This one’s for you, Fortnight, and for all those who have been feeling betrayed and heart broken over the last few days, thanks to the destruction of a once beloved character !
As Armaan’s car entered the driveway of Poddar House, he was stunned to see the house decorated with lights. Oh my God, had Ruhi pre-empted him and told the family all about them? How were they going to react now? Given that the house was all lit up, had they grudgingly accepted that it was going to be Ruhi and he going forward? Were they readying to celebrate a day that he was dreading that they would mourn?
His eyes darted to the papers lying on the seat next to him. The final decree had been granted. Abhira and he were officially divorced, they were no longer man and wife and free to go their own ways. She had also handed him the final cheque that settled all debts between them and told him that they were both free in every sense from that moment.
In truth, Abhira had already left him almost six months ago. After her graduation, when he had tried to gently broach the topic of divorce, she had surprised him by pulling out signed papers from her bag. She had told him she wanted to spare him the trouble. He had been taken aback and partly relieved, he would’ve felt guilty all his life if he had been the one to have to leave her. Like always, she had spared him the pain.
An inexplicable twinge hit him smack in the chest, it was gone before he could panic though, as he thought back to how Abhira had resolutely refused all offer of help and walked out of the house, with only the bag that she had brought with her. She had moved into the guesthouse of the Shekhawat Assciates Law firm, before finding a flat of her own. Dev had stood behind her like a rock. In fact, he heard from someone that Dev guided her through the divorce process, mentoring her through the legal and the emotional consequences of a marriage breaking down. He had been there after all. Armaan had felt like telling the man that theirs was just a deal marriage but decided against it. The Poddar name was at stake, although the divorce had besmirched it enough. Dadi sa, Maa sa, Chacha and Chachi sa, Bua sa, his dad and the kids, they hardly spoke to him since the day the divorce decision had been announced. Abhira had gracefully taken on the responsibility of that as well, telling them all gently and kindly that she was leaving them as a bahu and as a bhabhi, but she hoped to keep in touch with them always as a fond daughter and a friend.
Abhira spoke to him only when they met in court for the divorce proceedings thereafter but he’d often overheard one of the family members talking to her on the phone. All except Ruhi that is. She told him that Abhira had not kept in touch with her, although her Par Nanu was in touch with Abhira. She complained that she might have been able to grab him from Abhira’s clutches but her Par Nanu was lost to her it seemed like. Although he was his usual kind self when they met, she sensed his chilling disapproval. Par Nani had told him about them likely. Armaan had also noticed that Par Nanu almost looked through him whenever they met, although the old ladies treated him like the damaad of the family that he was soon to become. He had been shocked to see Par Nanu at court today, hugging Abhira as they exited the judge’s chambers. He was not the only one with her though. There was also Aman Singhania, the lawyer from Delhi who’d joined Shekhawat and Associates. It seemed like Abhira and he were close friends, given that he had accompanied her to almost every hearing. Watching them laugh and share intimate glances every now and then had made him feel uncomfortable. Was he so easy to walk away from, so easy to forget ? He had told himself to feel glad, if she found someone before the truth of Ruhi and he was revealed to the world, there would be less blowback. It wasn’t like Abhira had ended up with a broken heart, she had landed the biggest catch in Delhi from what he’d heard. Aman was the sole heir to the Singhania business empire, who’d somehow decided to break away and pursue a career in law. He was hardly twenty eight but the corridors of the Udaipur court were already abuzz with his legal prowess. One of his colleagues had even jokingly told Armaan that his crown as the city’s best lawyer was in danger of being lost. Aman was brilliant, with a post graduate degree in law from Oxford. Seeing Abhira and Aman together, both in the prime of their youth, made him feel just a little old, like the Dadaji that Abhira used to refer to him as. Armaan shook away all these thoughts, it was all behind him now and he has a lifetime of joy to look forward to with Ruhi. As he got out of the car and walked to the house, he hoped Dadisa would give them her blessings and a date could be set soon. He heard peals of laughter coming from within and felt even more exulted. Just as he was about to enter, he heard a very familiar voice.. “Who’d have imagined that a blow on the head would put me to sleep for six months at a stretch. Then, when I woke up, I didn’t know who I was. The kind doctor who cared for me made me stay with his family all this time. Then one day, I met Aman, who told me he was my classmate from my Oxford days. His colleague Abhira was with him and she recognised me and told me that my name was Rohit Poddar. They flew me down to Udaipur and here I am before you, all thanks to this gorgeous lady and her soon to be fiancé, am I right ?” As he peeked in, Armaan felt the ground slipping from under his feet . Rohit was back and he was beaming at Aman and Abhira. Armaan saw his Maa sa hug and kiss Abhira, addressing her as her beloved daughter, who’d brought happiness back to their home. The cousins surrounded her and even Dadi sa looked at her with her heart in her eyes. Ruhi stood apart from them all, her face ashen but she soon covered it up with a smile as her Par Nani pushed her towards Rohit and said “Beta..Ruhi has been heart broken all this while …I know it must all feel strange to you but here you have the opportunity to fall in love all over again.” Armaan could not believe what he was seeing and hearing. Feeling like an unwanted intruder, he turned back and walked towards his car. As he drove back out, he noticed a strangely familiar looking dhobi with a kutta in tow. The dhobi too seemed to recognize him and more so, the kutta that started making noises that sounded suspiciously like laughter yet again. The confused dhobi wondered what it was about the man that made his kutta laugh every time!
if this happens in the show, it will truly come full circle, from Akshara Singhania to Abhira Singhania
Bade Achhe Lagte Hain
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