Dushyant, astounded at the news he just received, just accidentally hit his back on the door, but it seemed like that didn't matter. His breaths started to get deep and longer, he felt claustrophobic, as he just ran downstairs, and rushed to his room, closing the door shut with a bang. 

He slided down the door, sitting now on the floor, as his visions seemed to get blurry, and his head felt like spinning around, flashes in front of his eyes.

His dad was hugging a woman from the back, it was not his mom, and her shy giggling, with his dad's flirtatious one, made this surprise, an unpleasant one.

'dushyant , ahuja uncle bol raha hoon, beta, tere papa ka accident ho gaya hai. Hum usse city hospital leke jaa rahe hain, teri maa aur kavin ko bhi maine phone kardiya hai, tu bas aa ja beta...'

He reached the hospital, only to find mrs khanna and kavin were still on their way. He found himself to be still worried for his father, it pulled him to go see him, but he regretted opening the door.

He was furious, at that moment, he marched towards his father as he screamed in fury to his unconscious father,

'i hope you die!'

And soon he stormed out of there.

He only felt more of an aching pain in his chest, as he struggled to breathe, everything seemed to haunt him back like a nightmare. 

                                                                     ***

Kavin, wiped his mouth, and immediately got up with the cup from his bed. 

"oh ho, kal hi bedsheet badli thi.." murmured kavin, as bani, just swallowed in panic, hoping he doesn't see it.

He placed the mug in front of bani, on the desk she was sitting, before he went outside. He might as well have kept a knife, the expression of sheer horror on her face would have been the exact same. 

"shyam bhaiya..woh zara bedsheet badaldo yaar, coffee gir gayi hai.." requested kavin, slowly so as to not disturb anyone in the living room, but ishita was disturbed by something, she had noticed dushyant going inside the room, it seemed like she knew what happened to him, she got up without saying a word directly to go inside their room. 

"uhh, sir?" interrupted abhijeet, as even Commissioner Karwal came out of his trance. 

"haan.." responded Karwal. 

"woh, madam toh andar gayi...yeh inke chacha ke saath aage ki interrogation karlein?" pointed abhijeet to kavin, who was in the kitchen, talking to shyam bhaiya. 

"uhh, nahi...uhhm, beta aapke liye aaj ke liye itna hi, it's better you take some rest. Aap unki beti ko bulayi...baaki ki questioning uske saath kijiye." commanded Karwal, as abhijeet nodded, and Nihaal, suspecting the bashing he was going to get from his parents for what he has just revealed, decided he might as well get all the peace he can in his room before that, and just got up to leave.

Bani, though, seemed on the verge of having a heart attack, when Abhijeet called Kavin, who was monitoring Shyam Bhaiya, while changing the bedsheet.

                                                                   ***

Ishita opened the door, to dushyant frantically opening every possible cup board and door, eagerly looking for something.

"ishita, ishita meri dawai nahi mil rahi hai...kahan hai!" yelled dushyant, completely panic-stricken, as ishita walked over to him calmly, grabbing hold of his shoulders, a stern gaze on her face.

"look at me,everything is fine...i know it doesn't seem like it...but it is...you don't need the medicine...you just need to take deep breaths..." stated ishita calmly, as he just walked away, lying down on the bed.

"seeni mein dard bahaut ho raha hai...i feel like, kuch chub raha hai..." informed dushyant, as ishita opened a zip from his bag, and took out the medicine.

"toh bas anti-anxiety pills phir khaana shuru kardiya hai?" questioned ishita, her tone not changing at all, pouring water in a glass, before handing it to him, along with the pill. He got up to take it, not responding to her, and kept the glass aside.

Ishita sighed and sat next to him.

"It was shocking, jasmine?" stated ishita, as dushyant just sighed in distress, covering his face.

"I didn't notice...meri beti khaana nahi khaa rahi thi, and I didn't notice..." confessed dushyant, ashamed of himself.

"She just seemed like, Jasmine...I mean she was not always happy, but...I don't know..." replied ishita, as dushyant placed his hand onto hers.

"it's all my fault...i mean, i knew i cannot take responsibility for someone...but i let myself be a parent.." admitted dushyant his guilt, as ishita looked at him with sympathy.

"it's not that..." assured ishita, as dushyant shook his head in no, getting up.

"it is...kavin ki beti uske pet peeche pregnant nahi hui na uske business partner ke bete ke saath..." interjected dushyant, leaving the room, as ishita bent forward, closing her eyes as her palms covered her nose, taking a deep breath. But there was no patience, calm or peace she could find inside herself.

                                                               ***

"kya hua, officer?" questioned kavin, as he got out of his room. 

"uhh, hum thodi bahaut baat-cheet aapki beti se bhi karna chah rahe the..uhh..." Abhijeet, looked over to Nihaal walking upstairs, awkwardly, as kavin understood. 

"yeah, sure, why not..actually, bani aur woh saath mein hi the, the day she went..you know..." agreed kavin, as bani, in her room, had her eyes wide-open now, petrified with what her father revealed to the police. 

"Bani! Beta, bahar aao zara!" exclaimed kavin,  as bani got up, shivering. 

Kavin casually sat on the sofa, signaling towards the cashews, raisins, almonds and walnuts all arranged beautifully that looked the aggregate cost of all the nuts in that quantity. Karwal and abhijeet just shook their heads in no. Bani, till that time, came outside, and anxiously sat on the sofa, next to kavin. 

Abhijeet passed her a cordial smile, as Bani awkwardly looked around.

"beta, inko jasmine ke baarein mein kuch puchna hai...joh bhi, jitna bhi yaad aa raha hai, inhe batado theek hai?" explained kavin calmly, with a friendly smile, as bani nodded, a forced smile on her face, which abhijeet noticed. 

"beta, aap sabsi badi hain phir?" confirmed abhijeet, as bani nodded in agreement, kavin smiled at her proudly, abhijeet watched them like a hawk. 

"toh phir aapko toh sabke baarein mein zyada ache se pata hoga, pure-pure din aap unke saath rahi hain, jabse woh chote the..." stated abhijeet, as bani nodded. 

"toh, jasmine ka kya, routine rehta tha, din ba din...school waale din toh hoga kamsekam...wahi tha uss din bhi?" interrogated abhijeet, as bani took a huge sigh before uttering her next sentence. 

"haan, uhm, woh actually, nihaal ne aapko bata hi diya hai, woh ab 4 baje nahi uth paa rahi thi aur practice nahi jaa rahi thi, toh uhmm 6 baje uthti thi, aur school ke liye mere saath jaa rahi thi, nihaal ki jagah...uhh, woh apni practices ke liye jaa raha tha...uhhm, phir hum dono ek class mein nahi hai uhh toh, mujhe nahi pata school mein kya karti thi..except for lunch break, woh apna tiffin nahi khaa rahi thi, Main usse canteen se thodi si fruity aur ek bread pakoda khiladeti thi...usse kuch khaas khaaya nahi jaa raha tha, abortion ke baad...." explained bani, carefully picking up the words of her sentences, before uttering them from her mouth. 

"beta, yeh abortion..kab karwaya tha usne?" cross-examined abhijeet, as bani started to fidget a little, which obviously wasn't missed by abhijeet's glance. 

"uske birthday se, do hafte pehle..." recounted bani, not sure clearly, but tried to appear so. 

"continue, aur phir.." commanded abhijeet. 

"well, hum nihaal ke saath ek hi gaadi mein ghar aate the, driver ke saath..uhhm, phir ghar aakar woh, bas chaye aur biscuit khaa leti thi, kuch khaane ka mann nahi karta tha uska...homework bhi, nahi karti thi ab, padhai toh bilkul, jitna uske dost karwa paate the usse..uhh, woh bas, pure din, leti hui rehti thi kamre mein...soti bhi nahi thi bas, bahar window ke dekhti rehti thi...phir bas, shaam ko dinner pe dekhti thi, jahan woh aakhir tak baithi rehti thi, aur phir saara khaana phenk deti thi...raat ko, phone pe gaane lagakar, bas headphones se sunti rehti...subha do 1-2 baje actually sone jaati..phir subha utha nahi jaata..bas, aisa hi sab chal raha tha.." clarified bani, as purvi who was listening to all of this on her secret call with equm couldn't resist. 

"tumhe pata tha...iss sab ke baarein mein?" asked purvi, surprisingly, genuinely concerned. 

"no..." blurted out equm, in genuine shock and a lower tone than his usual, taking a long sigh before continuing. 

"yeh pagalkhaana joh ban gaya tha family ke naam par...it really got to her..." stated equm, not ironic or intentionally funny in his tone, but serious. 

"hum baad mein baat karte hain.." hung up equm on the call. 

                                                                             ***

A wall in the house, with nothing but  a huge collection of photo frames, at top, written 'FAMILY', in fine wood. 

A photograph of ishita and dushyant with new born jasmine at the hospital, a photo of dushyant and ishita with a 6 year old nihaal, on his birthday, as he blew the candles for his birthday cake. A photograph of Purvi and Kavin clapping at Bani who had just learnt how to walk, a photograph of them with a 8 year old equm who couldn't hide his sheepish smile behind the big spelling bee trophy in his hands. And one, with all of them, at the centre, with their mother present as well, along with many more...

Dhoaan dhuaan si hai zindagi
Dhundhla sa hai khwaab kahin
kho gayi jane kahaan woh khushi
Dikhti nahi roshani

                                                                 ***