"Happy Birthday to you....... Happy Birthday to you dear Maasi....... Happy to you" Kartavya with Leelawati with a sweet smile and side hugged her.
Leelawati was looking at him suspiciously when Kartavya forwarded the cake towards her.
"I hope iss saal bhi, har saal ki tarah sabse pehle meine aapko wish kiya. Now let's cut the cake maasi........meine khud bake kiya hai, your favourite orange kiwi fruit cake"
Kartavya lit the candles and handed Leelawati the knife to cut the cake.
Leelawati smiled at Kartavya and blew off the candles while cutting the cake simultaneously. Before she could feed Kartavya, he took the piece from her hand and made her taste it first.
As soon as Leelawati swallowed the small piece of cake, Kartavya with a straight face stated "the cake has poison in it"
Leelawati was stunned hearing this. She couldn't understand how to react. She looked at Kartavya being perplexed at his regretless expression.
Kartavya burst out with laughter "kya maasi meine kaha aur aap maan bhi gayi........aapka chehra toh dekhiye, darr saaf nazar aa rahi hai, isiliye kehta hun ki galat kaam kabhi mat kariye jisse aapko pachtana pade aur darr ka saya apka peecha kabhi na chode"
"Kartavya......"
"Maasi calm down koi zeher nhi hai iss mein..." Kartavya said and he himself ate spoonful of cake to prove his point and flashed an innocent smile at Leelawati.
"Tu mera birthday bhula nhi iss baar bhi" Leelawati patted his cheek
"Mein kuch nhi bhulta maasi aur nahi bhulne deta hun kisiko" Kartavya said. He was meaning the wrong things that she did with him but she was in delusion to understand the hidden meaning in his statement.
"Mujhe laga tha ki jo kuch bhi hua uske baad tu......" Leelawati hesitated to complete her sentence
Kartavya leaned forward and held her hands "Maasi, I know ki aap mujhe apna nhi samajhti par mein toh aapko aapna samajhta hun na......gusse mein kabhi kuch bol diya rahunga but aapko bhi pata hai how much am connected to you."
"Kartavya......tu esa kyu bol raha hai? Mein tujhe apna nhi samjhti?"
"Kuch galat bola kya maasi? Aab dekhiye na aapko sab pata hai ki Ishani ne mere saath kya kiya.....aap janti hain ki Geetanjali mere Zinda main kya maene (importance) rakhti hai..... chaliye Geetanjali ko chodiye par mera baccha! Ussne kya bigada tha? Usse kis baat ki sajah mili?......sab jante huye bhi aap Ishani ko kuch nhi kahengi aur nahi usse iss harkat ke liye koi PUNISHMENT dengi.....kyu? Kyu ki woh aapki apni beti hai, blood relation you know par mein kon hun koi nhi" Kartavya smiled a said smile at the end but made sure to imprint the word 'punishment' in Leelawati mind.
"Esi baat nhi hai Kartavya, Ishani abhi thodi si immature hai.....but I will make sure to make her understand ki woh aage se esa kuch na kare" Leelawati assured
Kartavya sadly chuckled "ji maasi, sahi kaha aapne. Ishani abhi immature hai issiliye usse mere immature bache ki premature death karwadi. Mein naraz nhi hun maasi apse. Mujhe pata hai Ishani apke life mein mujhse zyada important hai. Aapka pyaar uske liye dekha hai meine. Isiliye meine decide kiya hai ki mein Ishani ko maaf kar dunga. Kuch nhi kahunga kuch nhi karunga, bhul jaunga ussne jo bhi kiya......yeh mann lunga ki yeh incident kabhi hua hi nhi..........."
Kartavya made sure to drop 2-3 drops of tears to look more emotional and heartbroken at the moment.
He quickly removed his tears and taking a deep sigh, he continued "jab mere khud ke baap ne hi mere sath dhoke pe dhoka kiya ho tab baaki sab ke injustice ko leke kya complain karna. Par maasi, meine hamesha aapko papa ke upar rakha, unse zyada mana ........par nahi unse koi expectation tha company ko lekar aur nahi apse koi expectation hai Ishani ko lekar. Thoda difficult hai bhulna ki kese Geetanjali ko staircase se dhaka deke uska miscarriage........aaaah......jane dijiye woh sab.......Aap please usse kuch mat kahiyega ........I don't want ki mere liye apke aur Ishani ke beech koi badha aye........thik hai maasi mein chalta hun"
From the expressions of Leelawati, Kartavya knew that he has now successfully manipulated her to punish Ishani.
When he was descending the stairs, he saw Ishani stepping up. Both of them looked at each other. Ishani was stunned to see Kartavya here at her place , all the while when she is running away from him.
Observing her nervous expression, Kartavya smiled to reduce the tension in the air. He went closer to her with the constant smile on his face.
Without wasting a second, Ishani conveyed her apology, "Kartavya......am am am really sorry....meine jo bhi kiya uska pachtawa hai mujhe. I .....I know ki jo meine kiya hai usko aab mein badal nhi sakti but please mujhe maaf kardo.......meine jab kuch jealousy mein aakar kiya. I was blind with obsession. Par aab mein sab samajh gayi hun. I regret my doings and I heartily apologize too.... Kartavya meine.....mein..."
"Ssssshhh.....calm down Ishani.....it's okay....I got it already ki you regret the past. But now that is past and as you said even if tried can't undo what's done already. But yeah! we can be careful not to repeat those in future, right?........and please relax I have already accepted your apology. I have no grudge against you" Kartavya blinked his eyes at the end to make his words more assuring.
Ishani heaved a sigh of relief and finally smiled "thank you.......you sit I will be back just after changing into something comfortable"
Saying so, Ishani climbed the stairs quickly while Kartavya decended the stairs with an evil smirk. He reached the piano kept near the stairs and started playing it.
He was playing the tune while mumbling under his breath, "i have accepted your apology but haven't forgiven you Ishani. I have no grudge against you but you would face my rage, if not directly than indirectly for sure"
Ishani's movements halted when her path was blocked by Leelawati who was looking somewhat lost in her thoughts.
"What's the matter mom? Lemme go, I have to change, also Kartavya is waiting downstairs" Ishani said
"Kartavya ke saath jo hua acha nhi hua. Mein Kartavya ki zindagi mein Digvijay ko khud se aage nhi dekh sakti. Mera aur uska koi comparison nhi. Chahe mujhe kuch bhi kyu na karna pade par mein Digvijay ko Kartavya ke life mein koi priority hold karne nhi dungi. I had proved and now again I have to prove that we are different" Leelawati uttered
"Yeh kya bol rahi hai aap mom?"
"Geetanjali ko staircase se dhaka diya tha na....... Kartavya uss baat ko bhul nhi sakta but I can help him to replace his gloomy thoughts. If this makes me greater than Digvijay, infront of Kartavya's eyes, then so it be" Leelawati said staring deep at Ishani eyes.
Ishani was completely confused with the blabberings of Leelawati. "Mom, mein kuch samjah nhi paa rahi.........."
Ishani couldn't even complete her sentence when her eyes turned wide like saucers. Her body was in air for a second of two and then harshly landed upside down on the stairs and rolled through out the staircase. Leelawati pushed her from the stairs.
Ishani was lying in the pool of her own blood, similar to the situation of Geetanjali. Once Ishani acted as an assaulter and a mere onlooker standing on the stairs and enjoying Geetanjali's misery and today her mother has replaced her place and was simply witnessing her sufferings for her own benefit.
Kartavya quickly paced near Ishani and held her in his arms and shouted at Leelawati "Maasi, why did you do this to her.......... I told you to forgive her......oh god!! Don't worry Ishani everything will be fine......you will be fine"
Kartavya without wasting any minute called the ambulance which was on standby infront of their house and quickly shifted Ishani to the hospital. Asking the same doctor who has treated Geetanjali to treat Ishani.
"Except 3 stitches on forehead and a hairline fracture in her waist, sprain on her left foot and a broken right arm......there is no major injuries......" The doctor briefed about Ishani's condition
"That's enough for her to understand her mistake and to remember it throughout her life" Kartavya stated with no regret
"At least she is better than Vikrant, whom I treated two days back......my goodness I couldn't make out for a moment, which injury to treat first....hope he will be fine soon. And not to forget the mother daughter duo.......they were wailing in pain when they were brought here, scratches all over their bodies, they are still recovering by the way......" The doctor informed
"I told you on that very day itself that be ready you gonna treat more patients real quick with more gruesome injuries so it's not like I haven't pre-informed you to be prepared" Kartavya said hautily leaving the doctor to think what to reply.
"She will be conscious within 3-4 hours" the doctor informed and left from there.
Kartavya moved near the window and stared outside at oblivion thinking how his life changed completely in these few months.
IN THE EVENING
"Mam we are here to file F.I.R as per the request we received from the hospital authorities. Are you comfortable to co-operate?" The police inspector asked Ishani
Ishani slowly raised her head and replied "yes. I would like to complain against Mrs. Leelawati"
"Who is she?" The inspector asked while filing the complaint
"She is my mother who deliberately pushed me from the stairs for her own selfish motives. I am in this temporary semi paralytic condition because of her. She did this to me. I want her behind the bars" Ishani gritted her teeth in anger towards Leelawati.
The police inspector asked few more questions and notes down everything. He went out and met Kartavya who was standing very relaxed.
"She complained against Leelawati. We are going to arrest her right away" the inspector said and left the hospital premises.
Leelawati was being pulled out of her residence by the lady constable. Despite several verbal pleadings and threatenings , nothing worked in favour of Leelawati. She was thrashing herself to get out of the lady constable's hold but was unsuccessful in it.
Near the police van, her eyes landed on Kartavya who was smoking leaning on his car.
"Kartavya save me. Dekh na kese yeh log mujhe le jaa rahe hai. Tell them ki mein kon hun. Get me out of this" Leelawati screamed
The police inspector looked at Kartavya for his next command and Kartavya eye gestured him to take Leelawati with them.
Leelawati was perplexed to witness a least bothered Kartavya and slowly the incident sipped into her head. Everything was a trap and she was his prey and he has hunt her down.
When Kartavya came near Leelawati, she asked "why?"
"Cause I don't play often but whenever I play, I play dirty. Yeh revenge sirf Geetanjali aur mere unborn baby ke liye nhi tha, yeh Digvijay Singh Chauhan ke liye bhi tha. I know how you have stained my relationship with dad. You fucking ruined my childhood. You ruined his entire life. If we suffered without deserving any of it then you will definitely suffer, deserving all of this. Now got and rot behind the bars and yes my dear Maasi make sure you cry and curse your life daily that will soothe my evil side"
Leelawati was crying hysterically and pleading everyone but no one paid any heed to her. She couldn't digest the betrayal from Kartavya. Each and every wrong deed that she has done with the Chauhan family came to her like a boomerang.
Kartavya kept watching the van until it disappeared from his sight. He mood was sour and sad. He looked up to sky, missing his mother. He was feeling terrible to lose all the three mother figures in his life. First his biological mother, then Ahalya and now Leelawati.
He was cursing his fate when he suddenly remembered about Geetanjali. She was more than enough for him. She loves him like his lover, excites him like his crush, cares for him like his mother and understands his silence like his other friends.
Kartavya called Geetanjali, asking her if she is ready for the dinner or not. Throughout the drive he talked with her to distract his mind. He has finally eliminated all his relatives turned enemies. His revenge is complete now.
Hey Readers!!
My health is fine now. Thanks for understanding my dilemma. The book has only 2 chapters left and hopefully I will complete it within this week.
Till then keep reading, keep loving.