Chapter 2
5 years later
Aurangabad:
Malhar was reading newspaper with a cup of tea when the doorbell rang. Irritated at the chance of his routine being disturbed, Malhar took his own sweet time to open the door.
After the door being opened, Sampada was standing in front of him in a shimmering silver short dress. Malhar frowned, rubbing his forehead.
"Kabhi to Moksh ki maa ki tarah socha Karo, Sampada," Malhar said, "Kal raat use itna tez bukhaar tha. Aur tum ab aa rahi ho club se? Kalyani hoti..."
"Kalyani! Kalyani!" Sampada muttered, "Arey itni hi acchi thi to bane rehne dete na use Moksh ki maa. Use ghar se dhakke maar kar tumne nikaala tha maine nahi. Swara ki diary milne ke baad har pal takleef tumne use di thi maine nahi."
"Sampada!" Malhar shouted.
"Chillao mat!" Sampada retorted, "Tumhari bechaari biwi nahi hoon main jo tumhari har baat sahoongi main. Tumne, tumhari Asawari Aai aur tumhare Baba ne to saans lena bhi doobhar kar diya tha us Kalyani ka. Mere maamlon me agar vo hamesha taang na adaati hoti to do chaar tips de deti main use ki tumhare jaise mardon se kaise nipta jaata h. Vaise Malhar, kabhi tumne socha nahi ki Atharv me aisi kya baat hai jo tumhari har beewi uski deewani ho jaati h?"
"Baba, ye Kalyani kaun hai?" A cute kid of five years was standing rubbing his eyes.
Malhar lifted the kid in his arms and said, "Kalyani tumhari Aai..." then Malhar corrected himself and said, "Mera matlab Kalyani tumhari Aai...Khair chorro kal tum zid kar rahe the na ki tumhe crow ka ghonsla dekhna hai."
Moksh nodded with excitement.
Holding Moksh in his arms, Malhar leaned towards Sampada and made Moksh touch her hair, "Beta ye dekho Kauwe ka ghonsla."
"Sampada aunty ke baal," Moksh giggled, "Kauwa yahaan rehta hai?"
"Don't call me aunty," Sampada was fuming, "Call me Sam. Ye aunty, aai, Kaki, baba is so old fashioned."
"Haan Moksh beta," Malhar said, "Sam to umar me aapse bhi chhoti hai. Bhool gaye bachpan me tumhari hi god me kheli hai ye to." Stomping her feet, Sampada left.
Moksh innocently held his belly because he felt it would burst from laughing.
After preparing breakfast for Moksh, Malhar started getting ready for work.
"Vardi me aap bade smart lagte hain Malharji!"
"Kalyani!" Malhar turned back but no one was there. A tear fell off Malhar's eyes.
"Kal..." Suddenly what happened five years ago flashed before his eyes. Even after holding Kalyani responsible for Swara's death and promising to make her life hell, Malhar was not able to completely wipe out feelings for Kalyani from his heart. He had hurt her and the guilt was eating him inside. Finally he decided to listen to the whispers of his heart and started warming up to Kalyani. Then one day, he found Moksh burning in high fever. As he was going to take Moksh to doctor, he received information that a high profile human trafficking racket was running in a shady hotel in the outskirts of the city. Malhar called Kalyani's phone repeatedly but it was coming switched off. After Swara's suicide, he had broken up all relationships with Deshmukhs so he couldn't even call Anupriya to take care of Moksh while he led a raid on the hotel. Sarthak Kaka was not in town.
Helpless, Malhar left Moksh alone in the empty house and locked the main door.
After he had caught the members of the human trafficking ring, he heard a slow music coming from a room in the hotel. Signalling everyone to keep quiet, he quietly moved towards the room and pointed his gun, saying "Hands up."
But to his horror, he saw Kalyani's dishevelled hair and a smudge of lipstick on Atharv's shirtless body.
In front of his team, Malhar didn't say anything. But when Kalyani came home, Malhar threw a bucket of cold water over Kalyani. It was the month of January. Kalyani kept shivering outside in the cold night.
Finally in the morning, Kalyani found her things thrown outside the house.
But when milkman rang the doorbell, Kalyani entered inside the house and pleaded, "Meri baat to suniye Malharji. Vahaan kucch nahi hua tha. Please mujhe apni baat kehne ka mauka to dijiye..."
"Kehna kya. Hamare police department me to ham scene recreate karwate hain criminal se. Atharv ko phone lagaun kya me? Kal raat ka scene create karne me uski bhi to zaroorat padegi tumhe..."
"Malharji," Kalyani said sharply, then in a pleading tone she said, "is ghar se nikaalne se pehle, bas ek baar mujhe mere pillu ko dekh lene dijiye."
"Are waah!' Malhar taunted, "Jab mere bete ko tumhari sabse zyaada zarrorat thi to tum us Atharv ke saath love hotel me enjoy kar rahi thin. Nikal jaao mere ghar se."
To distract himself, Malhar switched on the TV.
The reporter was saying,
"Duniya ki chauthi sabse ameer businessman Ms. Agni Naidu finally India me apna naya business venture launch karne jaa rahi hain. Sirf 25 saal ki umar me apne raaste me aane vale har business corporation ko overtake karne vali Agni sirf Bhaarat hi nahi duniya ki har ladki ke liye Prerna hain. Unke super sharp business acumen aur ruthless attitude se business ki duniya me unka har competitor unke naam se kaampta hai. Par kamaal ki baat ye hai har top businessmen ko apni ungliyon par nachane wali Agni ko aaj tak kisi ne nahi dekha."
Exasperated, Malhar switched off the TV. On the other hand, in Deshmukhs house, as Anupriya's eyes were glued to the television, Pallavi switched off the TV and said, "Maai. Insaan ko TV news bhi apni aukaat ke hisaab se dekhni chahiye. Vo to hamara dil itna bada h, isliye tumhe rehne ke liye chhat de rakhi hai. Varna isse accha to Billi hi paal lete. Kam se kam uski shakal aapke jaisi manhoos to nahi hoti. Kitty party ke liye meri friends aayengi. Jo jo dishes maine bataai hain, sab time par ready honi chahiye."
Anupriya timidly nodded.
As she was cutting vegetables on chopping board, looking all around her, she pulled a law book hidden under the board. Anupriya loved working in kitchen where she could study for her law exams hiding from the Deshmukhs. She knew her daughter didn't die due to an accident, she was killed and as long as her murderers were roaming free, Anupriya would not rest.
I hope you got some answers in this chapter...Please give me feedback on this chapter. What will happen next according to you? Will Anupriya be able to bring Kalyani's murderers to justice? What do you think will happen in the life of Malhar and Pillu? What had happened five years ago to Kalyani and Malhar?