Shehnaaz settled on the bed, unable to face her husband and fight her tears. She silently shook her head and looked down in shame. Her husband sounded so confident about the test that she understood he had been saying the truth all this while. If it would have been a man like her father in his place, he would have emotionally blackmailed her to forgive him because he lost his track after accepting that he did cheat on her and would have bought her another expensive diamond necklace, car or farmhouse. But the way Sidharth stuck to his words, denied to accept anything she accused him of and proved that he was not cheating, she couldn't stop those tears coming out of her eyes.

She sat there, crying silently realizing that she didn't need him to cheat to ruin their relationship, she did it herself and single handedly. She accused him even though she didn't have anything to hold up against him in this situation but the mere presence of a woman next to him. Not only did she falsely accuse him, she didn't even think before assuming that her marriage was over because he didn't think of her before going to another woman. Didn't she do the same, didn't think twice before making her decision?

"Bolegi kuch?" Sidharth asked her loudly and watched her shaking her head and covering her face.

"I'm sorry." She apologized between her sobs as she continued to cry.

"Sorry? Yeh bolne se sab thik ho jayega? Wapas le sakti hai jo bhi tune bola?" He spat, held his hands on his hips and scoffed.

"I'm actually surprised! What made you change your mind Shehnaaz?" He asked, his voice laced with sarcasm and his barb hurt more than she would admit.

"I'm sorry, I know I've hurt you. I just got carried away." She took a deep breath as she replied.

"Carried away? What a lame excuse! Well, just so you know this was the last time I tolerated you! Iske baad na Shehnaaz, I swear, I'm not going to take any of your shit! I'll drag you to the court if you pull anything like this ever again and question my character. I had been nothing but a husband to you!" He threw those words right at her face, it made her cry a little more but he was too hurt to care for her. Self respect and dignity were certain things a person like him certainly wouldn't let go over petty issues.

"I won't." She replied, agreeing to his terms knowing it was time for her to pay for her deeds.

"The heck you won't! Aaj tak meri ek baat maani hai jo ye manegi? I know you'll do it again!." He replied.

She looked at him, not knowing how to assure him. In her heart was also scared that she might end up doubting him again, if not him then the situation, if not the situation then the women out there who wouldn't leave any chance behind to sleep with rich men.

"I was scared." She said, wondering if he was interested in listening to her anymore.

"Of what?! Losing me? Just cut the filmy crap already." He replied, laughing at her.

"What is taking you two so long? Sana, baat clear hui? Sidharth, bol raha tha ke tujhe galatfehmi hui." Parminder worriedly knocked at the door, not having the patience to wait any longer outside. Mankiran followed her mother when the door was opened.

"Ha Mummy. Vaisi koi baat nahi thi." Shehnaaz answered.

"Tu ye baat pehle Jeeju se kar leti? Do ghante se royi ja rahi thi, sabko dara rakha tha!" Mankiran said as she shook her head.

"Kash yeh tumhari jitni smart hoti." He commented as well.

Even though, it was an awkwardly silent evening when Parminder requested Sidharth to stay back for dinner and kept insisting. She looked so apologetic and embarrassed that she had doubted him as well, so she wanted to apologize to him over dinner, he could totally see that. He didn't want that, knowing that Parminder did exactly what any mother would do and hence couldn't bring himself to decline her dinner plans. He had to admit that he was hungry, having his lunch skipped due to various reasons and agreed.

"Chai." Parminder served tea, taking a seat next to her son in law in the living area.

"Sidharth, I'm sorry beta. Humne tumhe galat samjha." She said and watched him nod.

"I trust you with my daughter but it would be unfair to you if I let you deal with something you've no idea about." She added.

"What do you mean?" He asked, confused.

"That in this situation where you are today, it's my fault. Shehnaaz was 12 when she walked into her father and his secretary. They were.. you know.." she answered, letting the sentence trail off at the end.

"Chhoti thi lekin samajhdaar thi. Wo samajh gayi ke uske Papa galat kar rahe the aur usne mujhe bataya. I was so angry with her father, I fought with him but couldn't bring myself to leave him. Do chhoti betiyan thi meri, unke future ka soch ke maine Sukhbir ko maaf kar diya." Parminder was left teary eyed as she took a pause and sipped her tea.

"And him being him, wo nahi sudhre. He would buy me gifts and promise me bright futures for our daughters, aur mai maan jati har baar. Only if I had the courage to take that step and leave him, aaj meri bacchi itni insecure nahi hoti." She added and sighed, giving away a sad smile.

"I'm sorry beta." She added one last time.
Sidharth was taken aback by the revelation and held Parminder's hands to comfort her.

'You might have had anything to do with her! Jo bhi tha, jis kisi ke saath bhi tha. Khatam karo. Aaj se, abhi se! I don't care how! Because you're not supposed to be with anybody other than me!'

'You better stop whatever you're doing! I don't want anybody looking at me with pitiful eyes while my husband sleeps around! I'm not going to let you do that!'

'I'm sorry, I know I've hurt you. I just got carried away.'

'I was scared.'

Now everything was making more sense, she had been afraid of this very thing since the beginning and he had shrugged it off, thinking she was jealous. But she was insecure and afraid that he would also turn out to be like her father. He also remembered the time he had joked about his dates before they got married and it had her screaming at him while they were over the call. Incidents like these triggered her! They brought back the memories of the past she hated, it reminded her of her father.

"Dinner's ready! Aaiye sabhi." Mankiran called the two of them.

"Hanji, chalo." Parminder replied and they got up to make their way towards the table.

"Smells so good! Kya bana hai aaj?" Sukhbir arrived at the very right time and joined them.

"Oh Sidharth! How are you?" He took him in for a hug.

"I'm fine." Sidharth suddenly hated the mere presence of this man and the pretence he carried. He could easily join the dots now, the reason Shehnaaz hated her father was not only because he got her married forcefully. Along with that, he had also noticed how Sukhbir never really asked how his daughter was doing. Be it their wedding reception, any event they attended together or the last time they were having dinner together, he never heard Sukhbir asking if they were getting along or if his daughter was treated well at her new place.

"Mai kal ja rahi hu." Mankiran said.

"Best of luck, Mankiran." Sidharth wished her for her new job.

"Thank you, I'm really excited about it." She replied.

"I don't know what's the use? You could have just joined me here." Sukhbir commented.

"Aapka office sabse boring jagah hai Papa! Mujhe yaha bilkul maza nahi aata." She replied as if she cared less and the father daughter duo chuckled.
Even though Mankiran sensed the tension and tried to loosen it up with her talk, her father didn't even realize that such was the case.

"Tu airport kab jayegi?" Shehnaaz asked her sister while she was about to leave.

"Kal dophar. 2 baje I guess." Mankiran replied.

"Okay, I'll be there." Shehnaaz nodded.

"Jeeju aayenge?" Mankiran asked.

"I don't think so." Shehnaaz shrugged.

"Sab thik ho jayega na tum dono ke beech? You guys talked it out na?" Mankiran worriedly asked.

"Tu kyu tension le rahi hai?! Mai baat karungi na usse, sab thik ho jayega. Gussa hai abhi, maan jayega. Shayad." Shehnaaz hugged her tightly in assurance but she was herself scared where today's incident would take her marriage.

"Hmm." Mankiran replied and saw Sidharth ready to leave, Shehnaaz slowly retrieved watching her husband join them.

"Jeeju, you know that watch really suits you!" She added.

"Thanks, I know and that's why I'm wearing it." He chuckled, winking at her.

"I know I am not old enough to say about anything what happened today. Lekin Jeeju, Sana aur aap sab sort kar loge na? She really likes you, she didn't mean to hurt you. It's just that I have never seen her cry so much, not even when a guy dumped her in high school. Shit!" She added and then regretted talking about her sister's past relationship in front of him.

"We'll be okay." He assured her.

"Usko mat batana, maine aisa bola." She requested with a panicked face.

"Sure." He chuckled, she was a replica of her elder sister.

Shehnaaz saw them smiling from a distance, she was glad that he was still good to her family.

The ride back home was so silent, Sidharth and Shehnaaz didn't speak a word to one another because the situation was complicated enough to keep their mind tangled with the various revelations made.

He entered their room, went to change first and hit the bed immediately, not wanting to talk about anything now.
"Sidharth?" She spoke right when he had covered himself properly.

"Not now." He replied, taking deep breaths to make sure she understood that he had a very long hard day today. Well, thanks to her!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sorry for the delay.. last night I kept writing and deleting and writing and deleting the lines again and again because I didn't find them right.. so I got late..

Anyways.. how about the cats finally out of the bag now!? Ha?

How will Sidharth cope with it?

How will Shehnaaz manage to get her forgiveness?