AryLie FF - Aryan&Imlie - Epilogue Page 32 (Dt. 13 Mar) - Page 12

Anu Chaturvedi, a.k.a English Madam, Bane Of Imlie’s Existance

Anu Chaturvedi hated Imlie the moment she met her. She hated her before she figured out that she was her husband’s illegitimate daughter. She hated her after she found out about it.

All her life Anu had to compete with intangible things.

First, it was for her parent’s attention.

Then, for her husband’s love.

Then, for her daughter’s love.

But Anu didn’t back down from the challenges. She stood in front of them, and won, by hook or by crook.

She won when she was struggling to get her parents to notice her by marrying Dev.

She won Dev’s love because of Malini.

She won her daughter’s love for her by making Malini realise that Imlie was not actually someone who deserved Aditya’s love, not when it should have been Malini. Not when it was Malini’s right.

She had watched Malini dedicate herself to Aditya for seven years. She had tried and failed to thwart Malini’s relationship with Aditya Kumar Tripathi. She tried till the end. Malini may love Aditya, but a man like Aditya, no money, no status, no social standing, didn’t deserve Malini.

Yes, he was a famous journalist. Yes, he had written a few exclusive pieces. Yes, he had won some very flashy awards. But articles and awards didn’t bring money. In short, Anu believed, Aditya may be great, but he was way out of Malini’s league.

She had been disheartened by her daughter’s choice, but she understood that the heart wants what it wants.

Imlie, Imlie was someone Anu noticed almost immediately.

That girl vibrated around her daughter’s fiance and then husband. She suspected all the time about the relationship between them, having been scorned by one man enough to transfer it into another too.

But Malini had refused to believe her. She had, instead, declared that Imlie was like a little sister to her, and that she would protect her.

Anu was unsure how this stupid blind girl was her daughter.

She continued to torture the Imlie, physically, mentally and emotionally.

Then her husband’s truth came out. Then Aditya being married to her came out.

And wow, her daughter had the same fate as her, marrying a coward for love only for not being loved back.

She believed Malini to be stupid to take their side and she managed to get Malini to understand what a grave mistake she was making by backing off. It was not simple. Malini was Aditya’s legal wedded wife. Malini was Aditya’s first love. Malini was the one who deserved all of Aditya.

Not some maid who had entered their life purely out of selfish reasons, and who stayed on for the same reasons.

She poisoned her own daughter to make her understand the value of winning.

And they did.

Anu and Malini won.

Anu had once said that Aditya was ‘Thali Ka Baingan’, falling to the side with more weight was something he specialised in.

When he married Malini, he had her, and he wanted Imlie. When he left Malini, and had Imlie, he learned about all Malini had done for him, and he leaned towards her. When he had both of them in the same house, he took the side of the one his family didn’t want. When Malini slept with him, he took it upon himself to support her, regardless of whether consent was involved or not. When Imlie had all the proof, and was actually right, he went back to Malini, only because she was pregnant.

A child always did wonders for men’s ego.

And then, the cherry on top was when everyone was on Imlie’s side, he took Malini’s.

This man couldn’t decide what he wanted in his life. Did he want love, or his ego to be stroked? Did he want a relationship, or damsel in distress to save?

The answer to that became clear when Imlie refused to stroke his ego, and stopped playing the damsel in distress.

Her daughter’s real win came when they got married. Till the end of it, Anu wasn’t sure where this ‘Thali ka Baingan’ was gonna fall, but one look at Imlie and Aryan burst him in flames.

That brought her to Aryan.

The one and only.

She hated him. She could not believe a ‘Kal Ka Aaya Ladka’ was threatening her, Anu Chaturvedi. She hated that she was actually threatened by him. But her purpose for him being there was just one.

To show Aditya Kumar Tripathi that his favourite damsel in distress had already found another knight in shining armour.

When Malini had assured her that Aditya would marry her, and not wait or look for Imlie, she had been sceptical. But her daughter did know Aditya. And they did get married.

What continued to bug Anu was the way Aryan Singh Rathore never stopped threatening her, the way he always stood up for Imlie, the way he always insulted her when it came to Imlie. This guy was a businessman, what he saw in Imlie, a poor girl from a poor village, with no last name and nothing to her name, she didn’t understand.

Except, maybe, a damsel in distress. Maybe he had a saviour complex.

Oh, it was much more than that, she realised.

It was the day after Malini had been insulted and asked to leave the Tripathi Residence.

What did Aryan Singh Rathore think? He would help that little chit against her daughter and she would sit quietly. No, she was more than capable enough of creating a ruckus.

And a ruckus she created.

She landed in the Bhaskar Times office, and began shouting at the receptionist to let her in Aryan’s cabin. Before the receptionist could even respond, there he was, the man of the hour.

He was moving towards his cabin, his eyes on his phone, and she stopped him, screeching, “Wow Mr. Aryan Singh Rathore, aap meri beti ki life barbaad karke yaha time pass kar rahe hai?(Wow Mr. Aryan Singh Rathore, after destroying my daughter’s life, you are here, passing time?)”

Aryan stopped in his step, looking up from his phone, his single eyebrow raised, and replied, “Wow Mrs. Chaturvedi, aap apni beti ka khayal rakhne ke bajaye yaha tamasha kar rahi hai?(Wow Mrs. Chaturvedi, instead of taking care of your daughter, you are creating a scene hers?)”

Anu, snapping her fingers before pointing one at him, exclaimed, “Listen, you, samajhte kya ho tum mujhe? Kal ke aaye ladke, aur Anu Chaturvedi ko challenge—(Listen, you, who do you think I am? You are but another boy, and challenging Anu Chaturvedi takes—)”

Aryan interrupted her, “Dega bhi, aur jeetega bhi. Aapke aur aapki beti ke khilaaf, I have proof Mrs. Chaturvedi. One call, sirf ek call commissioner ko, and you’ll both be behind bars.(Absolutely nothing, and if it’s a challenge, I’ll win. I have proof against you and your daughter Mrs. Chaturvedi. One call, a single call to the commissioner, and you’ll both be behind bars.)”

Anu’s eyes flashed before she moved closer, “Listen, you---”

Aryan interrupted her again, absolutely done, “No you listen Mrs. Chaturvedi. Apne ghar jaaiye, aur apni pregnant beti ka khayal rakhiye. And don’t forget to thank your husband’s daughter too. Uski wajah se hi aap aur aapki beti iss waqt jail mein nahi hai.(No you listen Mrs. Chaturvedi, Go back home, take care of your pregnant daughter. And don’t forget to thank your husband’s daughter too. It’s only because of her that you both aren’t inside a jail cell.)”

Anu was furious at his claim. Before she could, however, say anything, a sound of crinkling bangles interrupted the pin drop silence in the office.

Everyone’s gaze turned to the intruder, terrified, only to see that it was Imlie.

Almost every person in the office breathed a sigh of relief, sure that had it been anyone else, they would have been killed by their Aryan Sir.

Imlie looked around the office, and her gaze found Anu Chaturvedi’s.

Anu watched as Imlie ignored her and went straight to Aryan, searching for something in her handbag.

Aryan grabbed her elbow, making her look up to him, and then asked, “Tumhe maine kaha tha naa, aaj office aane ki koi zaroorat nahi hai. Fir yaha kya kar rahi ho?(I told you there was no need to come to the office today. Then why are you here?)”

Imlie shaked, exhausted, and began answering, “Uu hum—(Actually I—)”, but was interrupted by Anu.

Anu sneered, “Sure sure, ab yeh naukrani aapke ghar ki maharani joh ban gayi hai. Aur aapke office ki boss bhi. Yeh kyun office aayegi?(Sure sure, now this maid basically owns your house. and is the boss in this office. Why would she come here?)”

Aryan’s eyes flashed at her, and he moved past Imlie to answer, “Imlie ne leave li hai, because usse 104 ka bukhar hai, aur woh office aane—(Imlie wasn’t meant to come today because she has a fever of 104, and coming to the office—)”

But Imlie placed a hand on his hand at her elbow to make him stop, stumbling a bit.

Aryan immediately tightened his hold on her, about to scold her for coming, but she was faster in handing him a pen drive, and explaining, “Ee raha, Mirchi Bazaar ke liye Article. Ek english maan, aur ek hindi maan.(Here it is, my article on Mirchi Bazaar. One in english, one in hindi.)”

Aryan frowned, “Woh toh maine iss liye bola tha ki tum apna woh—(I had asked that of you so that you could leave—)”

Imlie interrupted him, “Uu plan chod de aur ruk jaaye, apan bare maan soche. Par phir bhi, ee 50-50 partnership rahe. Tum agar humra nuksaan naahi hone diye, toh hum tohar nuksaan kaisan hoye de sakat rahe?(My plan, and think about myself. Then too, this is a 50-50 partnership. If you didn’t let me lose, how could I let you lose?)”

Aryan looked at her incredulously, “Woh alag baat thi, yeh—(That is different, this—)”

Imlie interrupted him yet again, and asked, her eyes wide, “Acha? Kaisan? Dekho, hum tohar pehle bhi bahut nuksaan kare chuke rahe. Ee agar barabar ki partnership hai, toh humka tohar kachu fayda bhi kare padi hai na.(Oh? How? See, I’ve already put a dent in your business. This is an equal partnership, so I have to do something for a win for you too.)”

Anu watched Aryan being stumped at her answer. She watched Imlie smile at him.

She watched Imlie turn away from him and watched as her smile disappeared when she found her again.

She, without looking at anything or saying anything, left the office.

She turned to look at Aryan, his gaze on the pen drive in his hand and then watched as his gaze turned to Imlie, leaving.

She may have been kidding when she said Imlie had found another knight in shining armour, but in fact she had found a partner. Someone who fought for her, but someone who made her fight for herself too.

She watched, in a trance, as Aryan woke up from his, and turned to ask his receptionist, “Please show Mrs. Chaturvedi to the exit.” and for once, she went without a ruckus.

Imlie had won many things in life. She won Aditya, she won Dev, she won this stupid game against Malini, but Imlie had won something none of what the daughter and mother had.

An equal partner. A partner that was her equal, and that considered her an equal.

Dev had never considered Anu his equal.

Aditya had never considered Malini his equal.

Aditya had never even considered Imlie his equal.

But Aryan did. And Imlie did too.

There was no way this game at which Imlie had won against Malini was going to do something for Aditya. There was no way Aditya could fall back to Imlie’s side of the Thali again.

No. Imlie had someone now, someone much better. Someone who treated her an equal, someone who was steady, someone who was stable, someone who would stand by her. But Imlie had found someone for whom she would do all these things for too.

Aditya couldn’t possibly come between Aryan&Imlie.

She just waited for her daughter’s side of the Thali to become weighted again.

Malini Chaturvedi Tripathi, a.k.a Malini Didi, Sautan, Imlie’s Half-Sister

Malini watched as everyone turned against her, not realising that the way she was today was because of them. It was because of their son.

What had she turned to?

Malini missed those days, when she was carefree, loving, smart, and beautiful, inside and out. Nowadays, she feels so ugly. Oh, she justified it by being in love with Aditya, but she recognised that all she had done was wrong, to Aditya, to Imlie, but most of all, to herself.

She’d paved the path for her own madness by herself.

She missed her old self.

She missed the girl who knew love, family, respect, marriage. She missed the girl who was smart but never used it to hurt someone. She missed the girl who was good who understood people, who helped people, who fought for people and who stood by people.

She missed the girl she had lost.

All because of Imlie.

If only Imlie hadn’t entered their life, all would be well. Aditya would still love her. This family would still love her. She would still be that person, and all the ugliness that resided within her would not be out in the open.

Oh, who was she kidding, if she can hold Imlie responsible for the way her life has turned, she was able enough to realise that Aditya too, was equally responsible.

But how could she hold the man she loved responsible for the destruction in her life?

Seven years of friendship, seven years of love, down the drain because the man she loved, loved a teenager whom he had been forcefully married to. Malini scoffed. Imlie may be responsible for coming into their life, but Aditya was responsible for letting her come into it.

And what right did Aditya have to destroy their relationship? What right did he have to term their relationship a mere friendship? Who was Aditya to take the decision of their relationship alone when it was her relationship too? Why did Aditya get to be the one to be happy for their impending divorce, while she was breaking? So that he could live happily ever after with his teenage little wife?

And then came the truth of her being Malini’s sister. How could a sister betray her like this? Who was Imlie to claim her most meaningful relationships for herself? It wasn’t enough that Aditya loved her, now her father too cared for Imlie? And her father? He claimed what Imlie did was wrong, but then he too supported her and Aditya. Was Imlie so special that she could just come into her life and have the people most important to her?

These, these questions led her to make the most questionable decisions of her life.

She, despite being of sound mind, and smart enough to believe in consent, had denied it to the man she loved. She had basically had the man she loved killed by playing out one of her plots to get her half-sister out of their life. She shot herself, harmed herself, to get Imlie out of their life.

When Imlie finally left the house, she spun a tale, a tale similar to one she had spinned when KC had come into her life. She accused Imlie of falling in love with someone else, using this person to move forward in life, so much that Aditya couldn’t even reach her.

There was nothing, she realised, that man could not do once his ego is hurt.

The problem was that the tale she spun, like last time, came to life this time too.

Imlie and Aryan Singh Rathore bonded in a way that was straight out of her imagination. She saw Aryan Singh Rathore saving Imlie a thousand times, and she thought, what does Imlie has that makes these men go mad over her?

She didn’t know. She didn’t understand.

But today, today Imlie had won one battle, but it was a battle that before this, had always been Malini’s. Imlie had succeeded in one place where Malini has always been on top. There have been so many attempts, but Malini always came out winning.

The only thing different about this time was Aryan Singh Rathore.

The main lead of the tale she spinned.

She watched as all the family members ignored her. She watched as they asked Aditya to leave her. She watched as her mother-in-law asked Aditya to make the right decision.

She watched as she asked him to bring Imlie back home.

And she couldn’t resist, she burst out in laughter.

This woman, this woman just wanted what was best for her son. And according to her, Imlie was.

The funny thing was that she believed that Imlie would still come back to him.

Everybody turned to her, their accusing eyes finding her.

She looked at Aditya and scoffed, “Aapko lagta hai Imlie aapke pass wapas aa jayegi? Ke Imlie ne yeh sab aapke liye kiya hai?(You think that Imlie would come back to you? That everything Imlie did, she did for you?”

Aditya answered her, “Imlie aur humare beech jo bhi hai—(Whatever it is that is between Imlie and I—)”

Malini interrupted him again, “Kuch nahi hai aapke beech Aditya, kuch bhi nahi. Aapko seriously lagta hai woh aapke pass wapas aa jayegi?(Is nothing Aditya, it’s absolutely nothing. You seriously think she’ll come back to you?)”

Aparna spoke then, “Woh humare liye wapas zaroor aayegi. Aur fir, dheere dheere woh Adi ko maaf bhi kar degi.(She’ll come back, for us, absolutely. And then, slowly, she’ll forgive Aditya too.)”

Malini laughed at this woman’s delusion. She was blind. She was abso-f*cking-lutely blind when it came to any other person than her son. She didn’t even understand her so-called daughter.

Hoping to illuminate her, she did a little exposure of Imlie herself, she revealed, “Aaj jab Imlie zameen pe padi hui thi, jab woh marne ka natak kar rahi thi, tab aap ko maalum hai Aryan Singh Rathore kya kar rahe the? Woh mujhe Imlie ke pass aane se bhi rok rahe the. Woh Imlie ko mara hua dekh khud mar rahe the. Woh toot rahe the.(Today, when Imlie was lying on the ground, pretending to be dead, do you know what Aryan Singh Rathore was doing? He was stopping me from even stepping closer to Imlie. He was dying watching Imlie dead. He was breaking.”

Aditya spoke then, “Hum ek aur shabd nahi sunenge aap ki iss man-gharat kahani ka. Unka rishta waisa nahi hai jaisa aapne humein bataya hai.(I won’t listen to another word of this imaginary tale you’ve spun. Their relationship is not like the one you’ve led me to believe.)”

Malini snorted, “Jab maine aap ko unke rishte ke baare mein bataya tha, tab unka rishta waisa nahi tha Aditya. Ab unka rishta waisa hi hai.(Sure, when I’d first told you about their relationship, then it was imaginary Aditya. But now, now everything is true.)”

Aditya exclaimed, “Malini! Woh aaj natak kar rahe the.(Malini! They were pretending today.)”

Malini, amused at the amount of obliviousness Aditya showed, replied, “Woh natak nahi tha Aditya. Insaan aisa tabhi toot ta hai jab woh kissi apne ko khota hai.(That was not pretend, Aditya. A person breaks like that when they lose someone that matters to them.)”

Aditya, furious, “Malini!”

Malini replied, “Kya Aditya? Kya? Aapko kya lagta hai, unke beech mein koi rishta nahi hai. Aryan Singh Rathore ne jitna Imlie ke liye kiya hai na, utna iss family ke saare members ka kiya hua bhi mila do, tab bhi kam pad jaayega. Usne Imlie ko support kiya hai, usse himmat di hai, usko hausla diya hai, uske saath khada tha woh. Aur aapko lagta hai Imlie usse chod aap ke pass aa jayegi? Ek aise insaan ke pass joh uss par trust nahi karta, joh kissi ke bhi baaton mein aa jaata hai, joh uski kaamyaabi par shak karta hai aur joh uske saath apne convenience se khada hota hai.(What Aditya? What? What do you think, that they don’t have anything between them. What Aryan Singh Rathore has done for Imlie is more than what this family ever did for her. He has supported Imlie, he has given her strength, he has given her courage, he has stood by her. And you think Imlie will leave him and come back to you? A person who doesn’t trust her, who gets easily manipulated against her, who doubts her success and who stands by her at his own convenience?)”

Aditya tried to stop her again, “Malini, bas bahut ho gaya, ab ek aur lafz nahi—(Malini, that’s enough, I’ll not listen to another word—)”

Malini interrupted him once again, “Kya aapko lagta hai Aryan usse wapas yaha aane dega?(You think Aryan will let her come back to you?)”

Aditya was stumped.

Malini, recognising that she finally had these people listening to her, “Aap sab log, kya aap sab logon ne observe nahi kiya hai, ki unn dono ka rishta kya hai?(You people, haven’t you seen them, observed the relationship between them?)”

She turned her gaze back to Aditya, and said, “Woh uski fikr karta hai. Woh uski baatein sunta hai. Woh uske saath disagree karke bhi uski point ko samjhne ki koshish karta hai. Woh us par shak nahi karta.(He cares for her, worries for her. He listens to her. He tries to understand her point even when he disagrees with her. He doesn’t doubt her.)”

She looked around the family members, most of their heads down in agreement, and then continued, “Par woh bhi uski fikr karti hai. Uski wajah se woh uthna seekhi hai, uski baatein Imlie ko inspiration deti hai. Agar woh pareshan ho toh Imlie uski help bhi karti hai. Imlie uski family, joh uske liye sabse important hai, unka khayal rakhti hai.(But she too, cares and worries for him. She has learned to stand up because of him, his words are an inspiration for Imlie. If he is troubled, Imlie helps him. Imlie takes care of his family, the people most important to him.)”

She moved forward, her finger stabbing Aditya’s chest, and stated her last point, “Imlie ke saath Aryan Singh Rathore hasta hai Aditya.(Aryan Singh Rathore smiles with Imlie, Aditya. He laughs with her.)”

Malini sighed then, tired.

She had seen all these things, these inexplicable little moments between Aryan and Imlie, that made her question the kind of relationship she shared with Aditya. Little things they did for each other that made no sense to anyone else but them, and she was jealous, once again, of Imlie.

Yes, these people were gonna throw her out of the house today, but they were wrong in the assumption that they could bring Imlie back here. Even if they did convince that stupid girl to come back here, she was sure Aryan Singh Rathore would stop her.

Time will tell whether he’ll succeed or fail, because she knew that Imlie was glutton for punishment, but one thing she was sure of was that Aryan and Imlie, they were endgame.

They were not separate anymore. They were, by all means, Aryan&Imlie.

Malini, before she went back to her room, before she went back to her house, before she was thrown out of her home, cleared, “Aankhe kholiye aur dekhiye Aditya. Shayad Aryan nahi jaanta ki Imlie uske liye kya hai, shayad Imlie bhi nahi jaanti ke Aryan uske liye kya hai. But ek baat, ek baat joh sabko clear hai, woh yeh hai ki woh ek dusre ke liye ab bahut kuch ban chuke hai. Yeh baat ab sabko pata hai ki Aryan aur Imlie ab Aryan aur Imlie nahi hai, woh ek hai, Aryan&Imlie hai.(Open your eyes and see Aditya. Maybe Aryan doesn’t know what Imlie is for him, maybe Imlie also doesn’t realise what Aryan is for her. But one thing, one thing that’s clear to everyone is that they have become much more to each other since they’ve been together. Everyone knows, that Aryan and Imlie are not just Aryan and Imlie anymore, they are one now, they are Aryan&Imlie.)”

With that, Malini turned away from these people. There would come a time where they would call her back to this house again, she was sure of it. If not because of her, then because of her baby.

But she was also sure that Imlie, Imlie was not coming back to this house again. She was a part of a whole now. Aryan&Imlie.