Shivaay had never seen Omkara so vulnerable. Last night, when he had returned after dropping Gauri and his mother in law, he had found Omkara sitting by the parapet wall on the terrace. He had walked up to his brother and sat beside him. At once Omkara was hugging him.

"She was pregnant when I left her... I just left her alone like that..." Omkara had muttered dejectedly. "Shivaay-- she said she never cheated... she, she still ----loves me. Shivaay I messed up... " The man wouldn't stop sobbing. 

Shivaay sighed running his palm over his brother's head. He was still asleep. Last night would have been terrible for him. Shivaay could only imagine the hurt and pain.

Omkara was never the one to complain, cry or be bitter about what he didn't get or what went wrong. He was nice, kind and had a golden heart. Isn't it always a golden bird that gets caged? The Omkara that Shivaay knew had transformed into that caged bird. A hopeless bird who no longer sang songs in sweet melody. Caged in hurt, pain, guilt, regret and what not. 

Shivaay was helpless. He wished he could do something to make Omkara's pain go away, to make him happy again. He quietly moved got he door of the room, wondering if he should tell his mother about it all. Everytime any of them were in trouble, Pinky was their go to person. Although, little Rudra was Pinky's apple of the eye, their was no doubt that she loved Omkara and Shivaay just the same. 

Shivaay glanced over his shoulder to look at his sleeping brother. Maybe he should just let Omkara take the call. Perhaps he should just talk it out with him. Daadi would have probably done that. Omkara was close to Daadi too, but he never really mourned when she left them. Shivaay was certain he had gone through a hell similar to what he had gone through in that period but he never showed. 

"How is Om?" Anika asked him when he entered the room.

"Sleeping," Shivaay answered excusing himself for a shower. He needed to sort out his mind. 

* * *

Mrs. Talwar sat beside Gauri who was fast asleep. The poor girl had been crying through the night and had only fallen a sleep an hour ago. Mrs. Talwar had never thought that anyone other than her Anika could have a place in her heart until she met Gauri. She couldn't explain the connection she had with Gauri or the why part of it but it certainly hurt to see her so broken. 

Maybe the first time she had met Gauri, she saw herself in Gauri, a single mother. But after whatever happened, after that, Gauri had become her second daughter. 

Maybe she felt that connection with Gauri, because Gauri was a fighter, a warrior just like her late husband. 

Mrs. Talwar couldn't quite tell what it was but Gauri had a piece of her heart just like Anika did. She wiped the tears that had stealthily made down her cheek. She would make Gauri happy again. So happy, that Gauri wouldn't cry again. No matter how hard it was or how long it took. She would bring back happiness in Gauri's life.

She quietly slipped out of the room letting Gauri take some much needed rest.

* * *

Shivaay had expected Omkara to skip breakfast. Hence he hadn't left for office but had waited for Omkara to reach his car. Once he had, Shivaay quickly sat in the passenger seat beside him.

"Shivaay!" Omkara said in a very tired voice, he wouldn't even turn his face. He had huge sun glasses covering his eyes. "Please." He muttered.

"We need to talk, Om!" Shivaay said turning in his seat to look at his brother.

"I want to be alone."

"No, Om. You don't. Until when are you going to ,--"

"I said, I don't want to talk!" Omkara screamed this time with defiance.

Shivaay sat silently staring at him. "Fine. Don't talk to me, okay. But Om, I want you to promise me that you'll take care of yourself."

"I will!" He said immediately.

Shivaay nodded, "where are you going?"

"I don't know." Omkara answered. "I need some time."

"Fine. Take all the time you want, but take the driver along. Please, for me."

Omkara finally turned to look at his brother. He was glad he had chosen the huge dark sunglasses because his eyes had suddenly become vulnerable and prone to crying. It wa overwhelming how Shivaay understood him, how he cared for him. "Can I go?" Omkara asked bluntly before his voice started to break.

Shivaay nodded and got out of the car calling one of the drivers. He walked up to the driver half way and gave specific instructions to him. Omkara quietly shifted into the backseat of his car. 

* * *

"Gauri, wake up. You must be hungry!"

Gauri parted her eyelids slightly to peek. She felt something heavy hammering her head, her hand instantly flew to her head. Oh, the headache was terrible!

"What time is it?" Gauri asked sitting up.

"It's a few minutes to one. Lunch is ready!" Mrs. Talwar spoke folding a few clothes. Gauri realized one of them was her dress from last night. And just like that she was taken back to the previous night on the terrace. She closed her eyes, resting her head against the headboard. She had exhausted all her tears crying last night.

She felt the bed dip and then soft hands caressed her cheek. She opened her eyes looking at Mrs. Talwar. "It's okay, Chhoti. Everything will be fine." Issuing that reassurance, the elder woman kissed her head.

Gauri shifted closer and hugged her. 

* * *

Gauri sat on the bench, aimlessly staring into the air. The park was fairly empty except for a group of kids who sat on the grass playing some board game. Gauri's gaze drifted to them when they all suddenly cried out in joy. She smiled sadly, remembering how she and Omkara would play chess. He had this bad habit of shifting the pieces to his advantage when she wasn't looking. 

Life was so sorted for them. They were so madly in love and perfectly co existed together. There were tiny disagreements. But they both just adjusted and lived happily. A tear left Gauri's eye as she was taken back in time.

"Omkara! What are you do--?"

Gauri's mouth had been seized by his. She tried to break the kiss and push him away but he was adamant. He had her against a wall in the student's locker room. His hands had pinned her wrists to wall.

When he finally broke apart Gauri glared at him despite enjoying that kiss. "What the hell? I have a class to be in and what's with this ..."

"I just felt like!" He said smugly breaking her argument with a lopsided grin.

Gauri narrowed her eyes at him, smacking his arm with the book in her hand. 

"Oww," he cried in pain rubbing his palm over the targeted portion of his arm. 

Gauri smiled victoriously, "you definitely deserved that."

And then, unannounced she hit his other arm with her thick book of developmental psychopathology. 

"Oww," Omkara groaned again taking two steps back. "What was that for? You know that book actually hurts!"

"For cheating in chess yesterday."

She smiled when Omkara looked at her unbelievably, "you knew?"

"Of course. I know how your mind works." She smiled proudly and sprinted towards her class.

* * *

Omkara stared at the portrait he had painted. It was that of Gauri crying. He stared at the image he had painted. Last night was so vividly etched in his mind that the painting before him looked like a picture from last night. Gauri was hurting. She was in pain. Those tears were a testimony.

Maybe he was easily convinced of everything Gauri said, because he missed her. She still had a place in his heart. He could never really purge her out of his heart. Why would she lie after all? And last night, she definitely wasn't lying. 

The knock on the door made Omkara look away from the painting to the door.

"Hey!" Zoya greeted. "It's lunch time."

He looked away from her.

"Omkara, is everything--"

"Leave the lunch on the side table." He said, putting his attention on his palette.

With a sigh, Zoya wen t away and returned after some ten minutes. Leaving his lunch on the side table she went away.

"You should have tried harder to see if I was with someone or someone was forcing me to be with them."

Omkara closed his eyes. Her echoing voice just didn't leave him. Her words kept looping in his head. It was so hard to sink in the reality. After all the time,the wanted to trust Gauri. But a part of him was still scared. 

"Why would I cheat on you Omkara? You were everything I had."

A tear escaped his closed eyes. She loved him, yes she did. But back in time, everything before his eyes was so... real and heartbreaking. Je just couldn't erase the scene of seeing Gauri under another man's body, the scene of another man kissing her. Years had gone by but those scenes were so clear in his mind like it had happened just a few minutes back.

"You have been the only man I have ever been with. If walking through fire could tell you that, I'd happily do it."

Omkara broke into sobs. She really loved him. Je had screwed it all up. He had lost more than just love. He had set fire to what could have been their dream life by not trusting her enough, by holding on to his ego, by putting his judgment before his love for Gauri.

Maybe it was good in a way. Because if she loved him so much, he definitely wasn't deserving of all that love. 

"I am sorry Gauri, I screwed up so bad that I can't do anything but cry over what I have done." Omkara uttered devastatingly, looking at her picture.

"You were selfish Omkara, you didn't want to get hurt so you left. What about me? I am human too."

She was right. He was a selfish man. He only thought of himself. He only saw his pain on seeing what he saw. Yes, he was hurt. Very hurt. Yes, he left her behind and never bothered to look back.  She was right. He was selfish!

* * *

"Gauri, you want to talk about last night?" Mrs. Talwar asked as she settled on the steps outside the door of their house handing a cup filled with tea to Gauri.

Gauri hadn't really spoken about last night. She looked at Mrs Talwar. "It's a close chapter, Maasi."

"I was like an incomplete book until last night. It now feels like that the last chapter was finally written. It's over, forever." A silence fell and Gauri slowly took a sip. His image before eher eyes. He looked so hurt. It strangely felt good  to see that hurt. It felt oddly satisfying.

"So, is there a sequel?" Mrs. Talwar question made Gauri turn her head to look at her.

"Gauri, you still love him, don't you? I know you always loved him and still do. It is going to be hard if you don't accept that."

"I don't!" Gauri denied.

Mrs. Talwar looked at her quietly.

"I don't, no." Gauri repeated.

A sad smile drew up Mrs. Talwar face. Gauri was in pain and grief. Those experiencing grief go through a series of five emotions. Gauri was still in phase one, denial. Mrs. Talwar let her be. Maybe she should talk to Anika and find out what Omkara felt. But she knew her daughter well, Anika held Omkara responsible for Gauri's pain. Maybe Shivaay would be a better person to talk to.

* * *

"Hello, Shivaay?"

"Aun... Mumma, hi."

"Maybe I should call you often, you will perhaps drop the habit of calling me aunty." She said to which she heard her son in law chuckling, rather nervously.

"I called to talk about Omkara. Is Anika around?"

"Uh, no actually I am out. You couldn't reach.."

"No. I wanted to talk to you, Shivaay. How is Omkara doing?"

Her son in law went into a calculative pause.  

"I am just concerned," she added.

"He's uhh, in a tough spot. Right now he's drinking away again." She heard the despair in Shivaay's voice.

"Oh, listen Shivaay," she said, "try to keep him off alcohol, it shouldn't become a habit. Besides there's something I want you to do."

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-Anami!♡