Author's POV
"Abbe Saale" Kabir punched him hard making him yelp in pain. The right side of his jaw faced the harsh blow but soon it was intensified as his face swiftly fell to the other side due to another jab.
"What did I even do, Bhai?" Aditya whined. Kabir punched harder, making him cry louder.
"What were you saying? She is stone-hearted? Haan? Ruthless? Acting karni thi over-acting nahi (You had to act not overact)" Kabir kicked him where the sun doesn't shine while he pleaded for mercy for his mistake. He couldn't do anything but wail in pain.
"Slowly! You are hitting him but it feels like you are kicking me instead," Aditya said, continuing to punch Yuvaan. Yuvaan looked like he was about to faint in a minute. It had been a goddamn hour since they kept on using him as their punching bag while conversing with each other.
"Even you deserve a few of them for your awful acting skills," Kabir chided, angry at his brother for using those words for his wife, even if it was just to fulfill his purpose.
"As if you are any less. Kya pucha tha? Wait, it was...disrespect is different but humiliation is different...joke of the century ... .haha...haha..."
"Even if she shot us, including you, I expect you'd still trust her intentions. Your last words would be, 'You didn't need to expend that energy, love. Your words alone would have sufficed.'" Aditya laughed.
The gun would be heavy. She should find another way. He wondered to himself before joining Aditya as he realized how true his words were. He didn't really care if his princess stabbed him to death openly, but the only thing that mattered to him was if it made her happy. If her eyes twinkled with satisfaction or her face left the traces of pain that it held.
Sobering up, Aditya said, "Since the day you arrived, you have made me Amrish Puri. What am I? A Z-grade villain? Don't you dare touch her feet, don't you dare hug her, don't you dare welcome your bhabhi, act like you don't want her here and today you officially made me the bad guy."
"Leave my husband, I will call the police" Niya yelled loudly, trying to wiggle out of the grasp of the ropes she was tied through. The female bodyguard standing by her side glared at her but didn't make a move as she worked on the orders of Kabir.
"Call the army if it pleases you, but anyone who hurts my wife gets this special treatment," Kabir smirked before turning his attention back to Aditya.
"As if anything else could rile up Nikita's feminism until she truly felt I had offended her beloved bhabhi by questioning her in front of everyone. Your words perfectly poured kerosene into the oil. We had to do it because I know if any of them cracks first it would be Nikki," Kabir told Aditya as he remembered his plan of knowing the truth. He reminisced, barging into the room as soon as the words left Nikita's throat and making her open up. His eyes steeled as he remembered every little detail of the night that Nikita told him, even though he knew something was amiss.
"That night when Bhabhi came home she looked as if she had lost her purpose to live. Her eyes wanted to say so many things, but her lips were sealed. Tears were imprinted on her face like a mask hiding her brave freckles. She quietly held her dear mom's hand and asked quietly, 'Will you believe me over the world if the time demands?'
'Meeru, what happened, bacha?' Badi Maa asked.
'Tell me, Mom,' Bhabhi asked.
'Always. I will always believe my daughter,' Khyati Raichand promised, not knowing the next minute she would forget her own words.
'Mom, she—' she was saying when my mother barged inside with an envelope in her hands and an angry Yuvaan tailing behind her. She said, 'What's happening here?'
'Bhabhi this envelope came for you.' she handed over the envelope to her.
'Who the hell is writing love letters to my wife at this age?' Bade Papa joked.
Halting the conversation with Meera Bhabhi, Badi Maa opened the envelope to find pictures of Bhabhi with a man. They looked intimate, as the man was side-hugging her. There were plenty of them, each depicting a different story that people chose to believe. They made it look like she was cheating on you in broad daylight. Badi Maa gasped and said, 'What bullshit! Throw them away. These are a lie'
'What pictures are they?' Veronica looked at them keenly.
'I know these pictures are fake, Meera. I believe in you. My Meera can never cheat her chaand. Tell me this is morphed, you aren't in them and no one would ever raise a doubt again' Badi Maa assured, trying to eliminate the issue from the root.
Bade Papa had a look at those pictures too, making him clench his fists as he knew someone was trying to malign his daughter's name.
A shaken Meera bhabhi held those pictures with trembling hands reeling from an unknown trauma as if she had already seen all the cruelties of the world at once. Her eyes struggled to gain focus as they were filled with grief unknown to us. Maybe seeing you with Lara did that. Her brows furrowed in confusion, but as if the memories struck her at the speed of lightning, she remembered the source of those pictures.
'This.. this pic..' seeing her fumble through her words Badi Maa asked, 'Yes tell us.'
'It's me, Mom, but the man is Advay. Our college friend,' Meera informed.
'Don't lie Meera' My mother yelled at her.
'Veronica,' two voices yelled together. Badi Maa and Bade Papa shouted. Badi Maa chided Veronica and sternly told her, 'There is no need to be aggressive with my daughter. Nothing is proved yet'
'Bhabhi, I know you trust her, even I do, but Kabir is my son as much as he is yours. You never met Advay, but I have met all of Kabir's friends. The man's face is blurred in the pictures, but he cannot be Advay. He is in touch with me. He is in America right now. If he had returned to India he would have come home as he promised a dinner with us,' Veronica said, making Meera glare at her fiercely. Yuvaan slowly interrupted from behind, 'I am sorry for interrupting Badi Maa but that day just after the wedding, Trishna and I saw her with a man in the mall. You can ask Trishna if you don't trust my words.'
A video call was made to Trishna, and she affirmed his words hesitantly. Slowly the seed of distrust started to spread in their minds when Bhabhi said, 'You all don't believe me na, wait I will call Advay bhai,'
Meera called Advay Bhai, and he joyously picked up her phone. As you know he calls her doll from the very beginning this worked in their favor as they thought maybe along with that man bhabhi flirted with your friends as well.
'Hello doll, how are you? Having fun aren't you?' he teased not knowing he was on speaker. He had met Bhabhi a day before and she had maybe hinted to him about your progressing relationship and also the date you both were planning to go on in the evening. Veronica indicated something to Bhabhi indirectly taking the whole sentence to a vulgar meaning.
'Advay, we met yesterday, right? You picked me up from the office and we gave a surprise to Kabir. Didn't we?' Meera asked.
'Why are you asking this?'
'Advay, just answer me. Everyone is listening to you,' Bhabhi said blandly.
'Why are you lying, doll? I am in America and you are in India. How can we meet?' Meera could easily hear mischief in his voice but he had no idea what havoc his words were creating. Advay thought that everyone would scold him for not visiting home so he decided to tease Meera a little before apologizing to them for only visiting the couple and not the family. However, he never knew his teasing would make people doubt Meera's character. Khyati, having had enough of all this, snatched and disconnected the call.
'I trusted you, Meera,' she said helplessly. Meera looked at her with tears in her eyes. "Who is the man Meera?" She couldn't help but keep mum, knowing the last ray of hope was gone.
'Mom, please. Let me–' she said when Khyati roared, 'Not this time Meera. You are leaving. I don't want to escalate things in anger'
'Mom, listen to me' she requested but Badi Maa said, 'Stay at your parent's house for a few days and we will discuss the rest when I am in the right state of mind. Leave Meera'
'Mom, please—'
'Shut up Meera! Leave–'
'I AM PREGNANT MOM' Meera yelled, breaking down. Khyati's world came to a standstill as she heard those words. She wanted to dance in joy knowing she was going to be a grandmother, but the next minute Yuvaan's words shattered her dreams.
'With whose baby?' he muttered slowly, though he was clearly audible to everyone. Meera held his collar and slapped him for his audacity to say those words.
'You are not my husband to doubt my fidelity. I swear I will kill you if you use those words again' she yelled at him.
'Bhabhi, it's not her fault. It's my mistake. Kabir never wanted to marry Meera. He loved Lara but I by mistake misunderstood things. I tried to rectify it but Kabir couldn't break your heart and hence he quietly proceeded with the marriage. I didn't know my one mistake would bring us shame one day. I have seen Kabir truly accepting her, giving a chance to this relationship but I think he couldn't make a place in Meera's heart'
'Excuse me! What the hell are you speaking?' Meera Bhabhi was shocked at her words. My mother didn't pay any heed to her and continued to blurt out the happenings of that day when your alliance was decided.
'Mom, you know this is a matter between me and Kabir. Don't judge our love. I have loved him ever since I knew the meaning of that word,' Bhabhi told her, ignoring the sharp sorrow evident in Khyati Maa's eyes.
'Why Meera? I welcomed you with open arms. You both never told me the truth. How do I believe you now?' she asked painfully.
'Mom, let Kabir come home. Ask him if you don't believe me, we both have always belonged to each other.'
'No! I am not letting you stay and watch more of your pretense. I don't know which part of your relationship is true anymore but you are clearly the wrong choice for my son. I considered you my daughter Meera, and this is how you have betrayed me and my son. I am ashamed of myself today for not recognizing your true face'
'Would you have thrown Kabir out too if he cheated on me?' Bhabhi questioned blankly, realizing that she was never the daughter of this house. They didn't trust her at all. For all the days she stayed there, she failed to make them trust her love for them. They had seen her grow since her teenage. Even when Kabir wasn't there, she was. But when it came to trusting her a few pictures were enough to shake their core. They demanded proof of her character while all her life was unfolded in front of them like a bunch of papers.
Veronica Manas Raichand held her shoulders and shook her when she heard those words, 'People do anything to protect their interest. Now you doubt Kabir's loyalty when you yourself are roaming around with unknown men. Kabir in front of everyone banned Lara's entry to this household without giving anyone a reason. How can you doubt him?'
'Meera, do you think he cheated on you?'
'Mom, I have seen that man walking with head straight in a room full of women begging for attention to reach me. He can never' she said confidently.
'And you misused his loyalty?' The moment Bhabhi heard this question, she felt as if someone had snatched whatever she was trying to preserve. Whatever she held dear. Their every word was a dagger to her heart. Every blame hammered her wall of faith in love. This was no court but their verdict was shattering.
She silently wiped her tears and said, 'The judge of my devotion towards my husband is either him or none. When you call yourself the mother of a daughter, you are cautious, but equally blind, to trust her like no other. You aren't my mother'
My mother, the great Veronica Raichand, left her shoulders, harshly pushing her back. Bhabhi stumbled, and I caught her in time. She protectively kept a hand on her stomach, thanking god for saving her offspring from any possible harm.
'I anyway regret giving you a place in my heart. You have built a world on lies, Meera. It had to break. I regret calling you my daughter. Leave this instant and never show me your face again.'
'Every spot in my world is real, Mrs. Khyati Raichand, but you chose to trust the wrong source. I will leave once I see Kabir'
'As if we will let your dark shadow fall on him again. Bhabhi, I can't bear her presence anymore. I won't have a morsel in this house until the sinner of my son lives in this house,' Mom said.
'Meera is not leaving the house at night. Whatever it is, let Kabir and Aditya come home, and then let's sort out things' Abhimanyu Raichand interrupted. Khyati Maa looked at my mom and seeing her eyes pleading for justice for you, she melted.
'If this is what you want, then I will. If you cannot oust a person who walks over my son's feelings, then oust me instead. I will leave.' She was adamant.
'Maa ek aakhri baar kabir ko dekhne do main chup chaap chali jaungi, please'
''Do you have any proof of your faithfulness Meera?' Khyati Maa asked instead. I don't know if she had or not but if this was what family was like I never wanted to get married. I am better single. You had to prove anything but your fidelity to your family.
Apne aise hote hai toh ham gairon mein rehke khush hein
Rishte aise hote hai toh ham vairag shehron mein rehke khush hein
Pyaar nahi milega na sahi ham iss dard ki lehron se door rehke khush hai
Hasi ke shor na bhi ho toh ham aansuon ke sveron se door rehke khush hein
(If loved ones are I like this I am happy with strangers
If relationships are like this I am happy in lonely cities
Even if I don't find love, I am happy staying away from the waves of this pain.
Even if there is no laughter, I am happy staying away from the mornings of tears)
Bhabhi stayed mum clenching her fist. I don't know what stopped her but she didn't defend herself again.
'I am not listening to anything. I want you gone right this moment' she shook her head.
'Bhabhi subah tak ruk jaiye na. She can stay in the guest house,' Veronica Raichand said for the sake of humanity.
'Either this girl leaves or me,' Khyati said making everyone seal their mouths. I saw the devastation on her face when she heard 'this girl' dipped in disgust whereas she was used to listening to 'Mera Bacha' from her mouth. The complete household that she cared for stood silent in her misery. She was helpless. She pleaded with your mother that she would never tell you a thing, but she just wanted to see you one last time. She was okay with seeing you just entering the premises and leaving, but Badi Maa was adamant. Bade Papa couldn't support her in any manner going against her wife at that time as her BP shot up and her head started to spin. He couldn't let her stress herself.
'If Bhabhi leaves today then I leave too. I don't want to stay at a house where my brother's wife isn't respected. You don't throw a pregnant woman out at night.' I told them.
'She lives or dies is no longer our concern. A girl who can stoop down to betraying her own family can never be trustworthy. Ghar se manhoosiyat jitni jaldi chali jaye utna acha hota hai Nikki (Bad luck must leave the house as soon as possible Nikki)' I looked at my mother in shock as those venomous words left her throat. What was even Bhabhi's fault?
'Yes, recently there's been a constant downfall in business. This child has started proving to be inauspicious for us even before its arrival. A sinner's blood,' Bhabhi's eyes teared up listening to Yuvaan's words. Till morning she was super excited to give the gifts to everyone that she had brought to disclose the news, but now a fetus who hadn't even seen the world was being blamed for something he didn't have any idea about. What should she expect from the world when the people she considered her world didn't trust her? She was asked to prove that Kiyaara was your child.
'Great then you guys keep your business to yourself. I will take care of my bhabhi. Let's leave' I told her. She looked at me and smiled painfully as if she had seen an angel among a flock of devils. She was grateful for something that was her right. Something that every member of my family should have. A heart that could value someone's pure affection for you. Bhabhi had never asked for anything in return while helping each one of us. If we returned her love with humiliation, god would never forgive us.
'I will disown you if you take a step out of this mansion.' My mother warned me. I was ready to leave everything behind with Bhabhi when she shook her head and said, 'Ghar se manhoosiyat jaati achi lagti hai ghar ki raunak nahi. Stay! (It's good if the source of bad luck leaves but it's an omen when the light of the house leaves)"
'Bhabhi, please don't use that word for yourself. Please take me along' I begged her.
'Soon you would find your purpose behind staying here. Wait till then. Goodbye Mera Patakha (My firecracker)' she said and kissed my forehead. I wailed like a baby cherishing her motherly love.
'Will you leave or should we call the guards' Yuvaan asked while I was so close to killing my brother. How did I even share the same blood as these creatures? I wondered to myself.
She didn't reply. Our family kept on cursing her for being characterless, a Gold digger, immoral, and rogue. They demeaned her values, questioned her upbringing, and most importantly her love for you. They slandered everything she was proud of. She was told she worked as your assistant and lacked an identity of her own. How your business must be falling as she was stealing from the company, how she must have tried to woo men behind your back, even her choice of clothes was judged but it felt like she was no longer there. I stood there in tears witnessing her silently breaking down. Neither was she crying nor was she trying to prove anything. All she wanted was a chance to see you for one last time but nobody let her. Mom went to help her pack her stuff and maybe made her write that letter. I don't know the history as the emotional torment was too much to bear. She was stepping out when Khyati Aunty slowly asked, 'Meera, the traditional bangles I gave–'
'Mere kabir ne mujhe jo bhi diya hai sab mere paas hai baaki yaha se main kuch nahi le ja rahi. Ham unke diye sikkon se khush hai aapke Kangan aapko Mubarak (I have everything my Kabir has given me and I am not taking along anything else from here. I am happy with the coins he gave me you can gladly keep the gold to yourself),' she said. I couldn't believe that my badi maa could demand something that was her right back from her. The way they treated her like she was here only for money and could sell her soul for her benefit was monstrous. Before leaving she hugged me hard and whispered in my ears.
'I don't know if I will ever meet you again, but I have a request to make. No one would let me see him, but without hearing his voice once, I don't think I would be able to get through this. Do me this favor when he reaches home, silently call me, and let me just hear him speak. Just one word or one sentence. That's all I need to survive. Think of it as giving life to a dead soul. Please,' she said. I wanted to call you that instant but you weren't reachable. I couldn't speak. My throat was clogged with emotions.
'Let bhai know the truth once he will get you back,' I told her. She chuckled and said, 'After this moment, the version of truth that would be presented before the world would make no sense to you. Just keep your lips glued if you want to survive. Promise me.'
'No bhabhi. This isn't fair to him,' I revolted.
'You'd know what I mean once I leave,' she had told me that day. I got to know later how right she was. For years, I stayed quiet, bearing this guilt because the whole family gave me death threats. Mom told me if she wanted me to see her alive, I must keep quiet. Badi Maa advised me to stay away from this matter and Yuvaan Bhai threatened me that he would send me to live with Trishna if I ever told you a thing. I wanted to stay here with my brothers. Whenever I was ready to speak, they told me that you would never move on if I kept bringing up the past things. I ignored everything, but then Badi Maa told me that if Meera came home, the history would repeat and I kept mum. Sorry bhai, but I had promised Bhabhi that I would silently take care of you. If I had to stay around you, I had to do this. For the last seven years, we have been living a lie. An illusion. Her last words before leaving this house were, 'Har din dua maangna ki kabir ko kabhi sach pata na chale, kyunki uss din aane wale toofan ko uski Meera bhi rok nahi payegi (Every day, pray that Kabir never discovers the truth because on that day, even his Meera won't be able to stop the impending storm.)'
If today she hates all of us, how is she wrong, Bhai? Each one of us deserves so much more for giving her the enormous unforgettable pain of a lifetime in return for her sheer love, Bhai. I haven't seen her smile like that morning again Bhai. You are whatever she has, I am begging you to take her away from here. Don't let her heart die once again.
"I fell for you a thousandfold more today for the way you love me, Mrs. Meera Kabir Raichand," he said to himself.
Kabir jerked out of the flashback blinking his agony-filled eyes feeling her pain as he heard Yuvaan scream. Kabir looked at Aditya torturing him when he said, "Something is missing in this puzzle, Aditya. Meera is stubborn as fuck. She wouldn't leave until she talks to me if she wants that. This drama feels more staged. It's like she knew what was going to happen. She would always stand against the wrong. My Meera is one in a million who never bears quietly. We are missing something."
She never went to his penthouse, her safe place, instead of disappearing in the night. She didn't try to contact him again. Something was terribly wrong because his woman gave two hoots about what the world said until she had him.
"We can make this Yuvaan or any member of the family speak then"
"No! The holy cause for which I came to India wasn't to live together as a family--"
"Yes yes, I know you are here to heal her as per the instructions of Mrs. Shyla Maan. The same lady you are angry at and she is determined to make Bhabhi let out her pain because that is the only way to bring her back to normal" Aditya said in one breath. Kabir nodded because Meeta and Shyla told him that the pain would diminish only from the spot where it started. There is no happy beginning until the darkness is plucked from its roots. Meera had to spell out her pain, come out of her shell, and embrace life to start afresh with her Chaand. Kabir brought her back to India to make her confess. He kept quiet when he should have yelled only for her to let her anger out but her tenacious self crumbled his plans to bits.
"What do we do now? Meera won't speak," Kabir mused.
"Because you would never ask," Aditya said. Kabir's eyes shot to him.
"Have you ever doubted her, bhai?" he asked, ignoring the look he was getting from Kabir.
"Unpe shak karna matalb hamare vajood pe shak karna. Iss gunaah ki koi maafi nahi hai (Doubting her is equal to doubting my existence. There is no forgiveness for this sin)," he said, making Aditya sigh.
"You have to question her because the woman you have loved would never be affected by the world until it's you who's questioning her faith. If you want her to let her pain out, step on the nerve that hurts the most. There's no other way"
"I can't see her cry. I can't do this. I can't lie to her about my faith. How do I doubt her faith in me when I have always received nothing but blind trust from her? I have seen her cry once in life and it burned me alive. I don't think I would survive that torture again," Kabir said.
"Pata nahi kitna pyaar karti hai vo mujhse ki unhe hamare ilava kuch dikhta hi nahi (I don't know how much she loves me that she can't see anything beyond me)" Kabir said and stormed out trying to find ways to make his wife let out her pain.
"Jitna aap unse karte hai ki aap sab dekh ke bhi andekha kar dete hai (As much as you love her by ignoring what is clearly visible to you for her sake)," Aditya muttered seeing his retreating form. Perfect examples of fools in love. Their version of love is beyond my comprehension. He concluded.
"Maa, I swear I didn't want to push her. She forced me to drink milk. Even Dadu told her to let it be, but she kept on trying to make me drink it. You told me not to consume things they give without your permission. She was going to slap me, only that's why I tried to escape by pushing her. Am I a bad girl?" Kiyaara asked Meera, sitting on her lap.
"What did I tell you about the first rule of self-defense?" Meera asked instead.
"Fight when right," Kiyaara answered indirectly answering her own questions.
"You believe in me?"
"If someday no one does remember you have me," Meera promised. She would be anything but a mother who doesn't trust her children.
She smiled up at Meera and said, "Love you bahut saara (Too much)"
"Mmm....mmmm" Meera made a thinking face making Kiyaara pout. She whined and said, "Maa, say I love you too"
"Naah! I love you 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. 10, 20, 50 and till mouses are running in your tummy" Meera said, ticking her. The duo laughed together enjoying each other's company.
"Maa, shall I go and play with Grandpa?" she asked cutely.
"Wait! Before you say he is my grandpa or yours, I am going," she giggled and hopped towards the door. Meera shook her head at her daughter's antics.
Suddenly, Noor and Nikhil barged inside her room and Noor said, "Meera, leave kabir and go back to London. He doesn't deserve you. That man can never trust you"
THWACK!
Meera's palm met Noor's cheek harshly. She looked at her pointedly while Noor said bitterly, "You only know how to defend him, Meera. You are blind in his love. You shut up every mouth that speaks against him but this slap won't make a difference. You cannot change the truth"
"This slap wasn't for telling me to leave. This was for the day I left. The day you came home, slapped him in front of everyone, blamed him for mistakes he never made and he quietly accumulated the blame without saying a word to you," Meera told her.
"Meera, he accepted that it might be his fault. His stupid plan and all.." Nikhil tried to defend his wife when Meera interrupted.
"You want me to leave him right? I will. Aap kabir ki ek galti gina do bhai main usse abhi issi waqt chod ke chali jaungi (You tell me his one mistake and I will leave him this instant)" Meera promised. Noor smirked and said, "Pack your bags Meera because he has made plenty of them"
"Be my guest. You both are my relationship counselor for the day and I am the client. Let's sit and start" Meera said. Like they were in a court they sat and the confidence in Meera's eyes made their belief falter for a second. However, ignoring all this, Noor asked, "What do you have to say about the way he married you?"
"The best thing he ever did. I am sincerely grateful that despite not realizing his love he did everything a lover would do. He went on one knee and proposed to me. You know, bhai, he did not do it just for the sake of it. Aditi Kashyap told him to propose to me. She never told him to bend before me and Kabir Raichand would obey only the forces of his heart. He never once in his proposal lied that he loved me. Instead, he said that he wanted to call me his. I think I would have never been his wife in the first place if not for his madness," Meera smiled, reminiscing the past.
"Whenever things get too hard it's me who backs off from our relationship but he keeps holding us together. He was the one who talked about divorce for the first time but he never signed those papers. He knew I was there to stay. I gave him freedom to move on but he found his way back to me," Meera completed making them look at her wide-eyed. They never saw from this perspective. Kabir never ran away from Meera, though he repeatedly told her how he loathed their relationship in the beginning.
"Don't tell me the way he treated you also doesn't count," Noor huffed.
"The way he treated me? Like a princess?" Meera asked happily, making Noor puff up with anger.
"Yes, the ignored princess." Noor rolled her eyes.
"The one who stayed like his heartbeat. You know I will tell you an interesting fact. I used to wait for him at night to have dinner. I didn't care whether it was 12 or 1 at night but then you know what? In that span of trying his hardest to hate me, he never attended a single business dinner, knowing his wife would be waiting at home. If he hated me so much, he shouldn't have cared. If like a grumpy husband, he never went on dates with me, he never went to his weekend parties too. He gave me company at home with his laptop. If I trusted him, he also never questioned when I came home late after spending night outs with you. At 4 in the morning, he was sitting on the sofa waiting for me and as soon as I entered he said, 'The maid has gone crazy. She has made food for the entire neighborhood. It's kept in the refrigerator.' I would smile at him and he would hide behind his work trying to not show his concern openly and then would join me at the dining table. What is the use of your husband sitting with you and not having his attention? I would rather prefer a husband who is standing far away but his sole focus is on you" Meera completed making Nikhil chuckle. Noor glared at him and said,
"Uss waqt ek kaanta bhi laake nahi deta tha vo tumhara mahaan Kabir (Your dear Kabir never bought an earring/prick for you back then)"
"Toh kabhi ek kaanta chubhne bhi nahi diya hoga mere Mahaan Kabir ne (And the same Kabir never even let a thorn prick me)" Meera replied biting her lips stopping herself from laughing aloud seeing Noor's baffled face.
"That party night—"
"Oh god! I am done explaining to people. HE SAID MY WIFE TO ME. If you don't believe me, this is the investor's number to whom he was talking with. You know why I did not leave him then, because seeing his unwavering gaze, even the investor turned back, acknowledging me as his other half before resuming the chat with Kabir. What sort of romances have you read if you don't know a husband gazes at his wife before addressing her? You know what, he himself for no reason called that investor's wife and told her very clearly without any context that he is my husband. He made a complete fool of himself but he never let people assume he was not mine in any damn way" She elaborated. Meera didn't care what the world thought, she just knew it was always her in his head 24*7.
"What about the day you were soo damn angry at him for not supporting you in front of that Italian investor girl. What was her name?" Noor wondered.
"Ariana" Meera reminded her.
"That day he was just trying to calm me down. It's not like I am always right. You know my anger right? I would have scared the hell out of those poor men standing behind the lady if I went out of control. The next day Dad called me saying my husband had gone crazy to dump a 700 crore deal for a fight. If his love then wasn't loud does not mean it wasn't there. How is not standing for me his mistake when you know I used to start speaking even before people knew the matter? Also when two women are talking smart men are supposed to not get in between the cat fight.
That day he told me to let her be because he knew the lady was recording me to file a case against me. She was their lawyer as well. She did try to file a case but Kabir never let her reach me. He never explained himself openly. I had to dig deeper to understand his love" Meera said while they sat dumbfounded at her every revelation. She loved him for all the reasons the world hated him.
"Love is realized naturally, Noor. He took his own time but that does not make him a bad husband. Tell me you and Nikhil don't ignore each other. Tell me he is never rude to you. It's just that you understand when he is angry and when he does not mean what he says. The day of our marriage when I confessed my love he never doubted my love. He never said it must be an attraction that I would get over. He was plainly concerned about my pain. He was concerned that my love wouldn't be reciprocated. He didn't even care if my love would be a hurdle in his imaginary love story with Lara. He might have termed me selfish but he supported my selfishness too. He defended me in front of Adrith when he didn't have to. My pain was always more of his concern than mine. My previous employer tried to malign my image but show me one article that wrote shit about me. He has always been my silent shield. As per his words, he always shared the selfish tag with me. If he could say 'I hate you' every day he would find a new way to show he loved me beyond his knowledge too. This neutralizes everything from the past" she concluded and Noor nodded understanding her point of view.
"I accept everything Meera but how can he allow himself to get close to Lara after confessing his love to you?" Noor asked. Meera took a deep breath and stood up from her seat. Facing the window of her room she blankly stared at the view addressing Noor,
"Five days before his deed I hyperventilated and fainted. We were in the penthouse and he was taking care of me. I used to get a fever quickly due to elevated body temperature because of emotional stress. Lara had called me to tell me how the land that was my mother's only memorial was now theirs. I thought because of me her soul would never rest in peace. I gave the culprits the token that belonged to her. Like an emotional fool, I cried day and night over my mistake. The body temperature would come back to normal due to his care but rise again due to my overthinking. That night I specifically couldn't handle the stress and fainted. I was unconscious but he saw me suffering every day in his complete consciousness. Whenever he went to contact them to take the land from them I would stop him. That day finally his patience broke. Seeing me in that state crushed him to the core. I heard him promise me in my sleep. 'I promise these tears will never find their way to you again. I'd kill if I had to but you'd never cry over that land again. Kabir ko bhare bazaar bikna manzoor hai par tumhare ansoo manzoor nahi hai (Kabir is ready to sell himself in a bustling marketplace but will not be able to bear your tears)'" Meera repeated his words as tears fell down her eyes. Her husband happily took the blame for things that weren't in his control. Noor hugged her from behind and cried along with her.
"For the next few days till that night, he did everything he could to make Lara sign the land to me. He put the Kahsyaps except Lara behind bars and demanded she give control to me but that vile woman was selfish enough to refuse. He turned her blooming career into a heap of dust yet she did not surrender. The last way was to get her kidnapped and make her forcefully sign them. However, Kabir knew what a psychopath Lara was and would sign the papers only if her demand for a personal meeting with Kabir was fulfilled. He had it planned. He would simply manipulate her into signing the documents, no matter what. Kabir knew Lara's desperation to separate us would work in his favor and he would coax her into giving in. The plan was on track until she decided to play her infamous seduction card. Lara was truly a bitch, but she forgot she was dealing with my man. The one who chose his emotional destruction over my tears. He wasn't ready for her moves, but in exactly five seconds, which might be the ugliest seconds of his life, the sign was acquired and she was out of the picture. I didn't know he would blame himself for trying to save me from melting in the heat of guilt. You both know his principles are above life for him. His core principle is keeping his word. The word he would die and kill for. He gave me a word that no other woman would ever touch him except me and breaking it might have been equal to death for him. Usse khud fanaa hona qubool tha par meri Aah Tak se gurez tha.
He compromised on them for me. He did anything but betray me. The same Lara came to meet me in London and begged me to forgive her. She said that she was unsuccessful in even making him look at her the way she wanted because his every sentence started and ended at Meera. Even his scent had my fragrance. If this is not loyalty, I don't know what is. He had completely and utterly destroyed her for eyeing what belonged to his wife. I saw her rushing out of my office and before I could move; she was gone. After apologizing for her sins, she gave away her life to attain peace by committing suicide. His devilish self can defeat saints in sanctity. If the world still considers my husband a cheater, I fell in love with a cheater. I would love him in the same way if given a chance again."
"If a random woman clings to you Bhai, the two seconds that you take to push her away are not betraying your partner. Cheating is more emotional than physical. It's more conscious than momentary. It is when your heart chooses the other person above you for a second but does it apply to a man who chose me above himself? There's a difference"
"Why did he never tell us all this? Even when all of us blamed him?" Nikhil asked understanding Meera's point. Every man was a cheater if thinking about his beloved above his own rules was a sin. Kabir's situation couldn't be judged in black and white but if his wife did not blame him who were they to judge? His promises were dedicated to her, not to them.
'Kis baat ki saza de rahe ho, main toh tumhara gunhegaar hu hi nahi
Gum the vo itne hamein manane mein ki unhone duniya se pucha hi nahi'
Meera thought to herself with a silly smile.
"Because I asked him not to worry you guys by telling you about my state. I didn't know he wouldn't cross my words even if it came to protecting his integrity. Considering how deeply I loved him, why didn't you ask him why I left without giving him a chance to explain? I am disappointed, Nikhil Bhai. If someone cheated or has been unfair between us it was me but you guys never asked me a thing," Meera said and Nikhil looked away knowing in a corner of his heart he blamed Kabir too. Everyone saw the mistake and no one noticed the reason. The priority must be understanding what forced him to do what he did but their eyes stopped at his deeds just like the rest of the world.
"Meera ka Kabir galat hai toh Kabir ki Meera bhi Galat hai Bhai. Koi farak nahi hai. Uska har gunah mera hai aur meri har kami uski (If Meera's Kabir is wrong, then Kabir's Meera is also wrong, brother. There is no difference. Every sin of his is mine, and every deficiency of mine is his)"
"Why did we never see all this? This was equally visible to all of us. Why couldn't we see the real Kabir?" Noor wondered.
"Because you are not his wife. I am" Meera said cheekily, making them all laugh.
"I won't ask why you left Meera because you won't tell me. Why did you come back if the reason to go away was so powerful?" Nikhil asked.
"His love that keeps increasing every second I do nothing but exist dragged me back. The credit for me being here goes to an ultimatum given by Amrita Rajvansh. Her one phone call turned everything upside down" She said, shocking the wits out of them. Amrita Rajvansh? The Rajmata of Jaipur?
Phew!!! A part of the past is done. To all those who were waiting for an update...I hope I did not disappoint you guys. The comment section of the last part was truly overwhelming.
Hey guys!
So, how was it? Long? I know. But boring? You know better.
Anything that made your head reel?
By the way, did I make you cry?
Anyone you hate?
Anyone you don't hate but you loathe instead?
Something you wanna say about your dear author?
Did I make it worth the update?
The most beautiful part?
The best dialogue?
Aren't they both crazy?
Anything that made you super angry?
Anything that made you emotional?
Isn't their version of love beyond our understanding?
Anything you absolutely loved loved and loved?
Something you wanna share about the storyline...
Anyone who hates Kabir for whatever he did or is he finally forgiven?
Something that confuses you?
So Kabir was just acting *hehe* I laughed a lot reading the comment section of the previous chapter. Do we still regret shipping them?
I kept my side of the promise. As soon as you guys completed the target I am here with an update. Did I make your Sunday through my words?
I truly survive on your support. There's no looking back until you guys keep motivating me in the same manner. As this is a long update so I am expecting tons of inline comments and soooo many votes. Kindly share your views because they really make my day. You guys are my energy pill. You guys are amazing!!! Love you, people.
One thing that describes me as an author *interesting question I know*
Rate the update for me, please...
1. Boring
2. Emotional
3. Emotionally mind-blowing
Raising the bar with Target yet again...
Votes: 400
Comments: 300
Love: Thoda pehle se zyada *wink*
That's all for the day! Have a great weekend. Please do drop inline comments and press the star button before you go. I hope I deserve this much. Thank you so much for being the sweethearts you are. The days I am down or feeling demotivated...all it takes is one message from you to make me the happiest. Your enormous amount of love is all I have and will continue to be my achievement. I hope you liked the update. For you the update ends here...for me, it starts the moment comments start popping in *wink*
Question of the day: Kabir Raichand or Siddarth Roy *hehe*
Pani Puri vs. chocolates *for those who weren't able to read Siddarth*
With love
Ms. Bhatia