Once again sorry for being so late with the update. I wanted to finish writing it and then update but that is not to be. But I feel very bad to keep you guys waiting. So I am posting whatever I have written up to now. I haven't had the time to review it so please overlook the minor errors. Thanks.
Chapter 19
Shaurya looked at the table clock by the side of his bed. It was 3 o’clock in the morning. He hasn’t been able to get any sleep since he got out of the call with Anokhi. His mind was full of so many thoughts. But the one that didn’t let him sleep was that Miss Bhalla was getting married within a week. Perhaps he would never get to see her after that. Oh, the thought was unbearable! He wondered why. He had barely known her for six months. Yet she was the one person he felt most comfortable with. He didn’t want to let her go. But there was nothing he could do to keep her close to himself. There was no relation between them. She didn’t even accept him as her friend. He got up and stood by the window. He didn’t know how long he stood like that when a dash of pink in the eastern sky announced the arrival of a new day.
He quickly went to the washroom and freshened up. Then he dressed up and drove off to see Aastha Kashyap, the one person he knew would be as invested as him in stopping this marriage.
He went to her apartment first but it was locked. He tried calling her but her phone was switched off. What enmity did these women have with their cellphones. He then went to KICAS to look for her but no one there could give any information of her whereabouts. Just then he remembered that she was talking about staying at her Kapurthala house. He took her address from one of the staff at KICAS.
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Meanwhile at Kapurthala, Aastha was once again standing outside the Bhalla house. She knocked once and waited for someone to answer. The sound of dhol and women singing coming from inside told that the marriage preparations were in full swing. After knocking a few more times, the door was opened by Mr. Bhalla.
“How dare you come here again? Leave right now or I will call the police on you for trespassing into my property.” He said angrily.
“Do whatever you want. I am not leaving without meeting Anokhi. You know what kind of a person Monty is, yet you are getting your daughter married to him. How insensitive can you be?”
“Most men have such habits which change once they get married. Anyways, I don’t owe you any explanations. You have caused us enough damage. I won’t let you play spoilsport this time.” He was about to slam the door shut but Aastha stopped it with her hand.”
“Please listen to me, Mr. Bhalla. Don’t destroy her life like this. Anokhi has a lot of potential which will be wasted if she marries Monty. Just give her a chance to prove herself. Trust me, she will make you very proud one day.” Aastha pleaded.
“Look Madamji, you are just wasting both our time here. I have given my word. I cannot back away from this marriage.”
“This is not your marriage. It is Anokhi’s marriage. And she is an adult. You are no one to give your word. You are right. I am wasting my time with you. I am going to meet Anokhi. I won’t let her ruin her life like this.” Saying this, she pushed Mr. Bhalla aside and went in.
“What does this woman think of herself? She thinks I am joking. I am calling the police right now.” Mr. Bhalla shouted from behind as Aastha went towards Anokhi’s room.
Anokhi had come out hearing the commotion. She was shocked to see Aastha standing in front of her.
“What’s the matter with you? How can you agree to this marriage?” Aastha asked.
“That’s my personal matter. Don’t I have a right to make my decisions without having to give anyone any explanations?” Anokhi replied, trying to avoid looking into Aastha’s eyes.
“Yes, but only when you make them of your own free will. I know you are doing it to repay your father’s debt.”
“I don’t think you should bother yourself with the affairs of my family. I am sure you have found your son and your family back. You should focus your attention on them. I am no one to you now.”
“What rubbish are you saying? You have a right to be mad at me but you know very well how much you mean to me. You are the reason why I look forward to every new day. Had it not been for you, I would have given up on life a long time back. I push myself harder everyday only because of you. So don’t dare you say such a thing again. Here, now take this.” Aastha handed over an envelope to her.
“What is this?” Anokhi asked.
“A cheque of 30 lakhs in your name. You can settle part of your father’s debt with it.”
“But from where did you get this money?”Anokhi asked, surprised.
“You don’t have to worry about that.”
“You took it from the Sabharwals. Isn’t it?”
“No. I sold our Kapurthala house and I also had some in my savings account.”
“And what about KICAS.”
“I don’t have the rights to sell KICAS. That’s because you are the owner of KICAS. I have written it in your name a long time ago. KICAS is yours and it is waiting for you to return.”
“So you have come to show me your magnanimity. You want to show the world how you can give everything away for a helpless girl. You can easily give KICAS to me. You can sell your property today because your son is so rich that he doesn’t need any of it. Tell me, could you have done this if your son was struggling to get a decent job. No, you couldn't. You took me in as a replacement for your son. You just wanted a replacement child. That is why you supported me. You needed someone to get rid of your loneliness. But I don’t need you. I have my parents. Good or bad, they are all I have. I don’t want anyone else. So you can leave.”
Rama was quietly standing in a corner. Aastha went to her and said, “Believe me, Mrs. Bhalla, I am really happy that Anokhi has got her family back. I know how much she missed you all. I am sorry. You had entrusted me with your most precious jewel and I couldn’t take care of her properly. I have hurt her a lot. I am not trying to give justifications for my actions but you are a mother. Sometimes, to make one child happy you have to make the other more understanding one compromise on their happiness. I did the same. But I didn't realise how insensitive I was being. I am sorry for letting her down. But please don’t let her ruin her future like this. I know this money will not be enough to cover your debt but you can buy some time with it. And there is this competition coming up. Once Anokhi wins the prize money she will easily repay the debt and more.”
“Have you come here to make fun of us Mam? You yourself have sabotaged any chances I had at winning this and now you are giving my mother false hopes.”
“No, these are not false hopes. I believe you will win this competition. I have given Shaurya only my recipe but I have taught you my skills. When you win, it will be my victory as a teacher.”
“Please don’t force me Mam. I have made up my mind. I don’t want to have anything to do with your money or your institute. Neither do I want to win the competition. We may be poor but we are not beggars. I won’t take money that is not mine. Please leave now.”
“Yes, ask her to leave before I call the cops. I am not joking.” Mr. Bhalla came and said.
Aastha looked around helplessly. “Anokhi, please don’t do this. Please give it another thought.”
Rama came to her and said, “I appreciate what you are trying to do madamji but I really think you should leave now. I don’t want Bhallaji to call the police on you. Please. I am begging you.”
“I am not afraid of the police. But if Anokhi doesn’t think of me as one of her own, I have no business staying here. I am leaving the cheque here. Do whatever you want to do with it.” Aastha quietly walked outside.
After Aastha had left, Anokhi picked up the cheque. Rama noticed the tears in her eyes and came and wiped them. Anokhi hugged her in return.
“I have given birth to you but Madamji has given you a second life. I know what she means to you and what you mean to her. Was her mistake so big that you forgot all she did for you and rejected her like this? Why didn’t you take the money?”
“I can never forget what she did for me, Ma. But she was going to give away all she had. She would be left with no savings. How would she pay the rent of the flat and manage her expenses? I know her. She wouldn’t take any help from anyone, not even Shaan Sir. I don’t want her to go through any more hardships because of me.”
“Miss Bhalla”
Anokhi was surprised to hear the familiar voice. She turned to see the speaker. Yes, she was not mistaken. It was Shaurya Sabharwal.
“What are you doing here?” She asked.
“I came to ask if you know anything about Miss Kashyap’s whereabouts.”
“Are you talking about Aastha Kashyap? Yes, the woman came here and created a huge ruckus. We threw her out. But who are you? How do you know her?” Mr. Bhalla asked
Shaurya gritted his teeth and tightened his fists. Then said to Mr. Bhalla, “So you are the person who is selling his daughter to pay his debt.” He then went to Anokhi and said, “You don’t have to do this. I will give you the money. Just back out from this wedding.”
“What makes you think I will accept your money? I would rather marry Monty than be treated like an object of pity by you and your family. Please leave now. Oh wait, take this.” Anokhi handed the cheque to him and said, “If you happen to meet your mother, give this to her.” Without waiting for an answer, she went to her room and locked the door from inside.
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Shaurya entered Kapurthala railway station and looked around. Finally, there she was. Aastha was sitting on one of the benches with her stare fixed on the ground. Shaurya went to her and said, “Do you know that I have been looking for you all morning? And what enmity do you women have with your phones? Why have you kept it switched off?”
Aastha looked at him and asked, “You were looking for me? Why? Is everything alright? Is Shaan okay? I am sorry. I didn’t realise that my phone battery had run out.”
“Yes, Dad’s fine.” Shaurya said, as he sat down by her side. “I am really mad at you though. What made you think I would be okay with the way you tried to give me what was rightfully Anokhi's? I can’t believe you were trying to make up for years of wrong by committing another wrong.”
“Yes, please shout at me. I deserve it. I don’t know what I was thinking. But I was completely unfair to Anokhi. I didn’t take her feelings into account when I made that decision.”
“I heard you went to Miss Bhalla’s house again.”
“The girl is so stubborn. She is hell bent on ruining her life, her career. She is going back to the same pit she escaped from years ago.”
“If you don’t mind, what exactly happened 6 years ago? Why did Miss Bhalla stay away from her family?”
“The story begins even earlier. I didn’t even know them at that time. Anokhi was a teenager still in school. She would pass through the fields owned by Monty’s family everyday while returning from school. That was when she caught Monty’s fancy. He befriended a naive Anokhi and made her believe he loved her. Soon rumours about their love affair reached their parents. To save face in front of the society they decided to get them married. Anokhi was too young to realise what she was getting into. She was happy that she was going to spend the rest of her life with Monty. But soon she was told that she would have to give up her education after marriage. This was the first blow for her. She never wanted to compromise on her education. She was shocked to know that even Monty sided with his parents on the issue. She understood how her freedom would be taken away after marriage. But she still went on with it for the sake of her family’s honour. But just before the day of her wedding, she caught Monty red handed. He was trying to get intimate with another woman. That was the last straw for her. She pleaded with her parents to stop the wedding. But her father didn’t budge. He asked her to ignore it and focus on keeping her husband happy so that he doesn’t look at other women. Anokhi was appalled by her father’s idea. Her mother, Rama, had no say in the matter. Seeing no other way out, Anokhi ran away on the night of her wedding to escape a hopeless future.
That was the night I first met her. It was a difficult night for me too. My father, your nanaji, breathed his last after a long illness. He was my only reason to go on with life after…” Aastha let out a sigh. “Anyways, I had gone to the burning ghat to cremate him. I stood there and watched my world burn away in flames. I had lost all sense of time. I didn’t feel like leaving from there. And then I saw someone in a bridal attire running towards me. Then she stumbled and fell down. I immediately went to her. She murmured, “please save me. I can’t marry him” And then she fainted.
Her pursuers had soon caught up and they weren’t ready to leave without her. But I couldn't let her fall in their hands. Not against her will. I made sure they left the place without her. Then I took her home. After regaining her consciousness, she narrated to me her ordeal. That same evening her father reached my house, looking for her. Anokhi refused to go with him. Then he returned with the police and accused me of kidnapping her. Anokhi’s mother came there and told the police how she was underage and was being married against her will. Mr. Bhalla was so mad with rage that he broke all ties with her after that. Since then she has been living with me. Initially she was very withdrawn. The trauma of the wedding had a deep effect on her. After a lot of counseling and therapy, she finally started to open up. I used to run a small cooking class in Kapurthala. She would stand and watch me teach. Gradually she started taking interest in what I taught. Slowly she became the best student in her class. It is remarkable how she has turned her life around since then. She has a dream of making a name for herself. She doesn't want to live in anyone's shadow. KICAS is her first stepping stone in that direction."
“And with one bad decision you undid all the effort she and you put in.”
You are right. I am such a horrible person. I always manage to disappoint the people who depend the most on me. My father, my son and now Anokhi. Shaurya, I want to genuinely apologize for putting you through so much. I know there isn’t anything I can do to delete all the pain you suffered. Perhaps that is why you want to hurt me as much as you can to make me feel your pain. Isn’t that why you made such a challenge with Anokhi? You wanted to take Anokhi away from KICAS and me because you know KICAS is nothing without her, I am nothing without her. You wanted to punish me by taking away everything that is dear to me, isn't it?”
Shaurya didn’t answer. He looked away.
Aastha then took his hands in hers and said, “Shaurya, I haven’t done my duty towards you. That is why I have no right to ask anything from you. But I don’t know whom to turn to in this hour of need. You have to prevent Anokhi from committing such a big mistake. Please do something to stop her marriage.
Shaurya released his hands and asked, “What makes you think I will help you?”
“You may not want to help me but the fact that you have developed a soft corner for Anokhi hasn’t escaped my eyes. Can you let her ruin her life like this?”
Shaurya looked down and shook his head in the negative. Then looked up at Aastha and asked, “Do you have a plan?”
“Umm…no. I am not good at planning.”
“The wedding is in two days. We have to think of something real fast. By the way, Anokhi has sent this for you. Shaurya held out the cheque.”
Aastha took it and sighed. “She wouldn’t have my money. She says she has no rights. But the real reason behind it is that she is afraid I will be left with nothing. What would I have done with that money anyways. It is of no use when it cannot help my girl in her time of need.”
“But I agree with her on it. How could you sell the house that carried Nanaji’s memories.”
Aastha was surprised. She suddenly felt a lump in her throat. She swallowed it and uttered, “Nanaji? He yearned to hear those words as long as he lived. But I failed to fulfill his wish.”
“Calm down. You failed in a lot of things. We will talk about that later. For now, I just want to focus on the job at hand. Let’s go.”
“Where?”
“Back to Chandigarh. You look exhausted. I think you need some rest. I will drop you at your flat. This time I will not let you reject my offer.”
“No no, you don’t have to take any trouble. It’s just that for the last two days I had been making rounds of the bank, meeting prospective buyers who would purchase the house at such a short notice. I guess all this running around has made my back really tired and it is mad at me too. But otherwise I am fine. I will take the next train. I have already got my tickets.” She showed him the tickets.
“I am not leaving this place until you agree to come with me. And thanks to you for not being there, I have grown to be quite stubborn. I want you to go home and get some sleep. Leave Miss Bhalla in my hands…I mean Miss Bhalla’s matter.”
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Anokhi was standing in front of the mirror dressed in her bridal attire. She was reminded of the fateful night six years ago. She fought her fate with all her might and thought she had managed to escape but here she was, surrendering to her circumstances like a lost soldier.
Suddenly a noise at the window made her turn.
“You, what are you doing….”
“Shhh..” Shaurya said while putting his hand over her mouth to stop her from speaking.
Anokhi stomped on his feet with full force.
“Ouch” Shaurya cried out in pain and released her. He then put a finger on his mouth and gestured to her to speak in a low voice.
“Why have you come here?” She whispered.
“I don’t have much time. You have to come with me. You cannot marry that jerk.”
“No way. I cannot come with you. I don’t want my family to become the laughing stock of the villagers once again.”
“And therefore you are ready to ruin your life.”
“That’s none of your business. I don’t understand why you are so eager to stop my wedding. Did your mother ask you to come here?”
“I wouldn’t have come here even if my mother asked me to unless I myself felt it necessary. I know what that Monty did to you. There is no way I am going to let you marry him.”
“Listen, you are not my guardian. And please leave before anyone sees you. The people here can turn really violent on an intruder.”
“It's you who is wasting the time here. Had you agreed, we would already be on our way to Chandigarh by now.”
“I am sorry, Mr. Sabharwal. I cannot disappoint my parents one more time. I am not coming with you.”
“Well then, you are leaving me with no choice but to do this.” He then took a handkerchief out of his pocket and pressed it over her nose.
Anokhi desperately tried to reach for her pepper spray kept on the table but fainted over Shaurya’s shoulders before she could grab it.
“This could come in handy.” Shaurya put the pepper spray in his pocket and ran towards the window carrying Anokhi on his shoulders. But they were on the 1st floor. It was impossible to get her out from the window. Shaurya looked around. The only other exit was through the door. He had to take this risk and leave the rest to destiny.
The ladies of the house who had gathered at the hall downstairs were too shocked to react when they saw a young man descending the stairs with the unconscious bride over his shoulders. After recovering from the initial shock, one of them raised an alarm.
Shaurya had almost reached the main gate by then when two sturdy men blocked his way. Losing no time, he took out the pepper spray and sprayed it into their eyes. Then he dashed outside and got into the car after securing Anokhi in the passenger seat in the front.
He could hear the sound of a number of vehicles following him.
“Ha ha, they don’t know who they are up against. Shaurya Sabharwal is not only an accomplished cook but also a car racing enthusiast. I am going to show you people how to drive a car.” He then followed a sharp bend to mislead them.
After driving for a while, Shaurya said to himself, “Google says this road leads to the highway but I see a field in front.”
“Google doesn’t work in these areas, Mr. Sabharwal.”
Shaurya was surprised to see Anokhi back to her senses.
“I am not going to spare that chloroform dealer. He duped me. This was supposed to last an hour.”
“Well, I am too strong for it. By the way, how long have we been on the run?”
“About 45 minutes. Had I not lost the way, we would be halfway to Chandigarh by now. Now I don’t know where we are.”
“What exactly were you thinking when you kidnapped me?”
“I didn’t have the time to think. All I knew was that I had to stop your wedding.”
“You did great. Now what is your next plan of action? Or are we going to be on the road forever?”
“We have to ask someone for help.”
“And no one is going to be the least bit suspicious on seeing a girl in bridal attire inside your car.”
“No, just remove that veil of yours and wear it like a dupatta, minimize your jewelry and comb your hair properly. Then we can say that we are going as guests at a wedding.”
“What an idea. Let’s see how many are going to fall for it.”
“Enough of your sarcasm. Now do as I say.” Shaurya said.
“Do you really think kidnapping me will change my decision?” Anokhi said as she started removing her ornaments.
“I don’t know but I hope that you take some time to rethink this decision. See, this marriage will only give your family a temporary reprieve. They would still remain indebted to Monty’s family for having pity on them and marrying you. You will have to depend on Monty for every penny. Do you really want a life like that?”
“What other option do I have?”
“I gave you an option. Take my money, throw it on Monty's face and cancel this wedding.”
“And be indebted to you Sabharwals in return. I don’t know which one would be better, being indebted to Monty or being indebted to the Sabharwals, given what I know about their history with Aastha Mam.”
“Think of it as a loan for your business. Once KICAS makes enough profit, you can return the money slowly. I promise no one will ask for it before that.” Shaurya suggested.
“And what about your plan of destroying KICAS.”
“Consider it shelved. I have realised it was a stupid plan.”
“Good for you. Aah, I am so sleepy.” Anokhi said, yawning.
“What? You realise that we are on the run.” Shaurya looked at her incredulously and was surprised to see her fast asleep.
Thank you for the update ❤️❤️
Can't wait for next.
Please update next part very jaldi 😂
Thanku for the update will wait eagerly for the next update after the long time
Thank you so much for the update! I'm eagerly waiting for their love story to unfold! between loving this Shaurya Saberwal!! Will be eagerly waiting for the next update
Really glad that shaurya prevented anokhi from a stupid decision
I understand why anokhi did what she did with astha ma'am
I like how the circumstances are showing shau the right path and showing his mom is nit a bad person
About how life is not black and white but grey
Great one....it's more exciting...enjoying their banter...bring it onn 😎
Hey hope ur fine. 🙂
Please update the story.
Waiting eagerly for the next update.....⏳
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