At afternoon, the doorbell rung and Ishwari went to open the door once again thinking its Dev but as she opened the door, she found no one and began to leave. Her gaze went on the envelope on the floor, she bent and picked it and closed the door. She pulled the letter out of the envelope. "Looks like you didn't understand at once. Your husband is a cheater, get away from him immediately. He has been cheating on you all along. Your marriage and your kids are a lie, leave him else it will affect you badly. PS: your well wisher."

She chuckled and rushed to her room and saw Arjun sitting with his back towards her. She smiled and hugged him from behind kissing his cheek. He got shocked and looked back at her. She sat in front of him. "How come you did this much big favor on me today?" he asked and she showed him the letter and he got shocked. "I trust you bubba, stop testing me and my trust, I know Dev has disappeared and I am worried so you are trying to enlighten me but all this won't help," she said lovingly at first but suddenly her tone turned into stern.

"Then what will help?" he asked and she tore the letter. "Bring our son back at any cost, he must be in a very bad condition, my daughter suffers daily and eats nothing, she can't study, she skips school and all you care about is enlightening me? Go try to enlighten her pain, I am not a little girl but she is, and when she needs you, you don't give a damn?" she asked angrily. "Ishwari?" he said in a shock. "Look, I trust you, but, I am worried for our son and our daughter, Dev is lost, Alia is so much disturbed, his girlfriend is also missing him so much, do something, if Dev dies then I will leave you forever," she threatened and left.

He sat in a trance. "F*ck, is this done by Preeta? I don't write these letters, then who the hell does? Dev? Nalini? Who? Damn it," he said and stood up and went to Alia's room and knocked on the door. She opened the door for him and let him inside. He came inside and sat on her bed, she sat beside him and waited for him to speak.

"Look Alia, the thing is that we love Dev even more than you do, and we both are trying equally, punishing yourself and being on hunger strike and thirst strike won't solve anything, you even skip school, you miss your studies, your whole life is disturbed. I just want to say that please have something, don't bother yourself so much, I understand that school makes you miss him even more but one day he will be back and you both will go together and come back together. Look he will come back, but for that you will have to eat and drink, and also go to school, okay?" he said.

"Your and my level of loving him is different, neither your love is less nor mine, I don't know if you are trying or not, but I am punishing myself because bhai also would be hungry and thirsty wherever he would be, so he and me both should be equal. Yes I miss school, I skip studies, because its not more important than him, yes my whole life is disturbed. You aren't a brother yourself, do you know what bhai would have done if I would have disappeared? He wouldn't have slept at all, not returned home till he wouldn't have found me, I won't have anything. I will wait for the day he comes back and then only everything will be normal," she said and picked his photo from the bedside table,he looked on.

"His smile enlightens me but at the same time if he cries or is in pain, it can make my heart heavy, so please don't expect me to eat or drink or go to school before he comes, because he is my jaan and I love him more than I can love anyone else, because an elder sibling automatically becomes a third parent. When he can think about me like a parent, then why can't I?" she said and he hugged her.

"Bacha, I never knew you love him so much and think so much about him, see he will come back, eat less but please eat, for your brother," he said and picked the untouched food plate from the bedside table and gave it to her. She frowned and took it and ate some of it and kept it back. He smiled and went from there. Alia peeped outside her room.

Just as she saw he wasn't there, she rushed to the kitchen and filled a glass full of water. She mixed some salt inside and rushed back to her room. She drank the salty water and felt the urge to vomit. She went to the washroom and puked and came back outside. "Sorry papa, anything for bhai, and anything for you too, I ate when you forced but then I puked because I can't discontinue what I once started," she said and wiped her mouth.

************************************

Karan came to Preeta, they sat together. "What really was the problem between you and your wife?" she asked after waiting for some time. "We were happily married, but when we want to have a child, she turned out fertile but my sperm count was not enough, I got myself treated a lot but got tired by it and didn't want it anymore, I gave up thinking that I can't become a father, she left me, and now here I am. I help women in giving birth but who can help me with this? Infertile men are equal to transgenders," he said and began to leave but she stopped him, he looked back at her.

"Transgenders are humans too, poor people come to dance in weddings and get engaged in our happiness, and why do you say so that you are equal to transgender? Stupid," she said and he sat in front of her. "I feel like a loser," he said. "Even I feel so, I was stupid to hope from Arjun, that he will accept my baby," she said. He left not knowing what to say. She looked on. Mauli came to her. She sensed her presence. "I did my job, but I don't think it's working," she informed. "Wait and watch, it will," Preeta said. "I gave the handkerchief for a forensic test and turned out that it was blood only," she said. "Don't know what did Arjun do," Preeta said.

************************************

Dev became conscious again and coughed up blood and once again it was wiped by the man. "Please no more wine, its hurting my throat," he pleaded. The man took no mercy on him and made him drink three bottles altogether and this time, Dev vomited blood and tears fell from his eyes. "I want to go, please let me go," he said. The man hurt his face with a knife, Dev stared at him angrily. He broke a wine bottle on his head and Dev went unconscious again.

************************************
Nalini was sitting recalling Dev.

Flashback:

Nalini and Dev both went to beach together and were standing near the waves. They enjoyed a lot. After some waves, crabs came near their feet. He got scared and jumped on Nalini in her arms. "Oh God, crabs," he said hugging her tight while she struggled to hold his body properly and laughed. "Nothing will happen Dev," she said but he was too scared and nuzzled close in her neck. "It will bite," he said and she continued to laugh. "Nothing such would happen Dev," she said laughing and took him carefully to the hut and almost threw him over the bed. "Does anyone makes their boyfriend fall like this?" Dev asked a little annoyed. "Everyone were watching us and laughing at us," she said and he hugged her tight. "Sorry, but the crabs really scare the hell out of me," he said and she laughed. "Its okay Dev, you're so cute," she said hugging him back. They broke the hug and he stood up and picked her in his arms and twirled her. "You're the perfect girlfriend," he said. "And you're the perfect boyfriend," she said and hugged him.

Fb end.

She smiled recalling that day. Her body went stiff and she felt shivers in her body. Foam began to come out of her mouth and she fell on the floor suffering a seizure.