I m back after a month😁😁 Sorry for the delay but was really caught up😁 Thank you for your patience and love😊 No more bak-bak. Let's start😊😊😊
Dialogues in bold
Thoughts in italics
Narration in normal font

Flashback continued.

Ragini decided to speak to Laksh in his cabin. As she entered his cabin, she could see him pacing the room in frustration.

"Laksh" She called out his name in a soft voice.

Laksh turned swiftly and held her shoulders in a death grip.
"How could you?" he bellowed with rage.
"How could you agree with Bhai on this Ragini? How could you go against your husband" He yelled.

"Laksh I was not going against you." She replied as her eyes turned glassy.

"Oh. Is it? My bad. I m sorry I misunderstood. You were not going against me but you were intentionally trying to put me down and insult me in front of my brother."

Ragini stood shocked at his words.
Was this what he thought of her. That she would try to put him down. Years of devotion towards him and this is what he thought

"Laksh I can't even think of insulting you.I just expressed my view on the matter and that somehow matched with Sanskar's view." She replied trying to make him understand.

"And who gave you the right to express your view" He yelled as he held her tight with his nails almost digging into her skin.

His words shocked her.

"Laksh"She whispered in a meek voice as she tried to read his eyes to search for any traces of her pain
Why was she not expecting this?His eyes were brim with rage with no traces of guilt or regret for his actions.

"Laksh" Sanskar yelled as he stormed into the cabin and released Ragini from Laksh's grip.

He had been waiting to speak to Ragini but as he saw her entering Laksh's cabin he decided to give the couple some privacy to sort their issues.
He was moving away when he heard Laksh's yelling through the glass doors. As he glanced into the cabin, he could see Laksh holding Ragini in a painful grip while Ragini squirmed under his grip. He fumed seeing the situation and barged into the cabin.

Ragini stood embarrassed with her eyes lowered. She was trying her best to mask any emotion of hurt and vulnerability that could be seen her eyes. She knew he could read her better than anyone else. She quickly wiped her tears and moved out of the room.

"Laksh behave yourself. Don't forget Ragini is your wife and as a partner in this company she has the right to voice her opinion." Sanskar chided him while Laksh looked unfazed.

"Is the way to speak to your wife" Sanskar reasoned

"How I speak to my wife is none of your concern Bhai"Sanskar curled up his fists

"It is if you forget the limits of basic decency."

"Look who is talking. The one who once tried to choke the same girl to death. Tell you what you look after your wife and I will look after mine. It is better if you let me handle my wife while you handle yours." Laksh adjusted Sanskar's collar and then left the room

Sanskar pinched the bridge of his nose as he tried to calm himself down. He wanted to punch Laksh the moment he had hurt Ragini. But he was reminded of the consequences that had followed the last time he had punched him. He knew if he tried to knock some sense into his impulsive brother, his brother would take a rash decision which would impact Ragini and give Swara a chance to taunt him again. Hence he decided to leave his brother alone and follow Ragini.
As he moved out of his office, he saw Ragini taking her car.

He followed her car and stopped it as she reached the lake.
As Sanskar parked his car, he saw Ragini sitting by the lake lost in thoughts. Her tear stricken face was proof of the devastated state she was in.

He stood at the entrance of the lake unsure of whether to go in or not.
What would he say to her? How would he console her? No amount of apologies could make up for his brother's harsh behaviour towards her nor the way his wife insulted her.
Wife ! That word made him laugh. Weren't husband and wife supposed to understand each other. Then how come Swara never understood him. Why was it always him who had to put efforts to understand her?

His chain of thoughts were broken by the sound of anklets. She moved towards the boating stand.

He finally mustered up courage and moved towards her.

Ragini on the other hand was lost in thoughts.
She knew Laksh did not value her. But wasn't that a thing of the past. Hadn't he promised the world to her. Why did he always crush her hopes? All she wanted was to work and have an identity of her own. She never wanted to insult him. Then why did he never understand her. What was it that made her his punching bag?
Was she also responsible for the way he treated her? Had she been too forgiving?

She was broken out of her reverie by the sound of footsteps. She didn't have to turn around to guess who had come to accompany her. She could always sense his presence.

He sat beside her trying to muster up courage to say something while she tried to wipe out her tears. She tried to appear strong. He glanced at her as she fidgeted with her Sari pallu.

"I m sorry"
"Thank you"
They spoke together at the same time.

He chuckled while she smiled through her tears.

" Ladies first" He tried to be chivalrous.

"Exactly how many of us do you see sitting here" Ragini smirked

He smiled at his now failed attempt at chivalry.

"My bad. Let's try again. You go first " She grinned.
They lay together in silence till Ragini finally replied.

"Thanks " She did not need to mention which incident she was thanking him for.
He nodded and she continued

"I also heard your conversation with Swara. I apologise on behalf of Swara. She wasn't angry at you. She just tends to go overboard with her concern for me."

Really Ragini? Who are you trying to defend?
Sanskar cocked his eyebrows as though mocking her but nodded nonetheless.

"I apologise on behalf of Laksh. His behaviour was uncalled for. He is very immature and I m sorry if he hurt you.

He stared at Ragini trying to gauge her reaction. Truth be told he really didn't want her to forgive him this time. He owed her an apology for the way Laksh behaved with her and hurt her.

She seemed silent and lost in thoughts. She would take time to respond. It was a very serious matter after all. He was happy though as for once she didn't try to cover up Laksh's mistakes. She didn't interrupt him while he said Laksh was wrong. She was thinking about herself this time and he was happy about this process.

"So are you planning to get on the boat or are you going to sit here all day?" He smirked.

"Huh. Oh. Yeah" She replied confused until it finally struck her.

"So you want to join me ?"She asked him

"No I am one of those people who stand in the boating ticket que but do not like to sit in the boat" He replied.

"Fine. See you in half an hour" She tried to control her smile and moved towards the boat.

"Ragini" He pouted.
She laughed seeing his expression.

As he stepped into the boat, she held out her hand at him to help him balance himself. He smiled and soon both began peddling the boat.

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Laksh was annoyed. This was the first time Ragini had not come to comfort him. He wasn't able to concentrate on work and left for home.

Swara on the other hand, had been snapping at her employees due to her foul mood. She had been eagerly waiting for Sanskar to come after her and apologize to her but there were no signs of him. She tried his phone number but it was unreachable. Finally having waited enough, she slammed the door and left her cabin.
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As Ragsan began peddling the boat, he asked her about her interest in business and other hobbies.
She spoke to him at length about her dream to be independent and how she was always denied freedom and how working allowed her the freedom to make her own identity.

Sanskar couldn't help but notice the twinkle in her eyes as she talked about her dreams and as she laughed. He was glad that the eyes which were reflecting with pain now held an emotion of merriment in them.

They spent the day like that, sharing interesting anecdotes about their childhood, joking, having deep conversations and enjoying each other's company.

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Same night

Ragsan entered the Mansion giggling. Ragini held the door for Sanskar as he tried to balance the numerous shopping bags he was carrying or as he would term it "was tricked into carrying by Ragini".

As they left for their respective rooms, they realised that it was an exhilarating feeling to be able to express your dreams, desires, thoughts and to have have someone who would listen to you and express a keen interest in your stories and views. .
If only their partners had been so supportive and understanding.

With this thought in mind they retired for the night.
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Cracks had begun to seep into the relationships. Sanskar and Ragini had always been accepting and forgiving in their relationships, but they were soon realising the same could not be expected from their partners. Whether they would be able to move past this realisation or not, only time would tell.
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Finally done 😁 Chotu tha na😁😁I thought of extending it but then didn't have patience 😁 Let me know how it was😊
That last part took ages to type cz I kept rethinking my end ka narration😊
Next update will be soon 😁😁 pakka 😁