It had been four months since Abhira had left Udaipur. Armaan had tried to find her, but it was in vain. Madhav had tried to locate her using his contacts in Mussoorie, but they were unsuccessful. Armaan had even gone to Abhira’s office, but that did not help. Even enlisting Charu’s help did not work as Charu backed out stating Dev Sir would object, and it did not make a good impression of the Poddars outside. Fufasa had been the one to rein in what he viewed as Armaan’s folly in going after a mere girl who had no bright prospects. Dadisa supported her damaad as always as she too knew the chances were slim to locate Abhira. If they were not able to find Rohit, the probability of finding Abhira was even smaller. In all this, they could not let their firm suffer. After all, their existence, and opulence relied on the firm doing well.
Armaan realized that physically he could not do anything, but he could hire a detective to track down where Abhira was. If Abhira was safe, at least he would not be worried about her safety. It would also lessen his guilt a bit.
There was a void in his life now that he examined it, a stark loneliness that seemed to haunt him where ever he'd be. In Ruhi, he could not find the solace that he once thought he would get. He'd question himself as to why he was not able to sign and file the divorce papers rightly as Ruhi pointed out. Abhira had done her part without guilt trapping him, without begging, pleading, taunting or creating a scene. She had gone away with her dignity intact, head held high, just like a cool breeze.
Armaan had become a shadow of his former self. He barely ate, trying to evade the emptiness of his life by getting consumed into work. He did not know if he even had the courage to face Abhira now, that is if he was able to track her down. Maybe, he'd see from afar, just so that her sight would grant his tormented soul some relief. He had been thankful to his parents and family who had given him the privacy to mourn the end of his marriage, a relation that was born in odd circumstances, but that slowly begun to color his life. He didn't have to voice anything, Abhira could just sense it. Though he was given privacy, he could read the questions in their eyes, even his own Dadisa's eyes. He just didn't have the answers that could pacify them without breaking their trust in relationships. Had he heeded to Abhira's initial advice of not letting Ruhi interfere in their marriage, then maybe the odds would have been in his favor. At the moment, there seemed not even a sliver of hope.
Ruhi on the other hand, had been on cloud nine ever since Abhira's departure. Abhira's going away fueled her delusions such that she had no care in the world for what the Poddars, the Goenkas or society would think. She'd deck herself up, act as a dutiful bahu, but she could not replace Abhira no matter what she did. Even breakfast would not be something that she would be successful at.
Aryan at the breakfast table, seeing parathas again, "Kya yaar, aaj bhi parathe? Why can't we have something light in a while, like how Abhira Bhabhi used to make wet poha. That was delicious, healthy and light."
"Aryan, jo saamne hai, usko khaao" Manisha spoke, not wanting to create a ruckus in front of her stern mother-in-law, Kaveri.
"Vidya, Manisha, app dono mein se koi proper namkeen poha bana sakta hai 5 - 10 min mein?" Kaveri grimaced, tasting the lack of salt in the parathas.
"Ji Mummy sa, main abhi bana deti hoon. Bas 5 min." Manisha replied not understanding why Kaveri made such a demand all of a sudden.
"Chhi, ismein namak hi nahin hai. Ruhi Bhabhi aapse nashta bhi nahin dhang se ban paata? Abhira Bhabhi toh yummy breakfast bhi banati thi aur job bhi karti thi." Kiara taunted Ruhi.
"Vidya aur Kajal, aaj shyam se Charu aur Kiara ko cooking ki thodi bahut cheezein sikhana shuru kardo. Hum yeh nahin chaheinge kal jab inn dono ki shaadi ho, toh inhein ghar aur bahaar ki zimmedaari ek saath nahin nibhaana aata ho. Inke saath humein bhi inke sasuraal wale taana na dein." Kaveri spoke to Vidya taking a swipe at both Ruhi and Kiara in one go.
"I'm so sorry, main Chachisa ki help kar deti hoon." Ruhi spoke apologetically. Internally she was angered by being compared to Abhira. Tumse toh badla loongi main Kiara. - Ruhi thought internally.
"Rehne do. Aap jis cheez mein haath lagati hain, woh kharab ho jaati hai." Krish spoke looking at Armaan and got up to leave.
Krish's deriding and terse tone towards Armaan and Ruhi was not missed by Manoj. He began to wonder if Krish knew something that the family was unaware of. Why did Krish look at Armaan that way while taunting Ruhi? Does he also suspect the same that Manisha suspects? I need to talk to him. - thought Manoj to himself.
---Lutyens Garden, New Delhi---
“Gayu Nanisa, aap jaanti hai iska kya matlab hai? Mere aur ek aur ladki ke mitochondrial DNA ka exact match hai.” Spoke Gayatri Deora’s grandson, or grandnephew rather, with his voice trembling. This grandnephew was none other than Dr. Abhir Abhimanyu Abhinav Sharma, a neurosurgeon in his final year of residency at Eilte Hospital, New Delhi.
“Bhagwaan ka laakh laakh shukr hai Abhir. Tumhein bhi Abhira bahut pasand aayegi. Chalo, pehle yeh news tumhare Naksh Nanu aur Kairav Mamu ko bata dein.” Gayatri spoke excitedly.
Both Gayatri and Abhir spoke with Naksh and Kairav about their DNA findings, and how they were going to go get Abhira right away, when Naksh stopped them.
“Nahin, ruk jao. Abhi uske ghar ke saamne nazar rakho. Gayu, Naira ke saath bahut tragic incident huyi thi, jab ghar chhor kar chali gayi thi. Let’s find out about Abhira’s past, understand her, and then we can be more sensitive in our approach. I’m coming down to Delhi as soon as we get all the info on her. Then we will grandly welcome our soanchideya’s very own soanchideya. Don’t speak a word to anyone. I do not want those selfish Goenkas to get to her first. Chhoti Dadi will be elated once we reach there, aur Ananya Didi toh paagal hi ho jaayeingi!”
“Yes, Gayu Maasi. Naksh Mamu is right. We need to proceed carefully. We do not know how much duress Abhira has been. Main bhi bahut khush hoon. Aaj Akshu nahin rehi, par uske dono bacche humein mil gaye.” Kairav spoke, holding his tears back.
“Haan Mamu, iss baar ki rakhi amazing hogi. Iss baar Abhira bhi mujhe rakhi baandhegi.” Abhir spoke emotionally, realizing that he still had a part of his family remaining; the baby sister whom he wanted to have so badly.
---Greenwich, CT, USA---
Naksh and Kairav had met up and called Yash back in Udaipur with the information that Gayu and Abhir had given them. Naksh wanted no stone unturned to verify once again everything was correct, as this was momentous. His baby sister Naira’s granddaughter whom they had presumed dead, was alive. He wanted to make sure it was not an imposter trying to make quick bucks from them.
“Yash, I need to find the full kundali on Abhira. Who she was associated with, who were her friends, her complete history, including that of Akshu’s. If Abhira is really part of our family, then we need to know her background. Get people to find all this very quickly. Currently, she is working for Shekhawats, a law firm in Delhi, and stays in a working women’s hostel. I’ve told Gayu to place a bodyguard from a distance to safeguard Abhira until we are 101% sure.” Naksh spoke with urgency.
“Don’t worry Naksh. I’ll hire the best detective agency to find out about her. I am just as excited. If this is true, we will have a grand party in Udaipur Palace to welcome back our very own Soanchideya!” Yash spoke with choked emotions.
“Arrey Yash Mama, don’t choke because of your old age!” quipped Kairav.
“Budha toh woh Goenkas hain. Budhi ghodi, laal lagaam especially that Surekha!” Yash spoke mockingly.
“Achha, chalo, concentrate bro! Tere upar bahut badi zimmedaari hai. You know, there’s no one I trust more than you. Jaldi karna, because Abhir can’t contain his excitement. Woh toh pakka Abhira ko dekhne jaayega!” Naksh spoke.
---Working Women’s Hostel, New Delhi---
Abhira was immersed in her casework. She had had regular correspondence with Dev Shekhawat on her casework, and ensured her work reflected her dedication. Her boss, Dev Shekhawat, had been instrumental in getting her transferred not only job wise, but college wise as well. To top it off, he had her enrolled in the firm’s program for continuing education where the firm paid a part of the employee’s tuition. There were times when her mind wandered off to the special close moments she had shared with Armaan; but soon she’d come out of her reverie to face the harsh reality that she was an orphan with no family. Iss banjara dil ne toh saahil ko ho manzil maan liya tha. Galatphemi ko khushphemi maan liya tha- Abhira shook her head as she penned these lines in her own diary, venting out her frustration to feel better.
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