"According to our sources, this divorce is a result of mutual discontent among the Oberois and the Kapoors, though the exact reasons remain unclear at the moment. We tried to get a statement from the Oberoi family lawyer but he remained unavailable for comments. As per the latest details, the divorce was filed just days after the Oberoi wedding, which took place in November last year," the newscaster droned on to speculate about what could have been the possible reasons behind the same but no one was listening anymore. The whole family had gathered around the TV in the hall of the Oberoi Mansion, and right now every one's eyes rested on one person standing in the center of the room. The man who could be counted on to have all the answers - Shivaay Singh Oberoi.
Tia's phone started ringing. And so did Shivaay's. Neither made a move to answer them though.
Om switched off the tv. There was silence as all looked at the blank screen, contemplating what had just happened.
Tia was the first to speak, her shrill voice barging into the silence like shards of glass. "Shivaay baby, what's happening? I don't understand." She walked over to stand in front of him. "How the hell did the media get wind about the divorce?" He refused to look at her so she put her arms around his and shook him. "Baby look at me! We have a baby on the way, and now all this! God! We have to do something. Maybe host a press conference and tell them it's all a rumour! We need to tell tell them that we love each other. Baby, we have to do something right now!" Words rushed out from her mouth in an attack of panic but Shivaay was not paying any attention. His eyes were fixed behind her, where Annika stood at the back. She looked just as confused as the others in the room. For a moment both shared a look, and Shivaay nodded almost imperceptibly at her. She raised her eyebrows a little in surprise.
Pinky put her hand on her forehead. "Oh my mata Shivaay! Yeh sab kaise hogaya! Hamari family ki kitni badmaami hogi ab! Hey bhagwan, what are we going to do now?" She wailed.
"Baby are you listening! What are you going to do? What's your plan?" Tia shrieked into his face.
Shivaay jerked away from her. "Nothing Tia. There's no plan. I'm not going to do anything," he snapped.
Pinky and Tia gasped in unison. "What are you saying Shivaay? How can you not do anything? The whole world thinks you're divorced now!" Pinky came forward. "Do you even understand what this means?" Shivaay's indifference agitated her and she raised her voice. "Say something beta! How did all this happen? Divorce toh ghar ki baat thi na, yeh baat bahar kaise agayi?" She asked.
"I did it," was his calm reply.
The resulting silence was deafening. Tia and Pinky both struggled to find words. The other family members froze in varied expressions of shock and surprise, even Rudra, who would have seized a moment like this to rejoice, was standing still, his mouth opening to form a perfectly shaped 'O'. Shivaay was still looking at Annika who was looking straight back at him with narrowed eyes, her brows knit together in utter consternation.
"Why? Why would you...I don't understand," Tia spluttered.
"It must be because of that girl!" Pinky had found her voice and was looking at Annika with a look of pure contempt. "Shivaay how can you do such injustice by your own baby? Tia's your wife and this girl has already done a lot to separate you two." Her voice vibrated with pure rage. "But this is the limit, I'm going to kill her today," she took a step towards her.
"Stop it Mom! This doesn't involve her at all, she knew nothing about this," Shivaay retorted back immediately. Pinky looked at him.
"I did it because this was the only right way to do this. I declared Tia as my wife infront of the whole world. It's only fitting that the separation occurs the same way," he spoke, as he pulled out a stack of envelopes from inside his suit. "The whole world thinks Tia is my wife. But this ends today," he said.
"But baby...but we're going to be married! We're going to have a baby!" Tia wailed.
"We are going to do nothing of that sort," he spat back at her. "As for the baby, it's not mine." The whole family gasped at the startling revelation. He took one of the envelopes and took out the report of the DNA test. "Sharam nahi aati tumhe Tia? Kisi aur ke bache ko mera bachha bolke iss ghar mein leke aayi. You should be ashamed of yourself!" He flung the paper at her. Her eyes panicked as she read through the contents. Pinky snatched away the paper and read through it too. Her eyes widened.
"Yeh sach nahi hai, it's not true," Tia was crying. "Shivaay baby yeh ek chaal hai, I don't know who's behind this, it must be someone who doesn't want us together, some enemy of the family, or...or maybe it's Annika, you know baby she doesn't want us together." Shivaay looked at her in disgust. "Just shut the hell up Tia! And don't you dare take her name through your filthy mouth again. You think I'm a fool that I'll believe anything you say?" He looked at Annika and spoke with emotion. "She tried to warn me so many times but I didn't listen to her once! She told me you were with someone else but I didn't believe her. I let you stay in my house, despite knowing I was not the father of this child. And you plotted against me right under my nose? And not just that, you tried to kill Annika!" His voice boomed around the hall as he took a menacing step towards her. She backed off, scared now. "You thought I won't ever find out about your dirty plans? Shivaay Singh Oberoi always finds out everything!" He shouted at her.
"It's all a lie! It's all a lie," Tia spluttered, tears streaming down her face.
He flung the other envelope at her. "Really Tia?" He said, raising his eyebrows. "Open it!" He barked. She obeyed with trembling hands. The photos of her and Robin fell through, and she looked at them, her eyes wide with fear. The cat was out of the bag.
Shivaay laughed without humour. "I must say, you two share an amazing bond as brother and sister. It almost looks like -" he stopped to narrow his eyes at the photo, which happened to be one taken at the resort, where Tia was in a swimsuit and resting her hand on Robin's bare chest, laughing. It looked like he was trying to hug her and she was trying to push him away playfully. Shivaay pretended to look hard. "What does it look like to you guys?" He pulled it up for everyone to see. Pinky looked away, tears welling up in her own eyes.
"Don't bother to pretend anymore, Tia. It's all very clear to us that who's lying," he spoke with contempt. "Where have you hidden your so called brother? Infact I haven't seen his face since the day of our 'wedding'," he snickered. "Tell me, did it get too much for him? Seeing his wife get cosy with another man?"
"He's a fine man though, isn't he? He gets to have all the fun and then he gets to run away putting all his responsibilities on my shoulder. Even his own unborn child -"
"Stop it! Stop it! Stop insulting him!" Tia's screams broke him off mid-sentence, as she clutched her chest and sank to the floor. "Stop insulting him please. He's not hiding, he's... he's dead," she started crying uncontrollably, her head in her hands. Shivaay was taken aback and looked at Annika - this was news to him! She too opened her mouth in surprise. She had a look of pain in her eyes and Shivaay wondered if that was for Tia. Even after all that she had done to her, she was sad for the girl's misfortune! Even amidst the situation he was dealing with, looking at Annika he felt a sudden warmth for her, as the realisation hit him - that how lucky he was to have come across a pure and compassionate heart like hers.
Pinky pulled up Tia from the floor. "How dare you! How dare you play with my son's emotions!" she cried, pulling out Shivaay from his reverie.
The pain in Annika's eyes had changed to fear as she looked at the wailing women. "How dare you try to pass somebody else's sin as my grandson!" She put up a hand to slap her but Shivaay caught it in time. "Mom let me handle this," he said, his voice soft but firm. Pinky tried to say something but he refused to listen and turned to Tia. "Look Tia, I'll put it straight to you. You've got two options here - either you yourself declare it to the media that the divorce was consensual and that things were just not working out between us and hence we came to this decision. You leave me, this house and I never have to look at you again. Or," he paused and pointed to the envelops on the floor, " or these photos and the DNA results will be 'accidentally' leaked next. And I don't have to tell you what that's gonna lead to. You'll lose your social status, your reputation. Your baby isn't even born yet Tia. Think about it. He'll have to live his whole life with the repercussions of your actions," he said with emphasis.
Tia looked at him tearfully but his face was hard with resolve. She started to plead but knew her words were falling on deaf ears. She looked at the other family members desperately but no one looked back at her. Shaking her head she started walking towards the main door.
"Ek minute Tia.There's one last thing you must do before you leave." She turned back, surprised.
"You need to apologise. For all your deeds." He said.
She stood there by the door, unmoving. He took a step towards her. "Tumne suna nahi maine kya kaha? Apologise!" He thundered. She shook a little, then opened her mouth. No words came out. "Do it." He said again.
"Sorry for everything. I'm so sorry for everything I did to you all," she spoke reluctantly. "I want to leave now," she looked away and rubbed at her tears furiously.
"I'm not done yet," he spoke harshly. He then walked over to her and took her hand. And lead her back into the house.
Everyone looked at them in surprise. He walked over to the back of the room, where Annika was standing. "You owe her an apology," he said. She looked at him, wide eyed.
"Like hell I do! I'll do everything you said and that's it. Main marr jaungi lekin isko sorry nahi bolungi," she spoke with fire in her eyes.
He hissed through his teeth. "You're not in a position to bargain right now, Miss Tia Kapoor. Maafi maango!" She looked at him, and took an unsure step towards him. "Please Shivaay," she whispered feebly. He ran his hand through his hair. "Tia you know very well what I can do if you don't obey me. Maafi maango!" His voice sent a shudder through her. She looked at Annika who was watching him intently with a expression she couldn't quite comprehend.
"Sorry Annika. For everything. I'm really sorry for everything I said and did to you, I'm sorry!" she babbled through her tears and then turned around and dashed out of the room.
Pushpa Impossible
