OSO strode out of the meeting satisfied. The land owner had been hesitant to sell everything at once but Omkara had made it worth his while. Having already called off the detectives he had searching out his wife, he used their collective salary for the next month to give the middle-aged man a generous tip. Initially this land was being bought simply as an investment, but now that Gauri had made it her home, he would gift it to her. His first gift to her after marriage. 'Aansoo aur dard se toh behtar tofa hoga, Better gift than tears and pain,' the sarcastic voice that was reminiscent of his buddy Chulbul, and that had been his constant companion these past three years, piped up. Instantly Om's mood dropped. Gauri would be in no mood to accept any gifts currently, but his discovered acumen in business had to have some use. He would bribe, lure, trick and steal his way back into her life, and then he would give her all the happiness the world could offer and none of the pain.

Kabir (OSO's manager) rushed behind his boss, unsure whether he could risk interrupting his boss. OSO was volatile at the best of times, and today he had spent excessive amounts of money in a deal that just yesterday he had claimed was pointless. His boss's sudden enthusiasm this morning to get the job done had stumped the younger man, especially with the hefty tip he had paid the landowner, and he feared for his job and his neck if he got on his boss's bad side. however, OSO had given him a job and it was an even bigger risk to delay completing it. Kabir had been tasked with gathering information on his boss's wife in this small village - a task he had become accustomed to in all the places they visited, but what he had not gotten used to was the utter devastation that crossed OSO's face every time they came up empty. Following that look was an even angrier OSO. He sighed. This was his job, so like always he braced himself and called out to his boss.

"Sir, the details you requested from the village's residency office." Kabir never looked in the files before handing them to his boss anymore. The first few times he had hoped they contained good news, but after three years he knew the futility of that hope. Expecting an agonised husband and then VolcanoKara, Kabir stepped back, prepared for the full day of verbal lashings to come... but what he was not prepared for was the grin that crossed OSO's face. Suddenly, the cold businessman resembled his earlier media shots of a charismatic and mysterious artist. Kabir guessed he was for the first time seeing the Omkara behind the enigmatic OSO. Liking up from the file Omkara nodded at him.

"Good job, Kabir. Wrap up the rest of the paperwork and head out. You're needed at the office on Thursday, but until then take a break."

A break? Kabir had been working for this man for three years and despite countless all-nighters he had never been awarded a break. OSO's approval of good work usually meant extra work, and Kabir had always been slightly suspicious that the ex-artist was not aware that he was a human not a machine. Instead of pushing his luck by questioning his time-off, Kabir wisely focused on the other detail his boss had let slip.

"You're not joining us on the flight home, sir?" Why would OSO want to stay behind, surely not for the beautiful sights, as he knew his boss cared little for such things. It was amazing that this was the same Omkara Singh Oberoi that had once been proclaimed to have one of the most beautiful creative minds in India - a world renowned artist. From what he had seen of this man, he only had black, white and shades of grey in his life, nothing bright and colourful at all... barring the pictures of his wife that held a place of honour in every one of his offices. Those photos were a blast of colour in the dull rooms, the lady in them dressed in bright colours with an even brighter smile. Kabul wished for the millionth time that he could have met her - the girl who ruled OSO's heart. The most surprising thing though was that alongside the picture of the beautiful young girl in the main Mumbai office was the photo of an awkward looking boy, with strikingly familiar features to the girl, Harry Potter glasses and horrid hair. That was a mystery nobody in the office had solved or had the nerve to ask their boss.

"No. Home is where the heart is. For now Kashmir is home... this village is home." Omkara smiled at Kabir's bewildered face and patted his shoulder, which rather than reassuring him increased the poor boy's belief that OSO had lost his mind. "My wife... my Gauri is here Kabir. For now there is no place else I should be."

Understanding dawned on Kabir, who could not believe it. the elusive girl had finally been found. Glad for the man her ruefully admired, Kabir looked up at OSO.

"Do you need me to take care of anything in particular at the office, Sir?"

"I want you to get to work after Thursday's meeting on setting up base here. I do not know how long I intend to stay here." Just like that OSO was back to business. He barked out further instructions both specific to him and to relay to other members of the team. Finding his wife had not curbed OSO's need for perfection, but there was nothing cutting about his orders anymore, so Kabir left the discussion pleased.

After his manager's departure, Omkara turned his attention back to the file. Gauri was renting a small one bedroom house in the central part of the village. Given the meager rent demanded on the property, it must not bee in the best condition, but it's location had it in the safest part of the position Omkara concluded. He was pleased that Gauri had at least opted for the safer option as he could see from the records that there had been cheaper options in the corners of the village, but also surprised as he had always seen his wife as the type to jump into situations with little thought other than immediate benefits. She had changed.

Sorrow crossed Omkara's face. When he had finally been able to track down her address in Bareilly - having made the foolish decision to allow her temper to cool, and take the time to sort through his own feelings, then realising he had no clue where in the bustling city she lived - Omkara had been welcomed to the news of his Mother-in-laws passing. His heart had broken for his Gauri, and he had began the search for her in vigour. In the hopeless depression that followed, he had donned the mask of OSO and distanced himself from anything and everything that didn't involve making more money than he could ever spend. As his punishment he had embraced the very things he had scorned in the elite - for honestly, how was he any better than the worst of them? He had changed.

They say that change is as inevitable as the passing of time, but the thought that he could have shielded his Gauri from such upheaval would lay with him for the rest of his life.

Shaking off the gloomy thoughts that had swiftly encompassed him, Omkara read on. Outside of volunteering at the Orphanage (such a Gauri-like kindness) she had two jobs - one as a seamstress (to be expected as he still held onto the memories of clothes she had created for statues he had created, even if she had stripped them bear before leaving), and the other as a singer at a cafe in the closest town (a 45 minute bus journey away). Omkara had known his wife was skilled in singing - having been informed by Jhanvi of the tale of Chulbul's discovery by her - but she had never sung for him specifically, and a sudden urge gripped him to be an audience of her voice. Looking over the further details he found the number of the cafe and called them up only to find that Gauri had taken leave and reduced her hours. From next week she would perform on two nights a week (Friday and Saturday). Unsure how he felt about his wife taking a night shift performing, Omkara cut the call. This would be a topic they would need to discuss.

Picking up the file again Omkara turned the page and came across the shock of his life. It was not just one person occupying the house. There was a baby.

A month old baby... Gauri's baby.

Pain like Omkara had never felt ripped through him.

She had moved on... Before he could meet her again... She had moved on.

The file dropped form his hand and he fell to the ground on his knees (picture Omkara's face after Gauri tore the card and walked away).

She had found someone else.

She had a baby with someone else.

He was too late.

Omkara's whole being was wracked with grief. It was all... it was all finished.

Gauri was not his wife anymore. She belonged... she belonged to someone else.

He had waited... he had searched... for three years to find his Gauri... to find GOSO but instead he had found GKS three years later...

He wanted to die... he wanted this agony to end... The shattered man cried his pain out, uncaring of any potential witnesses - luckily the meeting had been at an isolated piece of land with only the mountains to hear his mourning.

Why?... Why give him hope, only to rip it away?

She had worn the shawl... she must still love him... so how could she?... How could she?... Could she?... Would she?

No.

No, she wouldn't.

They were still legally married and Gauri Kumari Sharma would never have a child out of wedlock... that was not her ShankarJi's teaching.

Wiping his tears Omkara searched through the rest of the documents, refusing to accept that she had spent all this time moving on from him.

Just as he was losing hope again, Omkara came across the last page in the file...

Photocopies of an adoption requests, and responses from the Orphanage.

Gauri had asked for a child. She wanted to adopt as a single-mother.

A refusal of first request.

A further request.

Another refusal.

Another request.

The sequence went on every month for six months. Six requests. Six refusals.

Then a longer letter.

A month ago the Orphanage had responded affirmatively. A new-born baby. Both parents killed in car crash. Mother passed during labour. No facility to care for it in the Orphanage.

The start of legal proceeding to adopt was about to begin. Gaur Kumari Sharma would officially become the mother of the baby girl named Aadya.

Aadya... A beautiful name coming from the Goddess Parvati... he would expect no less from Gauri.

Omkara began to grin maniacally.

She hadn't found someone else. She had spent all these years in which he had been failing at finding himself - finding his heart - in finding herself. In finding Aadya.

(Was gonna end it here... but not even I am that mean)

Omkara gathered all the fallen papers and restored them in the file. His happiness had no bounds. Gaur was still his, what more could he ask for. She must have applied for adoption to fight the loneliness that had consumed him in the past three years. Gauri must have missed him the way he had missed her.

Now Omkara was here. Now he would fill the emptiness in her life. They could have as many biological children as they wanted - she didn't need to adopt.

Omkara sprinted to his car and practically zoomed to the abode he knew his wife resided in. Practically shaking with nerves, he knocked the door, ready for her anger and her refusal, but determined to make her his again. She needed him. That's why she was making spontaneous decisions like adoption... She needed to fill the Omkara sized hole in her life.

The door crept open, but he found himself facing a middle-aged woman rather than his wife.

Remembering his manners, Omkara greeted her.

"Namaste. Main yahan par Gauri se milne aayan hoon. Woh ghar par hain? Hello. I am here to see Gauri. Is she at home?" He asked politely.

Surprised by the handsome figure at the door, Hema lost her speech momentarily. Then remembering herself she answered him.

"Gauri abhi bahar gayi hai. Kaha that usne ke woh jaldi laute gi. Aap andar aaye. Gauri is out right now. She said she will return soon. You can come inside." Hema moved aside to let the good-looking stranger into her neighbour's house. He looked wealthy and good potential grooms were hard to come by - Hema had two unwed daughter's at home. She decided to sweeten him up with tea and snacks before launching her investigation into his life - personal and professional.

After introducing herself, Hema left Omkara in the small living room that had been beautifully decorated by Gauri. That sweet girl sure had an artistic eye even if she was making the worst decisions with her own life. Adopting when she was so young and unwed. What could you do but shake your head at todays youth?

As Omkara settled onto the old but properly cleaned chair next to the fire, he heard a soft cry form the corner of the room. Getting up he approached the cot. Wondering at his own ability to quiet a child and deliberating whether to call back Gauri's neighbour, Omkara looked into the cot.

Two tear-glossed eyes looked up at him as the baby stopped wailing and Omakara fell in love.

This was Aadya.

Immediately he realised that this baby had not taken his place in Gauri's life, but rather made a place for herself in his wife's heart, in the exact same way she had created a home in his own with one look.

Leaning down, Omkara picked the baby up. From that moment he became a father. This child that his wife had planned to adopt had become a part of him.

"Hello baby. It's great to meet you Aadya. I'm your father."

Aadya blinked up with curious eyes at him and he pressed a kiss to her forehead.

He had come looking for his wife, but found his family instead.

"Now if only Mama agrees to go home, baby. The rest of your family are waiting for you."

He sat down with the now content baby, waiting for his wife and the mother of his child to return home.

Don't kill me for the way Omkara initially thought about Aadya.., It's just I wanted the daughter to personally win over her father, and not just be an extension of his Gauri. Like Ri, Kara also fell in love with his baby girl at first sight... only now he has to fight to make her his, which will drive RiKara's reconciliation more quickly.

A bit of trivia for anyone with some free time... Find the names of as many of the old parts in the Changed series as you can in this update.