VR Mansion,
Vansh and Angre were on their way home,
Vansh: Angre don’t you think you are late for your postponed date? (smirk)
Angre: Not at all!!!! (wink)
Vansh: How come? I mean you were supposed to go on a date and if am not wrong then it was around 7:30 pm as per what Ishani told me
Angre: Absolutely….. but your dearest sister canceled the date last minute once again as she got some emergency meeting with some clients and by then Siya already left with Aryan once again so she has to attend it and so our date canceled.
Vansh: Tabhi toh sochoo, how come you didn’t receive any calls from her bashing you (chuckles)
Angre: Funny!!!! (Making a face)
They reached home and retired to their rooms for freshening up. During dinner, they were having a regular conversation and having their dinner when Siya along with Aryan entered
Ishani: How was your date madamji?
Siya: It was fun di!!! (happy) He took me to the movie followed by dinner in our car.
Angre: Not bad Aryan!!! Seems like you impressed your fiancée.
They were all speaking of their day while dadi retired to bed. Youngsters were having their dessert and discussing something when Aryan’s phone was ringing which was on the standpoint beside Ishani, seeing the caller
Ishani: Aryan…. Call for you
Aryan: Who’s that?
Ishani: Sejal
Aryan (confused and worried): At this hour!!!! Ishani can you put the call on speaker my hands are not clean because of this desert
Ishani put the phone on speaker and now everyone turned silent
Sejal: Aryan
Aryan: Ha Seju bolo…. Is everything fine? Are you ok? And uncle?
Sejal: Arrey everything is fine why do you feel nothing is ok?
Aryan: O, Madamji you called at an odd hour so I was worried
Sejal: Acha, actually thought to call you before but I realized you’d be on your date with Siya so didn’t intend to disturb you
Aryan: Aww… my sweet Seju. I love you
Sejal: Chal chup, acha I actually wanted to speak with you about …. Riddhima
Listening to her name all turned attentive and Aryan turned serious and grabbed the phone and was about to turn the speaker off but Vansh gestured no and he let out a breath and spoke
Aryan: Riddhu, is ok right?
Sejal: Am…. Am not sure.
Aryan: What do you mean? Wait let me contact her, I’ll myself call her and speak
Sejal (shout): NOOOOOOOOOO
All turned amused to hear her shout. She didn’t have any knowledge that all were listening to her call while Vansh and Angre chuckled silently as in-office her voice is calm and here they are listening to her shouting which they have been witnessing over years.
Aryan: Yaar Seju, what was the need to shout at that pitch… my poor eardrums (pouting)
Sejal: Seriously Aryan!!!! You know her condition and yet you want to call and speak to her at this hour….. she clearly told me to inform you not to call or message her when she’s with him.
Aryan: But why? I mean… just why?
Sejal: She was telling that he answers all her calls and checks her messages first and then when he feels it’s all right, he’ll give it to her. Precisely, he’s keeping an eye on her activities and now you want to call and put her in many difficulties?
Aryan: That bastard I tell you, I’ll kill him with my bare hands. I don’t know what does he think of himself!!!!
Sejal (sarcasm): Oh yea, am in love with him right!!!
Aryan: Sejal yaar…..
Sejal: Acha forget that I called you to discuss about Kabir’s family
Aryan (suspicious): What about his family?
Sejal: I asked Riddhu, about his family and if she ever tried to inform them about his atrocities. So, she was speaking that whenever she tried to contact them they never answered her call and then she gradually stopped even trying to contact them. I don’t know Aryan….. but I feel even they are involved with Kabir in all this
Aryan: But why will they support him? Or will they?
Sejal: Am confused…. Have been thinking about all the possibilities from yesterday but am unable to understand if they are involved with him or not, if yes then why!!! If not then why didn’t they ever try to contact her? Weren’t they the ones who came to dad with their son’s proposal for marriage with Riddhu… then why didn’t they ever try to ask about her wellbeing?
Aryan: Maybe you are right Sejal. I feel there is something which we aren’t unable to understand. Which maybe Riddhima too isn’t aware of!!! Varna how and why did Kabir take her signatures on her property papers? Were they pre-planned to grab her property?
Sejal: Vahi toh am confused too….. and am ab afraid too ki don’t know how she is!!!
Aryan: Seju, don’t worry she’ll be fine. We’ll think of something.
Sejal: Hmm…
Aryan: Vaise why are you still awake?
Sejal: Wasn’t feeling sleepy…. So….
Aryan: Ohh so my Seju is hungry!!!
Sejal: A lot!!!! And guess what dad has put a ban on my entry into the kitchen at night and am dying (pouting)
Aryan (chuckling): I knew something such will happen one day. Acha ab turn around to your wardrobe and vaha pe to the right corner behind the wardrobe there is a bag grab it
After few seconds everyone heard her loud happiness filled cry
Sejal: Yayyyyyy!!!!!!!!! I love you Aryan!!!!!!
Aryan (chuckling): I love you too now eat it and sleep
Sejal: But when did you get it?
Aryan: I came home to meet uncle in the evening toh I placed that cover Tabhi.
Sejal: Thank you soooo much. Now good night. Bye don’t disturb my night cravings
And she cut the call while all were chuckling
Ishani: She has night cravings?
Aryan (smiling): In fact, we trio have. Me, Riddhu, and Seju. Uncle (Riddhima’s dad) gave us this habit. Whenever we used to stay at her place at night he used to cook for us at midnight and feed us behind aunty’s back and so we have these cravings at night. I can manage but Riddhu and Seju are impossible. They need something to eat at nights varna those 2 devils will spoil my sleep.
Siya (thinking something and speaking): Does Riddhima have those cravings even today? Who is fulfilling her cravings? Does her husband know? Does he allow it?
Aryan and everyone fell silent and were thinking the same.
Aryan (upset): I miss those days when Riddhima could call me without fear of anyone and without any hesitation. Even 2 months back I got her call at night when we were preparing for her wedding. She was nervous and this led to her feeling hungry late at night and she calls me asking to get something, in fact, not something she wanted to have pizza at around 1:30 – 2:00 am. I had to sneak into her house through her balcony and reach her kitchen and prepare a pizza for our trio and that was the last night when we trio spent having fun because uske baad the following day she was married and everything changed. (emotional)
Siya held him to give support.
Siya: We can hope right ki those days come in her life once again
Ishani: She is right, we might speak to any advocate and see if there are chances of her getting rid of him and saving her house too…
Angre: Advocate se Yaad aaya …Sorry am speaking something not related to this but is related to her
Aryan: What? Did she face any issues in the office today? (concerned)
Vansh: Arrey Aryan first listen to what he wants to say. Angre you speak
Angre: Today she saved us from fraud of 100’s of crores and she even gave us a solution regarding the lawsuit too. But we were wondering how she has knowledge of the law.
Aryan (smiling): Didn’t you ask her?
Angre: We did and she spoke of her father and her some uncle who were advocates.
Vansh: Okay, I understand her father was an advocate but who is this uncle?
Aryan (smiling): You speak of enquiring about your employees before recruiting them and today you don’t know the family history of your employee
Angre: What do you mean?
Vansh (as if cracking something): Sejal’s Dad???
Aryan (chuckling): Absolutely!!! Actually, before uncle (Riddhima’s dad) passed away Riddhima used to read his law books. The reason is she has a passion for law sections, acts, and punishments. If she had any doubts she used to clarify them with her dad or Seju’s dad as even he is an advocate. After Riddhu’s dad’s death, she was low and didn’t touch any of his law books for over 3 months. The girl who never slept without reading any act/ section didn’t read anything for 3 months and this kept Seju’s dad tensed of her mental stability so he one day was attending one of his clients and at that moment we trio was present too and he wantedly asked Riddhima a section which she was aware of and she told about that section and this happened for few days and don’t know what happened, one day she bought a book from her dad’s library and asked uncle a doubt about section. That’s it, she once again started reading those books being a book worm and thus though she never had any law degree she is passionate about sections, acts, and their punishments. So, she is a sort of Advocate without a degree and experience.
Siya (amazed): Amazing!!!! I mean she is playing a double role. Like she is an MBA Grad and also an advocate
Vansh: Indeed impressive!!!!
Aryan (smiling): She amazes everyone.
Ishani: She herself is aware of sections and all then why is she still with that beast? She can raise her voice against him right!
Aryan: Didn’t she do? She applied for divorce and he hurt her more. What will she do? She didn’t have any support then, now she has me and Seju, her family. Now I hope she can fight back but she is afraid of him.
Vansh: Why don’t you once speak to Sejal’s dad and ask his suggestions on this… like if it’s possible to take this matter to the court legally?
Aryan: I went to meet him in the evening for the same purpose and he told me that we can take it to the court only when the victim, I mean Riddhima takes a stand. He meant to say, if Riddhima lodges a complaint against Kabir of his atrocities against her, then that’d be cases filed against him under some sections on the pretext of marital rape, domestic violence, and a cheating case for transferring her property on his name without her knowledge.
Ishani: That’s great then what’s the delay?
Aryan: But all this can happen only when Riddhima decides to file a case against him.
Siya: Will she not?
Aryan: She is struck with him and is afraid of what he’d do. Her fear has become his weapon and he is misusing it against her. I was wondering if she can ever break that fear of her and live like a free bird once again!!!
Angre: She needs some support and she has you both now then what’s there to fear about?
Aryan: Till yesterday it was only she in her that miserable life and today she has we both. This instead of giving her strength, she is freaking more with the mere thought of what he’d do to us or to her more even if he gets a glimpse of us in her life again.
Siya: What is the solution then?
Aryan: Am wondering the same!!! Am clueless
Vansh (absent-mindedly): She needs to break her that fear first that he can control her life. She has to believe in herself that she isn’t some miserable, helpless woman but is in fact a strong fighter who can stand for herself. And she has to understand that Aryan and Sejal aren’t her weakness but are her strength and she has to accept that she isn’t alone in this fight against her husband.
Ishani: But bhai will she be able to do that?
Vansh’s reverie broke and he tried to analyze what Ishani asked when his eyes fell on Aryan who was glaring at him with some unknown emotion or to be precise was glaring at him with confusion in his eyes. Brushing those thoughts, he got his thoughts back to Ishani
Vansh: Huh?
Ishani: Bhai I was asking will she be able to do that?
Vansh: Ishani, she will be able to only if she wishes to. We can’t pressurize her! It’s her life that is messed up and she has to take a stand for herself once.
Siya: For that, she has to understand that she isn’t alone in all this and she has a family for herself.
Aryan: Though it’s not as easy as it seems to be, I have to speak to her once but when we had a discussion yesterday she was totally freaked out and so I didn’t prolong the topic as if I did then Sejal might have killed me (smiling)
Angre: But as per my observation, even till today evening she didn’t seem to be upset as she was engrossed in work and maybe that husband of hers didn’t obstruct her thoughts the whole day!!!
Aryan: She loves working so absolutely she engrossed herself in her work that she might have forgotten that she is married and her life is sucked up because of her husband!!!
Ishani: That’s good right!
Aryan: Till when? I mean until she is in office she won’t have any thoughts of Kabir but by the end of the day, she has to go to him, to her that cage, her house. And bare his atrocities again!!!
Siya: If this continues, she might forget that she has a life and she can be happy
Aryan: She had already forgotten to smile heartfully, that innocent laugh, that cute sparkle in her eyes when she used to speak are missing in her now. She isn’t the same Riddhu we knew for decades. I accept we couldn’t change past but now our only aim is to get that Riddhu back at any cost and we’ll do it at any cost!!!!