SS - DON'T YOU KNOW ME? ............ Complete!! :D - Page 20

"And since that day, she became Mrs. Agnihotri for me...!!" said Shlok boiling in anger as he recalled Anjali's words. Aastha was listening in shock. She couldn't believe that Anjali did all this. Could a mother do all this to her son? And all this had resulted to the loss of an innocent life!! Who was responsible for all this? But Aastha knew this was not the right time to think about it. She looked at Shlok. She knew what the loss meant to him. This was the time Shlok needed her the most. She placed her hand on his. Tears were streaming down his eyes. "Shlok, chaliye... thoda aaraam kar leejiye..." said Aastha. Come, take some rest... Shlok wiped his tears and looked at Aastha. She said again, "chaliye..." and held his arm as both walked into the room. Shlok's body seemed warm. "Arey!! lagta hai Shlok ko bukhaar hai..." thought Aastha. Shlok has fever... Shlok laid down on the bed staring at the ceiling. Aastha quickly took out the medicine box to get the paracetamol for him. But the strip was empty. "No tablets...!!" thought Aastha. "I will get a strip from Sasubai...!" She kept the box away and. Shlok noticed her walking out of the room.
"Tum kahan jaa rahi ho?!" he asked sitting up. Where are you going?
Aastha came back and pushed him back down. "Aap late jaayiye... Main abhi do minute mein aayi...!" she said. I will be back in a moment...!
"Jaldi aana..." said Shlok. Come soon...
Aastha nodded with assurance and left.

Anjali continued... "Maine aapse sachcha pyaar kiya tha... You took advantage of my love and married me. Then you broke my heart into pieces...!! You betrayed me!!" Anjali felt the pain again as she recalled it. "And when I wished to go away, you compelled me to stay with you...!!! Fine!!! I obeyed!! Maine kuchh nahi kaha...!!" Anjali was getting more and more enraged as she spoke on. "Phir aapne mujhe mere Aai-Baba se door rehne ke liye kaha... You kept me away from my Parents...!! Maine kuchh nahi kaha!! I obeyed that too!! It was because of you that I drifted Swati away from Shlok... You made me do it!! Maine woh bhi kiya... Maine kuchh nahi kaha...!! You made me drive out my Aai-Baba from the aashram!! Aap nahi jaante ki mujhe kitni takleef hui thi...!!! Lekin maine kuchh nahi kaha...!" Tears rolled down her cheeks. "Aap ki wajah se, sirf aap ki wajah se mera beta mujhse door ho gaya...!!! You will never understand the pain I feel when I hear Shlok call me "Mrs. Agnihotri"...!!! Aai hoon main uski...!!!" she cried. "Jaise woh aap ka bachcha hai waise woh mera bhi beta hai!! He is my son too!!! Just because of you, I had to tolerate all the insult... all the blame...!!! Lekin maine kuchh nahi kaha!!!" she cried again. She wiped her tears... "Yehi toh galti ki maine ki maine kuchh nahi kaha!!! This was my mistake... that I didn't say anything earlier!! Aaj toh maine apna beta hi kho diya...!!! I lost my son today!! Aur iske zimmedaar aap hain, sirf aap!!! I kept quiet all these years fearing your warnings... fearing all the physical and mental torture!! But not any more!! Ab bohot ho gaya!! Ab mujhe koi darr nahi hai... na aap se na aap ki dhamkiyon se...!! Log kehte hain pati parmeshwar hota hai.. . Lekin aap?!! Parmeshwar kya... aap toh insaan kehlaane ke layak bhi nahi hain!!! I had lost respect for you the day you broke my heart... And then I got to know who you really are...!!" she said boiling in anger. "Huh!!! Sharam aati hai mujhe ki maine itne ghatiya insaan se kabhi pyaar kiya tha!! I feel ashamed that I had ever loved you!! Aap humesha poochte thay 'Main sahi keh raha hoon na Anjali?' and I always used to say that you can never be wrong...!!! But let me tell this to you today that you were wrong!!! You were wrong every single time!!! Aap kabhi sahi thay hi nahi...!!! Aur aaj... aaj toh mera beta mujhse bohot door ho gaya!! Sirf aap ki wajah se!! Did you hear what Shlok said today? He asked me to kill him too!! Imagine what he must be going through!!" Anjali cried. "Huh!!! Main bhi kise samjhaane ki koshish kar rahi hoon...!! Uss insaan ko jisne kabhi rishton ki ehmiyat samjhi hi nahi...!! Why am I wasting my time telling you all this!! It is of no use!! You can never understand the importance af relations!! Relations are just a show-off for you!! Aapne kabhi rishton ki gehraayi ko samajhne ki koshish hi nahi ki...!! Aap kya apne bete ke gham ko samjhenge...!! Meri bhavnaaon ko samajhna toh bohot door ki baat hai...!!!" You can't understand your son's feelings whom you claim to love so much, how will you understand mine!!
Aastha stood shocked at her place knowing the reality. She was surprised to know that Anjali did not do all this but she was more than shocked to know that it was Niranjan who was behind all this...!!
Anjali continued, "I never wanted Aastha to come to this house... I never wanted Aastha to marry Shlok and suffer all that I had once suffered and that I am still siffering!! Aastha is too good a girl to stay in this house!! But you didn't allow her to go... She is has the wrong belief that you love her as your daughter...!! But poor Aastha is not aware... Jo aadmi khud ki beti ki khushiyon ko kabhi samajh nahi paaya woh kisi aur ki beti ki khushiyon ko kya samjhega!!! Aap ne theek hi kaha... You are right!! You treat her thae same way you actually treat your daughter!!!"
Niranjan was numb in his chair, shocked to the core. Aastha hid back as Anjali left the room in utter pain and anger.

"Just go and sleep in your room!!" ordered Anjali, "It's quite late!!"
"Sasubai..." said Aastha in a low voice as her eyes watered, "I have heard everything...!!"
Anjali's eyes widened in shock. Aastha said, "My heart always said that you are a nice person... I knew it!"
Now Anjali couldn't control her tears. She just hugged Aastha and began crying. Aastha hugged her back with all the warmth that said "Don't worry, I am with you!"
Anjali realised that she had embraced Aastha. She quickly loosened the embrace and wiped her eyes. "Now go and sleep...!" she told Aastha.
"Kya main aap ko 'Aai' keh sakti hoon?" Aastha asked. May I call you 'Aai'?
Anjali's eyes watered feeling Aastha's love and care. She nodded smiling as tears flowed down her cheeks. Aastha wiped Anjali's tears. "Aai, don't worry...! I am here now! We will figure everything out soon!!"
Anjali smiled and kissed Aastha on her forehead. "God bless you beta...!!" she said. Aastha smiled.
"Aai" said Aastha, "Shlok has fever... Actually I had come to you to ask for paracetamol..."
Anjali seemed worried to hear that Shlok had fever. "Come..." she said as she went to her bedroom followed by Aastha.
Anjali went in and looked around. Niranjan was not in the room. She didn't bother now anyways. She gave a strip of tablets to Aastha telling her to take care of Shlok.