Lingeswar and Satyamurthy noticed Raul weeping as Swathy tried to console the poor chap. The kid had been thinking it's because of him that Yasho was angry and it was his mistake that he had brought her there.

The two brothers marched to the mother and son to settle whatever the little boy wasn't satisfied with.
Turned out, it wasn't a problem with the kid. It was entirely something else. 

They learnt that Swathy had invited Arun to the wedding and it was done without consulting any of the elders in the family except Janaki. Her action terribly infuriated her father, Satyamurthy.

Lingeswar frantically looked around to find his daughter anywhere nearby upon hearing about their meeting.

"Why do you have to do that, Swathy?!" seethed her father in anger, doing his level best not to gain attention from the guests.

"I–I just thought it's time Yashodha fix her broken life" she mumbled, trying to avoid the eye contact. 

"What? Have you lost it, Swathy. That's her life! She knows what to do with it. Why do you need to decide for her on what she needs to do in her life? " Satyamurthy stared deep into her eyes, she fidgeted.

He was angry and disappointed with his daughter. How could she invite the man who had destroyed the life of her sister to the wedding? Not only did Swathy invite him but persuaded Arun to fix what has long broken? Satyamurthy shook his head, furiously yet was keeping his temper at bay. Lashing out at Swathy isn't going to vanish Arun from the place right away. 

He snapped his head angrily at her.

"If there is anything that needs your concern is for your husband and your son. You don't need to interfere in Yashodha's life. You will never understand, Swathy! 

Where are they?" He demanded, burning holes into her head.

-------

Yashodha was deliberating if she should take the gun or not. If she takes the gun, he for sure was going to hell and if she doesn't... She had no idea about it. Probably go on arguing or perhaps run away.

Another part of her mind reminded her of her father's advice to not to carry armament around in family functions. If she takes it out, she is going to disappoint him.

But she wanted to stop it from aggravating. Arun wasn't calming down at all while Jagdish... She could literally see veins in his neck, protruding.

He was controlling his anger as he spoke to Arun.

Her hand held on the gun that was still in the holster under her skirt.

"She has no other option left than coming back to me! Which man is going to accept her in this age?" Arun spat.

Yashodha shut her eyes for a second giving another thought about her decision before snapping it open.

Arun's uncontrolled mouth received a strong punch that he stumbled on his feet backward. He gaped at Jagdish with his eyes screaming surprise and anger. Jagdish stood with hand in fist ready to offer another punch if he doesn't stop even then.

"Another demeaning word about the lady and you will see the worst of me" he warned furiously staring at Arun. 

Arun opened his mouth again. Jagdish did not let him say it. Another punch landed on his face.

However, the noise of the footstep was amplifying towards the pool area, Jagdish stepped back allowing the family to have the talk.

"Yashodha!" Her mother Vaishali, held her tight in an embrace as if protecting her daughter from any more heartbreak. Vaishali shot an  angry stared at the bloodied man.

"I'm fine, ma" she assured her mother. 

Satyamurthy and Lingeswar pulled Arun away to have a word with him while Yashodha spotted Swathy and Janaki at the corner of the pool area. Later, Jagdish too joined them.

She took a glance around. Fortunately, there wasn't many people around especially Madhavi's family. It would have been a near humiliating scene for her side of the family.

Yashodha minced her way towards Swathy, the latter shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other as Yashodha approached her dangerously calm. Janaki however, remain unaffected. 

"Why Swathy? You love me so much that you took this much effort for me? So that, I could fix my broken marriage?" she asked, calmly with anger boiling within. 

Too guilty to speak, Swathy did not look straight into her eyes. 

"How could you? You chose to help him instead of standing by your sister! For a man who couldn't keep his promises? If you could only understand me as a woman rather than a sister, you wouldn't have done this, Swathy. It's a shame!"

"But it was him who wanted –"

"So, you would help anyone who comes to you asking for help? You would just invite him to our family function?
Do you have any idea what could have happened if appa and periappa had not reached here sooner?" Yashodha fumed as she remembered her near decision to finish him in a bullet. Tears welled up her eyes.

Yashodha wiped off the tears rolling out from the corner of her eyes. What's the point in explaining or trying to make them understand the intensity of the problem? She thought.

However, Yashodha wasn't done with Swathy yet. Anger was causing her to speak more than she ever intended. 

"What did I do to you, Swathy? Did I spoil your life? Did I snatched the life you were supposed to live?"

"No" Swathy managed to answer. 

"I don't see any reason you should be jealous of me either. Everyday you get to wake up without a worry, have healthy food on your table three times a day, live within air conditioned room and sleep on a soft mattress. Whereas I have no luxury like yours when I'm at the camp. Not that I'm complaining. I want you to know that whatever your intention is to bring Arun here, has no proper base. I don't see any caringness in your objective"

Yashodha scrunched her face, pressing her temple with her fingers. Again she is trying to explain the difference between them. Why even? She smacked her head.

"Do you have a problem, Swathy?" She asked. Yashodha's voice amplified a little. Her mother tucked her hand from behind her. She did not heed to her mother's signal asking her to stop.

"N–no"

"Then? Why did you call him here? Everyone in the family knows I have cut ties with him in every way possible. Then why?!"

"I–I did it because Pa–patti asked" Swathy pointed to Janaki, startling Janaki at the sudden mention of her name. 

"If Patti asked, where was your brain, Swathy?  

You know very well, we don't go along. You and I never had a proper conversation. You never liked me and so do I.

Then why the hell did you do this?" She screamed, frustrated with her life at the moment. 

Yashodha was aware she was blabbering more than needed but if she doesn't say all out, everything is going to get suppressed again and give her pain. So, she thought it would be best to puke everything out at once.

"This is the reason. This is why I always choose to stay away from you and you," Yashodha pointed finger to Swathy and then Janaki. 

"No one gives you the rights to make decisions or order someone to do as per your wish. We are not your slaves! Just because you are doing super good in family life and work life, Swathy, that doesn't mean you could take charge! Same goes to you Patti!

Just stop it. You have lived your live as per your wish. So, just stop it right here!"

Swathy silently wept feeling guilty. Yashodha was indeed right. She never really cared about her cousin sister to have concern on her broken marriage. In fact, Swathy wasn't happy that Yashodha was always the preferred older sister compared to her, though Swathy and Yashodha share the same birth year. Swathy wasn't jealous of Yashodha's life but she not being the favorite of the cousins lead her to bring Arun to the wedding. 

She knew very well that Arun's topic had not faded away though it had been seven years. She brought Janaki into her plan, she wanted Yashodha to suffer, to stay away from the family. She wanted only herself to be spoken highly about.

 That was her biggest mistake but she was too embarrassed to confess. 

"I– I'm sorry, Yashodha"

"Get lost from my sight. If you don't want to do good to me at least don't give me pain! Just leave!"

Yashodha dropped herself on the nearby lounger and buried her face in her palms. Far from her, she heard mutterings. The men's voices she identified yet she felt too exhausted to even check who they were. She remained seated.

Her mom sat with her, calming her down. Soon after, her dad joined the them both.

"This will never repeat, Yasho ma. I promise. Your periappa had warned him. Your friend had given him a great gift Arun could take back. Arun will never come back hereafter," Lingeswar caressed her hair.

"Come, let's get back before more comes in search for us" he took her hand in attempt to pull her up on her feet but she stay put.

"No, pa. I'll stay here. You guys go ahead" she said.

Satyamurthy stood a little further from them, embarrassed. "Periappa! Don't give that look. You did not do anything to feel embarrassed. I'll be fine, okay. Why don't you go join the rest? Enjoy the rest of the evening" she gave an assured smile. 

-----

Soon everyone had left Yashodha alone to join the event.  Lingeswar thanked Jagdish for being with his daughter even before they arrived and kept the situation in control.

Jagdish took a seat on the reclining chair next to her and silently watched her.

Noticing him from her peripheral view, she smile faintly.

"My biggest mistake is to come here" she said, staring at the water shinning under the lights.

"Why do you say so?"

"Why do I say so?... Since the day I came here, I hardly couldn't remember a day passed by without me getting upset" her voice sounded weak.

"But aren't there small things that made you happy?"

A slight curve appeared in a corner of her lips. "But isn't a wedding supposed to be entirely a happy event for everyone be it the bride and groom or the guests? Why is it that I only get small moments to be happy?"

Jagdish shifted next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"Let's take it in a positive way. Only because you are here that I'm here, right? So, we get to meet which is a good thing. Second, you get to express your suppressed emotions to your cousin, Swathy. You met a lot of your batch mates and your cousins. Apart from all these chaos, you still get to sleep well because of the people who loves you, stood by you.

So, that's a lot of good things there isn't it, sweetheart?"

His voice and words both made her feel so much better. She could feel the negativity she had within her, slowly draining out. 

"Actually, you are right" she agreed.

" I'm always right. 

See, the problem is you are putting a lot of effort for the things that upsets you and less effort for the ones that makes you happy. Because the effort for the negative is more, you think it takes up most of your day and ruins everything"

Yashodha gazed him in amusement. His words waken some old precious memories, it flashed before her vividly. 

"This is what I like about you. You help me filter the good and the bad when I'm down. You did that before and you did it now" 

Jagdish however, was puzzled. If he could remember, this was the first time ever he shared such conversation with her. He wondered in which situation did he unconsciously spoke about serious matters.

"Thank you for being by my side earlier. You presence gave me strength to fight longer"

He nodded, "I shouldn't be asking this but out of curiosity or probably me being nosy. I heard you mentioned about him humiliating you and stuff. What is about?

Because I recall you saying that, you found him cheating on you the very day you came back"

Yashodha stared deep into his eyes. Her eyes were trying to convey something but he couldn't decipher.

"Yes, that's what I said to you when we were in Mumbai.

But if you could squeeze your brain a little. You'll know that I have told you way more than anyone knows on what happened between the day I came and the day I left" Yashodha was as if riddling. She kept him in the loop of rewinding their conversation happen at the Marine Drive two years ago.

As he tried hard to recall, he was interrupted.

"Jagdish?!" Someone called him from the other side of the bush. Ragav and Salim's heads peeked out from it.

"Oi, aren't you going to have your dinner?" Ragav asked then his eyes shifted from Jagdish to Yashodha. "Hi! What about you, Yashodha ji?

"No, thank you. You carry on. Please bring him along" Yashodha replied pushing Jagdish in the process.
"Go have dinner. You don't need to be starving"

"You sure, you don't want to have anything?"

She nodded vigorously saying no for dinner. Yashodha stayed gazing and thinking nothing in particular. It was an empty gaze far ahead with no aim. There was no anger, no sadness or joy. 

Just empty.
----

"Patti!" Jagdish called Janaki who was heading towards her room. 

"What is it?" 

Jagdish stood breathless catching his breath. He had apparently gone searching for Janaki that he skipped dinner with his friends. There was something important he desired to talk to her.

"I need to talk to you" he said once his breathing was back to normal. 

-----

"I knew it! You are still here" Jagdish's voice rang loud, Yashodha jolted. 

He handed her a platter filled with all the foods served for the dinner and held another of the same in his other hand.

"I told you I don't want to eat" she said nevertheless, took the platter from him and sat it before her on the lounger.

"It's hard to eat when you know someone is still under the sky next to the pool, denying to have dinner" he pouted. 

"You have to eat for me at least because I'm not going to have a morsel if you aren't eating" he grinned, wiggling his thick brows.

"I don't want, Jagdish" she said rather contrasting to what her tummy had expressed at that the same time. 

"Well.... You might not want to but the organ in you demands for food, darling. Loud and clear" 

After sometime, the pool side was hall full with a few of her cousins sat around them. Joining them for dinner by the poolside, initiated by Jagdish. 

The day indeed ended in a happy note with her cousins and Jagdish. She couldn't thank him enough for showing the good things around her and being there at the right time for her. 

She unexpectedly wondered if he would ever come out of the fear he had grown with. She surely would leave her's just like the snake shedding its skin if the man next to her willing to be with her for lifelong. 

"Is it too soon?" 

Before her mind could answer to her question, Yashodha shook her head vigorously, cringing in the process. That question was not supposed to even exist.

Gayathri's words earlier, replayed in her head repeatedly despite her denial.

'You are in love, akka' 

********
Thank you for reading!!!!

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