Hasta-prāpya-stabaka-namito bāla-Mandāra-vṛkṣaḥ (FF) Ch. 36 p. 15 - Page 14

Chapter Twenty-Eight

At breakfast, Jaya was looking at Raghav and thinking, had her son gotten enough rest last night after his panic attack? Was it still too soon to talk to him, or already too late?

Today was only the sixth morning after Raghav's accident with a nail on the wall had put him in the hospital. And over the past five days, instead of being comforted by Pallavi who had saved his life by bringing him donated blood from Vikarabad, Raghav had suffered two panic attacks, lost Pallavi to Mandar, and become infamous for forcing another man's wife to marry him. Could he keep his promise to stay sober? Last night, Raghav had eaten his dinner early, given Damayanti her dinner and insulin, and shut his bedroom door before Jaya returned from Farhad's flat and Sunny brought Kirti home. This morning, Raghav looked like he hadn't gotten drunk; perhaps he had been crying, but he had managed to sleep.

Jaya knew that she had to tell Raghav about sharing his secret with Pallavi. She had not anticipated that after Raghav accepted Pallavi's right to share his bed, and after his Vaṭa-Sāvitrī fast pledging himself to her for seven lifetimes, he was still hiding his past sins from her. That deceit was an obstacle to pleasing Satya-Nārāyaṇa, and so the truth had come out in a way that Raghav would have to ask Pallavi to forgive. As soon as Raghav had eaten breakfast, Jaya would ask him to talk in private. What if Raghav panicked and needed to be taken to the hospital? Farhad and Harish and Madan would be here soon; Jaya would wait for them.

Raghav had woken up on schedule to walk Damayanti, and after working out and washing up, he had taken that white saree to the room where he had recreated his childhood home. Sleeping with the saree in his arms had helped him to imagine that Pallavi could be his, but he had to live in reality. The saree belonged with the other objects that he hugged when he couldn't hold his loved ones.

In that room was a toy train that looked like the one with which Arjun had played, except that Raghav had bought it new and Arjun's had been salvaged from what another child didn't want anymore. Tammi would be around Junior College Nikhil's age, if he were alive today, Raghav mused as he ate his breakfast. I would share Jayati Jewels with him, and when he finished college, he could ride trains all over India, or airplanes and cruise ships all over the world. Arjun wanted to grow up and do whatever his Raghav Anna could do, but he wouldn't follow my example with girls. No one would call him a predator. He would be popular, Raghav Rao's little brother after all, but he wouldn't be cruel. I taught myself to hate gold-diggers so that I could slam on the brakes before the point when I would have to tell a girl that I have HIV. Tammi wouldn't have to worry about that, he would be enjoying his train rides ... if I had protected him!

Placing the white saree in that room, Raghav's fingers had lingered over a medal on a ribbon, just like the ones that had made Kirti and Arjun so happy to pretend that they stood first in their exams. He hardly tasted the breakfast caṭaṇī as he remembered. We had no right to play with your medals, Prasaha! You won them in Bharatanatyam competitions, and you wanted Amma to display them in our house to inspire her younger students. I was sure you were talking about me. Amma didn't have a proper place to train dancers, and your parents could have taken you and Puruhut to any Guru, but they respected Amma's dedication to traditional knowledge, and so did you. You were my inspiration, Prasaha! You were first at everything, well-connected, resourceful, generous, and so beautiful! I will always hate you for causing the deaths of my Nānna and Tammi, but even today, I remember how your kindness made me feel special, even if it meant nothing to you. We left behind your medals when we moved to Hyderabad, but then I bought this one for Celli's scholarship.

Raghav glanced at Kirti, who was eating her breakfast in silence. Why won't Celli look up at me? She knows it's her fault that Pallavi was embarrassed yesterday, but she won't say that to me. Celli told me, I shouldn't be able to pretend to be a good person. Don't worry, Celli, Jagadish and son won't open their mouths about what you did with that recording. I will always protect your honour. Accepting that scholarship meant that you could finish college while working to support Amma. I couldn't give you the medal, of course, because then you would know that the scholarship was fake, I funded it only for my Celli.

Everything in that room is fake, Raghav thought, other than Amma's handkerchief. Amma never wore that ghuṅgarū, and that nādasvaram isn't Nānna's beloved instrument, which got destroyed in the riot that took his life. I love those objects anyway. I love every memory in that entire room, even if nothing in it is real. In the real world, Mandar is Pallavi's husband and she was never a widow, but inside that room, that mark of sindūra on a white saree means that I made Pallavi mine.

Raghav's thoughts were interrupted by Farhad's arrival with Dhananjay and Inspector Swami. "Anna, Inspector Swami has the results of Mandar's DNA test against the bloodstains on the car."

"All right, let's meet in the den and get this out of the way." Raghav pushed back his chair and headed for the stairs. "Celli, I promise I won't let anything bad happen to you." He didn't ask Kirti to join the meeting; that would only make her feel more guilty.

Jaya put her arms around Kirti to comfort her. Her talk with Raghav would have to wait.

"Are you on your way to arrest Sunny, Inspector?" Raghav demanded. "It's a match, right?"

"No, Anna. The DNA patterns are clearly not the same. It isn't Mandar Deshmukh's blood on the car." Inspector Swami was very pleased with his luck. He had thought that doing the investigation honestly would bring bad news for Raghav Rao's sister, but it hadn't, and surely there would be a reward for him.

"You mean, Mandar isn't - this man who claims to be Mandar isn't the real Mandar!" Raghav's words tumbled out in his excitement. He would rescue Pallavi from the imposter pretending to be her husband!

"Anna, there's no doubt that Mandar is alive," Farhad reasoned. "He has recovered his memories. Everyone recognizes him. Dr. Janaki confessed that she released him to the same person who took him to Dr. Ramya, and he was wearing a bracelet with the name that you gave him, Rajiv Dev."

"Then why isn't it a match?" Raghav argued. "I saw the car right after it hit Mandar. His blood should be there!"

"Mandar Deshmukh's blood may have stained the car," Inspector Swami explained, "but over the two years and seven months that you kept the car in a shed, Anna, his DNA in the bloodstains could have degraded, our forensic experts say. If there wasn't a lot of blood there, because Mandar Deshmukh survived the accident, they wouldn't have been able to recover his DNA."

"You said that the forensics team was able to extract DNA from the bloodstains!" Raghav snapped. "Now you say the DNA was degraded! Which is it?"

"The DNA that wasn't completely degraded in all this time belongs to someone who left more blood on the car than Mandar Deshmukh, Anna," Inspector Swami clarified. "That's why the DNA pattern is different from Mandar Deshmukh's."

"No, the man who was hit by the car was Mandar! He was wearing his engagement ring; who else could it be?" Raghav stubbornly insisted.

"Anna, what Inspector Swami is telling us is that the car may have hit two people," Farhad interpreted. "Mandar's accident didn't leave enough blood to prove that he was hit by that car. The other victim, who left more blood, may have been more seriously injured, but we haven't identified that victim, nor who was driving when that accident occurred, nor any witnesses."

"Exactly, Farhad Bhāī, that's just what I'm telling you."

"All right, I get it now. What does this mean for Kirti?" Raghav got to the point. "And Sunny?"

Inspector Swami nodded, but turned his gaze to Dhananjay to answer the questions.

"There isn't enough evidence to prosecute them, Mr. Raghav," Dhananjay began. "The judge will surely grant Mr. Sunny's petition to drop the charge of vehicular homicide on the grounds that Mr. Mandar is living. Without physical evidence that the car hit Mr. Mandar, and without witnesses, the prosecutor can't bring a charge of vehicular assault. Mrs. Pallavi's recording of a conversation between Mr. Sunny and Ms. Kirti is insufficient. And without charging Mr. Sunny with a crime against Mr. Mandar, the prosecutor can't charge Mr. Sunny or Ms. Kirti with leaving the scene of a crime."

"I'm a witness to the accident," Raghav admitted, "and so is Vipul Kadam, but I won't testify if it could hurt my sister, and I already paid Mr. Kadam to change his story. Still, Sunny was driving drunk. Can't that be the charge, so that there will be justice for Mandar?"

Raghav saw Farhad's surprised expression, realized what he had said, and quickly corrected it. "I mean, so that Pallavi can have justice for Mandar?"

"With no record of Mr. Sunny's level of intoxication, and with Ms. Kirti as the only witness who could see that he was drunk," Dhananjay replied, "if she protects him, he won't be convicted of impaired driving."

"All right," Raghav sighed, and signalled to Farhad, who handed an envelope full of money to Inspector Swami. Inspector Swami gave his thanks and left.

"I'll tell Celli the good news." Raghav stood up, and then remembered, "Farhad, in all that confusion yesterday, I forgot to ask you, what did you find out about Mandar when you went to Vikarabad with him? Is he really as perfect as Pallavi thinks he is? Or is he a drug smuggler like Ved?"

Farhad felt guilty, lying to Raghav Anna, but the memory of Mandar's hand in his hand gave him courage. Mandar just needed a little more time, Farhad felt sure, and he would tell Pallavi Bhābhī the truth. And then Raghav Anna would have his chance to win Bhābhī back. "Mandar and Ved were classmates, Anna, that's all. I met Mandar's neighbours and his landlord, and they all had a good opinion of him. Mandar must be a law-abiding man; he had no issue with the police questioning him about a patient that he took to the hospital."

"All right," Raghav sighed again, still disappointed that Mandar wasn't an imposter with plastic surgery like the one in that TV drama he had watched at the hospital.

Raghav left the den to talk to Kirti. Farhad was about to walk out, but Dhananjay held him back.

"Mr. Farhad, were you at S. K. Venkatesh Criticare Hospital yesterday evening?"

"Yes, Dhananjay jī."

"My wife Subhadra had an appointment with her doctor, so I was there too. I was bringing the car from the parking lot to pick her up at the pharmacy when I saw you. If I'm not mistaken, you have a boyfriend, Mr. Farhad!"

"No, Dhananjay jī. It's true that I am gay, but he is just a friend." Farhad tried not to blush, thinking, Yā Allāh, please keep showing Your mercy to Mandar and me! Dhananjay jī has never met Mandar or seen his photo, but Subhadra jī is Pallavi Bhābhī's lawyer, and if she had seen us and told Bhābhī, both Mandar and I would be guilty of hurting Bhābhī!

"I see. Mr. Farhad, I apologize for my mistake. I saw him kissing you. Of course, when we Indian men hold hands and walk with arms around each other, no one thinks it's romantic. But kissing will get you noticed. Mr. Farhad, please be careful with your friends, and especially if you have a special man in your life, because you are a target for Mr. Raghav's enemies. It was an uphill battle for the prosecutor to get a conviction in that boyfriend case."

"Yes, Dhananjay jī, of course. Thank you for your concern."

At that moment, through the open door of the den, they heard Raghav roar, "Enough! Not one more day of your excuses! I am Raghav Rao! You are going to fix that ring-making machine today, I will make sure of that! Gorilla! Madan! I have to give Damayanti her breakfast and insulin, and then we're going to pay a visit to someone who thinks Jayati Jewels can wait to make Raghav Rao's sister's engagement ring."

Jaya watched as Raghav fed Damayanti. He was in no mood to hear what she had to tell him. And Kirti's voice could be heard all the way from her room, "Of course I believe you, Sunny! But there wasn't any blood on the car when we got it from Akshay. And I know Raghav punched Akshay's face the next day, but so much blood? I don't believe it. You're right, Sunny, I don't know if Akshay hit someone with his car after you returned it. I don't know if Raghav hit someone while driving that car to the shed. But don't call me a bad name for asking you if you remember what you did after you dropped me off at the āśrama in Guntur that night. Don't you want to know, Sunny?"

Chapter One on page 1

Chapter Two on page 2

Chapter Three on page 2

Chapter Four on page 3

Chapter Five on page 4

Chapter Six on page 4

Chapter Seven on page 5

Chapter Eight on page 5

Chapter Nine on page 7

Chapter Ten on page 7

Chapter Eleven on page 8

Chapter Twelve on page 8

Chapter Thirteen on page 8

Chapter Fourteen on page 9

Chapter Fifteen on page 10

Chapter Sixteen on page 10

Chapter Seventeen on page 11

Chapter Eighteen on page 11

Chapter Nineteen on page 11

Chapter Twenty on page 11

Chapter Twenty-One on page 11

Chapter Twenty-Two on page 12

Chapter Twenty-Three on page 12

Chapter Twenty-Four on page 12

Chapter Twenty-Five on page 12

Chapter Twenty-Six on page 13

Chapter Twenty-Seven on page 14

Chapter Twenty-Nine on page 14

Chapter Thirty on page 14

Chapter Thirty-One on page 14

Chapter Thirty-Two on page 14

Chapter Thirty-Three on page 15

Chapter Thirty-Four on page 15

Chapter Thirty-Five on page 15

Chapter Thirty-Six on page 15

Chapter Twenty-Nine

"Krishna and I decided, Dādā, that you and Pallavi Dī are going on a date for lunch today," Nikhil announced with a big grin as the work day began at the saree shop.

Mandar returned his little brother's grin, although he could see that Pallavi was troubled and she would have more worries after he spoke to her alone. It was time to tell Pallavi that Sulochana Kākū had taken him away after his accident, that she had deliberately made Pallavi a widow when she wasn't one. It should have been Mandar and Pallavi united, not Pallavi alone, worrying about the shop's losses and Bābā's health. Pallavi had the right to decide what to do about Kākū, and yet Mandar did not want to burden her with a choice between justice and family, between apprehension of what Kākū might do next and sympathy for Manasi and Amruta and Milind Kākā.

"We were very busy yesterday, after the news reports, and we can expect more customers today," Pallavi objected. "All of us should have lunch here together, so that the two of you don't have to handle the crowd by yourselves."

"Sorry, Dīdī, we already made your reservation at the Aqua Legacy restaurant," Krishna replied. "Since Manasi is having lunch with friends, Nikhil told Sharada Aunty to bring lunch for us and herself only. Aunty knows how to help us with customers. Don't worry."

"Pallavi, I have something to show you," Mandar said. Pallavi came to him, and Mandar took from his pocket a keychain with the letter R. "This morning, I opened the vanity table drawer in our room, and I found this. It was in a blank envelope with the same RR logo that's on Raghav's car, and with a note signed 'R' - 'Thank you so much for your kindness. Āpake liye choṭāsā gift.' I thought, maybe you got this keychain for Raghav."

Pallavi remembered the keychain as soon as she saw it. Mr. Ramaswami - Raghav - had given it to her as thanks for catering the dinner at Pooswami Old Age Home on a few hours' notice. Obviously, he hadn't planned the gift. Mr. Ramaswami must have had these keychains made for his employees. Pallavi had noticed that Savitri jī had one too, when she visited Deshmukh Saree Emporium a few weeks after the dinner. By then, Raghav's hasty choice of envelope had already revealed to Pallavi that the Old Age Home's principal donor was the same man who had abducted her from her home at night to tie her in front of a truck. Holding the keychain had reminded Pallavi that there was some good in Raghav, and someday he would get tired of harassing her, but she had kept the keychain hidden. She couldn't have used it, or Sulochana Kākū would have noticed and told everyone that Raghav had marked Pallavi as his own.

"No, Mandar, I didn't get it for Raghav." Pallavi didn't want to tell Mandar about Mr. Ramaswami, she didn't want to give credit to Raghav when she could be convicted of a crime for what he had done to her, and she certainly didn't want to give this keychain back to Raghav, reminding him that he had unjustly accused her of drugging Mr. Ramaswami's dinner, and hear his apology for ever thinking that she had helped Anjali to violate him! Raghav had lost Amma because he had traded sex for money to start his business; he had accused Pallavi of the same immorality to turn Bābā against her; and now he loved her. How could she ever again look at Raghav, let alone hear him say he was sorry, without bursting into tears for what she didn't even want from him?

"It was meant for someone else," Pallavi managed to say. That wasn't exactly a lie; the keychain was meant for her by Raghav.

"For Rahul rāva, right?" Mandar guessed. "You don't have to avoid the subject with me. Manasi told me about him last night. Yesterday's news reports had one good outcome: Rahul heard them and reached out to Manasi. Manasi is meeting Rahul and his wife Saroja today."

"Really, Mandar Dādā?" Krishna exclaimed. "That is so brave of Manasi."

"Please, Mandar, just put the keychain back where you found it," Pallavi said. It was best if Mandar thought that Manasi's ruined wedding was her reason for hiding the keychain.

"All right," Mandar agreed. "Pallavi, that wasn't all that I found in that vanity table drawer. There's a Rs. 100 note in an envelope marked 'Bābāñcyā dukānātalyā pahilyā vikrīsāṭhī tyāñcyā Bābāṃnī tyāṃnā dilele bakṣīsa.' For Bābā's shop's first sale, his Bābā gave him this gift. When did Bābā give you my Āzobā's blessing, Pallavi?"

Pallavi could not hold back her tears now. She missed the old days when Bābā had been proud of her. The shop had been losing money, and Jagadish Anna had been grumbling about unpaid rent, but Bābā hadn't known. He had trusted Pallavi. Raghav had begun to sabotage Pallavi's work and smear the shop's reputation by the time Bābā had given her the Rs. 100 note and told her its story. Emboldened by Bābā's faith in her ability and the thought of Mandar's grandfather in heaven watching over her, Pallavi had challenged Raghav to take back his complaint to the weavers' association and give her thirty days to bring the shop into profit. And then Bābā had become aware that Pallavi kept matters to herself, when Raghav had intruded on Manasi's maṅganī to announce that he was the shop's new landlord. Day by day, Raghav's shamelessness had strained Bābā's faith in Pallavi. On the day that Raghav had exposed Pallavi's fake accounts and Bābā had thrown her out, the family had just moved into Janakamma's house, and so that Rs. 100 note had remained in Pallavi's room at home. Now, three long months later, Bābā had forgiven Pallavi, and she had regained her right to Mandar and his bedroom where Āzobā's blessing was waiting for her. The shop was doing well; she could work side-by-side with Mandar and truly make Bābā proud. Pallavi smiled at Mandar as the warm tears flowed down her cheeks.

Mandar knew what was expected of him. He held out his arms and gathered Pallavi into a hug. Nikhil and Krishna smiled and exchanged thumbs-up.

"Dādā, do you remember Āzobā?" Nikhil asked when Pallavi pulled away from Mandar and dried her tears.

"I have so many memories of him!" Mandar answered. "Kākā used to take me by train to visit Ājī-Āzobā in Kolhapur on long weekends, sometimes with Āī-Bābā and sometimes just the two of us. After Kākā married Kākū, she would come with us and Kākā-Kākū would stay with her family, leaving me alone with Ājī-Āzobā. Ājī-Āzobā then weren't older than Āī-Bābā are now, and they used to take me to parks and museums, concerts and plays. Āzobā loved exercise and the outdoors. He would let me swim for hours, until I was too sleepy to finish eating dinner, and Ājī would scold him. I learned to do sūrya-namaskāra from Āzobā. He encouraged me to draw whatever I pointed out to him at museums. He appreciated classical music and nāṭya-saṃgīta and he taught me to recognize the Rāga of each of his favourite songs."

Listening to Mandar's memories and studying his excited face, Pallavi thought she could see the child that had grown into this sturdy man who had just offered her the comfort of his embrace. In a few years, she imagined, they would have a child of their own. How would it feel to watch a little Mandar full of energy, running and swimming and giggling, with wonder-filled eyes drinking in the endless world? She imagined watching Mandar playing with a child that was hers and his. Pallavi suddenly felt impatient to get her marriage to Raghav annulled, and Mandar's death certificate expunged. Enough waiting, the time to live her life was right now!

"You really are back, Dādā!" Nikhil said, hugging Mandar. "I learned sūrya-namaskāra from Āzobā too. Do you remember?"

"Yes, Nikhil. Āzobā would be proud to see that you still do yoga every morning."

"Mandar Dādā, you remember everything without even trying!" Krishna marvelled.

"Not quite," Mandar admitted. "Yesterday, I tried to remember the name of Jagadish Anna's son when I recognized him, but it escaped me. This morning, I remembered. It's Jagadekavir."

"Dādā, you know, 'Jagadekavir' sounds like the name of an antiviral drug. 'Don't let HIV turn you into a statue! Take Jagadekavir and head back to heaven!' You know?" Nikhil chuckled and raised his hand for a high-five, but he didn't get one.

"Enough, Nikhil! Mind your language in front of ladies." Mandar didn't feel like laughing at the name "world's only hero" that occurred in the titles of Telugu movies. In one classic fantasy (Jagadekavīruni Kathā, 1961), the hero pursued four heroines and got them all. As a boy, Mandar hadn't understood why girls were prizes for boys to score. Now, hearing Nikhil's joke, the thought occurred to Mandar, was it this sort of fantasy-based lifestyle that had left Raghav with HIV? Raghav had been Ved Pillai's business partner, and the way Ved used to talk about girls ... Never mind the past, what was Ved doing now? If Ved tries to blackmail me again, Mandar thought, Bāppā, I'll call his bluff and come out as gay myself if I have to. Just don't let Ved kill Pallavi, Bāppā. Or even Raghav.

Pallavi's voice interrupted Mandar's thoughts. "Mandar, Bābā's plan was to give you Āzobā's blessing when you achieved something big. When he thought his chance to do that was gone, he gave the Rs. 100 note to me after we were interviewed by Hyderabad Daily News for their Hyderabad kī jāna segment."

Mandar felt a pang of jealousy. Would he have achieved anything if he had gone on working at the shop while Pallavi continued her studies, as he had encouraged her to do after marriage? Bābā had rejected Mandar's ideas for new saree designs, and every one of Mandar's pleas to improve their business: online ordering was unreliable, Bābā said; a ShakalGranth page or even a printed catalog had been ridiculed as a children's picture-book! Customers have to touch and feel the saree, Bābā used to say, because every saree is an expression of its wearer's identity. Bābā had listened to Pallavi because he trusted her judgement more than his son's. Maybe, Mandar thought, my designs really aren't appealing. If Pallavi had thought they were any good, she would have produced them, not left this sketchbook in the vanity table drawer.

"It was amazing luck that Hyderabad Daily News noticed Pallavi Dī," Nikhil was saying. "Dī went to the hospital for a cut on her forehead, and the news crew just happened to be there. I guess they were following Raghav and caught him assaulting a doctor, because that was in the news the same day."

"It wasn't luck, it was good karma," Krishna argued. "The news crew talked to Dīdī because they saw her donating blood -" Krishna caught Pallavi looking at her to keep quiet about Jaya Aunty, and changed what she was going to say. "To someone with a rare blood type who needed an operation."

Pallavi had never wanted Kirti to feel indebted to her for what any decent person would have done, even for a stranger. And right now, she didn't want to explain to Mandar why she still hadn't spoken of the blood donation to Raghav or to Kirti. I didn't want to humiliate myself, Pallavi thought. If Raghav's moral conscience had neither compassion for Amruta nor contrition for Manasi, nor compunction while lying about my character, nor responsibility for Nikhil, nor shame when he forced me to marry him, would he have felt remorse if he had known? Would Kirti admit in court that she left Mandar to die, if she knew? If I had pleaded with them to spare my family because I saved theirs, making it a trade would have been mercenary of me. It was only yesterday that I found out that Raghav wanted to look after the blood donor; he is looking after Damayanti to prove that he hasn't forgotten his promise. If I tell him now that I was the blood donor, he will feel entitled to interfere in the rest of my life. It's better that he gives that attention to Damayanti.

"Farhad!" Mandar's voice caused Pallavi to look up and notice their visitor. "You look so serious; what happened?"

"Mandar, Pallavi jī, Nikhil, Krishna, the police have the results of the DNA test," Farhad began, his eyes resting on each of their faces in turn. "The bloodstains on the hit-and-run car aren't Mandar's; they belong to someone else."

Mandar could think of nothing to say. He hadn't seen the car; he didn't remember being hit; he believed whatever Pallavi and Farhad had gathered about that night. Sunny Ahuja had driven away; Kirti and Raghav, Ved and Vipul Kadam, Sulochana Kākū and Dr. Janaki had all kept quiet; Raghav had concealed evidence and made a false confession. Was Raghav capable of fabricating a DNA test result too?

Mandar's sketchbook had fallen from his hands. Without a word, Farhad picked it up off the floor and laid it on the table, still open to a page with a design of a pair of bullocks drawing a cart along a winding road.

Pallavi was the first to recover from the shock. "How is that possible, Farhad?"

"The car must have hit someone else too," Farhad reasoned. "Mandar's injuries weren't life-threatening, so he may have left not much blood on the car."

"Someone else, really?" Nikhil demanded. "There was another accident, worse than the one that put Dādā in the hospital with memory loss, and we don't even know what happened to the victim?"

"You're right, Nikhil," Farhad admitted, "I was thinking about that the whole time since I got the report. There was someone who died in a car accident at the time - the dead body that was identified as Mandar. Right, Pallavi jī?"

"That's convenient!" Mandar spoke up, remembering Manasi's warning to stay alert with Raghav and Farhad. "Now that I'm available for a DNA test, immediately the evidence against Raghav's sister's friend shifts from me to an unidentified victim! And Raghav just happens to have influence with the police!"

Farhad felt hurt by Mandar's accusation. "The police did ask Anna what to do, Mandar, and he told them to do their work honestly. Kirti said the same thing. And I too want justice for you, Mandar. When Raghav Anna was taking the blame to protect Kirti, I went against him and tricked Kirti into confessing. Isn't that true, Pallavi jī?"

"Yes, it's true," Pallavi confirmed. "Mandar, if Farhad says that the bloodstains aren't yours, then that's the truth."

Mandar wanted to believe in Farhad, but he still felt frustrated. "I remember how many cuts and scrapes I had from that accident! My blood is probably on that car too, and forensics would have recovered my DNA from it, if Raghav had turned in the car right away. I don't know if the other person's accident happened much later, or left more blood to begin with, so that they recovered the other person's DNA, but not mine. I lost two-and-a-half years of my life, and now it's too late to prove that the accident even happened to me!"

Farhad put his hand on Mandar's shoulder and looked earnestly into his eyes. "These DNA test results surprised Raghav Anna too. He didn't tamper with them. And I'm sure that he didn't run over anyone with that car after hiding it in the shed. I promise, if it's possible to prove it to you, I will."

Farhad took out his phone, called Inspector Swami, and asked him whether a DNA sample had been taken from the body that had been identified as Mandar Deshmukh. "Very good. I want it tested against the DNA that you recovered from the hit-and-run car. Also, send me the file with every detail of how that body was discovered."

"Farhad, I visited the police countless times, urging them to investigate Mandar's accident," Pallavi said. "They never told me that they had collected DNA from that body."

"I am sorry that they gave you trouble, Pallavi jī. Inspector Swami likes to close cases quickly, and he won't reopen one without an incentive." Farhad caught Mandar's troubled gaze, and lowered his eyes.

"When the body was found, Siddhesh Dādā asked for a DNA test," Pallavi remembered. "However, the body was cremated right away, and then the police said that a DNA test was no longer possible. They didn't bother to confirm who the dead man was, or even admit to us that they could still find out. They just wanted us to give up looking for Mandar."

"Dī, you remember how distraught Āī-Bābā were by the time the body was found," Nikhil said. "We had been searching for ten days. We couldn't let them see its condition, so Kākā allowed the cremation to go ahead."

"Yes, it was a difficult situation," Pallavi admitted. "Kākā was asked to identify the body, but he was crying so much that Kākū decided to go in alone. She came out and said that the face is gone; it's impossible to recognize Mandar, but the height and build are correct. Then Kākā managed to take a look, and I went with him. Kākā said the same as Kākū, and I had hardly spent any time with Mandar, so what could I say? Who knows who the poor man was that we cremated in a hurry? His family may still be looking for him."

"Pallavi jī, you might have the answer to that already. You know who disappeared at about the same time as Mandar." Farhad explained his idea to Pallavi, and she made a phone call right away.

Mandar was listening. The thought of Sulochana Kākū, well aware that he was alive, pretending that a dead body was his and convincing Milind Kākā to look at it made his stomach churn. He looked down and began to flip through the pages of his sketchbook, trying to escape into the pictures. Farhad came and stood beside him, and put his hand on the page so that Mandar couldn't turn it.

"That's breathtaking," Farhad commented, pointing at the design of two eagles playing together, flying in a circle. "Is it your design?"

Mandar nodded.

"I've never seen anything like it on a saree. May I look at your sketches?"

Mandar allowed Farhad to look at the sketchbook, page by page. Soldiers with wide headgear on horseback with shields on their backs and swords held upright in front as they charged ... two women sitting on opposite sides of a quern, both holding onto the pole and singing as they ground grain into flour ... exuberant bhāṅgaḍā dancers lined up with both arms and one knee raised ... women in knee-length skirts and deep-cut blouses, wrapped in fluttering full-body veils and walking among sand dunes ... men competing at flying kites ... every one of Mandar's designs was captivating!

"Mandar, you have to produce these designs!" Farhad exclaimed. "Looking at them, I just want to keep looking, and if I could touch the fabric, I would run my fingers over it."

"Thanks for saying that, but I don't think I can produce them, Farhad. Deshmukh Saree Emporium specializes in traditional designs, and these aren't a good fit with our customers' tastes."

"Don't say that! These are the kind of designs that will bring you new customers!" Farhad felt indignant; who had told Mandar to doubt what he could achieve? "If you don't believe me, show them to Raghav Anna. His instinct is never wrong. If he says that a design will be a hit, we produce it and the sales roll in."

Mandar's mood lightened; he couldn't help chuckling. "Your business is jewelry. What does Raghav know about sarees?"

Farhad gave Mandar a bright smile. "Anna learns quickly. I know what else our distributors at Jayati Jewels are exporting, and trust me, these are designs that would make foreign residents proud of their Indian heritage."

Mandar thought that Farhad sounded sincere, but he remembered Manasi's warning. Farhad had taken part in Raghav's schemes to humiliate Amruta and Pallavi. He wouldn't trick me, would he?

"I thought what I said would cheer you up, Mandar. What are you thinking?"

"My Bābā tried to cheer me up once. I was ten years old, I had entered a drawing competition at school, and I didn't win. I cried. So Bābā got me a trophy and told me that my drawing was really good; I deserved to win."

"He was right."

"You're saying that without even seeing the drawing, Farhad!"

"I don't need to see one more drawing, but all right, tell me what you had drawn."

"Two men walking side-by-side, each holding a child on his shoulders."

Chapter One on page 1

Chapter Two on page 2

Chapter Three on page 2

Chapter Four on page 3

Chapter Five on page 4

Chapter Six on page 4

Chapter Seven on page 5

Chapter Eight on page 5

Chapter Nine on page 7

Chapter Ten on page 7

Chapter Eleven on page 8

Chapter Twelve on page 8

Chapter Thirteen on page 8

Chapter Fourteen on page 9

Chapter Fifteen on page 10

Chapter Sixteen on page 10

Chapter Seventeen on page 11

Chapter Eighteen on page 11

Chapter Nineteen on page 11

Chapter Twenty on page 11

Chapter Twenty-One on page 11

Chapter Twenty-Two on page 12

Chapter Twenty-Three on page 12

Chapter Twenty-Four on page 12

Chapter Twenty-Five on page 12

Chapter Twenty-Six on page 13

Chapter Twenty-Seven on page 14

Chapter Twenty-Eight on page 14

Chapter Thirty on page 14

Chapter Thirty-One on page 14

Chapter Thirty-Two on page 14

Chapter Thirty-Three on page 15

Chapter Thirty-Four on page 15

Chapter Thirty-Five on page 15

Chapter Thirty-Six on page 15

The trophy that Vijay gave ten-year-old Mandar for his drawing was mentioned on the show's April 2 episode. What do my readers think of my idea that it was a gay-themed drawing, and my descriptions of Mandar's saree designs?

Chapter Thirty

"Good morning, Akash. Thank you for coming over so promptly." Farhad greeted the first man to be interviewed for his investigation.

"Good morning, everyone. This is important to me too," Akash replied, stepping into Deshmukh Saree Emporium. "Pallavi Dī said that you have an idea about where Yuvaraj Holkar could be."

"That's right," Farhad confirmed. "Akash, when you ask people to look for Yuvaraj, how do you describe him?"

Akash recited the description, and Mandar's eyes opened wide. "That's my height, my weight, my hair, eyes, and complexion! His age is four years less than mine, that's the only difference."

Nikhil put his arm around Mandar Dādā's waist and rested his chin on his shoulder. "Dādā, do you remember your description that Āī-Bābā gave Māmā for the matrimonial website? It sounded just like this, didn't it, Dī?"

Pallavi nodded, and returned Nikhil's smile. The memory of Siddhesh Dādā reading the words to her, and asking her if she would like to talk to Mandar Deshmukh, brought a slight blush to her cheeks. Now that Mandar was by her side to face gossip, now that they were going on their first lunch date, her answer was still yes.

Akash had taken out his phone, and was showing Yuvaraj's photos.

"Look at his face, Dīdī," Krishna exclaimed. "And look at Mandar Dādā's. Same square jaw, same high cheekbones, same even teeth, same beard. He doesn't have Mandar Dādā's nose, that's all."

Akash looked bewildered. "Why are all of you comparing Yuvaraj to Mandar? How does that lead us to where Yuvaraj is hiding?"

"My idea is that the dead body that was identified as Mandar could belong to Yuvaraj," Farhad explained. "Think about it: Yuvaraj fled to Hyderabad after trying to kill Devayani in the week before Mandar's accident. No one has seen Yuvaraj since then, but he was going to meet Vedant Pillai, who was arrested on the night of the accident. And ten days later, a faceless corpse was identified as Mandar. That had to be someone who resembled Mandar and also died within a day or two of Mandar's accident."

"Rashmi Dī has been worried for over two years that Yuvaraj might find her in Bhopal and try to kill Devayani Dī again," Akash almost whispered in his excitement. "If he's been dead the whole time, what a relief! But how can we prove that it was Yuvaraj's corpse? And do you know what killed him?"

"The body that was thought to be Mandar Dādā's had been hit by a car," Krishna recalled.

Farhad put his hand on Akash's shoulder. "The forensics team kept DNA from the corpse. I want to do a DNA test to see if it could be the son of Yuvaraj's parents. Will you come with me to the police station and help them to get in touch with Yuvaraj's parents in Kolhapur?"

Akash nodded. "I know Yuvaraj's parents well. They know I'm looking for him. They call me at least once a month, and every time, they say that the Hyderabad police won't comment on whatever they're doing to find Yuvaraj. I'm sure that Yuvaraj's parents will cooperate with a DNA test. The police are the ones who need convincing to take action."

"If anyone can get the bureaucracy moving, it's Farhad!" Nikhil exclaimed. "He's the best!"

Mandar found himself smiling in agreement, although he was worried about Nikhil falling under Raghav's influence again.

"Farhad, that corpse was discovered on National Highway 65," Pallavi observed. "When Raghav told me that he saw Mandar near the Hotel Crosto on Outer Ring Road, and later that he took Mandar to S. K. Venkatesh Criticare Hospital, I realized that the corpse was found twenty-five kilometres away from Mandar's accident."

"Do you remember on which side of the highway the corpse was found?" Farhad asked. "Inbound or outbound?"

"Inbound." Pallavi had seen the place herself, in December 2018. Frustrated that the police weren't telling her anything, she had asked Milind Kākā to drive along the highway in search of anyone who could tell her how her husband's body had been discovered.

"So, the driver might have been speeding into Hyderabad from Vijayawada," Mandar conjectured.

"Or Guntur," Farhad reminded him. "That's where Kirti was staying with Jaya Amma at an āśrama. After your accident, Sunny managed to take Kirti back to Guntur before morning. And the car was in Hyderabad again, with its owner Akshay, later that morning, when Raghav Anna went to buy it from him."

"So, you think that Sunny got into another accident, which left more blood on the car than Dādā's, and that was what killed Yuvaraj? And that's how we got the body that we cremated as Dādā's?" Nikhil surmised.

"Yes, but it's only a guess, and the DNA test could prove me wrong," Farhad cautioned. "Right now, we don't know that Yuvaraj isn't alive somewhere."

"Let's go to the police and get the DNA test right away," Akash suggested.

"I'm ready, and I'll drive," Farhad answered. "Pallavi jī and Mandar, could I drop you at the Aqua Legacy restaurant on our way to the police station?"

The question startled Pallavi. Engrossed in thoughts of Devayani's attacker and the bloodstains that weren't from Mandar's accident, she had forgotten what Krishna and Nikhil had planned for her lunch date with Mandar.

"I overheard Krishna talking to Nikhil," Farhad explained, smiling at Pallavi's questioning look. "She's right; Mexican food is perfect for a romantic date. You two should try it. Maybe you'll like it."

Does Farhad have experience of romantic dates with Mexican food? Mandar wondered. Wait, is Farhad just being facetious, hinting that I might not like a romantic date with Pallavi?

"I've never tried it myself," Krishna admitted. "Amma doesn't approve of international food. So, I've only read about it."

"Dī, have you really never been to the Aqua Legacy restaurant?" Nikhil asked, intrigued because Farhad would have known if Pallavi Dī had dined there while married to Raghav. "Abhishek says it's the place to network with business elites."

"I've been there once, but I didn't get to try the food," Pallavi admitted, her thoughts returning to that evening four months ago. She had entered the Aqua Legacy to confront Raghav for faking an attempt on his own life just to have her arrested. Raghav, annoyed that another false accusation against him would cost his business another collaboration after Pallavi had already driven away Mr. Mehra, had refused to explain; he had ordered her to get out. She had lost her temper and shoved Raghav, causing a waiter to spill drinks onto the chair that Lion had electrified to kill Raghav. Moments later, while chasing Lion, Raghav had been knocked unconscious by a car, and Pallavi had brought him safely back to his mansion, undressed him to bandage his bleeding cuts, and found herself drawn to the warmth and vulnerability of his muscular torso ...

What had Raghav's clients felt when they explored his body? Pallavi knew that if anything could cure her of lingering attraction to Raghav, now that she had chosen Mandar, it should be the ugly fact that there was nothing to share with Raghav that he hadn't sold to someone else. She had to put these memories behind her!

"Mandar, we don't need Farhad and Akash to go out of their way, right?" Pallavi grabbed her bag; she could hold hands with Mandar behind it. "Let's take a rickshaw."

While Pallavi and Mandar were on their way, the Aqua Legacy restaurant was already the scene of another married couple's lunch date.

"Mrs. Subhadra, you are well aware that when a marriage is annulled and both parties have independent income for their own maintenance, neither alimony nor settlement is required by law." Dhananjay's face was perfectly serious as he faced his wife over a basket of tortilla chips.

"And yet, Dhananjay jī, your client's offer includes both!" Subhadra's tone was triumphant, whereby Dhananjay knew that she had let down her guard because he affected her, after all. Arguing with any opposing counsel other than her husband, Subhadra's voice would have been thoughtful and calmly provocative. "Mr. Raghav Rao would not offer anything unless he knew that he owed more! The interim maintenance that he initiated four days ago is a blatant attempt to establish a pattern before Mrs. Pallavi Deshmukh can evaluate his assets and demand just compensation for what she has suffered in their marriage."

Dhananjay chuckled, dipped a chip in pico de gallo, and held it out to his wife, who allowed him to feed her. "Has your client instructed you to seek an evaluation of my client's assets? Is that why you haven't filed the petition for annulment, Mrs. Subhadra?" Dhananjay's own mouth soon received from Subhadra's hand a chip laden with guacamole, smoothly sour to match his wife's reply.

"You will be notified of any cases through the court, Dhananjay jī. Meanwhile, I neither confirm nor deny what you imagine me discussing with my client in confidence." Subhadra lifted a juicy chunk of tomato from the salsa and popped it into her own mouth, chewing discreetly as she looked him in the eyes.

"Speaking of that, you are bound by professional ethics to take this offer to your client, Mrs. Subhadra. It is undeniably a generous offer. Mrs. Pallavi will have a very comfortable lifestyle, equal to Mr. Raghav's." Dhananjay loaded his chip with a tomato chunk equal to his wife's, and ate it with a wide-eyed smile.

Subhadra shook her head. Her mouth was watering for another chip with that salsa, but she wouldn't give Dhananjay the satisfaction of seeing her reach for it. "Mrs. Deshmukh's idea of comfort is to live with her family. When I had lunch with them, Mrs. Deshmukh talked to Mr. Mandar Deshmukh's sister about their vegetable garden and home-made pickles, and she wanted to eat his mother's home cooking every day. From what I've seen, Mrs. Deshmukh would go on living a middle-class lifestyle by choice, in spite of any settlement or alimony from Mr. Rao. As her lawyer, of course I want her to receive compensation, but I cannot insist that she should accept it."

"Why wouldn't she accept it?" Dhananjay ate a plain chip for a change. The salt-and-corn taste itself wasn't bad!

"Income is a sensitive topic in that family. Mr. Mandar Deshmukh's father started Deshmukh Saree Emporium in 1985, but he vowed never to look at it again after Mrs. Deshmukh got remarried with Mr. Rao, who had claimed that he gave the shop to her for spending nights with him. I heard this at that lunch from Mr. Mandar Deshmukh's uncle's wife, Mrs. Sulochana Deshmukh. Remember, I told you about her badmouthing Mrs. Pallavi Deshmukh to the reporters yesterday. The father-in-law insists on selling sarees on the roadside to earn his own income, just because people might say that the shop owes its success to Mr. Rao's interest in his daughter-in-law. If Mrs. Deshmukh brings her rightful share of Mr. Rao's wealth into the family home, I am sure it will offend her father-in-law."

Dhananjay had stopped crunching chips so as to hear every word. "That is all the more reason for Mrs. Pallavi to accept Mr. Raghav's offer. She will be wealthy enough to buy her own home, where her in-laws won't be able to badmouth her or throw her out. You've met her husband, Mr. Mandar. Is he reasonable?"

"Mr. Mandar Deshmukh is very considerate of his wife, Dhananjay jī. I will take Mr. Rao's offer to my client, and suggest that she could discuss it with her husband before making any decision. She could also talk it over with the family in whose home she is staying." Subhadra sat back as the waiter set down a plate of chile relleno in front of her, and another in front of Dhananjay.

"Isn't Mrs. Pallavi staying in a hotel? When Mr. Raghav told me that she had moved out ..." Dhananjay cut into his lunch.

"No, she is staying with Mr. Rao's secretary, Mr. Farhad Nawaz, and his parents." Subhadra wrapped the strands of egg and cheese around the chunk of pepper on her fork, and lifted it to her mouth.

"Really! This morning, Farhad called me for a meeting with Mr. Raghav, and we chatted afterwards, but not about this." Dhananjay synchronized his first spicy mouthful with Subhadra's, thinking, so, Farhad lives with his parents, and his boss's wife is their guest ... Maybe he's not ready for them to meet the young man who kissed him last night.

"Dhanu, look who just walked in!" Subhadra pointed behind him. "Mrs. Pallavi and Mr. Mandar Deshmukh!"

Dhananjay turned, and his mouth fell open with astonishment. This is Mandar Deshmukh! The man whom Farhad described as "just a friend" is married to Mr. Raghav's wife! Farhad hid his name from me, even though Mandar was the subject of our meeting with Mr. Raghav. And when Mr. Raghav asked Farhad for a report on what he found out about Mandar, Farhad didn't say a word about whatever he was doing with Mandar at the hospital last night. Were they getting tested, perhaps? Mr. Raghav said that Farhad went to Vikarabad with Mandar, which must have been overnight, because Mr. Raghav said, yesterday morning, that Farhad was on the road, but he would find out who leaked the video ...

"Dhanu?" Subhadra's voice made Dhananjay turn back. "If people see you staring, they'll stare too. Let's give my clients some privacy for their lunch date."

"Sorry," Dhananjay muttered. He began to eat his rice and beans, but he hardly tasted them. What does this mean for Mr. Raghav? If Mrs. Pallavi accepts the offer of a settlement and alimony, Mandar will have a wealthy wife. Farhad may have read emails about the offer. Does he want the benefit of it? Is that why he kept quiet about Mandar's interest in him? I thought Farhad was loyal to Mr. Raghav, but if there's a chance that Farhad and Mandar would cheat my client's wife of her money, I have to tell my client. I can't tell Subhadra what I saw Mandar doing ...

"Excuse me, Bhadu," Dhananjay said, and headed in the direction of the washrooms. He slipped out of the restaurant and called Raghav.

"What is it?" Raghav snapped, his mind on the ring-making machine and tired of yesterday's scandal. "Make it quick!"

"Mr. Raghav, last night, I saw Mr. Mandar Deshmukh kissing Farhad's cheek outside S. K. Venkatesh Criticare Hospital, but I didn't know who he was. This morning, when I asked Farhad if he has a boyfriend, he didn't tell me it was Mandar; he said, 'He is just a friend.' Mr. Raghav, I am concerned that Farhad is not forthcoming with you about Mandar's interest in him, and this may be detrimental for Mrs. Pallavi."

"All right, you told me. Now keep your mouth shut, artham ainadā?" Raghav cut the call and tried not to think of nonsense. Dhananjay actually asked Farhad if he's gay? Ridiculous! Of course, Farhad wouldn't talk to him! If Dhananjay could mistake Farhad, he could imagine a kiss ... or, even if Sanakī Junior gave Farhad a kiss, so what? Mandar isn't anything like those lonely losers who pay for boys ... He's strong enough to twist my arm, and he's a healthy, capable, decent man. It's useless to look for anything wrong with Pallavi's hero.

Chapter One on page 1

Chapter Two on page 2

Chapter Three on page 2

Chapter Four on page 3

Chapter Five on page 4

Chapter Six on page 4

Chapter Seven on page 5

Chapter Eight on page 5

Chapter Nine on page 7

Chapter Ten on page 7

Chapter Eleven on page 8

Chapter Twelve on page 8

Chapter Thirteen on page 8

Chapter Fourteen on page 9

Chapter Fifteen on page 10

Chapter Sixteen on page 10

Chapter Seventeen on page 11

Chapter Eighteen on page 11

Chapter Nineteen on page 11

Chapter Twenty on page 11

Chapter Twenty-One on page 11

Chapter Twenty-Two on page 12

Chapter Twenty-Three on page 12

Chapter Twenty-Four on page 12

Chapter Twenty-Five on page 12

Chapter Twenty-Six on page 13

Chapter Twenty-Seven on page 14

Chapter Twenty-Eight on page 14

Chapter Twenty-Nine on page 14

Chapter Thirty-One on page 14

Chapter Thirty-Two on page 14

Chapter Thirty-Three on page 15

Chapter Thirty-Four on page 15

Chapter Thirty-Five on page 15

Chapter Thirty-Six on page 15

Chapter Thirty-One

Mandar had turned to Pallavi as soon as they were seated in the rickshaw, on their way to the Aqua Legacy restaurant for their lunch date. "Malā Vikarabad-madhe śodhūna kāḍhalyāpāsūna tujhyā manāta praśna ālā asela kī mī rugṇālayātūna tithaparyanta kasā poçalo." Ever since you discovered me in Vikarabad, you must be wondering how I reached there from the hospital.

"Ho, paṇa tumhālā jyā prasaṅgāñcī āṭhavaṇa nāhī, tyāṃçā ūhāpoha karaṇyāādhī tumhālā āpalyā māṇasāṃta punhā ruḷāyalā veḷa dyāvā, ase malā vāṭale." Yes, but before analyzing events that you don't remember, I wanted to give you time to settle in with our family again, Pallavi had replied, taking Mandar's hand in hers.

Mandar liked Pallavi's considerate nature. She deserved to know all about the events that had taken her husband from her, and she had pressed the police for answers for over two years, but now, when she had the chance to ask him about every detail, she was being patient, allowing him to adjust to the upheavals in his old life before pursuing her curiosity. Pallavi's remarriage against her will, Bābā's health issues and self-mortification, Ājī's death, Nikhil's risky choices, Amruta's disrepute and Manasi's lost love ... so much was different now! He was lucky to have a wife who put his needs before her own.

"Kāla Farhad-ne malā tyā rugṇālayāta punhā nele jithe Raghav-ne mājhyāvara upacāra karavūna ghetale hote." Yesterday Farhad took me back to that hospital where Raghav had gotten treatment for me. "Malā tyā Dr. Janaki bheṭalyā, jyāṃnī mājhī smṛti naṣṭa zhālyāçe oḷakhūna malā guṅgīçe auṣadha dilyāvara ekā vyaktīkaḍūna lāça gheūna māzhe apaharaṇa karaṇyāta madata kelī hotī." I met that Dr. Janaki, who had diagnosed my memory loss, given me a sedative, taken a bribe and helped a certain someone to abduct me. "Dr. Janaki-īṃnī he sagaḷe kabūla kele, āṇi Farhad-ne tyā rātrīçe CCTV dṛśya āṇi phone-varacī mudrita saṃbhāṣaṇe ase sagaḷe purāve goḷā kele." Dr. Janaki admitted it all, and Farhad gathered all the proof like that night's CCTV video and recorded phone conversations.

"Tumaçe apaharaṇa karaṇāryā vyaktīçe nāṃva sāṅgitale kyā tyāṃnī?" Did she tell you the name of the person who abducted you? Pallavi's voice had been unsteady and she had begun to tremble. The thought of Mandar having an enemy disturbed her; even if Sunny Ahuja didn't go to prison for the hit-and-run, whoever had deliberately taken Mandar from his family - from her - had to pay!

"Te tara malā ādhīça māhīta hote." Well, I already knew that. "Sulochana Kākūne malā taxi-īta basavūna Ammacyā davākhānyāparyanta āṇale hote." Sulochana Kākū had brought me to Amma's clinic in a taxi. "Tyā avastheta malā tilā oḷakhatā āle navhate, paṇa Vikarabad-hūna malā gharī āṇatānā jevhāṃ tū malā tiçā photo dākhavalāsa tyāça kṣaṇī malā kaḷale kī Sulochana Kākūne tumhā sarvāṃpāsūna malā dūra ṭhevaṇyāsāṭhī Vikarabad-madhe malā lapavale hote." In my condition at the time, I hadn't been able to recognize her, but when you were bringing me home from Vikarabad and you showed me her photo, I instantly knew that Sulochana Kākū had hidden me in Vikarabad to keep me far away from all of you. "Mī jīvanta asalyāçe māhīta asūna suddhā tine tuzhā vidhavā mhaṇūna chaḷa kelā." She knew that I was alive and still she tormented you as a widow. "Ātā āpalyākaḍe tine raçalelyā kaṭāçe purāve āheta, sākṣīdāra āheta, paṇa mī tulā vicāra karāyalā veḷa dilyāvaraça āpaṇa doghe police-āṃkaḍe takrāra karaṇyāçā nirṇaya gheū." Now we have proofs of her plot, we have witnesses, but only after I give you time to think, the two of us will make a decision about making a complaint to the police.

Pallavi had absorbed the shock of Mandar's revelation, and she had not needed even a moment to think. "Manasi-çā, Amruta-çā, Kākāṃçā vicāra karūna mī āzavara nehamī Sulochana Kākūṃnā samazūna gheṇyāçā prayatna kelā, paṇa tyāṃnī tumaçe apaharaṇa karūna tumhālā āṇi Āī-Bābāṃnā itake duḥkha satata dile, maga he aikūna malā paṭale āhe kī tyāñcyā itara aparādhāṃnā māpha karāve aśī tyāñcī kadhīça lāyakī navhatī." Thinking of Manasi, Amruta, and Kākā, until today I've always made an effort to tolerate Sulochana Kākū, but after hearing that she abducted you and gave you and Āī-Bābā so much constant pain, I'm convinced that she was never worthy of forgiveness for any of her other offences. "Tumacyāsāṭhī nyāya miḷavaṇe heça māzhe prathama kartavya āhe." Winning justice for you - that's my one and only priority. "Āpaṇa Kākāṃśī bolūna tyāṃnā samazāvū kī Sulochana Kākūṃnā śikṣā kelyāśivāya soḍaṇe ātā aśakya zhāle āhe." We'll talk to Kākā and explain to him that letting Sulochana Kākū go unpunished has become impossible now. "Koṇa koṇa sākṣīdāra āheta?" Who are all the witnesses?

Feeling excited that Pallavi was so committed to him, Mandar had answered, "Mī svataḥ, Amma, Dr. Janaki, āṇi Vishnu - tyāne Kākūlā phone-vara Dr. Janaki-īṃnā bajāvatānā aikale." I myself, Amma, Dr. Janaki, and Vishnu - he heard Kākū on the phone, warning Dr. Janaki. "Śivāya ekā māṇasācī sākṣa azūna ghyāyacī āhe - Vipul Kadam nāṃvāçā eka watchman, jyāne Ved Pillai-pāsūna māzhe nāṃva aikūna Kākūṃnā māzhā apaghāta ghaḍalyāçe kaḷavale hote." Besides, one person's testimony remains to be taken - a watchman named Vipul Kadam, who had heard my name from Ved Pillai and informed Kākū when my accident happened.

Pallavi's eyes had widened as she heard the watchman's name. "Mandar, tumhālā māhīta nasela, paṇa hyāça watchman-kaḍe mī tyā rātrībaddala vicārāyalā gele hote." Mandar, you may not know, but I had gone to this same watchman to ask about that night. "Tevhāṃ dahā lākha rupayāñcī lāça miḷālyāśivāya te malā kāhī sāṅgāyalā tayāra navhate." He wasn't willing to tell me anything until he got a bribe of Rs. 10 lakh. "Tyāñcī āṇi Sulochana Kākūñcī oḷakha asalyāçe malā āzavara māhīta navhate." Until today, I didn't know that he was acquainted with Sulochana Kākū.

"Ho, kāla Farhad-ne malā sāṅgitale kī Raghav-ne svataḥcyā gāḍīne māzhā apaghāta kelā hotā ase tulā sāṅgaṇyāsāṭhī Raghav-ne tyā watchman-lā paise dile hote." Yes, yesterday Farhad told me that Raghav had paid that watchman to tell you that Raghav had caused my accident with his own car. "Hotel Crosto-çā watchman tithe rāhaṇāryā śrīmantāñcī māhitī Sulochana Kākūlā puravāyaçā, āṇi mhaṇūna Raghav malā rugṇālayāta neta āhe ase sāṅgāyalā tyāne tilā phone kelā hotā, ase Dr. Janaki-īṃnī āmhālā sāṅgitalyāvara Farhad-lā samazale kī to watchman mhaṇaje Vipul Kadam asaṇāra." When Dr. Janaki told us that the Hotel Crosto's watchman used to provide Sulochana Kākū with reports of rich people staying there, and that's why he had phoned her to say that Raghav was taking me to the hospital, Farhad realized that that watchman had to be Vipul Kadam.

"Mandar, mājhyākaḍe tyā watchman-çā pattā āhe, āpaṇa lunch kelyāvara tithe zāu śakato." Mandar, I have that watchman's address with me; we can go there after we have lunch. "Te ekā çāḷīta rāhatāta, paṇa tyāñcyā gharātalyā table-khuracyā-kapāṭaṃ vagaire vastū navyā āṇi mahāgaḍyā āheta ase malā zāṇavale." He lives in a chawl, but I noticed that the tables, chairs, cabinets and such furniture in his home are new and expensive. "Āṇi he Raghav-ne tyāṃnā paise deṇyāādhīçe sāṅgateya." And I mean, this was before Raghav paid him.

Pallavi's face had lit up with excitement as she remembered, and Mandar, understanding exactly what she was deducing, had said it aloud.

"Vipul Kadam-lā gappa ṭhevaṇyāsāṭhī Sulochana Kākūne tyālā tyā mahāgaḍyā vastū vikata gheūna dilyā asaṇāra." Sulochana Kākū must have bought that expensive furniture for Vipul Kadam to keep him quiet. "Samazā tyāne police-āṃnā kiṃvā tulā āṇi Āī-Bābā-Kākāṃnā sāṅgitale asate kī tyāne māzhā apaghāta Outer Ring Road-vara ghaḍatānā pāhilā hotā, tara kuṇālāhī saṃśaya ālā asatā kī National Highway 65-vara sāṃpaḍalele preta māzhe nasela." Suppose he had told the police, or you, Āī, Bābā, and Kākā, that he saw my accident when it happened on Outer Ring Road, then anyone would have suspected that the corpse found on National Highway 65 wasn't mine. "Āṇi zara tyāne ase sāṅgitale asate kī Raghav-ne malā rugṇālayāta nelyāçe tyāne Sulochana Kākūlā kaḷavale hote, tara Kākūcī ulaṭatapāsaṇī zhālī asatī āṇi çaukaśī Raghav-kaḍūna Dr. Janaki-īṃparyanta poçalī asatī." And if he had said that he informed Sulochana Kākū about Raghav taking me to the hospital, then Kākū would have been cross-examined and the investigation would have reached Dr. Janaki through Raghav. "Vipul Kadam hā Kākūçā hera āhe, āṇi tū tyācyā gharī yeūna praśna vicāralyāçe suddhā tyāne Kākūlā nakkī sāṅgitale asaṇāra." Vipul Kadam is Kākū's spy, and for sure, he must have told Kākū even about you coming to his home to ask him questions.

"Mandar, malā eka goṣṭa sāṅgā - tumacyāsamora Dr. Janaki-īṃnī Kākūṃsāṭhī kelele gunhe kase kabūla kele? Mandar, tell me one thing - how did Dr. Janaki admit to you that she committed crimes for Kākū? "Kāhī divasāṃpūrvī Raghav tyāṃnā tumacyā viṣayī vicārāyalā gelā hotā, āṇi Raghav-lā suddhā tyāṃnī kāhīça sāṅgitale navhate." Some days ago, Raghav had gone to ask her about you, and she didn't tell anything even to Raghav.

"Farhad-ne malā sāṅgitalyāpramāṇe te agadī khare nāhī." According to what Farhad told me, that's not exactly true. "Dr. Janaki-īṃnī Raghav-lā sāṅgitale hote kī mī māzhe nāṃva Parijat Padhye ase sāṅgūna Suhasini Joshi nāṃvācyā mājhyā bahiṇībarobara gharī gelo hoto." Dr. Janaki had told Raghav that I gave my name as Parijat Padhye and went home with my sister named Suhasini Joshi. "Asalī khoṭī māhitī puravalyāmuḷe Farhad-ne Dr. Janaki-īṃnā Dr. Kanika-āṃçe udāharaṇa dākhavūna dhamakāvale." Since Dr. Janaki had provided false information, Farhad showed her Dr. Kanika's example to threaten her.

Pallavi's excitement had faded, hearing this. Raghav lied to me about Dr. Janaki telling him nothing! Even when he finally admitted that he saw Kirti in the driver's seat at Mandar's hit-and-run, why did Raghav deny me this clue? And Farhad threatened Dr. Janaki with Dr. Kanika's example - what does that mean? Raghav must have done something horrible to Dr. Kanika for lying about the abortion! I thought, he bribed her before, he would have bribed her again to get the truth. I should have expected violence from Raghav, but it's too much, I don't want to know whatever he did!

Pallavi had lifted Mandar's hand and held it to her chest for comfort. He had smiled at her reassuringly. Realizing that the rickshaw driver who didn't understand a word of their Marathi conversation could now see that they were holding hands, Pallavi had quickly let go.

Now, as they sat across from each other at a table in the Aqua Legacy restaurant, Pallavi wondered if Mandar knew how she felt about him, or she should find the words to tell him. Mandar, I'm ready to fight for you. ... I can't lose you again. ... When you hold me, I can forget about bigamy and whatever else Raghav did. ... I want to fall in love with you, Mandar, and live every day with you, raise a family with you, and never feel alone. ... Do you feel for me what I feel when I look at you?

Pallavi's thoughts were interrupted when the waiter brought them two menus, a basket of tortilla chips, and dipping bowls of salsa picante, pico de gallo, and guacamole. Pallavi lowered her eyes to her menu, trying to read it as intently as she had been checking out Mandar. This is just our first date, Pallavi told herself. Relax and make it fun for Mandar, and the rest will follow.

Mandar didn't even look at his menu; he loaded a chip with pico de gallo and held it out to Pallavi. She reached out with her right hand to take it, but he shook his head. "Toṇḍa ughaḍa!" Open your mouth! Pallavi leaned forward and let Mandar feed her. The juicy taste of onion, tomato, lime, and cilantro ... Pallavi liked that Mandar had chosen a light and refreshing first bite for her. He dipped another chip in the pico de gallo and ate it himself. He was enjoying Pallavi's company, actually feeling more relaxed than when his heartbeat had raced in the car next to Farhad yesterday evening. He could be romantic with Pallavi in a public place, and as Amma said, getting into the habit would make behaviour modification second nature for him, even in private.

"Tumhī kāya gheṇāra te tarī ādhī ṭharavā, āṇi maga nivāntapaṇe malā ghāsa bharavā." At least decide what you'll have first, and then feed me a bite at leisure, Pallavi admonished Mandar with a smile.

"Are vā!" Wow! "Bolaṇyāta yamaka zuḷavalesa, paṇa nāṃva ghetalyāśivāya tyāçā ukhāṇā hota nāhī." You spoke in rhyme, but unless you say my name, it's not an ukhāṇā, Mandar joked. "Ātā mājhī pāḷī." Now my turn. "Patnīcī hausa mhaṇaje patīçā paramārtha; Sau. Pallavi zo nivaḍatīla toça khāīna padārtha." The wife's whim is the husband's paramount goal; whatever Sau. Pallavi chooses is the dish that I'll eat.

Pallavi softly clapped to applaud Mandar's rhyme. He fed her a chip with salsa picante, and then ate one himself. Pallavi finished reading the menu and suggested, "Kāndyā-baṭāṭyācyā enchiladas, tyāṃvara hiravā rassā; Mandar-rāvāṃçaṃ nāṃva ghete, tṛpta hoto ghasā!" Onion-potato enchiladas, topped with salsa verde; I invoke Mandar-rāva's name, and my throat is satiated!

Mandar burst out in giggles and laughed until tears came to his eyes. Pallavi laughed with him. "Utkṛṣṭa!" Superlative! "Ukhāṇā ghyāvā tara asā!" Now that's an ukhāṇā! Mandar cheered.

They gave their order to the waiter, and then Pallavi piled guacamole on a chip and fed Mandar.

"Vipul Kadam-āñcī sākṣa āvaśyaka āhe kā?" Is Vipul Kadam's testimony necessary? Pallavi asked after a moment. "Phukaṭāta kāhī te sākṣa deta nāhīta, āṇi lāça gheūna suddhā khoṭī sākṣa dyāyalā māgepuḍhe pahāta nāhīta." He doesn't ever testify for free, and even after taking a bribe, he doesn't think twice about giving false testimony. "Śivāya tyāñcī āṇi Kākūñcī zunī oḷakha āhe." Besides, he and Kākū are old acquaintances. "Āpaṇa zara tyāṃnā apaghāta lapavaṇyāsāṭhī Kākūṃnī dilelyā mahāgaḍyā vastūṃbaddala vicārāyalā gelo tara āpalyā toṇḍāvara dāra banda karūna te Kākūṃnāça sāvadha karatīla." If we try to ask him about the expensive furniture that Kākū gave him for hiding the accident, he'll shut the door in our faces and just alert Kākū.

"Tū mhaṇatesa te mī nākārata nāhī, paṇa malā eka vicāra suçalā āhe - tyā mahāgaḍyā vastū Kākūne Jagadish Annañcyā dukānātūna tara vikata ghetalyā nasatīla?" I'm not denying what you say, but I had a thought - would Kākū have bought that expensive furniture from Jagadish Anna's shop, by any chance? Mandar asked.

"Tī śakyatā tarī āhe." It's a possibility at least.

"Khātrī karūna gheūyā." Let's make sure, Mandar said, and called Farhad to explain his plan.

"Excuse me, Pallavi Deshmukh?" It was a woman about forty years old, accompanied by a man of similar age. "My name is Aparna Mehra. I apologize for intruding on your lunch. Could I make an appointment with you to discuss sarees for a special occasion?"

Mandar excused himself so that what he had to say to Farhad wouldn't be overheard, and Pallavi agreed to meet Aparna after lunch.

As he stepped out of the restaurant, Mandar was unaware that in the very spot where he was talking to Farhad about how they should approach Vipul Kadam to expose Sulochana Kākū, just a few minutes before, Dhananjay had exposed his secret to Raghav.

Chapter One on page 1

Chapter Two on page 2

Chapter Three on page 2

Chapter Four on page 3

Chapter Five on page 4

Chapter Six on page 4

Chapter Seven on page 5

Chapter Eight on page 5

Chapter Nine on page 7

Chapter Ten on page 7

Chapter Eleven on page 8

Chapter Twelve on page 8

Chapter Thirteen on page 8

Chapter Fourteen on page 9

Chapter Fifteen on page 10

Chapter Sixteen on page 10

Chapter Seventeen on page 11

Chapter Eighteen on page 11

Chapter Nineteen on page 11

Chapter Twenty on page 11

Chapter Twenty-One on page 11

Chapter Twenty-Two on page 12

Chapter Twenty-Three on page 12

Chapter Twenty-Four on page 12

Chapter Twenty-Five on page 12

Chapter Twenty-Six on page 13

Chapter Twenty-Seven on page 14

Chapter Twenty-Eight on page 14

Chapter Twenty-Nine on page 14

Chapter Thirty on page 14

Chapter Thirty-Two on page 14

Chapter Thirty-Three on page 15

Chapter Thirty-Four on page 15

Chapter Thirty-Five on page 15

Chapter Thirty-Six on page 15

Hello how are you? Hope you are fine

Yesterday i read a fan,s tweet jisme usne mhrw me raghav ke redemption track ke bare me likha tha that in itv,s history first time kisi ml ka redemption track dikhaya gaya tha jo ke best tha but i was thinking ke kya pehle itv ke kisi bhi show me kisi ml ne fl ka character assassination kiya hai or has separated her from her family? Bcs ye bahut strong reasons the mhrw me ml ka redemption track dikhane ke liye agar ye reasons nahi hote then i don't think ke mhrw me bhi ml ka redemption track dikhaya jata

So do you remember any itv show jisme ml ne aisa kuch kiya ho or phir bhi redemption track na dikhaya gaya ho

Hello ManishaShah, I have replied to you by PM, and you can start a new topic to continue the discussion openly if you like.

I would like to keep this topic focussed on my story only, please.

If you want to talk about Raghav's character growth in my fan fiction, or any other aspect of the story, please feel free to comment here.

Chapter Thirty-Two

"Mandar, tumhī malā pohāyalā śikavāla kā?" Mandar, will you teach me to swim? Pallavi asked, seeing that he had almost finished his enchiladas and was slowing down.

"Ho, śikavīna kī!" Yes, of course I'll teach you! Mandar smiled at Pallavi. Swimming together would give him time to get comfortable with Pallavi's body, as her friend more than as her husband, without the pressure to make her feel desirable that he expected when they would begin married life and she would be unclothed with him for the first time.

Pallavi felt relieved that Mandar didn't find her request immodest. Of course, she averred to herself, it was his recollection of swimming for hours as a child that had inspired her desire to share the exercise that he enjoyed. Her own experience of Raghav's mockery as she flailed in the pool, Raghav tenderly carrying her out, Raghav's scowl as he told her that she could have hurt herself meant nothing! She would forget about the dangerous sensation of Raghav's skin against hers when she would look at Mandar's nearly naked body with rightful desire. Pallavi wanted to see her husband Mandar's smiling face dripping wet, to feel his dependable and shapely arms protecting her in the water ...

"Welcome back, Mandar!"

At first, Mandar did not recognize the friendly male voice that intruded on his thoughts. He looked up with a smile that faded as soon as his memory identified the man standing beside their table.

It was Ved, whose voice Mandar hadn't heard in seven years. Vedant Pillai, who had tried to kill Pallavi, was right before his eyes! Ved, who had escaped from prison and tried to blackmail Mandar on his wedding night, was a free man again. Mandar felt petrified, remembering Farhad's and Raghav's warnings all at once.

"Pallavi Bhābhī! Do you recognize me?" Ved affected a shy smile as he lifted one foot to rub his other leg. "I should have called you Bhābhī all along, as I'm your husband's college friend. My name is Vedant, but you can call me Lion."

Pallavi's mind took her back to the night Lion had fought with Raghav. She had been naïve to believe his lie, that he was Krishna's cousin Abhijit, until he had held her at gunpoint. What was she going to do? If Lion tried to hurt them, as he had tried to kill Raghav in this same restaurant before ... she couldn't lose Mandar again!

Mandar managed to stand up and look steadily at Ved. "Stay out of my sight. I will defend my family and my wife no matter what."

"Easy, Tiger!" Ved put his hand on Mandar's shoulder. "I know you want Bhābhī all to yourself, and you deserve to be happy, my friend." Turning to Pallavi, he said with mock innocence, "Do you like the names Lion and Tiger, Bhābhī? In our college days, Mandar knew where I hunted, and I knew where he hunted."

Mandar perspired at Ved's innuendo. Would he have to tell Pallavi the truth right here, in a public place?

"You tried to kill me. Who says Bhābhī and does that?" Pallavi scoffed, summoning her courage into her defiant words.

"I feel remorse, Bhābhī. That's why I was released from prison. I was clearly not in my right mind when I frightened you. I saw Raghav going to Mandar's house to meet you, and Mandar's little sister putting haḷadī on Raghav, and you doing a victory dance about something that Raghav said to you. I thought it meant that Raghav was forgiven for hitting Mandar with his car, and you were a relative that Mandar's family chose for Raghav. I didn't find Mandar working in the shop, so I guessed that he and his wife were having fun somewhere that Raghav Rao's friends could afford. Was I delusional, or did I see the future? I learned that your name was Pallavi Deshmukh, and yet somehow I didn't remember Ci. Sau. Kā. Pallavi from Mandar's wedding invitation! Just because the girl in the shop was special to Raghav, I stupidly assumed that her relationship to Mandar must be like sister and brother - can you believe it?"

Mandar's cheeks were burning with embarrassment. He tried to keep his eyes on Ved, to anticipate what Ved would do.

Ved laughed and resumed. "I thought I could hurt Raghav by harming the girl that he liked, or by killing him, but now I like yesterday's news better. Raghav's ladykiller ego took a hit when everyone found out that Bhābhī didn't marry him willingly."

"Did you release that video?" Mandar demanded.

"I wish!" Ved laughed again. "No, my aim was off the mark. When I learned that you were presumed dead, I thought, Raghav killed Mandar and he doesn't want his trusting wife to know. It didn't occur to me that Bhābhī was faithful to you, and Raghav would suffer more if the world knew that he forced himself on her. You don't owe me for the video, Mandar; I only saw it in the news. I owe you for taking Bhābhī away from Raghav. For six years, I've watched Raghav mismanaging the business that I built, and now finally, he feels more pain than I do, watching you with the woman that he can't have."

"Don't mistake me for a thing like Jayati Jewels that can be taken away, Vedant!" Pallavi spoke up again. "If you don't keep your distance ..."

"It was a pleasant surprise to see you two, but I won't intrude any more. I have other business here," Ved said smoothly. "Mandar, you make sure my Bhābhī has everything she needs, and I'll ask you for nothing more."

Mandar understood that Ved was blackmailing him again. He would have to tell Farhad about it. The same man who had once threatened to out Mandar was now warning him not to come out. Mandar had to keep Pallavi happy in their marriage, and thereby torture Raghav, or else Ved might hurt Pallavi, or even kill her to make Raghav suffer - that was the equation! Mandar felt uneasy in his stomach at the idea of living a good man's life for the sake of hurting someone else. He wasn't Raghav, who had found pleasure in hurting Pallavi! Mandar desperately wanted Farhad to be there, to listen, to tell him that he would always have his loved ones.

As if Bāppā had heard Mandar's prayer, Farhad walked into the Aqua Legacy restaurant at that very moment, striding right up to Ved.

"Why did you text Yuvaraj Holkar to meet you here?" Farhad demanded.

Pallavi and Mandar were too astonished to say anything. Only a few hours ago, Farhad had suggested that Yuvaraj Holkar was dead. If he was alive and working with Vedant Pillai, they had to warn Devayani and Rashmi!

"So, you know about my meeting!" Ved replied. "I shouldn't expect less from Farhad Nawaz, the man who figured out what no one told him at Jayati Jewels. You were able to identify every employee who was transitioning into my new line of work. Now, you're going after my contacts on the outside. Do you really need to hear from me why I'm meeting Yuvaraj?"

"Yes, I saw the text message. You told Yuvaraj that you want to be his supplier again. I also know that it's not true. You're well aware that Yuvaraj stopped pushing drugs in November 2018. So, obviously, you're expecting him to show up with police to bust you, and they won't find anything. Yuvaraj isn't coming. What did you have planned for him?"

At that, Ved pulled out a gun and pointed it straight at Farhad's chest. Mandar's heart sank, and Pallavi grabbed his hand, afraid that if they moved to protect Farhad, Ved would shoot.

"Yuvaraj betrayed me! He called the police and told them where to find me on the night I escaped from prison! I lost two years and four months of my life because Yuvaraj Holkar wanted to be law-abiding for some girl in Kolhapur. All right, I wasn't able to lure him out of hiding today, but now that I know he's working with you, I won't tell you what I had planned. I'll show you!"

At that, Mandar shook off Pallavi's hand and lunged for Ved, who saw him coming and pushed back, managing to stay upright. Pallavi screamed, "Mandar!" and saw that Farhad was moving ... Farhad was giving Vedant a clear shot!

Mandar knew it was too late to reach for Ved's hand that held the gun, but what else could he do? He would block the bullet's path to Farhad with his body if he could, but Ved's arm was already extended.

Vedant pulled the trigger, but there was no explosive flash as the bullet fell out harmlessly. Incredulously, he pulled the trigger again, and then one more time, while Farhad's smile grew into a brilliant grin. By now, Mandar was punching Ved furiously, unwilling to take a chance with the next bullet. The gun fell from Vedant's hand as he doubled over with the wind knocked out of him.

Inspector Swami marched in with several officers, arrested Vedant, and took him away.

"Farhad, what was all of that?" Pallavi demanded, gently touching his shoulders and cheek as if she couldn't believe he was unharmed. Mandar came to Pallavi's side, frowning as it dawned on him that Farhad hadn't needed his self-sacrifice or any protection, really.

"Please don't worry, Bhābhī. Sorry, I mean, Pallavi jī. Vedant being free was a threat to all of us, and I had to provoke him somehow to attempt to murder me and get sent back to prison. I got an idea two nights ago, after Akash told us that Yuvaraj hadn't been seen at drug-using parties ever since he came to Hyderabad to meet Vedant."

"Your idea was to tell Ved that it was Yuvaraj who got him caught and sent back to prison, and you predicted that Ved would plan an attack on Yuvaraj the same way he went after Raghav!" Mandar exclaimed, realizing that Farhad had done it to protect him. Now, Ved would never suspect that Mandar had had him arrested at the Hotel Crosto on the night of 1st December 2018. Thanks to Farhad, Mandar didn't have to worry about Ved plotting revenge.

"Never put your faith in anonymous informants!" Farhad said, winking to reassure Mandar that he understood, a restaurant was not the place to tell Pallavi who had really called the police and why. "I didn't tell Vedant the name of the girl that Yuvaraj liked, but even if he finds out, he won't hurt Akash's sister Rashmi, as long as he thinks that her happiness with Devayani is torture for Yuvaraj."

"He shot at you and nothing happened. Why?" Pallavi wanted to know.

"I knew that Vedant always stores his gun loaded, just like Raghav Anna. They've done that since the old days at Jayati Jewels. So, it was easy to switch the real bullets with dummy bullets, without Vedant noticing."

"You were able to get Ved's gun without him noticing. Were you having him followed?" Even as he spoke, Mandar realized how naïve he sounded. Of course Farhad would stalk Raghav's enemy to protect Raghav's life and Pallavi's. In Farhad's world, it was natural to have enemies. And to store guns unsafely!

Farhad stopped grinning when he noticed that Mandar looked worried. "Yes, and it's good that I did, because Kirti was in danger. Sunny's new roommate, known as Sher Singh, was none other than Vedant."

Pallavi shivered as thoughts of what Ved could have planned for Kirti sank in. Mandar put his arm around Pallavi; she took a deep breath, and asked, "Yuvaraj could be dead, right?"

"Right, Pallavi jī. Vedant thought he was texting Yuvaraj, but I had taken over the phone number. In a few days, we could tell your friends that they're not in danger, if we get evidence of Yuvaraj's death. Akash and I got the police to contact Yuvaraj's parents, and their DNA samples are being taken today."

"Then are you free now to plan how we could approach Vipul Kadam?" Mandar asked.

"In fact, I already got Jagadish Swami to hand over his records of Sulochana Deshmukh's furniture purchases and deliveries since December 2018, and then I added a few flourishes to your idea, so our plan is ready for action," Farhad said, grinning proudly again. "Pallavi jī, the plan will work better if Vipul Kadam doesn't see you with us. Would you allow me to drop you off at the shop?"

"Actually, my customer Mrs. Mehra is right over there," Pallavi replied. "I'll stay here for our meeting, and then go to the shop." Watching the two men's excited faces, she added, "Mr. Kadam isn't a trustworthy witness, and we don't even know what new information he could tell us. He could go straight to Sulochana Kākū, but she will find out soon enough that she's in trouble, so go ahead with your plan. Both of you, keep each other safe!"

A few minutes later, Pallavi was sitting with Aparna and Ashutosh Mehra, who had ordered horchatas for themselves and Pallavi.

"Pallavi, I have been thinking about you for a long time, but I only found out your name yesterday." Aparna was saying.

"Aparna jī, excuse me, but I don't understand what you just said."

"Sorry," Aparna conceded. "Obviously, you don't recognize us, and I should have expected that, Pallavi. We first saw you when Raghav Rao had invited us for MahāŚivarātri pūjā at his house. We heard you saying that Raghav had burned your raw material, almost demolished your shop, threatened to kill you with a truck, and tried to drive you out of Hyderabad, and just then he had had you kidnapped by fake police and kept in his house all night. We should have assisted you to leave safely, and to hold Raghav accountable, but we were so disgusted that we simply told Raghav that we wouldn't deal with Jayati Jewels anymore, and we got away as quickly as we could."

"We are sorry that we didn't behave with you like real devotees of Bhagavān Śiva jī," Ashutosh added. "Ever since we left you behind that day, we felt guilty and worried, but without knowing your name, we couldn't look for you. After seeing yesterday's news, we acknowledge that if we had defended you, Raghav could have been stopped before he forced you to marry him."

"The video has exposed Raghav for defaming your character and marrying you by force," Aparna resumed. "If you would like the world to know about Raghav's other crimes against you, or anything else about Raghav and his business practices, we can connect you to legitimate investigative reporters and the courts."

Pallavi struggled to hold back a nervous laugh, as she thought, how many more people will I meet who don't understand that the video incriminates me and not Raghav? Surely, the talk has already started, and soon, everyone will hear that I could be convicted of bigamy. Of course, Raghav's crimes should be prosecuted and punished, but that could take months or years. I'm being punished right now for what isn't my fault. I wouldn't have lost two years and eight months with Mandar if Raghav had tried to find him and return his engagement ring. We won't get justice for the hit-and-run because Raghav hid the car. I can't come home as Mandar's wife yet because Raghav shamelessly put Nikhil in jail and married me against my will. Even when I was almost killed in that taxi explosion, and that poor taxi driver suffered burns, it was because Raghav chose to go into business with someone like Vedant Pillai. Raghav is paying for my lawyer, and trying to protect me, but does Raghav feel shame? What if I told Aparna jī and Ashutosh jī about how Raghav earned the capital to start Jayati Jewels? That would punish Raghav right now. Maybe then Raghav would feel the depth of shame that he should feel.

"Pallavi, are you all right?" Aparna's voice brought Pallavi out of her thoughts. Pallavi looked at the two concerned faces in front of her.

"Excuse me for a moment, please." Pallavi got up and went to the washroom, where she splashed cool water on her face. She had been angry at Raghav many times, she had wanted him justly punished, but wanting to hurt him just for the sake of hurting him was a new feeling. Pallavi was trembling with nervousness. Her bladder suddenly felt full, and she hurried to the toilet to relieve herself. Vedant had tried to shoot Farhad, and he could have planned another explosion for Kirti! Vedant had burned the taxi driver while trying to kill Pallavi, just because he had seen Raghav ordering jewelry pouches from her! Pallavi felt as powerless as she had felt when Mandar had tackled Vedant. She wanted to feel empowered, tough, capable of hurting someone the way Raghav had hurt her. This was a scary feeling. Could she do it?

Śreyān svadharmo viguṇaḥ paradharmāt svanuṣṭhitāt. It is better to follow one's own dharma imperfectly than to be perfect in someone else's dharma. Āī's advice echoed in Pallavi's mind as she adjusted her saree. Am I following my dharma? I want Raghav to feel shame, but that's to awaken his moral conscience and make him a better man, not to show him his place for what he has been. Maybe it's foolish to believe, like Amma, that I've won and Raghav's conscience is here to stay. I may never get justice by following my dharma, but humiliating Raghav wouldn't be justice either. Revenge isn't my dharma, and hitting Raghav where it hurts most won't make me feel better.

As she washed and dried her hands, Pallavi remembered what Bābā had said when he had found her crying because Anasuya from the orphanage had told her that some of the children in her care had been separated from their mothers who were unable to give up drugs and sex work. "Pāpa soḍalyāvara miḷakata kamī hoīla, mhaṇūna anekāṃnā pāpācī zāṇīva asūna tyāṃnā te soḍāyalā zamata nāhī." When giving up sin means a drop in income, many people who are aware of their sin are unable to give it up. "Āza nāhī, udyā-paravā nāhī, paṇa kadhītarī tyā striyā dhandā soḍatīla aśī śakyatā āhe, āṇi tevhāṃ tyāṃnā āpalyākaḍūna uttejanācī garaza paḍela, mhaṇūna āzapāsūna āpaṇa tyāñcyākaḍe sakārātmaka nazarene pahāyalā have." Not today, not tomorrow or the day after, but there's a chance that those women will leave sex work someday, and then they will need encouragement from us, so even from today we have to look at them with a positive perspective. "Tulā jī kāhī ghṛṇā vāṭata asela tī tū gharī yeūna bola, paṇa cāraçaughāta bolū nakosa." Whatever disgust you may feel, come home to talk about it, but don't talk publicly. "Tyā mulāṃnā tyāñcyā āyāṃviṣayī lāza vāṭāyalā lāvalī tara te tyāñcyā āyāñcyā pāpāhūna krūra pāpa hoṇāra nāhī kā?" If we make those children feel ashamed of their mothers, won't that be more vicious than the sin that their mothers commit? Pallavi knew that even though Bābā himself couldn't forgive Raghav, he would expect her to feel compassion for the past prostitute who was now trying to look after Damayanti.

Pallavi returned to the table and faced Aparna and Ashutosh with a smile. "Thank you for offering to help. I have support from Mandar and our family and friends. We will think about what to do. Now, please tell me about the special occasion for which you need sarees."

"My sister's daughter is getting married," Aparna began, "and this will be the first occasion for most of our family to meet my sister since her transition. You see, for most of my life, I thought I had a brother. When she came out as transgender, my sister's marriage ended and it took a long time for her daughter to accept her. I want to show my support for my sister at every wedding event by wearing a saree that conveys my pride in her womanhood. Would you be able to design such sarees, Pallavi?"

"Aparna jī, that is a lovely gesture, and I will do my best to design the perfect sarees for you."

"Thank you, Pallavi. Once you show me the designs, I will see how many of the ladies attending the wedding would like to wear similar sarees, and I hope it will be a large order."

"By the way," Ashutosh interjected, "what Raghav did to you has nothing to do with our choosing you. We have seen your work, and it is exquisite. You are truly a perfectionist."

"Thank you, Ashutosh jī. Where did you see my designs?"

"At the Nizam family wedding last month," Aparna said. "They gave me a handwoven saree as an honorarium, and it's my favourite saree now. When my niece's wedding was announced, I knew that Pallavi Deshmukh would get my business. I had no idea that Pallavi Deshmukh was you, the girl from MahāŚivarātri, until I saw the video in the news yesterday. Isn't that ironic?"

Pallavi frowned at the irony. She wouldn't have gotten the Nizam family's order if Raghav hadn't given them a deep discount on jewelry. And now her work on that order had brought her business from Ashutosh Mehra, who would never do business with Raghav.

"Would you like a design based on symbols of pride, such as the pink triangle or the blue-pink-white transgender pride flag?" Pallavi asked with a smile.

"Actually, since it's my niece's wedding, I don't want any design that would take attention away from her," Aparna replied. "Can you show me a design that is supportive of my sister's gender identity without being overtly political?"

"I will do my best, Aparna jī. I have hundreds of designs collected in my tablet, but I don't have it here with me. As soon as I can look through it, I will find something to show you." Pallavi smiled as if it would be no problem, but she did not know where to begin.

Chapter One on page 1

Chapter Two on page 2

Chapter Three on page 2

Chapter Four on page 3

Chapter Five on page 4

Chapter Six on page 4

Chapter Seven on page 5

Chapter Eight on page 5

Chapter Nine on page 7

Chapter Ten on page 7

Chapter Eleven on page 8

Chapter Twelve on page 8

Chapter Thirteen on page 8

Chapter Fourteen on page 9

Chapter Fifteen on page 10

Chapter Sixteen on page 10

Chapter Seventeen on page 11

Chapter Eighteen on page 11

Chapter Nineteen on page 11

Chapter Twenty on page 11

Chapter Twenty-One on page 11

Chapter Twenty-Two on page 12

Chapter Twenty-Three on page 12

Chapter Twenty-Four on page 12

Chapter Twenty-Five on page 12

Chapter Twenty-Six on page 13

Chapter Twenty-Seven on page 14

Chapter Twenty-Eight on page 14

Chapter Twenty-Nine on page 14

Chapter Thirty on page 14

Chapter Thirty-One on page 14

Chapter Thirty-Three on page 15

Chapter Thirty-Four on page 15

Chapter Thirty-Five on page 15

Chapter Thirty-Six on page 15

Chapter Thirty-Three

"Mandar Raja, we make awesome partners in crime!" Farhad exulted as he drove from Manvad Chawl to Deshmukh Saree Emporium.

"I hope we never have to threaten an old man again, but this was fun," Mandar admitted. "My idea was only to get information from the watchman by turning him against Sulochana Kākū, but you tricked him into giving back Pallavi's Rs. 10 lakh too!"

"Only because he cheated Pallavi jī by lying about your accident after he took that money," Farhad argued. "Pallavi jī emptied her bank account, and she still didn't have Rs. 10 lakh, so Jaya Amma emptied her account too. Why shouldn't they get their money back, Mandar Raja?"

"If I had gone to him with Pallavi today, he wouldn't have given it back. But because you showed up with the police, accusing him of stealing Rs. 10 lakh from Raghav Rao's wife's purse, he was terrified, he insisted that it was a gift, and he gave back the money to prove his honesty."

"Did you see his face when the police were tearing apart his furniture, piece by piece?" Farhad chuckled. "Everything that he got for keeping quiet about your Kākū's plan to hide you, undermine Deshmukh Saree Emporium, and force your Bābā to sell his house to her ... ruined!"

"How did you know that he kept the money hidden at home, and not in his bank account?" Mandar wondered.

"I only guessed. A street-smart working-class man like Mr. Kadam knows that a bank teller would be suspicious if he brought in a lot of cash. He didn't want the teller or the income tax department to ask for a cut, so he kept the cash at home. As soon as we started our search, he knew that we would find Pallavi jī's Rs. 10 lakh as well as the Rs. 15 lakh that Raghav Anna paid him to lie to her. To save the Rs. 15 lakh, he let us take the Rs. 10 lakh."

Mandar looked at Farhad with admiration. Mandar had been dealing with picky customers since his teenage days, and he had handled uncooperative patients and families in his work as Raja the ambulance driver, but Farhad knew how to manipulate human nature!

"And just when Mr. Kadam was mourning his Rs. 10 lakh and his precious furniture, at that perfect juncture, you knocked at the open door, Mandar Raja! The living embodiment of his guilt. He looked like he was going to cry when you told him what you knew: he saw your accident, he talked to Vedant Pillai, an escaped prisoner and drug smuggler, and then he informed your Kākū and agreed to keep quiet while she kidnapped you."

"I wanted to ask him how he could live with himself, but I remembered that you wanted me to sound sympathetic, so I asked him if he was in trouble with the police, and could I convince them that Kākū, and not he, should pay for the crime. And it worked, right? The constable lifted his baton, I came in between to protect Mr. Kadam, and he started to talk."

"It's called bad cop, good cop, Mandar Raja. Anna and I use this approach all the time, but he always typecasts me for the good cop. You rocked the role. The way you innocently asked if the police destroyed the poor old man's furniture. ... And then you pretended to notice that it was previously damaged and repaired to look like new. ... You conjectured that it came from Jagadish Swami's shop. ... And you played Nikhil's video of Jagadish patching up a table!"

Farhad and Mandar laughed in unison after every sentence.

"And the best part," Mandar managed to speak when he caught his breath, "is that Sulochana Kākū paid full price to Jagadish Anna! She got cheated, but Mr. Kadam believes that she cheated him!"

They were stopped at a red light, and looking into each other's eyes with mirth and mischief. Farhad's eyes drank in the lustre of Mandar's full lips and even teeth parted in laughter. Mandar felt wanted by Farhad's brown-eyed warm stare, and ready to give. He took a deep breath and leaned forward, ready to join Farhad's mouth to his.

"I want to kiss you, Mandar Raja, but I won't."

Mandar paused, as if the carefree lust that had animated him a moment ago could return after that denial. He wanted to kiss Farhad, and Farhad wanted to kiss him! Couldn't he have this moment, and atone for it later? Why did it have to be a sin, anyway?

"The day you're ready to date me at the Aqua Legacy, I'll let you kiss me at an intersection," Farhad joked.

Mandar remembered holding hands and laughing with Pallavi just a few hours ago, and now he was doing the same thing with Farhad that he should do only with his wife. Pallavi trusted him with Farhad, and how easily Mandar was betraying her!

Mandar fell back into his seat, and turned his face to the window. Should he tell Farhad he was sorry? Of course, Farhad didn't deserve to be his guilty secret, and this situation was Mandar's fault entirely, but Mandar wanted to kiss Farhad anyway, without giving up on being a good family man, and he didn't want to be sorry.

Farhad drove in silence until they reached Deshmukh Saree Emporium. He got out, and saw that Pallavi was busy with customers. "Pallavi jī is strong enough to face people who pity her or blame her for Anna forcing her to marry him. She is strong enough to hear what you have to tell her. Mandar Raja, when I watched you tackling Vedant for me, I knew that you are a brave man. I would be proud to team up with you for another adventure like today's. If you like me as much as I like you, be brave and be proud."

Mandar stood watching as Farhad drove away, and then he went into the shop, took Pallavi aside, and told her about Vipul Kadam's confession and the Rs. 10 lakh. Mandar felt awed by the tenacity of Pallavi's commitment to him. She had handed over her entire savings to a liar, just to know what had happened to the husband who could never return to comfort her, or so she had thought. How could he put his own needs first, and leave her with nothing?

About an hour later, Mandar's phone rang. It was Vishnu. Mandar stepped outside the shop to take the call.

"Mandar, have you heard anything from the Records Committee about your death certificate?"

"They decided to invalidate it. I found out yesterday morning, but I didn't have time to call you since then. Why are you worried about it?"

"I just got questioned by the police about Mrs. Sandhya Narahari. She's awake, but she hasn't recovered from the stroke. She can't communicate to identify her attacker. So, the whole case against her husband rests on your statement that when you found her, she told you that her husband had attacked her. I can't point at him because I wasn't with you when she spoke."

"The police have my statement."

"Yes, but the husband's defense lawyer is asking the judge to rule that your statement is inadmissible. He says, you claim to be Mandar Deshmukh, who is legally dead, and so you can't be a witness in court. Mandar, if your death certificate can be expunged, the case will proceed, but otherwise, the defense lawyer could drag it out."

"I don't know how long the City Health Office will take. I'll ask Subhadra. Vishnu, I really need to talk to you."

"Go ahead."

"I thought that finding Pallavi would make everything clear, but it's just the opposite. I'm growing closer to Pallavi, but it's happening faster with Farhad! Right there in Amma's house, I had a dream of being too close to him, and I told Farhad I want him. Yesterday, after he got Dr. Janaki to confess, I kissed his cheek. Today, I tried to kiss him." As Mandar confessed to his sponsor, he remembered Pallavi saying, you could not even dream of doing anything to me that would haunt you. Tears sprang to his eyes, and he blinked hard, trying to compose himself.

"Mandar, is Farhad also dealing with same-sex attraction? Is he tempting you?"

"Yes, Farhad is gay, he's out, he's proud - he's exactly the kind of person Amma tells us to avoid if we want to succeed in conversion therapy! I'm getting used to holding and comforting Pallavi, I enjoy laughing and flirting with her, but when I'm alone with Farhad, I feel lust and I can't help it. It's not Farhad's fault. He says I should tell Pallavi my truth, and then he'll let me kiss him."

Mandar felt a rough hand on his shoulder, spinning him around, and then Raghav's fist sharply hit his jaw. His mobile phone dropped to the ground and cracked.

"You keep your busy mouth off my friend! Artham ainadā? Farhad doesn't do anything gross like you! He just wants to expose your dirty habits to Pallavi, but I won't let him pretend anymore. It's game over for you, Sanakī Junior!"

At the sight of Raghav's disgusted face, Mandar felt pure hatred for the man who had spoiled every joy in his life. Raghav was saying that Farhad had manipulated him, tricked him!

Before Mandar could even think about what he should do, his fists and knees were pummelling Raghav, who was caught by surprise and fell to the ground with the wind knocked out of him. As blow after blow landed on his enemy, Mandar was thinking, you deserve to be in pain, Raghav! You humiliated Amruta! You ruined Manasi's happiness! You put Nikhil in jail! You harassed and forced Pallavi! Your cruel lies made Bābā want to die! You ...

You got Bābā out of jail. Mandar felt a tug on his shirt. He got up, leaving Raghav gasping for breath. Damayanti let go of Mandar's shirt, and licked Raghav's face.

Mandar saw that Raghav's bodyguard was standing right there. Why hadn't he put a stop to the beating? He was making no move to retaliate either.

"Raghav Anna can usually handle a one-on-one fistfight," Madan said, responding to Mandar's look. "Bhābhī would be embarrassed if I put my hands on you, so I won't." Madan reached down, but Raghav was still unable to pull himself up.

There was no way out now, Mandar thought. Raghav knew his secret, and soon everyone would know. Today might even be Mandar's turn to be shamed by the tabloid news. He had betrayed Pallavi, ruined her life, and he could never be a good man after this. He wasn't a good example for Manasi, Nikhil, and Amruta. Āī, Bābā, and Kākā would be sorry that he had come back to hurt Pallavi.

Nikhil and Krishna had heard the scuffle, and they were standing just inside the shop, looking at Mandar with concern.

Mandar couldn't face anyone. He walked away alone.

Raghav stumbled to his feet, tasting blood from his cut lip. "Where's Pallavi?" he demanded. He had come to see for himself that Pallavi was unharmed by Ved, although Farhad's text had been reassuring. Now it was even more important to find Pallavi.

"Dīdī went to meet her lawyer," Krishna answered.

As Raghav led Damayanti to his car, he heard Nikhil shouting after him, "Leave Dī alone, Raghav, or I'll do what my Dādā just did to you!"

Raghav ignored him and called Pallavi. He felt like punching someone after the thrashing Mandar had given him, but that someone wouldn't be Pallavi's favourite Junior College. For the first time in two days, Raghav had hope because Mandar was an imposter after all. Raghav would ignore any provocation if it would convince Pallavi to give him another chance.

"Sārī kā Dukāna!" Raghav said brightly as soon as Pallavi picked up. "Where are you?"

"On my way to RR Mansion," Pallavi managed to answer. "What do you need?"

"All right. When you get there, stay! I'm coming home. I have to talk to you."

"You can talk over the phone. I'm going to pick up my tablet and a few other things, give something to Amma, and go." Pallavi felt uneasy even hearing Raghav's voice through the phone. She was not ready to see him face-to-face while he explained what Amma had told her about him yesterday.

"No, stay! We have to be together when I tell you this. It will change everything, trust me!" Raghav quickly ended the call, and called Ramakrishna to warn him, Pallavi must not get away!

Raghav sped to Jubilee Hills as quickly as he could drive, and then sprang out of the car and through the front door of RR Mansion, leaving Madan to get Damayanti out of her car seat.

"Where are you, Pallavi?" Raghav shouted. "Rama, where is she?"

"Sir, Pallavi Madam is in your bedroom," Ramakrishna replied.

"Raghav, wait!" Jaya called from the household shrine, where she had just shown Naṭarāja and Veṅkaṭeśvara the money returned by Pallavi, but Raghav didn't hear her. He dashed into the bedroom and closed the doors.

"Mandar is betraying you, Pallavi!" Raghav blurted out. "He's a homo. He's trying to hide it with therapy from Dr. Ramya."

Pallavi looked at him with disbelief. Raghav knew that he couldn't defend himself, so he was attacking Mandar! She picked up her bag and headed for the door without a word.

Raghav stood in front of her, arms stretched wide.

"Sārī kā Dukāna! Are you listening? Mandar chases boys. He's a lying, cheating, no-good husband. He doesn't deserve you."

"Right, he didn't train as hard as you to be a good husband!" Pallavi couldn't hold back anymore. She began to cry, feeling helpless because Raghav had no shame. He was hiding his own promiscuous past work behind the glittering façade of Jayati Jewels to this very moment, and it hadn't stopped him from publicly lying about Pallavi trading her body to him for the modest shop where Bābā had honestly built his reputation since 1985! Whatever evidence Raghav had fabricated against Mandar, Pallavi didn't want to see it. Raghav, who could show off photos of his own violation by Anjali as if they were of Pallavi, was capable of compromising himself to implicate Mandar.

"What?" Raghav reached for Pallavi's hands, trying to make her look at him, but she stepped back, out of his reach.

"When you forced me to marry you, Raghav, did you think I deserved to know what I was getting?"

Raghav's excitement vanished instantly. That two-faced Sanakī Junior had told Pallavi after all! This was a nightmare, but he had to admit the truth before he panicked. "No, I didn't tell you that I have HIV. I'm sorry about that. You were never in danger with me. Mandar had no reason to tell you."

Pallavi froze, hearing the defeat in Raghav's voice. When she was able to speak, her voice had softened.

"Mandar didn't tell me. You just did. Yesterday, Amma told me about finding the clinic's report in your bag, and what sort of work you did, but she said that you didn't have any STD."

Veṅkaṭeśvara! Raghav silently prayed. Pallavi knows about my hideous work too! I have to be more honest than Mandar, or I'll never get another chance. I made a commitment to Pallavi before Satya-Nārāyaṇa, so help me to do my best!

"I had taken the HIV test too soon. Pallavi, I didn't know how to tell you about the most difficult days in my life. One time, I thought I had to say something. That night when the car hit me, and you brought me here, I woke up and I couldn't find the words to tell you that my blood on your clothes was an HIV positive man's blood."

"What happened while you were unconscious isn't your fault, Raghav. But you should have told me, so that I could get tested."

"Experts say my blood is safe as long as I take my medicine and the HIV isn't detectable. Still, I knew the right choice was to tell you, but I couldn't, because I didn't trust you. I was never able to trust any girl. When Amma said that I had to marry you, I thought my life would be lonely, because we hated each other. I suggested that I could marry this other girl instead, but Amma said it had to be you."

"Prasaha?" Pallavi blurted out the name without realizing that it was on her mind. Why did it matter if Raghav had loved that girl ten years ago?

Raghav clenched his fists and bit his lip when he heard the name. How could Pallavi think that Prasaha was a possibility? What did Pallavi know about her? Not even the basics, apparently. He couldn't talk about Prasaha with Pallavi.

"No, this girl's name is Shraddha. She's a Telugu actress, and the spokeswoman for an NGO that provides health care to people living with HIV. Out of all the girls who were after my money, I thought, Shraddha might keep my secret and accept me as I am. Never mind about her now. When I married you, I thought there would never be a reason to tell you I have HIV. I was wrong. I asked you to give me a chance. I wanted to change for you. Then I cut my finger in Janakamma's house, on the very first day I was trying to get you and your family to like me. I couldn't tell you why I didn't want you to touch my blood. It would have given you another reason to hate me, on top of your Bābā not speaking to you. So, I yelled at you to go get a first aid box. I pretended to be afraid of blood. The truth is that I got used to bleeding nine years ago, when my clients were rough with me. I learned to keep turmeric with me for that work. But when you brought turmeric for my finger, I tried to send you away for a different antiseptic. In the end, I let you clean my cut, but I kept putting off telling you about my HIV. First, I was waiting for you to forgive me, and then I was waiting for you to be ready to hear that I love you."

Pallavi noticed that Raghav was talking with a swollen lip. "Did you get into a fight?"

Raghav felt better, hearing concern for him in Pallavi's voice. "It's nothing. Mandar can't fight like a real man." Trying to laugh, Raghav immediately winced as his bruised ribs reminded him to be honest.

Pallavi tried to call Mandar. He didn't pick up. "What did you do to Mandar? Raghav, did you give him a concussion? We haven't even asked a doctor how the accident damaged his brain!"

"Kitanā drama kara rahā hai tuma! I only punched him in the jaw, once! He dropped his phone and ran away. You're better off without him anyway!"

Pallavi ignored Raghav's suggestion and called Nikhil, who picked up immediately. "Dī, āttā mī Dādābarobara bolatoya, āṇi āmhālā zarā veḷa lāgela." Dī, I'm talking to Dādā right now, and we need some time.

"Te ṭhīka āheta nā?" Is he all right? "Raghav mhaṇālā kī tyāne Mandar-āṃnā toṇḍāvara māra dilā." Raghav said that he struck Mandar in the face.

"Ho, paṇa Dādāne tyā ekā mārācī dahā uttaraṃ dilī." Yes, but Dādā gave ten replies to that one blow. "Mārāmārīcī savaya nasalyāmuḷe to zarā gahivaralāya, mhaṇūna mī tyālā bolāyalā deta nāhī." He's not used to fistfighting, so he got a bit choked up, and that's why I'm not letting him talk. "Bākī kāhī Raghav-ne sāṅgitale tara tū tyācyāvara viśvāsa ṭhevū nakosa." Whatever else Raghav tells you, don't believe him. "Dādā tulā kharaṃkharaṃ sāṅgela." Dādā will tell you the actual truth.

"Tyāṃnā sāṅga kī Farhad-cyā gharī mī tyāñcī vāṭa pāhīna." Tell him that I'll wait for him at Farhad's flat.

Nikhil agreed and Pallavi ended the call. Raghav had been looking at her the whole time, unable to understand what she was saying in Marathi.

"Pallavi, I know you want to be with Mandar, but be realistic! Trust me, all those double-track men are the same. They have wives and children at home, and still they go looking for some desperate boy who will give them what they really want. They like to be rough and take risks, and even get their wives involved. Nothing can make them decent."

Pallavi wanted to protest Raghav's homophobic remarks and the insult to Mandar, but first, she had to voice her frustration that Raghav had compromised his health. "When you had enough sense to take turmeric with you, didn't you think to use protection?"

"Of course, I did! Mostly ... but soon I found out that unprotected gave them a thrill and I could charge triple. ... Maybe you don't understand because you finished college and respectable middle-class people wanted you. I had to create my own opportunities to get out of poverty. I told myself, I won't catch anything, and even if I do, I just have to get rich and then I can afford a cure."

Pallavi closed her eyes and shook her head, remembering what Farhad had told her in the hospital when Raghav had needed a blood transfusion after his accident: "Bhābhī, if anyone can save Anna's life, it's you. I believe your prayers kept Anna alive on the Vaṭa-Sāvitrī day, when Anna had no idea if Vedant could give him any valuable information, he only knew it was bad, and still he played Russian Roulette just because Vedant told him to be a man. Anna takes risks that no one should take, but Allāh Miyā will protect him for your sake."

Raghav was watching Pallavi's mournful face. He tried to comfort her. "Now I have the life that I wanted, mostly, so I'm not sorry I sold whatever I could sell to get my start. I'm only sorry because you had expectations of your husband, and I hurt you. I have to look after you, Pallavi. I won't let Mandar bring something like this home to you."

"Enough, Raghav! I have faith in Mandar. He could never be the kind of man that you knew. I am not going to fall for your tricks. Not after the years I spent looking for answers, until I finally found Mandar's engagement ring and you lied to me about what happened on Outer Ring Road. By the way, today Mandar and Farhad went to Vipul Kadam and got him to return Amma's and my Rs. 10 lakh that he didn't deserve because you paid him to lie to me. But tell me, why did you lie to me about what Dr. Janaki told you? Why didn't you tell me that a woman named Suhasini Joshi claimed Mandar as her brother, Parijat Padhye?"

"I was sure that Dr. Janaki was lying, Pallavi! A man like Mandar - the way you described Mandar - changed his name to run off with another woman? It would have hurt you to hear it, so I didn't repeat it. I was wrong! I'm sorry! Now I'm telling you that Mandar really is unfaithful. Mandar will make you feel that you don't deserve love, or he'll even show you what he does with men. Trust me, I know how unnatural those acts feel. You would be miserable with a man like that. I know you're disgusted with me right now, but don't ignore the truth about Mandar just because I'm the one telling you. Please?"

Pallavi moved around Raghav to reach the door. Raghav had the terrible thought that if she walked out, his secret would go straight to Mandar with her.

"Fine, go ahead!" Raghav yelled. "Pretend to have a respectable married life with Mandar! Keep his dirty secret, but tell everyone what I did to start Jayati Jewels! I don't care if all those women unfollow me on social media when they find out. Hypocrites like your narrow-minded Rambo bāpa will be proud of you for ruining Raghav Rao's brand, but I have other ways to make money."

Pallavi turned around to face him. "You're so wrong about Bābā, Raghav. Anyone who tries to be respectable deserves to be - that's what Bābā taught me. Bābā would be the first person to feel sorry for you and defend you if people judged your character by what you did when you were desperate, and not what you do today. You might not understand, because you never cared how you embarrassed him while showing off your power, but Bābā hates to see anyone in disgrace, not just his own family."

Raghav knew that Pallavi loved Vijay Deshmukh and needed his approval, but he was surprised to hear this praise for the judgemental old man.

"When you told Bābā in front of our neighbours that you got to touch me any way you wanted because I needed money, I was innocent, and you were the one who had sold his body. Would I be wrong to expose your truth in return for the lies you told about me? You knew that you, as a pleasure-seeking rich man, wouldn't be judged as harshly as a woman working long hours to support her family, and you used that advantage to ruin me. It's your fault that Amma got the idea that I deserved remarriage to a former prostitute, to the man who harassed and slandered me. Should you have any dignity left after you made a bigamist of me, when I never wanted to remarry? I want to make you feel the shame that you deserve, Raghav, but Bābā wouldn't want me to talk about what you used to be."

Raghav felt that Pallavi's reaction to his secret was beyond the worst that he had imagined. She was disgusted by his work, she was horrified that he had exposed himself to HIV, she pitied him, and she felt violated by him, which hurt him more. Still, she wasn't ready to ruin his brand. What could he say to pacify her?

"You're right. I did what I falsely accused you of doing. I was a hypocrite, and if you exposed me, I couldn't blame you. I hurt your family, and I have no right to ask, but please don't let Amma or Celli find out that I have HIV. I'm healthy, and they don't need to worry about me. Celli doesn't know why Amma threw me out, and if she knew, she would try to take Amma away from me again. I'm sorry I shouted at you. That Sanakī Rambo tried to make me wash his feet and drink the water, but if you'll keep my secret for his sake, he's not so bad."

Pallavi let out a long sigh. "Bābā never actually wanted you to do that, Raghav. He wanted you to give up and leave him alone. How could he forgive the man who put Nikhil in jail? He needed time to get used to the change in you. Bābā hated the gossip about us, but on the day I brought Mandar home, Bābā apologized to me and told me that even if I chose to stay with you, I had his blessing. Your efforts paid off, Raghav."

Raghav's face brightened. "You should have taken that offer. Mandar doesn't love you, and I love you madly, Pallavi. I would never cheat on you. You can forgive me for what I did. I can do romance with you safely, whenever you're ready. Don't be afraid of anyone. If your Bābā was ready to accept our marriage four days ago, he'll understand why you can't stay with Mandar."

"You don't understand, Raghav! I am Mandar's wife, and I always was. He is the only man that I want. We are happy together. Don't you dare start rumours about my husband! Just let me and my family live in peace."

Pallavi's vehement response left Raghav standing with his mouth agape.

"You live by one dharma, Raghav, and I live by another dharma. We don't belong together. That's why I told Subhadra today that I'm ready to petition for annulment of our marriage."

Raghav took deep breaths. This wasn't the end. He would find a way to get Pallavi away from Mandar and bring her back home. "Did Subhadra explain my offer to you? If you don't like it, ask for whatever you need."

"Thank you, Raghav. You already gave me enough money for the legal expenses, and I got back my savings today. I don't want what isn't mine."

"Your savings aren't even Rs. 10 lakh," Raghav scoffed. "One medical emergency could bankrupt you! What if that Sanakī Buḍḍhā has another heart attack when he finds out what his perfect son likes more than you?"

Pallavi scowled, and turned to leave.

"You don't believe what I'm telling you about Mandar? Ask Farhad!"

Even as Raghav spoke, he remembered that he had intended to keep Farhad's name out of his talk with Pallavi. Farhad's beloved Bhābhī didn't need to know that her loyal friend had lured Mandar away from her so that she would be free to reunite with his Anna. Raghav had surmised, as soon as he had walked up to Mandar and heard him saying, "Farhad is gay, he's out, he's proud," and the rest, that Farhad was playing the same trick that Raghav had played on Anjali, feigning interest so that Mandar would reveal his sordid nature to Pallavi. Raghav couldn't stand the thought of Farhad letting Mandar kiss him, and since onlookers like Dhananjay were mistaking Farhad to be gay while he waited for Mandar to confess to Pallavi, it wasn't worth it. So, Raghav had told Mandar right away that Farhad wasn't like that. Fortunately, his voice hadn't carried into the shop, or to Madan, who had been getting Damayanti out of the car. No one else would have heard about Farhad acting gay unless Mandar talked about his own hoodwinking. But now that Raghav had blurted out Farhad's name to Pallavi, he would have to tell her something.

Pallavi was looking at Raghav curiously. "Three nights ago, Abbū wondered why I hadn't told Āī-Bābā and Mandar that Farhad is gay. When Farhad came home, I asked him why he kept quiet about his sexual orientation in front of you and me. Now that I've heard you denigrating gay men, Raghav, I understand. Your prejudice made Farhad uncomfortable."

Chapter One on page 1

Chapter Two on page 2

Chapter Three on page 2

Chapter Four on page 3

Chapter Five on page 4

Chapter Six on page 4

Chapter Seven on page 5

Chapter Eight on page 51

Chapter Nine on page 7

Chapter Ten on page 7

Chapter Eleven on page 8

Chapter Twelve on page 8

Chapter Thirteen on page 8

Chapter Fourteen on page 9

Chapter Fifteen on page 10

Chapter Sixteen on page 10

Chapter Seventeen on page 11

Chapter Eighteen on page 11

Chapter Nineteen on page 11

Chapter Twenty on page 11

Chapter Twenty-One on page 11

Chapter Twenty-Two on page 12

Chapter Twenty-Three on page 12

Chapter Twenty-Four on page 12

Chapter Twenty-Five on page 12

Chapter Twenty-Six on page 13

Chapter Twenty-Seven on page 14

Chapter Twenty-Eight on page 14

Chapter Twenty-Nine on page 14

Chapter Thirty on page 14

Chapter Thirty-One on page 14

Chapter Thirty-Two on page 14

Chapter Thirty-Four on page 15

Chapter Thirty-Five on page 15

Chapter Thirty-Six on page 15

It only took four months and a few days, but I finished the next chapter!