A/N : Hey there Fam! As promised updating another small tote of love from AnuPre your way. Hope you like it - this one's heavy beware! But I'd still love to hear your thoughts on it!

Inline comments are love, but so are your final thoughts on the story! Awaiting to hear all your thoughts!

Much love,

A.

***

It had been five decades now - five decades of patience and longing and a loneliness that stung - five decades of weariness and dedication to wake up in the morning to cater to the chores that required her. A lot of people touched her life in this span, some stuck by her and some left - but this was only the last five decades of her second life, her real life was over even before this second innings begun - life was what she felt in those twenty-five years before the second phase and bliss lay cramped further in that one last year of the first phase; life truly lay with her Anurag - she never found anyone since.

She had left him when she married Mr. Bajaj. She remembered Anurag's reaction - he was shocked and outraged at her choice and deep down there was hurt too - for she hadn't let him in this plan of hers. Prerna had realised that Komolika had tricked him for good this time, there was no way out from a lifetime imprisonment for Anurag, for allegedly killing Komolika's brother at Mr. Bajaj's factory, where there was a fire. There was photographic evidence of them entering the premises and him leaving alone, just minutes before the blast - Prerna had realised after the first hearing, the case against them was air tight - Anurag had accepted defeat - he wasn't going to fight anymore. Their cruel fate was about to win.

Prerna had to accept Komolika & Mr. Bajaj's help in garnering some evidence to prove Anurag's innocence. She had to sell her soul to the devil.She continued with her charade of participating in her & Anurag's wedding ceremony even after he was acquitted from court - for a little longer and as she had planned, things worked that way, and as per the plan she ditched him last moment - she had most unceremoniously lost her place in the Basu Mansion that day when she married Mr. Bajaj - when the doors shut behind her, she knew there was finality in that thud - there were many unsolved claims behind those doors for her. She was innocent, yet she couldn't answer them.

The five decades that stretched after that wasn't unpleasant completely, after a tumultuous year with Mr. Bajaj, he eventually gave up on her, they separated - she had moved to Shimla and she taught in an orphanage - she loved the children there as her own - they were her family then - her real family had also held her guilty for ruining Anurag's life - she belonged to no one, but all those children seemed to find home in her. But with attachment came separation and hurt - as one by one her new family found their own loving families, she couldn't help feeling happy for their bright futures, but separation ate at her soul. Over the years some grew up and came back to find her, and greet her, some got busy with life, she didn't hold grudges against anyone of them - what hope did she have from them when after all those years, no-one from her real family ever came to ask for her?

Weeks had given in to months and months to years - years turned to decades and still no news of their loved ones - no one came looking for her - life went on - memories and faces started fading with age - there was only one face that stayed as clear as if she had seen him yesterday - it was Anurag's - his memories were what Prerna clung on to for life - they never faded, each small details remain etched, and they were etched to perfection for five decades now. The only news that had followed her ever since was one news that came one year back - it came on the national television - of the demise of a certain eminent Calcutta based business tycoon, due to old age and health issues. The news was given out by his son - a man in his late early forties - he looked different, Prerna would have expected a little bit of Anurag in him - but he didn't resemble Anurag at all - he had some features of Komolika though. The news didn't break her - her Anurag was no more, but she smiled as a silent tear rolled out of her wrinkled eyes and clouded her specs - Anurag was gone, Prerna was left behind - but she smiled, at least the distance between them had diminished - he was not bound to any earthly relations now, he was all hers now, watching over her - Anurag felt closer, in the winds she felt his presence, in the rustling of the leaves in twilight - and with renewed faith she waited, for her wait to get over - for her to discard her body and join him in nature, in spirit.

A letter had found her a week after the airing of that news - it was from Anurag. When Anurag's lawyer handed her the letter, she had accepted it with fumbling hands - she didn't have the strength to ever open it - she feared the content - she would lose either ways - if it said he missed her and yearned for her all this while, she would be defeated knowing she had hurt him all his life - and if he wrote he was happy with his life, she would be plagued with the reinstallation of the fact that he never forgave her and really moved on with Komolika. She had kept the letter safe along with her engagement ring with him - safely in her locker - her only two precious possessions. Five years had passed and every morning she walked halfway to her locker and came back.

Yesterday, or was it the day before? When she was lying on her bed at night and she couldn't breathe properly? She thought it was yesterday - when the attendants in her old age home came in and helped her into an ambulance - on her way, something told her she wasn't going to return to her room again - she looked at Mansi her foster grandchild hovering around her stretcher with worry clearly written on her face - she was adopted off too, at a tender age and separated from her, but Mansi, Neha and Atul, these three never forgot their dear old Prerna daadi who had taken care of them in the orphanage - Mansi were here already, with her in her last hour - she knew the other two were on their way already - maybe only they were family - she wanted to tell Mansi something and she understood, she leaned close to her and waited, Prerna had one last wish - that her engagement ring and a certain sealed letter from a certain Anurag Basu be cremated with her.

Now when she opened her eyes, it was all a blur, the white light and the stench of medicines told her she was in the hospital - as she tried clearing her throat, she felt a lot of tubes coming out of her nose & mouth - then a sudden movement and someone was pushing her glasses back on her eyes - her focus cleared, it was Mansi, behind her was Atul and Neha - they all had red eyes - weeping she thought - lucky these children were to have had their loved ones around them whilst their loved one lived - some were so unlucky that in death some felt their relations were closer - she sighed.

"Daadi, we want to tell you something." Mansi stopped and gulped and then continued, "We read your letter from Mr. Anurag Basu" she whispered.

Prerna smiled, "Didn't I teach you it's bad manners to read personal letters you monkey?" she responded feebly with tubes in her mouth.

Mansi laughed and a fresh tear escaped her eyes. "Daadi you need to know this, please let us tell you the truth of the letter?"

"No" Prerna replied, fear evident in her weak voice, "I don't have the strength to know".

"Maybe it was Mr. Basu's last wish?" whispered Atul

"And this is mine" replied Prerna, as she felt a tear trickle down her eyes.

"Daadi, as usual like always, I have found a mid-way - that way you will know the truth and that will fulfil his last wish and also not know it, fulfilling your cracked demand that came with old age" she tried to laugh.

"How so?" asked Prerna humouring her, Neha was the brightest amongst the three always.

"We will each tell you, one version of the content of the letter - of them, two will be false and one will be true - we won't tell you which one is true and which are false - that way you will know and yet won't know" replied Neha meaningfully.

Prerna frowned in amazement and Neha took that as consent.

She began, "Daadi, the letter said that he could never really let you go, nor could he muster the courage to meet your eyes - but he was around you - he was there around you when you came to Shimla and looked for work".

"Daadi it said he was there to attend your investitures when you became headmistress, he was clapping from the shadows, but he couldn't come forward, he couldn't meet your eyes" whispered Mansi

"Daadi, he was also there when you were admitted in the hospital for cardiac arrest about five years back, remember? He had prayed for you and left after you were out of danger" mumbled Atul.

Prerna looked at each one of them - each content looked probable, but only one was true - she didn't try wondering which one, she just closed her eyes understanding, even after all these years, he always loved her, he hadn't moved on either - Anurag was always hers - he was always around.

"You three monkeys, go home now, I need to rest in peace, '' she replied without opening her eyes. All three filed out with tears leaving their departing Prerna daadi behind with and without Anurag Basu's last words.

"Prerna Anurag Basu" those were her last words.