CHAPTER 21
"Hey Ira! What a surprise and where is our little one?" The old man who was Kapoor's family lawyer approached her with open arms.
"Good morning. Kiara is... Actually I need your help."
He sensed the worry in her tone. "Come sit. Tell me everything."
After narrating the complete scenario, she took a sip of water and he was in his deep thoughts.
"Well, Do you have the marriage certificate?" He asked.
"No, it's with him. Why?"
"Have you seen it?"
"No, not exactly. What's the matter?"
"You said he lost your marriage certificate and now he posses the same. It's bothering me."
"What are you suggesting then?"
"You have to get it for me."
"Umm.. Okay."
"Ira look, it's very easy for us to win the case. We have strong points, but as per your past behavior there is a possibility that they can declare you as an unfit mother."
"But that was an year ago!"
"True. But still it counts. Just get the marriage certificate for me as of now."
"How?"
"I don't know. You are know for your tactics, Ms. Ira Kapoor. I'm sure, you still have your charm."
She smirked. "I'll see you tomorrow with the certificate." She said and left.
On her way back, Ira tried calling her sister several times but couldn't connect. So she planned to execute her plan herself.
"Okay. Here we go." She checked her room and found Samar with Kiara, and immediately locked the door. "Ha! Now I can check his room." She whispered to herself and turned but stopped when she heard the door unbolting.
"What? How?"
"Seriously. Using the same trick again." Samar said and stepped out of the door.
"I locked you inside!"
"I'm aware of it. That's why I got a bunch of spare keys for all the locks here."
"How dare--"
"Don't worry. I won't steal any precious stuff of yours. Yet." He said and stretched. "Well now that Kiara is asleep. I'm kind of hungry. See ya." He said and moved forward.
She started him for a beat and then started shouting. "Ouch! Ouch! My feet hurts!" she fell on the ground.
He turned, gazed her and then walked away.
"What the fuck is wrong with him?!"
She groaned angrily and pulled her cell phone.
"Riddhima? Hi, this is Ira. Can I talk to Meera for a second."
"Hi. Actually she is not with me right now."
"What?"
"I'm stuck in traffic. Why don't you call her cell phone?"
"I tried. It's switched off! Out of battery I guess."
"Maybe. Is there anything important? I can give her your message."
"No.. Nothing like that."
"Umm.. Can I help you in any way?"
"Well, actually you can Riddhima. You definitely can." She smirked.
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"Open the door! I want to get out of here!" Meera kept banging the door.
"Can you just shut up and think like an sensible adult?" Vivaan said in an annoyed tone.
"Please. Please!" She ignored him and kept banging.
"Can you fucking keep quite?!"
She fell on her knees and started crying while shivering badly. Her dress was not enough to warm her cold body and she started turning blue.
Even though he hated her gut, but he still remembered her low level of hemoglobin. He couldn't watch her die in front of his own eyes.
"Here." He removed his coat and gave it to her, which she purposely ignored.
"You'll die and I don't want my family to be responsible for the death of any other Kapoor."
"I would rather die, than to take help from the murderer's family." She shivered and spoke in a broken tone.
"Oh yes. Obviously. How can I forget? You love killing people instead of taking help. The way you killed my child."
"Your child? Your child?!! He was mine too. He was growing inside me! A part of me died with him. Not yours."
"Right. Like it didn't effect me at all. You know how hard it was for me? When you walked away, when my baby left me?"
"Your own sister blasted my father, my sister and my brother and what did you do? Nothing! Nothing!"
"Do not forget that my sister was being tortured by your siblings!"
"Your sister tried to kill my child twice! She could have told you everything then, but she didn't. Instead she killed them. Tell me, what was my father's fault? What was my fault?"
"I'm no one to blame either! I suffered too! Because of you!"
Meera fell silent for a moment.
"Then I guess, you'll enjoy my slow death here!" she said and moved away.
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Samar entered the room lightly but Ira gasped still.
"You need to learn how to knock."
She rolled her eyes.
But he was stunned, and couldn't move. As if his senses gave up all together and only his heart was functioning, faster than normal.
"What?!" She raised her eye brow, even though she knew what was happening.
"Why are you dressed like this?" He said with a sharp breathe.
"You should have knocked Samar." She repeated herself.
"Why are you dressed like this?" he took a few steps towards her and stopped inches away.
"This is my mother's. I was.. Missing her and umm.. our wedding day."
"No you were not."
"Samar... She had two wedding dresses. One for my sister and one for me. As I got this after my father's death, so couldn't wear it on our wedding. Meera is getting a chance to wear hers... Me, on the other hand."
"Why today?"
"Whenever I missed you I wore this. This makes me feel closer to all the people I love, or loved."
He didn't move or said anything.
She carefully took a step forward and lightly kissed his lips, and stepped backwards.
He was still on his feet as a statue.
'Shit! It didn't work.' she cursed as she saw her plan failing.
The moment she accepted her defeat. Samar took her face in his hand and kissed her, resulting in her kissing him back.
They kissed for a moment and then he dropped on the ground. His eyelids slowly closing. "I love you..." he whispered and then became unconscious.
His last words gripped her and she forgot all about her plan.
"No Ira. No! It's a trap! You have work to do." She said and ran out to find what she needed.
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After the heated argument. Both of them were sitting on the ground away from each other.
He could see her breathing, which was reducing.
"That's it!" He got up angrily, removed his coat and shirt and hugged Meera. She was freezing and couldn't protest.
"My body will keep you warm." He covered themselves his clothes.
"No!" she whispered lightly.
"Not now Meera. This is not the time. Why do you always have to be to stubborn? I'm independent, superwoman types? What if something would have happened to you? It would have killed me and-- " He broke mid sentence when he heard someone entering the room.
"Hello? Is somebody in here?"
"We are here!" Vivaan called
"Thank god! Come on Meera. Let's go." He shook her but she was gone.
Her breathing was low, and heart beats were fainting and she was a piece of Ice.
"Fuck no!" He picked her up and ran out of the room. "Turn on the heat!" He yelled.
"Meera! Come on breathe." He was rubbing her hands but she was not responding.
"Oh my god!" Riddhima came running. "Call for an ambulance!"
"We don't have time. I'll get my car." Gautam said.
Vivaan ran after Gautam with Meera in her arms and rushed to the hospital.
After an hour the doctor emerged out of the emergency and informed them that Meera is safe and shall wake up in a few hours.
"I'm so sorry, Vivaan. It's all my fault." Gautam said in a desperate tone.
"I'll meet you tomorrow for the final designs." Vivaan nodded and left.
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"Where the hell is it?" Ira cursed as she went through all the papers in his room but couldn't find anything.
After struggling for 30 minutes, she gave up and decided to move out and threw his jacket angrily all the floor.
"What was that?" She frowned, when she heard a metal hitting the ground.
She pulled his jacket and found a little envelope.
"My bracelet." She whispered, and recalled the last time she saw it.
An year ago
She was breathing heavily when she saw two red lines on the pregnancy test.
'Now is not the time for me to get pregnant! How could I? I have to tell Samar. Right Now.'
She ran down the hall and stopped in her tracks when she saw Tia, Vivaan and Samar together.
'What the hell is she doing here?' She asked, angrily. Tia and Vivaan sensed the tension and left.
'She is my little sister, Ira.' Samar said with a straight face.
'She is a criminal. She killed my family. Our family!'
'No, she killed your family but she is my family and I'll protect my family.'
'So this is it? I'm there for you no matter what, changed when it comes to supporting your criminal sister.'
'Why do you even care? You hated them anyway.'
'One word and I swear, I'll kill your family the way she killed mine.'
'Its best that you leave.' He said after a pause.
Ira pulled out her bracelet and threw it on his face and walked away, forever.
Present.
There were two piece of paper along with the bracelet.
One was their marriage certificate and other one was a letter.
I will never forgive myself for what I did to you. I love you and will always do. This certificate will be my little bit of hell and heaven. Where I have you and I don't.
A drop of tear fell from her eyes, when her ringing cell phone distracted her.
"Hello?" She paused. "I'm on my way."
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'Ma'am. Sir. We have signed all the papers. This is the last time your families are facing each other. None of the family member is allowed to enter in fifty kilometers diameter of the other as per the restraining order.' The lawyer announced.
'It was nice meeting you, Ms. Meera Kapoor.' Vivaan nodded.
'It wish I could say the same.' She said, walked away and opened her eyes.
She was in a hospital room, surrounded by four people but couldn't find the one she was seeking.
"Oh thank god. You are okay.' Riddhima held her hand.
"We came as soon as she called." Vikranth said and nodded towards Riddhima.
"You scared the hell out us, sister." Ira said.
"Kiara?" Meera frowned.
"She is back home.. With him. Waiting for you."
"I want to go home."
"I start your discharge procedure."Gautam nodded and left.
Even though she wanted to ask about Vivaan, but she couldn't. She just couldn't.
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"I think you can use, something stronger than that." He smiled.
"Excuse me?"
"Champagne, won't really take your pain away, man." Mayank said.
"Well, I'm celebrating. I'm celebrating my screwed life. How I'm the one responsible for other's happiness but not mine, apparently. And well, stuff like that." Vivaan explained.
"Been there. Done that. When one is stuck between family, your past and the lady you love."
"What's the solution then?"
"First. I don't what your problem exactly is, but in my case?! I loved her so I fought for her. It was worth a fight. She and I deserved it."
"So.... Did you win her or lost her forever?"
"I have been married to her from past five years and couldn't be luckier."
"Yeah, lucky."
Mayank smiled. "Is it worth the fight?" and paused "One cognac please. The man needs a decision to make." He asked the bartender, smiled towards Vivaan and left.