PreRish OS .. Letting Go of Troubling Guilt

Hello everyone 

I started writing something , then added something and something ...now it  became so long, that i will be posting in 3 parts all at once ,, so not sure if it's one shot or 2 or 3 shots 

The story is in many flashbacks .. which are in Italicized portions , if it's confusing please let me know I will color code them .

request you all...  grammar pe math jao bhawnaaon pe jaao ... ignore the time clauses and all .. 

Comments are appreciated ! 

I don;t have a title as of now .. but posting it anyways.. p;lz  suggest any apt title , after reading 

-Munni

Title credit : Wistfulness ( Letting Go of Troubling Guilt )

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Part 1 

"Birju kaaka aap sab taiyyari ki na...." asked Prerna, looking over the prep work done by Birju kaaka
"haan bitiya ... sab taiyyar hain... main banaoo "

 "nahin nahin.. aap rehene dijiye , aaj main khudh khaana banaoongi Mr.Bajaj ke liye " says Prerna who is  back from Sneha's school . 

"teek hai bitiya" said Birju kaaka

"Kitni dhoop hain baahar" says Prerna taking a glass of cold water.... 

"haan Bitiya.. ab bas baarish aa jaaye....."  

before Prerna could ask what it is ... "saheb ne yeh aapko dene ke liye bola tha"  hands over a closed envelope ,,, leaving her little confused ... 

she leaves  the envelope on the counter top and finishes making his favorite lunch, she knows lot of  his favorites, just like he knows about hers,  things have changed so much in the last 6 months, and changed for the better between them .. as husband and wife ...

She asks Birju kaaka to pack and send the lunch  to office and goes to her room, picking up  that sealed envelope which her husband left for her... ..

wondering why Mr.Bajaj hasn't called yet , by now he would have called 3-4 times ...daily to check on her and today no call or text .. a little concerned and disappointed , throws the envelope on the bed ....and tries to call him, but couldn't get through....

..she is now little worried as what's keeping him so busy ,.. calls his PA and inquires about his whereabouts.. the PA updates her that he hasn't come to work today as he was scheduled for some meeting else where .. .. Prerna is concerned and upset , wondering why he hasn't  even informed her about it , or why he hasn't called her today after reaching office as he hasn't done anything so irresponsible since then,,., yes since then ....

little later, Mr,Bajaj , though he wished not to call her  ..but the very thought of her  sad face and pooled eyes flash before him , so he calls her back...  

"Aap kahaan ho.. aap teek toh hona na,.. where are you,,, you haven't called even once today, I was really worried for you,,,, aap teek ho na...... why are you so irresponsible." her eyes pooled up,  her cracked and breathless voice and concern  stirs  him, he chides himself for being so irresponsible... rather deliberately ...

"Prerna main teek hoon... sshhh tum chup ho jaao ,..I am perfectly  fine.." a concern and guilt tripped Bajaj tries to calm her down ... 

"I was out for a meeting and my phone was silent.. I am sorry ....." trails off and pauses ... ...

. "I am sorry ki I reacted this way ...but woh I was worried ki aap ko kuch hua toh nahin ... I was really  scared and worried for you..." her choked, shaky voice  ... tugs him  .. "I can't do this to her ..." his inner voice echoes his thoughts .."Prerna I am fine... see.. in 20 minutes I will be at work ,. plz tum rona math ... please..." pleads a guilt ridden Mr.Bajaj. 

"teek hai , please call me w Maine aapke liye lunch bheja ...plz khaayiye ..." she requests him , he is no mood to eat ..casually says ,,.."haan ok ,. thank you " 

"maine banaya aaj aapka lunch.. please khaayiye..." her words melt his heart and the impending uncertainty and guilt will not leave him ever ... " tumh ne kyun Prerna ,... Birju kaaka ko bol deti ..." his words trail off ,, though her sweet gesture  warms his heart , "I wanted to .., aapke liye ,,,"  Prerna stresses on "aapke liye"  .. he stays silent ... many things are going on in his heart and mind ,...

"Achcha I have to tell something very important ,., aap ghar jaldi aayiye ..."  her words melt  him "I will...  " is all he could manage... he curses himself for leaving that envelope with her ....but it was much needed ... for her ... 

A guilt ridden Mr.Bajaj further adds "please sign those documents which I left with Birju  at the earliest " saying so he hangs up , putting an end to  any further  questions and conversations ....Prerna looks at her phone..."yeh Mr.Bajaj bhi na..."  nods and smiles.. 

Wondering what khazaana the documents have... opens the envelope ...pulls out the document from it ... .. her eyes are blurred , she blinks her tears... wipes them off and tries to read with a blurry vision   .... "Deed of Divorce" she runs her finger over the title of the document,  a lone tear falls on the very word  ..."Divorce...." , which is all she could read out  ... 

in a numb state, blankly stares at the papers, she felt a twitch in her heart and  her world  seems void and desolate .... she stares into oblivion ...and flashes through the last 6 months of her life with her s so called "husband" who doesn't want her anymore in his life .... the very thought of life without him is heartbreaking for her........

she picks up their wedding picture , from the dressing table .. looking at the picture... traces on his face.. .... she is mad at him that she want to leave him right away ... but then hugs the picture with tears in her eyes  ......

She was married to this ruthless, heartless, emotionless man ,based on a deal which she agreed to enter into , to save her love , "Anurag Basu .." whose life was at stake, she sacrifices their love, to save her love ,.. they get married and as per her demands the property papers are given back to the Basus with no conditions ...

Soon after, they flew to Swiss, in the confines of privacy, her behavior was very rude and full of hatred , constantly trying to mock him with Anurag and their love and how she  can never have place for him in her heart as he is a husband only on paper ..., but, socially she masked  up as a very lovely , charming, perfect wife to the debonair and suave Mr.Rishab Bajaj .After showing off his wife to the world they are back home.

the following , Mr.Bajaj introduces Sneha to Prerna ... Prerna who has her back towards Mr.Bajaj and Sneha ,doesn't bother to look at the kid and snaps at the little girl, who hugged her from behind ,,,, only to realize it's Sneha the same Sneha, she looks at Mr,.Bajaj and Sneha .... 


"Sneha .. " Prerna leaves the picture frame back on the dresser and quickly rushes  to  Sneha's room .... 

"yeh meri beti hain... Sneha ... yeh ..." 

cuts him short "main jaanti hoon.....I mean I met her before, but I didn't expect you to have such a little kid and such a sweet one at it" ......... she takes a dig  at him  and takes Sneha into a big tight hug and apologizes for snapping at her....

Mr,.Bajaj frowns and glares at her "Mrs.Bajaj what do you mean ...how old do you think I am ..." 
Prerna rolls her eyes internally .. least bothered in his self boast  of his age and fitness ..

"I don't know , may be like a teenager's  dad with grey hair"  casually let's out and walks off with Sneha in tow   .. Prerna decided to deal with him with the same saas as he did with her in Swiss ...

 "toh yeh inki beti hai... bhagwaan bhi na kabhi kabhi " looks up and shakes her head 

Bajaj is amused looking at her lighter side ...probably first time, since their marriage last week .

Prerna and Sneha bonded  over beautifully  and they spend lot of time together having fun, Sneha is the person who made her overcome her despair ......  Bajaj would come home early on the pretext of no work ..just  not to miss the  fun and heart warming moments between new mom and his , rather her daughter ...  , felt a sense of comfort and contentment.

Bajaj made sure Prerna has all the comfort and support needed for her pregnancy, he wouldn't directly do or say anything for most of the time .. but made sure she is comfortable physically and emotionally, he even quit smoking ever since  she came here . 

 during this phase Sneha created various situations, sometimes deliberately, while inadvertently at times... where Prerna and Mr.Bajaj would come in awkward situations as parents and as  husband and wife..  these moments helped them to understand and open up with each other ...Mr.Bajaj started asking about her health from time to time ......though they were not friendly, but were cordial enough with each other , more so  to take care of Sneha and also Prerna's pregnancy. 

She walks around Sneha's room ... remembering how she used to be with Sneha in those initial weeks ..just to keep herself deviated and occupied .. and how Sneha gave her a new lease of life in this palatial mansion ...

It's been 6 weeks now , with Prerna at the helm, as Mrs.Bajaj,  the palatial mansion became a home, with liveliness and occasional  laughter,  morning aarti to family breakfasts and dinners.. Bajaj started spending quite some time at home now, to sneak in and steal few moments of his little girl with her maa.  

 she walks around in Sneha's room, pulls a white teddy off the shelf .... a part of which has blood stains and dirt around it .... she hugs it tight and closes her eyes , tears sink into the teddy and herself drops to the bed ... hugging the teddy tightly..

Mr.Bajaj is the middle of a very high profile meeting, his secretary walks up to him and whispers,  he excuses from the meeting and storms out. 

In no time,  he is in front of ICU of Lifeline Hospitals, standing before  Veena ji .... "Prerna" is all he could manage,..

"andhar hai... beta ...", a tear strained Veenaji tells Bajaj who is precipitating, he looks away, hiding his welled up eyes... blinks back, turns around and asks about Sneha .. Veena ji tells him that Sneha is safe and she is with Shivi at home, she is scared though ....

It's not sinking in .......sneha...her teddy .. sniper ... prerna .. guns ... blood ... these words are reverberating in his head... when his security officer updated about the incident .... instantly his thoughts flew to  their baby.. the unborn baby... as he took Prerna to the gynec  for her sonography, just last week .. .. Bajaj saw the movement of the baby .... he never has seen that with Sneha as the relation with his ex wife was strained when she was pregnant with Sneha ...  he is worrying for Prerna and the baby ... never felt so helpless ever, pacing around, made few calls... he has beefed up the  security cordoning the hospital. more specifically this particular wing...

Leaning against the wall, his helplessness and furiousness results into tight fists , which could even break the glass door . thinking about  how Prerna took bullet aimed at Sneha and saved her from  a sniper  in the park. he hardly knows her ,but here she took a bullet for my child, but "her" child.... "our " child ...  I married her for loyalty, but this is beyond loyalty ... she was not bound to save my daughter .......but she did... blinks back the tears ... 

The doctor comes out  of the ICU "Mr.Bajaj..." pauses, the doctor, 

"Doc... doctor Prer,. Prerna kaisi hai" ...asks, a nervous Rishab Bajaj ..  

Doctor pauses, his heart is sinking ... "Doctor.. Prerna teek toh hai na.. I can get any doctor from any corner of the world ....but  please make sure she and the baby are fine....."

"Haan Mr.Bajaj.. Mrs.Bajaj is fine...but....."

"what but doctor  .. there is no but .. tell me who I should call.. .. I can get any doctor right away from anywhere in the world.... I want both Mom and baby to be fine ..do you understand ..." a hyper Bajaj gets hold of himself and awaits holding his breath, for the doc to continue  Doctor looks down....

 "Sorry Mr.Bajaj... we couldn't save the baby ....  the baby was hit by the bullet... "   rooted to his spot ... devastated... heartbroken, shattered ....  ... silence never felt so thunderous...for THE Rishab Bajaj ,,,Veena ji and family were equally heartbroken ..

"Mr.Bajaj you can see Mrs.Bajaj when we shift her to the recovery room. ", saying so the Doc leaves..  ...

Few hrs pass by Bajaj meets Prerna in the recovery room.... 

he puts his hand on her head..."Prerna..."  
she holds his hands ...pulls his shirt "Mr.Bajaj...Sneha... sneha kahaan hai .. woh teek toh hai na ..." "haan prerna she is fine ..but "  on hearing that Prerna falls unconscious due to anesthesia ..  

an hour later .. when she tries to wake up .. the doctor updates Bajaj on her recovery and post opp follow ups  and leaves... he stands by her bed side, gently places his hand on her shoulder ..."Prerna" ..... she holds his hands... "Mr.Bajaj " ....touching her tummy ... remembers the bullet hitting her ...she cries vehemently ...Bajaj wraps her in a tight tight...stroking her head "shhh Prerna...." is all he could manage... 

He comes out of the room hugs his friend Gupta . Veenaji and family are still there , Veena however dares to ask Mr.Bajaj to take Priyu with her to sharma house.. without revealing his vulnerable side.. he denies in a cold tone..  Veena ji .. however says "rone se dil halka hota.. rona kamzhori nahin hain"

 Bajaj's eyes well up.... which threaten to fall ,..but he manages to blink back those..

In the past few hrs, he managed not to show his  vulnerable side  , he is shattered but didn't let a tear out, but now Veenaji understood him, she told him it's ok to cry ...but then he blinks back his pooled eyes

Next day, Prerna is discharged and is in Bajaj house.  

Prerna cries into the teddy "mera Prem" wipes off her tears ... which wouldn't stop ... 

She goes back to her room ... sitting on her bed, stares at the empty couch by the side.... 

In the middle of the night, startled Prerna wakes up screaming    .... Bajaj who was lying on the couch right there in Prerna's room , ... quickly rushes to her  .....Prerna clings on to his shirt ,.. "Mr. Bajaj ...mr. Bajaj ..." holds him tight ..he holds her close to him, while she cries her heart out .....

  "Haaan Prerna I am right here...by your side....

"Mr,Bajaj .. mera bachcha" is all she was saying with her hands on her tummy  ,..

Mr. Bajaj is anguished, this heartless man's  heart tugs seeing her in such a bad shape ,..  "Shhh Prerna..." takes her in a hug ... he is trying to soothe and calm her down ...." Mr.Bajaj ...." Prerna hugs him and cries into his shirt ,..."Shhhh Prerna....." is all he could manage ...while soothing her and comforting her ....

 Prerna's sobs went silent as the tears dried up ...and slips into sleep in his arms, he gently places her on the pillow and covers her with a quilt , wipes tears off her face, tucks her hair behind ears and stares at her to his heart's content.

Mr,Bajaj stares out of the window into dark skies ... looks at Prerna, sleeping peacefully, but his sleep is evaded, he is helpless , he cannot see her in this state, it tears him apart, she is broken .. she is shattered....  he is helpless and furious ... he hardly knows anything about her, not sure how to take care of her ... he keeps checking on her through the night despite him having 2 nurses round the clock and an on call doctor. the stone hearted , emotionless Rishab Bajaj is having sleepless nights for her ..

Prerna wiping off her tears orders Birju kaaka for a cup of  coffee 

Part 2 

 In his sky scrapper office, Bajaj, staring into the open skies of  Kolkata ...  with void in his eyes...

couple of days after Prerna is discharged.. , Veena ji and Shivani came to Bajaj house to meet Prerna .. at lunch, Veena ji feeds Priyu , Shivi runs out of Prerna's room trying to control her tears.. ....Veena ji follows her to the adjacent living room ... 

Shivi hugs her mom and cries "maa  Priyu di teek toh ho jaayegi na .... I can't see her like this  "

"haan beta..... bhagwan pe bharosa rakho...hamari Priyu bahut himmat wali bachchi hai... she will be fine " assures Veena ji

"Kaash di Anurag se shaadi karti maa, yeh din toh na dekhna padtha na maa ... "

"haan beta par.... ", Veena ji ...

"Par Priyu di ke saath hi hamesha aisa kyun hota hai maa.." cries Shivi "Sneha ko bachaane ke liye di ne apni zindagi ... ....."

Veena ji hugs shivi and tries to console her

"Kaun hai maa jo Sneha ko maarna chaahte hai ... aur di ko kya zaroorat thi aisi aadmi ki beti ko bachaane ka ... " 

 "Beta .. aise nahi bolte... Priyu ne wahi kia jo usse karna chaahiye.. ismein uss bachchi ka kya kasoor ..yeh sab  karma hai ...kids will always pay for the mistakes of their parent's...honge koi inka business rival, who wanted to attack his family and kids " says Veena... 

"Par maa yaha Priyu di ne keemat chukaayi.. Sneha ki maa hone ka ...di ko Anurag ke paas jaanaa chaahiye maa ... woh bahut khush rehti , pyar ke bina kaise shaadi maa ..." rants Shivi 

"tum chup ho jaao shivi.. aisa nahi bolte... ab yehi Priyu ka ghar hai and Mr.Bajaj hi uski pati hai"

"Par iss pati aur ghar ne di ko kya diya, sirf dukh aur aasoon ke alaawa aur issi Mr.Bajaj ki wajah se aaj di ne apna pyar aur apna bachcha kho dhiya maa" laments Shivi .. with anger and helplessness ..

"shh Mr.Bajaj nahi bolte ab woh tumhare jiju hain " hushes Veena ji 

Rishab who was about to pass through the living room , on the way to Prerna's room, overheard  their entire conversation ... he is gutted ...and rooted to his place....each word ... tugs him and pulls him down with guilt .... "my karma " he thinks ...he introspects , he regrets ,....he is weighed down by enormous guilt few hours later, Veena ji and Shivi leaves... 

The nurse, who failed to feed dinner to Prerna, seeks Mr.Bajaj's help.  Mr. Bajaj tries to feed Prerna.. but she refuses... he talks to her in calm way .. Prerna refuses to eat, he seeks Sneha's help, sneha tries to feed her... Prerna nods... Sneha makes a downcast face, Prerna takes the bite from her on seeing at her sad face ...after feeding couple of bites.. Sneha gestures her dad to feed mom and runs to her room to watch cartoons.... 

he offers her  .. but she refuses , but Mr,Bajaj makes her complete it using Sneha's pretext.. . The nurse comes to give medicines..,,Bajaj says he will ...gives medicines to Prerna and puts her to sleep... Prerna, still under the traumatic experience, holds on to his hand and sleeps... he sits in an awkward position on the bed until she falls asleep .. once she is in deep sleep .. he pulls his hand out of hers... walks to the window and gazes into nothing.

He introspects ...  Shivi's words which haunt him.... he is guilty, he regrets his failure to keep her baby safe..had she been with Anurag, she would have been happy and her baby would have been with her today ... it's because of me and my business rivalry , she is in this situation ... to save my kid ...whom she knew just few weeks back ... shivani is right... I took away everything from  ... sab kuch...  her love, her marriage ,her family , her happiness, her smile,  her liveliness and now her ............." a lone tear falls on his cheeks  , his heart twitched each time he thinks about it ...

 .. He tightens his fists to punch on the wall ....he paces across the room ..falls on that couch  ..... 

Next morning he calls his lawyer home... who updates him about the time clauses ,, 

Bajaj still gazing into the skies... his inner voice ..."this was back then.... now I wouldn't have done this.. I can't let her go .....but she loves Anurag... Anurag Basu ...I took her away from him.. and today ..  ... " Bajaj throws his head back ... in helplessness and frustration ... 


Prerna with anger and tears, decides to leave this man, whom she slowly accepted into her world  ...  "I can't do this yet again" her heart aches ... but she is determined ... decides to pack her stuff ... picks that white  saree with sequins on it  and feels it ... "aapki pehli gift " she remembers ...

 Bajaj asks Prerna to be ready in the evening they have to attend an official gathering that night .. Prerna thinks over her life in the past 10 weeks... no less than a roller coaster at six flags.

She is ready in a white saree with sequins.. which he gifted her .. she is struggling with the hook of big pearl necklace...sees reflection of Mr.Bajaj in the mirror, their eyes meet, her hands still working on hooking the necklace.. 

"May I " mouths Bajaj, Prerna says yes with her eyes ..in the mirror... Bajaj walks close .. he tries to fix it..his fingers brush her bare neck... but couldn't clip it, Bajaj bends a little to fix the misplaced hook with his teeth.... his warm breath on her bare neck ...Prerna feels conscious .. but cannot take her eyes off him,  .. he looks at her in the mirror...while working on the hook... her changing expressions.. pink cheeks, biting of lower lip .. the consciousness and awkwardness ...didn't go unnoticed by him ....

"It's done.. " he moves a step back .. and flexes his coat , bringing Prerna out of  those first ever intimate moments , which they both experienced .. there was awkwardness and something else.... looking themselves in the mirror ... smile at each other .. 

Prerna touches and feels the saree ..  that day, probably for the first Mr.Bajaj didn't let his eyes off her, neither could she take her eyes off him...coming out of trance.. throws the saree in the bag lying on the bed.. 

Birju kaaka brings her the coffee "Prerna bitiya" he hands over her coffee.. her lips curve into a faint smile... 

"Yeh aapne kaise"  .. asking abt the smiley on her coffee...

"Bitiya saheb ne bola ki jab bhi aap ke liye  coffee banao yeh   hasta hua chehra ispe banake dhoon thaaki aap bhi muskuraati rahe  "

Prerna smiles faintly " thank you kaaka, coffee bahut achchi hai " sipping it while sitting on the couch ... "Mr.Bajaj ..ki coffee"

couple of weeks after the incident  she has been physically recouping well , but her mental trauma and the fear is with her , first of losing her life , Anurag and now their "prem"  mouth Prerna , sitting in the lush lawn , on dark wintery night in Bajaj Mansion ..  

"Prerna... " she looks up to see Mr.Bajaj with a shawl on his arm and Birju kaaka , places a tray with 2 cups of coffee on the table and leaves .

"May I .." he wraps the shawl around her ..and offers the  coffee ... 

Prerna smiles looking at the smiley and then Mr.Bajaj who is smiling at her .. 

"Thank you " she says while sipping her coffee ...

they sit idle for most part and talk little somethings ... 

this is just the starting of their daily coffee time routine.. few days later she was surprised to know that the coffee was made by Mr.Bajaj and not Birju kaaka and he himself made the smiley 

"Thank you .. so when did you learn to make coffee.. btw it's very nice ..." asked Prerna ..on another night ..

"just that day when I first got you .. " he looks embarrassed 

"wow that was quite impressive for first time ...so where did you learn ,.,koi Michelin star chef hoga,..after all Mr.Bajaj can bring all chefs in one line  " asks Prerna with sparkle   in her eyes 

"Youtube se ..." he is even more embarrassed now ...

Prerna bursts into a laughter .. "sorry ..but Rishab Bajaj learnt coffee from Youtube .... " they both laugh ... there is a sense of peace when he sees her smiling ... it's comforting for him 

A sad Prerna leaves the cup on the side table...she picks that oil stained white kurta  .. lying on the heap of clothes which she  threw on the bed , in anger ... she traces the oil stain on the white kurta.. which she neither gave it for wash nor threw it away .. 

almost 4 months into marriage ... one night, she changes into a plain white kurti and patiala and wonders why Mr.Bajaj hasn't come to call her for coffee, like he does every night at the said time..she makes her way to his room ... sees him lying on the bed in his kurta pajama.. which are his night dress these days... a concerned Prerna "... kya hua .. aap teek ho na ". touching his forehead checks for fever .. 

"seems like migrane .,... ..the medicines wouldn't help either.. will see the doc in the morning ... " he says still rubbing his forehead ... "sorry couldn't get you the smiley coffee tonight.. " 

"no ...no ..don't bother.. aap bhi na ,.. you shd have told about this migrane pehle " a concerned Prerna excuses herself ... leaving a confused him behind .. 

10 mins later she comes with a bowl of warm oil with some herbs in it, apparently to ease the migrane  as per her grandmaa's home remedies ...he is surprised as usual... she orders him to come and sit down near the couch .. ..he refuses  ... "the Rishab Bajaj sitting on the floor and oiling his hair"...his pride doesn't let  him ...but one stern look from her , he is seated near the couch  while she is on it ...with the oil by her side .. he finds it crazy .. he is dying with headache and here she wants him to sit on the floor and get his hair oiled which apparently treats migrane ..  ..

Prerna starts applying oil in his hair and gently massaging  ... he feels relaxed ..

"yeh kya hai ...it's very nice n relaxing .."

she tells him about the oil and keeps massaging , he is feeling really well ...he wouldn't mind even if the time stops here, that's how he has been feeling ....he feels, which warms his heart .
 
"You know you should color your hair .. you will look even more handsome... " Prerna bites her lower lip .. after casually letting out ..her inner thought.. 

Rishab is amused .. "aah more handsome and does that make me look like Sneha's dad ?" he gets back at her taunt on the first day he introduced Sneha to her ..now it's her turn to be embarrassed .. 

with their light banter , Prerna finishes off with the hair oil massage, making quite a few stains on her white kurti ...

Prerna smiles in despair .. while in his office, a restless Rishab Bajaj is constantly  checking his phone, hoping  Prerna called or texted him... he stares at his phone,  rather a selfie of him, his wife and his kid ...  "my wife,. my kid" he thinks.... staring at the phone screen ...

Mr.Bajaj's car enters the mansion , he gets off, the gardner and others look at him in  surprise or rather shock  ... he walks towards that part of the lawn where Prerna and Sneha were playing ... both maa beti make O faces as they were both pleasantly surprised ...

Bajaj walks close to Prerna .."Now do I look like Sneha's dad and more handsome ..." asks Rishab with a tease in his eyes ... 
Prerna is staring at her husband who has colored his hair black... doesn't he look even more handsome...like million bucks ..her mind pops .. she chides it .. .. 

Sneha's excitement knew no bound... she runs to her dad, who takes her in his arms and swirls her around .. "ab lag rahe ho aap Sneha ke dad and... " teases prerna ...

"and .... " he waits for her to continue

Prerna stands on her toes, close to him  and whispers  "and very handsome ..  "  they smile, she walks past him, he holds her hand and pulls her towards himself while still holding Sneha in his arms ...  to her surprise ... he takes a selfie, which is probably  their first one .. 

Rishab smiles remembering their moments..  ..he has that picture on his phone since then...he trances out and reality strikes ...  

Prerna comes out of her room in numb state...  ...  and awaits for his return ..looks around the house ... many memories, moments flash before her, from kitchen to dining to living, every are has a moment captured with him...

Around 7 PM , he is home, he is shocked  to see Prerna and Sneha in the living room with their bags packed and Prerna holding the envelope in her hand .. Rishab doesn't dare to look at her.. he knows her anger... he could sense the silence before the storm. He is confused to see Sneha's bag being packed ...  

"Sneha beta, where are you going? why is your back packed ?" , a confused dad asks the little girl ...

Sneha tries to say in sign language... Prerna glares at the nanny, who immediately takes Sneha to her room...

He doesn't dare question her, she doesn't want to start the conversation either... 

"Prerna ...woh main..." troubles with his words....looking away from her ..

Prerna is silent ... 

he looks at her... "Prerna ... woh Sneha .. where is she going ?" 

that was it... he just pulled the pin off a live granite ... 

"My daughter is coming with me.... " 

"matlab ..." he asks , little confused 

"matlab wahi jo aapne suna ...." .. glares at him...

"you asked for divorce papers ...here , I have signed them..." Rishab is shocked.. looking at the papers in his hands and then at Prerna..."she did ..how could she" his words within 

"now I will send you the custody papers Mr.Bajaj .. I will fight for my kid " in a stern voice, says  Prerna glaring it him...

Rishab gives "what the hell "  look ....

"par Prerna ..."

"what Prerna .. Mr.Bajaj.....kya hai,,.."

Bajaj is struggling for words, "Sneha... how can you take Sneha with you .. she is my daughter" 

"Oh really Mr.Bajaj .." glares at him, ".your daughter Mr.Bajaj... and when did you realize that ....." she mocks him ... 

" before marrying me as per the deal.. Sneha was always with her Nanny ... not once you looked at your daughter, not once you hugged her or tried to spend time with her ... you did't know her routine, her favorites, her likes , her interests.... you knew nothing of her .... always left her with Nanny.. i have saved her twice myself ... once in the mall and once on the road here ....I wonder if you even remembered you had a daughter until I came into your life ..." ends her breathless, yet poignant rant against the father of the child, to whom she is the mother. 

Rishab looking around the huge living room... holds her by her arm and leads her to their room ...and closes the door behind ... 

Part 3

Silence prevails... just the breathing and heart beats of these two people can be heard in that huge master bedroom .. few minutes pass  in silence .. Prerna walks to the door ..holds the knob, he  places his hand over hers, she throws a ferocious glare at him ..

"let me go ... Mr.Bajaj ..leave me .."

he turns her towards him, her back to the door.. almost pinning ...without holding her just cornering her with his hands on either side .... their eyes lock, breaths mingle, eyes  speak volumes .. their lips  few cms apart ..her's quivering in anger and despair... the moment comes to stand still .. both are lost in each other , not wanting to make a move or say a word...but tonight they need words for confrontations, accusations, allegations, questions, answers, assurances , promises , confessions .... 

Looking into his deep brown eyes,  Prerna almost gives up her battle .. she sighs, closes her eyes, eases a bit, letting tears fall on her cheeks... 

he gently wipes off those  tears with his fingers... Prerna looks at him, she is lost in him ...tries to fight, but she can't  .. tries to argue , but words don't help her either.. they stare into each others eyes.. Rishab holds her hand and leads her to the bed, makes her sit.. while he stands ... 

"tum teek keh rahi ho ... I didn't know what family is until I met you.. I didn't know the happiness of a home is, you introduced me to my  daughter , because of you I realized what it is to be a father. what it is to have a daughter, you made me realize what home is"

Prerna looks on ...

"Prerna ..I just gave birth to my daughter... but she is your daughter in every sense, you took care of her more than her real parents, you gave her a new life .. how can I claim she is my daughter .. what have I even done for her when u weren't here and I wouldn't be able to do anything once you are gone ...", says with chocked voice and pooled eyes,  her eyes pool ..  

"I will sign the custody papers ,. " holds her hands and assures her,  a shocked Prerna looks in disbelief .."I can trust her with you more than with myself .." squeezes her hands... with his pooled eyes ,..Prerna has no words.. is she ready for this ..was she even expecting this ..... why can't he say that he wants both of us ... and here he is ok with both of us leaving him..

Prerna feels gutted , this is not what she wanted ...she is furious... Rishab gets up and walks towards the door.. .. "Mr.Bajaj...ab hamare beech sab kuch achcha chal raha tha na ... why this now ..." almost about to cry "aap khush lag rahe the.. hum sab khush the .. hain na .. ya yeh meri koi waham hai" asks a vulnerable voice,  for an assurance for him... 

Rishab nods in negative ...

"toh phir yeh kyun achaanak se ",  she asks .. 
he steps towards her, holds her sideways, she looks up at him.. wanting answers ... 
"you sit here.. " makes her sit on the couch .. he kneels down before her .. 

"achaanak se nahin Prerna ... main toh bhool hi gaya ki when I told the lawyer about it .....he sent them last night as they can be signed and submitted in court only after 6 months , but I couldn't face you with these papers ...toh birju kaaka ko ... " looks down, not able to face her  .. 

"par kyun banwaaye Mr.Bajaj ..main toh aapke liye ek deal thi na .. hamari shaadi sirf ek deal thi na ... how can you let go of your deal like that , or was it that I turned out to  a bad deal for you " her innocent words laced in despair, twitches his heart ... "nahin Prerna .. aisa nahin hai .."

Unable to face her.. he gets up.. stands near the window , with his one hand on the wall and other in his pocket ... ... she looks at him, while still seated on the couch "Prerna I used you as a deal just to cut off Anurag's emotional support system ... it was nothing but a deal .." when he has to pour his heart out, words are not helping him .. Prerna gets up from the couch and walks to the window, standing face to face with him, her back to the window.. 

Bajaj turns around .. Prerna pulls him towards her ..and with her eyes, asks  him to speak,
Bajaj continues .."but after marrying you I have had this sense of pride of achieving a rare priced possession ... but when I saw you and Sneha together , I felt my decision was right ..during initial months,.. I would be coming home early just to catch a glimpse of you and Sneha .. I cherish those memories for ever... I never said, but I felt my mansion became a home .. my daughter got her mom, I found my peace and stability ... ....and I was starting to accept this change in my life,,,,gradually, but the unfortunate day ...." he closes his eyes in pain...  while she looks on ... her eyes pooled ...

"I couldn't accept the fact that there is someone who risked her life and her baby  to save my little girl, this was beyond loyalty Prerna... I never asked for love from you.. as you always loved Anurag and that baby was yours and Anurag's love... but what you did for Sneha ....." takes her hands in his, his head down in guilt ...unable to meet her eyes ..

"but you got me back to life, you gave me a baby in Sneha and you are even ready to part from her. for me "  Prerna's chocked voice to make him guilt free 

"Nahin Prerna .. I took away everything from you, your love, your marriage, your happiness, your family and even your baby .... I never realized what all I have erred  until Shivani...  "

"Shivi ne kuch kaha kya aap se.. did she talk to you,.. did she confront you .. please don't take her words to heart... she doesn't know you .. I am sorry on her behalf .. ,, is this all  because of Shivi ...."

"Shh Prerna ..,. Shivani never talked to me... but I happen to overhear a conversation between her and your mom ..that we lost our baby ,..I mean your baby .. because of my rivals who wanted to kill my daughter ... they made me realize that you would have been happy and your baby would have been alive had you been with Anurag , it's all because of me that you lost everything in life. that conversation made me realize your happiness is with Anurag, your love and I robbed you off everything ... I was gutted when I realized ... what I have done .." Prerna looks on .. ..

"accidents aur haadse kahin pe bhi hote hai Mr.Bajaj ...even if I am with Anurag .. kismat ko koi nahin badal sakta.. if something is bound to happen it happens .... I was kidnapped couple of times when I was with Anurag.. how can you be sure that no such thing would have happened if I was with him..
tries to talk him out of the burden of guilt, which she never realized until now

"Par Prerna..." .. Prerna nods, cutting him off .."I trust you and I feel safe when with you ..." 

Bajaj is speechless .. what is this girl made of .. I have failed in protecting her and here she trusts me ,... his heart is heavy , not able to understand his feelings or not able to understand this girl.

"so... the following morning I spoke to the lawyer .. ...he said we have to wait for 6 months" he continued ..

Prerna was yet again furious  with the mention of papers ...  

"so you got married to me because you wanted to get back at someone and you wanted to leave me because Mr. Bajaj is guilty  wonderful .. " slow claps and mock laughs at him .. 

"It's all about you right Mr.Bajaj .. what you wanted then .. what you wanted now...kabhi mere baare mein jaanne ki koshish ki ki main kya chaahti hoon ,..?" 

"Tumhare bhaare mein soch kar yeh decide kia Prerna ,.. I know you love Anurag .. all your life.. and your happiness is with him only " turns away from her ... 

turns him towards her .. "bas kijiye Mr.Bajaj.. please stop it .... can you  please not talk about Anurag now ......and keep this  to us" Prerna's frustration countered with his confusion ... "so you never saw or felt anything between us .. you never noticed anything beyond loyalty from me in the last 6 months.. right Mr.Bajaj ... ?" 

"No!!..  it's not like that.. Prerna ..I would be lying if I say so ... you don't know what you gave me and you have no idea what you mean to me and when I look back I only remember the times I have been with you . I lived my life with you in these 6 months ...  and you would never understand what I will be without you " hearing these words her heart melts she is overwhelmed ..

he continues " but I only took away everything from you..  ...separated you from your love"

"haan Mr.Bajaj .. you are right you took away everything from me ..  when I was in love with Anurag you took me away from him and now .......", trails off turns her back to him ..... 

silence prevails between the two as if it's an end .....Rishab walking towards the door.. Prerna looks out of the window ...

before leaving the room ... "pyar ke liye pyar ko chodne ka dard aaj main jaan gaya hoon  Prerna ..  aaj main wahi dauraahe pe hoon... jahan tum 6 months pehle thi .......and I am sorry ...... for everything "

Prerna ...turns around runs and hugs him from behind .. he stands still .. she cries into his shirt... while still hugging him... both have no words to say ... slowly Rishab turns around .. Prerna still holding him.. looking into his eyes.. "ek pal ke liye bhi nahin laga ki mujhe bhi aap se pyar ho sakti hai"

Rishab looks in disbelief .. "par tum Anurag ..." 

Prerna is mad " are you even listening to what you are saying Mr.Bajaj.. here I am saying I LOVE you and you are still thinking about Anurag as my love.. "shaking her head.. gets out of his wrap ..turns away from him , it took couple of mins for him to accept that .. he smiles ... 

"Prerna .. tum... main ,... I mean you ...  I lovee...." he is struggling for words with overwhelming happiness ...
"ab please don't tell me you love Anurag ..." Prerna laughs with mischievous glint  in her eyes.. "Bajaj laughs out loud.. " hugsss her tightly, 

"nahin... mujhe Mr,Basu se nahin .. tum se pyaar hai , sirf tum se ,.. the best deal I have ever cracked in my life " says stroking her head and rocking her gently ..

 "I love you too and phir se math kehena .. Anur..." Rishab holds his ears and nods and mouths "kabhi nahi"  both laugh ....

they make their way to Sneha's room..Sneha runs to her dad who is smiling and stretching his arms to hug her ..Prerna is smiling next to him, Sneha hugs both of them, understanding they all are staying together and she will stay with her mom and  dad ! 



-Thanks,

Munni

Res cause it had to be me 

Part 1- Oh man those flashbacks specially the one in the hospital and the prerish bits post that the emotional bonding ❤️ but Bajaj to Bajaj hain sab flashbacks ka kia dhara barabar kardia with divorce papers  ... i loved the teenagers dad with grey hair 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Part 2 Awwwwww the coffee from yt bit ,handsome eh,  head massage and the hair color my abs favs they shud have such stuff in the show too and  kya end him leading her to their room mujhe to mush khyaal aa rahe hain 😍😍😍😍

Part 3 - Awwwww the convo ....tu ne Bajaj ko itna guilty emotional mess kardita but khair it was so awwwww the whole convo between them ans Bajaj kahe ka business man usse to jhoot bhi na dhang se bola jaa raha and the bestest bit Pre asking Bajaj now pls dont say that you love Anurag🤣🤣oh god 🤣and i loved  the confession back hugs are my fav give such a cuddly feel to the whole thing

Bahut bahut  Vadiya OS jee the flashbacks or the present such a good mix of light stuff and emotional content aise hi sote sote aur likho but pls 3 weeks na lagaana no dheere dheere but fast fast 🤣 

Hamare write kaisa ho

Mod Munni Jiase ho

Originally posted by: -RD-

Res cause it had to be me 

awww and it is you 🤗

araam se pado .. padte padte so math jaana 🤣 main toh likte likte so gayi kayi baar *sleep emo*

Reserved

This is brilliant Mod Munni! 

I loved everything from the divorce premise to the ending we all wished to see. I'm fond of the idea of parallel flashbacks and you presented the whole thing really well. Kudos!

Do write more. 😛

EDIT: I've some title suggestions.

Unchaining Our Hearts for Love's Sake

Healing Our Wounded Hearts

Letting Go of Troubling Guilt

Aiyo such a beautiful n cute concept 😳 mod munni ne toh Kamal Kar Diya 😲🤪 🤗

Originally posted by: munnihyderabad

awww and it is you 🤗

araam se pado .. padte padte so math jaana 🤣 main toh likte likte so gayi kayi baar *sleep emo*

Main to padhke jaag gayi ulta 🤣ab i want aisa kuch in show also 😆 

Abbe ab next OS ki tayyari kar 

Superb awsm update