"Haan! Karta hun mein pyaar Anupama se! 26 saal pehle bhi karta tha aur aaj bhi karta hun." Anuj confessed, because he couldn't take it anymore. He couldn't take what this family was doing to Anupama, especially because of him. He confessed, because he was tired, tired of lying, to himself and to the world.
He knew, he knew Anupama would never feel the way he felt. He knew that this love, this devotion he had for Anupama was entirely one-sided and always would be. He knew that what he hoped for nowadays, what he wished for, and what he dreamed of, would never come to be.
Yet, his traitorous heart seemed wholly unaware, and continued to beat only for Anupama.
But he could not destroy what was reciprocated because of what was one-sided. He could not destroy his friendship with her because he was in love with her.
And that was why he had promised to himself that he would never loose his composure, never, not infront of Anupama, certainly not in front of her family, and never even himself.
Today he broke that promise. And because he broke that promise the floodgates opened up and the feelings which he gripped tightly within himself finally loosened themselves from the cage he had locked them up in.
He looked up at Vanraj's shook face and took off his glasses to rub his face. God, he was about to open his feelings in front of the man he had hated on principle since the last 26 years.
He began, basking in the silence that came with Vanraj's shock, "Anupama, 26 saal hogaye, but uske liye mera pyaar aaj tak nahi gaya, Anupama se meine sirf pyaar nahi kiya hai, meine uski pooja ki hai."
He looked behind Vanraj, at Baa, and continued, "Jis tarah Anupama ne Mr. Shah ki 25 saal puja ki hai, ussi tarah meine Anupama ki puja ki hai. Bas farak itna hai ki Anupama ko yeh karne ke liye force kiya gaya tha, aur mein, uske pyaar main, beet te waqt ke khilaaf jake, uski puja karta aaya hun."
He looked to Paritosh, who, as was usual when he was in front of him, looked like he had bit into a lemon, and said, "Tum sab ko kya lagta hai, ki meri itni insult, mujhe itna humiliate karne ke baawajood tum sab aise ek chhat ke neeche kyu khade ho, kyunki tum Anupama ki family ho."
Without looking at them, he pointed to Samar and Nandini and said, "Tumhe kya lagta hai ki meine Rohan ko maara isiliye woh bhaag ke chale gaya. Nahi, he had skeletons in his closet, and I knew well enough which to exploit in order to make him leave. Doh ghante mein uski pure khaandaan ki kundli nikalwa kar usko blackmail kar usko yaha se bhagaya. Jab Rohan ke saath main aisa kar sakta hun, toh tum sab kis khet ki muli ho."
He turned to Kavya and said, "And Mrs. Shah, you should be thankful that you have Anupama's protection, varna aap jaisi selfish aur greedy aurat ko mujhe bahut achese handle karna aata hai."
He flicked his eyes to Vanraj and said, "Don't you dare forget that I'm Anuj Kapadia."
He turned to leave, but before he could leave, he heard the b*st*rd cackle and then heard him say, "Aakhir sacch bahar aa hi gaya, mein sahi tha aur Anupama galat."
Anuj turned around, eyes blazing, continued, "Galat Anupama nahi, galat mein tha, 26 saal pehle bhi galat mein tha aur aaj bhi galat mein hi hun. 26 saal pehle mein galat tha joh kabhi apni himmat nahi juta paya, kabhi usse kuch bol nahi paya aur usse tum jaise insaan se shaadi karne se rok nahi paya. Aur aaj bhi mein hi galat hun kyunki iss baar bhi mein late ho gaya. Iss baar bhi jab usse meri zaroorat thi, jab usse mentally torture kiya jaa raha tha toh mujhe koi andaaza hi nahi tha. Tumhe kya lagta hai, agar mein tumhare divorce ke time yaha hota toh Anupama ki yeh haalat hoti. Anupama ka yeh support system hota? Nahi, shukr manao ke mein yaha nahi tha, nahi toh alimony ke sath sath, yeh ghar aur yeh parivaar dono uska hota aur tum kissi raste pe. Aur fir, jab tumhari job chali gayi thi tab main tumhe job deta aur tumhe aisa suffer karwata ki yeh joh tumhara ghamand, yeh ugly ego hai na, woh kahi zameen par pada milta."
He took a deep breath, which was clearly a visible effort to calm himself and to stop himself from enacting the revenge he had planned when he had come to know about Anupama's life.
He looked back up to Vanraj's eyes filled with anger, and continued, "Anupama galat naahi thi naahi hai. Uski galti sirf itni hai ki woh aise pariwar se, aise bacho se pyaar karti hai, joh usse pyaar toh kya uski respect bhi nahi karte. Aur yeh baat tum yaad rakho toh tumhare liye behtar hoga."
And then he finally began to leave. He paused just before the door, and exclaimed, "Never forget Mr. Shah, mein Anupama se pyar karta hun, pichle 26 saalon se. Iska matlab yeh nahi ki woh bhi mujhse pyaar karti hai. Naa woh mujhse ab pyaar karti hai, aur naa woh 26 saal pehle karti thi. Usse baksh dijiye. Aapko toh pata hi hoga, koi aapse pyaar karta hai iska maltab yeh nahi ki aap bhi usse pyaar karte hai. Aapko toh iska experience bhi hai."
He snorted and then took his leave.
He left a storm in his wake.
One in the Shah House.
One in the heart of the object of his affections.
Ye Hai Mohabbatein
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
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