naina got down from the car and so did karan. they both looked at the house with such different emotions. it was much bigger than the chauhan house and for naina, the malhotra house wasn’t just a house, it was home.
naina: home sweet home.
naina proceeded towards the entrance to open the doors but before she could, someone else opened them from inside. naina looked at him, smiled, and ran towards him, giving him a big hug.
naina: rohit!
rohit: naina, you’re back.
karan looked on at the two of them and felt odd, he felt like a third wheel.
naina: roh, how is he? what did the doctors say?
rohit: your dad is okay although the doctors said he has to stay awake tonight so he doesn’t slip into the coma again. i thought i’d keep him company tonight but you’re here now. you are staying over tonight, right?
naina: yes, i’m staying over tonight. wait, where is he?
rohit: same room. go ahead, quick.
naina ran. she ran quickly up the stairs and to her father’s room. meanwhile, rohit and karan introduced themselves to each other.
naina: dad, you’re awake!
vinod: beta, how are you? where have you been? where am i?
naina: i’ve missed you so much. you’ve been in a coma for seven years, dad. you’re at home.
vinod: seven years? home?
naina explain everything to him. she told him about the poison, them losing their money, rohit, sharda and meghna, everything except karan and her marriage.
vinod: i’m sorry i left you all alone but, i’m happy you didn’t quit. you kept going and look, you’ve done wonders for yourself.
vinod looked at rohit who was now standing outside the door with karan.
vinod: thank you for taking care of me and my daughter, rohit. i don’t know how to thank you.
rohit now entered the room, leaving karan still standing there.
rohit: no, uncle. please don’t thank me. i am whoever i am today because of naina. we needed each other, it wasn’t a one way thing.
vinod smiled at rohit and then noticed karan standing there.
vinod: who is he?
naina: uh, dad that’s karan, my husband.
vinod: what? your husband? you got married?
naina: yes, but it’s not what you think. it’s a long story.
naina explained what had happened at the wedding – how nk basically forced this marriage upon the both of them. vinod was shocked and distraught.
naina: i’m sorry, i had to do it. i never wanted to get married without you present at my wedding. but i owed it to sharda ma and meghna di.
vinod: i understand but are you happy?
naina: dad, we have all night to talk. i’m staying over tonight so we’ll talk about this later, okay?
naina walked up to karan.
naina: thank you for coming here with me but you don’t have to stay, karan.
karan didn’t listen to naina. instead, he walked in the room and took her dad’s blessings.
karan: i’m karan chauhan. i know you’re probably unhappy with how our marriage happened and on my father’s behalf, i’m truly very sorry. i’ll be staying over tonight with naina as well and so if there’s anything you want to know about the person your daughter is married to, please don’t hesitate.
naina was shocked. why was karan doing all of this, did he pity her?
naina: uh, i’m starving can we go down and eat?
rohit: it’s midnight.
naina: we just came from greece, remember? when we went home after the flight we were supposed to have dinner but, you called and so we rushed over here.
vinod: greece?
naina: yes, greece. i’ll explain it all downstairs.
they all were going down when naina stopped karan to talk to him.
naina: wait, karan do you want to wash up first?
karan: uh, yeah okay.
naina went to the room with him and immediately bombarded him with a bunch of questions.
naina: why are you doing this?
karan: what?
naina: why are you making my dad think that everything is okay between us and that you’re okay with our marriage? karan, if you pity me, don’t. i don’t need pity or sympathy, especially not from you.
karan: naina, i don’t pity you and i know you don’t need any sympathy either. you’re strong and i see that. i just didn’t want to say anything because your dad’s health isn’t in good shape. i don’t want to be the reason why your dad’s health deteriorates.
karan left the room and naina followed him, not sure what to think of his sudden change in behaviour. they went down and started to eat.
vinod: i’ve heard the name chauhan before but, i can’t remember where.
naina: the chauhans own paras and sons, another big business empire.
vinod: yes, that’s right. now, tell me about greece?
naina: um, we went for our honeymoon to greece last week with meghna di and kunal jeeju. oh, by the way, you don’t know how hard it’s been for me to travel without you, dad.
vinod: (amused) because you don’t have anyone to hold onto when there’s turbulence?
naina: yeah, it’s been horrible.
karan understood why naina was worried about turbulence now. it was a habit she had with her dad and when meghna didn’t sit with her, it got her worried as she knew karan didn’t like to be touched but naina still did because it wasn’t something she could control. it was a reflex action. after dinner, karan and vinod went to sit in the hall while naina went to the kitchen to get an apple and rohit attended a call.
karan: may i ask you a question?
vinod: yes, of course. go ahead.
karan: why didn’t you leave your wife? you knew everything, how she wasn’t mentally stable, how she hurt naina countless of times. despite all that, how did you stay.
vinod: i’m a very forgiving person. i easily let the past go and forgive. i’m sensitive and soft-spoken so initially i’ll lash out but eventually i forgive. naina’s very sensitive, she easily takes things to heart. but something she didn’t take from me, that now i think i’m happy she didn’t, is that she doesn’t forgive or forget easily. naina knows people don’t change and that’s why she never liked her mother. i thought that she would change, my wife, but she didn’t. she got worse and worse and i kept forgiving and forgiving. i’ll tell you a little something about naina, she can be hard-headed like her mother and yet at times, soft-spoken like me. naina’s also realistic, she’s gone through a lot in her childhood that she’s very mature but if her heart gets involved then she’s like a child, making mistakes, not caring about the consequences. i don’t know if naina’s still the same, she might be different. i think she’s come out stronger through all of this but there’s this sadness in her eyes i see, heaviness in her heart. something’s bothering her.
karan thought to himself, could he be the reason of naina’s sadness? naina came in then.
naina: what’re you talking about?
karan: i was just asking your dad about your mother, why he never left her. then he told me a few things about you.
naina: (scoffed) i’ll tell you why he never left her. it wasn’t love, it was pity. he thought she was a child who needed help to get back on her feet. what he didn’t realise was that he was sinking with her, instead of pulling her out. you know, dad always thought she’d change. yet, every time it was the same. actually, no. it wasn’t the same, maybe for you it was dad but for me it became worse and worse every time. i never understood why despite seeing all i’d go through with her being there, you still let her live with us for months at a time. i’d cry, telling you i was scared of her. you still forgave her every time. you forgot every thing she’d done and let her ruin my life again and again. i told you she needed help, i told you she was mentally ill. you didn’t listen. i bet if she’d come and ask for your forgiveness now, you’d let her come back to your life.
naina got up, she couldn’t say anymore. if she did, old wounds would open up, those she never wanted to remember again.
vinod: she’s sill the same, she hasn’t forgotten or forgiven me for all i did. not only that, she’s still as sensitive.
karan didn’t know how to respond. naina had gone through even more before the seven years. naina’s whole life was filled with sadness, fear, and disappointment. it didn’t seem like she was ever happy and now, if she stayed with him, she would never be. rohit finished his call and came out to the hall. naina stopped him and they started talking.
rohit: naina, i can’t believe you’re married!
naina: it’s been a week roh.
rohit: i know but, now it feels real.
naina: i understand. it took me a day before i realised i got married. it was the weirdest most insane feeling ever.
they spoke a little more and started laughing at absolutely nothing. vinod and karan realised that these two were closer than it seemed. after awhile, karan and rohit decided to go to sleep. naina could now finally, talk to her dad alone. although, before that, naina took karan to his room and spoke to him.
naina: thank you for staying, talking to dad, and making him happy.
karan: i didn’t do anything, naina. i simply listened to what he had to say.
naina: still, you stayed back and that said a lot. it made him happy. anyways, you can take the whole room tonight.
karan: where are you sleeping? if you sleep in another room won’t your dad realise something’s wrong between us.
naina: i’m not sleeping, i have to stay up to make sure dad doesn’t fall asleep. also, i don’t hide anything from my dad, karan. i never could. i’d always tell him everything and even if i tried to hide it, i couldn’t. i can’t hide this now either and so i’m telling him everything.
karan: naina, you’re dad isn’t well. why do you want to risk his health?
naina: i can’t put up an act in front of him, karan, and i’m sure he suspects something. besides, you should be happy. if he doesn’t want me to go back, you’ll be going back alone tomorrow. you’ll be free, from this marriage, and from me. good night.
naina left the room and ran to her fathers room, she opened the door.
naina: karan doesn’t accept this marriage! he doesn’t think it really happened because he opened up the gathbandan. i held it and so to me, it did happen. karan doesn’t want me in his life and i don’t know what to do. should i stay? or should i just leave.
vinod: naina, slow down. what do you mean karan doesn’t accept this marriage? he seemed normal today.
naina sat on the bed next to her dad and continued, now crying a little.
naina: he doesn’t accept our marriage. he doesn’t accept me as his wife. i don’t know what to do.
vinod: it was a sudden marriage for the both of you. maybe he takes longer to accept you, naina. but, i’m not going to say anything. i’ll let you decide. remember, i’ll support you no matter what and if you decide to stay back tomorrow, you can divorce karan and get married to rohit. it’s your choice.
naina: rohit?
vinod: you didn’t think i’d notice that something was up between the two of you? you love him, naina. rohit loves you too, i see it in his eyes. at the same time, you care for karan. beta, it’s your choice whether you want to make yourself happy or everyone else. staying with karan will make everyone happy but who knows if you’ll ever get the happiness you deserve and not many people might support your decision in getting married to rohit but you’ll be happy and so will he. sleep on it, you’ll know what to do in the morning.
after talking a little more, naina couldn’t wrap her head around the situation. karan would never accept their relationship, but, what if she tried harder? would she ever be as happy with karan as she was with rohit? and, rohit, what about him? but, leaving karan would mean making so many people unhappy. naina didn’t realise when the thoughts took over her and she dozed off to sleep.
thank you for all the love of the previous chapter, you guys are so kind! i know it took some time to get this chapter up but i’ll try to upload the next one soon. i guess now it’s time to see whether naina will pick rohit or karan and what happens when she picks either of them. i can promise you a lot of drama coming up soon, though. i hope you enjoyed reading the chapter!