Roohi looked at him surprised. “Aap unki side le rahe ho jinki wajah se aap aur abhir 6 saal ek doosre se door the?” Roohi asked incredulously.
“Mai unki side le raha hoon Roohi Poddar jinki wajah se mere dono bacche aaj Zinda hain.” Abhimanyu said coldly. “Tumhare liye bhi pita se kam nahi the woh, actually. Par tum yeh sab bhool gayi ho.”
“Khudgarz toh Roohi thi hi, aapne usse Naashukra bhi bana diya Badi Ma? Pehle Akshu, ab Abhinav— kisi ka pyaar, kisi ka dulaar yaad nahi hai issey?” Abhimanyu asked Swarna.
He scoffed. “Apse kya expect kar sakta hoon. Apne Arohi aur Akshu ke saath bhi toh yahi kia tha. Maa dono ki gayi thi, lekin Akshu ne saari zindagi khud ko blame kia, aur aapne yeh ensure kia, ki Aru bhi usse kabhi maaf na kare. Ap sirf accidents ko trauma banana jaanti hain, behno ke rishte kamzor karna jaanti hain. Bas.”
Swarna gasped. “Abhimanyu.. tum yeh kya keh rahe ho? Bacchiya thi woh meri!” (They were my children, my girls)
Abhimanyu gave her a mirthless laugh. “Bacchi? Aapki bacchi? Aarohi aapki bacchi ho sakti hai, meri Akshu ko toh aapne kabhi insaan bhi nahi samjha. Aapki bacchi hoti toh aapke aashirwad ke liye tadapti nahi. Poori zindagi, apne bacchon ko aapke gun gaan kiye usne.. poori zindagi.. khud ko blame kia Aru ki death ke liye jabki galati uski thi bhi nahi.”
(Child? Your child? Aarohi could be your child, I would agree. You have never considered my Akshu even human at times. If she were your child, she wouldn't have struggled all her life for your love and blessings, she has said only good things about you people to her children, all her life she blamed herself for Aru’s death even though she was not at fault.)
“Meri Akshu ne beti hone ka har farz nibhaya. Chooke aap hai. Bhool aap gaye. Jaise har baar bhool jaate hain.” (My wife did all she could to be a good daughter, you've made mistakes. You are the ones who forgot about her, like always)
“Bhoole toh tum bhi the. Tumne bhi toh choda tha ussey..” (you have also forgotten about her, you also left her didn't you?)
“Woh meri zindagi ki sabse badi galati thi, Badi Ma. Ek galati jo mai apne bure se bure sapne me bhi kabhi nahi dohraunga. Mai apne bacchon se bahot pyaar karta hoon Badi Maa. Unki Maa se unki dhaal ban’ne ka waada kia tha mene. Aur woh vaada me nibhaunga. Aap logon ki tarah nahi, ki apne bacchon ko duniya me akela hi chod doon.”
(That was the biggest mistake of my life, Badi Ma. A mistake I would never repeat even in my worst dreams. Badi Maa, I love my children very much. I had promised their mother to protect them and I will fulfill that promise. I will not leave them alone to face the world like you guys)
“Usne humse kabhi madad nahi maangi.” Swarna insisted.
“Poochiye apne pati se.. phone nahi kia tha usne? Aapki bacchi ne, apne bade papa ko apne aakhri waqt me phone kia, aur aap logon se 20 saal pehle jo hua tha, woh bhula kar uss se 2 meethe bol nahi kahe Gaye? Arrey maa baap ki jagah the aap log. Aapki. Khushi ke liye, Aru ki khushi ke liye, usne mujhe chod dene ka waada kar diya tha. Poori zindagi, Akshu ne.. ek aise jurm ki saza bhugti jo usne kabhi kia tak nahi!” He said coldly.
(ask your husband did she not call him. Your child called her father figure in her final moments and you could not get past what had happened 20 years ago and give her two minutes of peace and affection. You were her parents to her. For your happiness, for Aarohi, she had even promised to leave me. For her life, she served penence for a crime she never committed.)
“Usne.. kabhi contact karne ki koshish kyon nahi ki? Hum gussa the, anjaan toh nahi!” Swarna asked defiantly
(She never tried to contact her. We were angry not strangers to her.)
