CHAPTER 14
(AUTHOR’S NOTE: I don't want this story to be boring at all, because of which both the past and present will run together. You will also understand the difference between the past and present.)
*She opens the door and immediately hides behind it. Seeing no one in front, he comes inside carrying the bag and tiffin box, but he knows very well that it is his daughter's act, so he wants to make her happy. He comes inside very silently, as if he has really come looking for someone, but as soon as he enters the door, Avishka jumps and climbs on her father's back.
"Papa…."
Laughing, Kailash puts his hand back on his daughter's waist to prevent her from slipping off his back and falling. As he turns around, he can clearly hear her loud laughter. Meanwhile, his wife, Reema, comes towards the front. And she starts smiling after seeing both of them, then younger son Advait comes and rests his elbow on his mother's shoulder and complains to his mother.
"I told you that Papa loves Avi Di the most.”
As soon as he uttered these words, laughter resounded. Kailash comes there and says it loudly.
"Yes, I love my daughter the most because she is my pride and the reason for my life."*
She suddenly opens her eyes and sees Aashi in her arms, sleeping soundly on her chest. As soon as she sees her, she falls in love with this innocent soul again. With tearful eyes, she kisses her forehead and caresses her tenderly. Suddenly, she realizes that she is not alone in the room; Prakram is also present, prompting her to properly caress her dupatta. She did not know when she fell asleep with Aashi. Prakram had come into the room to take Aashi home, but he saw that Aashi was sleeping very lovingly clinging to Avishka's chest, and she too had kept her in her arms very lovingly, and perhaps she too had fallen asleep because very strong injections were being given, as he just found out from the doctor because she was repeatedly complaining of pain, due to which the doctor was also very worried.
Because Avishka was holding Aashi, he was unable to remove her from her arms. Consequently, he sat there, contemplating how he could lift his daughter. That is why he called Padma there after telling Armaan. Just then, he noticed tears streaming from Avishka's eyes, prompting him to silently gaze at her face. Either he is able to see her eyes, or the scarf flying lightly in front of her face gives him a glimpse of her face, which is no doubt very beautiful. Avishka immediately opens her eyes, kisses Aashi's forehead very lovingly, and caresses her. Prakram has been closely observing her every action for the past two days. She tenderly feeds Aashi and puts her to sleep, a commendable act considering the difficulty of feeding Aashi. Aashi hardly eats even a single roti (bread) in the whole day, whereas Avishka feeds her one to one and a half roti very lovingly and easily during dinner itself, due to which, for the last two days, Prakram also brings Aashi to the hospital here without any delay.
It is not at all that he has started trusting Avishka, but now he is finding it quite appropriate to bring Aashi to Avishka to fulfill his selfishness because Aashi not only listens to all her words but also eats the food very comfortably. Rather, he has noticed that Avishka explains many things to her very well, whether it is related to studies or understanding anything. Immediately, Avishka sits down, realizing that Prakram couldn't take Aashi away from her, as she had fallen asleep with her in her arms. Prakram also rises and begins to hold Aashi in his arms. As a result, Avishka carefully wraps Aashi in a blanket and hands her over to Prakram, ensuring that she doesn't disturb her sleep or feel cold when she leaves. Meanwhile, Padma has arrived there with Armaan. Seeing Padma coming there, Prakram looks at Avishka at a glance and then says to Padma.
"I told the doctor that my mother will be discharged tomorrow, and she (Avishka) will also be discharged in two days because she has repeatedly complained of pain, so the doctor wants to keep her here and get some tests done."
"I don't want any tests done; just get me discharged tomorrow; I don't want to stay here.”
This is the first time he has heard Avishka's direct voice. He looks at Armaan, who shakes his head and immediately tells Padma.
"Okay, so tomorrow you keep all your things ready because there's no special point in going home; we will take your people directly from here to Bundela House."
Padma smiles and shakes her head at him, due to which Armaan also smiles lightly. The smile on this old woman's face seems very relaxing to him, as he has become intimately familiar with the house they live in. Although it is a dilapidated hut, it is a rented house for which they are barely able to pay the rent. Armaan picks up Aashi's belongings, and Prakram takes his daughter away from there very nicely. Both of them comfortably sit in the car, ensuring that Aashi's sleep remains undisturbed. However, as soon as Aashi sits in the car, she places her hand on her father's face, feels his beard, and then speaks in a sleepy voice.
"I didn’t say goodbye to Avu.”
"On your behalf, I said goodbye to her."
In her sleep, Aashi smiles, gives her father a kiss, and then falls asleep, clinging to his chest. He kisses her forehead.
Prakram glances at Armaan. Two days have passed since he received his instructions, and Prakram is keen to conduct a thorough investigation to ensure his daughter's safety before welcoming any strangers into his home. Although he has given him two months to learn everything, he is still very interested in knowing whether he has found anything or not.
"Sir, it's becoming increasingly challenging to uncover certain information. I'm not sure why, but this is indeed the case. I have heard about Avishka's parents and brother; this entire family suddenly disappeared one and a half years ago, and they have not been found till date.”
"From your words, I feel like you want to convince me that something very bad has happened to this girl.”
"I don't want to convince you at all because I am sure that something really bad has happened to this girl; otherwise, someone's family suddenly disappears and she is found in a river in very bad condition. After that, she doesn't return to her previous life, but instead finds herself in an extremely difficult situation. What I mean to say is that this girl is highly educated and has also been a professor at a university. This makes her standard of living understandable. Maybe she is from the middle class, but it was a very good standard. Instead of returning to that standard, here she is making garlands to earn two meals a day and is very comfortable with these people, so I am forced to think that something really bad has happened there that this girl does not want to return."
Prakram understands this very well; he hugs Aashi tightly to his chest, kisses her forehead, and closes his eyes after looking outside.
*"Meeting like this is just a formality because we have decided that my son and your daughter are made for each other... Now we are just waiting for the marriage to happen as soon as possible."
After listening to Digvijay, everyone starts smiling. Prakram's eyes go towards the front, where Divya silently comes and sits on the coach in front of him with her eyes down. His first focus is on her curly hair, a strand of which hangs from her head to her face. He knows that he is going to marry this girl, and he has seen her many times at parties; this is the first time he is meeting her face-to-face.
"Divya met him, and he is Prakram Bundela, son of Digvijay Bundela."
Divya raises her eyes, looks towards Prakram, and smiles lightly, which forces him to smile towards her. *
The car stops with a jerk, and Prakram opens his eyes and looks towards his house. He immediately takes Aashi in his arms and brings her to his room, and without wasting any time, he lies down with Aashi on his chest. And while caressing her face very lovingly, he kisses her forehead and tells her.
"You are my life... I don’t trust anyone else in this world.”