Its 7: 45 am and Nihaal is late to meet his dad's lawyer due to his lack of sleep. As he runs down the main entrance, he bumps into a photographer who is also quite in a rush. The man gives a letter to Nihaal telling him that Diviana called him to give her this envelop and he immediately leaves from the doorway. Nihaal who is unaware that these were his wedding pictures simply grabs it fast and returns running to the main entrance to put them down. While depositing, a photo falls down. He sighs in annoyance, and ducks to pick it up. At the same time as he surprisingly realises he picked Prena's picture, the cook of the Garewals mansion arrives.
-cook: mr nihaal,u haven't eaten ur breakfast,do u want me to prepare something else?
-nihaal:no no im fine,im leaving right now
While leaving Nihaal unconsciously puts Prenas picture in his wallet and runs to his car.
****
The night arrives in a glimpse, and Nihaal is still working over time. His head is spinning and he holds his temple tight. Something in his dad's case doesn't seem right. Desolation and anger takes over his patience as he re reads the folder and dials a number.
****
Prena holds her phone tight, not knowing what she should do. She breathes out and dials dharas number.
-dhara:yeah hello
Listening to her voice, Prena's heart skips a beat in anguish. After a couple of minutes.
-prena:dharaa
-dhara exhales noisly:ohh, so it is u miss Prena Garewal
-prena:dhara plz mera baath toh suno
-dhara:kya sunno haaan?...kya sunna bakhi hai?..What should I hear from the most self-absorbed person I've ever met in my life. Why did you this prena,why ! Just because your so called husband is cuter or tremendously richer than my brother ,u throw him up, like some sort of used napkin.
-prena :dhara plz,tum bhi mujhe ..
-dhara:ohhh spare me your crap Prena. what do you want to hear..? That my brother is traumatized, that he's incapable of eating or that he's longing for u to come running at him..?....Sorry to let u know, but my brother is fine. As a matter of fact, he already left to pursue his studies and make us proud unlike some people who just run after their own pleasure.
Prena's phone slips from her hand as she kneels down and starts crying.
After a couple of hours, she trails outside her room but stops from going downstairs. Standing in front of the stairs, she could somehow sense that something is about to happen. Indeed, in the foggy hours of darkness and in the cold wind's veil, an unusual feeling forges more and more dangerously. As the air grows stiff, some men keep running one way to another, while other seems tensed and abnormally calm.
****
Somewhere in the mansion, two men working in the Garewal's huge industry, look at each other with concern.
-1 guy:I cant believe its happening now, now that mr Garewal is still behind the bars
-2 guy: don't u see it's in purpose, they are trying to trap us. They know how week we became after Vardhan's death and Mr Garewal's absence.
-1 guy:toh hamein kya karna chahiye?
-2 guy:we should get prepared
-1 guy: but Mr Nihaal toh abhi aya bhi nahin
-2 guy: we should gather everyone and see if everything works fine, and he will join us afterwards. Besides he has no idea how it works anyway.
****
Prena comes back to her room, when suddenly she feels her door getting locked. She runs and attempts to open but it closes before she can intervene.
-a man: sorry bhabhi,magar I have to lock this door for a few hours. Don't worry its only not to disturb u
-prena confused: kya...magar kyun...
-the man : sorry bhabhi,mujhe jaaana chahiye
The man closes the door and Prena tries hard to unlock it. Suddenly, a cold thunder runs through her spine and she clutches her trembling hand.
****
Nihaal is fed up with all the complications regarding his dad's file. An agonising feeling burns his chest. Therefore, he decides to go back home.
****
It starts with one subdued gunshot followed by another. Soon the calmness of the night quivers with the cacophony of gun fires. Prena shuddering runs to her balcony, and her dupatta falls down in the floor. As soon as she puts her feet outside, she sees all the workers of her husbands' industry gathered outside in the drizzle practicing shootings and gathering their equipments.
At the same time as the rain drenches her from top to bottom, Prena stops breathing and tears roll down erratically. She kneels down and holds her head. All that noise and the atrocious scene in front of her are making her desperately miserable.
****
Nihaal parks his car and he is traumatized from the view in front of him. He gets out from his Lexus, and runs in the rain.
In the meantime, a man dispatches to him.
-nihaal: yeh kya hai,what is this nonsense
-vikram: sorry sir, our source is telling us that our enemy is planning to attack us ,hence we are seeing if everything works fine
-nihaal: what enemy, u imbecile!! Yeh kya hai. I'm going abroad tomorrow to fix everything. And I told u once, we are not doing anything before dad comes home and take everything in charge.
Vikram looks at the ground
-nihaal:where's mom?
-vikram: sir she had a migraine so she took a pill and went to sleep
Suddenly, Prena's image emerges in his mind.
-nihaal in concern : and prena?
-vardhan: sir we locked her door so she doesn't get disturbed
Nihaal's blood bowls in rage and Vikram comprehends that he should give him his room key.
****
Gradually, evasiveness seeps thru Prena's soul. Her burning hands are now unfeeling. She climbs to the bar of the balcony and sets her first feet in the blank.
****
Nihaal quickly dispatches in his room, but once in, he doesn't perceive Prena. All of a sudden, his eyes lay on her dupatta left in the ground.
****
She closes her eyes and put her second foot into the emptiness, preparing to fall when instead of falling into the dark, she feels someone grapping her.
Prena still trembling, opens her eyes and sees Nihaal burning eyes fixed on her.
He puts her down and harshly holds both of her arms.
-nihaal rebuking: you little fool! If you're that eager to meet death, I can introduce you myself.
-prena pushes Nihaal: then why don't u kill me nihaal,WHY.......WHY ME NIHAAL......AND..... AND WHY WITH ME.. Why is it always me who suffers the most.....
-nihaal clutches prena's arms once again, making her approach to him even closer: kya?... Why is it always u who suffers the most ?....MY MOM IS DRIVEN INSANE PRENA. MY BROTHER PAST AWAY. MY DAD IS SNATCHED AWAY FROM ME. HAAAAN MEIN MANTA HOON, HE HAS HIS EMPIRE THANKS TO THESE STUFF... MAGAR ISME MERA DOSH KYA HAI ?..I DIDN'T CHOOSE TO BORN IN THIS FAMILLY. DID I !! JOH BHI HAI, HAI TOH MERA DAD......DO U THINK I ENJOY HANDLING THESE STUFF THAT I DONT UNDERSTAND AND I DON'T WANT TO UNDERSTAND.......MAGAR MEIN KYA KAROON, IM HOPELESS ,miserably hopeless ......aur tum kehte ho, your the one who always suffers the most.
After a few instants, Nihaal is empty, with no strength left in his soul. He held her face with both his hands, and touches his forehead with hers.
-Nihaal murmurs: tum kya kartey Prena ? Would u go against ur family...against ur dad, if u had the choice.
Nihaal forehead is still leaning on her temple. Unknowingly, Prena doesn't try or neither wants to get release herself from Nihaal.
For the first time, she prevails her own misery to feel his. His heartbeats are racing through his body and tears keep rolling in Prena's face.
Leisurely, Nihaal follows her heart rhythms. For the first time, Prena realises that the only thing that changed in Nihaal is the pain glimmering in his eyes.....the same ache of pain that reflects on her gaze as well.
Somehow holding her so close makes his soul less wretched. As he re opens his eyes, he unwantedly let go of her but feels as if he is snatched away from a part of himself.
Out of the blue, another man enters the balcony and Nihaal is forced to leave Prena and join him outside.
-Guy:sir we have a good news, I've reached the new lawyer in the phone and he said that everything will sort out easily. Hopefully, Mr Garewal could come back home within five days.
A genuine smile appears in Nihaal's face as he runs to his mother room.
Anupamaa
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