Gauri stood there, silent, tears coursing down her eyes as the lights went out around her one by one. Plunged into darkness both literally and figuratively, the caustic, heart-breaking, soul-shattering words he'd uttered just moments ago echoing in her ears like some sort of masochistic rhyme, Gauri found herself breaking apart into a million little pieces. Each angry word, each dirty accusation, each unfounded assumption... they were tearing at her heart and soul like shrapnel from the dirty bomb he'd just thrown in her face.
Omkara... the man she'd finally understood and cautiously accepted she'd given her heart to, had just stomped all over it with his accusations of her infidelity. The card filled with words of her undying love for him, still sitting safely in her jhola mocked her now... she'd been on her way to give all of herself to a man who'd not even believed in her fidelity to their marriage that till now he himself had refused to accept.
As the shock of confrontation and the accusations he'd thrown at her wore off, all that remained was anger. Anger, bright and flaring at the way he'd self-righteously flung accusations at her... cold and calculated fury at his callous disregard for anything that didn't fit in with his self-centered narrative. Omkara Singh Oberoi really was a Nandi... he didn't process anything but what he saw and only understood what he wanted to infer from his skewed perception of things.
This had gone on far too many times for Gauri to take lying down this time. Even a mouse would retaliate if pushed enough and Gauri Kumari Sharma was after all a woman and she had been pushed beyond her limits this time. This would be the last time... Omkara would know what he'd done. He would know the burden of being so utterly wrong about everything. He would know the pain of repentance but she wouldn't be around to help him through any of it. Gauri Kumari Sharma had reached the end of her tether. And Omkara Singh Oberoi would know what real fury was... he would live through the devastating result of his careless words and unsubstantiated assumptions.
Her tear-reddened kohl-lined eyes hardened into black onyxes as she wiped her tears, walked out to the road and hailed an auto.
"Oberoi Mansion chaliye bhaiyya..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Shivaay Singh Oberoi had never had a worse day in his life. Having to fake his memory loss, having to pretend this Tanya was his wife, trying to figure out just what her endgame was and most difficult of all, staying away from Anika and pretending not to know her when each tear from her eyes stabbed him like a thousand knives in the heart... all of it was making him miserable. But he wasn't to know that his day was just going to get infinitely worse in just a minute.
He'd seen a sulky Omkara stalk back to his room a few minutes earlier and had chalked it down to him missing Gauri... and here he was, having given Gauri his word that he would make everything right between her and Omkara but unable to even ask Om about Gauri because he wasn't supposed to know anything about her.
Shivaay was yanked out of his reverie when the front doors of the house banged open and a furious looking Gauri stalked in.
"Gauri? Tum waapis aa gayi? Mujhse kaha kyun nahin? Main chopper bhijawaa deta. Tumhari Maa kaisi hain ab? Bolo na... Kya hua? Sab kuch-"
"Wah! Phir se waapis aa gayi... thodi si bhi sharam nahin hai tum mein? Maine to socha tha ki at least itni to tum mein abhi bhi sharam ya haya baaki hogi ki apni soorat yahaan phir se nahin dikhaaogi. Magar tum to us se bhi gayi guzri nikli"
"Om! What the hell?! Ye bhi koi tareeqa hai Gauri se baat karne ka? She's your wife!"
"Ha! Wife? Kis ki wife bade bhaiyya? Hum inki koi wife nahin hain..."
For a whole half minute, a heavy, astonished silence reigned in the living room of the house. Shivaay was sort of thankful that it was late and pretty much everyone had already gone to sleep. This sort of drama would be better handled with the least amount of people involved.
"Ye k...kya keh rahi ho Gauri?"
"Aise aadmi se humein koi rishta nahin chaahiye. Bohot seh liya hum ne aaj tak is rishte ke naam par. Ab ki baar humein bhi is rishte ko kaayam rakhne mein koi dilchaspi nahin hai"
"Aur hogi bhi kyun? Tumhein naya aashiq jo mil gaya hai. Magar bolo... kya wo tumhein itne saare comforts aur paise de sakta hai? Tumhein to yahaan ki aadat ho gayi hogi abhi... or is he so good in bed that you are willing to give all of this up for him?"
"OM!"
Again, a fraught silence reigned in the room as Omkara stared almost uncomprehendingly at the raised hand of his brother. His brother, his Shivaay had raised a hand on him because of this witch.
The silence was broken by a broken giggle from Gauri. The two brothers turned in surprise to see her with a sad, broken smile on her face as she shook her head in a resigned manner. She turned to Shivaay as if Omkara wasn't even there and asked
"Arjun Shastri kaun hain bhaiyya?"
"Huh?"
"Oh... ab tum bolne waali ho ki tum us aadmi ko jaanti tak nahin? Jhoot bolna hi hai to at least kuch believable jhoot-"
A burning glare turned his way and Omkara found his words trailing away involuntarily. The Gauri he'd seen in the past six or seven months was nowhere to be found in the petite statue of fury that stood before him.
"Arjun Shastri kaun hai?! Jawaab dijiye!"
It was more an order and less a question and Shivaay, the top businessman of the country, found himself answering it quite involuntarily
"Arjun Shastri... he's a professional image consultant... logon ki English padhaata hai, unko social occasions ke liye ready banata hai... he's very good. Bohot saare famous aur important logon ke saath kaam kar chuka hai... he's the best in his field"
The taunting sneer that had been ruining Omkara's visage slowly melted into confusion
"Aur aap unhein kaise jaante hain?"
"I know him because wo tumhara English teacher hai Gauri..."
"Kya? Humein theek se sunaayi nahin diya... wo kya hain?"
Shivaay looked clueless about what was happening. He knew very well this was nowhere near what it appeared to be... something very serious was going down and Shivaay knew he needed to do as much damage control as he could in as little time as possible.
"He's teaching you English Gauri... ab sunayi diya?"
"Humein sunne mein koi dikkat nahin hai bhaiyya... aap zara apne bhai ko bhi properly sunaa denge to badi meherbani hogi aapki. Aur ek baat... hum itne dinon se ghar par nahin the... aap ki aur bhaujaai ki shaadi tak miss kar di. Aur aap ne hum se poocha tak nahin ki hum kahaan the, kis ke saath the aur kya gulcharren uda rahe the... kyun?"
"Ye kya keh rahi ho tum Gauri? Why would I ask you something like that? Mujhe pata tha ki tumhein achaanak Bareilly jaana padaa kyunki tumhare Maa ki tabeeyat suddenly bohot kharaab ho gayi thi. You spke to me before you left. Aur Dadi ko bhi inform karke hi gayi."
"Aur Maaji?"
"Wo... badi mom ghar par nahin thi to tum ne mujhse kaha ki main unhein inform kardoon... magar... I'm sorry Gauri. Yahaan inta drama chal raha tha ki mere dimaag se nikal gaya. Maine badi mom ko inform nahin kiya. I take full responsibility for that"
"Theek hai bhaiyya... aap ko maafi maangne ki koi zaroorat nahin hai. Humari ek galati thi... hum ne aap ke bhai ko inform nahin kiya ki Maa ki dekhbhaal karne ke liye hum Bareilly jaa rahe hain... Magar hum ne tab ye to nahin socha tha ki waapis aane ke baad hum par aise ilzaam bhi lagenge"
"Gau-"
"Naam bhi mat lena mera apni zubaan se... varna aaj tak jis Gauri ko dekha hai, uska aisa chehra dekhoge Mr. Oberoi ki baad mein pachtaaoge"
Gauri's killing glare directed at Omkara dialed down several notches as she turned once more to Shivaay. But her voice, that had just now been dripping with venom, was entirely unemotional and non-nonsense
"Bhaiyya... aap humein apni behen maanta hain ya nahin?"
"Of course Gauri... ye bhi koi poochne waali baat hai?"
"Hum ne poocha kyunki aap pehle apne family ke Great Wall of Shivaay hain... aur is baar wo wall humare liye nahin humare saamne khada hoga"
"What do you mean Gauri?"
"Humein aap ke bhai se divorce chaahiye. Abhi... aur isi waqt"
She'd stunned Shivaay and Omkara into silence once more. There was only astonishment on Shivaay's face, but Omkara looked green at the gills. Guilt was starting to eat at him... guilt at jumping to conclusions, guilt at believing the worst of her so easily and guilt... at somethings he'd said and done during their so-called relationship. This time, the silence that followed was broken by a shocked female voice
"Kya?!"
"Badi mom!"
"Mom!"
Jhanvi, who'd come out of her room upon hearing voices so late at night, was shocked beyond imagination at happening upon what she saw and heard. Paying no attention to the two men, she walked up to Gauri, who stood there looking like she was holding herself together by sheer force of will. Jhanvi had seen enough brokenness in her life to recognize it in the young woman who stood before her. Why she hadn't paid attention to it till now was a question she would torture herself with for years afterwards.
"Gauri... ye kya keh rahi ho tum?"
Though the question was from a mother and mother-in-law, the tone was that of one woman who'd experienced enough in her life asking another who she knew was in pain.
"Hum wahi keh rahe hain Maaji... Mrs. Oberoi... jo humein bohot pehle kehna chaahiye tha. Aaj jo hum ne aap ke bete ke muh se suna hai uske baad hum is rishte mein kisi bhi wajah se nahin reh sakte. Aap ke bete ne aaj saari hadhein paar kar di hain. Aaj tak unhone jo bhi hum par ilzaam lagaaye, jitni bhi naraazgi, kadwaahat, jitni nafrat humein dikhaayi hai, hum un sab ko is rishte ke naam par, humari shraddha aur saiyyam ke naam par sehte aaye hain. Ab aur nahin... ye sab hum se aur nahin hoga."
"Humein is ghutan se, is bandish se aazaadi chaahiye... ye rishta jo aap ke bete ne khud jodaa humare saath aur phir maheenon tak use nazarandaaz karte rahe, wo rishta aaj ke baad nahin rahega. Hum aur beizzati nahin sahenge"
"Gauri... please. Shaant ho jaao. Thande dimaag se baat karte hain is baare mein. I'm sure iska koi aur solution nikal sakta hai. Please... aise... divorce... ek baar aur soch lo Gauri"
"Hum ne bohot soch samajhkar hi ye faisla liya hai bade bhaiyya. Hum aap ki bohot izzat karte hain magar aap humare aur aap ke bhai ke rishte ke baare mein kuch nahin jaante. Aaj tak hum aap ki har baat sunte aaye hain aur har baar hum ne apni beizzati khud karvaayi hai."
"Aap nahin kehte to hum us exhibition pe jaate hi nahin... Aap nahin kehte to hum English classes join nahin karte... aur aap nahin kehte to humein ek pal ke liye bhi nahin lagta ki shaayad hum aap he bhai ke laayak nahin hain. Wo to ab pataa chalaa hai ki wo aap ke bhai hain jo humare laayak nahin hain. Jaisi giri hui aur ghinouni raai aap ke bhai humare baare mein rakhte hain, waisi baat agar kisi ne bhaujaai ke baare mein kahi bhi hoti to aap shaayad un ka khoon kar dete. Shukar kijiye hum to bas rishta todh rahe hain."
She turned to Jhanvi and continued
"Humein maaf kijiye Mrs. Oberoi. Humara koi iraada nahin tha aap ki beizzati karne kaa. Hum bas khud ki izzat ko bikharta hua aur nahin dekh sakte. Haan... Bareilly ke baare mein jo bhi aap ko pata hai, kabhi apne bet eke saath share kar lijiyega. Humare muh se koi bhi safaai niklegi to aap ke bete use jhootha samajh lenge. Humein badi khushi hogi jab inhein inki galatiyon ka ehsaas hoga. Kaash hum inke saamne khade hokar inka pachtaava dekh sakte... mehsoos kar sakte, lekin is aadmi ke liye humari zindagi mein ab koi jageh nahin hai"
"Gauri..."
"Humein kuch nahin chaahiye aap se Mr. Oberoi. Sivaaye ek cheez ke... aap se aazaadi. De dijiye aur hum apne raaste chale jaayenge. Aap apni baaki ki zindagi aaraam se apni nafrat, apna gussa aur apni kalpanaaon ke saath guzaar lijiye"
The iron in her voice, the finality of her tone and her rigid stance left nothing to doubt.
"Bade bhaiyya... hum Dandi bhaiyya ke saath do din ke liye rahenge Mumbai mein. Aap divorce ke papers wahaan bhijwaa dijiye. Hum sign karke waapis bhej denge aap ko. Bhaujaai ko khush rakhiye... please... un se zyaada pyaar aap se koi aur kar hi nahin sakta. Bhaujaai ko kabhi dukhi mat hone dijiye... ye waada hum aap se lekar jaa rahe hain. Aur haan... please... humein follow mat karvaaiye, humein dhoondhne ki koshish mat kijiye. Hum kabhi yahaan waapis nahin aayenge..."
Shivaay couldn't let this happen. He was the Great Wall... he had to do what he could to keep his family from breaking apart... and he knew that whether Om was aware of it or not, he would surely break down once he came to know the truth about Gauri. Shivaay himself was unaware of most of the story but he couldn't for a second believe that Gauri had a single adulterous or mercenary bone in her body. Om was too close to the problem to see the forest for the trees... it was up to Shivaay to diffuse the situation now.
"Gauri... if not for Om... mere liye ya apni bhaujaai ke liye to ruk jaao. Please... is ke baare mein hum sochkar koi aur raasta nikaal lenge"
Gauri turned to stare contemplatively at Shivaay
"Agar humari jageh Prinku hoti... aur wo apni shaadi mein khush nahin hoti... to kya aap use bhi us toote hue rishte mein rehne ke liye bolte? Maana ki hum aap ki sagi behen nahin hain... magar hum ne socha ki shaayad... khair, chodiye. Hum jaan gaye hain ab ki is ghar ke kisi ko bhi hum kabhi apna banaa hi nahin paaye."
As Gauri turned to walk out, Shivaay knew that he'd really failed her. As Omkara's brother, he'd tried his best... but his blood ties with Om had overridden the newly minted sibling bond that had tentatively formed between him and Gauri.
As the three Oberois watched Gauri walk out of the house with her head held high, neither of them knew just how much this single event would end up affecting any of their lives.
For Gauri, this was the end of a long night... she'd finally dealt with all her emotional baggage, finally shed the stifling shackles of a dead relationship. This was the dawn of a new day and the world could be her oyster if she wanted it. But for now, all Gauri wanted was to become the Dabangg, carefree and happy Gauri Kumari Sharma she'd been before Kaali Thakur's advent into her life. Bareilly and Mumbai were her past... and the entire map of India stood before her, offering her a bright future. With a deep breath, Gauri pushed the heavy wrought iron gates of Oberoi Mansion open and stepped out into a new day.
