Episode starts with…
Next day at Riddhima’s house:
Riddhima: Shovan and Shaina hurry up we will be late. I need to go to the hospital.
Kids: okay mumma. They are busy with their antics (since they are kids, they are always finding ways to be naughty)
Sejal and Pragati join them at the breakfast table.
Sejal: good morning kidos, good morning Riddhu
Pragati: good morning everyone, then to Shovan: pass me that apple.
Riddhima: okay guys the plan for today I am going to the hospital and then to their school to get their admission final. And you two will set the rest of the house and look after the kids.
Sejal and Pragati together: Yes boss!! Haha
Riddhima bid goodbye to everyone and left to her work.
Same morning at VR mansion:
Vansh: Dadi I am going to the office I need to finalise a deal. I’ll be back by afternoon to meet the Khurannas.
Dadi: Okay beta
Dadi (to Angre who was there listening to their conversation): I feel for my Vansh. I always wanted him to have a family and a happy life.
Angre: I know dadi, but Riddhima and Vansh bhai can’t be together you know what happened six years back their separation was a very painful one. You know bhai still gets affected by her.
Dadi: I know, I remember what happened yesterday at lunch. But my child also deserves the happiness. My heart aches seeing Vansh alone. I mean you and Ishani have started accepting each other, Aryan has Janvi but my Vansh has no one.
Angre: But dadi bhai has Tanya with him now.
Dadi: I know but I don’t see the same sprak in Vansh’s eyes that I saw for Riddhima. Tanya is a good girl I mean she is Janvi’s cousin, but she is not the kind of girl I wanted in Vansh’s life. I feel like sometimes he only accepted her proposal because he is trying to mask Riddhima’s memories with Tanya’s presence.
Angre: Dadi I tried talking to bhai about it he wasn’t willing to open up. I mean it’s me or you he opens his heart to but in this matter, I feel like you and me can’t do much. I mean first with Ragini and then Riddhima I feel like bhai will never fall in love again.
Dadi: I know I wish my son was lucky in love. (if only she knew that her son is very lucky and has a family of his own but isn’t aware of it).
In Aryan’s room:
Janvi: Aryan have you seen my black leather flats?
Aryan (cheekily): no, don’t you think I’ll look a tad bit weird if I was seen in your shoes.
Janvi: shut up Aryan! You know I can’t wear heels, if you remember I am pregnant.
Aryan: haha good joke of course I remember but where are you going early in the morning?
Janvi: I need to get to hospital the new head wants to meet all the staff. I mean I am soon going on my maternity leave, so I need to go meet her before I leave. I mean I need to know who I am going to work with after I come back from my break.
Aryan: okay but take care of yourself, I mean don’t exert too much. I will meet you at lunch with Shivn’s uncle’s family. I need to get to the office bhai has a deal to finalise today, so we all need to be there.
In City Hospital:
Riddhima introduces herself to all the staff members. Just then Janvi enters the hospital.
One of the nurses: Dr Sharma she is Dr Janvi she is a doctor in training has only six months left but will finish that after she comes back from her maternity leave.
Riddhima: okay thank you Sara and goes to meet Janvi since she just entered and Riddhima had met everyone expect her so proceeds to meet her.
Riddhima: Hello Janvi I am Riddhima your new boss.
Janvi: Hello Dr Sharma nice to meet you
Riddhima: Please call me Riddhima. I want all my staff to feel comfortable not intimidated by me.
Janvi took an instant liking of Riddhima, she was warm and welcoming, and Janvi knew she could share her feelings with Riddhima if she ever wanted.
Riddhima goes to the school after her meet and greet with the staff members at the hospital. Finalises the kids’ enrolment and gets all the paperwork done.
One week later:
Riddhima’s house:
Riddhima: okay guys one last time. Please behave and take care of each other. I do not want the school staff to feel like they have enrolled two devils.
Kids: mom relax we will not be naughty, we promise.
Riddhima: okay I will drop you guys to the school then pick you guys after a week when you return from the camp. While I go to the crusie for Sejal maasi’s pre wedding festive.
VR mansion:
At lunch the Khurannas arrive. Everyone greets each other and settles in. The Khurannas and Raisinghanias have known each other for years so there wasn’t any formality between the two families.
Shivin to Angre: Angre you know when younger Vansh and Sameer were inseparable. They are best friends, of course I know you and Vansh are close friends too. I am glad Vansh has you and Sameer both to confide in and speak his heart out.
Angre: Thanks now I can know all bhai’s childhood antics and secrets (winks).
Everyone at the table laughs.
Shivin: the purpose of meeting today was to invite you all the cruise we have organised for Sameer and Sejal’s wedding. It’s a pre wedding thing before we go deep into wedding rituals.
Dadi: that’s wonderful Shivin we will all be there.
Preeti (Shivin’s wife): maa we also wanted to seek your help with the rituals and teach us how to do them. After Shivin’s mother passed away you are the only mother figure we have in our lives.
Dadi: don’t worry Preeti even if you didn’t, I would have helped you. For me Vansh and Sameer are the same.
Everyone finishes their food and starts preparing for the cruise.
Few hours later at the cruise:
Riddhima, Pragati and Sejal board the cruise. They all go their respective rooms and call it a day since it’s been busy with packing and travelling and its already late in the night.
Half an hour later the Raisinghanias along with Tanya and Khurannas board the cruise and also retire to their rooms since its late at night. Khurannas tell the Raisinghanias that they will introduce Sejal tomorrow morning.
Raisinghanis haven’t met Sejal before. Of course, if they did Aryan and Chanchal would have recognised her from the kidnapping fiasco.
Next morning at the breakfast table:
Shivin introduces Sejal to the Raisinghanias, Tanya was sleeping (late riser). Aryan and Chanchal look at each other and Sejal in shock and the rest of the family greet her because they don’t recognise her. Vansh was away in a corner attending a business call while Angre was busy with Sakshi feeding her that didn’t notice Sejal much otherwise he would have recognised from the initial days where he came to Riddhima’s hostel.
While coming back to the breakfast table Vansh collides with a lady and catches her in the nick of time and gets shocked looking at her face. Turns out the woman Vansh saved was Riddhima. They share and eye lock and all their feelings surface. At that moment there was just love and admiration for each other than hear Dadi call out Vansh.
Just like that the love gets replaced by hate and admiration with resentment for each other remembering the deceit from the past and the ignorance.
Vansh and Riddhima walk up to the table. Vansh takes his seat beside Dadi and passes Riddhima mixed looks while she tried her best to avoid looking at him. By now everyone was paying attention since now Riddhima was also present everyone was keen to know how she is here and who invited her.
Just then Sejal speaks
Sejal (clenching her teeth – because she knew the Raisinghanias and how they treated Riddhima): This is Riddhima my best friend and also a close friend of Sameer and Shivam (Sameer’s younger brother).
Shivin adds: Riddhima is just like our family. Afterall she is Sejal’s best friend there is no way we could not like her (completely oblivious of the fact that she is the elder daughter-in-law of the Raisinghanias).
Riddhima excuses herself from there not wanting to make it awkward for herself and all the Raisinghanias. Everyone looks at her retrieving figure and resume eating. Just then Preeti speaks:
Preeti: Riddhima is such a delight to have around. She is absolutely amazing, I mean so sweet, well-spoken and very helpful. Whenever I have needed her help, she is always willing to go beyond. I mean she lived in Delhi but always found a way to help me. With literally anything.
Listening to her Vansh didn’t react much on the surface but he knew Preeti was speaking the truth since he knew her personality. While dadi felt a pang of jealously and pain knowing how Riddhima was always keeping the house together and taking care of her and Vansh.
In Riddhima’s room:
Riddhima (thinking): I can’t believe that Khurannas and Raisinghanias are family friends. Oh god I wish I had known this before this face off could have been avoided. But I have to do this for Sejal. I can’t let Sejal’s happiness be ruined because of me or my relationship with the Raisinghanias. Destiney has a funny way of showing you that it doesn’t go as planned. I had planned to stay as far away from ‘him’ as possible but had no idea that I would be this close to him. All the past moments came flashing in front of her eyes. While dwelling in her past didn’t notice Sejal come in.
Sejal (breaking her trance): I am so sorry Riddhima I had no idea Sameer and Vansh were family friends. I mean I had never met the Raishinghanias before. Sameer had mentioned his best friend Vansh but it didn’t occur to me that it would be the same Vansh. Your ex-husband. Just as she finishes both notice Sameer standing at the door.
Sameer had come looking for Sejal wanting to spend some quality time with her and reached Riddhima’s room after asking around for Sejal. But the conversation between the two best friends shook him. He knew Vansh had a wife but didn’t expect that it would be Riddhima. Like he met Riddhima so many times even visited her in Delhi but never thought she would be the same Riddhima he and Vansh spoke of.
Riddhima: Sameer I know this is difficult but please try to understand. We need to realise that your family isn’t aware of my connection with the Vansh. We can’t let anyone know it will complicate things.
Sameer: I know Riddhima I am sorry I need time to digest this, but I promise I will be fair. I mean Vansh is my best friend and my loyalties will always be with him, but you are my friend and Sejal’s best friend. I love Sejal and for that matter love you too and consider you a good friend. But if matters become worse, I will always take Vansh’s side I am sorry.
Riddhima: I understand trust me I would have chosen Sejal over you too. So, your feelings for Vansh are justified.
Saying so all three cool the matter off and deicde to go out and hangout to ease off what happened this morning.
While coming out Sameer gets a business call and goes to attend it while Sejal and Riddhima walk around. While talking Riddhima doesn’t notice Tanya coming from the opposite side and clashes with her.
Tanya: hey you watch where you are going
Riddhima: I am sorry I wasn’t looking it’s my fault I am happy to pay for your dry cleaning and your drink.
Tanya: You think you can afford it. Do you know the price of this dress? Even if you sell yourself you won’t be able to pay off.
Sejal (who had been listening this while couldn’t take it anymore): That’s enough! You have no right to talk to my friend like that. Watch that mouth of yours or else I will make sure you regret what you just did. Saying so she storms off pulling Riddhima along.
There was one witness to this incident. It was Vansh. He came outside to the deck to get some air and also help Shivin with any arrangements for the party later during the day. At first, he felt bad for riddhima (obviously he still loved her and seeing her getting insulted by Tanya was making him uncomfortable). But seeing Sejal stand up for her he felt at ease. He knew she had support, who would stand by for her respect.
Precap: At the party Vansh and Riddhima dance together. Riddhima learns about Tanya and Vansh’s relationship. Riddhima saves dadi from falling down the stairs and Vansh thanks her for taking care of Dadi. Vansh thinks to himself about Riddhima, Tanya and whole situation.
That’s it for today guys. I know some of you are wondering where Anupriya, Kabir and Siya are. They will be known by next episode. I wanted to focus on the current characters who are actually part of the story right now. Since these three are involved in the revelation which will be a major turning point in my story, they are not involved much in the current plot I haven’t wrote about them. Plus, I can only cover so much in one episode.
Spoiler: the school Riddhima enrolled her kids to has a connection with Vansh. (this is way in the future so the kids and Vansh’s meeting is not until 5 or 6 episodes – these episodes will cover all character introductions that may not be done yet and also build on the cruise story).