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Janam janam
Hello guys,
This is my first attempt at writing a story, forget an OS or anything else. But I had this idea in me for a long time n so finally decided to put it in words. So, this OS of mine begins at the point where Suman returns to Tiwari Killa after being insulted by Shravan in front of the media and Mamiji says that she wants to talk to her.
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Suman was hurt beyond imagination. She knew that the road of marriage to Shravan was going to be difficult to tread on, especially after all that had happened between them since Pushkar n Preeti's marriage was fixed. But this, she never imagined. This was a big blow to her.
She always thought that come what may, if she n Shravan would be together, everything would be alright, just as it had happened after his return from London, a few months back. But all her calculations n assumptions had just failed miserably.
The seeds of hatred that Ramnath Malhotra had sown in the heart of his son had now become a huge tree which mercilessly crushed the delicate sapling of love for Suman.
As soon as Suman entered her room n kept her bag, Mamiji marched in behind her and locked the door of the room from inside to avoid anyone interrupting their conversation. She just yanked Suman's shoulder and made her face herself. Her eyes were spitting fire and her face told Suman of the degree of angst in her.
" Tumse dekha nahi jaata na ki hum apne bete ke paas ja rahe hain Amrica. Waise to hamesha kehti rehti thi ki Mamiji, aapka ehsaan kaise chukaoongi, lekin jo raasta hum ne bataya, uspar to tumse chala nahi gaya... "
"Itna bhi nahi hua tumse ki jab tak hum babuji ko lekar Amrica nahi chal jaate tab tak hi nibha leti ye rishta. Kam se kam hum apne bete ke paas to pahunch jaate..."
"Lekin ab tumhare is bartav se hamara Amrica jaana bhi naamumkin ho jayega. Babuji to maanane se rahe. Tumhare alava unhe kahan aur koi dikhta hai. Hamare bete ki to kisi ko chinta nahi hai...Pata nahi kis manhoos ghadi me tum is ghar me aayi thi. Jab se aayi ho, hamara to sukh chain hi chhin gaya hai."
"Ek to tumhari maa ne humse 20 lakh ka karz lekar humein itni badi musibat me daal diya tha, aur ab tum ho ki hamara peecha hi nahi chhodna chahati. Kab jeene dogi tum humein chain se? "
Suman could not lift her head up but her tears kept rolling down her cheeks incessantly. She just wanted to disappear at this very moment, never to reappear again.
Mamiji continued spitting out all her anger. "Dekho Suman, ab hum saaf saaf kahe dete hain, ab hum tumhe aur nahi jhel sakte. Haath jodte hain hum tumhare, baksh do humein."
"Tum kuch bhi karlo par jaao apne pati ke ghar aur jaane do humein apne bete ke paas... Kya tumhe andaza bhi hain ki tumhari is harkat se hamari Preeti ki shaadi shuda zindagi par kya asar padega. Kya sochegi Kaminiji Preeti ke baare me...kahin wo hamari Preeti se naraz ho gayi to sirf tum zimmedar rahogi in sab baaton ki."
" Are pati patni mein nok-jhonk to chalti rehti hai...iska matlab ke tum wo ghar chhod kar aa jaaogi. Hum kuch nahi jaante, lekin ab humein apne bete ke paas jaana hai isliye tum Shravan se apna jhagda suljhao aur humein jaane do."
"Ji Mamiji", was all that Suman could mamage to say at that time.
Saying this Mamiji left Suman to herself and went out and informed all family members that she had convinced Suman to resolve her dispute with Shravan n situation was under control now and that Suman wanted to be left alone for some time.
Inside her room, a shattered Suman could not understand what exactly was she supposed to do. On one hand Shravan was just not ready to even look at her, leave alone having a decent dialog with her and on the other hand her Mamiji wanted her to go back to a place from where she had been kicked out in the most humiliating way ever. Her mind just went numb.
Was this the outcome of the love which they both had for each other for a decade? Why did all this have to be so painful? Why could she not have a simple love story and a happy marriage after that? Why was she not entitled to ever have some happiness in her life?
Questions like these kept coming up in her mind and the tears just kept flowing...but no one bothered to come and ask her what exactly happened or no one tried to understand how broken she was feeling. Mamiji's suggestion of being left alone was taken very seriously by everyone including Nanu.
Suman took her parents' photo in her hands and wept holding it close to her heart. In the past few months Shravan had been her saviour from a lot of problems, be it the Khosla case, the accident, her recovery after the accident, her torn dress or Aditya Ahuja. But today that very saviour gave her the most painful wound.
It is true that as deep is the love, equally deep can be the pain in the love.
Suman kept asking her parents that why she deserved all this? But no answers were to be found.
After a long time of crying alone, Suman decided that she had to act, she had to do something that would not let all of her sacrifices go in vain. She had sacrificed her love to pay back the debt of her Mamaji n Mamiji. She could not stay back here and let Mamiji fret over not reaching her son.
If Mamiji could not go to Amrica, everything would be back to zero, all the debt would be back again.
But at the same time she could not go back to Shravan or Malhotra Mansion. That was not even a possibility. She was now very sure that Shravan did not have even a trace of love left in his heart for her.
Shravan's words ,"No one needs you", kept reverberating in her mind constantly. She smiled sadly and thought how true he was. After Shravan had returned from London and they had mended their ways, she thought that she needed him and he needed her too. There was no one else who really ever cared about her except Nanu.
But today all this mess in her life was the reason for his ill health, she thought.
Insipte of knowing the truth, Preeti had also never tried to do something on her part. But Suman never blamed her for it , of course. Suman imagined that if she were to be absent from everyone's lives, they all would be very much at peace...almost everyone, if not all.
Shravan's insult , the heartbreak and then the bitter truth from Mamiji left Suman absolutely hopeless. She could not bring herself to think that things would be alright one day.
Today she was unable to find the ray of hope that she always found. Today she was shattered beyond limits to collect herself. Today she was the vulnerable and defeated Suman and not the Sumo with an indomitable and "never say die" spirit.
The whole night passed by in all these thoughts and her inner turmoil, without a moment of sleep. With the first rays of the sun she finally decided something and got up with a resolve. Suman decided that she was going to set everything right today and forever.
Suman had a bath and got ready to go to PCT. She also put her "Dulhan ka Joda", the one she wore at the photo session at TK, in a bag along with her parents' photo and a photo of Shravan which she had clicked at Preekar's sangeet ceremony.
She came out of her room and headed to the kitchen to make breakfast for everyone. "To kya socha hai tumne", asked Mamiji.
"Aaj shaam tak main sab kuch theek kar doongi Mamiji", Suman replied .
She took everyone's blessings and headed for PCT along with the bag of photos and wedding dress.
Suman pretended to be as indifferent as possible to the happenings in her life and kept working as if nothing significant had happened at all. Her acting skills paid off as no one even guessed about her inner grief. But very stealthily tears kept pricking in her eyes and she kept hiding them equally well.
In the afternoon, after dispatching all the tiffins, she asked Preeta, "Kya tu in sab ke saath milke PCT manage kar payegi mere absence me?"
"Kyun tu kahan jaa rahi hai?", Preeta asked with a mischievous smile , thinking that probably Suman and Shravan were going for a honeymoon.
" Tu mere sawaal ka jawab de, ulta sawaal mat kar", retorted Suman.
"Tere liye itna bhi nahi karoongi kya", replied Preeta.
This reply brought a small smile on her face. She then gave Preeta a letter to be couriered and told all her staff to leave as she would be staying longer to look into some accounts.
After all of her staff left, Suman was lost again in her thoughts and randomly remembered many moments she shared with Shravan from her childhood.
One such incident was when Shravan had taken her to a lake far away from their school. Suman was very happy to see the beautiful lake.
FLASHBACK
" A Shravan, kitni mast jagah hai na yeh, tujhe is lake ke baare mein kaise pata chala?", asked Suman bubbling with energy.
" Wo ek din maa aur papa ke saath aya tha, tabse maine socha tha ki ek din tumhe yahan zaroor leke aaoonga", replied Shravan.
"Wow, kitna sundar lake hai ye, man to karta hai ke paani mein kud jaaoon!!"
"Tujhe tairna to aata hai na Sumo", asked Shravan.
"Nahi re, wohi to problem hai, nahi to kab ki paani mein kud gayi hoti.", replied Suman.
"Tab to tum paani ke aas paas bhi nahi jaana, tumhe kuch ho gaya to main Nanaji ko kya jawab doonga", warned Shravan.
FLASHBACK ENDS
"Aaj tumhe kisi ko koi jawab nahi dena padega Shravan", thought Suman.
After that first visit to the lake, it had become a very special place for them and they used to visit it whenever they could find time to do so, till he left for London. Even after Shravan had gone to London, Suman used to visit this special lake whenever she missed him a lot.
On the other hand, after insulting Suman so badly in front of the media, Shravan had no solace at all.
On one hand his ego told him that what he did was right, she deserved it and on the other hand his heart cried and pined for her.
He spent the whole day trying to immerse himself in work, but failed. At night he did not even join the family for dinner and tried drowning all his worries in alcohol, but even then he could not forget the pained look on her face when he had asked her to leave.
He got up the next day morning with a splitting headache. After taking a glass of lemon water to cure his hangover, he got ready and left for his office, the new one. He did not want to see her at PCT, which was just opposite his new office. Hence he decided that he would go early and leave early too.
But again his inner battle would not let him concentrate. So he just packed up in the afternoon and got into his car and left.
Without him consciously knowing it, he reached the same lake which was their special place. Tears just flowed from his eyes remembering each n every moment spent at this beautiful place with his Sumo.
"Kyun Sumo, kyun...Kyun tum itni selfish ho gayi...kya tumhe kabhi mera pyaar nahi dikha...kya tumhare liye pasia hi sab kuch hai??", he cried out loudly.
He just clutched his head in his hands and sat down on the bench looking at the grass and wept. After some time passed he got up and thought to himself," Ab aur nahi...ab main tumhare liye aur nahi tadpoonga...ab main apne aapko patthar bana lunga...ab kisi ko ijazat nahi hogi mujhe dard dene ki...kisi ko nahi."
Just as he was about to get up and leave, he was stopped in his tracks by what he saw and hid himself behind a huge tree on the banks of the lake to watch what was about to happen.
He saw Suman dressed up as a bride from head to toe, heading towards the lake, with something in her hands which she clutched close to her heart. Getting curious to know why she was here and that too dressed as a bride he decided to wait and watch.
Suman walked right upto the banks and stepped into the water. He was about to come out from behind the tree to stop her when she started talking to one of the pictures held in her hand.
" Maa, papa, maine aapko itne saal bahtut miss kiya...main janti hoon ke aap dono mujhse bahut pyaar karte ho...aur main bhi aapse bahtut bahut pyaar karti hoon..."
"Aap dono ke jaane ke baad Nanu, Mamaji, Mamiji, Mausiji aur Mausaji ne mera bahut khayal rakha...lekin phir bhi mujhe aapki yaad hamesha aati thi...", by now her voice was already choking.
" Shravan se door rehkar, usse apna pyaar chupakar, maine Preeti aur Pushkar ki shaadi to karvadi aur apna karz kuch hadh tak chuka diya...lekin ab wapas Tiwari Killa me rehkar main Mamiji aur Anuj ko door rakhne ka paap nahi karna chahti...", she broke into sobs now...and he was totally surprised to hear what he just heard...
" Sumo mujhse pyaar karti hai...", this knowledge made his heart soar in happiness...but the very next moment he thought, "Lekin use ye chupana kyu pada, mujhse door kyun rehna pada...wo bhi Pushkar aur Preeti ki shaadi ke liye...???" He decided to keep listening to get the answers to his questions.
" Main ab thak chuki hoon ladte ladte...apni kismat se...Ab main Tiwari Killa mein rehne ka haq kho chuki hoon..aur ab mere liye is duniya mein koi jagah nahi hai jise main apna keh sakoon..."
"Ab main aapki god mein sar rakhkar aaram se sona chahti hoon kyunki woh haq to mujhse koi nahi chheen sakta na...bhagwan bhi nahi...isliye ab main aapke paas aa rahi hoon..." She was crying uncontrollably by now...Shravan on the other hand was too shocked to do anything on hearing this.
"Maine Nanu ko letter likha hai jisme maine apni aakhri iccha yehi batayi hai ki wo bhi Mamaji aur Mamiji ke saath US chale jayein aur meri maut ke liye kisiko bhi kusurwar na manein..."
Suman then took Shravan's picture and said, "Shravan, I m sorry...mujhe tumhare saath jo bhi bartav karna pada , main uske liye hazaar baar bhi maafi maangu to bhi kam hai...lekin kaash main tumhe bata pati ke mujhe aisa kyun karna pada..."
He was surprised would be an understatement...he was unable to grasp anything what she was saying...
"Lekin in sab ke bawajood ek sach jo kabhi nahi badlega wo yahi hai ki jab se maine jaana hai ki pyaar kya hai, tab se maine sirf tumse pyaar kiya hai..."
"Dus saal maine tumhare lautne ka intezaar kiya...in dus saalon me maine tumhe na jaane kitne letters likhe jisme maine tumse apni us galati ke liye baar baar maafi maangi...lekin kabhi himmat hi nahi hui unhe post karne ki...tumse milkar tumse maafi maangna chahti thi..."
By now not only Suman, but even Shravan was shedding tears incessantly...
"Tumne hamesha meri har tarah se help karne ki koshish ki...wada kiya tha..kabhi girne nahi doge...lekin halat kuch aise ho gaye, aur galatfehmiyan badhti chali gayi..."
"Maine ye sochkar Aditya se PCT ke papers liye ki tum indirectly meri help karna chahte the...aur fir usne jo investors wali deal batayi..use main raject nahi kar paayi...aur phir Nanu ki tabiyat ko dekhkar...sirf Nanu ke liye...mujhe us Aditya se shaadi ke liye haan karni padi..."
"Maine kabhi usse pyaar nahi kiya...kabhi nahii...main jaanti hoon usse shaadi k liye haan karne ke baad main kis tarah har pal me hazaar mautein marti rahi hoon..."
" Ye sab main tumse to kabhi nahi keh paayi...lekin aaj tumhari photo se ye sab keh rahi hoon...jab tum London me the, tab bhi main isi tarah tumhari photo se baat karti thi...aur ab jab tum yahin, Delhi me ho tab bhi mujhe tumse isi tarah baat karni pad rahi hai...kismat dekho meri..."
"Maine tumhe bahut tang kiya hai na...lekin aaj ke baad kabhi nahi karoongi...I LOVE YOU Shravan,...very much...dekho main maroongi bhi to tumhari dulhan banke...ek suhagan ke shringar me..."
It was getting very difficult for him to stop himself...but she had something more to say...so he kept listening...
"Bhagwanji, Thank you, aapne mujhe jo bhi diya is jeevan me uske liye...ab main marne se pehle aap se teen wish maangna chahti hoon...marne wali ki wish poori karoge na aap..."
"Meri pehli wish hai ki agle janam me mujhe phir se anath mat banaiyega...ma baap ki kami koi nahi poori kar sakta yeh mujhse behtar kaun janega..."
"Meri doosri wish - mere Shravan ko bahut khush rakhna...use aisa jeevan saathi dena jo use bahut bahut pyaar kare...uske saare zakhm pe apne pyaar se marham lagaye aur use jeena aur hasna sikhaye...uske dil se meri yaad mita sake...use aage badhne me madat kar sake...Shravan ke liye ye sab main karna chahti thi lekin ab wo kabhi sambhav nahi ho payega..."
On hearing this he broke down into sobs uncontrollably and went down on his knees...holding his face in his palms...
"Aur meri teesri aur aakhri wish hai ki aane wale har janam me mujhe Shravan hi mere jeevan saathi ke roop me mile...is janam me to aap ne use mera jeevan saathi banakar bhi nahi banaya...lekin agla har janam jo main loon us har janam me mujhe zindagi bhar Shravan ka saath mile...aisa naam ke liye nahi.."
He could not believe that his Sumo loved him so much that she was asking him for every birth...this was much more than he wanted to hear from her and he decided then and there that he was not letting her go...
Some of the misunderstandings had already been cleared and the rest did not matter so much that he should let her commit this cowardly and totally "UnSumo" act...But he would have to heal her...after all he had also not spared any chance to hurt her in these past days...
Just as she was about to take another step into the water, a strong hand gripped her wrist and pulled her into a bone crushing hug...
"Itna pyaar karti ho to is janam me chhod kar kyun jaa rahi ho...??"
Suman was totally shocked to hear that familiar and most adored baritone voice so close to her ears...This was most unexpected and even before she could react he continued, " I also love you Sumo...ab se nahi...bachpan se...I love u too...I love u too..."
The two pained souls heaved a sigh of relief in each other's embrace.
Breaking the hug after some time, he asked looking into her eyes with pain in his own eyes," Aisi kya majboori thi Sumo ki tum mujhe nahi bata payi...aisa kya hai jo hamare beech aa gaya...aisa kya ho gaya ki tumhe mujhse doori banani padi...???"
The questions were many and they indicated that he had heard all of what she had confessed to his photo...
"Agar main tumhe bata sakti to tabhi nahi bata deti...??", she replied.
"I am very very sorry, maine tumhe, apni Sumo ko samajhne me bahut badi bhool kar di aur apni ego me aake tumhe dard pe dard deta raha...kya tum mujhe maaf kar sakti ho Sumo...", he said touching his forehead with hers.
She kept her finger on his lips to stop him from further apologising, both of them constantly shedding tears.
He let out an exasperated breath and took her into a hug yet again and said, "Ab main har pal tumhare saath hoon...aur tumhe kuch nahi hone doonga...wada kiya tha...aur Shravan Malhotra kabhi apna wada nahi todta...pata hai na.."
Taking her hand and placing it on top of his head he said," Ab tum khaao meri kasam ke aage se kabhi bhi koi bhi baat mujhse nahi chupaogi...hamare beech aisi koi majboori nahi aayegi jo humein door kar sake...aur main bhi tumhari kasam khata hoon ke main bhi kabhi tumse kuch nahi chupaoonga", saying so he placed his hand on her head.
"Ok, Khati hoon main kasam lekin ye jo beet gaya uske baare mein tum mujhe nahi poochoge..."
"Lekin kyu", asked an irritated Shravan.
"Jo sab kaand hua uske baad agar aaj main yahan nahi hota to shayad main tumhe hamesha ke liye kho deta aur tum kehti ho kuch mat poocho..."
Suman just bent her head and stood silently...
"Ok, ab chalo yahan se..ya phir mujhe saath leke marna hai...kyunki ab main tumhe kabhi akeke nahi chodne wala...maut mein bhi nahi...jeeyenge to saath me, marenge to bhi saath me..."
She nodded her head in a vigorous no and he instantly scooped her up in his arms and carried her to his car...
"Meri dulhan itni khoobsurat hai aur maine uski kadar hi nahi ki kabhi...sorry dear...lekin ab aage se aisa kabhi nahi hoga..", said Shravan looking at a slightly blushing Sumo.
"Meri car...", Sumo tried to protest...
"Tum to marne aayi thi na...to tab tumhari car ka kya hota..., ab chupchaap mere saath chalo..", retorted Shravan, silencing Suman.
Suman had never imagined that after what seemed like utter doom, there would be this unexpectedly handsome twist in her life and she would get her handsome hunk back with all his love.
While driving back to MM, Shravan decided that he would apologise to his lady love for his absolutely irresponsible and unacceptable behaviour in front of the Malhotra and Tiwari families. He called up Pushkar and asked him to get the Tiwari's also at MM.
Pushkar agreed to do it but not without being assured mulitple times that he wasn't going to do any other blunder.
"Shravan, tum wahan kisi se mat kehna ki main wahan lake pe kya karne gayi thi...I mean tum ye mat kehna ki...I mean...Aur mujhe ye dulhan ke kapde badalne hain...main sabke saamne aise nahi ja sakti...plz PCT chalo...", said a hyper Sumo, jumping in her place.
"Ok...ok..ok..relax...chalte hain hum PCT...lekin tum hyper hona band karo..."
"Aur plz tum wahan kisi se ye mat kehna ki maine tumse...I mean tumhari photo se 'I love you' bola...kisi se bhi nahi...plz..nahi to bahut gadbad ho jayegi...", pleaded Sumo.
Shravan had already decided that he would get into the root of this matter, now his resolve was even more firm than ever.
Sumo's nervousness was affirming his belief that this whole situation had to do something with their families only, but who it could be, was a dicey question. Also one thing was sure, this person was very shrewd that he/she decided to mess with 'The Shravan Malhotra'. Now the person would definitely bear the brunt of his wrath for keeping his love away from him.
Reaching MM after Suman had changed at PCT, Shravan and Suman met the whole of their families waiting for them anxiously, fearing the worst...
But as soon as they entered, Shravan relaxed all of them as he took Suman closer to him placing a hand on her shoulder.
" I have done a blunder by insulting my wife yesterday, I know what I did is not worth being forgiven, but still Sumo, can u plz forgive all my sins and bestow me with your companionship for the rest of my life...I assure you that henceforth you will never ever find me lacking in trust in you, I have loved you, I love you and will love you forever till the last breath of my life and most importantly I need you...marry me again...plz !!!!", said Shravan getting on his knees in front of Suman.
Tears were rolling down the cheeks of both these love birds, and she nodded a yes. Shravan hugged Suman in front of all of them while she blushed to a deep pink shade. Everyone cheered and clapped for the couple and heaved a sigh of relief.
The happiest of all seemed Mamiji as now she could go to Amrica unhindered. All this while Ramnath Malhotra was just being a mute spectator to all the high voltage drama going on in MM.
He had seen his son breaking down into pieces because of his distance from Suman. Initially he thought Shravan would recover. But he was wrong. Shravan had become an emotional wreck and only he, the father was to be blamed for it.
The way Shravan was now standing beside Suman made it clear that the duo were inseparable now. As his father, Ramnath knew that Shravan would spare no stone unturned in finding out the reason behind Suman's behaviour. And Shravan was sharp enough to get to the root cause in no time. So Ramnath felt that instead of his son proving him guilty with all proofs and witnesses, he better confess his crime.
Ramnath Malhotra got up and spoke, " I need to confess something today."
What followed was his confession of keeping Nirmala away from Shravan due to his own narrow mindedness and then keeping Suman away from him due to fear of losing his beloved son to his estranged wife. Shravan listened to all this in disbelief.
Shravan was having a roller coaster ride kinda revelations today - on one hand he came to know that his love loved him back equally and that too from the time he loved her. On the other hand the father he not just respected but worshipped, turned out to be the biggest villain in his life.
This very father was the reason he hated his mother and all these ten years pined for her love and caring as well.
Suman came to him and taking his palm in both her palms, she pressed them reassuringly.
"Woh aisa kaise kar sakte hain mere saath, aur kyun...kyun kiya unhone aisa", Shravan asked shedding tears, some of grief and some of repentance for his behaviour towards his mother.
It was very difficult for him to understand all this lies, betrayal and manipulation, that too from someone who he thought can never go wrong.
Shravan decided that he would personally meet his mother and apologise for his misbehaviour towards her. He also realised that Suman was not at all wrong when she told the truth about Ramnath some time back infront of his mother.
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Shravan and Suman went to Mumbai to meet Nirmala and what followed was a very emotional reunion of mother and son. Shravan wept in her lap like a baby.
"Ma , I am sorry ma...maine aap ke saath bahut badtameezi ki hai..bahut nafrat ki aapse ...sachhai jane bina aapko kusurwar samajhta raha...ho sake to mujhe maaf kar dijiye...lekin ab main aapke bina nahi reh sakta...itne saal bahut tadpa hoon aapke liye...ab aur nahi...aapko mere saath MM chalna hoga...sab log aapka besabri se intezar kar rahe hain wahan...", Shravan apologised and pleaded to Nirmala.
Nirmala was also sorry for her total neglect towards Shravan. "Maine bhi to ek maa ka farz nibhane me bahut saari galtiyan ki hai, kya tu bhi mujhe maaf karega", she said with tears in her eyes.
Ramnath Malhotra also entered at the same time and pleaded to his wife to return back to MM.
Shravan, Suman, Nirmala and Ramnath returned to Delhi to start a new life, one which had lots of love and warmth.
Shravan could not excuse his father for his deeds but agreed to stay at MM to keep the family happy and intact.
Shravan and Suman got married to each other again at a splendid ceremony attended by every section of the media. Thus the two love birds found each other after a lot of struggle, separation, misunderstandings, distances and hatred. But in the end their love proved stronger than all those adversities.
Shravan kept showering on Suman all the love that he had kept inside his heart for 12 years. Suman also spared no stone unturned to prove to her QutubMinar that he was the one person without whom she could not survive.
Their love was not just for this janam, but for "Janam janam"...
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So that's it guys. All comments are welcome. Please point out any or all shortcomings that you may find in this story. Positive criticism will help me improve
Hello guys,
This is my first attempt at writing a story, forget an OS or anything else. But I had this idea in me for a long time n so finally decided to put it in words. So, this OS of mine begins at the point where Suman returns to Tiwari Killa after being insulted by Shravan in front of the media and Mamiji says that she wants to talk to her.
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Suman was hurt beyond imagination. She knew that the road of marriage to Shravan was going to be difficult to tread on, especially after all that had happened between them since Pushkar n Preeti's marriage was fixed. But this, she never imagined. This was a big blow to her.
She always thought that come what may, if she n Shravan would be together, everything would be alright, just as it had happened after his return from London, a few months back. But all her calculations n assumptions had just failed miserably.
The seeds of hatred that Ramnath Malhotra had sown in the heart of his son had now become a huge tree which mercilessly crushed the delicate sapling of love for Suman.
As soon as Suman entered her room n kept her bag, Mamiji marched in behind her and locked the door of the room from inside to avoid anyone interrupting their conversation. She just yanked Suman's shoulder and made her face herself. Her eyes were spitting fire and her face told Suman of the degree of angst in her.
" Tumse dekha nahi jaata na ki hum apne bete ke paas ja rahe hain Amrica. Waise to hamesha kehti rehti thi ki Mamiji, aapka ehsaan kaise chukaoongi, lekin jo raasta hum ne bataya, uspar to tumse chala nahi gaya... "
"Itna bhi nahi hua tumse ki jab tak hum babuji ko lekar Amrica nahi chal jaate tab tak hi nibha leti ye rishta. Kam se kam hum apne bete ke paas to pahunch jaate..."
"Lekin ab tumhare is bartav se hamara Amrica jaana bhi naamumkin ho jayega. Babuji to maanane se rahe. Tumhare alava unhe kahan aur koi dikhta hai. Hamare bete ki to kisi ko chinta nahi hai...Pata nahi kis manhoos ghadi me tum is ghar me aayi thi. Jab se aayi ho, hamara to sukh chain hi chhin gaya hai."
"Ek to tumhari maa ne humse 20 lakh ka karz lekar humein itni badi musibat me daal diya tha, aur ab tum ho ki hamara peecha hi nahi chhodna chahati. Kab jeene dogi tum humein chain se? "
Suman could not lift her head up but her tears kept rolling down her cheeks incessantly. She just wanted to disappear at this very moment, never to reappear again.
Mamiji continued spitting out all her anger. "Dekho Suman, ab hum saaf saaf kahe dete hain, ab hum tumhe aur nahi jhel sakte. Haath jodte hain hum tumhare, baksh do humein."
"Tum kuch bhi karlo par jaao apne pati ke ghar aur jaane do humein apne bete ke paas... Kya tumhe andaza bhi hain ki tumhari is harkat se hamari Preeti ki shaadi shuda zindagi par kya asar padega. Kya sochegi Kaminiji Preeti ke baare me...kahin wo hamari Preeti se naraz ho gayi to sirf tum zimmedar rahogi in sab baaton ki."
" Are pati patni mein nok-jhonk to chalti rehti hai...iska matlab ke tum wo ghar chhod kar aa jaaogi. Hum kuch nahi jaante, lekin ab humein apne bete ke paas jaana hai isliye tum Shravan se apna jhagda suljhao aur humein jaane do."
"Ji Mamiji", was all that Suman could mamage to say at that time.
Saying this Mamiji left Suman to herself and went out and informed all family members that she had convinced Suman to resolve her dispute with Shravan n situation was under control now and that Suman wanted to be left alone for some time.
Inside her room, a shattered Suman could not understand what exactly was she supposed to do. On one hand Shravan was just not ready to even look at her, leave alone having a decent dialog with her and on the other hand her Mamiji wanted her to go back to a place from where she had been kicked out in the most humiliating way ever. Her mind just went numb.
Was this the outcome of the love which they both had for each other for a decade? Why did all this have to be so painful? Why could she not have a simple love story and a happy marriage after that? Why was she not entitled to ever have some happiness in her life?
Questions like these kept coming up in her mind and the tears just kept flowing...but no one bothered to come and ask her what exactly happened or no one tried to understand how broken she was feeling. Mamiji's suggestion of being left alone was taken very seriously by everyone including Nanu.
Suman took her parents' photo in her hands and wept holding it close to her heart. In the past few months Shravan had been her saviour from a lot of problems, be it the Khosla case, the accident, her recovery after the accident, her torn dress or Aditya Ahuja. But today that very saviour gave her the most painful wound.
It is true that as deep is the love, equally deep can be the pain in the love.
Suman kept asking her parents that why she deserved all this? But no answers were to be found.
After a long time of crying alone, Suman decided that she had to act, she had to do something that would not let all of her sacrifices go in vain. She had sacrificed her love to pay back the debt of her Mamaji n Mamiji. She could not stay back here and let Mamiji fret over not reaching her son.
If Mamiji could not go to Amrica, everything would be back to zero, all the debt would be back again.
But at the same time she could not go back to Shravan or Malhotra Mansion. That was not even a possibility. She was now very sure that Shravan did not have even a trace of love left in his heart for her.
Shravan's words ,"No one needs you", kept reverberating in her mind constantly. She smiled sadly and thought how true he was. After Shravan had returned from London and they had mended their ways, she thought that she needed him and he needed her too. There was no one else who really ever cared about her except Nanu.
But today all this mess in her life was the reason for his ill health, she thought.
Insipte of knowing the truth, Preeti had also never tried to do something on her part. But Suman never blamed her for it , of course. Suman imagined that if she were to be absent from everyone's lives, they all would be very much at peace...almost everyone, if not all.
Shravan's insult , the heartbreak and then the bitter truth from Mamiji left Suman absolutely hopeless. She could not bring herself to think that things would be alright one day.
Today she was unable to find the ray of hope that she always found. Today she was shattered beyond limits to collect herself. Today she was the vulnerable and defeated Suman and not the Sumo with an indomitable and "never say die" spirit.
The whole night passed by in all these thoughts and her inner turmoil, without a moment of sleep. With the first rays of the sun she finally decided something and got up with a resolve. Suman decided that she was going to set everything right today and forever.
Suman had a bath and got ready to go to PCT. She also put her "Dulhan ka Joda", the one she wore at the photo session at TK, in a bag along with her parents' photo and a photo of Shravan which she had clicked at Preekar's sangeet ceremony.
She came out of her room and headed to the kitchen to make breakfast for everyone. "To kya socha hai tumne", asked Mamiji.
"Aaj shaam tak main sab kuch theek kar doongi Mamiji", Suman replied .
She took everyone's blessings and headed for PCT along with the bag of photos and wedding dress.
Suman pretended to be as indifferent as possible to the happenings in her life and kept working as if nothing significant had happened at all. Her acting skills paid off as no one even guessed about her inner grief. But very stealthily tears kept pricking in her eyes and she kept hiding them equally well.
In the afternoon, after dispatching all the tiffins, she asked Preeta, "Kya tu in sab ke saath milke PCT manage kar payegi mere absence me?"
"Kyun tu kahan jaa rahi hai?", Preeta asked with a mischievous smile , thinking that probably Suman and Shravan were going for a honeymoon.
" Tu mere sawaal ka jawab de, ulta sawaal mat kar", retorted Suman.
"Tere liye itna bhi nahi karoongi kya", replied Preeta.
This reply brought a small smile on her face. She then gave Preeta a letter to be couriered and told all her staff to leave as she would be staying longer to look into some accounts.
After all of her staff left, Suman was lost again in her thoughts and randomly remembered many moments she shared with Shravan from her childhood.
One such incident was when Shravan had taken her to a lake far away from their school. Suman was very happy to see the beautiful lake.
FLASHBACK
" A Shravan, kitni mast jagah hai na yeh, tujhe is lake ke baare mein kaise pata chala?", asked Suman bubbling with energy.
" Wo ek din maa aur papa ke saath aya tha, tabse maine socha tha ki ek din tumhe yahan zaroor leke aaoonga", replied Shravan.
"Wow, kitna sundar lake hai ye, man to karta hai ke paani mein kud jaaoon!!"
"Tujhe tairna to aata hai na Sumo", asked Shravan.
"Nahi re, wohi to problem hai, nahi to kab ki paani mein kud gayi hoti.", replied Suman.
"Tab to tum paani ke aas paas bhi nahi jaana, tumhe kuch ho gaya to main Nanaji ko kya jawab doonga", warned Shravan.
FLASHBACK ENDS
"Aaj tumhe kisi ko koi jawab nahi dena padega Shravan", thought Suman.
After that first visit to the lake, it had become a very special place for them and they used to visit it whenever they could find time to do so, till he left for London. Even after Shravan had gone to London, Suman used to visit this special lake whenever she missed him a lot.
On the other hand, after insulting Suman so badly in front of the media, Shravan had no solace at all.
On one hand his ego told him that what he did was right, she deserved it and on the other hand his heart cried and pined for her.
He spent the whole day trying to immerse himself in work, but failed. At night he did not even join the family for dinner and tried drowning all his worries in alcohol, but even then he could not forget the pained look on her face when he had asked her to leave.
He got up the next day morning with a splitting headache. After taking a glass of lemon water to cure his hangover, he got ready and left for his office, the new one. He did not want to see her at PCT, which was just opposite his new office. Hence he decided that he would go early and leave early too.
But again his inner battle would not let him concentrate. So he just packed up in the afternoon and got into his car and left.
Without him consciously knowing it, he reached the same lake which was their special place. Tears just flowed from his eyes remembering each n every moment spent at this beautiful place with his Sumo.
"Kyun Sumo, kyun...Kyun tum itni selfish ho gayi...kya tumhe kabhi mera pyaar nahi dikha...kya tumhare liye pasia hi sab kuch hai??", he cried out loudly.
He just clutched his head in his hands and sat down on the bench looking at the grass and wept. After some time passed he got up and thought to himself," Ab aur nahi...ab main tumhare liye aur nahi tadpoonga...ab main apne aapko patthar bana lunga...ab kisi ko ijazat nahi hogi mujhe dard dene ki...kisi ko nahi."
Just as he was about to get up and leave, he was stopped in his tracks by what he saw and hid himself behind a huge tree on the banks of the lake to watch what was about to happen.
He saw Suman dressed up as a bride from head to toe, heading towards the lake, with something in her hands which she clutched close to her heart. Getting curious to know why she was here and that too dressed as a bride he decided to wait and watch.
Suman walked right upto the banks and stepped into the water. He was about to come out from behind the tree to stop her when she started talking to one of the pictures held in her hand.
" Maa, papa, maine aapko itne saal bahtut miss kiya...main janti hoon ke aap dono mujhse bahut pyaar karte ho...aur main bhi aapse bahtut bahut pyaar karti hoon..."
"Aap dono ke jaane ke baad Nanu, Mamaji, Mamiji, Mausiji aur Mausaji ne mera bahut khayal rakha...lekin phir bhi mujhe aapki yaad hamesha aati thi...", by now her voice was already choking.
" Shravan se door rehkar, usse apna pyaar chupakar, maine Preeti aur Pushkar ki shaadi to karvadi aur apna karz kuch hadh tak chuka diya...lekin ab wapas Tiwari Killa me rehkar main Mamiji aur Anuj ko door rakhne ka paap nahi karna chahti...", she broke into sobs now...and he was totally surprised to hear what he just heard...
" Sumo mujhse pyaar karti hai...", this knowledge made his heart soar in happiness...but the very next moment he thought, "Lekin use ye chupana kyu pada, mujhse door kyun rehna pada...wo bhi Pushkar aur Preeti ki shaadi ke liye...???" He decided to keep listening to get the answers to his questions.
" Main ab thak chuki hoon ladte ladte...apni kismat se...Ab main Tiwari Killa mein rehne ka haq kho chuki hoon..aur ab mere liye is duniya mein koi jagah nahi hai jise main apna keh sakoon..."
"Ab main aapki god mein sar rakhkar aaram se sona chahti hoon kyunki woh haq to mujhse koi nahi chheen sakta na...bhagwan bhi nahi...isliye ab main aapke paas aa rahi hoon..." She was crying uncontrollably by now...Shravan on the other hand was too shocked to do anything on hearing this.
"Maine Nanu ko letter likha hai jisme maine apni aakhri iccha yehi batayi hai ki wo bhi Mamaji aur Mamiji ke saath US chale jayein aur meri maut ke liye kisiko bhi kusurwar na manein..."
Suman then took Shravan's picture and said, "Shravan, I m sorry...mujhe tumhare saath jo bhi bartav karna pada , main uske liye hazaar baar bhi maafi maangu to bhi kam hai...lekin kaash main tumhe bata pati ke mujhe aisa kyun karna pada..."
He was surprised would be an understatement...he was unable to grasp anything what she was saying...
"Lekin in sab ke bawajood ek sach jo kabhi nahi badlega wo yahi hai ki jab se maine jaana hai ki pyaar kya hai, tab se maine sirf tumse pyaar kiya hai..."
"Dus saal maine tumhare lautne ka intezaar kiya...in dus saalon me maine tumhe na jaane kitne letters likhe jisme maine tumse apni us galati ke liye baar baar maafi maangi...lekin kabhi himmat hi nahi hui unhe post karne ki...tumse milkar tumse maafi maangna chahti thi..."
By now not only Suman, but even Shravan was shedding tears incessantly...
"Tumne hamesha meri har tarah se help karne ki koshish ki...wada kiya tha..kabhi girne nahi doge...lekin halat kuch aise ho gaye, aur galatfehmiyan badhti chali gayi..."
"Maine ye sochkar Aditya se PCT ke papers liye ki tum indirectly meri help karna chahte the...aur fir usne jo investors wali deal batayi..use main raject nahi kar paayi...aur phir Nanu ki tabiyat ko dekhkar...sirf Nanu ke liye...mujhe us Aditya se shaadi ke liye haan karni padi..."
"Maine kabhi usse pyaar nahi kiya...kabhi nahii...main jaanti hoon usse shaadi k liye haan karne ke baad main kis tarah har pal me hazaar mautein marti rahi hoon..."
" Ye sab main tumse to kabhi nahi keh paayi...lekin aaj tumhari photo se ye sab keh rahi hoon...jab tum London me the, tab bhi main isi tarah tumhari photo se baat karti thi...aur ab jab tum yahin, Delhi me ho tab bhi mujhe tumse isi tarah baat karni pad rahi hai...kismat dekho meri..."
"Maine tumhe bahut tang kiya hai na...lekin aaj ke baad kabhi nahi karoongi...I LOVE YOU Shravan,...very much...dekho main maroongi bhi to tumhari dulhan banke...ek suhagan ke shringar me..."
It was getting very difficult for him to stop himself...but she had something more to say...so he kept listening...
"Bhagwanji, Thank you, aapne mujhe jo bhi diya is jeevan me uske liye...ab main marne se pehle aap se teen wish maangna chahti hoon...marne wali ki wish poori karoge na aap..."
"Meri pehli wish hai ki agle janam me mujhe phir se anath mat banaiyega...ma baap ki kami koi nahi poori kar sakta yeh mujhse behtar kaun janega..."
"Meri doosri wish - mere Shravan ko bahut khush rakhna...use aisa jeevan saathi dena jo use bahut bahut pyaar kare...uske saare zakhm pe apne pyaar se marham lagaye aur use jeena aur hasna sikhaye...uske dil se meri yaad mita sake...use aage badhne me madat kar sake...Shravan ke liye ye sab main karna chahti thi lekin ab wo kabhi sambhav nahi ho payega..."
On hearing this he broke down into sobs uncontrollably and went down on his knees...holding his face in his palms...
"Aur meri teesri aur aakhri wish hai ki aane wale har janam me mujhe Shravan hi mere jeevan saathi ke roop me mile...is janam me to aap ne use mera jeevan saathi banakar bhi nahi banaya...lekin agla har janam jo main loon us har janam me mujhe zindagi bhar Shravan ka saath mile...aisa naam ke liye nahi.."
He could not believe that his Sumo loved him so much that she was asking him for every birth...this was much more than he wanted to hear from her and he decided then and there that he was not letting her go...
Some of the misunderstandings had already been cleared and the rest did not matter so much that he should let her commit this cowardly and totally "UnSumo" act...But he would have to heal her...after all he had also not spared any chance to hurt her in these past days...
Just as she was about to take another step into the water, a strong hand gripped her wrist and pulled her into a bone crushing hug...
"Itna pyaar karti ho to is janam me chhod kar kyun jaa rahi ho...??"
Suman was totally shocked to hear that familiar and most adored baritone voice so close to her ears...This was most unexpected and even before she could react he continued, " I also love you Sumo...ab se nahi...bachpan se...I love u too...I love u too..."
The two pained souls heaved a sigh of relief in each other's embrace.
Breaking the hug after some time, he asked looking into her eyes with pain in his own eyes," Aisi kya majboori thi Sumo ki tum mujhe nahi bata payi...aisa kya hai jo hamare beech aa gaya...aisa kya ho gaya ki tumhe mujhse doori banani padi...???"
The questions were many and they indicated that he had heard all of what she had confessed to his photo...
"Agar main tumhe bata sakti to tabhi nahi bata deti...??", she replied.
"I am very very sorry, maine tumhe, apni Sumo ko samajhne me bahut badi bhool kar di aur apni ego me aake tumhe dard pe dard deta raha...kya tum mujhe maaf kar sakti ho Sumo...", he said touching his forehead with hers.
She kept her finger on his lips to stop him from further apologising, both of them constantly shedding tears.
He let out an exasperated breath and took her into a hug yet again and said, "Ab main har pal tumhare saath hoon...aur tumhe kuch nahi hone doonga...wada kiya tha...aur Shravan Malhotra kabhi apna wada nahi todta...pata hai na.."
Taking her hand and placing it on top of his head he said," Ab tum khaao meri kasam ke aage se kabhi bhi koi bhi baat mujhse nahi chupaogi...hamare beech aisi koi majboori nahi aayegi jo humein door kar sake...aur main bhi tumhari kasam khata hoon ke main bhi kabhi tumse kuch nahi chupaoonga", saying so he placed his hand on her head.
"Ok, Khati hoon main kasam lekin ye jo beet gaya uske baare mein tum mujhe nahi poochoge..."
"Lekin kyu", asked an irritated Shravan.
"Jo sab kaand hua uske baad agar aaj main yahan nahi hota to shayad main tumhe hamesha ke liye kho deta aur tum kehti ho kuch mat poocho..."
Suman just bent her head and stood silently...
"Ok, ab chalo yahan se..ya phir mujhe saath leke marna hai...kyunki ab main tumhe kabhi akeke nahi chodne wala...maut mein bhi nahi...jeeyenge to saath me, marenge to bhi saath me..."
She nodded her head in a vigorous no and he instantly scooped her up in his arms and carried her to his car...
"Meri dulhan itni khoobsurat hai aur maine uski kadar hi nahi ki kabhi...sorry dear...lekin ab aage se aisa kabhi nahi hoga..", said Shravan looking at a slightly blushing Sumo.
"Meri car...", Sumo tried to protest...
"Tum to marne aayi thi na...to tab tumhari car ka kya hota..., ab chupchaap mere saath chalo..", retorted Shravan, silencing Suman.
Suman had never imagined that after what seemed like utter doom, there would be this unexpectedly handsome twist in her life and she would get her handsome hunk back with all his love.
While driving back to MM, Shravan decided that he would apologise to his lady love for his absolutely irresponsible and unacceptable behaviour in front of the Malhotra and Tiwari families. He called up Pushkar and asked him to get the Tiwari's also at MM.
Pushkar agreed to do it but not without being assured mulitple times that he wasn't going to do any other blunder.
"Shravan, tum wahan kisi se mat kehna ki main wahan lake pe kya karne gayi thi...I mean tum ye mat kehna ki...I mean...Aur mujhe ye dulhan ke kapde badalne hain...main sabke saamne aise nahi ja sakti...plz PCT chalo...", said a hyper Sumo, jumping in her place.
"Ok...ok..ok..relax...chalte hain hum PCT...lekin tum hyper hona band karo..."
"Aur plz tum wahan kisi se ye mat kehna ki maine tumse...I mean tumhari photo se 'I love you' bola...kisi se bhi nahi...plz..nahi to bahut gadbad ho jayegi...", pleaded Sumo.
Shravan had already decided that he would get into the root of this matter, now his resolve was even more firm than ever.
Sumo's nervousness was affirming his belief that this whole situation had to do something with their families only, but who it could be, was a dicey question. Also one thing was sure, this person was very shrewd that he/she decided to mess with 'The Shravan Malhotra'. Now the person would definitely bear the brunt of his wrath for keeping his love away from him.
Reaching MM after Suman had changed at PCT, Shravan and Suman met the whole of their families waiting for them anxiously, fearing the worst...
But as soon as they entered, Shravan relaxed all of them as he took Suman closer to him placing a hand on her shoulder.
" I have done a blunder by insulting my wife yesterday, I know what I did is not worth being forgiven, but still Sumo, can u plz forgive all my sins and bestow me with your companionship for the rest of my life...I assure you that henceforth you will never ever find me lacking in trust in you, I have loved you, I love you and will love you forever till the last breath of my life and most importantly I need you...marry me again...plz !!!!", said Shravan getting on his knees in front of Suman.
Tears were rolling down the cheeks of both these love birds, and she nodded a yes. Shravan hugged Suman in front of all of them while she blushed to a deep pink shade. Everyone cheered and clapped for the couple and heaved a sigh of relief.
The happiest of all seemed Mamiji as now she could go to Amrica unhindered. All this while Ramnath Malhotra was just being a mute spectator to all the high voltage drama going on in MM.
He had seen his son breaking down into pieces because of his distance from Suman. Initially he thought Shravan would recover. But he was wrong. Shravan had become an emotional wreck and only he, the father was to be blamed for it.
The way Shravan was now standing beside Suman made it clear that the duo were inseparable now. As his father, Ramnath knew that Shravan would spare no stone unturned in finding out the reason behind Suman's behaviour. And Shravan was sharp enough to get to the root cause in no time. So Ramnath felt that instead of his son proving him guilty with all proofs and witnesses, he better confess his crime.
Ramnath Malhotra got up and spoke, " I need to confess something today."
What followed was his confession of keeping Nirmala away from Shravan due to his own narrow mindedness and then keeping Suman away from him due to fear of losing his beloved son to his estranged wife. Shravan listened to all this in disbelief.
Shravan was having a roller coaster ride kinda revelations today - on one hand he came to know that his love loved him back equally and that too from the time he loved her. On the other hand the father he not just respected but worshipped, turned out to be the biggest villain in his life.
This very father was the reason he hated his mother and all these ten years pined for her love and caring as well.
Suman came to him and taking his palm in both her palms, she pressed them reassuringly.
"Woh aisa kaise kar sakte hain mere saath, aur kyun...kyun kiya unhone aisa", Shravan asked shedding tears, some of grief and some of repentance for his behaviour towards his mother.
It was very difficult for him to understand all this lies, betrayal and manipulation, that too from someone who he thought can never go wrong.
Shravan decided that he would personally meet his mother and apologise for his misbehaviour towards her. He also realised that Suman was not at all wrong when she told the truth about Ramnath some time back infront of his mother.
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Shravan and Suman went to Mumbai to meet Nirmala and what followed was a very emotional reunion of mother and son. Shravan wept in her lap like a baby.
"Ma , I am sorry ma...maine aap ke saath bahut badtameezi ki hai..bahut nafrat ki aapse ...sachhai jane bina aapko kusurwar samajhta raha...ho sake to mujhe maaf kar dijiye...lekin ab main aapke bina nahi reh sakta...itne saal bahut tadpa hoon aapke liye...ab aur nahi...aapko mere saath MM chalna hoga...sab log aapka besabri se intezar kar rahe hain wahan...", Shravan apologised and pleaded to Nirmala.
Nirmala was also sorry for her total neglect towards Shravan. "Maine bhi to ek maa ka farz nibhane me bahut saari galtiyan ki hai, kya tu bhi mujhe maaf karega", she said with tears in her eyes.
Ramnath Malhotra also entered at the same time and pleaded to his wife to return back to MM.
Shravan, Suman, Nirmala and Ramnath returned to Delhi to start a new life, one which had lots of love and warmth.
Shravan could not excuse his father for his deeds but agreed to stay at MM to keep the family happy and intact.
Shravan and Suman got married to each other again at a splendid ceremony attended by every section of the media. Thus the two love birds found each other after a lot of struggle, separation, misunderstandings, distances and hatred. But in the end their love proved stronger than all those adversities.
Shravan kept showering on Suman all the love that he had kept inside his heart for 12 years. Suman also spared no stone unturned to prove to her QutubMinar that he was the one person without whom she could not survive.
Their love was not just for this janam, but for "Janam janam"...
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So that's it guys. All comments are welcome. Please point out any or all shortcomings that you may find in this story. Positive criticism will help me improve
Cricket
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