I
"Don't go, please"!
Priya was stunned. Was her most ardent dream coming true? Was Mr. Kapoor asking her to stay back, to re-enter his life again? She went into a reverie...the three of them in Kapoor Mansion, Pihu running amok through the house, with Pawan, Tarun and all other staff at her beck and call, and Nandini mom...
The moment Priya remembered Nandini, she came out of her stupor. And all those words from 5 years ago came flooding back. How she had threatened her with sending Pihu to an orphanage just to get her to separate from Ram! Priya had always felt that Nandini did not like her, and did not give warm vibes, but that fateful day was when she learnt exactly how much she hated her, and how extreme a step she was prepared to take to get her out of Ram's life! How she had made her say those horrible words to Mr. Kapoor, that the baby was not his, but Krish's.! She knew Ram would not believe her, and he didn't. He immediately demanded a paternity test!Nandini came and took him away, and God knows what she fed to him that since that day he had never turned back to look at her!
Until now!
"Priya? Did you hear me? Please don't go. I need to talk to you. I need your help."
The last word struck Priya! Mr. Kapoor needed HER help! He had done so much for her and her family in the short time that they had been married. In fact, even after she betrayed his trust in such a terrible way, even after his bachhi Shivina lost her life because of HER family, he did not turn their back on them! He may have stopped all contact, but he kept his promise of helping with Ishaan's education, also he helped Sandy in her career, so much so that she had improved so much and even got a promotion! That was the core of the man, already so badly bruised and beaten mentally, and she had delivered the final blow! So today, if Mr. Kapoor needed her help, she was going to do everything in her power to help him!
"Yes Mr Kapoor. I will help you but Pihu... She is sleeping and she doesn't have a very good opinion of you. I don't want to upset her."
"Yes Priya I understand. Could we go somewhere and talk privately?"
"Let's go to the bakery Mr Kapoor. No one will disturb us there".
II
As Priya opened the door to the bakery and entered with Mr. Kapoor, memories came flooding back fro both of them! Ram remembered Priya, the night before their wedding, covered in flour, and shouting in her inimitable tone from behind the the counter not to leave without paying! He remembered his conversation with Meera Maa (he did not even want to think about that woman now!) before the sangeet, he remembered all the cupcakes he had from this bakery - his favourite in all of Mumbai; he remembered how Priya broke down in the bakery after learning about Vedika and most of all he remembered her telling him those three magic words standing right here! A tear crept into his eye, he hurriedly wiped it away. He didn't want Priya to think he missed her. He needed her for the deal, to convince the minister. And after that she could go back to where she came from, she could go back to living her happy life with Krish and their daughter!
Priya was in tears too. "Main aap ke liye marr bhi sakti hoon Mr. Kapoor, kyon ki main aap se pyar karti hoon. I love you." Her last happy memory before Pihu, no well, second last. The night that followed, where so many promises had been made, seemingly for eternity, but which came crashing down with their lives a few days later!.
"Tell me, Mr. Kapoor. How can I help you?"
"I need you to be my wife Priya."
Priya's mind went into a turmoil. What was Mr. Kapoor saying? Had he come to know that Pihu was his? Had he forgiven her? Why did he want her back?
"Don't misunderstand me. I don't want you back. I mean, you are happy in your life with Krish and Pihu, why would you even want to come back to me? But, the thing is, I am in trouble and without your help I can go to jail."
Jail. The very word brought back traumatic memories for Priya. Ram didn't know, but Nandini had bribed the jail staff to torture her everyday. Even while pregnant with Pihu, she was made to life heavy weights, she was beaten badly till she was black and blue. She cried and cried in her cell everyday, cursing her luck and thinking how the curse of her father had come true for her. After the incident, she had cut off ties with all her family members. Sara and Maa had tried a few times, but she had turned them away. She did not want them to see her like this, because they would have gone straight to Mr. Kapoor and he would have felt guilty and got her released, not because he loved her, but because he was a very good human being. When Pihu was born, she contacted Krish and asked him to take care of her till she was out of prison. And he had done exactly that...
"Priya? You won't help me right?" Ram said in a disappointed tone. He didn't understand why, but he had thought that Priya would agree. Damn it, she owed him that much!"
"What exactly do you need from me Mr. Kapoor? I mean, what do you mean, be your wife?"
"I need you to pretend to be my wife for 7 days, till I convince the minister and the deal is signed. The minister thinks I am some kind of Casanova, I need to convince him that I am a family man and for that I need you and Pihu to help me."
Priya's heart sank. She was aware of Ram's reputation in last few years; she had read about it in various magazines and gossip columns. Despite being away from him, she devoured every small piece of news about Mr. Kapoor. To be honest, she felt a bit sad when she saw all those glamorous girls on Mr. Kapoor's arms, almost falling upon themselves to be seen with him. She always had felt that she was a misfit in his life; maybe he was indeed happier without her around. But then again, there was something between them that went above all these superficialities...or was there?
"And what do I tell Pihu Mr. Kapoor? I don't want to involve her in all such drama."
"You owe me this much Priya. Please."
"But what about your mom? Will she agree?"
"Mom realises that the deal is important, else Shubham and I will go to jail. She has already lost one child, she cannot lose another..."
"Ok, Mr. Kapoor, I will help you. And I will convince Pihu too."
"Thank you Priya." And suddenly, out of nowhere, Ram felt an inner peace, the kind that he had never felt in the last 5 years.
to be continued...
