It had been another long day for Kunal. He was tired, and exhausted beyond measure. But now, he was scared for his wife, and for his stupid sister who had gotten herself and everyone else into this mess.
But moreover, he was scared for Abhi.. of what Anand was capable of doing to Abhi. Though Abhi didn't know it, but a couple of guards were always tailing Abhi - thanks to Rohan's advice and timely help!!
Sighing, Kunal entered the quiet mansion, not looking at his mother and grandmother as they sat at the dining table, preparing for dinner, and made his way to his bedroom, to his wife, whom he needed now the most.
He was angry at dadaji - if dadaji had not made that stupid mistake all those years ago, they wouldn't have been in this situation at all.
Closing his bedroom door behind him, Kunal slumped down on the edge of the bed, loosening his tie.
After dadaji had caught Naina and Anand redhanded, dada ji had sent Naina to her room, before he'd gotten a phone call from Anand, to meet up.
And dadaji had gone to meet him alone - at an out-of-order factory in the city outskirts, where Anand had smirked at dadaji, showing pictures of himself and Naina in intimate poses, and a copy of the doctor's scanning report - stating Naina was pregnant with his child... He wanted dadaji to make him 45% share holder of RGI.
Dadaji of course, hadn't agreed. And Anand might have had taken dadaji lightly, for he hadn't expected what had come next - dadaji had taken a metal rod from near-by and had hit Anand again and again, till Anand was covered in his own blood. Dadaji had then left him there to die and come back home, before he'd ordered Naina to go to Australia for her higher education.
How Anand had survived that no one knew - because according to dadaji, he had hit Anand's head several times - hurt him enough to bleed to death... Anand had passed out and would eventually have bled to death. But Anand was very much alive today, and blackmailing.
Kunal shook his head in despair - who was helping Anand?! Who had helped Anand all those years ago?! And Naina - how could she have been so foolish as to stay in touch with him?!
But he opened his eyes the moment he heard the sound of a door being opened, and saw his wife walking into the bedroom, with a tray in her hand. Dressed in a pale yellow saree, with her bridal red bangles tinkling around her wrists, and glowing like an angel, it was Shruthi.. Kunal's Shruthi.
Shruthi smiled sweetly at him as she closed the door behind her, before walking to Kunal and placing the tray of tea and biscuits on the night stand, turning to look at Kunal.
Kunal smiled as she shook her head and stood between his legs, to remove his tie from his neck.
"Drink your tea while it's still warm" she whispered, unbuttoning the top few buttons of his shirt, before turning to move away.
But winding his arms around her waist, Kunal tugged her closer. And she stood still as he tightened his hold around her waist, his eyes stuck on the exposed waist from her saree.
Shruthi followed his gaze and flushed, before looking at his tear-pooled eyes. Kunal of course felt emotional as his eyes fell on her tummy - she was carrying his child - a proof of their love, a proof of their union!!
"I love you" he murmured, placing kisses all over her tummy. Shruthi giggled, but clutched tight to his hair as he peppered kisses around her naval, before dipping his tongue into her naval.
"Someone's in a very romantic mood today?" she raised her eyebrow, as Kunal tugged at her hand, forcing her to sit carefully on the bed beside him. He gazed at her with all the love in his heart, his heart welling as his eyes darted to her stomach again - she was carrying his child!!
And Kunal was taken back to the discussion he had had with Naina earlier - of how she got emotional whilst talking of her brief pregnancy - with Anand's child. And for a moment, Kunal thought he understood what Naina must have felt at that moment - to be carrying the child of the one she loved the most - a proof of their love, their union.
But he shook his head - Naina had gotten the baby aborted as well. But when had she gotten pregnant?! Nobody in the family had ever known she was pregnant!!
But putting all thoughts to rest, Kunal put his hand on her stomach and raised his eyes to her eyes, feeling proud at the blush coloring her cheeks.
"You've made me the happiest man on Earth Shruthi" he whispered honestly, rubbing her stomach.
"I didn't think I was ready for motherhood... but when I got the result from the doctor... I don't remember ever being that happy!" she blushed, tears pooling in her eyes.
Kunal nodded, wrapping his arm around her shoulder, his mind in a conflict - to tell her about Anand, or not?! But she cupped his face, looking intently at him, and unable to meet her gaze, Kunal moved, to lay his head on her lap, with the same mental debate going on.
"Dadaji handed me a book today.. how to deal with pregnancy stress.." she trailed off, running her fingers through his hair.
"Achcha?" he raised my eyebrow, looking up to her eyes.
"Hmm... and then, he said that he knows kung-fu.. and he is an excellent boxer.. " she pursed her lips.
Kunal nodded at her - dadaji was a black-belt in martial arts, and he used to train for boxing apparently before he joined business full-time!
"And then, he said he'll punch anyone who pester me about the gender of the baby!" she giggled.
Kunal smiled - to the outer world, dadaji is a Hitler who distinguishes between boys and girls. But he had seen dada ji pampering Naina, forgiving every one of her mistakes!! He remembered dada ji calling the owner of a restaurant and making them cook one of their signature meals because Gayathri was craving for it at the middle of the night once!! And he remembered dadaji making Gayathri and Naina sit on his lap as he fed them fondly - dadaji had never fed Kunal, forget making him sit on his lap!!
"He gave me his credit card to shop... get some maternity clothes if I'm uncomfortable to wear a saree!!" Shruthi exclaimed, her eyes going wide in shock.
"But dadiji and ma said that a pregnant woman should wear saree... it is important for the sunrays to fall on the tummy - Vitamin D for the baby!" she squealed as Kunal ran his fingers through her tummy.
Shruthi looked at Kunal - though he was smiling, yet, she knew something was bothering him. The whole mansion had seemed lifeless from the past few days, though nobody had ever told her anything!! And now with her pregnancy news, the life seemed to have returned, though at times she had caught dadaji aimlessly strolling inside the mansion, with a very fixed look on his face, or Kunal's father spending an awful lot of time in the study, coming out only for meals!
Shruthi looked at the cup of tea on the night stand and made up her mind. Making Kunal sit back on the bed, Shruthi handed him the tea and the tray of biscuits whilst she continued of how Gayathri had called her to ask about her health, and set up her appointment with the best gynecologist in the country, of how Shruthi's own parents had come over to meet her and how they wanted to take her home for the pregnancy, and how dadaji and dadiji wanted her here, to pamper her and their unborn grandchild! All the while, Kunal smiled and sipped on his tea, his mind still in a conflict. While though Shruthi chirped brightly, she could sense the turmoil going on in Kunal's mind.
"You seem tensed" she said finally, unable to hold the tension any longer.
Kunal sighed heavily, there was no other choice but to tell her the truth.
"Anand is back" he pursed my lips, putting the empty tea cup back on the table.
She didn't say anything, and her mind seemed to have worked. The only thought that first popped was Naina.
"And Naina?" she asked when she found her voice.
"I met with her today afternoon.." Kunal sighed, now debating on whether to tell Shruthi about the thing that really bothered him, or not!
"What else?? There's something else, isn't it?" she whispered, putting her hand on his hand and giving it a squeeze.
"Anand... he knows of your pregnancy" Kunal sighed heavily.
Shruthi's heart seemed to stop, before she felt her heart in her mouth - why couldn't they have a moment of peace?! Now, when she had finally found her love, and had settled in her life, ready to embrace the next step of life, why had Anand come to their lives all of a sudden?!
"Abhi doesn't know... anything.." Kunal sighed heavily.
"He needs to know... and what do you mean by anything?" Shruthi asked, looking into Kunal's eyes.
Taking a deep breath,Kunal sighed. He didn't know how to tell it to her, but Shruthi was a smart woman - she could be of some help if she knew the truth!!
And finally, he told her everything - or everything he knew.
No sooner had he stopped speaking, than Shruthi spoke "Abhi needs to know all this... everything Kunal!"
Kunal nodded - he knew she would say this.
"But how did Anand know of my pregnancy?" she searched Kunal's eyes, fear filling in her own.
"I don't know... But... " Kunal trailed off, not knowing and not wanting to voice out his concerns.
"I'll be okay... but it's important for Abhi to know... everything" she looked into Kunal's eyes.
"You go now... go to London... it's best you fly out to meet him... Anand has spies here.. but he wouldn't have spies there, would he? Fly out now Kunal!! Now before anybody knows you've gone!!" She whispered.
Kunal nodded. This thought had been at the back of his mind since he'd seen that message from Anand, and now hearing those words coming from Shruthi's mouth just seemed to strengthen that thought.
"I'll tell dadaji.. and fly out in a couple of hours" Kunal sighed, to which Shruthi nodded.
***Abhimanyu's P. O. V***
Sipping on my coffee, I glanced at my watch - it was around 6 in the evening, and the city had never looked more beautiful than it did now, when I was feeling rather gloomy.
I had gotten a phone call from Kunal early in the morning when he'd told me that he was coming over to my hotel room to meet me in the evening. I hadn't even known that Kunal was here!
It had been a long and hectic day, and I hadn't even been able to talk to Naina since I'd reached London!! She had been very busy it seems after I'd left - she had dropped a message saying she'd call me tonight, and that was the only hope for me right now!! I would be leaving tomorrow evening and seeing Naina day after tomorrow, but still, I missed her.
There was a feeling of.. tension... like a knot in my belly. I couldn't shake off the feeling that something unknown was lurking just out of my reach!!
And just as I'd finished my cup of coffee, the doorbell rang. I got up to open the door, to find an exhausted-looking Kunal at the door, who returned my smile only half-heartedly.
"Come in.." I smiled, moving aside for him to enter. Kunal mumbled a word of thanks and turned around, as though ensuring nobody was around, and then walked in.
As I closed the door shut, he looked around the room, and indicated the bedroom "We'll talk in there" he said in a low voice, moving in.
I blinked at him in confusion, before making my way to the bedroom.
Kunal put his bag on the ground and turned to look at me as I offered him a glass of water.
"Not now" he shook his head, and sat down on the sofa, looking stressed.
"What happened? Is everything alright? Is it about Naina?" I asked, sitting next to him on the sofa and looking intently at him.
"There's... something.. you need to know.. Abhi.." Kunal trailed off, talking slowly, like as though he was carefully thinking over whatever it is that he wanted to talk about.
"Alright.." I trailed off.
Kunal took a deep breath and cleared his throat a couple of times, before finally looking into my eyes.
"Anand is back" he said finally.
I blinked, trying to wonder if what I'd heard was right - Anand??? ANAND????
"He.... he has a lot of information... enough to pull down dada ji, Naina, you, our families...." Kunal rubbed his forehead.
"Anand?" I blinked, looking at Kunal's stressed face.
"YES!! THE ANAND WHOM YOUR WIFE USED TO DATE! THE ANAND WHOM YOUR WIFE CLAIMS IS THE LOVE OF HER LIFE!! THE VERY SAME FUCKING BASTARD ANAND WHO'S NAME YOUR WIFE HAS TATTOOED ON HER CHEST APPARENTLY!!" Kunal hissed in a low voice, glaring at me, as though willing me to believe.
"Naina... she is adopted... she is not my parents' actual child... dada ji had found her in an orphanage when he had gone there for some function... and papa adopted her because dada ji developed an instant liking to her... nobody in the family knows about it, except myself, dada dadi and ma papa.... I'd found the adoption papers one day when I was searching for some document in dada ji's cabin years ago" Kunal said in one go, as though telling it all in one go would make it easier for me to listen to it all?!
I blinked at Kunal - the fact that Naina was adopted didn't seem to bother me, because it mattered not what one was born, but how they grow up to be... and I love Naina because I love her, not because she's a Raichand or anything!
"Naina of course doesn't know... but Anand knows.." he hissed, his eyes pooling with tears.
My heart skipped a beat at these words - I could sense the problem.. I could sense what was worrying Kunal now.
"I'll make sure that Naina doesn't ever get to know of it" I vowed to Kunal.
"That's not it... he.... " Kunal trailed off, with tears pooling in his eyes.
"He... he wanted to be a share-holder of Naina's firm...." Kunal trailed off, covering his face with his hand.
And then he went on to tell me of how this Anand now owned 45% ownership of RGI, of how my timely investment and ownership saved Naina's firm, but how this fact infuriated Anand.. of how Anand blackmailed Kunal by telling him offhandedly that he knew of Shruthi's pregnancy.
For a long time after that, both of us sat in silence. I was wondering what to do next, of how torn Naina might be right now with the fear of her ex entering her life, and of Shruthi - Anand blackmailing using Shruthi's pregnancy!!
I turned to look at Kunal, who looked like he was contemplating on whether to tell me something or not, when his phone pinged, making both of jump.
Kunal's hands shivered as he quickly drew the phone out of his pocket, and he froze as his eyes moved on the phone screen. Wordlessly, he handed me his phone, which had a message, from a Private number -
'How much are you telling Abhimanyu? Give him my warm regards!'
I gaped at Kunal in horror, the phone still clutched in my hand, when the phone buzzed again, with another message from the same Private number -
'Hi Abhimanyu. I am Anand - the one true love of your wife, Naina, who still has my A etched on her heart!'
To be continued...
A/n - the next chapter is here. Ah Anand and his ways tsch tsch...and now with Abhi too in the game, only time can tell what's gonna happen.
The next update will have to wait till Tuesday... I had work today also FML I literally am living in the office ugh!!
Anyway, hope you liked the chapter.
Please guys, stay home and stay safe.
We're facing troubled times and let's just pray for all this to get over soon.
Loads of love,
Take care,
Megha.