Dadi grew increasingly restless as evening descended, and there was still no news of Ragini.
Repeated attempts to reach her on the phone proved futile as it remained switched off. Fretting,
Dadi called out for Shekhar repeatedly until she saw him and Sharmistha entering the room.
"What happened, Ma?" Shekhar inquired.
"Ragini, her phone is off. She left home in the afternoon, and it's evening now. She's not back
yet," Dadi expressed her worry.
Shekhar looked puzzled. "Did she mention where she was going?"
"She left for college to meet Laksh," Dadi replied.
Concerned, Shekhar suggested, "Lets call Swara. She also went to college. we'll ask her if she
saw Ragini or Laksh."
As Sharmistha dialed Swara's number, Swara herself entered the house.
"Swara, where have you been?" Sharmistha inquired.
"I was at college, Ma. What happened? Why do you all look so worried?" Swara asked.
"Ragini went to college to meet Laksh, but she hasn't returned yet, and her phone is off,"
Sharmistha explained.
Alarmed, Swara considered the possibility that Ragini might have overheard Laksh's confession.
"Ma, don't worry. Let me ask Laksh and a few friends if they've seen Ragini."
She quickly called Laksh and explained the situation. He assured her that he would inquire with
his friends. Swara also contacted a common friend who confirmed seeing Ragini at college,
heading towards the garden. However, she seemed lost and unresponsive.
The entire evening passed with Ragini's family searching for her, but there was no news of her
whereabouts. Frustrated, they contemplated involving the police, but the authorities insisted that
an FIR couldn't be registered before 24 hours. Nevertheless, they promised to inform other
police stations and do what they could.
----*-------------*--------------*----------
The next morning at the Maheswari house, everyone gathered for breakfast except Laksh. DP
noted his absence, but AP quickly covered for him, claiming he had important work. After
breakfast, DP and Ramprasad left for work, and by noon, Adarsh returned home from his
business trip.
AP was delighted to see her son, and Adarsh inquired about Sujatha. Learning that she was in
her room. He decided to freshen up and meet her. After settling down, he pulled out a small
bag, walked to Sujatha's room, and knocked before entering.
Sujatha was pleasantly surprised to see him and asked about his well-being.
Adarsh handed her the bag, and she was overcome with emotion.
"He sent it," Adarsh stated, revealing a silent communication between them. Unable to openly
discuss details, they maintained a limited interaction, careful not to let DP know about their
continued connection.
—------------------------------
On the other hand, Ragini, realizing it was noon, had to return home. However, she had lost her
phone and had no way to contact her family. Returning now would invite questions about her
whereabouts the previous night. As she pondered her next move, she decided to contact her
cousin brother, Rudra, despite their strained relationship. Surprisingly, his was the only number
she remembered.
She quickly called him from the cottage landline and urgently requested him to meet her.
Rudra, on the other end of the line, received her call with wide-eyed astonishment. It had been
eons since they last exchanged words, and here she was, dropping a bomb on his ordinary day.
"What happened to you?" Rudra asked, taking in her disheveled appearance.
"Long story," Ragini replied with a sly grin. "But before that, can you call home and say I've been
with you? I lost my phone, couldn't contact them, and you conveniently forgot to update them on
my whereabouts."
Rudra's eyes widened. "What do you mean to call them and inform? Wait, did you just spend a
night away from home? Oh, God, what a day I'm witnessing!"
Rudra was still grappling with the shock of it all when Ragini shut down his over-the-top
reactions. "Stop overreacting and do as I say."
"Why should I?" Rudra questioned, folding his arms.
"Rudra," Ragini called his name sternly.
"You better explain to me what you did and why you're away from home." Rudra said
When Rudra called Shekhar, Dadi was the most surprised to learn that Ragini had been at her
maternal family's home. Urgently, she requested Ragini's return.
With a triumphant smirk, Rudra turned to Ragini. "Now, spill! What's going on, and why are you
in this cottage?"
Taking a deep breath, Ragini explained about the whirlwind of events - Laksh's confession, the
romantic entanglements, and her own indecisiveness.
"What the heck! How could they, and how could you agree despite knowing what they did
wrong?" Rudra exclaimed in a dramatic tone, gesturing wildly.
Ragini, in stark contrast, remained surprisingly calm. "Don't tell me you're going to tolerate all
this and do nothing," Rudra added, still in his exaggerated tone.
"No, I am not tolerating it," Ragini declared.
"Then what have you decided on?" Rudra pressed.
Ragini, caught off guard, had no immediate answer. Rudra, seizing the opportunity to remind her
of some sound advice from the past, asserted, "You know, I said this to you four years back, and
I'm saying it again: your Dadi cares about her image, and your father cares about nothing but
himself. It's high time you take charge of your life and not agree to everything they say."
"You are our family, and my parents would never hesitate to support you. They already regret
not taking a stand for Janki bua," Ragini whispered in the midst of Rudra's animated rambling.
"You are right," she sighed heavily.
"Wait, did I hear it right? You said I am right! Hell, I knew it. I know that I am always right!" Rudra
exclaimed, triumphant.
"Can you stop screeching? My head is hurting, and your voice tone is not helping," Ragini
retorted, holding her head. She threw a pillow at him.
"Oh, hell. Here, I help you, and you taunt me!" Rudra said, retaliating with a pillow hit.
"How dare you!" Ragini got angry and picked up another cushion, starting a playful pillow fight.
In the midst of laughter and cushion warfare, they reconciled after four years of not speaking
with each other, proving that even family drama could have its moments of hilarity.
—----
Ragini returned home in the evening, and after a scolding from Dadi, she retired to her room.
Her family found her behavior peculiar, but Ragini paid little attention. Swara, fearing
Ragini's knowledge of Laksh's confession, followed her to their room.
"Ragini, everyone was worried," Swara said.
"I know," came the flat reply as Ragini walked towards the cupboard.
"I heard from Riya that you came to college but left after a few minutes. I didn't see you there,"
Swara mentioned.
Ragini, feeling anger bubbling within her, closed the cupboard door abruptly, startling Swara.
"Woh me and Laksh—"
Before Swara could finish, Ragini hastily walked into the washroom. Leaning against the
washroom door, she could feel a tumult of emotions—betrayal, anger, and confusion. The
events of the past days had left her emotionally drained, and she needed some quiet time to
figure out her next steps.
—-----
The Gadodia house was buzzing with activity the next day as DP from the Maheswari family
paid a visit to discuss Laksh and Ragini's impending wedding. The air was thick with
anticipation, but three faces in the room told a different story – Laksh, Swara, and surprisingly,
Ragini.
Laksh and Swara found themselves in a dilemma. They were unsure how to reveal their love to
everyone, especially considering the awkwardness that had developed. Swara had been
attempting to approach Ragini, but she seemed to be actively avoiding her.
As the Maheswari family entered the Gadodia household, conversations about the wedding
ensued. Dadi, Dadaji, and Shekhar were engaged in cheerful discussions, but three individuals
seemed to be in a world of their own, lost in contemplation.
Laksh couldn't help but steal glances at Swara, who, in turn, was uncertain about how Ragini
would react. The tension in the room was palpable. Ragini observed their silent communication
and, growing irritated, decided that enough was enough.
Standing up abruptly, she declared, "I can't marry Laksh."
Shock and surprise gripped the room. Everyone wanted an explanation, but Ragini, with
determination in her eyes, directed their attention toward Laksh.
"Why don't you ask Laksh?" she challenged, causing a collective gasp.
Walking up to Laksh, Ragini dropped the bombshell.
"Why don't you tell them, Laksh, that you don't want to marry a 'Bhenji'?" The room fell silent as
everyone waited for Laksh's response.
AP tried to mediate, assuming it was an old issue. "But beta, Laksh apologized for that, right?
He proposed to re-engage with you willingly. You are his choice."
Ragini's tone turned colder. "Are you sure, Aunty, that I am the girl Laksh wants to marry?" The
term 'aunty,' uttered with a distant tone, startled AP, who had been called 'mother' by Ragini
since their engagement.
Ragini continued her assault, eyes fixed on Laksh. "Or are you scared to admit that you love
someone?" The room became a tableau of tension, with everyone's eyes darting between
Ragini and Laksh.
DP, now furious, demanded an explanation from his son. "Laksh, what is Ragini saying?"
"Dad," Laksh stammered, caught in a dilemma.
"Say it, Laksh!" Ragini pressed on. "Or can't you? Because you only have guts to ridicule
someone and name-tag them." The room felt charged with emotion.
Ragini's anger was evident in her words, but her facial expression remained eerily blank. Swara
signaled her mother, Sharmistha, indicating that something was not right.
Adarsh, sensing the escalating tension, intervened. "maybe today isn't the right day. Let's
discuss this at home; there are things we need to sort out."
Impatience gripped the gathering. AP suggested leaving for home to discuss matters privately.
Ragini, however, was unrelenting.
"Would you run away, Laksh? Won't you admit what you did and how you feel toward someone
in this room?"
Swara tried to intervene, but Ragini silenced her with a stern "Not today, Swara."
"Come on, Laksh, show your daring," she goaded him.
"What's happening, Laksh? What is Ragini saying?" DP's voice echoed with urgency.
Laksh, cornered and with no other option, blurted out,
"I love Swara," stunning everyone, especially Swara, who closed her eyes in anticipation of the
storm that was about to hit.