Tangled Webs - Kunan & Mauli TS - PART 2 Updated - Page 2

Originally posted by: love_siddhima

Hello people,

I have been a silent reader of this forum. Much have already been said about the way whole EMA has been portrayed and the pukeworthy KuNan romance. So wont be going into that again. But thought of penning down something which I would love to see on screen(if the CVs ever bother to show something sensible which I highly doubt😕) I hope I have done justice to the story.

PS - I hate KuNan(mainly because of poor writing and screenplay)🤢 and I adore Mauli😳

So without further ado, here is the part 1 of the TS. Part 1 focuses on life of KuNan. Part 2 will focus on Mauli's life.

<font size="6" color="#ff00ff">Tangled Webs</font>

<font color="#993399">"Sometimes
you get everything you ever wanted, only it doesn't look like what you wanted
anymore."

Leila Sales,Past Perfect</font>

<font size="4">PART 1</font>

<font size="2" face="Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif">Glancing
up at the full moon from the terrace, he shifted his weight from one foot to
another making himself comfortable by the railing. The cool night breeze
whistled softly, blowing lightly through his hair. But it could do
nothing to calm the raging storm within him. Dr. Arora's words echoed in his
ears like a deafening roar. "Being a doctor yourself, didn't you feel that Mrs
Malhotra needed phsychological counselling and therapy first rather than
getting into another turbulent relationship? Given that she had been a domestic
violence victim, the first thing she needed was a counsellor, Mr. Malhotra",
the words stung him like a piercing blade. Yes, the psychiatrist was indeed
right. He sneered as he realised one more blunder that added to the pile of his
stupid decisions since that fateful day 5 years back which had cost him his
family, his happiness, his love, his everything.</font>

<font size="2" face="Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif">That
single question of Dr. Arora was enough to bring back all the past memories
like a haunting nightmare. What was he even thinking when he fell for Nandini
and chose her over Mauli!!! That question had haunted him ever since he had
been divorced from Mouli and started afresh with Nandini. And the best
explanation he could find was simply that he was not thinking at all!!! That
was it!!! There was nothing more to it!!! Because if he had been thinking
clearly, he was sure he would have never let go of a gem like Mauli that God
had so graciously granted him. </font>

<font size="2" face="Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif">It
wasn't that Nandini was a bad person or an incompetent wife. In fact she did
everything that she could to make their married life blissful. But the problem
was incompatibility. The first 6 months of their marriage were relatively
smooth going as they were still in the initial stages of their relationship and
were exploring each other, on physical as well as psychological levels. But gradually
the problems started to crop up as the realities of life started to sink in.
The financial struggles also started to take a toll on their marital bliss. As
he was the sole bread winner for them, he had to slog day in and day out. He
craved for the emotional support and companionship, but Nandini could not give
him any. Not because she did not want to but simply because she could not. These
things were beyond her comprehension. Her life started with kitchen and ended with
bedroom. She could not understand life and difficulties beyond that. He had
tried discussing his work problems and financial difficulties with her once or
twice. But she was so weak and gullible that she could not even handle the
pressure and fell sick due to the tension. All that she could do was cry. Because
that's how Nandini was. She had always been like that; docile, coy and homely. After
that he never discussed anything with her. With each passing day he started
realising that what he felt for Nandini was never love, it was a mere
attraction. He was hypnotized with her outer beauty. They could never reach
out to each other's souls. In moments like those, he missed Mauli. He missed
her soothing words, he missed her go get it attitude, he missed her cheerful
laughter that used to make his day brighter. But she was gone. He had lost her
because of his own stupidity. He had begged for her forgiveness but she could
not forgive them for hurting her and destroying her beyond repair. However,
deep down he knew that Mauli was strong enough to sail through the storm
successfully. She had always been a fighter unlike Nandini, who had always been
a survivor. She always needed someone for support whereas Mauli was always a
kind to give support. Giving was the very nature of Mauli, be it love, support,
care, and even life to a newborn as she was a gynaecologist. She had always
been a giver, literally and metaphorically.</font>

<font size="2" face="Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif">When
the things started to fall apart between him and Nandini, Nandini tried mending
it in her own ways by making delicious cuisines for him or looking drop dead gorgeous
by trying out new outfits but he just couldn't bring himself to love her or to
feel for her. They both could never connect to each other. But one thing he
noticed about Nandini was that somehow she was not ready to accept the fact
that their relation was on the verge of breaking. She always avoided
confrontation. She pretended as if everything was fine. But he had started
feeling suffocated. He was tired of being the responsible one. For once he
wanted someone to take responsibility of him and his home. He longed for the
emotional connect. </font>

<font size="2" face="Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif">Although
it broke his heart to hurt Nandini, it was then that he decided to have a heart
to heart talk with her about their crumbling marriage and their future. Because
if he had learned anything from his previous mistake, it was that his wife
deserved atleast honesty if nothing else. However the decision turned out to be
a disastrous one just like all the other decisions he had taken so far. Nandini
could not come to terms with the fact that their marriage was not working out
and unable to cope up with the pressure, she decided to end her life.
Thankfully, he had reached in time and saved her but the incident shook him
from within. As he pondered over their past, he realised that it had been third
suicidal attempt by her since he had met her for the first time. Realization
hit him like a lightning bolt!!! Nandini needed psychological treatment. She
was emotionally fragile and somewhat unstable. She could not handle pressure
and trauma. There had also been instances when he had felt that she was a bit delusional
and preferred to believe her own theories, but he had ignored those instances
without paying much attention. It dawned upon him then that those instances
were nothing but the outcome of her phsychological trauma and his worst doubt
had been confirmed by Dr. Arora that Nandini was indeed suffering from PTSD.</font>

<font size="2" face="Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif">Due
to the abuse and violence that she suffered at the hands of Rajdeep, she had
become emotionally fragile and sensitive. Dr. Arora had told him that some
patients become violent and aggressive whereas some become weak, fragile and
tend to go into depression at the slightest of push. Nandini fell into the
latter category. She could not bear the burden of even thinking of another
failed marriage. Dr. Arora had advised him to take things slowly and carefully.
"Even Mrs Malhotra doesn't necessarily be in love with you Dr. Kunal. More than
love, she needs you, for her survival. Don't think that she is selfish Dr.
Kunal. Because, from her POV, it is not being selfish. It's just that, it has
been imbibed in her mental system that she cannot survive on her own. If not
you, then might be somebody else. But she needs someone. So you cannot confront
her right now with the truth of your feelings if you want her to live. She is
in complete denial right now. You have to put up facade of a happy marriage for
her sake till she is undergoing the treatment. If not, then the only option left
with us is to put her in mental asylum centre where she will be under
observation of experts, so that you will be free from her responsibility and
the burden of this marriage. Now the ball is in your court Dr. Kunal. You have
to take a call." With those thoughts to ponder over, Dr. Arora had concluded
the session.</font>

<font size="2" face="Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif">He
did not know for how long he was standing there, gazing at the sky lost in his
own thoughts. But, her slender arms snaked around him from behind brought him
back to reality. "What happened Kunal Ji? What are you thinking? Are you having
the same thoughts as mine?", she asked as she rested her head on his back.</font>

<font size="2" face="Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif">"Nothing.
I was just thinking about some work. What were you thinking by the way?", he
asked her as he broke the hug and turned to face her.</font>

<font size="2" face="Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif">"You
know what, Kunal Ji!! I was thinking about having a baby", she blushed as she
lowered her gaze. "I think we should have a baby Kunal Ji, it's been 3 years to
our marriage now", she persisted to get some reply from him. But he was shocked
beyond his wits. He could not even find any cohesive words to form a meaningful
sentence. In that moment he realised how damaged this woman was; living in her
own delusional world. In that moment he realized the devastating effects of
their one wrong decision and its impact on all the three lives involved. In
that moment, he had made up his mind and his decision was clear. He would help
Nandini come out of this mess that they had created. He would not leave her
halfway like he had left Mauli. He would stick with her until she comes out of
her trauma as a healthy and sane person. They entered in this tangled web of
relation together, so they would come out of it together. Maybe this would be
their redemption. Maybe this would be their punishment for what they did to
Mauli. Maybe they deserved this suffering. Maybe this is how karma worked, he
thought with a mirthless laugh.</font>

</p><p><font size="2" face="Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif">"First,
let's complete your treatment Nandini. Because you need to have a healthy mind
and body to carry a baby. We have all the time in the world to have a baby
after that." he told her like explaining 2+2=4 to a school going kid. "Now let's go to sleep as
we have an early appointment with Dr. Arora tomorrow." With one last look at
the brightly illuminated sky, they both turned around hoping for the small ray
of light to illuminate their life that had been consumed by the darkness.</font>

<font size="2" face="Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif">P.S. : Do share your reviews. All the positive and negative criticism is welcome.</font>

PART 2

"People always say in the end you only regret the choices you didn't make but I really think you also regret the choices you were foolish enough to make." 
 Melizena

He felt a bit happier today, as he waited for Nandini in the practically deserted parking lot of the hospital. She had been waiting upstairs to collect the reports. Overall the session with Dr. Arora had been great. Even Dr Arora had shared positive feedback about Nandini. She had atleast started to open up which according to Dr. Arora was a very positive sign. "Acceptance of a problem is the first step towards the solution Dr. Malhotra and today Mrs. Malhotra had taken that 1^st step to accept that there is some problem," he had explained. Ofcourse, patience was the key; he knew that but it atleast gave him a flickering ray of hope for the better future, however distant and ambiguous that might be. After all, Dr. Arora, practicing psychiatrist in Canada who had returned to India 1.5 years back, was the best psychiatrist in the town as he had researched on Google.

The beep sound of car door being locked/unlocked broke his chain of thoughts. And to his surprise it was Dr. Arora who had unlocked his car parked in the nearby corner  while checking something on his phone. The car was parked in such a way that while he could see Dr. Arora's car clearly, his car was not in the direct vision of the latter. He noticed that as Dr. Arora reached the car, instead of getting inside, he leaned on the car door. As he was about to approach him; however, something happened which made him rooted to the spot.

It was her. Definitely her! He could still easily recognize her even from distance. As her petite arms engulfed Dr. Arora in a bone-crushing hug, he could literally feel his heart being crashed into a million pieces. Now he understood the look of contempt that had flickered on Dr. Arora's face for mere seconds when they had met for the first time. It was a blink and miss kind of moment which he had been smart enough to notice.

"Surpriseee... Happy Anniversary Dr. Psycho", the familiar voice which he had craved to hear for last 5 years, pierced his ears and slashed his heart.

Mauli... His ex-wife, his love, his friend, his confidante, was standing infront of him, but he could not reach her. It was agonizingly painful. The awful hollowness, the waves of wretchedness threatened to engulf his mind, body and soul. He realized that he should not be prying over the couple's private moment, but his legs failed to move. His body ceased to react. All he could do was to stare hypnotically at the events unfolding before him.

"Easy there with your PDA, Mrs. Psycho. This is a public place if I might remind you," he almost whispered against her earlobe as his arms encircled around her waist.

"Ohh the place is practically and literally deserted Saket. Its Christmas today. Everyone is at home enjoying with their family unlike you," she pouted in mock anger.

"I would love to do the same sweetheart, but for us work comes first and who would be knowing it better than you Mrs. Psycho?" He planted a soft peck on her cheek and it burned his insides with fire. His insides seemed to be screaming with agony. He felt suffocated. The mere act of breathing felt like a task to him. But his torment was not yet complete.

"You are a psychiatrist, so that makes you Dr. Psycho. But what exactly makes me Psycho, Mr. Arora?", she demanded as her arms snaked around his neck.

"You have married Dr. Psycho, so that makes you Mrs. Psycho", he winked and she couldn't help but flash a beautiful smile which was as pure and innocent as her soul.

"Bytheway, where is my Anniversary Gift, Mr. Arora? Or are you planning to gift wrap your sugar-coated words and shayaris as a gift like last year? Because let me make this very clear Dr. Psycho that I am not going to fall for that trick this year," she folded her hands and looked at him in the eye faking sternness.

"Ohhh nooo!! I have a much better gift for you this year sweetheart!!" And he pushed her against the car door in one swift move caging her between his arms and before she could register anything his parted lips met hers with a burning passion. As he kissed her deeper, she moaned in pleasure and her fingers  gripped his hair, pulling him closer.

It felt as if the earth was shattering beneath his feet. The gut-wrenching pain that he felt looking at the couple lost in each others' embrace oblivious to their surroundings could not be compared to anything that he had felt until now. Up until this very moment, if he had ever thought that he had understood Mauli's pain when she had learned about their affair, then he was wrong. Nobody could have ever understood how it feels to see someone you love with somebody else. In that very moment he realized how difficult it would have been for her to see them together.

God seemed to have taken mercy on him because soon enough they broke apart. "Preach what you say hubby dearest. Somebody just told me that this is a public place," she chuckled.

"But my wife told me that the place is deserted so just followed her footsteps and believe me Legends have always advised us poor creatures called husbands to follow the wives blindly. Now, where is my gift dear wife?" he smirked at her as he encased her in a hug from behind.

"I bet, this year, I have the best gift in the world Saket," she literally jumped with joy, "Nothing can ever be compared to it."

"Ohhh come on Mauli, can you please cut this building up the atmosphere part please. Give it to me already!!" he persisted and cribbed with such a childish excitement and innocence that nobody would have believed him to be a renowned psychiatrist.

"I am pregnant Saket. We are going to have a baby!!! I love you so much Mr. Saket Arora!!! You are the best thing that has ever happened to me honey", she blushed and flung herself into his arms. "Ohhh God Mauli, are you serious? I.. I am.. I can't believe it Mauli... How can God be so gracious to me? I love you Mauli!! I love you so very much!!!" he wrapped his arms around her and they continued to bask in each other's love.

He shut his eyes in anguish. Sadness and grief came in waves and threatened to consume him entirely. Suddenly, the loud ringtone of his phone brought all three of them back to the reality. It was Nandini calling him. He did not know how he managed to pick up the call and asked her to wait till he came at the gate, but somehow he did and he was strangely proud of himself for that.

It took him some time to regain his composure and for a few moments all three of them just looked at each other, apparently at loss of words. But soon enough Dr. Arora came towards him along with Mauli who seemed to be too shocked to comprehend anything.

"Hello Dr. Malhotra, this is my wife Mauli. I suppose you both know each other ofcourse." Mauli could just look at him questioningly supposedly as to ask how both the men knew each other.

"Mauli, Dr. Malhotra and his wife Nandini Malhotra are my patients. I did not tell you that because I did not want to bring up the bad memories and dig up the past again. I strictly wanted to keep personal and professional life separate. I never in my wildest dreams thought that we would face a situation like this", Dr. Arora admitted honestly and Mauli nodded in understanding. He could feel a certain kind of telepathic connect between their minds and thoughts where no words, no explanations and no reasoning were needed. It was as if their souls and minds communicated to each other silently in the presence of any third person.

"Dr. Malhotra, I am sorry but I could not tell you this truth because of the ethics and laws of our profession. You must be knowing that, I am sure. We must maintain secrecy about patients and their histories. But now that you know, its upon you to decide whether you want to continue the treatment with me or not. I can assure you that there would be no personal judgements from my side. I strictly like to keep personal and professional life separate. Rest is upto you. Take your time and let me know. Be assured, whatever your decision might be, no hard feelings please." He was amazed at the genuineness and honesty of this guy named Dr. Saket Arora. Yes, Mauli definitely deserved someone like him. Gentleman, chivalrous, honest and loyal.

He snapped his eyes shut to compose himself as a wave of misery filled him with heartache... For the longest time, he could not find his voice. But when he did, he made sure his words did not falter giving away his emotions, "If you both don't mind, I would like to have a few words with Mauli, please."

"Not Mauli. Dr. Mauli Arora, Mr. Kunal", she finally spoke in a determined voice. "And I don't want to talk to you or your wife, Dr. Kunal".

"Please Mau... sorry Dr. Mauli, just once. I promise I won't take more than 5 mins" He requested her and as her dove eyes met her husband's hazel ones they both again seemed to have communicated something without words.

"I have forgotten a file upstairs in my cabin Mauli. I will just grab it and be back in 10 mins. Will see you at the gate in 10 mins," with that he was out of sight leaving just two of them to face each other.

"How are you Mauli? And how are Ma and Dida?" he asked her cautiously.

"Ma and Dida are good. They stay with us along with Saket's Grandmother. Saket's parents expired in an accident 2 years back, so we moved here from Canada to take care of his aging Grandmom. And about me!! Well, how do you think I am Kunal?" she asked him with sheer sarcasm.

"Happy. You seem to be genuinely happy." He said tentatively.

"Ohhh then you are right for the first time Dr. Kunal Malhotra. Yes I am happy. I have a very loving husband, a caring and understanding family and a flourishing career. What more could I ask for!!" she told him coldly.

"And I am really glad to see you happy Mauli. Because if anyone in this whole wide world deserved true happiness then it was always you Mauli. Really!!!"

"Ohhh please Kunal, can we cut these formalities and come straight to the point please? Because I genuinely have no time and no mood for all this, especially today." She replied angrily as she started losing patience. She had always had difficulties with keeping patience he remembered fondly.

Yes, it was her anniversary today, he realized but did not say anything. He did not want to make things more awkward and embarrassing for all of them. Instead he asked earnestly, "Can you never forgive us Mauli? You have happily moved on now. So can you not forget everything and forgive us now, please? Atleast it will give us the mental peace that we could finally seek your forgiveness."

"Your mental peace? After all that you have done to me, all you care about is your mental peace? It has always been about just you two Kunal. What about my mental peace which took me ages to achieve? What about my pain? My suffering? And I have already forgotten everything now Kunal. Trust me, you both mean nothing to me now. But I can never forgive you because you don't deserve forgiveness. And which US are you talking about Kunal? Nandini? She never even asked for forgiveness Kunal. Who am I to forgive her? Madam had always been boasting about being IN LOVE with you. She never even felt an ounce of shame or guilt before betraying me? When she doesn't feel that she has wronged me who am I to forgive her? All that she ever told me was that she never meant to hurt me. But you both did exactly that Kunal. And I could have forgiven you both for your love or feelings but I can never forgive you for the betrayal Kunal." Every word spoken by her was true and he knew that, yet he tried to hold onto her like a moth to a flame.

"We don't love each other Mauli. I realized it long back and Nandini is not in her right mind Mauli. That is why she is under treatment with Dr. Arora. The abuse by Rajdeep had taken toll on her, she..." But his words were cut halfway by her as she roared like a wounded queen,

"Enough Kunal. You disgust me!! You left me for her claiming your pure and sacred love for each other and now you have realized that you both don't love each other? What kind of people are you two?" She was aghast.

"It's not like that Mauli. I can explain." He pleaded with all his might but she was filled with rage and fury. "Stop it Kunal. Stop justifying everything. Being a domestic abuse victim doesn't justify destroying somebody else's home. I can never buy that Rajdeep bullshit a reason enough to justify what she did to me. I don't care if you two lovebirds are still in love with each other or not and why. I don't care why she is taking treatment. For me, you both have wronged me equally. You both share the blame equally. And I can never forgive you. It took me a lot of time to heal completely Kunal. You both had destroyed me beyond repair. I was shattered completely, Kunal. Living in the same house that we had once shared had become suffocating for me. It was Ma and Dida who stood by me like a rock and forced me to relocate somewhere, as it would help me clear my mind. That's why I took up a job at Canada hospital and moved there. Saket was a practicing psychiatrist in that same hospital and that's how we met. He had been my biggest pillar of strength and source of motivation since then. Whatever I am today, it's all because of Ma, Dida and Saket. I have forgotten the fact that people named Kunal and Nandini ever existed in my life. And I would like to keep it that way Dr. Kunal. Now if you would please excuse me, my husband would be waiting for me."

And with those last words she turned around and without even sparing him a last look she walked graciously towards the bright future that awaited to welcome her with open arms while all that he was left with was the broken pieces of his beautiful past with her and the vivid vision of what could have been, what would have been!!!