The air hung heavy with unresolved tension as the aftermath of Laksh's revelation rippled
through the lives of those involved. DP, blindsided by the shocking confession, couldn't contain
his anger and unleashed it on Laksh with a resounding slap across his cheek.
"Laksh!" DP bellowed, his heavy breathing reflecting his sheer disbelief. AP and Adarsh rushed
to his side, attempting to calm the storm that was brewing.
Meanwhile, Dadi, relentless in her pursuit of answers, harshly pulled Swara's arm, demanding an
explanation.
"Maa!" Shekhar and Sharmistha rushed forward, pulling Swara away from the accusing glares.
Shekhar tried to mediate, defending Swara,
"Why are you blaming Swara? It's Laksh who is spouting nonsense."
Ragini observed the chaos unfolding before her with a mix of calm and a storm of emotions
raging within.
DP, perhaps realizing the gravity of his actions, apologized, stating they would take their leave to
speak to their son and address the situation.
As the Maheswari family exited, Dadi fell heavily onto the sofa, and Dada Ji excused himself
from the room. Sharmistha led Swara away, and Ragini silently retreated to her room.
Closing the door, she picked up her mother's photograph, a lone tear escaping her eye,
embodying the emotional turmoil within her.
After some time, Swara came knocking at Ragini's door. Although Ragini wished to avoid the
conversation, she couldn't completely shut herself off.
"Why, Ragini? Why did you do that?" Swara asked, the sense of betrayal evident in her voice.
"What were you expecting from me, Swara? Let the marriage drama unfold while you and Laksh
kept stealing glances at each other like star-crossed lovers separated by an evil stepsister?"
Ragini replied, her tone echoing a mix of frustration and disappointment.
"I didn't mean that, Ragini. You could have at least spoken with me. I wasn't going to accept
Laksh's confession, knowing you love him."
"Exactly, Swara. Knowing that I love him, knowing that he was engaged, you were going all 'best
friend' on him. Knowing everything, you still let his feelings grow for you."
"I didn't know, Ragini. It was just friendship. I never knew he would start liking me."
Ragini let out a dry chuckle. "Of course, Swara. How could your intentions ever be wrong? But
you know what? I couldn't tolerate the fake drama, so here we are."
"Ragini, I..." Swara started, but Ragini interrupted, "Swara, I am tired. We'll speak later." Saying
this, she closed the door on Swara's face.
"Ragini, listen," Swara pleaded, but there was no response from the other side.
-----------------
"How could you, Laksh?" DP's voice thundered, echoing through the room. He couldn't
comprehend the revelation his son had just made.
"I love Swara, Dad, and I won't marry anyone else other than her," Laksh declared defiantly.
"You!" DP wanted to express his rage further, but AP intervened, pleading with him,
"Ji, please try to understand. He is young, and it was not his fault."
"AP!" DP called her name aloud,
"He is not young anymore, and every action of his will have consequences."
"I am not saying there won't be any consequences, but there can be other options. He and Swara
like each other. Swara is also a Gadodia. She..." Before AP could complete her sentence, Sujatha
started clapping.
"Wah, Jiji, wah!" she mocked. "When it's your son, you are okay to say and do anything, change
rules made by your husband."
"He is my son, Sujatha," AP said, tears streaming down her face.
"So was Sanskar mine," Sujatha yelled.
"But Jethji threw him out of the house when he said he wanted to marry a Bengali girl. And now
Swara is a Bengali, so how could you agree to this now?" She expressed her anger and
frustration, leaving DP to close his eyes tightly and walk away.
AP followed him, and the room was left in an uneasy silence.
------------
On the other side, in the Gadodia house, dinner was a gloomy affair, with no one uttering a word.
DP called Dadaji to inquire about the Maheswari family's response.
"Kya keh rahe the woh?" he asked (What were they saying?)
"They will make Laksh understand, and only Ragini will be their daughter-in-law," Dadaji
responded.
Swara's grip tightened on the spoon, and Ragini's breath started to intensify.
"Thank God, at least they understand this," Dadi said.
"I am not marrying Laksh, Dadi," Ragini declared.
"But Ladoo, they are trying to make Laksh understand," Dadi argued.
"Just like how you made your son understand and made him marry my mother," Ragini
countered.
"Ladoo," "Ragini," Shekhar and Dadi said her name aloud at the same time.
"I am not having my mother's fate. I am not marrying a guy who doesn't love me. I am not
tolerating a husband who, despite being married to me, would still think about his past lover. I
am not tolerating him blaming me that I came in between their love story," she said each word,
looking at Shekhar, who bowed his head down.
"Not necessarily that will be the case, Ragini," Sharmistha spoke.
"Yeah, it may not be, or it may be that this time I would be alive, whereas my mother died. Maybe
this time I would be called an evil stepsister who snatched her sister's love from her. Maybe this
time, I would be alive to witness the illegitimate birth of my husband's child."
"Ragini, that's enough," Shekhar said.
"Exactly, Mr. Gadodia. It's enough. I didn't give you the right to decide for my life. And I am saying
this: I won't marry Laksh." Saying this, she dashed toward her room.
"This is all because of your doing, Shekhar. Since the time you got this Bangalan in this house,
everything is spoiled," Dadi accused.
"Maa," Shekhar tried to say something, but Sharmistha stopped him.
-------------
"Swara, please listen to me," Laksh pleaded, chasing Swara in the college grounds.
"What's there to listen more, Laksh? It's over. I told you from the start it didn't feel right, and now
you know. No one would agree, Laksh. Everyone is hurt," Swara said, pushing him away.
"It's all Ragini's fault," Laksh muttered under his breath as he watched Swara leaving.
—-----------
In the weeks that followed, the Gadodia house became a battleground for silent wars. Despite
the apparent calm, day-to-day fights between Dadi and Sharmistha escalated. Shekhar
struggled to manage, but his efforts were failing. and Dida played her part in the unfolding
drama.
Ragini, however, seemed to have detached herself from the ongoing turmoil. While a vacuum
lingered in her heart after encountering Laksh's confession, she managed to shield herself from
the pain. There was an evident hole, an emotional abyss she didn't quite know how to address.
The daily bickering between Dadi and Sharmistha had reached a new peak. Dadi, ever critical,
blamed Sharmistha for everything.
"You can't even do one thing correctly, Sharmistha. You're not supposed to keep the items this
way, or do you just want to spoil my pooja, knowing it's for Ladoo?" Dadi lashed out.
"Maa, I tried to do as you said," Sharmistha defended herself.
"Of course, how could you and your daughter be wrong? The fault is ours, like always."
"Dadi, Maa didn't mean it," Swara attempted to mediate, but Dadi stormed off in frustration.
Swara found herself tired of the day-to-day drama, and Ragini, who had once been the voice of
reason, seemed to have stopped caring.
Earlier, Ragini used to make Dadi understand, but with her withdrawal, the situation spun out of
control. The daily accusations and finger-pointing intensified, each blaming the other for the
chaos that ensued.
"Of course, Shekhar, you would find fault in me. For your Sharmistha, can never be wrong. All
wrong in this whole world is me," Dadi continued her tirade.
"Maa, why are you exaggerating it? Let's go inside and talk," Shekhar tried to calm her down.
"I don't want to. All I said was I wanted to go for pooja, but your wife had to spoil it."
The drama attracted the attention of the people in Badi, and whispers about Sharmistha and
Swara's alleged wrongdoings circulated.
Dida, witnessing the chaos, decided she had had enough. She intervened, trying to put an end
to the blame game.
"Ee Marwaran, stop blaming everything on my daughter."
"The fault is of your daughter and granddaughter. First, your daughter spoiled my son's life, and
now your Swara is behind my Ladoo's would-be husband. If the fault is not theirs, then who is at
fault?"
"Swara didn't come in between. Laksh found Swara better than your Ragini, and he fell in love
with her. It's your and Ragini's fault. Ragini was not enough."
"Stop it!" Swara attempted to take Dida away from the escalating conflict.
"See, even now, it's my granddaughter, not yours. She is the cause of all problems, not my
Swara."
"How dare you?" Dadi couldn't contain her rage and impulsively threw a jar of water at Dida,
further escalating the already uncontrollable drama. The feud continued, leaving a trail of
resentment and animosity within the once tranquil walls of the Gadodia house.