Separated Love

Chapter 14: Swarna vs Naira

    "Naira, I..."
    "You don't have to say anything. I understand." I get a taxi, and before I get in, Kartik pulls me back in anger.
    "Naira, you never give me a chance to think or say anything. You make all the decisions by yourself before I can even react." I just thought I was helping him because it was a tough decision. "Did I say I didn't want you to come?" I look down. He is so mad.
    "Kartik, I thought it was a tough decision for you, and I just wanted to do what's best for everyone." I barely manage to get the words out.
    "Does what's best for everyone surpass what's best for me?" What? Of course not. I look at him confused. "Or is what's best for everyone greater than what's best for us? Naira, I just told the doctor that the fear of losing you and not being there for you brings me to a point where I want to drink. Here you are making that fear a reality." He turns away from me. I didn't even think about it like that. I hug him from behind.
    "Kartik, I'm so sorry I didn't think about it like that." He doesn't say anything. "Kartikkk. Kartik I'm sorry. I'll try to be more understanding. I messed up, and next time before jumping to a conclusion I'll properly hear you out." He takes a deep breath and turns around.
    "Naira, I want you with me. I need you with me. I told you, no one is coming between us now. I love Ma, but we are going to have to figure out a way to make this work out because there's no way I can live without either one of you. I tried that Naira and look at where we are now - standing outside of a clinic getting help for my alcohol problem. So next time promise me, before making a decision like this, you'll listen to me once. I can't handle this lack of communication between us anymore."
    "I promise Kartik. Now let's go please." I sit in the car and we leave for Udaipur. I'm so nervous about going. Ma's going to be so mad.
    "Naira, instead of focusing on how Ma will react, think about how happy everyone else will be to see us together." How did he know I was thinking that? "Imagine Luv Kush when they see you. They're going to be on cloud 9." Thinking about them instantly makes my mood better. I haven't seen them in so long. I can't wait to talk to them and mess around with them. I smile at the idea of how they're gonna yell bhabhi as soon as they see me. "See, that's the smile I want on your face when we go home."
    "I haven't seen them in so long. I hope they're still my naughty little kids." Gosh I missed them so much.
    "Oh they're even worse now. You'll enjoy!" We continue to drive and have a long way to go. I know I'm gonna fall asleep during this road trip because I didn't sleep well last night.
    "Kartik, I'm very sorry for earlier. I will genuinely work on hearing you out. I shouldn't have made that decision by myself." He gives me a genuine smile and tells me to sleep. Kartik is going to start treatment, and I'm gonna get to see Luv Kush. I slowly drift into a peaceful slumber.

***

    We arrive at home, and I instantly get nervous. I hope coming with Kartik here doesn't make situations worse. We step inside and everyone's surprised.
    "BHABHI!!!!" Luv Kush yell as they come running towards me. I instantly drop to my knees and give them the biggest hug. "Bhabhi why did you leave us for so long? Do you know how much we missed you?"
    "I missed you both so much too!" I say with tears rolling down my cheeks.
    "Kittu, Naira? What are you both doing here?" Dadi asks. I'm confused. I thought something happened to Ma, but everyone seems relaxed. I take blessings from Dadi and she ends up giving me a huge hug, surprising me. "I'm glad you're home Naira. My Kittu was lifeless without you. I can finally see happiness on his face again." I can't help but cry. I've missed them all so much. Even my little fights with Dadi. She's so adorable with her new glasses that she wears.
    "Dadi, I thought something happened. Ma called me telling me to come here right away. Where is she?" Kartik asks. As if on cue, Ma comes home from the temple.
    "What is she doing back here in my house?!" Ma yells as she stares me down.  "Did you not understand the first time I told you to leave my Kartik alone?"
    "Enough Swarna!" Papa yells. "How many times are we going to go over the same thing again and again? Did you not understand the last time we went over this?"
    "I stayed silent because we were at Kartik's school. Now everyone will remain silent and only me and Naira will talk." Kartik holds my hand firmly making it clear to Ma that he's on my side. "Wow Kartik. So you chose a girl you just met over your mom? Naira, why won't you just leave him? Did your mom not teach you anything about listening to what elders say? Or have you decided that you'll constantly go against what I say?" That's enough. I will take anything she says about me, but saying something about my mumma is one step way too far. Kartik is about to say something when I stop him.
    "No Kartik. Let me handle this fight on my own. I kept listening to everything that Ma had to say about me, but now she has crossed the line." I move towards her and look her directly in the eyes. I'm not standing down from this fight because now she has brought my mumma into it. "I have been silent for so long. Dealing with your anger. Dealing with your frustration and the blame you put on me. I was separated from Kartik because of this blame. You want to know why even now I was willing to leave him when we thought you were sick? Because my mumma's love taught me that there's no greater love in this world than a mother's love for her child. I was willing to sacrifice MY relationship for your relationship with Kartik because that's the type of selfless love MY mumma taught me. I will take anything, but not a single word against my mom. What did I ever do to you? I supported you in everything. I helped Papa forgive you when you hid Shubham from everyone. I defended you to Kartik when he hated you. What did you say about Kartik choosing a girl he JUST met over his mom? The girl he 'just met' is the only reason he even considers you his mom now. Do you ever remember that?" I'm raging with anger now. "I made ONE mistake. I didn't tell you guys about Shubham's drug addiction because I wanted to respect his wishes. Did I know he was going to die? No. But I kept warning you guys about Suhana, yet you refused to believe me completely. What happened after Suhana came into his life and broke his heart? He started drugs. I don't understand one thing. If I can forgive Mansi for killing mumma, why can't you forgive me for something that was NEVER even my fault?" Everyone looks on shocked by what I've said.
    "Naira, you don't bring Mansi into this!" Ma yells.
    "You don't bring my mumma into this! Don't EVER even think about disrespecting her. I once gave you her position in my life, Ma. That's how much I loved you."
    "I don't want to be a mother to someone like you. You could have told us, and I would've helped him Naira!"
    "You don't deserve to have the same place that mumma had in my life, and what would you have done if I told you about Shubham's drug problem? Ignored it like you ignored his drinking problem?" I decide to stop now or else I'll say something I'll regret. She ignores what I said completely.
    "Kartik, now you decide. It's either going to be me or her." I can't imagine living with this woman either. She's not the same woman that I used to call Ma.
    "Ma, this wasn't Naira's fault. It was an accident. Why can't you move on?"
    "Accident? She purposely did this Kartik!"
    "Ma, I was mad at Naira for not telling me about Shubham, but we worked our issues out. Not once though did I ever stand by the fact that Naira purposely did all of this. She is my wife and the daughter-in-law of this family. How could you think so lowly of her?"
    "Everyone in this house just takes Naira's side. Why don't I do you all a favor and just leave?"
    "Leave Swarna." Papa says. I can't believe he just said that.
    "Papa!" Kartik yells. Why is Kartik still cool towards Papa? I need to figure this out.
    "No Kartik. Time and time again we have forgiven her. This is not okay. Naira deserves respect in this house. Anyone who can't give that to her can leave. She has proven to be the most amazing thing that ever happened to this family. Your mother isn't behaving like a mother anymore. She's just being stubborn. She needs someone to pin the blame on for Shubham's death, and Naira is not going to be her punching bag anymore." Papa looks at me with tears building up in his eyes. "I'm sorry Naira. I'm sorry I let this get so far. I should've stopped her before."
    "Papa please don't apologize. You're my elder." I say hugging him. He puts his hand on my head and hugs me back.
    "No Naira. Sometimes elders make mistakes too, and where they're wrong, you have to tell them they're wrong. Or else they use this to their advantage and keep repeating that mistake. If I have to pick someone to live in this house, it's Naira. She's my daughter and I'm not taking anymore injustice against her."
    "Yeah, you all choose the person who killed the son of this house."
    "Stop it Ma!" Kartik yells. "You can't talk about Naira like that. None of this was her fault at all. You're talking about how she killed the son of this house, right? How about how I was practically a walking lifeless soul when Naira left me? Did you ever see my pain?" Kartik's words seem to hit Ma hard. "I developed a drinking problem and not once did you notice. You were too busy either hating Naira or crying over Shubham. You haven't been able to see anything through the hurt and hatred you have built up. I will not stand anyone saying anything bad about Naira anymore. I let people toss around my wife's self-respect too much. I'm not making that mistake again."
    "Oh so you want me to leave too?" Ma asks while crying. I see Dadi roll her eyes.
    "I told you about my drinking issue for the first time, and THAT is what your response is? Well Ma, you won't have to worry about choosing someone to leave. Naira and I will continue to live in Mumbai. We will be there until Naira finishes her semester, and I get better. I'm getting treatment over there. Soon after, I'm going to take Naira to a doctor for her ankle." Everyone seems confused. They don't know about how I injured myself.
    "Is that how she convinced you to get back together with her? By gaining your sympathy over her injury? She could've gotten that fixed a while ago." Wait-
    "Ma, you knew?" Kartik asks in disbelief. Ma seems worried. I had no idea she knew. Ma looks down.
    "Knew what?" Dadi asks. Kartik explains to the entire family what happened the day of Shubham's funeral. Everyone is left shocked. Finally the truth is out in front of everyone.
    "Tell me Ma. Did you know about Naira's injury?" Kartik asks again. He's saying this through clenched teeth. He's extremely angry and so am I. I can't believe she thinks I would exploit my injury to gain sympathy.
    "Yes I knew. Her dad came here to talk to you when she was in the hospital. I told him to leave because I knew my son wouldn't ever want to see this girl who killed my son!" Dadi turns Ma around and slaps her across the face. Oh my god.
    "You knew the truth that could've brought Kittu and Naira together, and you hid it from all of us?" Dadi yells. Ma holds her cheek in disbelief. "Do you not have any shame for what you did!"
    "Her injury doesn't change the fact she killed my-"
    "OUR SON DIED BECAUSE OF HIS OWN MISTAKES. GET THAT INTO YOUR HEAD AND GET OUT OF MY HOUSE. WE ARE DONE SWARNA." Papa yells scaring all of us. None of us have ever seen him this angry.
    "Manish Ji?"
    "Get out on your own Swarna before I kick you out my way." He's shaking the same way Kartik does when he's mad.
    "Ma, I can't believe I wasted 2 whole years of my life, sacrificing my love for you. Someone who doesn't care at all about me. What happened to you?" I know Ma has been awful to me, but I still feel bad for her. She needs help. She's not mentally stable.
    "Why don't we all calm down and take a decision later about what to do?" I ask the family. "Everyone's emotions are at an extreme. Let's talk this out when we all calm down." Papa is about to say something, but I stop him. "Papa please. Let's just think it over."
    "See, this is what you call the daugher-in-law of the house." Dadi says to Ma. "Kittu, Naira, go to your room. Freshen up and we will all talk about this tomorrow, not tonight. It's pretty late, and I'm sure you two are hungry. I'll have dinner out in an hour." We both agree and make our way upstairs.
    I feel nostalgic walking around the house. Kartik keeps watching me. We get to the entrance of Kartik's room when he stops me.
    "Naira, you're here after a long time. Let me bring you in the same way I did the first time." He swoops me into his arms and carries me inside. He places me down on the bed, and I sit there in awe. I think about all of our memories. From the time we had our pillow fights, to taking care of the baby we found, to when Kartik fell asleep on our wedding night. It makes me laugh.
    "Are you going to fall asleep tonight too?" He looks at me confused. I smirk but don't give him an explanation. Finally the light turns on in his head and he laughs. He sits down next to me.
    "Why? Will you give me a second chance to make up for that?" He says this knowing it'll make me blush.
    "Shut up Kartik." I say as I laugh. "It feels so weird being in your room."
    "Our room," he corrects me. It doesn't feel like mine anymore. I go to the cupboard and see that all of my stuff is still there. I look back at him surprised. "I didn't have the heart to throw your stuff away. I guess I always knew that someday you'd be mine again." I run to him and hug him.
    "I'm happy we are here Kartik. I missed everyone. I just wish Ma didn't hate me so much." Kartik instantly tenses up from what I think is anger.
    "Why did you stop Papa from making her leave after what she did to us? She knew you were hurt and didn't tell me Naira. I don't want to go through the pain of losing another mom by kicking her out, but I kinda feel like I might have lost my mom the day we lost Shubham." He's right. We lost Ma the day we lost Shubham.
    "Kartik, I know what she did was wrong, but I can't overlook the goodness she used to have in her heart. I believe that that's still in her somewhere. I think she's still so traumatized from Shubham's death that she needs psychiatric help. That's what I was going to tell Papa. She needs professional help."
    "I don't understand how you can be so great Naira. How do you still manage to see the best in everyone when they've put you through absolute hell?"
    "It's something mumma taught me Kartik. I think once we get ready we should tell Papa about this idea. Ma should think it was your idea. If she finds out it's mine, she's going to think I'm purposely sending her away." Kartik smiles and nods. "Okay now let's get ready for dinner. I'm going to go change." I walk over to the cupboard and grab clothes.
    "I have to change too. I'll join you!" He says sitting on the bed with a smirk on his face.This mendak is messing around too much. Time to teach him a lesson. I make my over to him and take his hands. I pull him up to his feet and put my hands on his chest.
    "As you wish Kartik." I can tell he is surprised by what I'm doing and this is making it so much better. I start unbuttoning his shirt. By the third button he's absolutely breathless. I take this as my opportunity and push him onto the bed. I quickly grab my clothes and run to the bathroom.
    "Naira!" I hear him calling out from behind but it's too late. I'm inside the bathroom now, and I've locked the door. I look at myself in the mirror and see how happy I am. I'm back at home with Kartik. I got to see Luv Kush. The whole family is on my side. I finally got to stand up for myself to Ma, and had the full support of Kartik in the process. So much has changed in the time that Kartik and I met each other again at college.

Author's Notes
    First of all, I am soooo sorry for leaving a cliffhanger and then taking so long to put up the next chapter. To make up for it I made this chapter longer than all of my other chapters! I know some of you may be disappointed that Swarna wasn't thrown out, and Naira still came to her defense. It's just that I think that Swarna is acting this way (not just in this story but in the show) because of how traumatized she is from Shubham's death. Naira has always been shown to see the best in everyone, and for the sake of her relationship with Swarna before, she wants to give Swarna one more chance. Naira manages to put Swarna in her place, but also helps her for old time's sake. As we progress in this story, we will see if Swarna ever gets better, Naira finding out what's going on between Manish and Kartik, along with all of the other things I've discussed in previous chapters. Hope you all enjoy Swarna getting owned in this chapter. Hope this happens in the show!