One Month Later
30 April 2017

"Absence is to love what wind is to fire; it extinguishes the small, it inflames the great."
― Roger de Bussy-Rabutin

Ishita

Ishita waved goodbye to her young patient and then closed her cabin door. She walked back to her desk and sat down heavily, leaning back in her chair as a sudden wave of grief washed over her. It had been like this ever since she had returned to Delhi from Sydney one month ago. Some person, some thing, some memory would take her back into the place from where she had emerged. And she would be reminded of everything she had lost.

But then, that was something she would have to get used to now. What was gone was gone. She had been here in Delhi for a month, without setting eyes on the people that she loved. Amma, appa, akka, Jiju, Shravu....and Raman. She had known him for two weeks and in those two weeks had fallen absolutely and irrevocably in love with him. And then she had spent the past thirteen months without him. Well, there would be many more months to come. Months, years, decades without him. Without love, without.....

It was all so different from what she had imagined when they had parted thirteen months ago. Then she had been imagining their reunion, had been willing away, wishing away her residency, her time in Sydney, until the time they would meet again. During the first three months of their separation, she had relived every single kiss and touch they had shared, had gone to sleep every night with a smile and his name on her lips.

But then, her circumstances had changed. Three months into her Sydney stay, she had made the decision to come back to Delhi. She had not wanted to call him on the phone, had wanted to see him in person to tell him about her changed circumstances. She knew that her news would be a blow, unwanted, unwelcome to him, and she had not thought it fair to tell him on the phone. She had told no one that she was coming back to India. She had just booked her tickets, obtained a weeks leave and then flown to Delhi.

She had reached Delhi on the morning of Friday, the 28th of June 2016. And had gone straight to his office from the airport.

But when she had reached Raman's office, she had been told that he was not at work, and that most of his management staff were also away. There was a function at his home, she was told, and the management staff had gone to wish him. The sympathetic security guard she had spoken to seen the distress on her face when she had heard the news, and had given her his home address.

So she had taken a taxi to his home. And what she had seen and heard there had broken her completely.

*Flashback starts*
28 June 2016

Ishita got out of the taxi, her carry bag in hand, and paid off the driver. She stood looking uncertainly at the three story apartment building in front of her. "Akash Ganga" the sign read. It was a small residential block, pleasant, but not luxurious. And not what anyone would have expected of the CEO of one of Delhi's largest corporations. But he had told her during one of their many conversations that although he owned several other residential properties in Delhi and all over India, he still lived in his family home out of respect for his parents. He had achieved far greater success than his parents could even have dreamt of, but he did not want his success to eclipse what they had given him. So he stayed on with them, although he had bought the adjoining apartments and converted their flat into a palatial home.

She walked over to the portico of the building, noting the decorations that had been fastened all over the facade. The watchman at the office had not told her what function was taking place, but it was certainly something big. She smiled self consciously at the others who were moving towards the stairs and joined them. They were dressed festively, the women in silk sarees and shalwar suits, and they were obviously going to the Bhalla residence. She could follow them to get there too.

She moved along with the crowd, but misgivings crept into her heart as she approached an elaborately decorated door on the first floor.  Thee was something big going on here. Was this really the time or place to confront him with her news, in the middle of a family function?

She stood back, pausing behind a trellis on the corner, just hidden by the stairs. She needed to catch her breath, needed to work out what to say to him. This was not how she had expected to meet him, amongst so many people.

As she stood behind the trellis, two women came out of the Bhalla house and paused in the landing just in front of her. She could not see their faces, but she could hear them clearly.

"Mubarak ho Purnima didi" one of the women said to the other. "Ab hamari beti aur nati wapas apne ghar aa gaye. Shagun ne bahut saari galtiyaan ki hai, lekin dekho aakhir mein woh Bhalla House wapas aa hi gai. Yeh to aacha hua ki Raman ne itni saalo mein Shagun ki jagah kisi aur ko nahi diya. Warna aaj jab Ashok ne kisi aur se shaadi karli, toh Shagun toh kahin ki nahi rehti, agar Raman ne wapas usko apne ghar mein jagah nahi diya hota."
(Congratulations Purnima didi. Now our daughter is back in her home. Shagun has made so many mistakes but at last she is back in Bhalla House. I'm just grateful that Raman didn't give Shaguns place to any other woman after she left him. Otherwise now that Ashok has married someone else, Shagun would have been left high and dry, if Raman hadn't given her a place in his home again)

"Tum bilkul sach keh rahi ho Suman" the other voice responded. "Mein Shagun ki ma hoon, aur mein usko har cheez mein support karti hoon, lekin jab Ashok ne shaadi karli, aur Shagun ko ghar se nikaal diya, toh mein toh ghabra gayi thi. Mein India mein rehti nahi aur mera nalayak beta toh Shagun se baat tak nahi karta. Aur Shagun ko koi kaam aata nahi hai. Woh khud ko kaise sambhalti? Bhagwan ka shukr hai ki Adi ne uss ke saath rehne ka zid kiya aur Raman ko Shagun ko wapas lena pada. Warna Sudha, kitni mushkil ho jaati. Ab Shagun ko kisi aur ko attract karna bhi aasaan nahi hai - umr bhi zyaada ho rahi hai. Lekin Raman toh hamesha uska deewana tha. Abhi Adi ke liye hi sahi, lekin bahut jald hi meri Shagun phir usko apna deewana bana legi."
(Youre absolutely right Suman. I'm Shagun's mother, and I support her in everything she does, but when Ashok got married and kicked Shagun out of his home, I must admi I got really worried. I don't live in India and my idiot son doesn't want to have anything to do with his sister. And then Shagun doesn't work. How would she have supported herself? Thank God Adi insisted on staying with her and that Raman had no choice but to accept her back with Adi. Otherwise there would have been such a huge problem Suman. Shagun is getting older and it will be harder for her to attract another husband now. But Raman was always crazy about her. He has accepted her for Adi now, but soon my Shagun will make him crazy over her again)

"Didi, koi aa raha hai. Chalte hai."
(Sister, someone is coming. Let's go)

Ishita stood rooted to the spot as the two women moved away hurriedly. So this celebration was for Shagun's return to Bhalla House. Her return to Raman. Raman had managed to get Adi's custody, but on this condition? That he take Shagun back as well?

Tears coursed down her face as she realised just what she had overheard meant for her. She was alone. She had lost him. Lost what she had never had. Lost her dreams, her expectations. She had come to give him a choice, but there was no choice left. He had chosen, and he had chosen Adi. And Shagun was a part of that deal.

She gulped back her tears, wanting desperately to get out of this place, wanting to run away as far as she could get. She wanted to cry, but in her mothers arms, in her sisters embrace. She wiped her eyes furiously, fumbling in her handbag for tissues. And then she stiffened again, as she heard footsteps approaching. Two pairs of footsteps, and one of them was his. She would recognize his steps anywhere. She could feel his presence.

She pressed herself further back against the wall, grateful for the trellis, grateful that it hid her from him. The footsteps stoped in front of the trellis, and his face came into sight. She could not stop her tears escaping then, silent tears full of pain that poured down relentlessly. Raman. Her love.

There was another man with him, a shorter man with his back to her. "Bhai" he was saying "How can you let Shagun come back here? After everything she did to you."

"For Adi. I would do anything for Adi and you damn well know it." His voice was resigned, tired. "Anyway enough of this. Let's go. I need to go over the papers for the new acquisition." He started to walk away and then paused.

As she stood in her hiding spot, choking back her tears, Ishita saw him look around.

"Kya hua bhai?" (What happened bhai?) The man with him asked.

"Kuch nahi. Aise laga jaise ki woh...woh yahan. But that's not possible. Lets go."
(Nothing. It just seemed that she...she is here. But that's not possible. Let's go)

Just then a woman had come into view. A beautiful woman. Svelte, sophisticated. She was dressed in a heavy silk shalwar kameez, it's deep red colour reflected in her lips. She looked ethereal. Like a bride. Shagun. She must be Shagun, Ishita realised. Her intuition was confirmed the next moment as the woman spoke, possessiveness in her voice as she put a hand on Raman's arm.

"Raman" her voice had a petulant lilt to it. "Mummyji aarti karna chahti hai. Aaona." (Raman, mummyji wants to start the prayers. Do come)

And he had walked away. Away from her.

He had not seen her, and for that Ishita had been grateful. She did not want to be the cause of any further guilt or embarrassment for him. He was doing what he needed to do, to get his son back. She would do what she needed to.

She had wiped her tears, and she had walked out of his home and his life, had sworn to herself that she would never see him again. It was her choice, and she had made it fully conscious of what it would mean.

She had taken another taxi, had gone straight to Ashok Nagar, to her parents. But there too, she had faced heartbreak. Her parents had refused to accept what she had told them, had given her ultimatums she could not abide by. And so she had left their home too, and had gone back to Sydney.

*Flashback ends*

She remembered how much she had cried then – tears over him and what could never be. Tears over her family and everything she had lost. More tears than were good for her. More tears then her heart could take.

And then six weeks later, when she thought she could break no further, the final blow had fallen. On the 17th of August. But she had not cried then. She had never cried again. She would never cry again.

She got up swiftly from her chair, pacing around her small office as she contemplated her future.

She was not yet 30 years old. She still had her entire life in front of her. A lonely life, without her family or the man she loved, but she could still make something of that life. What had happened had happened. She could not dwell on it for ever.

She had thought that day in the plane, on the way back to Delhi, that she was over her grief. She had vowed to remember only the happiness, and to leave her pain behind. Why then, she wondered, had she been having these thoughts over and over since she had returned to Delhi. Why did she wake up in the middle of the night imagining herself in his arms, feeling his breath on her skin, smelling his fragrance in the air, tasting his lips on hers. The sweetness of his lips crushing hers; the hard planes of his body moving against hers, gently, then harder, creating little pinpoints of delicious pain; the roughness of his stubble underneath her fingers - why was it still so real, why couldn't she forget?

It had been ten months since the day she had realised that he would never be hers. She should be getting over him by now. She had certainly gotten over Subbu fast enough, she thought wryly. But Raman...Raman....

It must be Delhi, she told herself. She had not known him in Delhi, but knowing that he was here, so close by, was obviously affecting her subconsciously. She should never have come back here. Maybe she should move, leave Delhi.

And go where Ishita, she asked herself. How long could she run? And was there really a place on earth where her memories would not follow her? Because it wasn't really the place that was the problem, it was what she carried in her heart.

Her eyes lit on a photo that stood on her desk, and she smiled tenderly. She had been wrong just now when she had thought that she had no love, no family in her life.

She did have one person.One person who loved her. Who had stood by her. And it would be wrong to expect her only companion, her only friend, to uproot yet again, to leave Delhi again, for another city. Especially now, when... no, she would just have to make her peace with Delhi and with her feelings. She would survive, she could survive, as long as she never had to see him. Never had to face him. Delhi was a big city. A metropolis. After all, she kept to herself, did not socialise. Did not go to the restaurants, bars  and corporate hangouts that he no doubt frequented.

If she was being honest, she thought to herself wryly, she had almost become a hermit. Today, for the first time since she came back to Delhi, she had gone somewhere other than work or home. She had attended a dental conference at Dr Batra's request, but even then, she had been unable to stay all day. She had not wanted to meet people. Had not wanted to talk to anyone. So she had come back to her clinic, had sought solace in her little patients, and had thought of him.

She had to stop this. Had to stop thinking about him. Their paths would never cross. There was no reason why she would ever come across him. Or that he would ever stumble upon her. After all, it wasn't as if he would be looking for her, would he?

Mujhe Khabar Thi Woh mera nahi paraya tha
Par dhadkano ne ussi ko khuda banaya tha

Main khwab khwab jise dhooonhta phira barson
Wo ashq meri aankh mein samaya tha
Tera kasoor nahin jaan meri tanhai
Ye rog mein ne hi khud jaan ko lagaya tha
Tamaam shahar mein ek woh hai ajnabee mujhse
Ke jisne geet mera shahar ko sunaya tha

Par dhadkanon ne usi ko khuda banaya tha
Mujhe khabar thi woh mera nahin paraya tha
(Farat Shahzaad)

Raman
Raman Bhalla looked fiercely at his secretary, long supressed hope fluttering into life once more.

"Are you sure Sheena?" he asked urgently.

"I'm quite sure sir" Sheena replied, wondering at the barely supressed excitement on her bosses face. She was a consummate professional – she had not questioned anything when, a month ago, her boss had called her and had told her to search for a Dr Ishita Iyer.

"Do anything Sheena" he had said. "Spend whatever you have to. Bribe whomever you have to. But find her. And one more thing Sheena. I need you to keep this absolutely confidential. You cant do anything through official channels and you can't publish anything. No newspaper ads, no missing person reports, nothing that could embarrass her. She is a dentist and she was living in Sydney last year. I have an address in Delhi but she no longer lives there. And there is no response on her phone. Find her Sheena."

He had not taken this step lightly, but he had also known that he had to do whatever it took to find her. If after he found her, she told him that she did not want him in her life, then he would deal with the fallout of his feelings at that time. But he could not go on without knowing that she was well, that she was safe. He missed her so much, wanted her so badly – but he also knew that he was too emotionally invested to look for her logically and methodically. He panicked every time that he thought of what may have happened to her, his heart skipped a beat whenever he imagined her alone, in trouble. No, he would not be able to do this on his own. He needed someone with no emotional investment in this matter, someone like him, like he would have been in any other situation .... except this.

He had considered asking Mihir for help, but then he had thought better of it. Mihir would ask questions, would want to know why his bhai needed to find this stranger, would want to know what had happened in Shimla. And he was not ready to express his feelings to anyone just yet.

He needed to tell her first before he told anyone else. That he was madly irrevocably in love with a woman he had known for only two weeks and had had no contact with for a year since. That God Himself had anointed their love, only he, Raman Bhalla, had been too big a fool to realise it.

Besides, Mihir was caught up in his own love interest these days. A young Indian woman who lived out of India, and who he had been having a long distance virtual relationship with. No, Mihir was not the right person to ask.

And then he had realised just who was – Sheena,. His executive assistant. As intelligent as she was attractive, Sheena had proven time and again that she could get things done, could cut through red tape to get him information he needed. Could put aside her scruples to speak the language of bureaucrats. Could bat her eyelashes to the right effect to have susceptible males of all ages running to do her bidding. Yes, Sheena could help him.

He had waited for a day before speaking to Sheena, continuing to call Ishita's number on the hour. But all that he got from his calls was the same message. Her phone was unreachable. She must have disconnected her number. And so he had called in Sheena, had given her all the contact details he had, and had waited.

It was a month now. A month since he had taken all other duties away from Sheena, had insisted that she work on one thing only – to find Dr Ishita Iyer.

Sheena had managed to establish where Ishita had been working in Sydney, but the Royal North Shore Hospital had refused to give any information other than that Ishita no longer worked there. Undeterred, Sheena had managed to grease enough palms to establish that Ishita had returned to India, to Delhi, on the 31st of March, but there again, she had hit a road block. Ishita had returned to Delhi, but where had she gone from the airport?

"She's a dentist" he had reminded Sheena tersely when she had presented the news of Ishita being confirmed to be back in Delhi to him, two weeks after she had started her search. "A Paediatric Dentist. She loves her work. She must be working somewhere. Call around all the hospitals, all dental clinics. Call the Association of Dentists. Find her Sheena."

That was two weeks ago. And for those two weeks, Sheena had been searching all the dental clinics in Delhi. He had given her Ishita's photo, one of the images of her in a sari that he had taken when he had affixed the rose in her hair the day that they had visited the temple. And armed with that photo, Sheena had made appointment after appointment, had visited clinic after clinic.

And while Sheena had been searching, he had been trying to stay sane. He had thrown himself into his work, had closed deal after deal with his ruthless efficiency, but none of it seemed important.

Nothing mattered. He couldn't eat, couldn't sleep. All that he wanted, all that mattered, was to hold her in his arms once more. He wanted her back, wanted her with him. But above all else, he wanted assurance that she was well. That she was safe.

And all throughout this month, he had been trying her phone, Hour after hour. Day after day. Had been looking through websites and social media sites. Hoping to catch a glimpse of her. She was in Delhi, that much he knew. Sheens had established contacts at all the airlines and she had not purchased a ticket to leave Delhi. Unless she had left by train or car. But how could he track that? What else could he do?

He had been so distrait and distracted at home during this time. He worked late, arriving home after everyone had slept and left again early in the morning, so he could start again on his quest, could stare at her photos on his phone without anyone questioning him about his actions.

He answered all questions from his parents by saying that he was working on a special project, that he would be busy until he had completed that work. During this past month, his only solace and joy was his son. But he couldn't even spend much time with Adi. Because even though he had gotten so much closer to his son in the past nine months, there was still an impediment to him truly getting close to Adi. There was still so much work to put into their relationship. Especially because of the circumstances in which Adi had come to him, and the baggage he had brought with him.

If only he could find her soon ...he needed her to help him with Adi. She had taught him to open up to his feelings. In two short weeks, she had turned his world upside down. He knew that if there was anyone who could counsel him on how to achieve greater closeness with his son, it was her. But he had not been able to find her.

Until now.

"Tell me again" he demanded, standing up in one fluid movement, arms crossed over his chest as he glared down at his secretary.

"As I said sir, Ive been searching for Dr Ishita Iyer, but there is no registered dentist of that name in Delhi. There was earlier, but that registration was not renewed in 2017. Then I thought maybe she had gotten married and changed her surname, and registered under her new name. So I looked for all dentists who have Ishita as their first name. I found fifteen and since then I've been making appointments with all these Dr Ishita's but none of them looked anything like the photo. And then today I checked out the Batra Clinic, where there is a Dr Ishita registered. No surname. Just Dr Ishita. There was no photo on their website so I went there and asked for an appointment. She wasn't available until tomorrow, the Receptionist said she was at a conference today and would go straight home from the event, but then I showed her the photo Sir. I told her that I wondered whether Dr Ishita was an old college friend, and when I showed her the photo, she identified Dr Ishita straight away. I asked her not to tell Dr Ishita I had been asking for her, that I wanted to give her a surprise and she agreed. I have an appointment at 2.00pm tomorrow sir."

"No" Raman said angrily, bringing his fist down on his palm. "Im not waiting until tomorrow. Why the hell didnt you ask for her home address Sheena?"

"I couldn't sir. It would have seemed really odd and Im sure she would have refused. And you said you didn't want Dr Ishita to know you were looking for her. The receptionist would have told her sir, and then what if....."

"Yeah okay, I'm sorry, you're right" He said ruefully. "But couldn't you get an earlier appointment?"

"No sir. Tomorrow afternoon was the earliest available time" Sheena handed her boss a slim folder . "The address and all the details of the Batra Clinic are in here sir. And the appointment slip. Is there anything else sir?"

"That's all Sheena, you can go" Raman said gratefully. Sheena walked off towards the door and he called after her. "Sheena, if this information is correct, if Ishita is there....I...I don't know how to thank you. You have no idea..."

"Im just doing my job sir" Sheena said hurriedly, as she glided out of the door. Were those actual tears in her bosses eyes she wondered. The ruthless emotionless Raman Bhalla had tears in his eyes? Just who was this woman? She was certainly beautiful, but she didn't seem to be his type. Anyways, it was none of her business.

"Oops sorry Mihir sir" she said the next moment, as she almost collided with Mihir. "I was thinking of something."

Mihir stood staring at Sheena thoughtfully and then entered the office she had just vacated.

"Bhai?" he said curiously as he laid eyes on his mentor and friend. Raman was standing by his desk, clutching a folder close to his chest, his eyes closed. "Bhai kya hua?" (Bhai, what happened?)

Raman opened his eyes and shook his head, placing the folder into a drawer before sitting down.

"Nothing Mihir" he said briefly. "Did the Dubai deal get signed? You're looking very pleased with yourself."

"Yes Bhai. The deal got signed. But that's not why I'm happy. She finally told me that she loves me too bhai. She loves me."

"Congratulations" Raman said drily. "You've only known her for what, a year? And you managed to get her to love you. Well done."

"Kya bhai. That's not fair" Mihir pouted as he sat down opposite Raman. "We can't all be like you with women throwing themselves at us. Besides, I was just starting to get to know Miku when she went away. But now she is back in Delhi and we've been meeting again and bhai, it's like magic. She's the girl for me. This is it. Bhai, I want you to meet her. Meet her family. Shes invited my family to dinner this weekend, and after all, you're my only family bhai."

"Accha, toh baat yahan tak aa gayi?" Raman smiled at the genuine happiness on his friends face. "It's time for the families to meet now? Theek hai mil loonga. But not now. Pehle mujhe kuch karna hai. Sirf woh kaam mukamal ho jaaye, phir mein tumhari Miku aur uss ki family se miloonga."
(I see, so things have reached this far. It's time for the families to meet now? Fine, I'll meet them, But not now. First I have to do something. Let me finish that one thing and I'll meet your Miku and her family)

"But she said this weekend. Aaisa kaun sa kaam hai bhai?" (What sort of work is this bhai?) Mihir looked at Raman in dismay.

Raman hesitated. He did not like hiding things from Mihir, but his feelings about Ishita were too raw, too intense. He could not discuss it with anyone else just yet.

"Nothing, it's nothing, just something personal Mihir"he replied casually, not missing the surprise in his friends eyes. "I'm just a bit preoccupied, but if it's that important to you.... what day exactly this weekend?"

Mihir wondered at the contradiction between what Raman was saying now, and what he had said moments earlier, but something told him not to press Raman on the matter. "Miku wants us to come to her place for dinner on Saturday bhai."

Raman looked at the eagerness on his friends face, and his heart melted. The only thing that mattered to him right now was finding Ishita. He knew where she worked now. He would see her tomorrow. How he would be after that meeting, how he would cope with whatever reason she had for disappearing, he honestly did not know. But however he felt, he had no right to disappoint Mihir. And he had to be positive. He could not think the worst. There was an explanation for her disappearance. Everything would be fine. He loved her, and all he had to do was to tell her, and everything would be fine.

Mihir never asked for anything, never sought any favours. But now, for the first time, his friend was in love, and for the first time, he had asked his bhai for something.Raman knew that he could not disappoint Mihir. He would show up. He had no choice.

"Theek hai Mihir" (Fine Mihir) he said finally. "I'll come on Saturday to meet her family."

"Lekin bhai are you sure?" It was Mihirs turn to be hesitant now, as he saw the conflicting emotions on Raman's face. "You said you had to finish something. Bhai, kya baat hai?"(But bhai are you sure? You said you had to finish something. Bhai, what is the matter?)

"I will finish it" Raman replied. "Tomorrow. Everything will be allright by the end of tomorrow and then I'll come with you on Saturday." He smiled at Mihir, hoping that what he said was true, that everything would indeed be allright. Then a thought struck him.

"Mihir" he started again. "You said she invited your family. So what about Shagun?"

"What about Shagun, bhai?" Mihir replied tersely.

"She is your sister Mihir. Don't you think you should invite her as well on Saturday?"

"I'm not like you Raman bhai" Mihir shook his head obstinately, "You may have been able to forgive Shagun for what she did to you, but I can't. I'm sorry bhai, but it's a big day for me on Saturday and I don't want Shagun there."

"Fine" Raman shrugged his shoulders. "It doesn't matter to me. It's your wedding after all."

"Not quite yet, but soon I hope" Mihir replied with a grin, before he sobered up again. "Bhai, how could you forgive Shagun after everything she did to you? I mean, to take her back into your home, after everything, I don't know how....."

"For Adi, Mihir' Raman interrupted. "Only for Adi. Okay listen, leave all this. I'll come with you on Saturday. Let me know the time and pick me up. Now, email the papers for the Dubai deal to me, there's something I need to confirm."

"Yes Raman bhai" Mihir nodded and walked away, pausing at the door. "Thank you again, and I hope whatever this personal matter is, it's successful tomorrow."

**********************************************
Raman sat back in his chair, thinking over again the news that Sheena had brought to him. Tomorrow. He would see her tomorrow.

Finally, he would have the opportunity to know how she was, to find out why she had returned to Delhi earlier and had not contacted him. To learn from her what the problem was with her family. And when he knew she was fine, when he had reassured himself that she was all-right, he would finally be able to tell her what was in his heart, tell her what a fool he had been not to realise his feelings earlier. And he would be able to tell her everything that had happened with him in the past thirteen months. The good and the not so good. Adi and Shagun.

He frowned as he remembered Mihirs words. How had he forgiven Shagun? Truth be told, he had given no thought to forgiving her. Shagun simply did not matter to him. She was irrelevant to his life. But yes, it was true that she was back living in his house, which is why Mihir had asked him the question. She was back in his house because Adi would not come without her, and he had wanted to get Adi back at any cost.

He sat back in his chair as thought back on their custody battle, and the strange events that had led to his son returning to him.

The custody case had started in April last year, and Shagun had been blustering as usual, demanding that he grant her a divorce before any decision on Adi was reached. He had been holding off, they had been negotiating, when, on the 15th of May, Ashok Khanna had dropped a bombshell. He had turned up at the courthouse one day, while they had been waiting for the custody hearing to start, with a notice and eviction papers for Shagun and Adi. It was then that Shagun had learnt that Ashok had married again - a stunning young Russian model, who was with him, and who looked on bored as Shagun collapsed in hysterics. Raman had no feelings except annoyance and exasperation for Shagun, but her condition had been truly pitiful. He had called up Sheena and Simi, had asked them to help Shagun, while he himself had taken care of Adi, taking his crying son away from the scene, trying to make him understand that he was not homeless, that he always had his father. When the dust had settled, and Shagun had pulled herself together, he had offered her a deal. He would giver her an immediate divorce, would transfer the ownership of one of his luxury apartments to her,  would give her an allowance for the next five years, if she would sign over Adi's custody without any further dramas. He would let her see Adi, but he wanted his son to live with him.

But Shagun, battered though she was by Ashok's perfidy, was not stupid. She realised how valuable Adi was to her, and she had seen a bigger prize than Ashok. The prize that Raman had become. Rich, successful and far more handsome today then the callow boy she had dumped so callously. So she had played her trump card, and Adi had insisted that he would not leave his mother. And then she had dealt a bigger blow. She had turned the tables on Raman by withdrawing her divorce petition. She no longer needed a divorce, she told him. There was no reason for one now. Raman had immediately filed for divorce himself, but he knew the process would take time. And he wanted to be free of his legal bond to her.

In the midst of all this drama, Shagun must have had some discussions with her equally conniving and cunning mother. She had then presented a proposal to him that she move back in to his home with Adi. That way Adi would have both his parents and they would also be able to see whether they could revive their relationship. "Sirf Adi ke liye Raman" (Only for Adi Raman) she had simpered.

Raman had thought long and hard about Shagun's demand,  and finally he had come to a decision. Shagun no longer had Ashok supporting her, but with Adi refusing steadfastly to come to him, and the earlier finding of assault still on the file, would the court realistically give him custody? He couldn't take any chances. And so he had agreed to her moving in but he would not change his mind about the divorce. Instead he had decided to be as unscrupulous as she was, to use her tactics against her, to lie to get what he wanted.

"Fine" he had told her tersely."But the only way I can ever consider anything new, the only way I can re-consider a relationship with you, is if this marriage ends first Shagun. We can never revive this marriage again. You destroyed it with your affair. It's dead. It's over. If it's best for Adi that we get back together then that can only happen if everything starts afresh. And that means we need to finalize the divorce first."

Shagun had been so supremely confident of her own power over him that she had agreed, over her wiser mother's vehement protests. She had agreed to the divorce, and the decree had finally become absolute on the 27th of June. And so on the 28th of June, he had brought Adi home. Of course Shagun had come with Adi too, but it was not as his wife, not as Shagun Bhalla. He had put up with her simpering mother and aunts on the day, with Shagun's coy acting and put on humility. He needed to get his son home, needed to spend time with him, to let him get to know that his papa loved him. And when Adi had been with him for a while, had gotten to know his family, could see for himself that his father was not the monster his mother had claimed him to be, then he could slowly manoevure Shagun's exit out of his home.   But first he needed time with his son.

He had converted three rooms into a suite for Adi and her - with their own living room and kitchenette, as far away as possible from his own suite of rooms. He had told Shagun bluntly a few weeks later, as soon as Adi appeared to be settled in, as soon as Adi had started to talk to, and enjoy his company, that he was not interested in any relationship with her. She had looked on in anger as he had told her the truth - that he had only said he would reconsider a relationship with her to get her to agree to the divorce. It was a risk, but his skin had crawled everytime she had tried to get close to him, and he did not want to lead her on.

Shagun had been furious, but the divorce was through, and she had no where else to go. So she had stayed, and he had stayed well away from her. He scheduled time with Adi, making sure that Shagun would not be around. Soccer games, morning walks - things that she had zero interest in. He had asked his parents, his siblings to also spend as much time with Adi as they could. And he had asked Sheena to send as many invitations for society events to Shagun as she could find. So Shagun was happy in her social circles and his son was learning to love his father and his family.

He had gotten what he wanted - everything except for his madrassan. But that wait was over too. He would see her tomorrow. She would gave some good explanation for her aloofness. And after they had heard each other out, she would be in his arms. His arms that ached to hold her......