Trapped [✓]

8.

A few more days flew by. Gauri was getting restless with every passing day. She was still unable to get her hands on the documents that could prove her father was murdered by Tej. There was a looming fear of getting caught during her mission of destroying Tej, much like the most recent one.

Gauri had stealthily walked into Tej's study given no one was at home - Omkara and Tej had gone to the office, Janhvi had gone with Kalyani and Dolly Bua to the temple for prayers, or so she'd thought. Gauri had avoided tagging along with the ladies saying she wasn't in a mood to travel all the way to the temple and the women had readily given in, asking her to get ample rest. Gauri had looked around inside Tej's study and hadn't found the keys to the locker. She had then decided to snoop around in Tej and Janhvi's room, and much to her luck, she had found the locker keys in one of Tej's drawers in his cupboard.

Although when she had merely walked up to the door of the study room, she'd been stopped by Daadi who quizzed her what she was doing there. Apparently Daadi had a sudden pain shooting up her knee which is why she had decided to stayed back. Gauri had quickly escaped saying that she thought she heard an intruder and was looking around of the intruder had gone inside the Study Room. Daadi had simply laughed and dismissed her worry saying that the Oberoi Mansion had a tight security. Gauri had then secretly procured a copy of the locker key through Dandi by evening after securing the original one back in its place. And ever since, it had been a long wait for another opportunity to find the house empty, so she can finally have a look inside that locker.

On the other hand, Gauri's mother Anuradha was worried for her. "Gauri, I think you should forget about Tej Singh Oberoi for a while and just focus on the health and wellbeing of your unborn baby. The mother's thoughts always affects the child, bitiya, and I don't want your Panchi to be consumed with any such emotion of revenge the way you've been ever since your father passed away". But every single time, Gauri would remind her Amma that avenging her father's cold-blooded murder was her life's main goal.

"And what about your marriage, Gauri?" Anuradha would ask her. Gauri did not want to think about it. She had been having conflicting thoughts about Omkara for quite a few days now. On one hand, she knew she was punishing him and her Panchi for the crimes of the real culprit - Tej. On another hand, she knew there was no way the rest of the Oberoi family would happily accept her after knowing she was plotting against the man of the house. They would not let go of Panchi too, since she has the Oberoi blood running in her veins. And there was no way Gauri could think of being separated from her baby.

Then there was her traitorous heart that skipped beats each time Omkara did something nice for her. It was as if the man had transformed by taking 180 degrees turn from the Nandi Bail that he used to be. He had genuinely started taking care of her and Panchi, each time referring to the little one as 'our Panchi'. However, what shocked her was the fact that, just that about four days back, he'd called the contract - the deal that he had struck between them wherein he'd stated that she would leave after she had given birth to their child - as invalid.

"Gauri, I'm sorry I was such an insensitive jerk when I drew the terms of this contract. You're no longer bound to these papers" Omkara had told her in a contrite tone and, much to her shock, had torn those contract papers into shreds. Gauri had been moved to tears and Omkara had quickly engulfed her in his arms, providing her the immediate solace she'd needed. But in retrospect, Gauri had teared up with guilt, knowing that she never had any intention to stay for long in the first place. So, when Omkara had uttered the next words, "Now you and I will always be together for our Panchi; she will not go through all that horrible pain that I have lived through", she had burst into bitter tears, knowing very well that once her truth was out, Omkara himself would be the first one to throw her out. Guilt had consumed her for all the pain that she was going to give him by walking away forever with their child. Omkara however had assumed that it was just her pregnancy hormones causing her to be overwhelmed.