Chapter 27 – Hits and Misses
Virat carried Kalyani into the house and made her sit on the couch while the others followed them in. Virat knelt down to take a look at Kalyani’s foot while Kalyani exclaimed in pain as he examined her ankle. Malhar yelled at Virat, “Careful Virat, you are hurting Kalyani. I think it’s best to take her to the hospital. You know what, let go of her. I will take her myself”. Virat was slightly offended by his words and was about to respond back to Malhar when Kalyani interrupted and said, “No Malhar ji!! The pain is because of my ankle and not because of Virat. And don’t worry about me, I am in safe hands. I don’t think there’s any other doctor who can care for me like Virat. So, relax!! I will be just fine.” Malhar was peeved by Kalyani’s words while a smile crept on Virat’s face seeing her trust in him.
Virat looked at Kalyani and said, “Look Kalyani, your ankle is dislocated, and I will have to set it back in to avoid any complications. It will be painful, so brace yourself.” Kalyani closed her eyes in fear and nodded her head in approval. Unbeknownst to the rest, her hand was unknowingly clutching onto Malhar’s hand for comfort. Virat then held her ankle firmly and set her ankle back in, making Kalyani shriek in pain. The pain was intense for a moment, but she soon felt better. She realised that she was holding onto Malhar's hand really tightly and let off it awkwardly. Malhar was about to help her up but Virat stepped in instead and took her to her room. Malhar had no ill intensions towards Virat but Virat’s closeness with Kalyani irked him.
Right after Virat took Kalyani to her room, Anupriya walked over to Malhar and said, “I am warning you, Malhar. This is the last time, if you sneak around my back with Kalyani once again then I will definitely send her away. Mark my words on that. “Sarthak wanted to step in to support Malhar but he signalled him to stand down. Malhar knew that this was coming so he calmly listened to her. Anupriya was still furious with him but she walked away as she wanted to care for her daughter.
Anupriya then helped Kalyani freshen up and get dressed. Kalyani was clad in a comfortable hoodie and cotton shorts. Once she was ready, Virat came over to her room and tied a crepe bandage around her ankle for comfort. He also advised her to rest her leg on an elevation until the pain subsided so, Anupriya placed a couple of pillows under Kalyani’s leg and indicated that she would send the breakfast over to her room itself. Virat asked Anupriya if he could dine with Kalyani in her room as he didn’t want Kalyani to be alone. Anupriya happily agreed to it and left the room to fetch their breakfast.
On the other hand, Moksh was badly missed being with his mum. He began throwing temper tantrums at Malhar who was trying really hard to pacify him. Malhar finally gave up and took him to Kalyani’s room. Kalyani and Virat were happily engrossed in their conversation and high fiving each other on a joke when Malhar entered her room. The sight of the two of them together infuriated Malhar. He knew that it was innocent and that it meant nothing but the mere fact that Virat could be with Kalyani while he couldn’t, was making him jealous. Kalyani soon caught a glimpse of Moksh and was ecstatic to see him. She called him over and took him in her warm embrace which was all that Moksh ever needed. She kissed him on his cheeks and made him sit beside her.
Malhar was still standing at the entrance of her room with a sour expression on his face while Virat invited him in. Malhar’s inner monologue was yelling at Virat for inviting him into his own wife’s room but he calmed himself down and politely refused to come in. Kalyani read his micro expressions and realised that he was clearly jealous, but she just couldn’t figure out why. Malhar also walked away before Kalyani could even speak to him. So, she brushed off her curiosity and began playing with Moksh instead. Anupriya walked in and served them their breakfasts, she also arranged for an additional plate for Moksh. Kalyani, Moksh and Virat happily relished their breakfast while telling each other funny stories and instances. Malhar was boiling in envy while witnessing all of this from afar.
Kalyani and Moksh spent some quality time with each other while Virat had stepped out for his meeting. Though Malhar was at home, he could only adore his wife and son from a distance because Anupriya was guarding her daughter like a lioness. The rest of the day went by in the blink of an eye and It was already dinner time. Kalyani fed Moksh his dinner and Anupriya put him to sleep in his room. Kalyani was bored of sitting in her room all day, so she insisted on having dinner with everyone. Accordingly, Anupriya helped her over to the dining table.
At the dining table, Virat and Kalyani were seated next to each other and were busy conversing as usual while a jealous Malhar was seated in front of them. Throughout the dinner, Malhar was constantly staring at her which didn’t go unnoticed by her. Kalyani knew that something was up with Malhar and decided to talk to him, but he angrily walked away from the table once the dinner was complete. Before Kalyani could follow him, Virat got her to take her meds and walked her over to her room to rest. Soon enough the drowsiness had kicked in because of the pain meds and Kalyani was fast asleep.
It was around 1 AM in the morning, Malhar was still tossing and turning in his bed. He hated the fact that he couldn’t even care for his own wife because of the circumstances and that was, eating him away. He couldn’t hold it in any longer so, he decided to see her. He walked over to Kalyani’s room and sat down beside her, on the bed. He began caressing her face and kissed her forehead. He held her hands in his and said, “Kalyani, please get well soon. I miss you, I miss your touch, I miss your fragrance, this distance is killing me. I can’t fathom the thought of our separation.” His voice was slowly disturbing her sleep and he noticed it. She soon opened her eyes groggily. He wanted to leave before she woke up but it was too late so he hid behind the balcony curtains hoping that he would go unnoticed.
But Kalyani was now wide awake and misunderstood that there was an intruder in her room. She got out of bed with a jolt and said, “Listen, whoever it is, show yourself. I know you are in here. Don’t make me attack you, I have a brown belt in Karate.” She slowly walked around her room with a limp, to find out who was hiding.
What will Kalyani do when she finds out that it’s Malhar? How will Malhar justify himself? Find out more in Chapter 28.
That’s it for today guys. Hope you liked chapter 27. Please share your honest feedback on it, I would love to hear back from you. Your words of encouragement keep me going.
P.S – dedicating this chapter to Alifya (@Kalmalover),@kalma007, @kalmaislife and @sathwi_99. Thank you so much for your patience and for all the love gals.