It was late night. Kavin was busy completing his pending files. Sonam came into his room and smiled as she saw him working.

"Bhaiya"...She called out sweetly.

Kavin looked up at her from his files as he heard her voice.

"Sonam!"...He uttered with a smile.

"Aapke liye coffee laayi hoon"...Sonam said, giving him a coffee mug.

Kavin smiled and kept the coffee mug on his study table.

"Kab tak jaagne ka iraada hai?"...Sonam asked, sitting on the bed.

"Jab tak kaam poora na ho jaaye...Dekho na saara din to picnic mein tum logon ke saath guzaara aur ab ye files...Itni important hain ki subah tak nahin di to gadbad ho jaayegi"...Kavin said, sipping his coffee.

"Bhaiya"...Sonam called out sweetly.

"Haan"...Kavin uttered, looking at her.

"Agar meri bhabhi hoti, to ye files hatakar aapko hukm deti - chalo chalkar so jao, subah jaldi uthna hai...Aur aap...Aap jhat se jaakar so jaate"...Sonam said dreamily and giggled at him.

"Achchha!"...Kavin exclaimed, looking at her.

"Hmmm...Aur agar aaj hamari maa hoti, to aapko samjhati - Beta agar ek anjaan ladki ne tumhe dhokha diya aur shaadi ke waqt par bhaag gayi to tum kyun sanyasi bane jaa rahe ho"...Sonam said softly, putting her hands around his neck from behind.

Kavin chuckled and kept his hands at her arms.

"Are Sonu!...Main kahan sanyasi bane jaa raha hoon...Ye to shukar karo ladki shaadi se pehle bhaag gayi, agar shaadi ke baad bhaag jaati to main kisi ko mooh dikhane ke layak hi na rehta"...He said.

Sonam sighed and came in front of him.

"Achchha ye bataiye aapko meri friends kaisi lagi?"...She asked softly.

"Achchhi hain...Bahut achchhi hain"...Kavin replied with a smile.

"Achchha...Ab ye bataiye aapko sabse jyada koun pasand aayi?"...Sonam asked softly, putting her arms around his neck as she stood beside him.

Kavin looked at her as he got what she was upto.

"Riya, Kirti, Anu, Jyoti, Malvika...Jiska bhi naam lenge, usi se aapki shaadi hogi"...Sonam said softly.

Kavin stood up from his chair and looked at her.

"Sonu...Jo tumhare bhaiya ki jeevan sangini ban sake, wo inme se koi nahin"...Kavin said with a soft smile.

"To phir wo koun hai?...Jo bhi ho, main use mana loongi...Papa ka armaan poora ho jaayega...Mujhe meri bhabhi mil jaayegi...Aapki zindagi sanwar jaayegi...Koun hai wo?...Bataiye na bhaiya"...Sonam said softly, holding his hands.

"Uska naam hai...Preeti"...Kavin said with a placid smile.

"Preeti!"...Sonam uttered shockingly, leaving his hands.

Kavin looked at her and nodded.

"Preeti!...Kartik bhaiya ki vidhwa!...Ek bachche ki maa!"...Sonam exclaimed, looking at him.

Kavin's smile faded as he heard her words.

"Kya aap pagal ho gaye hain!...Kya duniya bhar ki kunwari ladkiyan mar chuki hain jo aapne aisa socha!...Ya phir vidhwa vesh ki aad mein Preeti hi aap par dore daalte rahi hai!"...Sonam continued angrily.

"Sonam!"...Kavin shouted at the top of his voice, raising his right hand to slap her.

Sonam's eyes brimmed up with tears as it was the first time in her whole life that he had raised his hand to slap her. Kavin took his hand back as his eyes welled up with tears too.

"Sonam main kabhi ye soch bhi nahin sakta tha, meri behan kichad aur gangaajal mein fark nahin samajhti"...He uttered angrily with tear brimmed eyes.

He went near the window of his room and looked at the night sky.

"Tum jaa sakti ho!"...He yelled angrily.

Sonam walked outside the room with tear brimmed eyes. Kavin also kept looking at the night sky tearfully while thinking about Purvi.

At the other side, Purvi was crying silently while looking at Kartik and Preeti's photograph. She wiped her tears and hid their photograph under her pillow when Dipankar entered inside her room.

"Jee papa"...She uttered, looking at him.

Dipankar: Bahu...Ye insurance policy ke documents hain...

"Insurance policy?"...Purvi mumbled.

"Haan...Kartik ki lakh rupaye ki insurance policy...Tum logon ke purane pate se laut kar aayi hai...Isme jahan jahan tumhare sign ki zaroorat hai wahan wahan sign kar do"...Dipankar said, giving her the insurance policy documents.

"Main sign karoon?"...Purvi mumbled in a small voice.

"Haan...Tumhare hi naam to hai"...Dipankar said with a smile.

"To kya hua!...Aap unke papa hain...Aap hi sign kar dijiye"...Purvi said with a small smile.

"Bahu sarkaari maamlon mein ye sab nahin chalta"...Dipankar said with a smile, sitting on the sofa.

Purvi: Lekin wo baat aisi hai papa ki main...

"Main jaanta hoon bahu tumhare dil par kya guzar rahi hai"...Dipankar said sadly, thinking about Kartik.

He stood up from the sofa and went near her.

"Lekin sign tumhe hi karne honge...Lo...Sign karke kal subah driver ke haathon Kavin ke paas bhijwa dena...Uski wahan jaan-pehchaan hai, kaam jaldi ho jaayega...Lo"...Dipankar said, giving her the insurance policy documents.

Purvi took the documents. Dipankar smiled and left the room.

"Ab kya karogi Purvi?...Preeti ke signatures?...Jaalsaazi?...Jaanti ho iska anjaam kya hoga!"...Purvi thought to herself with tear brimmed eyes.

Meanwhile Preeti's voice hit her ears (Her imagination)...

Daro mat Purvi...Mujhe koi nahin pehchaanta...Ab tum hi Preeti ho...Tum hi is ghar ki bahu ho...Tum hi Aarush ki maa ho...Aur ye documents sign karna tumhari zimmedaari hai, jo tumhe nibhani hai...Yaad rakho Purvi...Tumne mujhse waada kiya tha.

Purvi wiped her tears and signed the documents.

Meanwhile Suhas's voice hit her ears (Her imagination)...

Haha...Ye baat hui na Purvi...Oh sorry!...Preeti...Main sirf itna chahta hoon ki jo daav aaj tumne maara hai usme aadha hissa mera hai.

"Nahin!"...Purvi uttered angrily with tears, closing her eyes and ears with her hands.

She calmed herself down. She opened her eyes slowly and removed her hands from her ears after taking a deep breath.

"Purvi...Tod do saari majbooriyon ke bandhan...Aur bata do Kavinji ko sab kuchh"...She thought to herself calm mindedly.

She wrote down a note on a paper and kept it with the insurance policy documents.

Next morning, Purvi gave the insurance policy documents along with her letter to their driver who was to fetch it to Kavin. The driver was passing by the hall and mistakenly the letter slipped from the documents and fell down on the floor. He walked outside the house unaware of it. Dipankar saw all that as he came into the hall. He went and picked up the letter.

"Are Mahesh!"...He called out his driver who had drove off by then.

He sighed and looked at the pamphlet of the letter.

"Private...Mr. Kavin Sinha"...He read out what that was written on it.

He tore the pamphlet and took out the letter. He opened it...

Kavinji,

Aaj main aapke saamne apni saari majbooriyon ke bandhan todne ki himmat kar rahi hoon. Aaj main aapko sab kuchh bata dena chahti hoon. Aap mujhe Preeti samajhte hain lekin main Preeti nahin Purvi hoon. Wahi Purvi jisne aapki zindagi barbaad kar di thi. Meri sabse badi bhool thi jab main vivaah mandap se bhaag gayi.

Purvi.

Dipankar was shocked to the core after reading it. He stood frozen at his place and his eyes glistened with heavy tears. He was feeling betrayed at that moment.