‘~•~’
Denotes the switch in Povs.
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A U T H O R ’ S   P O V

“There are no severe external injuries on him. However the hemorrhage is quite bad. A clot has been formed. There is no option other than surgery. There are risks. But don't you worry, we will do our best.” The doctor concluded, Prakash and DD thanked him and walked out of the doctor's cabin.

“Khanna saab, how is tillu? He's okay na? Dd you at least tell me something.” Shweta cried, hyperventilating. "Shweta.. shweta listen, don't panic okay, let Sunny speak.” Bebe told her cupping her face.

“Nothing to worry about Shweta ji, he will be okay. The doctor would try his best.” Prakash calmed her down, gulping the other words of the doctor so it wouldn't worry her too much. 

“Aunty... If that's the case, I’m going to the station. I have only taken a half day leave.” Mitali stated in an apology manner and turned to leave when Shweta nodded. Prakash sarcastically chuckled lightly.

"Dd, can you please pick up Neivi from home. She’s alone there with Bheema and she’d be scared.” Prakash requested and Dd nodded, “Of course Uncle I will do.”

“Uncle, Avni Bhabhi is also here.”Dd whispered, almost hesitantly only to Prakash after they walked a little further. “Really? Where?” Prakash asked, his eyes gleaming a little further. “She’s been here for a long time. I told her to come and sit there but she said no.” Dd replied and led the way to where Avni was sitting. He then bid on his departure as he ran to pick Neivi.

Avni was there, in a corner, away from anybody's eyesight.

Prakash’s heart ached as he saw her. “Avni beta,” He called out to her lightly. Avni shuddered and looked in the direction of voice, immediately standing up. "Papa ji,”

“Avni beta why are you sitting here alone? Come there.” Prakash asked politely, his voice laced with concern. “Nahi Papaji. There are Shweta Aunty and Mitali... And I don't.. I don't really want to be a sore sight. I'm fine here.” Avni looked down as she said that. “How... How's Neil?” She asked after a pause, looking at here Papaji with hope in her eyes.

“He has to undergo surgery. A blood clot has been formed but the doctor said he’d be okay and they'd try their best.” Prakash trailed off. “He will be fine, right?” Avni asked again. Prakash smiled painfully. How could she love him so much after all this?

“Ofcourse he will be. He has always fought when you were there. He will come back, hmm? And nothing is your fault.” Prakash said, knowing exactly what is running on his daughter's mind as he pulled her in for a delicate hug. After awhile, Dd arrived with Neivi in his arms. As soon as she saw her Mommy she jumped from Dd’s arms and ran to her Mommy who engulfed her in her motherly embrace.

“Mommy..” The little girl whimpered, snuggling into her mother’s chest as much as she could. “Shh don’t cry bacha. Mommy is here..” Avni cooed her babygirl as she felt wet drops on her chest. Avni sat on the chair with Neivi on her lap.

“Why are you crying bacha?” Avni asked, wiping her baby tears away. “Mommy...Dada?”Avni’s heart clenched at the tiny voice that was filled with pain.  The little girl was scared. She was just getting adapted to a surrounding where her Mommy is not. And hence, Neil played a very crucial role in her adaptation and today, when she woke up and did not see him, she was scared.

“Dada will be fine bacha. Don't worry, hmm?” Avni softly whispered to her, caressing her baby hairs. “I see him,” (‘I wanna see him,’) Neivi hiccuped. “Just a few more hours and Dada would be there with you.” Avni assured her, holding her tears back.

“Acha my little doll, did you eat something?” Prakash asked, taking her in his arms. “She didn't uncle. When I reached there, Bheema didi was trying to make her drink milk but she was refusing.” Dd explained before Neivi could.

"Aree why is that?” Prakash asked. “Bhooki noi hui. Jab Neivi utha waha koi noi tha. Dadu, dadi, badi dadi or Dada, noi one.” She whispered in her small voice. “Acha Dadu is sorry.” Prakash held his ears, “ab now Mommy aur Dadu yahi he. Ab kuch khaoge?” Neivi nodded and Prakash stood up with Neivi in his arms and walked towards the hospital canteen, followed by Neivi and Avni.

~•~

My eyes floods with tears as I watch them from above. Even after everything, she was there, waiting for me. And my tiny little baby. Her calling me Dada bought me chills. I just want to go back and hug them both and cry my heart out and apologize heartily. I want to live with them.

“She’s there, sitting at a corner waiting for you, hiding because she thinks she doesn't deserve to see you or sit with them. Tragic.” Peter laughs with a hint of taunt. “All of this could've been avoided if you were ready to place the woman you promised a thousand things at the first of your priority list.” His voice changes. He looks at me sternly. He's right.

I saw a lot of things. The cliff, our meeting, the fights, the love that bloomed within us, our marriage... Everything, every fucking thing. It made me realise how much I’ve owed my life to her. How much she meant to me.

Avni had been there. Always. For me.

Could Neil ever keep her happy?

No. I couldn't. I failed, as a husband, as a lover, as a friend. I broke her trust. 

“Now Neil, I would like to show an alternative of your life would've been if you took the right decisions in your life,” Peter smiles at me. I see myself in his blue orbs, scared, broken, disappointed and what not.

“Your first mistake was trusting a person from the previous chapter of your life too blindly. And it is not exactly a mistake considering you had loved her with your life in the past. So it is liable that you trusted her. But it became a mistake when you showed the double standards towards your wife. The same thing repeated in your life. First with your ex-lover, and second with your wife, or I should say, ex-wife.” Peter pauses for a minute and shakes his head a bit, his warm smile still dangling on his lips watching me.

“Your ex-girlfriend came back into your life after five years when you were given the statement that she was dead. But seeing her alive bought tears in your eyes, that was because you were guilty and somewhere happy to know that she was alive.” Peter continues and I can't find words to deny because probably he is right. I see a picture of myself running in the Dargah, behind her, desperately wanting to hold her.

“You trusted her blindly even after her unforgivable lie which destroyed your life afterwards. But this is not exactly the mistake that you committed. Because trusting someone is not a mistake. It's a weakness.” Peter's words were making a havoc in my mind. I don’t want to see myself in the past.

“The same thing repeated twice in your life, this time with your --- wife. And that's where you went wrong. Before I proceed with the auditing of your mistake let me ask you this out of pure curiousity. When god heard your prayers and your cries and gave you a second chance to be with her, why did you push her away?” I can't answer it. I myself don’t know why I did what I did. The question was relevant, why would I push her away?

“Because... Because I felt betrayed. I have been living all those years grieving and mourning, wanting to take myself so I could see ---” I stop. I answered his question unintentionally. He laughs lightly. “And why didn't you feel betrayed when you found out that Juhi was alive?” I shivered. Why? A question I asked myself at times. Why didn't I?

“I loved.. loved Avni more than anything else and I was living dead without her and when... When I saw her, alive, I felt.. I don't know I felt played and betrayed. I felt like she didn't trust me enough to take a decision together... And then seeing Neivi.. I lost it.” I closed my eyes in shame. I know where this is going.

“You claim to know her, but you do not even know a percent of a person she is Neil.” Peter said that, but he smiled. The smile was killing me. A smile of disappointment. “Anger destroys. And I guess you know it better than anyone else. Instead of lashing out on her unnecessarily, you could have talked with her, calmly. But you were hell behind to hurt her. Hurt her. You were the one who promised to yourself that you would never let anyone hurt her. You told her all her wounds are yours. How did you not feel the wince of that wound when you looked into her eyes? You were blinded by the hatred Neil. And guess what, you destroyed yourself, a family, a happy life of three persons, including yourself.” He walked forward after dropping those words on top of my heart.

“Avni didn't even try to talk to me right?” I ask back suddenly stopping him on his tracks. “Who told you she didn't? She did. She tried every possible way to talk this out, but you jerked her off. You know why she told you to move on and left your house? Because she felt like she was being a suffocation for you. She knew you wouldn't forgive her and so she did what she did. Broke the auspicious chain that was the base of your relation. But why didn't you notice the tears welling up in her eyes as she did that? She was doing it for you. So you could lead a life away from her. She was underestimating herself. She thought she would always be a hindrance and a problem in your life, and she did. She left for you. Even at that moment didn't she even once thought about herself.”

“Yes, she did a grave mistake by hiding your daughter. But that was for the one time that she was selfish for herself. She did not want to loose her baby because she was the only thing that kept her alive. It was her last hope. Her mistake was that she lived a selfless life, always thought about others but never of herself. Always loved everyone. A good person who got stabbed by a lot of cruel humans in this world. Everyone just took advantage of her kindness Neil. And I'm very sorry to tell you that you did too.” Now that I look through his words, he was right.

“You don't know any of this either did you tried to understand her and you claim that you know her more than anyone else. Funny.” Peter did not even stutter as said those words. When the truth is being told, every word align correctly.

“She has lost the people she always held closer to her. The people who backstabbed were those who were her own people, her blood. Breaking her trust was like throwing her again into the world of darkness that always were keen to swallow her up. She were there with everyone but nobody was there for her. The only mistake she did was she loved and cared for everybody.” I was finding my words. I know I can never stand up against this.

I promised her a thousand things I couldn't keep. How deep can I fail more than this?

“Here is something that would have happened if you married Mitali.” He points towards a white canvas, where like a tragic picture I see those horrific future of mine that would have happened possibly.

Avni was gasping for air, trying to muffle her gasps and sobs as she looked at a picture of mine, and then Neivi and the happy family I promised her. She was breathing heavily and she was rubbing her chest, the bullet wound. Hot tears left her eyes, her cheeks were red, her whole body was quivering.

“I have nobody. Kis ke liye jee rahi hu main.” She sobbed and I feel a knife stabbing right on my chest. She desperately searched there and then she took a blade, a sharp one.

She slowly skims it through her soft skin, cutting her vein and blood oozes out. “Avni!” I yells running towards the canvas. And suddenly it is blank and white everywhere.

“And here is something that would have happened if you forgave her, talked with her and sorted it all out.” He points towards another blank space.

I see myself. Neil, the Neil she loved. Avni's Neil. Walk over to her and slowly snake his arms around her, nuzzling into her neck while she did her work. “Neil chodo, let me do my work.” She squirmed, giggling. “You do yours, Let me do mine.” He said and snuggled into her.

“Dada leave Mommy!” I saw Neivi standing there, her hands on her hips. My baby. “Nope, she's my wife, and I'll do whatever I want with her.” He said as he snuggled more while Neivi pulled me back. “Noi she my Mommy..” She whined in her tone and attempted to pull me off of her. “Acha?” He said and tickled Neivi who ran from there. He then picked Neivi up and slumped into the sofa laughing whole heartily while Avni just stood at the side laughing. And then, he suddenly pulled her too and Avni landed on him, her eyes widened with surprise.

They laughed and cuddled. And when they both kissed his cheeks, I feel a warm sensation engulf me. I could have had it all. We could have had it all. I saw Avni looking at her Neil with all the love in the world as he goofed around with Neivi.

“What a happy family!” Peter smiled looking at it. I was crying. This was all I ever wanted. Why didn't I realise it sooner?

“You were capable of keeping your promise. You could have given this to them both. A happy family they always wished for. But...” Peter shook his head in disappointment and walked outside. I know I should follow him, but I don't want to. I look so happy here. She looks so happy here.

Why did I do it?

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Here is a midnight update for y’all. Kindly drop your precious views and inline comments and please share this story and vote if you found this one good! That would mean a lot for me :)

This book will probably contain two or three more chapters and then poof, finished! Hope you guys are excited and curious for the next update!