Hey everyone!
This new TS is on behalf and for WaqtZaya
The plot for this story is her idea, I have just framed it! So I won’t take the complete credit for it! If you like this story she is the one that you are supposed to thank!
Happy Reading! ❤️
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Part 1
Prerna was standing on the terrace lost in her thoughts when Rishabh came there, he called her name softly but she was too lost to respond to him, he placed his hand on her shoulder to grab her attention but his action startled her.
‘Sorry, I didn’t intend to startle you, Maine aapko awaz bhi di par aapne respond nahi kiya so…’
‘It’s okay Mr. Bajaj… aapko kuch kaam tha?’
‘Haan vo actually Kukki aapke bina sone ke liye ready nahi thi toh…’
‘Main abhi jati hun…’
Prerna was about to go but Rishabh caught her hand and stopped her, she glanced at him and then looked at their hands and he let go of her almost immediately.
‘No, it’s okay, I managed to put her to sleep… but aap thoda worried lag rahi hain, something you want to talk about?’
He asked her sincerely and she let out a small chuckle
‘Rehne dijiye Mr. Bajaj, aap already mujhe kai bar mana kar chuke hain Anurag ke bare main aapse baat karne ke liye…’
Rishabh closed his eyes in frustration, Anurag, of course, he was the only thing that was on Prerna’s mind the entire time
‘It’s alright, aap baat kar sakti hain unke bare main bhi, it’s better to talk and get things out of your head rather than letting it consume your mind all the time!’
Prerna looked at him with hesitation but Rishabh gave her a nod as encouragement. She let out a huge sigh before she started speaking
‘Mujhe samajh nahi aa raha ki main kya karun, aaj jo bhi hua, mera mangalsutra tutna, coincidentally mera Anurag ke saath Aarti karna, Maa ki chunar humare sar pe girna, inn sab ko Anurag signs ke tarah maan raha hai. Usse lag raha hai ki Maa hume ishara de rahi hai ki hume ek ho jana chahiye, hum ek dusre ke liye hi bane hain. Vo baar baar mujhe pechle saal ki puja ki yaad dila raha tha ke kis tarah tab bhi Maa ke Isharon ke wajah se hi hum saath aaye the!’
She paused and turned to the other side and leaned towards the railing, Rishabh looked at her face keenly and he saw how painful it was for her to think of all those moments, she had a bittersweet smile on her face. He felt angry for seeing her love for Anurag, he wanted her to love him that way but seemed like Prerna could never do that. At the same time his heart ached for her, he couldn’t see her being hurt like this. Somewhere he knew that it was his fault, he had made a deal with her but at the expense of her happiness! He felt guilty for doing so. He stood next to her and called her name once again, this time she turned to look at him
‘Kya aapko bhi lagta hai ki Anurag jo keh rahe hain vo sach hai? Kya aap unki baaton se agree karti hain?’
Prerna laughed but there was a sadness in her laughter that was not unnoticed by Rishabh
‘Mr. Bajaj, Anurag janta hai ki main bhi Unn baaton ko manti hun, issliye vo mujhe yeh baat baar baar kehta hai, lekin iss baaton ko abh maankar bhi kya fayda Mr. Bajaj? Jab vo sach hi nahi ho sakta, Anurag aur main kabhi ek nahi ho sakte! Usse bachaane ke liye maine aapse shadi ki thi, vo nahi janta yeh baat par main toh janti hun na! Aapko pata hai iss baat ka koi afsos nahi hai mujhe ke maine uske liye apni khushi dav pe laga di, kyunki main aaj bhi khush hun. Kukki mujhse itna pyaar karti hai, main bhi usse bohut pyaar karti hun. Anurag safe hai, kyunki main janti hun jab tak main aapke saath hun aap deal nahi todenge…’
She placed her hand on her belly and continued
‘... aur Anurag ka pyaar nahi toh atleast uske pyaar ki nishaani hai mere paas, mere liye itna kafi hai… lekin jis tarah se baar baar Anurag mujhe apne paas aane ke liye kehta hai, jo harkatein vo kar raha hai, mujhe kamzor feel karva rahe hain … mujhe ghutan ho rahi hai abh… iss tarah se nahi reh sakti main…’
She didn’t realise when she had started crying, Rishabh wanted to wipe her tears with his hands but he stopped himself, it wasn’t like he was hesitant about touching her but he knew that she was still uncomfortable with him touching her. He removed his handkerchief from his pocket and gave it to her. Prerna took it and started wiping her tears.
Rishabh kept looking at her wordlessly, She was happy but she felt suffocated in this relationship. He knew that she was with him only for keeping Anurag safe, her love for him had consumed her to this extent that in spite of feeling suffocated she was not ready to break their marriage. Was she so scared of him ? That he would hurt Anurag the minute Prerna left Him? Was this what she thought about him? How could they ever be happy like this? She could never forget Anurag and wholeheartedly accept him and his love for her. Even if he would confess it to her in this moment that he loved her, he knew Prerna would deny his love and their relationship may get more stained! Suddenly he felt a lump in his throat. He was responsible for making her feel suffocated. He was the reason why she had to leave Anurag and sacrifice her happiness. He was the reason that she was scared for Anurag! He wanted her to be Kukki’s mom but now he is in love with her and that had changed his perspective about their relationship but for her it was still the same, it will always be as long as they are together. But he wondered how long could they be in a relationship that was based on ‘no-emotional connect’ between the two of them!
Closing his eyes Rishabh asked her the question that he dreaded to ask her
‘Prerna… do you want to go back to Anurag??’
Prerna looked at him in utter shock, he opened his eyes and looked straight into hers
‘Agar aapko iss rishte main ghutan ho rahi hai, aap khush nahi hain, toh kya aap unke paas wapas jana chahenge?? Bhul jaiye maine aapse shadi Kukki ke liye ki thi ya Anurag ko jail se bahar nikalne ke liye .. sirf itna bataiye ki agar aapko main uss deal se free karta Hun toh kya aap unke paas wapas jana chanegi??’
Prerna tried to say something but words had failed her, she couldn’t speak a word. She just looked at him and fresh tears started forming in her eyes
‘Main.. kaise… Kukki….’
She tried framing a concrete sentence but failed to do so. Rishabh shook his head negatively
‘Don’t think about her, just tell me, kya aap Anurag ke paas lautna chahti hain??’
Prerna closed her eyes and took a deep breath, she started sobbing loudly and fell on her knees, Rishabh ran to her and caught her by her shoulders, he made her sit on the nearest chair and just stood next to her. He folded his arms behind his back in order to control his urge of embracing her and giving her some comfort.
‘Mujhe kuch nahi samajh aa raha… main kya chahti hun mujhe hi nahi pata… Anurag se pyaar hai par Kukki bhi toh mujhe chahti hai? Kisi ek ke pyaar ke liye dusre ko kaise chod dun??’
Rishabh let out a sigh and bent on his knees to come to her level, he caught her hand in his and waited for a second to see if she flinched or removed her hand, but when she didn’t he spoke softly
‘Don’t pressurise yourself Prerna, agar aapko waqt ki zaroorat hai toh aapko jitna chahiye utna waqt lijiye aur bataiye ki aap kya chahti hain... main janta hun ki aapko lagta hai ki main bohut selfish hun but when it comes to my family, Prerna their happiness is my priority and you are my family, Toh aap pe bhi yeh lagu hoga hai, agar aap khush nahi hain, ya aapko iss rishte main ghutan ho rahi hai toh please be honest with me. Main nahi chahta ki aapko iss rishte main zabardasti rehna pade. Rahi baat Kukki ki, vo meri beti hai Prerna, usse acche se janta hun, vo itni samajhdar hai ki agar usse main samjhun toh vo meri baat ko samajh jayegi. Toh aap Please clear dimag se sochiye ki aap kya chahti hain aur mujhe bataiye! Don’t think about Kukki or our deal. Just think about what you want !’
Prerna looked at him with confusion, what had happened to him? Why was he ready to let her go back to Anurag and leave him? Leave Kukki? He was ready to free her from the deal but why??? She looked at him and was about to question him but Rishabh quietly got up and left. He couldn’t even glance at her, only he knew how difficult it was for him to say those words to her. He knew that he had dug his own grave by asking Prerna if she wanted to be free from their deal, it was obvious that she would choose to go back to Anurag but he knew that it would be right for her! He went to his study and poured himself a glass of bourbon, he gulped a long sip of his drink and closed his eyes. What had he done?
——
Prerna returned to Kukki’s room and absent mindedly sat on the bed, she started caressing Kukki’s face and looked at the innocent angel that lay in front of her. Every moment that she had shared with Kukki flashed in front of her eyes, from their first meeting till now. She smiled to herself. She was angry with Rishabh for blackmailing her into marrying him until she had come to know his reason for marrying her. He wanted his daughter to get the love she deserved from a mother and his daughter had chosen Prerna to deliver her that love. But then why would he let her go from Kukki’s life? Kukki’s happiness was always Rishabh’s priority and he was ready to put that at stake by letting her go back to Anurag, why was he doing this? What had happened to him? She thought.
She placed her hand on her belly and started caressing it, she thought about how Kukki had already made her a mother before her own child could come in this word. She knew what it was like to be a mother. All she cared about was the happiness of her child, she wanted to give Kukki the love that she deserved but that also meant that her own child will never get the love from his father, from Anurag, will that be fair? Could she do that to her child? Except Rishabh no one knew that she was pregnant with Anurag’s child, she wondered how would Anurag react when he came to know about it. She smiled as she remembered a conversation she had with Anurag about their future family and how excited he sounded about having kids of their own, but almost immediately that smile had vanished. She shut her eyes in pain. The decision was getting more and more difficult to make. How could she decide what she wanted in her life? How could she choose between Kukki and Anurag? Lost in her thoughts she lay next to Kukki and didn’t realise when sleep had engulfed her.
——
The next morning Prerna woke up and realised that Kukki was not in bed, she started panicking but relaxed the next minute when she saw her come out of the walk-in closet with Rishabh. She glanced at his face, there were dark circles around his eyes, he looked tired and there were stress lines on his forehead, didn’t he sleep last night? The question came in her mind but before she could voice it Rishabh left the room. Kukki came to Prerna and gave her a tight hug, but when they broke apart Prerna noticed a shadow of sadness on her daughter’s face
‘Kya hua?? Aap udas kyun lag rahe ho??’
She asked her, Kukki looked at her and Prerna saw tears in her eyes, she immediately got worried and hugged her again
‘Kukki, Kya hua?? Aap ro kyun rahe ho?’
In response Kukki hugged her more tightly, Prerna kept stroking her hair to calm her down. After a few minutes they broke the hug and before Prerna could again ask Kukki the reason behind her sadness Rishabh had called her for breakfast, Kukki immediately ran downstairs leaving Prerna confused and worried.
Prerna sat on the bed for another couple of minutes and went to her room to freshen up. She came out while drying her hair with a towel and walked towards the dressing table. She saw her sindoor and broken mangalsutra kept there. She started tracing her mangalsutra absentmindedly and recalled Rishabh’s words. She had to tell him her decision, which she had already made. Taking a deep breathe she walked out of her room to join everyone for breakfast.
As soon as Prerna walked down the stairs everyone stood rooted to their spots, they looked at her in shock, everyone knew that Prerna’s mangalsutra broke but she hadn’t applied sindoor as well. Masi went to her and questioned her about the same but before Prerna could reply Rishabh stopped her
‘It’s okay Masi… aap aur Tanvi jake aapne bags pack kar lijiye. Hum aaj raat ke flight se London ja rahe hain!’
Rishabh said in a dead-toned voice and walked towards his room holding Kukki’s hand in his without even glancing at Prerna or anyone else. But Prerna had already noticed the hurt and pain in his eyes when he was announcing their departure to London. Without another word Masi and Tanvi too retired to their rooms while Prerna kept looking at Rishabh and Kukki who were walking upstairs.
She was startled when Anurag suddenly pulled her in a hug
‘Prerna… tumne Bajaj se rishta tod diya… you decided to come back to me! I am so happy Prerna.. main tumhe bata nahi sakta!!’
He broke the hug and cupped her face, she gave him a weak smile in return. The Basu’s were not happy with this at all, they didn’t want Prerna back in Anurag’s life, especially Mohini, she had a sour expression on her face seeing her son becoming so happy at Prerna’s decision. She walked up to them and placed her hand on Anurag’s shoulder making him turn towards her. Anurag pulled his mom in a hug and expressed his happiness while Prerna excused herself.
She walked to Kukki’s room and saw her packing her toys in a small trolley bag. Prerna’s eyes teared up looking at her daughter, Kukki noticed her on the door and walked to her. She caught Prerna’s hand and made her sit on the bed, she started talking in gestures and Prerna voiced her actions
‘Main aapse bohut pyaar karti hun… aur aapko khush dekhna chahti hun… papa ne bataya ki aapki khushi aapke Friend (Anurag) ke saath hai… issliye aapko unke paas rehna hai.. toh hum wapas ja rahe hain.. lekin aap yahin rahoge…!’
Prerna couldn’t stop her tears as she continued voicing Kukki’s thoughts
‘Mujhe aapko chodke nahi jana.. par mujhe aapko khush dekhna hai toh usske liye yeh karna hoga… aur papa toh honge hi na mere paas… mujhe happy rakhne ke liye.. toh aap yahan khush rehna main wahan Papa ke saath khush rahungi…’
Kukki said ‘I love you’ to her in sign language and hugged Prerna tightly. She started crying in her mother's arm for one last time while Prerna sobbed loudly with her daughter wrapped in her arms! It was probably the last time she would hold Kukki so close to her. She knew she was being unfair with Kukki because she wanted to be fair to her own child. She felt selfish for doing so but she knew that was the right decision. She couldn’t spend her life without Anurag but could she live without Kukki now?
They both kept crying their heart out in each others arms oblivious of Rishabh standing there at the doorstep. He had witnessed the entire thing and he had tears in his eyes too. He knew it would be difficult to make Kukki leave Prerna but he knew that it was right for everyone, especially for Prerna. He was guilty that he was going to deprive his daughter of a mothers love once again but he felt proud of the way his daughter had reacted to the situation. He didn’t know that his little princess was so mature that she took this entire thing so well.
He turned away and quickly wiped his tears, taking a deep breath he composed himself and then knocked on the door. Prerna and Kukki broke apart but didn’t let go of each other completely.
‘Vo actually hum abhi nikal rahe hain, London ke liye yahan se direct flight available nahi thi so we have to go via Delhi, we need to leave in an hour to make it to the airport on time!’
He said and walked away, he couldn’t look at them like this, his guilt would only be intensified. He was walking to his room when he crossed Anurag in the corridor.
‘Maine kaha tha na Mr. Bajaj, Prerna sirf meri hai… aur vo mere paas laut aayegi, dekha… laut aai vo mere paas apne pyaar ke paas!!’
Anurag said smugly, Rishabh closed his eyes in pain, he let out a sigh and looked at Anurag
‘Congratulations. Prerna laut aai aapke paas, aapko pata hai Mr. Basu, aapse aaj jalan ho rahi hai… aapke paas vo sab kuch hai jo main chahta tha meri life main ho. Aapke paas ek family hai jo aapki fikar karti hai,Prerna hai jo aapse pyaar karti hai. Yeh sab maine meri life mein chaha, in fact kuch waqt ke liye mere paas vo tha bhi, but seems like I don’t deserve it after all. Issliye aaj phir vo sab main peeche chod raha hun!! Have a good life with ahead Anurag!!’
Saying so Rishabh walked away from him and Anurag stood there dumbfounded, it was the first time he hadn’t seen Rishabh in anger, he was looking dejected, hurt and in pain. He wondered what happened to the ruthless man that he had known Rishabh to be, but his chain of thoughts was broken when his mother called him out.
——-
Prerna couldn’t stop her tears when she walked downstairs with Kukki for the last time, it was more difficult than she had actually thought it would be, she sobbed as she stood in front of Rishabh, slowly letting go of Prerna’s hand Kukki caught Rishabh’s and they started walking out of the door, for one last time Kukki turned back and waved at Prerna, who gestured ‘I love you’ to her. Kukki blew a flying kiss in her direction, they stopped at the doorstep and Rishabh slowly turned to get a glimpse of Prerna's face for the one last time. She gave him a weak smile and waved at him, with great difficulty he returned the smile and stepped out of the door with his daughter as Anurag stepped next to Prerna. As soon as they were out of sight Prerna rushed to her room and locked herself, she lay on the bed and started crying loudly letting her emotions free.
Today again she had taken a decision that had not just changed hers but many other lives as well, she hoped that at least this time she took the right decision though!
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