Keshav opened the door again this time, but he didn't look very welcoming. His eyes were cold as he glared at me, but I could still see the hurt in them. Payal was right beside him as she tugged his sleeve, "Andar bulaiye... Dekhiye kitna bheeg gaye hain. Bimar pad sakte hain." But Keshav didn't respond.

(Call him inside, please... Look at how drenched he's gotten in the rain. He can fall sick.)

"Mujhe maaf kardo, Keshav..." I cleared my throat. Both he and Payal glanced at each other in surprise.

(Forgive me, Keshav...)

"Aap maafi kyu maang rahe ho? Aapne kaha tha ki main maafi ke layak nahi hu," my brother replied.

(Why are you apologising? Didn't you say that I'm not worth an apology?)

"Maine tumhe bacha kehkar kabhi tumhare baaton par gaur nahi kiya, maine do saalon ke liye tum par ghar ki saari zimmedariyan rakh li... Maaf kardo Keshav... Aur ab Payal ke saath mai yeh nahi dekh paaya ki tum kitna khush ho... Sirf samaaj ke baare mei soch raha tha... Tumhare biwi se maine kabhi achhe se bartaav nahi kiya... Isliye bhi maafi chahta hu."

(I kept disregarding your choices by treating you as a child. I placed all responsibilities of our household on your shoulders for two years... I'm sorry, Keshav... And I wasn't able to see how happy you are with Payal... I was only thinking about what others would say... I was disrespectful towards your wife... Please forgive me for that as well.)

I rubbed the back of my head while staring down. Apologising was definitely the hardest thing ever, especially when it came to your own blood.

"Tum dono ghar wapas aa jao... Maa se aakar milo, Bhargav bhi bahut prateeksha kar raha hai... Par woh bahar dikhata nahi... Meri saari galtiyo keliye maafi chahta hu, Keshav."

(Please come back home... I want you both to meet Maa; even Bhargav is expecting you, but he doesn't show it on the outside... Please forgive all the mistakes I made, Keshav.)

My brother was quiet for a while, and I glanced up to find tears in his eyes. Payal clutched the back of his shirt, urging him to say something, but my brother swallowed his emotions. "Nahi Bhaiya... Hum nahi aa sakte wapas. Gaonwalo ne bhi hume bahar nikala hai... Hum waha aakar aapko pareshan karna nahi chahte."

(No Bhaiya... We can't come back home. Even the villagers kicked us out... We don't want to come back and cause you trouble.)

There was one last option left, and even if it wounded my pride deeply, I didn't care anymore. Payal grew startled when I joined my hands before her, "Payal... Maine tumhare saath itna ghatiya bartaav kiya hai, mujhe maaf kardo. Bachpan se ise apne bache ki tarah bada kiya hu... Isliye itna pareshan tha. 0Main shayad yahan Sanjana ke kehne par aaya hoon, par main bhi tum dono ko wapas chahta hoon. Bahut badi galti ho gayi. Maa udaas hai... Haveli mein jaan nahi hai... Tum log mere karan aise chale gaye... Bas, Maa se aakar mil lo... Gaonwalo ko mai dur rakhunga. Saari cheezo ki intezam mai karunga. Ghar wapas aa jao... Vinti karta hu."

(Payal... I treated you awfully, please forgive me. I've raised him like my own kid since our childhood... That's why I was so bothered. Maybe I've come this far because Sanjana asked me to, but even I want you both back home. I made a huge mistake. Maa is upset... The haveli feels like a funeral house... You both had to leave so abruptly because of me... Please just come meet Maa... I'll keep the villagers away. I'll take care of everything. Just come back home... I'm begging you.)

They looked startled. Even I never imagined I'd have to bow down before someone like this. Payal began urging Keshav as well, "Itna puch rahe hai, Keshav... Maa se milna chahte ho na? Humesha mujhse kehte the na..."

(He's pleading so much, Keshav... Don't you want to meet Maa? You always talk about her right...)

My brother gulped. He glanced at her without saying anything, then back at me. Since my brother couldn't give a definitive answer, Payal spoke up in his place.

"Thakur Ji... Aap aur maafi mat maangiye. Hum zaroor haveli wapas aayenge aapke saath. Chinta mat kijiye."

(Thakur Ji... Please don't apologise anymore. We'll definitely come back to the haveli with you. Don't worry.)

Keshav gave her a look of disapproval, but he eventually gave in to her wish.

"Phir abhi nikalte hai," I replied, checking my watch. It was around six in the evening, and we could reach our village in two days.

(Then let's leave right away.)

"Abhi?" Keshav asked in surprise, "Par gaon toh itna dur hai-"

(Right now? But the village is so far away-)

"Main chalaunga gaadi. Kuch dino keliye samaan taiyar karo, baaki ke samaan hum baad mei aakar le lenge. Mai jald se jald tum dono ko ghar wapas le jaana chahta hu... Aur Payal..." I hesitated a little, "Hum ab parivar hai... Parayo ki tarah Thakur Ji mat bulao. Jeth Ji kaafi hai."

(I'll drive the Jeep. Pack your things for a few days; we'll get the remaining luggage after a while. I need to take you home as soon as possible... And Payal... We're family now... Don't call me Thakur Ji like strangers. Jeth Ji is fine.)

She blinked at me in surprise. A sweet smile bloomed on her face, "Shukriya."

(Thank you.)

Even though Keshav tried convincing me to leave the next day, I compelled them to pack their things. I wanted to go home and sleep peacefully in Sanjana's arms as soon as possible. Why couldn't they understand?

Payal gave me a towel to dry myself while they packed their things. After one hour, they locked their apartment, and we were on our way back to Kwashipur.

"Pichle do dino se aap bina soye gaadi chala rahe ho, Bhaiya..." Keshav mumbled while glancing at me from the passenger seat. I changed the gear while speeding ahead, "Toh?"

(You've been driving without rest for the past two days, Bhaiya...)

(So what?)

"Aap thake hue honge. Mai chala sakta hu," he sighed.

(You must be tired. I can drive...)

"Nahi... Itna toh kar sakta hu. Tum dono aaram karo."

(No... This is the least I can do. You both can rest.)

Keshav eyed me quietly with a smile, "Lagta hai Bhabhi ne aapko bahut daanta..."

(Looks like Bhabhi really scolded you...)

I frowned, "Kya?"

(What?)

"Maine kabhi socha bhi nahin tha ki aap milne aaoge... aur maafi maangoge, yeh toh bilkul bhi nahin."

(I never thought you'd come to meet us... Let alone apologise.)

I sighed. There was no strength in me to retort. Sanjana was my priority, and it had always been that way. That night when I had gotten drunk and violent because of Keshav, I never meant to hurt her. I was not even in my senses when I threw the glass, and the last thing I expected was the shards to injure her. There was no excuse for my actions, so I was willing to go to any extent to show her I was truly sorry.

Besides, the last thing I wanted to do was agitate my pregnant wife. It would be bad for both her and the baby.

I drove for a very long time, and as Keshav was saying, my exhaustion was slowly catching up to me. I also felt quite feverish after being drenched in the evening rain. But I kept telling myself that I had to hold on just a little longer.

We stopped at a dhabba for dinner, but I only drank chai to stay awake. Keshav kept asking whether he could drive and I agreed to allow him in the daytime. Both of them were asleep in the backseat as I drove until daybreak. If anything, my fever had only worsened.

After Keshav had woken up, we stopped for breakfast again, and I allowed him to drive while I slept until lunch. Then again, it was quite annoying how we had to stop two more times because Payal was very much uncomfortable sitting in the Jeep for the whole day. At the pace we were going, we'd reach home by the next day morning, so I put up with their whining and took charge of the wheel again at night.

Through the early hours of the day, I took sips of chai from my flask and managed to drive without breaks until I saw the gates of my haveli.

A/N - Since many requested, here's a double update to make up for yesterday :)