Gauri was staring out of the window, watching the vast green fields pass by, as the train sped on its route. It had been three days since she'd escaped from Bareilly. Bareilly, she could no longer call that place home. Still, she was glad that she could do something for her people. Gaurav and her other friends had come yesterday, along with Gaurav's father, to visit Gauri. Her mother thanked the kids with joined hands, for saving her daughter. Those kids, they were Gauri's lifeline. Somehow, in the midst of all sorrow and worry, they managed to cheer her up. Kids. Innocence. The only power that can light a candle in the darkness of fear and hopelessness, because innocence had this quality of hope, of optimism. Gauri believed in keeping the child in her alive, because children still believed that good will win over evil, and that belief was everything.
Gauri was thankful to the kids for another reason; they helped her solve the monetary issue. Gauri kept some twenty thousand for herself and divided the rest of the amount, of approximately thirty thousand, in forty different packets for the forty families who had lost their shops in the temple land takeover that day.
Gauri wasn't being charitable. Those people also suffered for Kali's selfish motives, and Gauri wasn't greedy to keep all the money to herself. That would only prove Omkara right, that she was a thoughtless home-breaker, who destroyed someone else's life for money. She entrusted her faithful friends to distribute these to the people back in Bareilly.
The kids also informed her that Kali tried to bail out his brothers but to no avail. Apparently, they were in prison for attacking the mighty city-dweller, Oberoi saahib, and his elder brother had put the miscreants in prison. The might of the Oberoi surname ensured that those two won't come out of prison for a long time. Gauri breathed a sigh of relief at this news. Not just for herself, but also for Omkara, that he was safe and did not come to harm for saving her life. She owed his brother for putting away Kali's brothers in prison.
With a heavy heart, Gauri said goodbye to her friends yesterday. She knew this time it was going to be for a long. Gauri gave her mother some ten thousand rupees to care of herself, and bought a phone and tickets to Delhi and Mumbai with some of the leftover cash. Whatever money she saved, she kept it for her stay in Mumbai. Getting a permanent job in Mumbai, and a place to stay, was going to be difficult. Gauri would need that money until she finds both.
This morning Gauri had boarded the train to Delhi. She ensured her mother that all would be fine in a few months time, and she would return soon. There was nothing else to be said, Maa and Richa clearly knew that Gauri couldn't stay with Richa for long. So, they just said their goodbyes with heavy hearts. Gauri reached Delhi at around mid-day, barely on time, and caught the connecting train leaving from Delhi to Mumbai. She had never been outside U.P. This was her first time and she was alone. She wished she could visit the famous historical sites of Delhi that she had heard about, but she was not a tourist, she was the persecuted.
Gauri had mixed feelings about Mumbai. On one hand, she didn't remember much of the city, it was from another life for her, on the hand, what she did remember, she didn't like. Gauri shivered suddenly as those childhood memories seemed to reach out from the recesses of her mind. No. She was not going to let the city get better of her. She, Gauri Kumari Ssarma, was a survivor, not Kali, not Mumbai, no one was going to imprison her. Gauri continued staring at the sights passing by her window.
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Omkara was feeling the onset of a headache. He was staring at a boring file in front of him, surrounded by the pristine walls of his office, in the Oberoi group of industries. His mind kept wandering back to the slightly uncomfortable conversation he had with Shivaay a couple of days back.
Omkara was grateful that Shivaay didn't mention the mishap at the railway station to his father. Mr. Oberoi would have seen that as Omkara's failure and chided him to no end. As it is, he was suspicious that his son managed to clinch an expensive land deal in his first venture outside Mumbai. He didn't expect Omkara to succeed, but nonetheless his success did make Tej glad.
Shivaay on the other hand, was anxious about why the Thakur brothers cornered Om at the station. As briefly as possible, without going in to the details, Omkara explained about the village Panchayat and their attempt to murder the girl. Omkara knew what Shivaay was going to say, and stopped Shivaay in his tracks. "Shivaay, what did you expect me to do? Watch quietly as they stoned the girl to death?" Omkara had asked Shivaay, with a mixture of defiance and fatigue.
"I am not exasperated or disappointed at you, Om. I'm curious. There is something you are not telling me." Shivaay had asked, with a suspicious look on his face. Omkara tried his best to convince Shivaay it was nothing, but Shivaay didn't look convinced. Om changed the topic to ask Shivaay about news at the mansion.
Shivaay answered, in an embarrassed tone, that he had told Badi Maa about the contract between Om and Bade Papa. Badi Maa was terribly upset and cried a lot too, but eventually withdrew into herself. Shivaay asked Omkara to reconsider his decision and come back to the mansion. From Shivaay's tone it was clear that he is still angry with his mother, with Chhoti Maa. "Forgive Chhoti Maa, Shivaay. She was only thinking of you. She doesn't bear me or Mom, any ill will. You shouldn't feel embarrassed about anything, if anything, its Mr. Oberoi who should be embarrassed but I don't think that will happen anytime soon." Omkara finished with some disgust.
In other news, Shivaay and Annika were still carrying on the farce of the Annika's memory loss, to find out the truth from Tia. Omkara didn't understand why they were still keeping up with this. They knew that Tia was lying about her pregnancy. Just expose her and throw her out of the mansion, thats what Omkara felt, but Shivaay had other plans. It looked like Om wasn't the only one hiding truths. There seemed to be some solid reason for Shivaay to attack Tia and her mother in this circuitous route, but it looked like he did not want to disclose it yet. Omkara was hardly in a position to question Shivaay about this secret, considering he was keeping, what exactly occurred in Bareilly, a secret from Shivaay. So, Om kept his silence.
Thinking back to this conversation, and looking at the dull pile of files before, Omkara groaned. His headache seemed to be getting worse.
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Soumya heaved a sigh of relief. She had finally reached the third floor. As she turned the key in the knob, she idly wondered that climbing up three flight of stairs might finally help her shed some weight. Not that she cared much about her appearance, she was happy in her skin, still it might be healthier to lose a few pounds.
She was lucky that her friend, Sheila's ex-roommate, shifted in with her boyfriend, leaving Sheila with an empty room, looking for a co-tenant to share the exorbitant rent of a Mumbai flat. Soumya entered her room and collapsed on her bed. She was pretty happy with this flat. The landlady was nice, the rent was favorable for her, the apartment wasn't far from her college, the neighborhood was nice; there was nothing she could really complain about.
Except that she missed her new family in Mumbai. Dadi, Bade Baal waale Bhaiyaa, Annika di, Prinku, Bade Bhaiyaa, Jahnvi aunty, even Pinky and Shakti aunty, and of course, she missed Rudy. Rudy. Thats why she had shifted here. Soumya was a hardworking girl from a middle-class family. Her self-respect and dignity mattered a lot to her. If Rudy didn't want her to stay in the mansion, then she won't stay there. She was hurt by his words. She thought they were friends. The accidental marriage had not dented their friendship, at least that's what she thought. But it looked like it had. Their personal issues were pushed to the side what with Shivaay bhaiyaa's unforeseen marriage with Annika di, and then him getting shot, and all the drama that followed. Soumya and Rudy were too involved in helping out Shivaay bhaiyaa and Annika di, to realize that they had certain unresolved issues between them, and those issues exploded in a most ugly way.
Soumya always knew that Rudy was an immature brat, but for him to actually say such bitter words to her....it was hurtful. She left that very day. Of course, Shivaay bhaiyaa tracked her down, and urged her to come back. Soumya was touched by his concern and affection, but she didn't relent. She told him that, staying with Kalyani Dadi's family had been a temporary arrangement, since she had joined college mid-term last year. She was touched that she received so much affection from their family, but she couldn't trespass on their hospitality any longer. Soumya knew that Shivaay bhaiyaa was slightly upset that she would refuse him like that, but he accepted her decision. He filled her in on what happened after she left, how Omkara fought with Tej and was compelled to leave the mansion. Soumya was distressed to hear that. She genuinely cared for her Bade Baal vaale Bhaiyaa and to hear of how all this had impacted him...it was saddening. But there was nothing she could do, at least not presently anyways.
She thought back to her last clash with Rudy. Would Rudy be regretting his words now?
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Rudra was staring absent-mindedly at the decorations. In two days time, Shivaay bhaiyaa would play his final trump card and arrange his fake wedding with Tia. Rudy whole-heartedly supported this plan, and was ready to play his role in this sham wedding to expose Tia. He never liked Tia and the Kapoors anyways; his instinct always told him that there was something wrong about them. He would be glad to get rid of them. But then what?
Rudy couldn't help but notice that his brothers changed. Shivaay bhaiyaa always leaned upon OmRu when the family faced any trouble, but now he leaned upon Annika bhaabhi. Rudra didn't begrudge him that, he approved and liked Annika didi, or bhaabhi, as she was to him now. They always shared a good supportive relationship, and there could be no one gladder than Rudra to see Shivaay bhaiyaa married to Annika di. Yet, there was this realization that Shivaay had his own life now. So, did Omkara. Om had always been a little apart from them. Although, Rudy and Om shared a loving and teasing relationship, Omkara had always grappled with his issues alone. His darkness had always consumed him from within. Rudy was worried for his brother, but there was nothing that he, or Shivaay bhaiyaa, could do to help him. He refused any help from them.
So, what now? Rudy had to make his own niche, he also had to carve out his life separately from his brothers, like his brothers. He made up his mind to go to college tomorrow. Honestly, he couldn't remember when he last went to college. Rudy wasn't particular about studies, but he supposed he had to get back to them sometime. There was another reason why he avoided college last week: Soumya.
He would have to meet her there, after all they shared a couple of classes together. There was no escaping her. He didn't want to see her. He knew he should, he should apologize but the thought of that strangely made him uncomfortable. Not because Rudy felt any ego apologizing, but he didn't know how to apologize for something so big that caused her to leave the mansion. Well, he would just have to buck up and do what needed to be done, say sorry, and be done with it. Rudy sighed thinking of tomorrow.