Part 14:
Just as the police left, Bani got up and ran to her kids. She picked them up and caressed them as if she'd never seen them before. The tears of worry and frustration, which she had been holding back for the past couple hours, finally fell. Jai just smiled at the sight before him. This was HIS family: His wife and his kids. No one, no matter how hard they tried, could take that away from him.
Bani then realized what she was doing. She was letting these people see her weak side. She got up, wiped her tears, and put on the mask of indifference again. "I think I should go now", she said weakly. Jai just couldn't see her leave, not right after that joyous moment. He had to keep her here, maybe he could clear the misunderstandings between them, and that way, Bani would also get to stay with the kids for a while. "Umm, Bani, it's pretty late, why don't you stay here for tonight and go back tomorrow morning. If you want, that is."
Bani didn't know what to say. What could you say to such a generous proposal? If she were her old self, she would've accepted the proposal without a minute of thought, but what if this was a ploy, a hoax to destroy her once again. She couldn't take this anymore. Everyone was staring at her, expecting an answer. What was she supposed to do other than accept? "S-s-sure, I'll go home first thing tomorrow morning." Jai was ecstatic. He couldn't believe his luck. He wouldn't let this opportune moment slip from his hands. "Tony, go show Bani her room."
Bani followed Tony upstairs, and took a left at the stairs, as she usually did, but noticed that Tony went in the other direction. Without a doubt in her mind, she followed. While walking, she took the opportune moment to look around the house. She hadn't been able to do that before, considering the circumstances. It had looked as if everything was exactly the same, from the Puja room to the paintings on the wall. It felt like dejavu being in the same house again. She felt as if a part of her soul was alive again, a part that she had shut out from her life a long time ago.
They finally arrived at their destination, and Bani immediately recognized the room they were in. "But Tony, how can this be my room? Shouldn't I be in the guest room?" "No, Madame, Jai Sir strictly advised me to put you in this room, and this room only." With that being said, Tony left Bani to herself. Bani looked around the room, and all the memories spent in the room came flooding back. The two cribs in the corner, with a rocking chair by the window, along with the wallpaper, all made Bani cry. She couldn't bear to be in this room, when she would just have to leave again tomorrow. Was this Jai's form of torture? Showing her some hope and then snatching it away again.
A few minutes later, Jai came in with the kids. He didn't even have the tenancy to knock, but just waltzed in, as if it were his own room. "Oh, sorry Bani, I'm so used to just walking into the room. I forgot you were here. Sorry for intruding, but I just came in to put the kids in their cribs." Bani didn't say a word, but stayed silent, waiting for him to leave her with the kids. "Bani, we need to talk. We can't keep on overlooking what happened and continuing our lives as if we were nothing, as if what happened between us never happened. This is killing me inside Bani. You need to know the truth. I won't be able to live peacefully until I tell you."
Bani couldn't understand this man. First he put her in a mental asylum, snatched away her sole purpose for living, and now he's asking as if he did nothing and the whole thing was her fault. What kind of arrogant, self-centered man was he? "Jai, what is there to explain? You betrayed me, framed me for a crime I didn't commit, put me in a mental asylum, and snatched my kids away from me. What else could there possibly be that I haven't seen already?" she said with a hint of sarcasm in her voice.
"Bani, will you just listen for two minutes, so I can explain what really happened? What you see wasn't the truth, it was done to make it seem as if I betrayed you. Bani, please believe me. Why would I ever betray you? I loved you, have loved you, and will always love you, and only you. No one else can take your place. You're the mother of my children and the love of my life."
His words brought tears to Bani's eyes. He seemed so sincere and true. She was so confused. If he hadn't betrayed her, then what happened? Why was it that fate always played such cruel games with her? She listened intently, praying to God that he was telling the truth and hoping for the answers to her questions. "Bani, what you saw wasn't the truth. It was all Pia's doing. She planned the whole thing to make all the people you loved, who loved you, look like backstabbers. Before Sahil's murder, he had created this video blaming everything on you, and Pia got a hold of the video. She used it to her advantage by blackmailing all of us, saying that she would take it to the police and put you in jail. She told me to decide, and I thought that 5 years in the mental asylum are better than a lifetime in jail."
Bani wasn't able to fathom what Jai had just said. Jai hadn't really deceived her. It was such a relief to find out the truth. "W-w-why didn't u just say all this before? It would've made my life a whole lot easier" she said in between sobs. With that said, she got up and hugged Jai with all her life. She couldn't ever forgive herself for not trusting the man she loved, and who loved her. "Bani, I don't ever want to see tears in your eyes again." With that said, he kissed away her tears, and finally captured her lips, something he'd been wanting to do ever since she stepped into the house.
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