UNEDITED UPDATE! KINDLY EXCUSE THE MISTAKES!

PART - 4

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"Marriage is not 50-50; Divorce is 50-50. Marriage has to be 100-100. It isn't dividing everything in half but giving everything you have."

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"Mommy, how can you say no to my marriage with Sabeer? He is Dr. Sameer's son. Sameer, the man who helped you recover from your phobias" Dr. Sameer a psychiatrist and he treated Madhu, years ago when she newly got married to Rishab, from her night terrors and other phobias caused due to a traumatic childhood incident. "You are so ungrateful, mom..." Before she could say further, Rishab gave her a tight slap, shocking everyone presented in that room.

Rishab had never hit his children, not even the boys but for the first time he slapped Naira.

"Rishab, what's wrong with you? You never raised your hand against a woman, then how could you slap our own daughter?" Madhu pushed Naira behind her, sheltering her from her angry dad and placed her hands on his chest, rubbing it gently, hoping to calm him down.

Naira cupped her burning cheek with her palm and hid her face in Veer's chest, too scared to even turn and face her dad.

"Dad, calm down, please" Arjun said when Rishab continued to glare Naira with his blazing gaze.

"I can't stand your sister or anyone disrespecting your mother, Arjun." Rishab said sternly making his point clear. "How dare she talk like that? To marry that coward who can't even come to me and ask for her hand, she is calling her mother 'ungrateful', making her feel guilty when she has nothing to feel guilty about and this way manipulating her to agree to what she wants..." Rishab seethed making Arjun take a step back. He feared if he talked more he will get one cheek burning slap. "What a crooked mind you are having, lawyer madam" he mocked her and Naira burst out into tears feeling so ashamed of herself.

"Rishab, please stop it." Madhu begged.

"Naira, look at me" Rishab ordered. Naira shook her head in fear without looking at him and slowly moved around and hid herself behind Veer's broad shoulders. "Veer, move aside"

Naira clutched Veer's shirt tightly and didn't let him move.

"Rishab, please let it go for me. Please, don't go harsh on her. I know she didn't mean what she said so please..." Madhu patted his chest to make him look down at her and listen to her words.

"Naira! Don't hide behind your brother's back like a coward! Come forward and face me!" Rishab said gritting his teeth.

Naira hesitated. She had never seen her dad this mad.

"I will appreciate if you come forward and apologize to your mother" he gave her the last chance to show her face to him.

Veer pulled her hands off his shirt and gently encouraged her to move forward.

"Mommy, I am sorry" Naira cried rubbing her eyes with her fists like a baby.

"It's okay, baby" Madhu hugged her daughter and patted her head.

"Did you mean it?" Rishab asked doubtfully.

"Yes, of course, I mean it, daddy. I mean it. I do regret what I said. I am really sorry, mommy" Naira shouted.

"Ah! That's like my honeybee" Rishab's quivered up to a small smile. "Come to daddy?"

Naira walked closer to him but she refused to look up at him. Rishab took out his kerchief from his pants' pocket and wiped her nose.

"Daddy, don't embarrass me! I am not little Naira anymore." She pushed away his hand from cleaning her snot and snatched the kerchief from his hand.

"But you still behave like my immature baby girl. I thought my baby was strong and feisty but you were hiding behind your brother like a scared kitten?"

"You slapped me so I got scared" she reasoned.

He cupped her face and kissed her forehead "I am sorry, baby for scaring you. Daddy will never slap you again or hurt you anyway...but you too never ever hurt your mother. You don't know what all she went through in her life and what all she did for you three so please respect her." Rishab said to Naira in a soft tone. She nodded in agreement.

Madhu emotionally cried hearing her husband's love filled words and leaned her head on his shoulder.

"And then, Dr. Sameer helped your mother and we both are grateful to him till date. We would have happily got you married to Sabeer if they had come first with the marriage proposal or you kids had told us about your love. We are not against love Naira and you know that. We have given you the freedom to choose your life partner, right?" He asked. Naira nodded in yes.

"But the issue here is, you agreed to marry Roshan. You did the mistake here. If you weren't clear about your feelings you could have told me, us and we would have given you time to clear your head but you didn't do that. You let Roshan dream about marrying you and now you are going to shatter his dreams"

"I am sorry, daddy." She whispered and wiped off her tear stained face with his kerchief.

"Madhu, I am not doing any injustice to Roshan. I am actually doing him a favour. He can't live happily with my daughter if they get married"

"Why, daddy?" Naira asked, slightly getting offended by his words. Am I so bad? She thought as her lips trembled and eyes welled up again.

"Because I know you Naira. You are a stubborn girl like your mother. Once you fix it in your heart that this is the man you love then you will love only him all your life..."

"But she doesn't love Sabeer. She is just confused, Rishab" Madhu wasn't ready to agree with him though she knew he was right.

"No, Madhu. Love happened to her and that's with Sabeer. If not she won't be stupidly creating a scene now and asking us to call off her own wedding"

Madhu finally nodded her head, understanding his point.

Love-less life never lasts!

"I know Roshan will get deeply wounded by Naira's rejection, this might even leave him a permanent scar...but he will be healed and his scar will fade off, one day, when he finds the right girl for him"

"I wish he finds someone better than my daughter" Madhu said looking up at the ceiling as she sent a silent prayer to God to find a sweet girl for that kind hearted boy and bless them with happiness. She also prayed to forgive her daughter's mistake and keep her happy too.

"Veer, call Roshan and ask him and his family to meet us here in our house and not to go to the wedding venue, directly"

"Yes, dad" Veer nodded and quickly made the call and paused on the message his dad asked him to leave to Roshan.

Roshan was anxious to know what was happening and why the sudden change in plan but Veer asked him to come home to know everything.

"Your parents are amazing and they truly love each other even after all these years of marriage" Kathy said in awe.

"Love is eternal, babe" Arjun said with a strange gleam in his eyes.

"Only true love, like your parents' is everlasting" Kathy corrected him.

Hearing Arjun and Kathy's murmurings Rishab turned to their side and they immediately stopped talking.

"I want to talk with you, Miss..." Rishab said looking at Kathryn. Arjun panicked.

"My name is Kathryn" Kathy said and smiled politely. "And tell me what you wanna talk with me, Sir?" She asked confidently. Rishab liked the boldness and strength in her voice though she looked weak, physically.

"Not now, Miss. Kathryn. One day. We will talk." Rishab said deciding to hold that issue for a while. Madhu frowned and asked 'what' through her eyes. He shook his head asking her not to worry.

--0--

"Hey!" Roshan walked into Naira's room and seemed surprised finding all the known faces and few unknown faces cooped up in the room.

"Uncle, what's the matter? Why you wanted me to meet you here?"

"I will tell you, Roshan but before that tell me where are your parents?"

"Um... I only asked them to directly go to the venue and check on the arrangements. Whatever you want to tell you can tell me, uncle" he assured him with a smile. Rishab really liked Roshan for his maturity. He felt like he was seeing himself in him, so smart and confident.

Roshan didn't want to involve his parents in the meeting as deep down he knew he was going to hear something negative and that would hurt his parents, so he decided to keep them away and protect them from what was waiting to come his way.

"You didn't get ready for the wedding yet, darling?" Roshan asked Naira affectionately.

Rishab cleared his throat gaining his attention.

"Sorry" he grinned sheepishly and walked briskly towards Rishab.

Rishab looked at Madhu silently asking whether she wanted to break the news but she shook her head as unwelcomed tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Roshan, I don't know how to tell this to you..." Rishab paused.

"What's it, uncle?" He encouraged him to continue though he feared to hear whatever was coming next.

"Naira loves Sabeer" Rishab felt it better to say and put Roshan out of his misery.

"What? No! No! No, uncle." he frantically shook his head and looked at Naira's direction to tell him it was a sick joke but she hung his head down and stood silent.

Roshan moved his eyes from Naira to Veer who looked sympathetically at him. Next to Veer, Madhu was crying silently.

"Roshan, please forgive her..."

"No, don't..." Roshan stopped Rishab letting his mind process with what he said before as his eyes stung with tears and his heart beat raced.

He quickly walked across the room and stood in front of Naira.

"What's is this, Naira? Today is our wedding...and now you are saying you love someone else..."

"Roshan, please, try to understand..."

"Naira, don't do this to me"

"Roshan, I don't love you... I am so sorry..." Naira cried joining her hands together in front of him.

"Naira, you do love me... You always loved me like how I loved you. I know that..."

"No!"

"Yes, you do. You do love me, dammit" Roshan grabbed her shoulders and shook them.

"Roshan, please..." She pushed his hands off her shoulders.

"Darling, I love you... Please, marry me!" He begged as knelt down on the floor in front of her.

... To be continued!!!

Oh no! I cried while typing the last part! My poor baby Roshan! He doesn't deserve this at all!

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