Finally the court room drama is over! I was getting sick of this track myself so we have officially moved on to bigger and better things! 😃 Hope you enjoy.
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Chapter 29:
Kabir awoke the next morning when he felt little drops of water falling onto his face. As soon as he opened his eyes, his vision was filled with Rachna's smile as she bent over him with her wet hair falling across her shoulder and onto his face. He could feel her warm breath on his cheek when she moved closer to him to cheerfully wish him "Good morning."
"Good morning," he replied back, his voice still husky and thick with sleep.
"Chalo, now get up quickly and get dressed. I'm going to just put out a quick breakfast and we'll leave as soon as you're ready."
Rachna hurriedly moved away from him and stood in front of the dressing table, putting on her earrings and adjusting the dupatta around her neck. Kabir immediately got out of bed and stood behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist while pouting fakely.
"Not done Rachna! First you wake me up in such a romantic way and then you kill the mood by leaving me hanging. Not fair."
Rachna struggled to remove his hands from her waist as she playfully laughed. "Kabir Tripathi, stop being naughty and leave me; we'll get late. Come on, go and get ready quickly."
He removed his hands reluctantly from her waist, knowing that she was right. Before he walked away from her though, he glanced at the little trinket box that was on the dressing table. She tried to make her way out of the bedroom but he grabbed her hand and pulled her back.
"Kabir, please. Go and get re..."
He placed one finger on her lips to quiet her, as he silently picked up the trinket box. Opening the lid, he took a pinch of sindoor and filled her maang. She closed her eyes and gasped slightly as she felt his fingers touch her forehead. Rachna stood frozen in her spot, looking in to the mirror, focusing on the red powder that now filled her maang. Without uttering a single word, Kabir placed the box back on the dressing table and briefly touched his lips to hers. She looked into his eyes and a moment of mutual understanding transpired between them. He knew how much this gesture meant to her and she knew how much he loved her.
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"Miss Gunjan Garg, oops I mean Mrs. Gunjan Mayank Tiwari; can you tell the court about your relationship with Mr. Mayank Tiwari."
"I beg your pardon. Please correct yourself. It's Gunjan Garg, not whatever sh*t you just called me."
"So I take it that you didn't change your maiden name after marriage then? I apologize for the mi..."
"Marriage? Excuse me Mr. Karanjkar but if you plan on wasting both the court's and my time by asking such stupid questions, then I am going to have to just leave. Your Honour, I am not married to this man, nor have I had any such relationship with him. If the defense lawyer has some relevant questions to ask about the case at hand, then I'd be happy to answer them, but these useless questions are completely out of line."
"Gunjan, please don't say that sweetheart! I know that you're angry with me. I'm sorry for lying to you about the money; I just didn't want to worry you about expenses, especially since you're expecting. But please, this has gone on long enough now. You're bringing our personal husband-wife matter into court and that too in such a shameful way? Please Gunjan, let's just talk it out together."
"Just shut up! I'm not your wife! You know very w..."
The judge banged the gavel against the desk. "Order order! This is a court room, not your house where you two are fighting like cats and dogs. Mr. Karanjkar, stop wasting the court's time and ask relevant questions to this court case. Get your point across and move on with it. This court has many other cases to see to."
"Your Honour, as you just witnessed, my client Mr. Mayank Tiwari and his wife, Mrs. Gunjan Tiwa..."
"I'm not his wife damn it!"
"Order in the court! Ms. Gunjan, please stop interrupting the lawyer. You will have a chance to give your testimony once he is finished. Mr. Karanjkar, please continue."
Gunjan looked at Mayank furiously, who replied back to her glare with his signature smirk.
"Thank you Your Honour. So as I was saying, the court just witnessed my client Mr. Mayank Tiwari and his wife, Mrs. Gunjan Tiwari, having a tiff, as any married couple does. And that is the sole truth behind this entire case Your Honour. It's merely a husband-wife fight that has unnecessarily reached court as a bigger issue than it actually is. My client, Mr. Mayank Tiwari, had a minor tiff with his wife, Mrs. Gunjan Tiwari, who also happens to be the cousin of Mrs. Rachna Kabir Tripathi. As I'm sure you're beginning to see, Mrs. Gunjan Tiwari refuses to acknowledge her relationship with her husband and thus is attempting to frame him in this false case with the help of her sister."
"Objection Your Honour! The defense is making up his own stories and presenting them in court without any evidences whatsoever. Meanwhile I have already presented the sufficient evidences to prove the Mr. Mayank Tiwari is guilty in this case."
"Objection sustained. Mr. Karanjkar, you cannot just present stories without any evidences. Do you have anything more to say before I announce my decision on this matter?"
"Please Your Honour, just look at these documents before you proceed any further. Here are some pictures of my client's marriage to his wife, Mrs. Gunjan Tiwari, and here is their marriage certificate. Furthermore, here are some handwritten letters the Mrs. Gunjan Tiwari sent to her sister, Mrs. Rachna Kabir Tripathi. In these letters, Mrs. Gunjan has clearly stated that she is unhappy in her marriage and wants to get out of it by any means possible. She has explicitly asked her sister for help in this matter. As you can also see, the latest of these letters is dated September 15th. It is not difficult to imagine the rest of this story unfolding. Mrs. Rachna Kabir Tripathi saw her sister's pleas for help and immediately concocted this plan of trapping my client, Mr. Mayank Tiwari, in this false case so her sister could be freed from this marriage. Your Honour, the testimony provided by Dr. Nitin Rao yesterday is the biggest proof that the prosecution has presented, but what he failed to reveal to the court is that Dr. Nitin Rao is Mrs. Rachna Kabir Tripathi's family doctor. Whether his testimony and medical report was 100% true or not is something that has not been verified by the court. Therefore to announce a punishment for my client on the basis of evidences that were manipulated is just unethical and immoral. I urge you to reconsider this case from the new perspective that I have just provided and you will surely see that my client is completely innocent."
Rachna sat in the audience, completely shocked by the sudden turn of events. Kabir shook his head in disgust at the lawyer's blatant lies. Gunjan clenched her fists in anger, biting her tongue to prevent her outburst.
"Ms. Gunjan, do you have anything to say in this matter?"
"Yes Your Honour. I have a lot to say! Firstly, I am not currently married to this man, nor was I ever in the past married to him. The photographs you are seeing in front of you are from a school play that he and I did, where we enacted a marriage sequence together. As for the marriage certificate, well just as medical reports can be tampered with as Mr. Karanjkar insinuated, so can such legal documents. I am in no manner associated with this man whatsoever. He was once a very dear friend, but that relationship has long been terminated ever since he did such a heinous act with my sister. And those letters that you possess? Well I didn't write any such letters to my sister. You can do a handwriting analysis to verify this statement, but I assure you that I never sent any such letters. Why would I ask her to help me break off a marriage that doesn't even exist? Please Your Honour, don't be misled by these false proofs and concocted stories."
"Gunjan, Gunjan please! If not for the sake of our marriage which you are hell-bent on ruining and breaking off, please just stop all this nonsense for the sake of our child. That child is mine every bit as much as it is yours. Please Gunjan, for the sake of our little baby girl; just stop lying and end this case right here. What are you going to tell her when she grows up? That you sent her father to jail for a small white lie that he told? Come on Gunjan, that's pretty ridiculous don't you think?"
"Order order! The court will take a 2 hour break to analyze and verify the proofs that have been presented by both sides. I will then announce the decision based on our findings. Court is adjourned for the time being."
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Sneha sat next to a tearful Gunjan. She patted her daughter's back to comfort her.
"Shhh Gunjan beta. That's enough. Why are you crying over someone who is trying to blatantly use you for his own gain? He didn't even think once about misusing his daughter's name in this situation; he's not worth your tears Gunjan beta."
"Mom, I was so stupid right? Abandoning my family for him? Trusting him more than my own sister? I'm such a bad person mom; I couldn't even differentiate between right and wrong."
"Enough beta. Everyone makes mistakes; the important thing is how you learn from them. And you have nothing to worry about; your entire family is with you in this matter. Meanwhile he is alone, completely alone. Come let's get you something to eat."
Just as Sneha was leading Gunjan towards the cafeteria, Gayatri intercepted their path. "So you think you're in control now do you little lady? Blatantly dishonoring the sanctity of the institution of marriage by denying that you ever had a relationship with Mayank; how then do you explain this child that you're carrying? Who will give it a name?"
Sneha opened her mouth to answer back, but Gunjan held her hand.
"Sanctity of marriage? It's quite incredulous to hear such a thing from you Ms. Gayatri Tripathi. After all, wasn't it you who tried to dishonestly break the pious wedded relation of your son and his wife just a few months ago? And as for this baby, she'll have my name. Neither she, nor her mother, need anyone else in their lives. But I honestly don't feel the need to give you any answers when my own conscience is clean. If my testimony gets that bas*ard punished for his misdeeds, then so be it. But I assure you that there is no way that you can emotionally blackmail me into saving that son of a b*tch. Come on mom; we don't have to waste our time talking to useless people like this."
As Gunjan and Sneha walk away, Gayatri fumes in anger. "You insulted the wrong person this time little girl. Just wait and watch to see how I force you down on your knees and make you beg for forgiveness."
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"Based on the evidences presented by both the defense and the prosecution, the court and jury has come to the conclusion that Mr. Mayank Tiwari is guilty of sexually assaulting and attempting to molest Mrs. Rachna Kabir Tripathi. This court charges Mayank Tiwari with sections 354 and 509, under the Indian penal code. He is sentenced to a ten year imprisonment. Court dismissed."
The judge banged the gavel and the audience exited the court room, lauding and agreeing with the court's decision. The police handcuffed and led Mayank out of the room, as Gayatri watched hopelessly from her seat. She glared at her lawyer in anger, ordering him to follow her, as she too left the court room. Rachna stayed glued to her seat, tears of joy falling down her cheeks, as her family celebrated the happy occasion with cheers and claps. Kabir embraced his wife tightly, whispering into her ear.
"I told you that I would make everything all right. Now you have nothing to worry about. He's been punished for all the wrong doings he did."
Rachna merely nodded her head in agreement as she responded to his hug by tightening her own arms around his body and letting a fresh batch of tears roll down her face. When they finally parted, Gunjan stood in front of them, waiting to meet her sister. Rachna looked up at Gunjan and immediately gave her a hug.
"Thank you Gunjan. If it wasn't for you, then I don't know how much longer this would have dragged."
"Rachna di, don't thank me; it's the least I could do to make up for the mistakes I've made. And I had to do all this not just for you, but for myself too. He tried to hurt you, but he also played such a big game with me. The punishment that the court has given him is much too less for the heinous acts he committed. But I'm just happy that this is all over with."
Rachna wiped Gunjan's tears away and smiled at her sister. Sneha stood next to her two daughters, placing a hand on each of their heads.
"May you two get all the happiness that you deserve. Chalo, now let's go home. Pihu just called and said that she and Murli are coming back tonight. Let's have a family dinner to celebrate this victory and the return of everyone's happiness."
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Pihu hugged her two little sisters one by one, squeezing Gunjan's cheeks playfully.
"My little baby sister is having a baby of her own. How surreal is that? Isn't it Rachna? Remember how Gunjan used to throw that toy baby around when she was little? And now she's going to have her own bundle of joy to care for in just a few months! It's so exciting!"
Rachna's smile faltered for a second as she realized that both of her sisters were getting to experience a joy that she would never be able to. She pushed away the negative thoughts from her head and plastered a bright smile on her face again.
"I'm really happy for you both Pihu didi. Now I'll have two little babies to spoil."
Kabir noticed Rachna from across the room, where he stood talking to Murli, Karan, and his father-in-law Akash. He excused himself for a moment and walked towards the group of sisters. He heard the last bit of the conversation, but it wasn't difficult for him to realize that Rachna was only trying to cover up her sadness with her fake smile and cheeriness. He wasn't doubtful that she felt happy for her two sisters, but Kabir knew how sensitive this topic was for Rachna; that is why he had never brought it up with her after he found out the truth.
Kabir approached Pihu, Gunjan, and Rachna, and gave a bright smile to his two sisters-in-law. He subtly placed his hand around Rachna's waist and pulled her close to his body, a gesture that definitely did not go unnoticed by his two sisters-in-law. They of course could leave no opportunity to tease their sister and jiju.
"Oh ho, looks like someone's a bit too eager to spend some alone time with his wife. Well let's not be the spoilsports here Gunjan, why don't we give our darling jiju some privacy to romance his lucky wife?"
Pihu and Gunjan laughed teasingly as they walked towards the kitchen to help Sneha with the dinner, leaving Rachna and Kabir standing alone in the dining room.
"I'm so hungry Rachna. Do you know what Sneha mausi has made today? I hope she made her famous biryani, I just love it! And oh gosh, her dum aloo is too goo..."
"I'm fine Kabir. You don't have to try and distract me. It's a bitter truth of my life that I've accepted."
Rachna removed his hand from her waist and gave Kabir a quick peck on his lips before she too made her way into the kitchen to help out with the food.
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"I guess we'd better get going now. Sneha mausi, thanks again for such an amazing dinner! Bye everyone!"
"Bye Kabir beta; you and Karan go on home. We're kidnapping your wife for tonight. We'll do one of our infamous girls' nights. It's been such a long time since all us girls were together."
Kabir's mouth formed into an O. 😲 "But, Sneha mausi? Girls' night? That too tonight? I mean..."
"Why? What's wrong with tonight? Did you have any other plans jiju?" Pihu teased her brother-in-law, playfully pulling his cheek.
Kabir blushed and looked away. ☺️ "No no, I was...I just. Okay, I guess Karan and I will go then. You all enjoy your girls' night."
"Arrey Kabir beta, if the girls are doing their thing, then why don't us guys do our own thing. You and Karan stay here and we'll enjoy too. What's say Murli, Karan? Sound like a plan?"
Karan and Murli both smiled and agreed immediately, hi-fiving each other. With all eyes on Kabir, he could only nod his head in agreement, hoping that this night would pass by quickly.
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I know I hurried to finish the court room drama. It seems rushed to me now that I am re-reading it, but whatever...it was becoming a pain to write it so I just thought to end it asap. Well now I have some interesting stuff coming up so you can be excited again.
❤️ Nivi
Edited by nividances - 10 years ago
Anupamaa
