Tears silently fell from her eyes as Pragya lovingly looked at her mangal sutra on her palms, the heart break was unbearable, this was killing her, with a loud sob she takes her hand to her chest to keep her mangal sutra close to her heart when her hand brushes against her new mangal sutra. She looks down at the new mangal sutra in dread. Why was life so cruel to her? What did she do to deserve this? She hears the door open and looks up to see Abhishek stagger in, he was drunk. Seeing him, Pragya quickly gets up from the bed.
"Look at you, all ready for our suhag raat." Abhishek mockingly tells her.
Seeing him coming towards her, Pragya moves back in fear. The drinks, the hatred and seeing her fear were making him feel all the more determined. He stalks her till she reaches the wall and she looks around in panic. Seizing the opportunity, he moves quickly towards her and keeps his hands on either side of her entrapping her.
"Why are you crying, Pragya? Didn't you get exactly what you wanted?" Abhishek asks her furiously. "Stay in my house and become the owner of all our properties!"
Pragya gulps in fear. Abhishek furiously grips her chin and Pragya winces in pain. Seeing her in pain Abhishek smiles, "I am realizing that marrying you is not a bad thing." Pragya looks at him in shock. "Do you have any idea how much I am enjoying seeing you in pain and tears?" Abhishek asks her. When Pragya remains silent, he says, "I am going to make your life a living hell."
Pragya closes her eyes and bites her lips to stop herself from crying out loud. Abhishek roughly caresses her lips, "Did you know that my brother and I drew straws to decide who was going to seduce you?" When she remained silent with eyes closed he continues, "Unfortunately my brother won and you ruined his life." Abhishek keeps his hand on her shoulder and sees her shrinking in disgust. He smirks seeing her discomfort and gently and sensuously runs his finger down the length of her arm.
"Abhi... please?" Pragya pleads him as she closed her eyes.
Abhishek furiously grips her arms, "My brother used to call me Abhi!"
Pragya looks at him in fear and begs him, "Please Abhishek, leave me."
"Did you forget that you are my wife and it is your duty to take care of all my needs? Even sexual?"
"Please Abhishek... I am begging you."
"Why Pragya? I want to see what my brother found so great about you." Abhishek says as he leans down and takes her lips in his. Pragya starts pushing against him and that is when he feels the mangal sutra on her hand. He turns to look at her hand and sees it. He furiously snatches it from her hand, "Even in death won't you leave him alone?" Abhishek furiously asks her as he fisted it in his hand.
"That is mine!" Pragya says angrily.
Abhishek smirks and puts it inside his pants pocket. "Take it."
Pragya hesitates for a few seconds then nervously she takes her hand to his pants pocket near his crotch. She keeps her hand on his pocket and hesitates for a bit then closing her eyes she starts to put her hand inside his pocket and he quickly holds her around her waist and pulls her towards him. Pragya starts struggling in his arms and as she struggled, she brushes against his erection and stops in shock and panic. She looks at him in fear.
"I am your brother's wife." Pragya tells him in fear.
"You are my wife." Abhishek reminds her.
"Please don't."
"Do you really think that I will give up my chance in tormenting you?" Abhishek asks her and a second later his lips were on her neck.
Pragya struggles against him as he devoured her neck. Abhishek's hand moves to her stomach and gently starts caressing her. Feeling the tingling effect on her stomach, Pragya stops in shock as her body started reacting to him. Feeling her going limb in his arms, Abhishek gentles his assault on her. He drags his mouth to the other side of her neck sensuously and she softly moans as her breathing became erratic as her body reacted to his touch even more. Feeling himself getting turned on even more Abhishek takes in a dragged breath. Hearing him Pragya comes out of her daze and realizes what was happening to her and what was she letting him do to her. Pragya starts pushing him again.
"Stop acting! I know you are enjoying this." Abhishek tells her.
Gathering all her energy, Pragya screams out loudly, "ARMAAN!"
Hearing his brother's name, Abhishek steps back in shock realizing what he was doing. The moment he stepped away, Pragya furiously pushes him away and runs out of the room. She runs all the way to Armaan's bedroom, which had been their bedroom for three years. She gets in and locks the door. Falling on the ground she starts crying her heart out.
Pragya was sleeping on the floor when she wakes up hearing loud knocking on the door. Pragya gets up and hurries to the door and opens it.
"Come out." Abhishek orders her.
Pragya steps out hesitantly. The moment she steps out, Abhishek slams the door shut and locks the door. "Never enter this room."
"That is my room!" Pragya argues angrily.
"No, sweetheart! Your room is not this. From now on you'll be sleeping with me in my room. Got that?"
"You hate me. Then why?" Pragya asks him helplessly.
"I hate you and that is why I love to torture you. You took my brother away from me! Now I'll not let you go anywhere near his memories."
"You said you'll let me stay here if I married you!" Pragya reminds him.
"Yes. I am letting you stay here but you'll stay with me in my room, wifey."
"DON'T CALL ME THAT!"
Abhishek furiously grips her chin and lift it up to look her in the eyes, "Never raise your voice at me, wifey."
Abhishek walks away and Pragya helplessly watches him go.
Radha (Abhi's Mom), Taiji and Abhishek sit down for breakfast. He looks around for Pragya and noticing she was missing he screams out for her. Few minutes later, Pragya comes down.
"You called me?" Pragya gently asks him.
"Where were you?"
"Room."
"Your husband is here for breakfast and you are not around to serve? If I remember correctly when my brother was having his food, you would be like a hawk all over him. Why this double standards, wifey?" Abhishek asks her.
Pragya turns to look at Radha and Taiji and they were furiously looking at her.
"Serve." Abhishek orders her.
Pragya walks towards him and gently starts serving him. "Serve everyone." Abhishek orders her.
Pragya turns to serve them when Taiji furiously says, "Do you think water will go down my throat if she touches it?"
Pragya stops midway and hesitates.
"Leave it." Abhishek tells her and Pragya keeps the bowl back on the table.
"ROBIN!" Abhishek calls out to him.
"Yes, Sir?" Robin comes running to him.
"What all do you do here, Robin?" Abhishek asks him.
"I clean, cook, wash clothes , iron them, buy grocery, look after the garden."
"From now on you will just supervise."
"Supervise?" Robin asks confused.
"From now on, wifey will do all that. Your job is to make sure that she does a brilliant job of it. If she doesn't then you have the right to make her do it again and again till she does it correctly. And if I am not happy with the way things are here then I'll fire your ass." Abhishek tells him.
Robin turns to look at Pragya in shock while Pragya remained composed.
"She won't cook!" Radha says furiously. "Do you want her to poison us and kill us too like she killed my son?"
Abhishek sighs and says, "She will cook and Robin will be watching over her making sure she doesn't try to kill any of us. Is that clear?"
Robin nods his head.
"Wifey, go get my clothes ready for office."
Without a word Pragya goes to his room.
Pragya was sitting in Abhishek's room which was now hers too and crying as she read the letter from Armaan. Why did you do this, Armaan? We were happy. Weren't we? Then why did you do this?
Clutching the letter to her chest Pragya remembers Armaan. She had met him in college. He was her senior, even Abhishek. Armaan was every bit like Abhishek, a womanizer and a disrespectful guy. They never respected women. Then one day, she had caught both the brothers' attention. Armaan had decided to seduce her. He had tried many ways to seduce her and somehow he had ended up falling in love with her, which had led to gaps in Armaan and Abhishek's relation, as they started having issues and Abhishek blamed her for it. After college when they had informed his family about their relation, they had refused to accept them except for Daddyji. Seeing the change she had brought in Armaan's life he had accepted her with open arms ignoring the fact that she was a poor orphan. With his blessings they had got married. But she was never accepted into the household because on the way from their mandap to the house, they had met with an accident which had almost cost Armaan his life. Taiji and Mummyji blamed her for it and said that she was bad luck to Armaan. Fearing the way everyone at home hated her, Daddyji had given all his properties to Armaan on his death. And Armaan had worked hard and took the company to heights while Abhishek continued his rebellious behavior. When the Pundit had told Mummyji and Taiji that, for Armaan's long life he should have a kid soon, they started pressurizing her for a baby and she had to tell them that she could never conceive. Soon they started pressurizing Armaan to divorce her. She had supported him in every single thing but he had left her because he couldn't see the way she was treated by his family. After transferring all the properties into her name and the house to Abhishek's name, Armaan had committed suicide. She remembers the day she had woken up to find his suicide note on the side table. Pragya starts crying remembering that day.
Abhishek walks into the room to find her sitting on the floor crying. Hearing him she looks up in shock and then getting up quickly she hurries to her cupboard and keeps the letter inside the drawer.
"What were you unsuccessfully trying to hide?" Abhishek asks her mockingly.
Pragya gulps and whispers, "It's a letter Armaan wrote me."
Abhishek stares at her for a while and then he walks away. Pragya sighs in relief.
"Abhishek..." Pragya gently goes towards him.
"What?" Abhishek snaps at her.
"Can I have the key to Armaan's room?"
"You killed him once. Stop killing him again and again!" Abhishek furiously whispers to her. "There is nothing more torturous to his soul than having your presence in our house."
"That is not true." Pragya whispers to him as tears fell from her eyes.
"Mom is right. You were a curse on him. Ever since you entered his life, he has been having accidents one after the other. He realized you were a curse on him but he loved you and couldn't say that to you. So he decided to end things. He didn't kill himself. You killed him!" Abhishek furiously tells her. "So stop torturing my brother! Let him rest in peace at least!!!"
Pragya was sweeping the floor when she stops in front of Armaan's room. Dropping the broom, she gently walks towards the door and caresses it lovingly. Her Armaan's soul was still in there. She had felt him in there.
"Bhabhiji... Sir will fire me." Robin hesitantly tells her.
Pragya turns to look at Robin and he was helplessly looking at her. "Sorry." Pragya whispers and takes the broom and starts sweeping again. But her mind was elsewhere. Abhishek had asked her to transfer the property back into their names and she had refused. So he had threatened to throw her out of the house and she had begged him to stay there and threatened him with the properties. So he had offered her a deal, marry him so that the property would remain with the family though in her name while he would let her stay in his house. She had agreed because her Armaan was still alive somewhere here. But now, Abhishek wouldn't even let her go to Armaan's room. Was it worth it? Abhishek was slowly taking away all her memories of Armaan, could she live like this? If she leaves the house at least then she would have Armaan in her memory and no one will accuse her of killing him anymore.
Hours later, Pragya had made up her mind, fearing Abhishek would catch her on the phone, she sneaks to the terrace and dials Armaan's lawyer.
"Ajay... Pragya here." Pragya whispers to the phone.
"Hello Pragya... how are you? How is Abhishek?"
"Ajay... can you tell me what is the procedure to file for an annulment?"
Abhishek who had come to check on Pragya after seeing her sneak into the terrace, stops in shock hearing her.
Pragya walks into the bedroom to see a furious Abhishek as he gulped down drink after drink. Ignoring him Pragya tries to get ready for bed.
"So what advice did your lawyer give you?" Abhishek asks her.
Pragya stops in shock as she went pale.
"Annulment!"
"I don't want to be here anymore." Pragya tells him.
"Transfer the properties back into our name." Abhishek tells her.
"No!" Pragya says forcefully.
"How dare you?" Abhishek asks her furiously as he threw the glass on the floor furiously.
"My Armaan worked hard to bring the company to this level. I will not let you waste and destroy all that with your debauchery!" Pragya tells him furiously.
"Who are you to decide that?"
"Armaan's wife!"
"You are my fucking wife!"
"No!"
"Transfer the property back to us and I'll give you a divorce."
"I'll get the marriage annulled before that." Pragya tells him.
"Let's see you do that." Abhishek challenges her. He pulls her towards him and tells her, "You are going to be my wife, Pragya." Then he pushes her on to the bed and says "There won't be any more grounds for you to file for an annulment."
Abhishek sits up in shock remembering the events of the previous night. He was drunk and furious. Abhishek runs his hand over his face trying to clear his mind. He had been so angry when he heard her talk on the phone and when she refused to give back his properties. He had a couple of drinks but he was not so drunk that he didn't know what he was doing. Somehow he had thought that consummation would stall of an annulment. He remembers her fighting him and struggling, but he hadn't given up. He wondered if she had screamed out for Armaan, the music system was so loud that he was not sure if she did. He knew she had tried to get him to leave her, but he had very deftly touched her and teased her in the right places with his experience. He knew exactly what to do to get her to react to him and she did. She had stopped fighting and she never even realized that she was responding to his touches. He had taken to her to an all-consuming passion where she started vocally responding to him and gave herself to him. Once she had come to her senses, she had panicked and quickly she got dressed up and ran out of the room. And that was when he had realized. Abhishek holds his head in shock and confusion. She had been a virgin. Three years of marriage and she was still a fucking virgin! He had been too shocked to react, or go after her or ask her anything. He had started drinking and finally he had passed out.
Abhishek walks out of his room as he wanted answers. He was about to go look for her when he thought of checking Armaan's room first. He turns around and sees Pragya sitting on the floor with her head resting on the door. She was sleeping, her tears dried up all over her face. Abhishek was about to wake her up when he resisted and gently lifts her up in his arms.
"Armaan." Pragya gently whispers.
Abhishek looks at her face and she was still sleeping. She looked so lost and helpless then.
"Why did you leave me, Armaan?" Pragya asks in a heart breaking voice.
She did love his brother. And he knew how much Armaan loved Pragya, then why was their marriage never consummated? Abhishek wondered as he carried her to his room. He gently places her on his bed.
"I am sorry I betrayed you, Armaan." Pragya says. "Please forgive me, Armaan. Abhi and I..." Pragya starts loudly crying in her sleep. "I love you, Armaan. Please forgive me. Please don't hate me."
Abhishek watches in shock as she cried in her sleep. Feeling pity, he gently whispers, "It's okay."
"Sorry, Armaan."
"Calm down, Pragya." Abhishek gently tells her as he wiped her tears away and that is when he realized that heat he had felt was not her body temperature that she was burning up.
Abhishek had sat by her side and took care of her. He made sure either his mother or Taiji was with her when he had to step out. His head was screaming with questions and he wanted Pragya to wake up and answer his questions. Why did they never have sex? They were so in love then why? Armaan was no saint, Armaan had had his fair share of women in the past then what had gone wrong? Did he never love Pragya? no... he did. Then did Pragya never love Armaan?
"You said once she transfers the properties to you, you will divorce her." Radha reminds him angrily.
Abhishek turns around to see his mother behind him. "I did."
"Then what is she talking about?" Radha furiously asks him.
Pragya was being delirious again. "It's between Pragya and me."
"Did you forget what she did to our Armaan?" Radha asks him furiously.
For the first time he asks, not to his mother but to himself, "What did she do?"
Radha looks at him in shock then she says furiously, "She was unlucky for him. She brought in bad luck. Ever since Armaan married her, his life was always in danger. The only way to protect him was to have a child and she is infertile!!!"
How could Pragya even know she is infertile if she never had sex? If she loved him so much then wouldn't they try to have a baby?
"Abhishek!!!"
Abhishek irately looks at her. What was he going to tell her? And how can he discuss what happened between Pragya and him to his mother? Wasn't that wrong and disgusting?
"I am not going to discuss this." Abhishek tells her.
"Armaan." He hears a faint call.
"I have to go, mom." Abhishek tells her and walks into his bedroom.
Abhishek wakes up and turns to his side to check on Pragya and finds her side of the bed empty. He sits up immediately wondering if she had gone off to Armaan's room. He starts to get down from the bed when he notices the coffee kept on his side. He had ordered her to have coffee ready when he woke up. He sighs as he turned to look at the couch and as usual his office suit was spread out. He had made her do that, and suddenly it all felt petty.
Abhishek walks around the house looking for her and finally finds her in the garden watering the plants as Robin supervised. Abhishek walks to her and holds her. Pragya turns to him in shock and seeing him she goes pale. Without a word he walks back to the house dragging her along with him.
Abhishek locks the bedroom door and turns to her. "How is your fever?"
"It is all gone." Pragya replies without looking at him.
Furiously, he roughly feels her forehead and Pragya moves back quickly. "You still have fever. Then what were you doing out in the cold?"
"Just because I slept with you, you don't have to act all concerned." Pragya tells him and starts to walk out.
"I don't give a damn about you. But if you die then, I don't want people thinking I killed you to get the properties." Abhishek tells her.
"I have work downstairs." Pragya tells him and starts to walk off.
"After you tell me." Abhishek tells her.
"Tell you what?" Pragya asks acting innocent.
"Don't act as if you don't know."
"I don't know."
"I want to know why you were a virgin."
"I was not." Pragya replies.
Abhishek looks at her in shock wondering if she was for real. "Tell me why."
"I was not a virgin. Did you forget that I was married for three years?" Pragya asks him furiously.
Abhishek looks at her in shock unable to believe that she was lying to him on his face even after knowing that he knew the truth. "I took your virginity! So tell me dammit why you were a virgin?"
"I was not." Pragya replies still standing her ground.
"Didn't my brother think that you were good enough to take to bed? Did you not let him?" Abhishek asks her.
"I am not answerable to you."
"You are my wife and he was my brother."
"I am Armaan's wife."
"Armaan is dead! I am your fucking husband now!!!!" Abhishek says furiously.
Pragya remains silent.
"You know, before you entered his life... I used to call him a gigolo."
Pragya's eyes fill with tears hearing that.
Seeing the tears he steps back and asks her helplessly, "What happened to my brother, Pragya? There was a reason for his depression, right? There was a reason why he killed himself, right?"
Pragya looks at Abhishek helplessly for a while then unable to control her tears she turns around and runs into the bathroom locking herself in.
"Pragya... I need answers!" Abhishek says as he banged on the door. Tears started flowing from his eyes, his brother was a healthy man then? "Open the door, Pragya!" then he hears the faint sob from inside. He stops tired and helpless. He was starting to realize that Pragya was way too loyal to Armaan. She will never tell him that Armaan was impotent but he had to find out. Abhishek helplessly looks around wondering what to do.
He thought he knew his brother so well. They were so close till Pragya came into their life, then everything changed. From best friends to they had become strangers. He still hadn't forgiven his brother for killing himself or not leaving behind a suicide note, so that they could know why he ended his life. Abhishek stops in shock, what if he had left Pragya a suicide note? Abhishek remembers Pragya hiding a letter from Armaan, he had assumed that was a letter that he had written to her when they were dating and she had hid it thinking he would take it from her.
Abhishek opens her cupbard and checks the drawer. There were photos and few items, he assumed to be Pragya's collection and memories of her relation with Armaan. He starts moving things around and finds a letter that was now almost torn with repeated folding and unfolding, it was slightly crumbled and tears socked. He quickly opens the letter.
My Darling Pragya,
I wish I could tell you how beautiful you look while you sleep. You have never looked so beautiful or innocent. I wish I could tell you once more how much I love you but I can't wake you up now. By the time, you read this letter everything would be over. I am sorry, Pragya. I can't live anymore. I can no longer be a burden on you, Pragya.
You have told me time and again, that sex is not important but it is, Pragya. You should live a complete life, that of a wife, daughter and a mother. I made you my bride but could never make you my wife. How I wish that my accident had happened on my way to the mandap, then I would have never married you, Pragya and ruined your life. My impotency didn't affect your love for me, but every time I saw love in your eyes for me, I died a little and I hated myself a lot. I tried to fight and live, Pragya, for you but I couldn't help feeling a coward.
There are two things I want to tell you, the lies.
The accident on the day of our wedding, other than that none of them was accidents. It was all my unsuccessful attempts to kill myself, but every time, you took care of me and brought me back to life.
And, artificial insemination was possible, but I lied to you it wasn't as I couldn't do that to you, Pragya. How can I? I knew, one day or another I would end things, and you would be all alone to fend for our child. You will never marry again, and you will spend the rest of your life looking after and raising our baby without any support. That is not what I wanted for you. I wanted you to lead a happy and fulfilled life. So I lied, but when I found out what the Pundit had told Mom and that you lied to her that you can never conceive to protect me, Pragya, I realized how selfish I have been. I never had the courage to tell anyone that I was impotent as my ego and pride will never be able to take a blow like that. You knew it and you protected my secret taking all the blame on yourself. I love you so much; Pragya and I can't let you suffer anymore.
I am sorry, Pragya and please don't think that I am dying because of you. You gave me the courage to live for three years but now I can't take this suffering anymore. I am going to leave all the properties in your name because Abhi is a little immature. Abhi needs a little guidance and he'll be a better man than I could ever be, I know that and I want you to tell him that. We used to be very close then things went wrong but he is still that little brother that I love. That is why I am going to leave the house in his name.
Mom and Taiji, I know they haven't accepted you but they are not bad people, Pragya. Just a little prejudiced. They will accept you soon; I just know it in me.
I know it would be difficult for you to go on without me, but know that I am still here. This house has a lot of our memories and I can never leave this house. I will be still here in this house. When you miss me, remember that I am still around.
I know you are going to be hurt by my death but one day, you will stop hurting, for that you need someone to share your pain. I want you to remember me with a smile not tears and for that you need someone who loves you by your side. It might feel cruel or selfish but I don't want you wasting your life crying over me. I want you to move on, get married and have children. You are going to watch them grow up, you are going to live the life that I never could, with someone who loves you and who you love. There is nothing wrong in falling in love again, Pragya. I know you would always love me but what you don't realize, Pragya is that you can love two people. You will be able to love the new man in your life and me at the same time. And I am sure that you are going to get a man who will understand your love for him and for me. Only a man capable of loving unconditionally will be able to accept that kind of love, and you will get a man like that. When love comes knocking on your door, please don't turn away from it for some misplaced loyalty to me. You deserve a happy life and love and you'll get that.
I am leaving a letter along with this (don't read that), that is for the man you marry and fall in love with. Give it to him, there are things I want to tell him.
Love you always. Keep smiling.
Armaan.
Abhishek read the letter again and again, as guilt and anguish took over. Everyone had blamed Pragya for Armaan's death when the truth was something entirely different. He had tortured her. He had hurt her so much and she hadn't said a word. Abhishek closes his eyes as the tears fell. He never realized that his brother had been going through hell. How didn't he realize? They were so close then what had happened between them? Why did he let his brother go away from him like that? So far that he couldn't even share his problems with him. And he had blamed Pragya for the distance between them. Ever since Pragya had come into his life, Armaan had slowly started changing. He changed so much that he had started feeling like a different person to him, and he had easily blamed Pragya for it. He had accused her of taking Armaan away from him. The fights and arguments over Pragya had become a constant thing between them. Then after the marriage it had worsened, with Armaan's mood swings and depression. He had become like a ghost, a haunting existence all over the house but didn't interact with anyone. He had tried once to talk to Armaan which had led to a huge argument between them, and he had dragged Pragya's name into it and Armaan had fought him. that was the end to their relation, and it was so easy to blame Armaan and Pragya but now knowing the personal hell they both had been through what he went through was nothing, and it was his own doing. It was his possessiveness and unwillingness to accept Pragya as the more important person in Armaan's life, and added to that the accusations of Mom and Taiji, it had been so easy to hate and blame Pragya for everything. On the hindsight, he wondered what was Pragya's fault in all this? Was it that she was not born in a rich family? That Armaan fell in love with her? Or that Pragya loved Armaan so much that she was willing to take everyone's hatred and protect Armaan? He had made a marriage deal with Pragya, and she had agreed because she believed Armaan's soul was somewhere still in this house. Abhishek closes his eyes in pain, he had tried to snatch away Armaan's memories from Pragya and tortured her so much that she had started thinking of leaving this house and Armaan's memories. Why did he hate her so much for loving Armaan? For his own shortcomings, he had punished her. He had forcefully seduced her. How he was so blind that Pragya's pain never registered to him or that he never saw beyond his pain and Armaan's betrayal of brotherhood? Why did he torture Pragya for all this? Why did he forget that she was Armaan's widow? Why did he never realize that Pragya is his wife? Realizing what Pragya had gone through and how she had supported Armaan throughout, he finally understood the meaning of marriage and those saath vachans. He understood what a husband should be like and his responsibilities to his wife. Now, Abhishek Mehra not only had the responsibilities to Pragya as her husband, he had to fulfill all of Armaan's responsibilities to Pragya. He have to be not just Pragya's husband Abhishek, he has to be Pragya's Armaan too.
Hearing the bathroom door open he looks up and sees Pragya stepping out. Her eyes were red. Guilt he had never felt pierced his heart. Out of respect for his brother, he had decided to meant his ways and lead a more grounded and respectful life, he had stopped unnecessary partying and women, but he had slept with Pragya, the girl his brother had loved and the girl who still loved his brother.
"THAT IS MINE!" Pragya says furiously seeing the letter in his hand. Before he could react she had snatched it from him. "HOW DARE YOU TAKE IT? DID YOU READ IT?"
Abhishek looks at her looking at him so fiercely trying to protect his brother yet again.
Abhishek steps forward and walks towards her then when he reaches her he hugs her tight. Pragya starts struggling in his arms and stops in shock hearing his question, "Why didn't he ever tell me, Pragya? Did I mean nothing to him?"
"He loved you, Abhishek. He always talked about you." Pragya tells him. "He didn't want to hurt you. That is why he never told you."
"Please don't tell anyone." Pragya pleads him.
Abhishek steps back to look at her and he says, "Now I see why my brother loved you so much. Went against everyone and married you."
Pragya looks at Abhishek in shock as fresh tears filled her eyes.
"How could he not love you, Pragya?" Abhishek asks her with a gentle smile.
Pragya starts whimpering then she starts crying out loudly, "Then why did he leave me, Abhi? Why did he think that sex was more important to me than him? Why didn't he give me a baby, Abhi?"
Abhishek hugs her tight to console her and suddenly it was too painful to see her cry, "Because he loved you, Pragya. He wanted you to be happy."
"How can I ever be happy without him?"
Abhishek remains silent but lets her cry all the while promising himself and her that he will give her all the happiness in the world.
Pragya had stopped crying though she was still hugging Abhishek and thinking about Armaan. Abhishek held her close understanding her need for comfort.
"I didn't kill him." Pragya gently whispers to Abhishek.
"You didn't, Pragya." Abhishek tells her looking at her. "It was never your fault... maybe if we had accepted you, Armaan might have..." Abhishek stops as he looked away realizing how much they had hurt Armaan and in a way responsible for his death.
"No... Don't think like that... Armaan loved you all. He had thought of moving out of here but then he will not be able to live without you all, especially you. That is why he stayed here. You are not responsible for his death." Pragya tells Abhishek looking at him.
"He loved you a lot." Abhishek tells her.
"Not enough to live." Pragya tells him sadly as tears filled her eyes.
"It was his love for you that made him live for three years after the accident and not anything else, Pragya."
"You think so?" Pragya asks him looking all hopeful.
"Yes." Abhishek tells her smiling.
Pragya smiles in relief and without thinking she leans her head on his chest getting lost in her thoughts.
The phone rings breaking them out of their thoughts. Realizing that she was hugging him, Pragya moves back embarrassed. Abhishek not wanting to embarrass her any further turns around and answers the call.
"I need to go. A meeting got rescheduled." Abhishek tells Pragya.
Pragya nods.
"I'll be late to get home." Abhishek tells her as he got ready and Pragya nods again suddenly very uncomfortable with him.
Finally he gets ready and starts to walk out when he stops near the door, and looks at her.
"Did you forget something?" Pragya asks him uncomfortable with the way he looking at her.
"Yeah." Abhishek replies and walks to his cupboard, and takes something from the drawer. He walks towards her and takes her hand in his. Pragya gulps uncomfortably. Abhishek gently places her old mangal sutra and Armaan's bedroom key on her palm.
Pragya looks at him in shock.
"Sorry." Abhishek tells her and walks out.
Late at night Pragya comes out of Armaan's bedroom. Ever since Abhishek had left, she had been inside this room as she thought of her time with Armaan. He shouldn't have died. Pragya thought sadly. In between she had slept off and had dreamt of him. She had apologized to Armaan for what had happened between Abhishek and her, and he had started laughing and called her silly. She had come awake in shock. Strangely the guilt had lessened but the guilt was still there somewhere in her.
Pragya walks into Abhishek's bedroom and sees him reading on the bed.
"When did you come?" Pragya asks him surprised. Usually when he reaches he would call out to her to make her do some work.
"About two hours." Abhishek replies as he keeps away the magazine on the side table.
"I was..." Pragya starts to explain.
"I know." Abhishek calmly replies to her. "How is your fever?"
"Gone." Pragya replies as she uncomfortably looked around wondering what to do.
"Are you ready to sleep?"
Pragya nods and walks to her side of the bed and gets on the bed.
"I am sorry, Pragya."
Pragya looks at him in question.
"For the way I treated you and hurt you. You were all alone here. I promise you, Pragya that I will be a good husband to you and my family will accept you and treat you the way you deserve." Abhishek promises her.
Pragya looks hesitantly and gently tells him, "I don't want a husband. I just need a friend."
Abhishek turns to look at her with a smile. "I understand and I'll be all that you want me to be." Abhishek tells her.
"Thank you, Abhishek." Pragya tells him hesitantly smiling. It felt weird to smile at him. He had never talked to her in a normal way and now he was behaving like this and she was smiling at him.
"My brother used to call me Abhi." Abhishek hesitantly tells her. "You are the closest person to my brother, so I would like it if you could call me Abhi."
Pragya looks at him surprised then says with a gentle smile, "He used to call you Abhi and hearing him talk always about you, even I got used to that name."
Abhishek smiles at her. "He used to talk about me?"
"Yes. Always. He used to miss you a lot and always used to say that that he felt like a part of him was lost when you are not with him."
"I hurt him a lot." Abhishek says sadly.
"But a part of him was happy about the distance. He never told me but I knew."
"So he wouldn't have to tell me about..." Abhishek guesses.
Pragya nods. "Maybe that is why he never tried to mend the differences because before marriage he had told me that once we get married, he will talk to you and clear all the problems between you both. But he never did." Pragya tells him sadly.
"I should have tried." Abhishek tells her regretfully.
"He wouldn't have let you get close to him. Last one year, it felt like he had built a wall around him and I couldn't just get to him." Pragya tells him as tears filled her eyes.
Abhishek moves close to her and hugs her. Hiding her face on his chest, Pragya cries herself to sleep, after a very long time feeling secured.
Abhishek wakes up to find Pragya missing. He sits up and turns to the side to see coffee waiting for him. He sighs. The way he had treated Pragya was now feeling like something stuck in his throat that he could neither spit out nor swallow. The guilt he felt for the way he had treated her all this while and the way his family treated her was killing him, the guilt would never leave him, and he couldn't just say sorry to Pragya, because sorry was too small for what he did to her. Every time she does something for him, his behavior towards her comes back to stab him on his heart.
Abhishek walks to the dining table to have breakfast and sees his mother and Taiji already seated.
"Where is Pragya?" Abhishek asks her.
"Kitchen." Radha answers with a frown.
Abhishek nods and walks towards the kitchen when Pragya comes hurrying out. "I was coming to call you." Abhishek tells her.
"Me?" Pragya asks surprised.
"For breakfast. Come." Abhishek tells her and walks back to the table. He sits down and sees Pragya's hand in front of his plate as she started to serve him. Abhishek holds her hand and he tells her still looking at his plate, "From now on you will eat with us."
"Have you gone mad?" Taiji asks him furiously.
Abhishek looks up at her and says sternly. "Pragya is my wife and your bahu. She will be treated like that from now on."
"She did her black magic on you also!" Radha says furiously.
"Don't say anything against Pragya. I don't care who it is, I won't stand it." Abhishek tells them both then turning to Pragya he tells her, "Sit."
"I'll have later." Pragya hesitantly tells him.
"ROBIN!"
Robin comes running towards him.
"From now on, meals will be served only once. Whoever wants to eat will eat together at the table. If they are not at the table then they can starve. Got it?"
"Yes, Sir."
Abhishek turns to Pragya and Pragya gently sits down. Seeing her hesitating Abhishek starts serving for her.
"I will take." Pragya tells him wanting him to stop. She was not comfortable with the way he was behaving.
Sighing Abhishek sits back and watches her serve. Once she starts eating he turns to Robin "From now on, Pragya will not do any work here. If you want get more helpers, but no one should trouble Pragya."
Robin nods in shock while everyone looked at Abhishek in shock and surprise.
Abhishek was walking towards his car when Pragya runs behind him. "Why did you do that?"
Abhishek turns back to Pragya and calmly tell her, "It is my duty as your husband and friend."
"Armaan is my husband."
"Yes, Armaan is your husband but you are my wife too." Abhishek reminds her. Pragya looks away uncomfortably. "I will see you in the evening." Abhishek tells her and leaves for office.
Pragya keeps looking at Abhishek from the corner of her eyes as she fluffed out the pillow.
"Why don't you get it off your chest?" Abhishek asks her sighing loudly.
"Please don't create a scene like that again for me."
"I didn't create a scene, I just told them what I felt." Abhishek tells her shrugging.
"That is not the way to talk. They are your mother and Taiji. You should treat them with more respect." Pragya tells him frowning at him.
"Now I understand why Armaan didn't fight for you with Mom and Taiji much. You used to eat his brains off when he did... didn't you?" Abhishek asks her smiling.
"He used to fight for me." Pragya defends Armaan.
"I know. But you still used to attack him like this, didn't you?"
Pragya looks away slightly blushing, "yes."
"I knew it." Abhishek says smirking.
"Why are you doing this?" Pragya asks him as she sits on the bed confused.
"All this while, I had been seeing you through my eyes which were completely wrong but now I know you, and I realize that I haven't treated you well. I want to correct my mistakes." Abhishek tells her ashamed.
"You don't have to do anything for me." Pragya tells him surprised to hear him.
"I think differently." Abhishek tells her. "I know saying that I am sorry is not going to wash away all that I did to you, but I want you to know that I am truly very sorry."
Pragya looks away and tells him, "You read Armaan's letter, right? I couldn't tell you what he wanted me to tell you. I was so lost in my pain that I never truly realized that even you had your crosses to bear. I am very sorry for that. You don't have to feel guilty for the way things ended with Armaan and you. Armaan still loved you and worried for you."
"Thanks."
Pragya smiles at him gently, "You don't have to worry about the way you treated me. If it makes you feel better then I forgive you."
Abhishek smiles at her then he hesitates for a bit and tells her, "I know you want us to behave as if it didn't happen... but I am..."
"I don't want to talk about that." Pragya tells him looking away.
"Okay." Abhishek nods.
"Why don't you join office?" Abhishek asks Pragya as they settled on bed the next day.
"Me? Office?" Pragya asks surprised.
"Yeah... it will be a good change for you, and you will get to meet lot of people instead of simply staying here all the time." Abhishek tells her.
"What will I do there?"
"Work." Abhishek chuckles.
"Hmmm."
"Think of it." Abhishek tells her and closes his eyes to sleep.
"Armaan used to tell me to join office." Pragya tells him as she turned to look at Abhishek.
"Then why didn't you?" Abhishek asks her as he turned to her.
"I thought no one would like it here."
"If you are interested then you join." Abhishek tells her.
"Armaan used to love working." Pragya tells him.
Abhishek smiles at her realizing that she was not sharing information, she was enjoying talking about Armaan. "Everyone at the office loved him. I can never match up to him."
"Armaan used to say that once Abhi takes responsibilities of the office then he is going to take the company to those heights that we can never even imagine."
"He said that?" Abhishek asks her smiling and feeling happy.
"More than once." Pragya tells him smiling.
"Armaan always knew what to say and when to say." Abhishek says in admiration. "I don't even think before I talk."
"You are no less than Armaan, Abhi. Armaan always says that you are a good man a little misguided; now I see that it is true." Pragya says then grinning she jokes, "You have the potential to be a good man."
Abhishek chuckles hearing her then seeing her smile he says "It is nice to see you smile."
Pragya's smile drops as realization dawns on her. It's not even been a year since Armaan died and she was smiling?
Realizing Pragya was starting to feel guilty he asks her "It feels nice to talk about him with a smile, right?"
Pragya looks at Abhishek surprised and says amazed, "Yes. He wanted that."
"Smiling and being happy, doesn't mean that you forgot him. It just means that you are giving him peace."
"Do you think he would be watching us?"
"I would like to think so." Abhishek replies.
Did he see us that day?
Abhishek could hear Pragya's unspoken question loud and clear. "He would be watching over us, and I would like to believe that wherever he is, he is laughing his ass off that we both ended up getting married."
"He will find it funny." Pragya says thoroughly upset and disappointed at Armaan. Abhishek chuckles hearing her.
"You used to shoplift?" Pragya asks shocked. It has become a habit of theirs to talk about Armaan as they went to bed.
"He never told you?" Abhishek asks her surprised.
"He told me once that he has shoplifted but the something came up and we never really talked about it."
"Well... it started like, we used to go to these supermarkets and take chocolates and walk around eating it, then once we are done, we will throw the wrapper in between shelves or behind other products." Abhishek tells her proudly.
"Wow." Pragya says amazed.
"Then once we stole a ring from a shop."
"Oh my God!" Pragya says shocked. "Why did you guys have to steal? Didn't you get pocket money?"
"It was for the thrill. Second time we tried we got caught."
"Then?"
"Then Dad had to get us out on bail."
"Yeah! That I know, you had to stay in the lock up for a night, right?" Pragya asks him excited. "But no... that was for some fight regarding some girl, right?"
"Yeah." Abhishek replies grinning. "That was so fun."
Pragya shakes her head at him. "Then that drunken driving also, you both were arrested."
"Oh yeah! I forgot that." Abhishek says as he remembers those adventurous times with his brother.
"He was drunk and driving. Police caught you and they were going to take him to the station and asked you to take a cab and go home because you were not the one driving. You didn't want to leave Armaan alone, so you slapped the constable, right?"
"Good thing Dad came when he did, otherwise I would have been bashed up in jail." Abhishek says chuckling.
"You two used to trouble Daddyji a lot." Pragya says shaking her head at Abhishek.
"It used to be fun." Abhishek says smiling then his smile turns sad realizing that now both Dad and Armaan were no more.
"He was a nice man." Pragya gently says sobering down remembering her father-in-law, he had accepted her with open arms and loved her as if she was his daughter.
"Yeah." Abhishek drawls as he sadly thought of his father.
"He so badly wished to see you mend your ways." Pragya tells him softly as she looked at her fingers.
"I know." Abhishek replies as tears filled his eyes.
"He would be so proud of you if he sees you now." Pragya tells him.
"There is nothing in me to be proud of, Pragya. I disappoint everyone and I hurt everyone. I only give pain."
"That is not true, Abhi." Pragya tells him as she turned to look at him and held his hand. "You have been looking after mummyji, Taiji and me so well. You have become so responsible now. And you are working so hard. However you were before, you are no longer like that."
Abhishek look at her amazed as tears fell from his eyes, "How can you even say that, Pragya? Did you forget what I did to you? Every time I think of what I did to you, I feel like killing myself. I used to look for ways to hurt you and..."
"You are not hurting me now. You are so supportive now. You take care of me and worry for me, like no one has ever done before." Pragya tells him and then cupping his face she says with tears, "it is because of you that I am happy now. Because of you, I can talk about Armaan with a smile."
Unable to control himself any more, Abhishek leans down and takes her lips in his. Pragya stiffens in shock for a moment, but as the gentle kiss turned passionate Pragya forgets everything and gives into passion.
As the passionate haze left her, Pragya realized what she had done. She had sex with Abhi again. As guilt and disgust took hold of her, Pragya started panicking. She wanted to run. She loved Armaan but every time Abhi touched her, she forgot everything and became his. How could she love Armaan and let Abhi touch her at the same time? Pragya thought as tears fell from her eyes. She wanted Armaan, she wanted him to tell her that he still loved her. Pragya starts to get up and go to Armaan's room when Abhishek holds her. Pragya turns to look at him in shock she had thought he had slept off.
"Please don't leave me, Pragya." Abhishek pleads her.
Pragya looks at him helplessly.
"I love you, Pragya." Abhishek tells her as her held her wrist. "I need you, Pragya."
Pragya looks at Abhishek in shock, she wanted to be angry at him and scream at him for daring to love her but she couldn't, as she could see the pain in his eyes which were so like hers. "I love Armaan." Pragya whispers.
"I know, Pragya and it is okay. Even if you never love me, it is fine. All I want is for you to be by my side." Abhishek tells her.
Hearing him, tears starts flowing from her eyes. Abhishek leans towards her and gently kisses her tears, "Let me take your pain away, Pragya. Please let me heal you."
Bursting out into tears, Pragya hugs him.
Things slowly started changing between Abhishek and Pragya, as life started taking center stage, they started spending more time with each other like husband and wife and even though they still talked about Armaan and the good memories with him, the frequency had reduced considerably. Even though Pragya still loved Armaan, she started relying more on Abhishek and their love making to take away her pain.
Few weeks later, Abhishek and Pragya walk back into the house. "I can't believe you liked that oyster." Abhishek says in disgust.
"I liked it. It was different." Pragya argues.
"Yeah. It has no taste and was yuck." Abhishek says shuddering remembering the oyster.
Pragya gently smiles seeing him make faces; he looked very cute when he made faces like that.
"I don't even know why I let you talk me into going there." Abhishek says.
"Because I was growing tired of your steak obsession." Pragya replies.
"I so missed steak today." Abhishek tells her as they started to climb the stairs.
"Abhishek." Radha calls him from behind.
"Yeah, mom?"Abhishek turns to her with a smile.
"Come to my room, I want to talk to you."
Abhishek's smile drops seeing her serious look. "Can we do it tomorrow? I am really tired."
"No. now." Radha tells him stubbornly.
"Go." Pragya gently whispers to him as she gave him a slight push.
Sighing loudly Abhishek runs down the stairs.
"What is it, mom?" Abhishek asks her as they walked into her room.
"Why haven't you got our properties back? And when are you going to divorce her?"
"I am not going to divorce her." Abhishek calmly tells her.
"What do you mean? You told me you would divorce her after we get the properties back, right? That is why I let you marry her."
"I know, mom."
"Then? I have been seeing you always with her, smiling and laughing forgetting everything that she did." Radha says furiously. "She killed my Armaan!"
"Pragya didn't kill anyone." Abhishek says furiously. "Armaan died because he couldn't be a husband to Pragya."
"Yes, she was torturing him!" Radha says.
"No, mom. There are things that you don't know. Pragya has forbid me from telling you but trust me when I tell you that, Pragya is not the cause for Armaan's death." Abhishek implores her.
"Why did my son die, Abhishek?" Radha asks him suddenly. "You know the reason for his depression, right?"
"Yes."
"What is it?"
"I can't tell you but Pragya is not the reason." Abhishek tells her and turns to walk off, "I love Pragya and I will not live without her. Please see the goodness in her and try to accept her. You have hated her and hurt her for no fault of hers all this while, please stop that."
Abhishek walks back into the room and Pragya looks at him curiously, "Is everything alright?"
"You know." Abhishek replies with a shrug.
"Properties or divorce?" Pragya asks him gently.
"Both."
"What did you tell her?"
"That I love you and I can't live without you." Abhishek tells her as he walked towards her.
Pragya looks away hearing him, and asks him softly, "You didn't tell her about Armaan, did you?"
"No." Abhishek replies.
"Thank you." Pragya says smiling in relief. "I have been thinking for a few days."
"What?"
"I'll transfer the properties to you. I didn't do that before I thought you would misuse it and destroy everything. Now that I know how much you are working hard, I will transfer everything in your name." Pragya tells him smiling.
Abhishek things for a while and says, "Okay... not because I want the properties in my name. I want everyone to know that I am with you because I love you and not for the properties."
Pragya gently smiles at him, she was getting used to the way he always declared his love for her.
"Talk to the lawyers tomorrow." Pragya tells him.
Abhishek nods, "When will you be joining office?"
"I will. Maybe in a few months." Pragya tells him.
"Whenever you are ready." Abhishek says smiling.
Abhishek stretches his arms as he slowly come awake and turns to his side to find that side of the bed empty. He sighs with a smile and taking Pragya's pillow he hugs it and closes his eyes as he waited for his wife to come and wake him up for office. Even after a while when there was no sign of Pragya, Abhishek sits up frowning, it was not like her to be so tardy. She was usually by his side by this time with his coffee pushing him off to get ready for office. Where did she go? Abhishek gets up and decides to freshen up and go look for her. Was it a Sunday? Abhishek wondered as he walked into the wash room, usually on the weekends she let him sleep late.
When Abhishek doesn't find Pragya anywhere around the house, he decides to check on Armaan's room, Pragya never went to the room as often as before, now mostly she went in there to clean up the room and keep it exactly the way Armaan had wanted it kept. He was about to knock on the door when Pragya opens the door. Abhishek's heart breaks seeing her tear stained face.
"Pragya? What happened?"
Pragya look at him helplessly and then without a word runs to their bedroom.
Abhishek hurries in behind her and finds her on the bed crying her heart out.
"Pragya... what happened? Why are you crying?" Abhishek asks her as he knelt down next to her. "Please tell me, Pragya... what happened? Are you missing Armaan?"
Hearing his name Pragya starts crying even more.
"Pragya... please tell me what it is." Abhishek pleads her.
Pragya turns to look at him as she stopped crying for a few seconds.
"What happened, love?" Abhishek asks her lovingly as he caressed her face.
"I am pregnant." Pragya tells him as she broke into loud sobs.
Pregnant? A baby? Abhishek's face breaks out into a big smile realizing that he was going to be a father. Before he could give into his joy he hears her hiccup. He turns to look at Pragya and she was looking at him sadly. Abhishek smiles lovingly realizing why she was crying. "I am Armaan's brother, Pragya." Abhishek gently tells her as he helped her sit up and wipes her tears. "We share the same gene, so maybe our baby would look like Armaan."
Pragya looks at him in shock and surprise at what he was saying, ever since she realized that she was pregnant, the guilt had been killing her that she had become pregnant with Abhi's baby and not Armaan's. She was realizing how far she was going away from Armaan.
"We will name him Armaan." Abhishek promises her as he gently kept his hand on her stomach.
"How can you love me so much, Abhi?" Pragya asks him finally truly realizing how much he loved her, she doubted whether even Armaan loved her like this. "What kind of love is this?"
Abhishek shrugs, "I know to love only like this, Pragya."
I am sure that you are going to get a man who will understand your love for him and for me. Only a man capable of loving unconditionally will be able to accept that kind of love, and you will get a man like that.
Armaan had written her that.
"Please smile, Pragya otherwise he would think that you don't like him." Abhishek tells her.
Pragya quickly smiles wiping her tears as she realized that she did like her baby, in fact love her baby, and she didn't want her baby to think otherwise.
"That's like my Pragya." Abhishek says as he kissed her on her forehead.
"It could be a girl too." Pragya tells him smiling happily.
"Hmmm no... it is a boy." Abhishek tells her confidently.
"What if it is a girl?" Pragya insists.
"Hmmmm then we will name her.... hmmm.... How about Sameeha?"
"Sameeha?" Pragya asks shocked. "What kind of a name is that? Did you mean Sameera?"
"No... Sameeha... my first girlfriend." Abhishek tells her with a wink.
Pragya looks away furiously as a pang of jealousy filled her heart.
"I was just joking... Mom had planned to name me that as she had thought I was going to be a girl."
Pragya looks at him in shock.
"It means desire... longing. Same meaning as Armaan." Abhishek tells her.
Pragya looks at Abhishek for a few seconds then she hugs him as her heart was suddenly filled with Abhi.
"Mom... Taiji..." Abhishek gently says to get their attention as he walked into his mother's bedroom.
"What is it, Abhishek?" Radha asks him irately, she was still angry with him for siding with that Pragya forgetting everything.
Abhishek sits next to her on the bed and hesitantly starts, "You asked me why Armaan committed suicide. Whatever Pragya feels about it, I think you should know the truth."
"Why did he kill himself?" Radha asks him frantically as tears filled her eyes.
"This is the suicide note he wrote to Pragya." Abhishek tells her as he handed the letter.
Radha quickly takes the letter from him and she starts reading it while Taiji reads with her. Soon they were in tears as finally understanding the truth. They both burst out crying as they finished the letter. Abhishek quickly takes the letter and folds it and keep it in his pocket so that they don't destroy the already damaged paper.
"Please, mom... never let Pragya know that you know. She will never forgive me." Abhishek tells her as he tried to calm her and make her listen to him.
"Why didn't she ever tell us anything?" Radha asks him as she cried.
"Because she love him a lot, mom. Please mom... accept Pragya. She needs you now. She is pregnant."
"She is?" Taiji asks as she smiled softly at the good news.
"Yes." Abhishek says smiling. "She needs both of your care and love. Please don't hurt her anymore."
"No... I'll not hurt her anymore. Everything was our mistake not hers." Radha tells Abhishek.
"Thanks mom. Don't tell her that you two know."
They nod in reply.
Abhishek walks into the room and sees that Pragya was still sleeping. He keeps back the letter and sits on the bed next to her.
"Abhi?" Pragya opens her eyes as she felt him sit next to her. "Where did you go?" Pragya asks him as she rubbed her eyes.
"I went to talk to mom and Taiji... didn't you sleep?"
"I did... then I woke up in between and you were not here then I don't remember anything. I think I slept again." Pragya tells him confused as she moved to him and put her head on his lap.
Abhishek gently starts caressing her hair, "I guess during pregnancy you are going to be feeling more sleepy."
"Hmmm."
"I guess now you won't be able to join office for a while."
"I never wanted to work." Pragya tells him chuckling.
"HA!" Abhishek chuckles hearing her.
"What were you talking to mummyji and Taiji? Is it about the properties? Didn't you tell them that I transferred everything in your name?"
"I did. I was telling them about the baby." Abhishek tells her.
Pragya sits up and asks him worriedly, "What did they say?"
"They are very happy, and told them that the doctor made a mistake in the fertility test."
Pragya nods. "They are really happy?" Pragya asks him worried.
"Yes. Losing Dad and Armaan in the span of two years, they are so happy for the new member."
Pragya smiles relieved hearing that. Hearing a knock at the door, Abhishek goes to open it.
Radha and Taiji walk in with arti and sweets. Pragya looks at them in surprise. Radha sits next to Pragya and keeps her hand on Pragya's cheek lovingly.
"Mubarak ho, beta." Taiji tells her.
Pragya's eyes fill with tears hearing her.
"No... no more tears. We have hurt you a lot, not anymore. We are going to be one family now." Radha tells her as she kissed Pragya's forehead. "Abhishek made me realize that, life is too short to hold grudges and anger. Now, I am going to be a good mother to you and a good grandmother to my grandchild." Radha promises her.
Pragya hugs her as she cried happily while Abhishek watched on with a smile and relief that Pragya bought his lie on the reason for change in heart of his mom and Taiji.
Pragya was sitting with Radha and Taiji as they taught her on how to knit baby clothes. Abhishek comes in excitedly, "Pragya... Pragya..."
"Haan?" Pragya looks at him smiling happily seeing him so happy.
"Get ready, we are going somewhere."
"Where?"
"Secret. Pack an overnight bag." Abhishek tells her.
"Where are you two going?" Radha asks him curiously.
"It's a secret, Mom." Abhishek says rolling his eyes.
"Take care of Pragya properly... she needs complete rest."
"Yes, mom." Abhishek promises her and taking Pragya's hand he walks towards their room.
The next day morning, Pragya went with Abhishek even though she was feeling depressed and upset. If Abhishek noticed that he didn't show it or ask her about it. Finally, they reached their destination.
"Taj Mahal?" Pragya asks surprised as she stood in front of Taj Mahal and stared at it.
"Yes." Abhishek tells her smiling then turning to look at Taj Mahal he says, "Happy Birthday, Armaan."
"You remembered?" Pragya asks him shocked.
"How can I ever forget?" Abhishek asks her with a sad smile.
"Armaan has never seen Taj Mahal." Pragya tells Abhishek.
"I know... he always wanted to see Taj Mahal. Every time we plan a trip something or the other would come up. The last time was he wanted you to join us and I didn't want to go with you." Abhishek tells her as he looked at her.
"I once told him that we should come here and he wouldn't go without you." Pragya tells him.
Abhishek smiles at her sadly as he pulled her towards him and looks at Taj Mahal and says gently, "Now he has seen it."
Pragya turns to look at him in surprise hearing him.
"Armaan was never complete without either of us, and it took me a long time to realize that."
Pragya watches Abhishek looking at Taj Mahal and calmly tells him, "I love you, Abhi."
Abhishek turns to look at her in shock. "What?"
Pragya smiles at him happily, "I love you. I never wanted to fall in love with you because I thought that would be like betraying Armaan but now I realize what Armaan had told me was the truth, I can love Armaan and you at the same time. I don't know why it took me so long to realize it. I can never stop loving Armaan and I cannot stop myself from loving you."
Abhishek starts smiling and hugs her, "I so wish you would have told me this some place where I could have kissed you."
Pragya chuckles and says shyly, "Then take me there."
"Why is that you never asked me for the letter Armaan left you?" Pragya asks him curiously as they got ready to get to bed. They had got back home that morning.
"That letter was for the man you would fall in love with, and I thought you would give it to me when you fall in love with me." Abhishek tells her smiling.
Pragya smiles at him happily and takes the letter and hands it to him. Nervously, Abhishek opens the letter and noticing that Pragya was getting ready to sleep he asks her, "You are not reading it?"
"He had told me not to read it. So you read." Pragya tells him smiling as she loosely hugged him and closed her eyes and seconds later she was fast asleep.
Abhishek smiles at her sleeping form and looks at the letter.
So are you in love with her or are you in love with her, Abhi?
Don't be surprised, why do you think I left you the house and her the properties? Because I knew you would force her to marry you for the properties, and to make Pragya agree I had to dish out some bullshit on me being somewhere in the house. I don't know where I am going to be and whether I will be watching you two, I wish I can watch over you two. Wherever I am, I wish that you two are happy and I am able to see you two happy with each other. The two people I love the most, happy together.
I am sorry for the way things turned out between us, Abhi. I know you always blamed Pragya for the way things went bad between us but it was never her fault and I hope you realize that now. It was our fault that we let ourselves go far apart. You blamed me for changing when the truth is that you could never love me or accept me for the way I had changed even though it was for the better. And I never tried to understand your insecurities and your possessiveness, and just called it your selfishness. We were at fault that we went two ways, and I regret that. I am sorry for hurting you and going away from you, and don't worry, I know even you are sorry and I forgive you for that.
By this time, I am assuming that you know about my impotency. The accident on my wedding day had left me impotent, but Pragya had stuck with me as my strength and weakness. I know you would be wondering why I never told you, it was not because of you, it was my ego that had stopped me. I tried talking to you a few times but the words would never leave my mouth.
Pragya has suffered a lot because of me, and I want you to give her all the happiness in the world. Please make Taiji and Mom accept her. Pragya will never tell them and I will never have the courage to tell them the truth, so I am leaving that job for you to do. Please do it.
When I decided to end things, the only thing worrying me was Pragya's future and that is when I realized that no one will ever understand her love for me like you will, and I also knew that when you let yourself love someone then you love them whole heartedly. And I knew that I had to get you two together. And I did all I could to bring you two together. And I know I did the right thing because you two were destined to be together.
I am not being melodramatic when I say that, there is something I have to tell you. I have never even told Pragya also this. That day, when we drew straws to decide on who would seduce Pragya, I had cheated. You were supposed to win but I had cheated. So maybe, you two were always destined to be together but I don't regret what I did. I am happy that I got to love her and she loved me. Thanks, Abhi for being so distracted by Pragya that day, that it gave me a chance to be with her. Now it is your rightful chance to be with her for a lifetime.
Take care of our Pragya.
Love you brother,
Armaan.
Abhishek closes the letter as he felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from his chest. His brother had told him whatever they needed to tell each other and gave each other peace and closure. He looks at Pragya and smiles wondering whether it was really their destiny to be together. Would he have fell in love with her then? He would. Abhishek realizes with a smile. Like Armaan, he was happy that he got a chance with her, so what if he was the second man in her life? He got her and that too for a lifetime and that was enough for him. Abhishek kisses her lovingly and hugs her tight.
"Abhishek... wake up." Taiji shakes him up.
Abhishek sits up in shock, "Pragya? how is she?" Abhishek asks her worried. "What time is it?" he checks the time and notices that it was 5 in the morning. "9 hours? What is it? An elephant?" Abhishek asks in panic.
"A boy." Taiji says smiling happily as she pointed at the baby Radha was holding.
Seeing his son, Abhishek quickly gets up and hurries to his mother.
"How is Pragya?"
"She is fine. Your son." Radha says smiling.
Abhishek takes his baby in his arms gently and looks at the baby lovingly.
"He looks exactly like how you were when you were born." Radha tells him happily.
"Abhi..." Pragya says his name as he walked into the post-operative room.
Abhishek hesitantly smiles at her.
"How is the baby?" Pragya asks him as worry gripped her seeing his hesitation.
"Sleeping."
"What happened?" Pragya asks him in concern.
"How are you?" Abhishek asks her as he gently caressed her forehead.
"I am fine. What happened?"
"We can't be sure so soon.... But..."
"What? Abhi, you are scaring me." Pragya says panicking.
"Mom was saying that Armaan looks exactly like me when I was born." Abhishek tells her upset.
"Really?" Pragya asks with a smile. "Good."
"Good?" Abhishek looks at her in shock. "You wanted him to look like..."
"You." Pragya cuts him off.
"Like me?" Abhishek asks surprised.
"Yes." Pragya says smiling. "I started feeling disloyal to you when you said that our baby would look like Armaan, I didn't realize it then but I did later. And I wanted our baby to look like you."
"You do?" Abhishek asks smiling happily.
"Yes." Pragya says as she lovingly cupped his face, "I wanted our baby to be exactly like you."
Please vote and comment
- Lazy