Greetings everyone!! Thank you for all the love that this is story is receiving! I hope you all have been enjoying the story, for this episode brings along a major revelation, and could lead to many disagreements as well. I just wasn’t to remind you all that even when this is just fiction, the characters are only human, they err, they do trip, and might make mistakes too. Happy reading!
Twinj: My Lifeline: Episode 61
A quick recap: Twinkle is impressed by Kunj’s surprise for her, and they spend the night in each other’s embrace. Their peaceful sleep is disrupted by a phone call that brings some alarming news.
Kunj felt Twinkle’s grip on him loosen at the mention of Alisha, and in turn tightened his hold. Tears welled up in her eyes as flashes of her encounters with Alisha on several instances, and not one of them had been pleasant. She gulped hard and looked up at Kunj, who had been trying to persuade her that it wasn’t something she had to be so bothered about, but it didn’t seemed to convince her despite his sincere efforts. “It’s only a hearing of the case, Twinkle. Besides, the lawyer informed me that our case and evidences and string enough, and she stands no chance to go unpunished!” He assured her, but nothing seemed to be sufficient to persuade her. “I promise all this will be over sooner than you even realise it!” He whispered as a final attempt, dropping a soft kiss on her forehead and hoping she would give in, which she did, even if only half-heartedly. She smiled at him before giving him a nod. Left alone when he headed to the bath, she sighed as she spotted the candles he had lit up the previous night, hoping he was right about this being just a small obstacle in their way that they would get over real soon. She giggled when she heard him ask her to pick his clothes for him, returning her attention to his shirt that she was wearing. She got changed quickly and by the time he had got out, she had even the room cleared and everything prepared for him. He threw her an appreciative glance as he looked around, battling himself to keep his fears from showing on his face. He had been equally – if not more – nervous, but he didn’t want her to know that. His eyes followed her around the room as she brought him his wallet and watch, and finally caught her wrist when she neared him. She looked up at him innocently, earning a grin from him. She then pecked him on his cheek as she wished him luck before they walked out hand in hand, both struggling to hold back their anxieties.
“Didn’t think I would be seeing either of you up until noon today.” Usha’s casual comment as she walked into the kitchen made Twinkle jump up due to the sudden intrusion, but then as her words slowly made sense to her, she turned back to her cooking, trying to pretend she didn’t know what Usha was talking about. “Good morning Ma, should I make you some tea?” She spoke instead and Usha nodded with an appreciative glance. Turned out her daughter-in-law had got better at dodging conversations with time. “I heard somebody brought home flowers last night?” Usha asked a minute later, not willing to give in so easily. Twinkle finally turned to her and smiled, the smile breaking into a grin sooner than she thought it would, making her mother-in-law let out a sigh as she gave Twinkle a side hug. She was so glad that the two of them had finally got past all their apprehensions and fears and confessed their love, she had done so much to get them here after all. As they sat with their tea cups at the dining table, they were joined by Manohar, who unknowingly asked, “Where is his highness, Kunj Sarna? Still asleep?” Usha giggled when she saw the colour leave Twinkle’s face, but she soon figured there was more than met the eye. Twinkle looked up at them carefully, both of them were awaiting an answer, and she wasn’t sure if she should actually take Kunj’s advice to keep them blissfully unaware, they would find out sooner or later, wouldn’t they? “Alisha’s case is up for its hearing today, and the lawyer called him up, so he’s gone to the court.” She revealed hesitantly, speaking slowly, choosing her words carefully, but it didn’t seem to have the desired calming effect, for in front of her sat two people who looked like they had seen a ghost.
“And you let him go? How could you, Twinkle! We’ve been keeping the two of you out of this for weeks now, and you let our efforts go down the drain like that?” Usha’s outburst was totally unprecedented, and left Twinkle in a confused, worried mess. “Ma, I had no idea of any such thing, I’m sorry I let you down. Besides, Kunj told me this wasn’t such a big deal..” Twinkle’s attempt to defend herself was cut short by Usha, whom Manohar was trying to hold back from saying something, but she said it nevertheless. “She’s going to tell Kunj that her car crash wasn’t an accident, that I had it all planned and executed as per my wishes! She’ll tell him everything! Her lawyers had been threatening of disclosing this to Kunj even before Chinki’s wedding, which was why we never told either of you!” Twinkle felt her world come to a screeching halt at that. She couldn’t figure what scared her more – the idea that Usha had gone to that extent, or of how Kunj would react when he found out. Her vision blurred as tears welled up in her eyes, and not a single word that Manohar was saying, presumably to convince her seemed to make sense anymore. “You did that, Ma?” She stammered, recalling seeing Alisha in the rehab facility, feeling horrible that she had been jealous of Alisha back then, when she had to feel sorry for her. She looked at Usha sobbing and whining about how nothing would ever be the same again, her eyes then found Manohar trying to call Kunj up, and slumped back in her chair, unaware of what she should do anymore. A little voice in her mind had begun blaming her for Alisha’s accident, for it was probably to get Kunj to marry her that Usha had made such a dangerous design for Alisha, it reasoned and then began to even justify Alisha’s actions.
“You’ve been reading the same four lines for the past ten minutes, Mrs. Sarna!” Kunj whispered in Twinkle’s ear, breaking her trance. She quickly turned and looked at him, searching his eyes for signs of pain or discontent, but found none. He winked at her and flashed a bright smile, making her feel like she was embraced by a gentle breeze in the middle of a scorching hot day. “When did you get home?” She asked curiously, turning around in her chair, and putting away the book she had picked up hoping it would help her brush away the negativity piling up in her head. “Ten minutes ago, but you seemed so lost in those four lines, or were you lost in thoughts of me?” He teased, pulling her up to her feet and pulling her close, but she pushed him away, shutting her eyes tight, for she was somehow reminded of the bit of information she had learnt that morning. “Twinkle? Are you alright?” Kunj asked, his eyes full of concern and she gulped hard, nodding nevertheless. “Did you meet Ma after you got back? She was really worried for you when she found out.” She informed him, hoping for a change of topic, while he continued to stare at her. “I will. I would have preferred her not finding out though.” He answered, turning around to leave, when she hugged him from behind, the last thing she wanted right then was him being annoyed with her. He freed himself and led her to his front before resting his forehead on hers, his hands finding their place on her cheeks. “Did everything go well.. at the court?” She asked, her eyes looking up into his hopefully and he assured her with a blink followed by a warm hug, one that she gave into readily, feeling her worries flutter away.
Not much later, Kunj was at Usha’s door in Twinkle’s insistence, she had seen how bothered Usha had been that morning, and figured it would do her some good to see her son, unaware that she was pushing Kunj to face one of the most menacing truths of his life, for right then they heard Manohar remind Usha, “I had been warning you against this for so long, Usha! I had asked you to reconsider whatever your plans to get rid of Alisha were, and you hadn’t even told me what they were back then. I had only found out when you and Kunj got home from the hospital! I had strictly warned you not to force Leela Ji to accept this alliance too, but you wouldn’t listen! You chose to blackmail her, threaten her, and she finally gave in to save her daughter’s life!” Manohar stopped speaking when he spotted Kunj and Twinkle at the door, both looking grief-stricken. “What else would I do? I had to save my son from her clutches! And about Leela Ji accepting this alliance, don’t you think she believed Twinkle would have a better future here?” Usha argued, making Kunj feel like a sword had been stabbed right into his heart. Twinkle grabbed his hand quickly, but he didn’t let her speak a single word. “I don’t think I can think anymore today.” He spoke wryly before leaving in a hurry, not even looking back when Twinkle called out to him desperately, chasing after him, and right before her eyes, he sat in his car and sped away.
Twinkle turned around to see a lifeless Usha and a worried Manohar looking at her, and let her tears flow finally, preparing herself for yet another round of Usha holding her responsible for everything, but it never came. Instead Usha sat down on the step of the staircase she had been standing on with a thud, clutching her head in her hands, never having felt so defeated before. “Ma, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for any of this to happen!” Twinkle apologised profusely as she knelt down before Usha, who shook her head, convincing her with, “I know, Twinkle. I know. None of this is your fault. I’m the only one who can be blamed for all this! I’m sorry I said all that back then!” Twinkle felt a fresh stream of tears flow down her cheeks as she looked up at Usha, experiencing yet another new shade of her. “It’s all my fault!” She heard Usha mumble and wiped away her mother-in-law’s tears quickly, assuring her that it wasn’t. She didn’t know why she had said that, for it had been precisely Usha’s fault after all. “We’ll fix this together, Ma. I promise!” Twinkle told her, resting her head on Usha’s lap, her mind drifting off to Kunj who was suffering all alone, wishing he was by her side instead, perhaps they could share each other’s troubles.
That’s it for now, guys. Lots of love!