in office." Madhu says uncomfortably.

"That is okay, he has told me I can call him whenever I want. Give, Mama."

Having no option, Madhu gives her phone to him. Yash hops back as he typed on the phone. By the time, he reached Rishabh, he could hear the ringing.

"Hey... oh hey champ!" Aryan says happily seeing that it was Yash calling.

"Aryan!" Yash says excitedly.

"Yash." Madhu calls him.

Yash groans, "Aryan uncle."

Aryan chuckles. "Ask mama to keep quiet and you call me whatever you want."

Yash laughs hearing that.

"Mama was saying you made friends yesterday."

"Yes, lots. I was playing with them. They all stay here." Yash tells him excitedly and starts speaking about his new friends.

Seeing Yash's closeness with Aryan, Rishabh felt his heart break, feeling slightly jealous and possessive for his son.

He turns to look at Madhu and sees her watching him.

He couldn't take his eyes off her, he cursed himself for ruining what they had. She was sitting so near him, but she was so far away from him now.

Looking at Rishabh, Madhu felt her heart heavy with love for him. Her heart break intensifying. She was finally happy that Yash has his father now. But she didn't know what that meant for Rishu and her. They have gone so far away from each other.

"This is Papa." They hear Yash's announcement.

They both turn to look at him and sees that Yash had the phone facing Rishabh.

Rishabh sees Aryan on the screen. Rishabh uncomfortably looks at him then Madhu, then he looks back at Aryan.

Aryan looks at Rishabh. Rishabh realizes that even Aryan didn't seem excited to meet him.

"Papa said he knows you." Yash tells Aryan.

"Yeah, we know each other." Aryan tells him as he forced himself to smile.

Seeing Rishabh looking at the screen uncomfortably and Yash waiting for them to speak, Madhu tells him. "Yash, Aryan will have work. You call him later."

"Okay. Bye Aryan Uncle." Yash says.

"Bye Yash. Have fun with your Papa." Aryan says and cuts the call.

"Oh no." Yash turns to Rishabh. "You didn't get to say bye."

"That's okay. You can tell him when you speak to him later." Rishabh tells him for lack of anything else to say.

*********

Rishabh came everyday to see Yash... and Madhu.

They never spoke to each other unless it was necessary and it would mostly be about Yash only.

Madhu wasn't ready to speak to Rishabh while Rishabh didn't think he deserved to speak to Madhu after causing so much pain to her.

Rishabh was getting out of his car when he hears an excited shout. "Papa."

Rishabh turns back and sees a car stop next to him. Yash excitedly jumps out of it and runs to him. Rishabh picks him up and throws him in the air and then settling him in his chest, he kisses his cheek.

He looks at the car and was surprised to see Madhu in the driver's seat.

"You learned driving." Rishabh says with a soft smile.

Madhu shrugs. "I realized that I wasn't that dumb that I can't learn driving."

Rishabh's smile drops realizing why she never showed her interest in learning to drive even after he had suggested it to her.

"You will take him up? I'll park and come." Madhu asks.

"Yeah." Rishabh replies.

Madhu drives off and Rishabh walks with Yash in his arms.

"So, how was your friend's birthday party?" Rishabh asks him.

Yash had started school and already made friends, and it was one of those friends birthday and Yash had been invited.

"It was nice." Yash tells him excitedly and starts telling him about the party.

They reach the penthouse and Rishabh rings the bell.

"Hey!!!" Laughing excitedly Aryan opens the door.

"ARYAN!!!" Yash shouts happily and he jumps from Rishabh's arms to Aryan's. "When did you come?" Yash asks as he hugged Aryan happily.

Rishabh stops in shock seeing Aryan. And it hurt when Yash had gone to Aryan without a thought for him.

"Sometime back."

"No one told me you were coming." Yash says grumpily.

"That is because I told your Mama not to tell you. I wanted to surprise you." Aryan tells him happily.

"Really?" Yash asks excitedly then he agrees. "I am surprised."

"I am glad you are. So, how was the birthday party?" Aryan asks as he turned to walk in then noticing Rishabh still at the door, his smile dropping, he says, "Come in."

Realizing he was still standing at the door, Rishabh walks in.

"How did you know?" Yash asks him as Aryan walked to the dining table.

"Your mama told."

"Ah... it was great." Yash says as Aryan settled him on the table.

Aryan was about to sit when he turns to Rishabh and asks him. "Do you want coffee? Tea? Anything."

"No, I'm fine." Rishabh replies.

Aryan nods and sits down. Then he takes a sip of his coffee. He looks at Yash and sees Yash looking at his coffee. Aryan takes his cup to Yash's lips.

Yash takes a sip then crunches his face as he made disgusted face. "It is bad."

Aryan chuckles.

Madhu walks in and stops seeing the scene in front of her.

"I thought you were going out." Madhu says.

She didn't expect Rishabh and Aryan to run into each other.

"I'll be going now. I just waited to see Yash." Aryan tells her. "I might get late coming back."

Madhu nods as she avoided looking at Rishabh and walked to her bedroom.

"Where are you going?" Yash asks frowning.

"For work."

"Is it monday?" Yash asks frowning.

Aryan pulls his nose lovingly. "It is Sunday. I am going to check on the renovation work of the mansion."

"I'll also come with you?" Yash asks him.

Rishabh felt his heart break hearing that.

"Er... your papa is here to see you." Aryan reminds him.

"Papa will come with us." Yash tells him.

Aryan looks at Rishabh waiting for him to deny, but when Rishabh didn't say anything, he says. "There is construction work, it is not safe."

"Hmmm." Yash sighs disappointed. "But you'll come back?"

"Yes. You might sleep before I come back, but I am here for a week." Aryan tells him.

"Okay." Yash says smiling. "Did you see my friends there?"

"I saw Mittu in the elevator. I didn't meet anyone else." Aryan tells him.

"Did he miss me?" Yash asks eagerly.

"Yes. He said everybody is missing you." Aryan tells him.

Yash smiles happily and turns to Rishabh and informs him. "Mittu is my friend, Papa. He stays in our building in Delhi."

Rishabh nods with a smile.

Aryan finishes off his coffee. "Okay, I'm going to get ready."

"I'm also coming to your room." Yash tells him.

"Okay come." Aryan picks him and puts him down.

They head to Aryan's bedroom which was on the other end of the penthouse, they had to walk beyond the open kitchen through the corridor to his bedroom.

As they walked to Aryan's room, Yash turns and calls out to Rishabh. "Papa, I am coming now, okay?"

"Okay."

*********

"Where is Yash?" Madhu asks as she came out of her bedroom.

"With Aryan. In his room." Rishabh replies.

Madhu nods and walks to the dining table. She fills a glass of water and starts drinking.

Rishabh walks to her and stops near her. "Did you finalize a wedding date?" Rishabh asks her gently.

Madhu looks at him and shakes her head.

Rishabh nods.

"Aryan's mother hasn't agreed to the wedding." Madhu informs him.

Madhu seemed to have the baddest luck when it came to mothers-in-law. At least Aryan's mother was upfront unlike his.

"If she had agreed then we would be married by now or at the very least planning the wedding." Madhu informs him. Why, she didn't know.

"You deserve all the happiness, Madhu." Rishabh says softly.

"He was there for Yash and me." Madhu tells him. "When Yash was born. When Yash wouldn't sleep at night. When Yash was sick. When Yash was learning to walk. It was him who was with us. Not you."

Rishabh's eyes fill up hearing that. "I'm sorry I wasn't there, Madhu. But I promise I will be there always from now on."

"I wasn't blaming you, Rishu." Madhu tells him in shock.

"Then?" Rishabh asks confused.

Madhu helplessly looks at him, her eyes filling up. She shakes her head and starts to walk off.

Understanding she was giving her explanation on why she agreed to marry Aryan, Rishabh feels his heart heavy, there was a part of Madhu that still loved him.

But there was no use to that, because all of Madhu knew, he wasn't worth it.

"We haven't told Yash about it." Madhu tells him as she stopped to look at him. "Once Ma gives her consent then only we'll tell him. I don't want him to be heart broken or be confused about it all."

*********

The next one week, Rishabh ran into Aryan at their flat but neither spoke to each other.

Madhu opens the door for Rishabh. "Yash is in Aryan's room. I'll call him." Madhu tells him.

"It's okay, I'll wait." Rishabh says knowing that Aryan was leaving.

Madhu nods. She watches as Rishabh sat down. He looks at her. They couldn't help it. They couldn't take their eyes off each other.

So many things had changed with him.

There was constant pain in his eyes that tore at her heart. It was becoming harder for her to see him like this. Not speak to him. Keep her distance from him.

Every day after office he came to their place and he stayed around till Yash went to bed, then he would leave.

Every time she saw him, her heart kept yearning for him. And she knew, even he was yearning for her. But there were too many Gile shikve between them, there was no moving forward for them.

And she was promised to a man who had stood by her all this time. And Rishabh... Madhu's heart broke, he looked so lonely and alone now.

Her heart breaks every time seeing him. The love she felt for him making her heart so heavy.

She feels a hand on her mid rift "Where are you lost?" Aryan asks her softly.

Madhu turns to him in shock, she didn't notice him come. She turns to look at Rishabh and sees he also looking at them.

"Papa, you're here?" Yash asks excitedly as he left Aryan's hand and ran to Rishabh.

Rishabh lifts him up and kisses him.

"When did you come?" Yash asks him excitedly.

"Just now."

Madhu turns to Aryan and sees him watching her curiously. Madhu shakes her head as she took a long breath. "You're leaving?"

"Yeah, car is here. I'll see you next week." Aryan says as he hugged her and kissed her cheek.

Madhu looks at Rishabh and sees him also staring at them. He quickly looks away but his eyes had filled up.

Aryan steps back and calls out to Yash. Yash runs to Aryan as they said their byes.

Madhu looks away, her heart slamming against her chest. It killed her that Rishabh saw another man hug her and kiss her.

It is not that Aryan hasn't hugged her in front of Rishabh, he has, but it had always been friendly. Unlike this time.

In that second Madhu knew, she couldn't go on like this. She will never be able to stop loving Rishabh. She will never forgive herself if she made Rishabh watch her with another man. Madhu looks at Rishabh and sees him looking at her.

She has to speak to Aryan, because till she died, her heart will only beat for Rishabh Kundra. And his, for her.

*********

Even though, she had made her decision, she neither spoke to Aryan nor Rishabh.

Aryan, she had decided that she will speak to him when he came down the next time.

Rishabh, she wasn't sure when... because even though she never stopped loving him, his lack of trust in her had scarred her for life. And she had learned it the hard way that love, just wasn't enough. Trust was more important.

And it was not right to speak to Rishabh before she spoke to Aryan.

Plus she didn't know what his situation at home was. She never asked.

*********

Madhu was in her room. She knew Rishabh had come. She heard the doorbell and Yash's excited chatter. She was about to walk out of the room, so she could see him. When Rishabh comes to her door. She stops seeing him.

"Er... Madhu..." Rishabh says.

"Yeah?"

"I want you to keep these safe." Rishabh tells her as he gave her two folders.

"What are these?" Madhu asks frowning as she looked at the folders in his hands.

"It's my will." Rishabh tells her then looking into her eyes, he says. "You're the only one I trust."

Madhu's eyes fill up hearing that. She stares into his eyes as she bit down her pain. "Isn't it a little too late for that?" Madhu asks him.

"It is." Rishabh guiltily accepts as he lowered his gaze.

"What is the other folder?" Madhu asks him, not wanting to linger on that topic.

Rishabh sighs as he looked at it. "You were right. It was Mom who stole the money I gave you."

"She gave it back to you?" Madhu asks him in shock.

"I told her that I will send her to jail." Rishabh tells her.

Madhu looks at him in shock then she asks him. "Did she think you would?"

Rishabh looks into Madhu's eyes and says. "She stole from my son and my wife. She knew I will send her to jail."

Madhu stares at him in shock, unable to believe that he has turned against his mother to this extend.

"I've put some of the money in a trust for Yash. Then I've made some investments for Yash." Rishabh tells her.

Madhu nods and takes the folder from him. "I'll keep them safe."

"Have you made a will?" Rishabh asks her.

"No. I don't have any properties or anything. Only bank account and Yash is the nominee for that." Madhu tells him.

"You should." Rishabh tells her.

"Why?" Madhu asks frowning.

"If something were to happen to us." Rishabh says.

Madhu frowns hearing that.

"The closest kin to Yash is my mother and Trishna." Rishabh tells her.

Madhu stops in shock hearing that. "I never thought of it."

"I have stated it in my will. But you have full custody of him. And my mother and sister can contest out of spite for his custody." Rishabh tells her.

Madhu nods. Then she curiously asks. "Who did you name as the legal guardian?"

Rishabh looks at her surprised. "Aryan. Who else will I trust our son with?"

*********

Things went fine for the next week then Aryan had come back.

Madhu and Aryan were talking when they hear the doorbell.

"It is Rishu." Madhu says with a soft excited smile. She hurries to open the door.

Rishabh gently smiles at her.

"Is it Papa?" Yash asks from the bedroom.

"Yeah." Madhu calls back.

"Papa, I am coming." Yash calls out.

"Okay." Rishabh replies as he walked in and stops seeing Aryan. He nods at Aryan.

Aryan walks to Rishabh in displeasure and tells him. "I know Madhu said that you can be part of Yash's life. But you are crowding our space, Rishabh."

Rishabh stops in shock hearing that, Madhu turns to Aryan in fury.

"Er... I am..." Rishabh stammers as he looked at Madhu then Aryan. "I'm sorry. I'll keep in mind."

"Papa..." Yash calls him as he came hurrying out.

Rishabh looks at Madhu and Aryan then he looks at Yash and asks. "Do you want to go down for a walk?"

"Can I go Mama?" Yash asks Madhu excitedly.

"Yeah, go." Madhu replies.

Aryan walks out to the balcony while Rishabh and Yash walked out.

Madhu turns around and walks out to the balcony.

"How could you say that to Rishu?" Madhu asks him furiously. "Do you realize how hurt he is? I told you he is not close to his mother like before. Yash is his only family now. If you had a problem with Rishu, you should have told me."

Aryan turns around to look at her.

"Why did you say that to Rishu?" Madhu asks him.

Aryan looks at her and calmly says. "To see how you would react."

"What?" Madhu stops in confusion.

"You think I don't see the way you two look at each other? The yearning... longing looks? Do you think I don't realize that you get happy every time, Rishabh rings that bell?" Aryan asks her.

Madhu guiltily looks at him.

"You two love each other. What are you doing with me, Madhu?" Aryan asks her helplessly.

"Aryan..."

Aryan cuts her off. "Before we decided to get married, we were best friends. And why couldn't you tell me this?"

"I was going to. Tonight." Madhu tells him.

Aryan sighs hearing that. "Did you talk to Rishabh about it?"

"No, Aryan. Not before I speak to you."

"Talk to him then."

Madhu tells him helplessly. "I know he loves me and trusts me now. But too much has happened, I'm just scared... I don't know what to do."

Madhu walks to him and hugs him. Aryan keeps his hand around her.

"Then there is Yash, I don't want him to get hurt. My heart wants to give him a chance but there had been too much pain for both of us. Lot of issues that need to be resolved."

"Madhu, as your best friend, I feel like banging your head on the wall till you come to your sense and realize that you want to jump into the same fire that you got out of. But..." Aryan stops.

Madhu steps back and looks at him. "But?"

"As a man in love with you, I want you to be happy and your happiness is with Rishabh. He is the one you have always loved. The only one you have ever been able to love. He is the only one who can truly heal you. So I think you should give him a chance." Aryan tells him. "Take a leap of faith."

Madhu nods hearing that.

"Just as I reached here today, I called up Ma and told her that we won't be getting married." Aryan informs her.

"You did?" Madhu asks shocked.

Aryan nods. "You go talk to Rishabh."

"No." Madhu says shaking her head.

"What? Why?" Aryan asks confused.

"I am not going to tell him that we are not getting married, right now. I want to take this slow this time. Not rush into anything like last time." Madhu tells him. "There is something I had realized."

"What?" Aryan asks curiously.

"The age that we got divorced, if we had got married that time, we might have never got divorced. We would have worked out. Rishu would have still been blinded by his love for his mother. But I would have been more mature, confident about myself, knew my worth. I might have been able to handle his mother and sister in a better way. Handled their manipulations and lies more tactfully." Madhu tells him.

"Maybe." Aryan replies.

"This time I don't want to rush. Just take our time and be sure that we are strong enough to face anything."

Aryan nods and hugs her, "Whatever you think is right. Just don't get hurt and don't let Yash get hurt."

"I won't." Madhu promises.

Aryan steps back and says. "I think I'll leave then."

"You're going?" Madhu asks shocked.

"Yeah... it is better." Aryan says as he started to walk out.

"But..." Madhu stops confused. "What about office?"

"I'll come next week or something." Aryan tells her as he walked off.

*********

"Aryan left?" Yash asks disappointed.

"He had to go back for work." Madhu tells him.

"When will he come back?" Yash asks her sadly.

"Next week or so. If you want, you can call him. My phone is in the bedroom."

"Okay." Yash replies and runs off.

Rishabh looks at her and asks in concern. "Did he leave because of me?"

"No." Madhu says shaking her head. "I spoke to him. You can come over whenever you want to meet Yash."

Rishabh smiles hearing that. "Thank you, Madhu."

Curiously, looking at him, she asks him. "How come you are getting out of office in time?"

"Because I want to spend time with Yash." And you.

Madhu nods. "When we were married, you never did that for me." Madhu softly says.

Rishabh sighs in guilt. "I know."

Madhu looks away hearing that. The loneliness that she had experienced while married to him, was still so raw.

"You had told me that I wasn't spending time with you." Rishabh says guiltily. "And I promised you that I will. But in the office, I would be busy with projects that I would tell myself that after this one is done I'll spend time with you, I will reduce work burden, take you for a trip. But then another one would pop up and I would tell myself, after this."

Madhu looks at him feeling hurt hearing that.

Rishabh looks at her and says, as his eyes filled up. "I kept telling myself after this one. Madhu is here only. She is not going to go anywhere. We have time."

Madhu's eyes fill up hearing that, seeing the regret on his face.

"I'm sorry, I took you for granted." Rishabh tells her in a heart breaking voice.

Madhu doesn't say anything to that.

"If I could, I would go back in time and change everything. Change the way, I treated you."

Madhu nods accepting his apology.

**********

After that, Madhu started talking to Rishabh. Though Rishabh thought Madhu was still engaged to Aryan, they spoke about their marriage and what had gone wrong in it.

"Yash was saying he wanted to eat burger. Do you want to come with us?" Madhu asks Rishabh.

Rishabh looks at her in surprise. They have never done anything together with Yash... as a family. It was either Madhu and Yash, or Yash and him.

"Yeah." Rishabh says smiling happily.

Madhu smiles seeing him happy. "I'll go get Yash ready."

**********

Madhu sat next to Yash while Rishabh opposite to them. Madhu and Rishabh had finished their burgers while Yash was just half way through his.

Seeing Yash extend his hand towards the milkshake. Madhu quickly says. "Wait, I'll give."

Madhu takes the cup and takes it to Yash, and Yash sips from it. Then he shakes his head to show enough and he left the milkshake turning his attention back to his burger.

Rishabh and Madhu share a smile. Yash was a messy eater. His hands were oozing with ketchup and sauce, there were smudges around his mouth.

"Mama, I'm full." Yash says as he kept the remaining burger back.

"You sure?" Madhu asks him.

Yash nods his head.

"Okay, come, I'll wash your hands." Madhu tells him.

"I'll take him." Rishabh says as he stood up. "Come, Yash."

Yash jumps off and goes with Rishabh while Madhu popped the remaining burger into her mouth.

Few minutes later, they come back. They decide to head back, as they were walking out Yash notices a ball pit. He had got excited and wanted to play in it.

Rishabh puts him in while Madhu and he stood back and watched Yash playing with other kids.

Within minutes, Yash had made a friend.

"He is a lot like you." Madhu says seeing Yash chatting with another boy.

"Hyper?" Rishabh asks.

Madhu shakes her head chuckling. "In making friends."

"Ah." Rishabh smiles then proudly says. "Yeah."

It always amazed her how easy it was for Rishabh to make friends while she took her time in being comfortable with someone.

"I could never go and speak to someone I didn't know." Madhu says softly.

"I know." Rishabh says then he adds in a nostalgic tone. "You made me run around in circles before you said yes."

Madhu looks at Rishabh, remembering those beautiful memories before it was marred by manipulations and lies. She smiles and her cheeks turn slightly pink.

Her smile, tugged at his heart, a pain piercing his heart, realizing that she was no longer his. She was someone else's. He looks away.

"How is everyone at home?" Madhu asks softly as she looked away.

"I don't talk to them. I don't know." Rishabh says shrugging.

"I had seen Trishna's wedding photos." Madhu tells him.

"They are having issues now." Rishabh informs her.

"Oh."

"Trishna is not being nice to Mukund's parents. He kind of kicked her out, though Trishna thinks she actually walked out." Rishabh tells her.

"Good for him." Madhu declares.

Rishabh looks at her and couldn't help his grin. Madhu grins seeing that.

"She tortured you a lot." Rishabh says guiltily.

"She did." Madhu agrees. "She was crude."

"If it was just her word against yours, I would have never believed her, Madhu." Rishabh tells her.

"I know." Madhu replies then looking at Yash, she says. "We should go. Yash has school. We have office."

**********

"Madhu..." Rishabh nervously calls her.

Madhu turns to him with a frown seeing him nervous.

"Can I take Yash home tonight? It is my home and he has never been there. I thought..."

"NO!" Madhu says in shock.

Rishabh nods accepting.

Seeing that, Madhu says, "It is not that I don't trust you with him. I don't want your family near him."

"They are not home." Rishabh tells her. "That is why I asked."

"Oh."

"they'll come back only tomorrow, I guess. That is what the staff said." Rishabh tells her.

"You can take him." Madhu tells him.

**********

Hearing his mobile ring, Rishabh quickly answers it, as Yash sleepily snuggled into him.

"He slept?" Madhu asks seeing Yash sleeping.

"He wanted to call you. Just when I was about to call you, he dropped asleep." Rishabh tells her.

"He might have been tired." Madhu tells him.

"Yeah, he made friends with all the staff here." Rishabh tells her smiling.

"Are they the same staff as before?" Madhu asks curiously.

"Most of them." Rishabh replies. "They were all saying Yash looks exactly like you."

"He does." Madhu says grinning.

"And he snuggles like you." Rishabh says.

Madhu looks away to hide her blush remembering how they used to sleep.

Not realizing that Madhu was blushing, Rishabh says softly. "I shouldn't have said that."

Madhu looks at him and asks him. "Have you changed anything in the room?"

"No... it is pretty much the same." Rishabh says then he regretfully adds. "Our photo was removed."

Madhu nods hearing that.

"One day, when I came back from office, our photo and all your things were gone. Trishna had removed it." Rishabh tells her then he says. "I am guessing Mom might have been behind it."

Madhu nods.

"When I started blasting Trishna, she started scolding Trishna for doing that but then she was supporting her also that I need to move on and all." Rishabh tells her.

"That was always her game." Madhu tells him.

"I know."

"If you're not talking to them, why are you still staying there?" Madhu asks him.

"Because this is the place I lived with you." Rishabh says as he looked at her.

Madhu felt her heart fill with joy hearing that.

"I was ready to leave home and move out with you, so you wouldn't insist on divorce." Rishabh tells her.

"Aryan had suggested the same. Move out. But it wouldn't have worked." Madhu tells him.

"Why?" Rishabh asks her.

"You would still be disillusioned by your mother. She would play even more nasty games. You would believe her plus you would hold me responsible for breaking up the family, and your mother the innocent victim." Madhu tells him. "Moving out would have been worse than divorce. It would have ended with hatred."

"True." Rishabh thoughtfully whispers.

Seeing the notification, Madhu tells him. "Aryan is calling."

"Okay, you carry on." Rishabh says and cuts the call.

**********

Few days later, Aryan had come over.

Since Aryan was there, Rishabh had taken Yash out. Yash needed new drawing supplies so, Rishabh had taken him shopping. Since Aryan was over, he didn't invite Madhu.

Seeing Aryan in the balcony, Madhu steps out. "Hey."

"Hey!" Aryan says as he looked at her. "Everything is set here. Now it will be back to normal. I need to come once in a month or so."

"I'm going to miss you." Madhu tells him sadly.

"I know." Aryan smiles at her.

"I've been looking for a place to move into."

"I told you to stay here." Aryan tells her irately.

"It is just Yash and me. We don't need this big a place." Madhu tells him.

"Wait and see. What if you guys move into Rishabh's place?" Aryan asks her.

Madhu nods and confesses. "I've been thinking about it."

Aryan nods.

"What is the matter with you?" Madhu asks him softly.

"What?" Aryan asks her surprised.

"You look upset. Agitated." Madhu tells him.

Aryan looks away as he held the grills of the balcony.

"You stopped coming on video calls. It is just phone calls. I thought it was because of..." Madhu stops then she says. "It is something else. You're not like usual. Even with Yash, you seem so lost."

Aryan sighs loudly as he leaned back, running his hand through his hair in frustration.

"What is it, Aryan?" Madhu asks him in concern.

Aryan sighs loudly and tells her. "I slept with Imlie."

"What?" Madhu shouts in shock. "Imlie as in your secretary Imlie? The one I call your work wife?"

"I'm so screwed, Madhu." Aryan tells her helplessly.

"What is Imlie saying?" Madhu asks him in shock.

"That it was a mistake and there is nothing to talk about." Aryan says irately.

"So, you two didn't talk about it?" Madhu asks him.

"She just shut me out." Aryan tells her. "She just want to act as if nothing happened and go back to being professionals."

"Did she come with you this time?" Madhu asks him.

"Yeah, she did. Since Yash wasn't here, she didn't come up." Aryan tells her.

Madhu nods.

Aryan turns to her and asks her pissed. "Why can't people just act like grown ups and speak? Why do you've to brush it under the carpet?"

"I've been talking to Rishu." Madhu tells him.

"I didn't mean you!" Aryan says fed up.

Cheekily grinning, Madhu replies. "I know."

Aryan gives her a not-so-amused look.

**********

Next evening, Madhu opens the door for Aryan and Imlie.

"Hi Imlie." Madhu says smiling while Aryan walks in.

"Hi, Madhu. Why did you ask me to come?" Imlie asks as she walked in with Madhu.

"Wait... you asked her to come?" Aryan asks as her frowning.

"Why did you think I came up?" Imlie asks him confused.

"To see Yash." Aryan says with a shrug.

"I saw him in the morning." Imlie reminds him.

"Can I speak to you in private?" Aryan asks Madhu in a clipped tone.

"No time. Me and my boys are going for a movie. Sorry." Madhu tells him. "Come, Imlie."

Imlie and Aryan look at each other then Imlie follows Madhu to the sitting room while Aryan was distracted by Yash.

"Aryan told me about you both." Madhu gently tells her.

Imlie looks at her in shock then Aryan, but Aryan was listening to whatever Yash was saying. "He shouldn't have." Imlie says.

Madhu nods. "I know I shouldn't interfere. But he is my best friend and I want him to be happy."

"His happiness is not with me." Imlie reminds her.

Madhu gulps hearing that. "I know Aryan. I know what his mindset is. How he sees things. And Imlie, he is going through hell now."

"I don't think there is anything I can do." Imlie tells her.

"Talk to him. That is all I am asking. Just talk it out." Madhu tells her.

Imlie looks at Aryan and sees that he was watching them.

"Imlie?" Madhu softly calls her.

Imlie nods.

Hearing the doorbell ring, Yash runs towards the door. "Papa is here."

Madhu smiles seeing his excitement, she watches as Yash opened the door.

"Papa." Yash puts up his hands and Rishabh happily picks him up and kisses him. Then Rishabh's gaze looks for Madhu and finds her.

They smile at each other.

"Papa, have you met Imlie Aunty?" Yash asks him.

Rishabh turns his gaze to the other woman in the room. "No."

"She works with Aryan." Yash informs him.

Rishabh walks to Imlie and extends his hand to her. "Hello, Imlie."

"This is my Papa." Yash informs her as he kept his hand on Rishabh's chest..

"I know." Imlie says as she shook his hand with a polite smile.

"Let's go?" Madhu asks as she stood up.

"Yeah." Rishabh replies.

"Aryan, Leela said she has some shopping. So, I'll be taking her with us." Madhu calls out as she walked out.

**********

Late night, they come back. Madhu unlocks the door and holds it open for Rishabh, who was carrying a sleeping Yash and Leela trailing behind.

Rishabh walks to the bedroom and places Yash on the bed. Yash immediately rolls over. Smiling, Rishabh leans down and kisses him. Seeing his shoes on, Rishabh removes his shoes and keeps it to the side and puts the blanket over him.

He turns to leave and sees Madhu at the door.

Rishabh smiles at her. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Madhu smiles at him. Then she follows him out. Rishabh smiles seeing her walk out with him. He gets in the lift and tells her with a smile. "You go in. I'll go."

"Good night." Madhu says as she smiled at him as she stood back.

Rishabh chuckles. "Go."

Madhu grinning turns around and walks back in.

As the lift door closes, Rishabh felt a jolt realizing that they were dancing around and flirting with each other.

He could understand why he was doing it. But Madhu? She is engaged to someone else and she wasn't a cheat.

Yes, Madhu was engaged to Aryan but the very little time that he has spend in both of their presence, it had felt like how they were when she was married to him. Their relationship looked as platonic as ever.

Was he reading too much into it?

**********

Madhu walks back in and sees Aryan taking water from the fridge.

"Didn't sleep?" Madhu asks him as she walked to him.

"I was about to. When did you come?" Aryan asks her as he drank the water.

"Few minutes."

"I was in the shower. That's why I didn't hear you guys."

"How did it go with Imlie?" Madhu asks him.

Aryan keeps the bottle on the counter and looks at her then he sighs. "No strings." Aryan tells her.

"What?" Madhu asks frowning in shock.

"We are going to be "doing it" without commitments." Aryan informs her.

Madhu's mouth drops open in shock.

"Good night." Aryan tells her and walks off.

**********

The week went in a blink. Aryan and Imlie had gone back, and again it was just them.

"How was your pregnancy?" Rishabh asks her in a whisper.

They were sitting together while Yash was lying on the floor, drawing. Yash had progressed from stick figures to shapes.

Madhu looks at him, she could see that he was worried. She says smiling. "Actually pretty normal. Just the usual discomforts. According to Ma, I had a pretty easy pregnancy."

"Ma?" Rishabh asks confused.

"Aryan's mother." Madhu says smiling with fond memories. "She was very kind and loving to me. Treated me like her daughter. Helped me a lot during pregnancy. Even Arpita di."

"I am glad you had them." Rishabh says smiling sadly. "And delivery?"

"C-section."

Rishabh flinches hearing that.

"It was fine." Madhu says as she smiled. "Real struggle was Yash. Aryan and I had no clue. Ma helped a lot. She taught me everything."

Rishabh's eyes fill up, and says. "If I had known, Madhu. I would have been with you. All through out. You've to believe me."

"I know, Rishu." Madhu says as she looked at him. "I believe you."

Rishabh nods in relief, "I wouldn't have given you a divorce. I would have fought you till the very end."

"I was scared that you would." Madhu tells him. "When you didn't, I was shocked. I was relieved too that you didn't fight."

"It is because I didn't know."

"I should have known your mother would play her dirty game." Madhu confesses. "But it was your lawyer who had come, not her. So..." Madhu guiltily stops.

"I spoke to him. He truly thought he was telling you what I had instructed. Mom was the go between the both of us."

"Why?" Madhu asks him softly. "Why did you bring her into our divorce too?"

"After that scene at home, she told me she wanted to end things in a dignified way. She considered you her daughter and she wanted you to leave with dignity." Rishabh tells her.

Madhu scoffs loudly hearing that.

"I'm sorry, Madhu." Rishabh says.

Madhu nods then since they were talking about their divorce, she asks him. "Do you hold Aryan responsible for our divorce. You agreed after the argument you had with him."

"I did." Rishabh says then he says. "But knowing what I know now, I feel he let me off too easily."

"He told me a couple of times to reconcile with you. He was sure that you loved me, even when I wasn't sure." Madhu tells him.

"You didn't think I loved you?" Rishabh asks her in shock.

"They kept saying all those things. You rarely spent time with me. I started believing them." Madhu tells him.

Rishabh holds her hand in shock. "You thought I stopped loving you?"

"I did." Madhu confesses. "I'm sorry. I got so insecure that I started believing them. I understood that you still love me when you refused for divorce."

"I've always loved you, Madhu. You're the only one I've ever loved. Even when you were not with me, I have loved you. Heart, body and soul, I've been yours ever since I met you." Rishabh vows to her.

Madhu's heart fills up hearing that, she moves towards him, and he moves forward to meet her halfway.

They were a breath away from kissing when Yash declares. "I am done."

They both move apart in shock.

"How is it?" Yash asks as he turned to show his drawing to his parents.

Heart slamming against their chest they turn to look at his drawing. It was a drawing of what they assumed to be a tiger, going by the predominance of the color orange.

Rishabh was sure that his son was a prodigy.

"It's a bear." Yash tells them proudly.

"It is amazing." His parents praises him.

**********

It was a public holiday and Madhu was home. Hearing her mobile ring, she answers with a smile seeing that it was Rishabh.

"Hi."

"Hey... I was thinking we could take Yash out. What do you think?" Rishabh asks her.

Madhu thinks for a few seconds then she says smiling. "Yeah, you come."

"Okay. See you guys soon."

**********

Rishabh walks in and stops in surprise seeing Madhu wearing her usual home clothes. "You're not ready?"

Madhu shakes her head as she closed the door.

"Where is Yash?" Rishabh asks looking around, Yash would have come running hearing the bell.

"He is not here." Madhu tells him.

"You didn't tell him I am coming?" Rishabh asks disappointed, understanding why Madhu wasn't dressed to go out.

"He left before you called." Madhu tells him. "One of his friends in the building, his parents had invited all the kids for a play date. Movie, games and all. He'll come back only in the evening."

"So, when I called..." Rishabh asks, his heart slamming against his chest.

"He wasn't here." Madhu tells him with a slight shrug and a smile.

Rishabh moves towards her and takes her lips in his. They hungrily starts kissing each other.

"Tell me to stop, Madhu." Rishabh whispers against her lips.

"I don't want you to stop." Madhu replies as she took his lips in his and kissed.

Groaning loudly against her lips, he picks her up and walks to the bedroom.

**********

Rishabh moves towards Madhu and kisses her. "You can't marry Aryan. You are mine."

"Shouldn't you have said that before we made love?" Madhu asks him cheekily.

Rishabh stops and moves back to look at her face, frowning. "You are not marrying Aryan."

"No." Madhu replies with a grin.

"When did you call it off?" Rishabh asks her in shock.

"Been a while." Madhu tells him. "And Aryan is in some kind of a no strings relation with Imlie."

Rishabh stares at her in shock. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Then we would have ended up here long back." Madhu tells him as she leaned towards him and nibbled on his lips.

"We would have." Rishabh agrees as he kissed her then he asks her. "Do you have any idea how many nights I lay awake thinking that you were going to be someone else's? How many nightmares I had?"

"Consider it punishment for all your mistakes." Madhu tells him.

"You punished me by giving me the death sentence by going away." Rishabh softly says.

Madhu stops as she looked at him then lovingly caresses him she tells him. "You were not the only one who got the death sentence, even I did."

Rishabh hugs her tight to him as he kissed her hungrily.

**********

Since Madhu told him that she wasn't ready to live together, Rishabh was pretty much staying at her place most of the nights.

Rishabh turns to her and says gently. "I heard Trishna mention that I kept you under my thumb by threatening you with divorce."

Madhu turns to him and says "You did."

"What are you saying, Madhu?" Rishabh asks her shocked out of his wits. "I never..."

"Second wedding anniversary." Madhu reminds him, her heart still breaking remembering that night.

Rishabh stops in shock remembering that night.

"I was telling you what your mother and sister were doing and you said you wanted divorce." Madhu reminds him.

Rishabh closes his eyes in regret. "Madhu... I..."

"You were just 23. Unable to see your mother's truth. You were being squeezed from both sides. You really weren't mature enough to handle it. Even I wasn't. When you said you wanted divorce, I got scared, Rishu. I thought if I complained to you one more time then you would leave me."

"So, you kept it all in you for years. Scared to tell me what they were doing, fearing I will divorce you?" Rishabh asks her in shock, his eyes filling up.

Madhu's eyes fill up. "I had fallen to their manipulations so much that I unknowingly started believing that if I hadn't got pregnant then maybe you never would have married me."

"Even if you weren't pregnant, I would have married you, Madhu. Not then, but years later, I would have. I would have always been with you. You're not just my first love, you are my last and only love." Rishabh tells her.

"I know." Madhu tells him. "Now, I know. I believe it."

"I'm sorry, I didn't believe you, Madhu. You had only me and I didn't believe you. It kills me that I made you so lonely and caused you so much pain. And I didn't realize what was happening."

"Somewhere in you, you did know. Once you had asked me whether I love you." Madhu tells him.

"I guess, I had some inclination. Sometimes, you seemed so distant but rest of the time, everything was so perfect that, I just..."

"Did you think we had a perfect marriage?" Madhu asks him.

Rishabh looks at her and confesses. "I did."

"You used to leave in the morning to office. Full day you would be busy with work. Evening you come back just in time for dinner. Then we would either make love or sleep. next day, the same thing. All we had was the few minutes in bed before we slept. And sometimes, your mother and sister, would do something and we would end up fighting, and whatever they accused me of, I would accept it and apologize so you won't be angry with me. How did you think that was perfect?" Madhu asks him.

"I had been so selfish. Everything had been easy for me, so I assumed it was for you as well." Rishabh says in shock.

"If I had spoken up instead of being scared then maybe.. I don't know..." Madhu says.

"Anytime you spoke up, we would have got divorced." Rishabh admits guiltily. "I would have only believed Mom."

"We wouldn't have had Yash." Madhu reminds him.

Rishabh nods.

"Aryan once mentioned it but I didn't take it seriously then. Then few years of therapy I feel he was right." Madhu tells him.

Rishabh curiously look at her.

"Just like how I was being manipulated by them. Even you were manipulated by your mother. Since you were kid, you were being manipulated by her." Madhu tells him.

Rishabh looks at her thoughtfully. Then he says softly. "We only had mom and her parents growing up. Dad's family were the villains. They were trying to snatch our properties. They made it hard for mom."

Sighing he says. "Now, I don't know how much of it is true. Were they were really villains or Mom wanted all of Dad's family out of our business. She kept telling me how they were troubling mom. How she was struggling. How she was all alone. How she is doing everything to keep us safe."

"In other words, she is the only one you can trust." Madhu points out.

Rishabh nods. "I never realized that was what she was feeding into me."

Madhu doesn't say anything, Rishabh moves to her and hugs her. Madhu hugs him back.

"You know, Rishu... the only reason they didn't attempt to cause misunderstandings regarding my friendship with Aryan is because you refused to believe that I would have a relation with anyone else." Madhu tells him.

"I know you, Madhu. I know you love me. You would never look at another man like that. Even if mom had told me that, I wouldn't have believed her." Rishabh tells her.

"And she knew that. That is the only reason she didn't try to make me out to be a adulterer. She knew, if she did that maybe she will even lose her hold on you." Madhu tells him then she kisses his forehead. "Thank you."

"You know I believed her lies because I believed you loved me? She made it all sound like you were being possessive about me. Not wanting to share me with my family. Wanted me for yourself. And I believed them because I knew how much you loved me."

Madhu nods accepting his explanation.

"Would you have believed it if she tried to make you think I was cheating on you?" Rishabh asks her.

Madhu looks at him thoughtfully and says. "I would believe you didn't love me. But I would never believe you are a cheat, an adulterer."

Rishabh nods hearing that.

"Trishna and Mom tried. Talking about all the beautiful women that you come in contact with on a daily basis. I didn't pay heed to it. When they realized it, even they stopped."

"I know there were many beautiful women but the only beautiful woman I had eyes for was you." Rishabh tells.

Grinning happily, Madhu hugs him.

**********

Madhu had Yash on her lap as she loudly kissed him on his cheek. As she moved back, Yash looks at her as he wiped his cheek.

Madhu gasps in shock. "Why did you wipe my kiss?"

"Because you put spit on me." Yash tells her grumpily.

"I didn't spit on you." Madhu tells him gasping in shock.

"I felt it." Yash declares as he moved to her and wiped his cheek on her shoulders.

Madhu scowls at him and loudly kisses him all over his face.

"Ewwe... Papa tell her to stop." Yash shouts as he twisted on Madhu's lap.

"Stop irritating him, Madhu." Rishabh says without taking his eyes off his phone.

Madhu hugs Yash tight. "My son, I'll do whatever I want." Madhu arrogantly says.

Rishabh turns to her and gives her a look. "The last thing we want is a new and upgraded version of my mother."

"But I have a better and upgraded version of Rishabh." Madhu cheekily declares as she looked at Yash. "Aren't you mama's boy?"

Yash scowls at her then holding her top, he wipes his face on it.

"Ha... ha... looks like he is anything but that." Rishabh declares.

"Did you finish booking?" Madhu asks him grumpily.

"Almost. You sure we are just staying 1 night?" Rishabh asks her.

"Yeah. We can go only Saturday. I want to come back by Sunday evening. Yash has school. Coming back in the morning would be a bit hectic."

"He can skip school." Rishabh suggests.

"I've office." Madhu reminds him.

"Okay." Rishabh nods then he curiously asks her as he looked at her. "You never told me why you moved back to Mumbai."

"I got promotion with transfer." Madhu tells him.

"Oh."

Cheekily grinning, Madhu asks "Did you wanted to hear that I wanted to be near you, that is why I came back?"

"Would have been nice to hear that." Rishabh grumpily mutters.

Madhu looks at Yash and sees that he was still wiping his face.

"I have got two grumpy heads." Madhu declares.

**********

Hearing the phone ring, Madhu answers the call seeing that it was Aryan.

"Hey... what's up?" Madhu asks as she answered the call.

"Hey... how is it going?" Aryan asks her back.

"Good... we were just planning to go to Lonavala for the weekend."

"That's great. First family trip... huh?"

"Yeah." Madhu says smiling. "What's happening at your end?"

"All good... I just called to let you know that I'll be coming either saturday or Sunday. There is a progress meeting for the mansion." Aryan informs her.

"Oh... but we won't be here." Madhu says. "Let me see if we can change the booking."

"You guys go. Anyway I've to fly back Sunday night itself because monday Ma has asked me to be at home. Leela will be there, right?"

"Since we were not going to be here, I told her she could go home for the weekend."

"No worries. I've my key. You guys carry on with your plan."

**********

They were in the car, heading to Lonavala. Hearing his mobile ring, Rishabh frowns seeing who it was.

Madhu looks at the display and sees Mom calling.

Madhu looks at him and he looks at her.

"I better answer it, she hasn't called me in a long time. What if it is some emergency?" Rishabh says loudly as he pressed the answer button on his steering wheel.

"Hello?" Rishabh says.

"Rishu, come home fast." Radha says panicking.

"What happened?" Rishabh asks frowning.

"Mukund has sent his lawyer here. He is here to discuss the divorce settlement." Radha tells him. "Trishna is panicking, Rishu. Come fast."

"I'm not a lawyer, Mom. You better call a lawyer." Rishabh tells her.

"Rishu, your sister is going to get divorced and is this how you behave?" Radha asks offended.

"If you would remember, that sister got me divorced!"

"Rishu.." Radha furiously start.

Realizing Yash was in the car, Rishabh cuts her off. "Yash, Madhu and me are going away for a weekend. Don't disturb us." Rishabh says and hangs up.

"Wow, looks like Mukund is no push over." Madhu points out.

Grinning, he tells her. "I did tell him that Trishna was sending him divorce notice to scare him to do her bidding. And she was damn sure that Mukund will never divorce."

Madhu shakes her head with a smile hearing that.

"But to be fair, he was in talks with a lawyer to file for divorce." Rishabh tells her.

"You know, I shouldn't feel happy about this." Madhu tells him ashamed. "But I am. I feel it is kind some of a justice too."

"That makes the two of us." Rishabh declares.

**********

They had an amazing time on their first vacation together.

"You know this is the first leisure trip we are taking." Madhu tells Rishabh as they walked to their room after dinner with Yash.

"We've been on trips." Rishabh reminds her.

"It is mostly your official trip. Then other times we planned a trip your mother and sister would tag on." Madhu reminds him.

"I have been such a horrible husband."

Madhu leans to him and wraps her hand around his arms, resting her head on his arms. "If they were loving towards me, then I would have enjoyed those trips."

"We never went on a honeymoon." Rishabh reminds her.

"I was pregnant and on bed rest. Then miscarriage then I rejoined college. We didn't have time to go. By the time, we had time, it was close to year of wedding and we both had forgot about honeymoon by then." Madhu tells him.

"Now any honeymoon would be with sir." Rishabh says pointing at Yash who was walking holding his hand.

Madhu chuckles as she looked at Yash, who was busy looking at everything around him as they walked.

Seeing her chuckle, Rishabh vowed to himself, if Madhu agrees to marry him again then he would definitely take her for a honeymoon this time, and they would go for yearly vacation as a family.

**********

Madhu smiles seeing Rishabh and Yash playing in the bathtub. Rishabh wanted to give Yash a bath and then both decided to bathe together. They both were making a mess around the bathroom as they splashed each other with water.

Hearing the doorbell, Madhu hurries to the door. She opens the door and thanking the room boy she takes the packet. She goes to the half toilet.

Madhu closes the toilet seat cover as she waited for the test results. She has been two days late and feeling lethargic lately.

"Madhu..." Rishabh calls her.

"In here." Madhu calls out as she pushed the door open.

Rishabh comes to the door curiously. "What are you doing here?"

"Where is Yash?"

"Watching TV. What happened?" Rishabh asks her.

Madhu gestures him to come in.

"You know, bathing together is yum. But this is where I draw the line." Rishabh tells her grinning as he walked in to the toilet.

Madhu chuckles. She extends the pregnancy strip to him.

Rishabh takes it from her, then looks at it. He looks up at her realizing what it is, he couldn't hold his smile. Seeing that Madhu smiles. He crouches down and hugs her tight.

"I love you, Madhu." Rishabh says as he kissed her on her forehead.

Madhu smiles at him. "I love you too."

"We have to tell Yash." Madhu tells him.

"Yeah." Rishabh says as he looked at her, his eyes filled with happy tears. "Before that we should see a doctor."

Madhu nods.

"From now on, you rest. I'll take care of Yash. I'll handle everything." Rishabh says as he planned out loud as he stood up.

Realizing that the last he had seen her pregnant they had lost the baby and he was worried about that happening again. Madhu holds his hand.

Rishabh stops as he looked at her.

"Everything is going to be fine." Madhu tells him reassuringly.

"Yeah." Rishabh nods. "You get ready. We'll leave now."

"What? Check out is at 12." Madhu reminds him.

"We've to see doctor. Then traffic. We'll leave now. You need to be home." Rishabh says tensed up.

And Madhu knew there was not going to be relaxing for Rishabh, he is going to worry all through her pregnancy.

**********

On the way home, they went to the doctor and had the pregnancy confirmed. They had excitedly informed Yash about the baby. But Yash wasn't that excited. He was just curious.

As they drove back home, Madhu rested her head against the headrest with her eyes closed, as Rishabh tried his best to answer all of Yash's curious questions, including how the baby got inside Mama's stomach.

**********

"You go up. I'll bring the luggage." Rishabh tells her.

"Yash..." Madhu turns to him.

"I'll bring him." Rishabh tells her as he walked to the boot. "You relax. I'll handle it all."

Shaking her head, Madhu walks off, she is starting to resign all of her pregnancy to the care under Papa Bear.

By the time, she got out of the elevator, she was amused by his over protectiveness.

As she opened the door she could hear laughter from inside, she steps in and shrieks seeing the scene before her.

"Madhu!" Aryan says in shock.

Madhu quickly turns around. "Sorry... sorry."

Imlie was wearing just Aryan's shirt. Aryan just his pants. And he had been lifting her up by her waist.

"You should have told you guys were going to be here." Madhu says.

"You told me you would return only in the evening." Aryan reminds her.

Seeing Rishabh and Yash, Madhu shouts at them. "Stop!"

They both stop in shock.

"What?" Rishabh asks in confusion.

"Are you still here?" Madhu asks and she hears the door closing sound. She dreadfully turns back and sighs seeing they were gone. "Okay, come in."

"What happened?" Rishabh asks her.

Madhu flicks her head to Aryan's bedroom direction.

Rishabh assuming she was motioning to the kitchen mouths to her. "Leela?"

Madhu shakes her head, and flicks her head even further.

"Aryan?" Rishabh mouths to her.

Madhu nods and then flicks her head even more.

"Imlie?" Rishabh mouths to her.

Madhu nods.

"Should we leave? Go somewhere?" Rishabh asks her confused.

"But we just got home." Yash says as he looked at his father.

"We'll just stay in our room." Madhu says. "Come, Yash, you said you wanted to make a card for the baby. Let's do that."

They walk to the bedroom, Madhu takes her mobile and messages Aryan.

Before you leave, we need to talk.

As Yash got settle with his drawing, Madhu turns to Rishabh and he also turns to her at the same time.

"I wanted to talk to you." Rishabh says as he moved to her.

"Even me." Madhu says. "You go first."

Rishabh holds her hand and says, "Madhu, I want to be with you full time during your pregnancy. I want us to stay together."

Madhu smiles hearing that. "I was going to tell you the same."

Rishabh smiles happily hearing that. He kisses her hand. "I'll find a place as soon as I can."

"We can go to Kundra Mansion." Madhu tells him.

Rishabh's smile drops in shock hearing that. "But Madhu, Mom is there."

"I know. She is still the same but we are not. We have come a long way. We trust each other. We are not going to be manipulated by them." Madhu tells him.

Rishabh thoughtfully looks at her. "It is true, Madhu... but..."

"Rishu, one thing that we both need to accept is that, our marriage didn't fall apart because of them, it did because of us. We let them manipulate us against each other. But now, we are together, Rishu. Our bond is stronger than before."

"I don't want Yash to be in her presence." Rishabh tells her.

"She is his grandmother and one day, he is going to come in contact with her. We can protect him but not coddle him." Madhu tells him.

Rishabh nods. "If that is what you want."

Madhu smiles and hugs him.

"I don't like this, Madhu. You should need rest now, not be in the midst of toxicity." Rishabh tells her.

"Let's give it a try."

"Why?" Rishabh asks her as he looked at her.

"Because I know you, Rishu." Madhu tells him as she caressed his cheek. "You might not talk to her. You might hate her. But you're still her son. Even if you don't want to have any relationship with her, you feel duty bound and want to fulfill the duties of a son to his mother."

Rishabh eyes fill up hearing that. "And she made me believe that you wanted to take me away from my family."

"It's in the past, Rishu." Madhu tells him as she hugged him.

**********

Much later, they were in the room when Madhu hears Aryan call her.

"Aryan is here?" Yash asks excitedly.

"Yes, you finish your drawing. I want to speak to Aryan, then you speak to him." Madhu tells him and leaves the room.

Madhu sees Aryan ready to leave. She smiles at him as she gestured to the balcony. "Come."

Aryan follows her.

"Where is Imlie?"

"Getting ready."

"You seem happy with Imlie." Madhu says with a grin.

"It is complicated." Aryan says with a sigh.

"It's going to be fine." Madhu tells him smiling.

Aryan nods. "We were heading out. We've the meeting. I'm thinking of flying back right after that. Tomorrow morning Ma asked me to be at home for the function."

"She told me. She had asked me to come. But I can't take off tomorrow." Madhu tells him.

"Yeah, Ma told me. What did you want to talk about?" Aryan asks her curiously.

"we're moving in with Rishu." Madhu tells him.

Aryan frowns hearing that. "What do you mean by moving in? Where exactly are you moving into?"

"Kundra Mansion."

"Have you gone crazy?" Aryan asks her angrily. "You're going to put Yash with that witch?"

"I'm doing this for Rishu."

"He asked you to?" Aryan asks frowning murderously.

"No, he is against it." Madhu tells him.

Aryan groans in frustration, "What are you doing, Madhu? Why don't you just stay here? I won't be coming to Mumbai that often now. You guys can have this place."

"I just want to do this. I don't want to snatch a son from his mother." Madhu tells him.

"What kind of martyr complex is this?" Aryan asks her incredulously. "Years of therapy didn't do anything for you?"

Madhu grins then she tells him. "I am pregnant."

"What?" Aryan stops taken back.

Madhu grins happily.

Aryan moves towards her and hugs her. "Congratulations. I'm so happy for you guys." He says smiling happily.

"Thanks. And you can't shout at a pregnant lady." Madhu tells him.

Aryan gives up. "You're your worst enemy."

Madhu chuckles and notices Imlie watching from inside. She smiles at Imlie.

"Imlie is waiting." Madhu says as she walked back in, she was about to speak to her when Yash calls her.

"Yeah, coming." Madhu calls back.

"What is he doing?" Aryan asks as he followed her, looking at Imlie, he says, "We'll just meet him and go."

**********

Next morning, Rishabh, Madhu and Yash walk into Kundra mansion.

"I'm going to meet my friends." Yash declares as he ran towards the kitchen.

Radha stops seeing a kid run into her home, then she curiously looks around and sees Madhu with Rishabh. "What is she doing here?" Radha asks angrily.

"Who is it?" Trishna asks as she came curiously.

"Madhu and Yash are going to stay here." Rishabh informs them.

"No way!" Radha says furiously. "I'll not allow it."

"This is my house and my wife and my son stays with me." Rishabh declares.

"You two got married?" Trishna asks in shock.

"No. But Madhu is still my wife. She has always been my wife." Rishabh tells them.

"When are you going to open your eyes and see that she is not good enough?" Radha asks him fed up.

"My eyes are open and I am seeing how you two don't deserve Madhu." Rishabh says angrily. "And you should be thankful to Madhu, she insisted that we stay here. She didn't want to come between you and me."

"She wants to stay in this mansion. Are you too blind to see that?" Trishna asks him.

"You were going to move out? Leave me?" Radha asks him in shock.

"Yes. And Madhu is pregnant and I don't want any kind of stress for her or Yash. So you both stay the hell away from her."

"Pregnant?" Radha asks in shock as she looked at Madhu.

"This time, let me make it clear. I got her pregnant in the hope that she will agree to marry me again. So, don't accuse her of trapping me with pregnancy." Rishabh declares.

Radha looks at Madhu in hatred and asks. "She has been living with another man all these years. Are you even sure that boy and this child is yours?"

Before Rishabh could say anything, Madhu furiously slaps Radha.

Radha stares at Madhu in shock, her cheek stinging. Trishna furiously screams.

"How dare you? Are you not going to do anything?" Trishna asks Rishabh furiously.

"Stay here, Madhu." Rishabh furiously tells her and walks inside.

"I am going to destroy you." Radha warns Madhu.

"You tried but you couldn't." Madhu reminds her.

They stared at each other murderously with Trishna was screaming and cursing Madhu.

"Shut up, Trishna." Rishabh says as he walked out with Yash a few minutes later.

"Why are we going?" Yash asks confused.

"We're not staying here, Yash." Rishabh tells him then looking at Madhu, he tells her. "I'll do anything for you. But not this. We're not staying here."

"She slapped our mother and you're siding with her?" Trishna asks furiously.

Rishabh looks at Madhu and says. "Thank you, Madhu. You did the one thing that I wanted to do but could never do."

Trishna gasps.

"I consider it as my wife doing me a favor." Rishabh informs Trishna then looking at Radha he tells her. "You destroyed my life, my wife's, our marriage. I won't let you destroy our children's life. Let's go, Madhu."

"You'll regret this, bhai."

Madhu looks at Trishna and says. "I don't know him. But when you meet Mukund to discuss your divorce, do tell him that I said, 'Happy Divorce.'."

"I'll send someone to get my stuff." Rishabh says. "And my lawyer will get in touch with you regarding partition."

They walk out.

**********

"I shouldn't have slapped your mother." Madhu says in a whisper, feeling guilty for slapping someone elder to her.

"She deserved it." Rishabh says.

"Where are we going?" Yash asks them curiously.

"Flat." Rishabh replies.

"We're going to stay there now?" Yash asks smiling.

"For now, yes." Rishabh tells him. He turns to Madhu and tells her. "I spoke to Aryan. I asked him if we could stay there till we found another place and he said okay."

"You didn't have to even ask." Madhu tells him surprised, Aryan and she didn't have that kind of formality.

"I had to." Rishabh tells her.

Madhu nods realizing that Rishabh and Aryan were reserved with each other, they didn't have the friendship that they had before their divorce.

**********

Hearing someone unlocking the door, Rishabh goes to check and sees Aryan walk in.

"Madhu said you had some function at home." Rishabh says in surprise.

"Yeah..." Aryan replies. "I came to get my stuff from here."

"What?" Rishabh asks in confusion.

"Where is Madhu?"

"Sleeping."

Aryan nods. "I'll just get my stuff." Aryan says and walks to his bedroom.

A while later, Rishabh sees Aryan come back carrying his bags. Seeing Rishabh, Aryan leaves his key on the counter. "That is my key."

"Aryan, I asked you about me moving in. I never wanted you to move out." Rishabh tells him as he walked to him.

"I am not going to be here that often. Only rarely. My stuff needn't be here." Aryan tells him. "If you want, you guys can have this place. I really don't need it. If you move out, I'll just put it in the market."

Rishabh says thoughtfully hearing that. "Yash and Madhu are well settled here. Yash has friends here. Yash's school and Madhu's office is close by. This is an ideal place."

"I'll have my lawyer start the paperwork then." Aryan tells him. "I guess, I will leave."

Rishabh says gently. "I never thanked you for helping Madhu and Yash. For being there for them."

"She is my best friend. She would have done the same for me." Aryan tells him.

Rishabh nods.

"Don't ever hurt Yash or her again." Aryan warns him.

"I won't." Rishabh promises him.

Aryan nods.

"I'm sorry, because of us your heart was broken." Rishabh regretfully tells him.

Aryan shakes his head, "my heart will be break when even after I gave her up, she is not happy."

"I promise you, I'll keep her always happy."

Aryan nods though Rishabh could tell that he looked suddenly uncomfortable and his mind was elsewhere.

"I've to go."

"You look tired."

"I'm." Aryan admits tired. "I've been traveling for the last few days."

"Why don't you stay tonight?" Rishabh asks him.

"No, I told Imlie I will get back today." Aryan tells him.

Rishabh nods and then he smiles at Aryan as he hit him lightly on his upper arm.

Seeing that, Aryan also smiles at him, as he return the light hit.

**********

Things fell into place after that. Rishabh, Madhu and Yash were well settled into their flat. Rishabh had bought the flat from Aryan, and had made the registration too. Rishabh had got his share from his family and the company. The news of the split was pretty big in the business world, the shares dropped but nothing that Rishabh couldn't handle.

Madhu's pregnancy was also going smoothly.

Hearing his mobile ring, Rishabh answers with a sigh. "What do you want?"

"Rishu, please come home." Radha says as she cried helplessly.

Unable to ignore his mother's cries, Rishabh went to check on her.

He walks in to see his mother sitting on her chair depressed. She wasn't the woman he had last seen weeks ago. She looked too weak and defeated.

"Rishu... you came." Radha says as she smiled eagerly, extending her hand to him.

Rishabh ties his hands behind his back. "Why did you call me?"

"Trishna went to Mukund's place last week. She understood he was serious about divorce." Radha tells him.

"So? Isn't that what you wanted?" Rishabh asks her frowning. "Who died that you're like this?"

"Mukund told her that I am the reason she is like that and she should cut off all ties with me otherwise they will also end up like you and Madhu. Trishna is not talking to me because she is worried Mukund will divorce her."

"He is smart." Rishabh replies.

Radha looks at him and says helplessly. "I don't have anyone, Rishu. I am alone here. It's so lonely here."

"Why did you call me here?" Rishabh asks her.

"Please come back, Rishu." Radha pleads him.

"No."

"You can bring Madhu and her kid." Radha tells him.

"Her kid?" Rishabh asks her furiously.

"Your son." Radha says quickly. "I won't say a word against them. I promise."

"A leopard never changes it spots. And you are worse than a snake, Mom. I didn't want to, but still Madhu gave you a chance, and you slandered her and our children. I will not come back."

"Please, Rishu. I have no one here. I am alone here all day. No one to talk to."

"What about the staff?" Rishabh asks her.

Radha doesn't say anything to that.

"Ah, I forgot. They are beneath you." Rishabh says in disgust.

"Please, Rishu. The house is too big. Too silent. It is just me now. I feel alone." Radha pleads.

"When you drove my wife away, didn't you realize that she was alone? Yash was alone? That your son was lonely and miserable without his wife?" Rishabh asks her as his eyes filled up.

"I am sorry, Rishu."

"Your sorry is too little and meaningless. I am never coming back." Rishabh tells her and turns around and walk off.

**********

"Maybe we could hire a companion for her?" Madhu asks Rishabh.

"She has money. She can do it herself if she wants it so badly." Rishabh says disinterestedly.

"Rishu..." Madhu gently holds his hand.

Rishabh turns to her and says, "Tell me this, I know why I didn't bother with birth control, why didn't you?"

Realizing he was done discussing his mother, Madhu says with a smile. "You lost so much with Yash, I wanted you to have all that."

Rishabh smiles hearing.

"So, you were seriously trying to trap me into marriage with another pregnancy?" Madhu asks him grinning.

"Yeah. First step was moving in together." Rishabh tells her.

"Cheeky." Madhu grins.

Rishabh smiles. "I don't want to rush you, Madhu. Whenever you are ready. In my heart we are already married. The truth is we were never divorced in my heart."

Madhu smiles hearing that. "I want to marry you."

Rishabh's face breaks out into a big smile. "I am going to give you the grandest wedding ever. The one we never had."

"No." Madhu says. "I want to marry you soon. Like now. I don't want to waste time planning a wedding."

Rishabh grins hearing that. "Whatever you decide." Rishabh says as he nibbled on her lips.

**********

Epilogue

"When do I get to play with the baby?" Yash asks frowning in displeasure watching Aryan teaching Rishabh how to hold the newborn.

"Soon." Madhu tells him smiling.

"I remember the day you were born." Narmada says to Yash.

"Was I as tiny as Vansh, nani?" Yash asks curiously.

"Yes." Narmada tells him smiling.

"I am bigger now." Yash points out.

"I can see that." Narmada points out chuckling.

Yash turns to Imlie and walks to her, he keeps his hand on her swollen belly. "When is this baby coming?"

"In about 4 months." Imlie tells him smiling.

"Aryan was saying Vansh and this baby are going to be best friends like Mama and him." Yash tells her.

"Yeah, he has his dreams." Imlie cheekily says as she grinned at Aryan.

Aryan grins hearing that.

"Even I will be this baby's best friend." Yash declares and kisses Imlie's tummy.

"Yash, you don't kiss a lady without her permission." Rishabh tells his son.

"Ladies." Aryan corrects him.

"You're having a daughter?" Rishabh asks surprised. "You didn't tell us."

"He wants one." Imlie tells him grinning. Then grinning at Yash, she says. "Yash is my friend, you can kiss me."

"I know, we are having one." Aryan says then adds on to what Imlie told Yash. "Not my daughter though."

"You're mad." Narmada declares. "It is time for my flight. I'll leave." She turns to Imlie and kisses her forehead. "You take care, okay?"

Imlie smiles at her.

Narmada walks to Madhu and kisses her forehead. "If anything, call me. Arpita said she will come tomorrow. She is waiting for Sunder to get back."

"It is better for di to come after they are discharged. Why crowd the hospital?" Aryan asks. "Come, I'll walk you out."

"I'll also come." Rishabh says as he carefully handed his son to Madhu. "Yash, you coming?"

"Yeah." Yash replies.

Soon they had left with Narmada. It was just Imlie and Madhu with the baby. They smile at each other.

"How was your delivery?" Imlie asks her.

Realizing Imlie was worried for her delivery, Madhu says smiling. "I was under anesthesia, C-section, I didn't feel a thing."

"I'm wondering whether I should opt for C-section."

"Did you talk to Aryan about it?" Madhu asks her, after Imlie and Aryan got married, Imlie and she had become more friendly. She was glad that whatever issue Imlie had with her was resolved.

"Since he has been with you through your pregnancy, he is so chill." Imlie tells her.

"In a way it is good."

"Rishabh was driving you crazy?" Imlie asks chuckling.

"He was." Madhu admits. "It was all new for him."

"In a way, I am relieved." Imlie admits. "If anything, Aryan is so calm and he has an answer. So, I am not so worried."

"Rishu freaked out at every single thing."

"He kept calling Aryan asking doubts." Imlie tells her then cheeks turning pink, she says, "Sometimes at the most inappropriate time."

Madhu laughs hearing that then flinches feeling pain in her stitch.

Imlie looks at her in concern and worry.

Madhu shakes her head. "Let me warn you, Rishu hasn't been around new borns too, so he is going to keep calling Aryan."

Imlie grins.

They were talking when Rishabh, Aryan and Yash, came back.

"Let's go? You will be tired." Aryan asks Imlie as he walked to her.

Imlie nods realizing that she was tired.

"Are you taking Yash?" Rishabh asks Aryan. "If you two want to rest then I'll bring him later."

"No, let him come with us." Aryan says.

Aryan and Imlie were staying at their flat. Since, Aryan didn't want Imlie flying back to back in this condition, they were staying with them for a week. And it was good for Madhu and Rishabh, while they stayed at the hospital, Aryan and Imlie would watch Yash.

Soon, Yash left with them.

Rishabh smiles as he sat next to Madhu and looks at their sleeping baby in her arms.

"He looks exactly like Yash, when he was born." Madhu tells him.

Rishabh's eyes fill up hearing that, realizing what he had missed.

Madhu lovingly keeps her hand on his cheek. "You can have whatever you missed with Yash, with Vansh now."

Rishabh nods as he leaned down and kissed their son, then he kisses Madhu on her forehead.

"Thanks for giving me another chance." Rishabh tells her.

Madhu grins and tells him. "Thanks for swinging by to check on me, instead of going to meet Mr. Kapoor's daughter."

Rishabh laughs hearing that. "Best decision I ever made. Second only to falling in love with you."

Few days later, carrying the newborn baby, they come back to the flat. At the lobby, Rishabh stop to check whether the change had been made. He looks at the tenants list. And smiles seeing the new addition, right next to their flat number.

Yash, Vansh, Madhu & Rishabh

*** The End ***

Let's be honest, canon Aryan Singh Rathore would have kicked this Rishabh to the curb and forcefully married Madhu to protect her from all the toxicity.

I actually had no plan to write Imlie into the story. But then I am a lazy writer and I wanted Madhu to reconcile with Rishabh without feeling guilty.

I might be busy for the next couple of weeks, so might not be able to post the next story in a while. Though I want to write Aryan's story before my break. Let's see.

Please vote and comment

-Lazy