The sounds of the horns lingered in her ears… She had heard someone calling her name… “Shahana…” And the voice sounded familiar to her… Who was that? She looked at the direction of the sound… Before she could find the origin of the voice, something hard, something large and heavy hit her… She felt pain all over her body… She found herself been thrown on a car parked nearby… She couldn’t see anything- her vision was completely black… But she could sense pain… She heard the voices of people… Slowly all her senses came to a halt…
She was feeling scared, the incident really scared her… She literally froze from head to toe…
Shahana, suddenly opened her eyes… She looked around and saw herself on a king- sized bed… She touches her head… She had stitches on her head… her right hand and left leg had plasters on them.. She tried to move them… “Ahhh…” It was painful…
She looked to her left and found various machines kept there ..
“I had seen such machines in films, kept in ICU… Am I in a hospital?”
She looked around the room and the bed…
“But it doesn’t look like one…”
“This is neither a hospital nor Saritha aunty’s house… Where am I then?”
Shahana felt tensed…
Her eyes examined the room again… This time, she was shocked… She saw a photo there…. And the people in the photo…
She was staring at the photo when someone entered the room…
**************
Prachi was walking through the corridor of the Shukla Mansion when she came across Mallika Shukla…
“Good morning” Prachi wished her…
“Good morning…” she wished Prachi back..
Prachi saw Mallika was carrying a plate filled with flower..
“Where are you taking these flowers to?”
” These are to decorate the temple here..”
“Temple in the house?!”
Mallika nodded her head…
“Mom…” Siddharth’s voice was heard…
“Yes… I will come… Wait for sometime…”
” It is urgent mom…”
” Aunty, if you don’t mind, I will decorate the temple..”
“Are you sure?”
” Yes aunty… When I was in Hoshiarpur, I used to help the priest decorate the temple during festivals…”
” Aww… Here…”
Prachi takes the plate from her , smiles and leaves ..
Mallika watches her leave…
**********
Purab was in his room, checking his cupboards for some important file…
“Oh.. where is the file? Uday had given it to me… ”
“Where have I kept it?”
Purab remembers Uday telling him that Pranav has a draft of the file.. if necessary, it can be used…
“The file is no where to be seen… Let me ask Pranav…”
He hits his head lightly..
“Aahh.. Pranav has gone with Abhi and Pragya di… But… His things are here?? Let me look in his room.. it is important…”
Purab walks towards the room Pranav has occupied in Mehra Mansion.
*******
Prachi was decorating the temple… Pranav,on the other hand, was looking for Prachi everywhere else in the Shukla Mansion..
Pranav comes across Mallika Shukla..
“Excellent me..”
“Yes..”
“Have you seen Abhishek Prem Mehra’s elder twin daughter?”
“You mean Prachi?”
“Haan ji”
“Prachi will be in the temple..”
“Oh Thank you..”
Mallika Shukla walks away…
Pranav: Prachi is in the temple… Maybe it is God’s decision that she should know the truth in His presence…
He walks towards the temple…
*******
A woman enters the room Shahana was in..
Shahana gets surprised seeing her…
“Disha maasi? Aap? Aap yaha?”
“How are you feeling now?”
“I feel pain throughout the body.. but still, I am okay..”
“Good”
“Where am I? I got hit by some vehicle.. where is this? How did you find me?” Shahana suddenly starts panting..
“Shhh.. shhh.. shh… Relax..”
Shahana relaxes..
Disha pats her head…
“I was there in Delhi when your accident happened…”
“Were you the one who called out to me?”
Disha nods her head..
“Where are we?”
“Don’t worry.. we are in Mumbai and this is my house…”
Shahana’s eyes opens wide on hearing this…
*********
Prachi was trying the flowers into a garland when Pranav came near her..
Prachi turns back and finds him.
Prachi (in mind): it is like now or never.. and now, we are in the temple.. I should open up to him…
Pranav (in mind): it is very late already.. now no more.. you have to speak out the truth today, now..
Both Prachi and Pranav takes a long breath…
“I want to say something” both Prachi and Pranav says in unison..
“Actually…” again in unison..
Pranav: I will speak first
Prachi: no, let me speak first..
Pranav: no.. I will speak first, it is important..
Prachi: what I have to say is more important..
Pranav: I will speak first..
Prachi: no I will..
Pranav: I cannot marry you..
Prachi: no I will..
Prachi pauses for a second, in the shock..
Prachi: come again..
Pranav: I cannot marry you, Prachi..
********
Purab reaches Pranav’s room…
He checks the drawer of the table for the draft.. but couldn’t find it there…
He then moves towards the cupboard..
He opens it and searches it there…
His hand hits on an album and it falls down, open..
Purab looks at the fallen album and gets shocked…