Aradhya's POV

"Malik! Malik!"

(Sir! Sir!)

One of the servants came running inside while I was pouring tea for my husband. He hated being disturbed whenever he was drinking tea.

"Kyu subah subah chilla rahe ho?"

(Why are you yelling so early in the morning?)

"Malik, Gulzar Sultan...! Police ne unhe giraftar kiya hai! Aaj ki akhbaar mei chaapa hai! Dekhiye-!"

(Malik! Gulzar Sultan...! Police arrested him! It's in today's papers! Look-!)

My husband nearly lunged from his chair, startling me. Even Keshav came sprinting down the stairs when he heard the news, and both brothers read the headlines with wide eyes.

"Maa...! Maa! Gulzar ko police ne pakad liya!" My husband shouted ecstatically. It felt like even the baby was excited about the news as the troublemaker kicked, making my breath hitch.

(Maa...! Maa! The police have caught Gulzar!)

"Theek ho, jaan?" My husband held my hand immediately. His concerned eyes were searching mine for any sort of discomfort. I had told him multiple times not to touch me in public like this, but he never listened. But it was mostly because he gave me butterflies whenever he looked at me that way.

(Are you alright, dear?)

"Mm..." I hummed, trying to hide my blush with the veil.

"Sanjana kaha hai? Usse bolna sabse zaroori hai. Sanjana!" Keshav shouted at the top of his lungs.

(Where's Sanjana? It's most important to tell her. Sanjana!)

Come to think of it, she still hadn't come downstairs. Maa told me that maybe the children had kept her awake all night, so she was fine with her sleeping in for a few more hours. But I never recalled her being this late. Was she even awake?

"Woh ladki abhi tak uthi nahi?" Maa asked when there was no response.

(That girl is still sleeping?)

"Mai jaakar dekhti hu... Shayad bacho ke saath so rahi hogi..." I smiled.

(I'll go check on her... She must be asleep with the children...)

"Theek hai, use jaldi jaakar bulao beta. Pata nahi kaha mar gayi hai," Maa sighed.

(Okay, go fetch her quickly. I don't know what she's up to.)

My overcautious husband was sceptical about letting me climb the stairs. But I did it anyway before he could protest. Usually, I'd hear the children crying or complaining early in the morning, but surprisingly, the room was quiet from outside.

"Chachi..."

I turned around to find little Janaki coming out of Saarang's bedroom while rubbing her eyes.

"Janu... Aap Maa ke saath nahi soyi?" I brushed the little angel's bed hair. She blinked at me first, and then it seemed to hit her that she hadn't slept with her mother. Tears appeared instantly in her large eyes and she began screaming and crying for her mother.

(Janu... Didn't you sleep with your Mother?)

"Maa ko abhi laati hu beta, ro mat," I tried picking her up, but she pushed my hands away and sat on the floor stubbornly while flailing he arms, "M-maa! Maaa!" She cried.

(I'll fetch your mother right away beta, don't cry.)

I sighed and decided to call Sanjana first. But the moment I pushed open her bedroom door, the sight shocked me.

She was in bed, fast asleep and naked. But the worst part was that she was cuddled against a sleeping man's chest. I was grateful that they were at least covered with the blanket. He seemed oddly familiar though, and I couldn't make out his face until I stepped closer.

My soul left my body when I saw Bhairav Chaudhary, my brother-in-law.

W-was I imagining things?

The man stirred in his sleep and tightened his grasp around Sanjana. He leaned closer and began nuzzling against her face with his eyes closed.

At that very moment, Sanjana barely opened her eyes. I rushed out of the room. Why did I ever decide to go in there?!

The beloved Sanjana I knew was having an affair with a stranger... She... She had done an unimaginable thing! And the worst part was that the stranger looked exactly like my brother-in-law.

How was any of it possible?

"Maa... M-maa..!" I scrambled down the stairs. The sight was far too traumatising for me to endure alone, and before I knew it, I broke down into tears.

"Aradhya... Jaan... Kya hua?!" Bhargav held me first, and even Maa was startled as I struggled to catch my breath.

(Aradhya... Love... What happened?!)

"Maa... Sanjana... Woh... Woh!"

(Maa... Sanjana... She... She!)

"Kya hua use?!" Maa clutched her chest.

(What happened to her?!)

"Woh kisi paraye mard ke saath... Bistar par..." I clenched my eyes shut. I'd do anything to wipe that memory out of my head. Why did I have to see them like that?

(She's in bed... With some stranger...)

Keshav and my husband's faces turned cold in an instant. They sprinted up the stairs, and even Maa followed them upstairs with tears in her eyes, "Barbaad ho chuki hai parivar... Sabhi barbaad ho chuke hai!"

(Our family is ruined... Everyone is ruined!)

My face turned red just thinking about Sanjana in that awkward position. Was she really that desperate for a man's touch? But if she was seeing someone, I was sure that she would tell me. Besides, I had never seen her even minutely close with any man except her devars.

Who could the stranger be?

But most importantly, why did he look like Jeth Ji?

I couldn't sit idle, so I followed them upstairs as well. Maa's scream tore through everyone, and by the time I reached the door, both Sanjana and the man were wide awake. In fact, she was in his shirt now while he was wearing a dhoti with a shawl wrapped across his chest, glaring at everyone present.

Sanjana's face was beet red, and she had pulled the sheets all the way up to her nose in shame.

Maa clutched my husband's arm, "L-lagta hai mera samay aa gaya... Mujhe... Bhagwan ne swarg se mere bete ko bheja hai... Mujhe bulane keliye... Mere saamne Bhairav khada hai."

(I- I think my time has come... God has sent my son to me from heaven... He's sent my son to fetch me... Bhairav is standing before my eyes.)

"Phir mera bhi samay aa gaya hai, Maa... Mujhe bhi Bhaiya dikhayi de raha hai," Keshav's jaw dropped.

(Then I think my time has also come, Maa... I can see Bhaiya too.)

"Mujhe bhi..." Bhargav swallowed.

(Even me...)

The lookalike clenched his fists and slapped Keshav without hesitation, "Tumhare Bhabhi ke kamre mei aise ghus aane ki ijaazat kisni di, huh?!"

(Who the hell gave you permission to barge into your Bhabhi's room like this, huh?!)

Keshav's eyes widened even more as he held his cheek, "Y-yeh... Yeh sapna nahi hai...? Aap... Aap zinda hai, Bhaiya... Bhaiya!!"

(Th-this... This isn't a dream...? You... You're alive, Bhaiya... Bhaiya!!)

He hugged the man tightly and began bawling his eyes out. I watched my husband's eyes tear up as well, and he hugged his brother as well, nearly knocking him over. Both of them cried like babies. In fact, the last time I had seen my darling cry like that was on the night of his brother's funeral.

"Bh-bhaiya... Aap aa gaye... Aap... Sach mei yaha ho, Bhaiya..." He sobbed bitterly.

(Bh-bhaiya... You're here... You... You came back to life, Bhaiya!)

But at the same time, Maa clutched my hand as she lost consciousness.

"Maa!"

All three of them held her and slowly helped her lie on the floor with her head against Jeth Ji's chest.

"Mujhe vishwas nahi hota..." She whispered, touching his face as he smiled at her, "Mai hi hu, Maa. Do saal pehle Gulzar ke logon ne mujhe maar daalne ki koshish ki thi. Par meri gaadi mein dusra aadmi tha. Aur jab unki chaal asaphal ho gayi, un logo ne mujhe samundar mei phek diya... Jab hosh aaya, mujhe jaan pada ki meri mrityu ho gayi hai. Gulzar ko sabak sikhane ke liye do saalo se naatak kar raha hu, Maa. Ab mai wapas aa gaya hu. Aapko chinta karne ke liye maafi chahta hu."

(I can't believe my eyes...)

(It's me, Maa. Gulzar's men tried to kill me two years back. But it was another man in my car. When their plan became unsuccessful, those people threw me in the ocean... When I became conscious, I realised that I had died. I've been putting on this act for the past two years just to teach Gulzar a lesson, Maa. I'm back now. I'm sorry for making you worry.)

He turned to his brothers, who still had tears in their eyes, and ruffled their heads, "Tum dono ko bhi. Shaadi hui hai aur ab bhi aise rote ho?" He squeezed Bhargav's cheek, making him cry only worse, and I squeezed his shoulder, lending a little comfort. He held my hand gratefully.

(I'm sorry for worrying you both as well. You're married now and still crying like a baby?)

"Ab Gulzar jail mei hai... Kya aapne...?"

(Gulzar is in jail now... Did you...?)

"Haan," he nodded and helped Maa stand up. She was still weak as she held his hand, "Par beta... T-tumhari... Dadi..." She began weeping bitterly into his chest. Dadi had died of a heart attack because the pain of losing her young grandchild was far too much to bear.

(Yes.)

(But son... Y-your Dadi...)

Jeth Ji sighed, hugging his mother tighter, "Pata hai... Sanjana ne batayi thi... Mujhe maaf kijiye, mai bhi us samay aapke paas nahi aa paaya..."

(I know... Sanjana had told me... I'm sorry. I couldn't be near you at that time.)

Maa shook her head and cupped his face, "Nahi beta... Tum wapas aa gaye, mere paas. Utna hi kaafi hai. Ghar ka roshan wapas aa gaya."

(No beta... You came back to me. It's more than enough. The light of this house has returned.)

Raghav sneezed at that time, and we turned to find the kids watching us quietly from the hallway. Their eyes were specifically fixed on their Father. But when we caught them looking, they ran past us into the bedroom and climbed into bed with their mother.

"Aap raat ko kaha chali gayi, Maa!" Raghav complained as he hugged her. Even Janaki did the same. "Maaf karna..." She whispered, still a little embarrassed as she tried to smile at the kids.

(Where did you go in the night, Maa!)

(I'm sorry...)

"Mujhe zara baithna hai..." Maa mumbled and glanced at Sanjana who couldn't even look at her, "Taiyar hone ke baad nashte ke liye bachon ke saath neeche aa jao. Tumse bahut baate karni hai. Mai neeche jaa rahi hu." She sighed and went downstairs. I realised she didn't say anything more as she didn't want to embarrass Sanjana further.

(I need to sit for a while... Come downstairs for breakfast after freshening up. There's a lot to talk about. I'm going downstairs.)

"Par maanna padega," Keshav snickered, "Aap wapas aate hi chalu ho gaye-"

(But I must admit. You dived straight into business after returning-)

"Chup reh, badtameez." It was my husband who snapped at him this time. "Bhaiya aap aaram kijiye... Hum sab dekh lenge. Koi jaldi nahi hai."

(Shut up, you moron.)

(Bhaiya, you can take rest... We'll take care of everything. There's no hurry.)

Jeth Ji gave us a soft smile, "Shukriya... Waise, pehle bol nahi paaya... Mubarak ho tum dono ko. Mera Bhai baap banne wala hai. Isse aur khushi ki baat kya ho sakti hai?"

(Thank you... By the way, I couldn't say it earlier... Congratulations to both of you. My brother is going to be a Father. Nothing could make me happier.)

His words made my cheek crimson. Especially because of the way my husband was glancing at me. I thanked him politely, and just before we could leave the room, Keshav gave his brother a tight hug, "Ghar wapas aane ke liye shukriya, Bhaiya. Aapke bina kuch nahi ho paata..."

(Thank you for coming back home, Bhaiya. We were really struggling without you...)

"Aisi koi baat nahi hai," Jeth Ji replied while hugging him back, "Tum dono ne sab kuch bahut ache se sambhali hai. Mujhe garv hai tum par... Baba ko bhi hogi."

(Not at all. You've both handled everything so well... I'm really proud of you both, even dad would be.)

It had been a long time since I saw my husband look that happy.