So this is when ali's locket got entangled with avni's mangalsutra& everyone misinterpreted it
There are a few changes which you will notice as you read on
Happy reading!

#####

Neil reached home immediately on seeing 25missed calls& 15messages of avni& was shocked by the scene in front of him
Other member are shocked as well

Avni was unconscious

N-avni

Neil's voice came out as a mere whisper
Ali at once moved his gaze on hearing neil's voice

Al-neil jo tu& baki sab sochre h vesa kuch nahi h
Mera locket atak gya h
Ali tried to detach his locket but broke avni's mangalsutra in the process

Avni ki tabyat bhi bohot kharaab hai
Plz uska khyaal rakh

S-hum log thodi der ke liye baahar kya gaye toh ye sab shuru kar dia tumne?
Sharam aani chahiye tumhe avni

Al-aunty jesa aap sochri h vesa kuch nahi h

S-toh tumhari shirt pe ye lipstick ka stain kese?
Andhe nahi h hum ali
Jo humare saamne h wohi sach
Sach sach batao kabse chalra h tumhari ye aashiqui

Avni opened her eyes slightly& held her head bcz of dizziness

S-humari family ne tumh apnaya& tumne hum sabke muh pe kaalik poth di?
Cheee!!
Na jaane kese sanskaar diye h isse iski maa ne
Kahi iska ye matlab toh nahi ke ye baccha bhi ali ka h?

N-enough mom (showing his palm)
My wife is ill& i need to take care of her

Neil put the medicine in his pocket, picked a half conscious avni in his arms &took avni upstairs, royally ignoring everyone's glares& comments towards ali

*****

Room-

Neil gently lay avni on the bed &locked the door

N-avni
Avni utho
Avni get up

He patted her cheeks& avni finally opened her eyes in slits

A-neil thank god you are home
Mene kitne phone& messages kiye
Station bhi aayi tumse milne
Par tum they nahi

N-accha wo sab hum baad men discuss karenge
Pehle ye medicine lo- you will feel better

She consumed the medicine& lay back

N-good
Abhi so jao
You will be fine in few hrs

Neil got up& was about to go when avni held his wrist

A-plz meri baat sunlo ek baar
Otherwise there wont be any point of me taking rest

Neil sighed, sat on his side of the bed& faced her

N-accha bolo

A-jesa sab sochre h vesa kuch nahi h
Sabko lagta h ke im pregnant &mummyji ne toh kaha ye baccha ali ka h
Neil ali sirf mera childhood friend h- aur kuch nahi
Koi meri baat pe yakeen nahi karra
Plz at least you believe me

Tears made there way down her eyes

N(wiping her tears)-stop crying
Accha tell me exactly what happened since morning, after i left

A-mummyji told me to prepare soup for everyone
I prepared& everyone had it
But after i had, i started feeling dizzy& vomiting bhi hui
Im sure kisi ne mere bowl men kuch mix kiya hoga
Due to those symptoms, bebe thought that im pregnant

Before i could clarify, they started celebrating& told me to rest
I called& messaged you many times
I even came to station par tum mile nahi
Even your colleagues think that im pregnant

After returning home, i had no option so i called up ali for help
But by the time he reached, i fainted& rest is what everyone saw but its not true

Her eyes again became teary& neil kept her head in his lap

N-avni stop crying &take some rest

A(between sobs)-everyone is questioning my character par jesa dikh raha h vesa kuch nahi h

Neil kissed her forehead, tucked her in bed& patted her head to make her sleep
After sometime, she slept

N(to himself)- men jaanta hu ke kisi ne tumhe iss situation men frame kiya h
Aur wo kon h, uska men jaldi pta laga lunga
Jo "so called sach" sabko dikh raha h usse jhoot sabit karne ke liye proof ki zarurat h& usse men laake rahunga
I wont let anyone point fingers at you

He called up DD

DD- haanji sir

N-ek kaam tha

DD-dont worry sir
Ye hojayega
Men shaam tak le aaunga

N-thanks alot

Neil went downstairs &saw all the members sitting in the hall, pointing fingers to ali& avni's friendship

Sh-tillu
Pata h avni kitni characterless h?
Ali dost nahi- aashiq h uska

N-enough mom
Zaruri nahi ke jo dikhe wo har baar sach ho
Men acche se jaanta hu ke aap avni se uski purity ka proof mangenge
But let me make something very clear to you- avni koi agni pareeksha nahi degi

Filhal muje kuch kaam h
Toh men chalta hu
Aap log bhi apne room men jayiye
Evening men milte h

*****

Avni woke up in few hrs but neil wasnt in the room
She called him up but he declined

A-calls bhi answer nahi karra
pta nahi usse meri baaton pe yakeen h bhi ya nahi

*****

Neil was in his condo, recollecting the moments he spent with avni since the day they met
A small smile crept on his face
After sometime the doorbell rang, breaking his trance- it was DD

DD(handing over something to him)- kaam hogya sir

N-thanks alot DD

DD left

*****

Evening, khanna mansion-

Neil reached& was bombarded with questions from everyone
He ignored everyone& moved towards his room where avni was sitting on the corner of the bed with a tear stained but expressionless face

N-avni

Avni got up on seeing neil& hugged him but neil didnt reciprocate, making avni more worried

A-neil plz believe me
Ali sirf mera dost h

N-wash your face& come downstairs

A-neil suno toh...

Neil got out of her hold, came downstairs& attached the pendrive given by DD to the stb of tv

A video started playing where riya came in khanna mansion
She mixed something in a drink& gave it to neil, who was sitting in the living room
Soon he became drunk& she started seducing him

Video ended, leaving everyone shocked, including avni

B-riya batayegi ye sab kya h?
Teri iss bholi surat ke peeche ka sach pehle nazar aajata toh esa nhi hota

M-muje toh pehle se iss ladki ka character theek nahi lagta tha

B-bata
Kyu kiya ye sab?

R-aap jesa sochri h vesa kuch nahi h-ye video morphed h
Kisi ne muje frame kiya h
Neil batao na sabko

N(acting to be innocent)-men kya batau riya
Uss din jab men ghar men tha& tum aayi thi milne toh mere juice men nashe ko goli tumne hi toh mix kari thi& phir humne or rather, tumne mere sath wo sab kia tha
Men nashe men tha par tumhe toh yaad hoga na?

R-neil jhoot mat bolo
Aur jab mene keh diya ke mene esa kuch nahi kiya h& ye video morphed h toh yaha rehke men aap sabki fake accusations nahi sunne wali
Im leaving

S-riya ruko

S-agar tumhe sach sunne ki himmat nahi h toh ye mere tillu pe dore dalne se pehle sochna chahiye tha

R(to herself)-aunty ne toh ek second men party badal li& ab muje hi question karri h

B-tujpe jo sawaal utha h uska jawaab de
Tuje kya laga- ke tu neil ka istemaal karegi& hum chup rahenge
Kyu mere pote ke peeche pai hui h?

Neil stood up& started to clap

N-as expected aap sabne riya ko hi question kiya-men aapke saamne hi baitha hu par mujse kuch nahi pucha- sabne blindly believe kar lia

Kitni asaani se riya ko accuse kiya-theek vese jese avni ko accuse kia tha
Usse uski purity ka proof manga
Mujse kuch nahi poocha
Kyu?
Kyuki men ek mard hu?
Kya ek aurat ki izzat ek mard ki izzat se sasti hoti h?

Nk 😭😭😭

Bebe mom ka nature hum sab jaante h- vo bina soche samjhe kuch bhi bol deti h
Par mene at least aapse ye expect nahi kia tha
Aur haa- riya sach bolri h kyuki ye video morphed h
Na riya ghar aayi, na usne juice men kuch mix kiya& na hi muje seduce kia

Everyone was shocked

S-par avni& uss ali ka jo affair chalra h uska kya?

A-auntyji esa kuch nahi h

N-ek second avni
Mom mene aapse subah bhi kaha tha ke jo dikhe zauri nahi wo sach ho

Sh-accha?
Toh usse pregnancy wale symptoms kyu hore they?
Ye baccha zarur uske aashiq ka hi h

N-and how are you so sure?
Kya ye baccha mera nahi ho sakta?
Pehle aapne bina kisi confirmation ke ye declare kia ke avni pregnant h
Phir aapne declare kia ke baccha ali ka h just bcz aapko wo dono ek sensitive position men dikhe

Bina mujse ya avni se puche aapne humare personal married life men kya chalra h uska gaurantee certificate de diya jise sabne blindly believe kiya
Sorry to say par bebe apne bhi

All became silent

Avni tried to stop neil

A-neil plz ruk jao

N-nahi avni
Aaj tum kuch nahi bologi
Har waqt sab tumhe question karte h
Bohot bardaasht karliya tumne& bohot dekh liya mene tumhe suffer karte hue
Ab aur nahi

B-puttar hume maaf karde
Par kya avni pregnant h?

N-iska jawaab aap mom se puchiye na- unhone hi humare relationship ko ye gaurantee certificate diya h
Men nahi tha phir bhi muje pura idea h ke mere absence ka kitne acche se faida uthaya gaya h

Pehle mom ne purposely avni ke soup men kuch mix karke usse bemaar kiya taki sabko lage ke wo pregnant h

Phir jab ali ek dost ke naate avni se milne aya& wo sabko ek sensitive position men dikhe tab mom ne phirse mauke ka faida uthake avni ke characterless hone ka ilzaam lagaya

Aur ye sara drama aapne isiliye kiya taki men usse divorce dedu, right mom?
And im pretty sure ke isme riya bhi involved rahi hogi

S-tillu kya bolra h tu
Bebe esa kuch nahi h
Mene esa kuch nahi kia h

Bebe moved forward& slapped shweta across her face

B-tillu ne jo kuch bhi bola wo solaah aane sach bola
Hum sab teri fitrat se wakif h shweta- especially me
Mere saamne masoom banne ki koshish mat kar

Aaj teri& uss makeup kit ki wajah se mene avni ke character pe sawaal uthaya- usse uski purity ka proof manga

Aur ye teri& riya mili bhagat thi na?
Jab sunny apne dost ki vidhwa ko bahu banake ghar laya tha toh mene bhi tujhe apnaya tha

This statement hit shweta more than the slap

B-dard hua na?
Mat bhoolna ke jinke ghar kaach ke hote h wo dusro ke gharo men patthar nahi maarte

Neil again spoke

N-bina kuch jaane
Bina soche aap sabne meri wife ko characterless ka tag de diya
Jisme uski koi galti nahi thi uske liye usse humiliate kia
Bimaari ki halath men agar avni ne apne best friend ko bula liya toh kya koi crime commit kar diya?

Neil gave everyone disgusted looks& then turned to face avni

N-pack our bags
Hum vaha nahi rahenge jaha meri biwi pe koi bewajah sawaal uthaye ya bina matlab tumse agni pareeksha mange
We are going back to my condo

A-neil lekin

N-avni no more arguments

*****

By night, AvNeil left& nobody could stop them bcz they knew they were at fault

P-bebe shayad accha hi h ke wo chale gaye
Iss toxic atmosphere men rehne se toh accha h ke akele rahe

B-theek kaha sunny
Vese toh men jaanti hu ke ye dewaar pe sar maarne jesa hoga par phir bhi ho sake toh apni biwi ko samjhana ke bina soche samjhe kuch na bole
Aaj uske influence men aake na jaane kya kya suna dia avni ko

*****

Condo-

Neil had slept but sleep was far away from avni's eyes
She got up& sat near the window- staring at her heart shaped locket, lost in her thoughts

A(to herself)-ek hi din men kitna kuch hogya maa
Subah toh muje laga ke jo neil humesha sach ka sath deta h, baki sab ki tarah usse bhi mujpe vishwas nahi h

Sach saamne laane ke liye aaj wo apni family ke against gaya
Kaash papa ne bhi humare liye issi tarah stand liya hota toh mera bachpan sawalon se bhara hua na hota

Bachpan toh beet gaya par muje ek life long tag de gaya- najayaz jise men jitna bhi chahu, nahi hata paungi

Kabhi kabhi toh lagta h ke kaash aapka bhi vp purane zamane ke logon jesa hota-ultrasound karao, ladka h toh rakho& ladki h toh abort kardo

Dwm ne wohi kiya na- muje maar dia& aman ko apne saath le gayi& apne jesa bana dia

She didnt realise when her cheeks were covered with tears but she made sure to not sniff at all otherwise neil would definitely wake up
Little did she know that neil was standing right behind her- he couldnt hear anything but knew that her eyes were puffy& cheeks were full of tear stains

N-avni men jaanta hu ke tum kya sochri ho

Avni flinched on hearing neil's voice
She immediately wiped her cheeks& faced him
He sat in front of her& held her hands in his

N-avni plz dont feel guilty- mera yaha shift hona tumse zyada mera decision tha

A-par neil fact toh yehi h na ke mene tumhe ussi situation men daal diya h jisme ek time pe papa they- tumhe mujme& tumhari family men se ek ko choose karna pada

N-nahi avni
Mene sirf sach ko choose kiya h

A-tum ghar chale jao neil
Men tumhe ese family& mere beech sandwich hote hue nahi dekh sakti

N-agar men jaunga toh tumhe sath leke- akele nahi

Aur tum ye jaanti ho ke agar hum wapas gaye toh kya hoga-
Mom koi kasar nahi chodengi humari beech differences lane men
Roz koi scene create karengi& jab bhi kuch galat hoga toh uske liye tumhe accuse karengi taki tum meri life se chali jao

Aur men roz tumhe ese hurt hote hue nahi dekh sakta
Tumhe uss galti ki saza milegi jisme tumhara koi haath nahi

A-neil par...

N-sshhh
Ab iss topic pe koi argument nahi hoga
Ab chalo sone
Its late

Avni unwillingly agreed
After whatever happened since morning, she was indeed tired so she slept within few mins itself
Neil gave a peck on her forehead& then slept

*****

Next day, evening-

Since avni had gone out to bring few groceries, neil made use of the moment &had a long discussion with neela maa on phone
That was when he realised what was actually going on in avni's mind

N-lagta h muje phirse chor police ka game shuru karna padega (sighed)

When avni returned& kept the groceries on kitchen counter, neil stood just behind her
She could feel his breath fanning her back
She turned around &they had an eyelock which was broken when avni realised that her wrist was handcuffed

A-neil ye kya h?

N(huskily)-you are under arrest wifey

A(avoiding eye contact)-kyu?
Kya...kya...jurm...h mera??

N-tumpe chori ka ilzaam laga h

A(still avoiding eye contact)- neil
Dekho mene jo bhi chori kari woh acche cause ke liye kari- dusro ki help karne ke liye
Not for self greed

N-par ab tum itni asaani se toh choot nahi sakti
Abhi tak tum ek police officer ka galat use karri thi
Tumpe ek police officer ka dil churane ka ilzaam h

Avni looked at him in confusion

N- aur isiliye, ab tumhe umar kaid ki saza di jati h- tumhe zindagibhar meri dil ke jail men rehna padega

Neil came more closer& avni took steps backwards until her back hit the kitchen counter

A-neil men...

N (keeping his finger on her lips)-sshhh
Ab men tumhe interrogate karunga

A-m...matlab?(still avoiding eye contact)

N-matlab ye ke tumhe batana hoga ke tumhare dil men mere liye kya h
Tum kabhi apni feelings ko express nahi karti-humesha apne andar daba ke rakhti ho
Baahar se ladydon& andar se bilkul tubelight ho tum
Aur tabhi men ye handcuffs kholunga

A-nahi
Esa kuch nahi h.....

Neil understood that she wont open up so easily

N-chalo theek h
Das din diye tumhe
Das din baad tumhe muje batana padega about what you feel for me

Neil then pulled her closer, making his chest crash with hers
Avni's breath got laboured with their close proximity
He wrapped his arm around her waist gently& with the other hand he put the locks of hair behind her ear which were blocking the view of her angelic face whereas avni wasnt able to bare his intense gaze

N-avni i understand ke tumne bachpan men jo bhi face kiya uski wajah se tumhara pyaar pe bharosa nahi raha- it can happen with anyone

But life doesnt stop like this, right?
I know its not easy but you need to move on
Remember 10days, ok?

He patted her cheek& moved back, leaving her in strange pool of emotions

A-ye handcuff to khol do

N-apna haath zara sa kheecho
Apne aap khul jayega

She did as said& both ends of handcuffs were in neil's hold

N-see
told you

*****

3 days later-

Avni was eating breakfast, mumbling to herself

A-pta nahi ye neil ke dimaag men chal kya raha h
Har waqt muje stare karta rehta h

N-sach bata du?
Phir embarrass mat hojana

Neil came from behind& bit the other end of the butter smeared bread slice
They shared an eyelock which was broken bcz of doorbell
Avni got the chance to escape so she opened the door& found chipkali standing in front of her with a bunch of case files

N-arre mitali tum yaha kyu aayi
Mene toh aana hi tha police station

M-wo kaam thoda zyada tha toh khamakha tumhara travel men time waste hota isiliye men hi aagyi
Lets start?

N-yeah

The entire day, mitali kept on clinging to neil which didnt go unnoticed by avni
She had started to fume in anger but didnt show it
To top it all, neil had to praise mitali's sincerity towards her work which again didnt go unnoticed by avni

Night-

Avni was adjusting the bedsheet& cursing mitali under her breath

A-dekho mitali kitni acchi h
Kitne acche se interrogation karti h
Kitne acche se case solve karti h
Kitne acche se evidence collect karti h
Dekho dekho mitali kitni acchi h

Neil witnessed this& understood that avni was jealous
He mentally laughed from inside
He casually came from behind& spoke

N-avni bohot jalne ki smell aari h

Avni smelt the air around

A-kuch nahi jal raha

Neil pulled her closer by her waist

N(huskily)-accha?
Wifey i know you are jealous
Jab men mitali ki tareef kari thi, i had seen jealousy in your eyes

A(avoiding eye contact)- nahi
Esa...kuch nahi hai

N-chor kitni bhi koshish kyu na karle, police wala uski chori pakad hi leta h
Theek vese jese mene tumhe pakad liya tha- case123
Btw, i have a gift for you
Par uske liye aakhen band karo

She huffed but then closed her eyes
Soon she felt something around her neck

N-ab kholo

Avni opened her eyes& saw the repaired mangalsutra

A-ye kab karvaya tumne?

N-jis din ye toota tha ussi evening repair karaya
Par tab dia nahi
Sahi waqt ka intezaar karra tha
Aur haa- har todi hui cheez jodi ja sakti h
Phir chahe woh mangalsutra ho ya dil
Aur tumhara dil na toote uski zimmedari meri

Nk 😭😭😭

N-i have confessed my love avni
Sawaal ye h ke tum kab karogi

He pecked her forehead& slept off

Neil left avni lost in a strange pool of emotions
This was the moment when avni finally realised her feelings for neil bcz nobody cared for her the way he did
Although she didnt love him, neil knew that this relationship did mattered to her
She smiled& caressed her mangalsutra
But was still hesitant to confess

She noticed that neil was fast asleep so she slowly removed the cushions in between &rest her head on his chest
Neil did wake up but he acted to be asleep- for the first time avni had made the move to come close to him &he didnt want her to feel uncomfortable

When she slept, he started his favourite job- staring at her& started to caress her hair

N(to himself)- tumne bola nahi par tumhare actions ne hi kafi kuch express kar dia-i know you also love me
And im sure ke bohot jald tumhare actions nahi- tumhari zubaan apni feelings express karenge
Love you my tubelight

He kissed her hair& slept

Idk how good it was
Votes& comments awaited