Chapter 5

Teaser pg 1

Part 1: pg 3

Part 2: pg 7

Part 3: pg 9

Part 4a: 

“accident? kiska?“ asked GK worriedly when he heard Devika scream on the call.

Anu started shaking incessantly and hit her back to the wall...

“Anuj.....” she gasped in fear and started imagining the worst of scenarios.

“kaka woh Anuj ki gaadi ka uss pahadi wale mandir ke paas accident ho gaya hai aur...”

Before Devika could finish Anu ran out of the door...

Devika yelled “Anu ruk, mai bhi aati hoon” but she didnt wait…

By the time Samar got a grip of the situation and ran after his mum, she had got into a cab and taken off...

********

Flashback: half an hour before the accident

Waking up the loud ruckus at the foot of the mandir, Anuj rushed to see what the chaos was all about…

He saw some flower vendors fighting over the space they occupied near the mandir. Just as Anuj climbed down the stairs to help solve the dispute, he felt his phone vibrate in his coat pocket. It was the driver calling to say he was there with the documents.

Anuj went down to get the file from him and leaning on his car he pulled out his phone again to call Devika to say he’d received the documents when the brawl got intense. Anuj handed the file and his phone to the driver and ran to save the lost toddler when he noticed a truck speeding down the hill towards the mandir.

BOOM...CRASH...CHAOS!!!!!

“Madam yahan mandir ke paas bada accident ho gaya hai... aur Anuj sir apna phone mere paas chod gaye hain”

end of flashback

*******

“Anuj, aapko kuch nahi ho sakta, aap bilkul thik hai...mujhe pata hai”

she kept assuring herself and repeatedly asked the cab driver how much longer they had left to reach the mandir...

She hated the traffic and wished she could fly to reach where he was.

Praying with all her heart, she kept talking to herself to keep strong.

His smiling face kept flashing in front of her eyes and she wondered if she could ever forgive herself if the worse had happened to him.

“nahi, aisa nahi ho sakta, Anuj mujhe chod ke kahi nahi jaa sakte”

trembling with fear she chanted mantras to invoke her Kanhaji and was sure he would’t let anything bad happen to Anuj, her love.

“love?” for a split second she stopped fearing...though it wasn’t the right time or place to introspect but Anu unintentionally rejoiced for a moment on reaching a win to the ongoing battle she’d been fighting within herself.

“Madamji yahan se aapko paidal hi jana hoga, aagey rasta blocked hai, shayad koi accident hua hai” said the cabby breaking her eternal momentary trance.

Anu quickly paid him and frantically checked for shortcuts to get to the mandir...

She felt a surge of energy within her...with all her inner demons looking for refuge, she felt as though she was given a new lease on life and she couldn't wait to tell him how she felt.

A sudden fear of losing him lugged her down as she got closer to incident site...

With tonnes of questions and their answers playing havoc in her head, she desperately searched for that one face that could bring her peace....

Her entire world came to a standstill and she fell to the floor when she spotted his red car.

Unable to react or process her thoughts, she bravely watched the crushed car being towed away...Her heart sank deeper when she saw a casualty being put on a stretcher and carried into an ambulance, the colour of the jacket matched the one she saw him in that morning...

Devastated, she dragged her lifeless body up the mandir’s porch to have a one to one with her Kanhaji ...she couldn't fathom how he granted her, her love and snatched it away the very next instant...how could he be so cruel when she venerated him day and night and believed he would never do her any wrong...how could he take away the one thing she wanted the most in her life in that moment. how could he take away her Anuj!!!

*******

When she got no response to her pleas, she slumped on the steps of the mandir, right where he had rested a short while ago....Dunking her face between her knees, she cried her heart out until she heard someone call her name...

“Anupama?”

***********

posting second part to this update in a little while, you can read it together if you like..save the chappals for later...had to bring in some Ekta-ish drama element🤣