My dear [Hin] readers of BTR,

I have a very small request to all of you....

Even though you read the [Hin] chapters only, please vote for the [Eng] chapters as well.

~*~

Four months into the marriage of Jai and Gayatri, Arjun and Tia had just landed in Mumbai.

Tia was video-chatting with Priya and Tej, while Arjun talked with the conference personnels who had come to pick them up.

She disconnected the call when he called for her and got into the car with him.

"Baba-sa bhi na... Mujhe kyun bhej dia tumhare saath ye business conference attend karne ke liye? Tej kitna miss kar raha hoga mujhe," Tia frowned.

"Aap abtak samjhi nehi? Yeh Baba-sa ki chaal hain. Aap waha hoti toh Tej ko unnke paas zyada der ke liye chhorti nehi. Iss liye unnhone aapko humare saath bhejdia taki vo Tej ke saath time spend karpaye," Arjun said in a low voice as if he was telling her a big secret.

She tried to suppress but couldn't help let out a hearty laugh, soon joined by him.

~

They reached the conference, which was already going in full swing, and quietly took their assigned seats.

After the conference, was the dinner party. People were meeting and greeting each other. They were also busy chatting with some people.

"Hello, hello," a familiar masculine voice interrupted their conversation.

They spun around to see the owner of the voice and found Jai beaming with happiness as he approached them.

"Rana-ji, aap yaha?" Tia questioned as Arjun greeted him with a hug.

"Rani-sa, aap bhool rahi hain ki hum bhi ek businessman hain," Jai replied politely with a smile.

"Oh. Gayu bhi ayi hain kya aapke saath?"

"Nehi... Actually vo anewali thi. Lekin baad mein unnhe unnke purane university se kuch papers collect karne the iss liye vo Jaipur gayi hain aur main yaha akela aagaya. Praneet nehi aya?"

"Vo Priya ke saath rehna chahta tha. Iss liye humne bhi force nehi kia," Arjun replied. "Aur Baba-sa ne Praneet ki jagah Rani-sa ko humare saath bhejdia."

"Hey, Raja-sa! Nice to see you here," another male greeted Arjun.

"Mr. Bakshi, hello. Good to see you again," Arjun shook hand with him. "Aap London se kab laute?"

"Yehi bas kuch din pehle lauta. Pardes mein mann...." Mr. Bakshi paused when his eyes fell on Tia.

Mr. Bakshi checked her out from head to toe with widened eyes. Arjun noticed this and put a hand on his shoulder in a friendly manner.

"Mr. Bakshi, I forgot to introduce you to my wife. Tia," Arjun introduced them. "And Rani-sa, ye hain Mr. Manish Bakshi. Jai ki tarha innka bhi hotel business hain."

Tia greeted him with folded hands. But he was still staring at her in shock.

"Sorry... naam kya bataya Rani-sa ka?" Mr. Bakshi asked.

"Ji, Tia," she replied politely.

"Oh achchha. Thik hain, Raja-sa, main bakiyon se milta hu."

He left the trio but he was still looking at Tia with the corner of his eyes.

~

Tia came to the suite assigned for them from the conference as she was feeling tired. She unlocked the room with her key but was pushed into the room by someone behind her. She balanced herself from crashing on the floor and spun around immediately. It was Manish Bakshi!

"Mr. Bakshi, aap yaha? Arjun yaha nehi hain, vo abhi bhi conference mein hain," Tia tried to be polite even though she could sense something wrong.

With an evil smirk, he stepped into the room and the automatic door closed. She didn't feel comfortable under the nasty looks he was giving her.

"Mr. Bakshi, maine aapse kaha na Arjun yaha nehi hain! Aap please chale jaiye yaha se," she tried to reach for the door dodging him.

"Raja-sa se milke kya karu main.... Main to yaha tujhse milne aya hu, jaanemann!" He grasped her wrist very strongly.

"Aapne hadd mein rahiye, Mr. Bakshi. Main aap ko bohot politely bol rahi hu, yaha se chale jaiye! Aur chhoriye mera haath!" She struggled to release herself from his strong grip.

"Kitne dino baad tu mili hain mujhe. Aise kaise chhor doon?" He pushed her on the bed and knelt over her keeping one knee on her thigh.

She was about to yell but he covered her mouth with his one hand and held her hands over her head with his other free hand.

"Chillaygi? Bheer jama karegi? Kyun? Kyun ki tu ab Jaipur ki Rani hain? Huh!" He laughed mockingly, "Mujhe teri asliyaat pata hain. Maine janta hu tu kaun hain. Tu ek veshya hain!"

He came dangerously close to her neck and breathed, "Tu mujhe bhul sakti hain lekin main kaise tujhe bhul jaun? Kabse tadap raha hu tere saath ek raat bitane ke liye.... Akhir mein tu mujhe mil hi gayi... Jaipur ke Rani ke roop mein."

Just in the nick of time, the door ticked notifying the arrival of another person. Arjun had a separate key to the suite and he had entered with it.

Mr. Bakshi was dumbfounded. Tia tried to yell but couldn't because of his hand covering her mouth.

Unknown of what was happening behind him, Arjun closed the door and turned around only to have his blood boil seeing the scene in front of him.

"Achchha hua, Raja-sa, ki aap aagaye," Bakshi released his grip on her and walked to Arjun, "Aapko pata hain aapki ye biwi...."

"How dare you touch my wife!" Arjun dashed in front of him with blood-red eyes.

"Woah! Woah! Raja-sa, aap jante bhi hain aapki biwi kya karti hain!"

Arjun grabbed Mr. Bakshi by his collar and was almost strangling him, "Rani-sa ke khilaaf hum ek shabd bhi nehi sunna chahte aapke gande muu se!"

By then, Tia tried to stand up but she felt terrible pain in her thigh where Mr. Bakshi had kept his knee and "Ahhhh!" was all that escaped from her mouth.

"Rani-sa!" Arjun's focus shifted to her hearing her groan and he rushed to her side, "Aap thik to hain na?" All his anger for Bakshi was replaced with concern for her.

"Raja-sa, aap jaante hain ki aapki Rani-sa kaisa ganda dhanda karti hain?" Bakshi took the opportunity and slowly walked to the door, "Main bata raha hu, ye ladki aapke khandaan ko barbaad kardegi. Veshya kabhi kisi ki biwi nehi bann sakti! Veshya kisi ki sagi nehi hoti. Use sirf istemaal kia jaata hain aur kaam khatam hone pe phek dia jaata hain!"

"Apne gande muu se agar ek aur gandi baat bola to hum...." Arjun turned back and saw him holding the door open.

"Aap mera kuch nehi bigaad sakte! Lekin main bohot kuch kar sakta hu. Main ye baat sabko bata dunga! Usske baad aap khudki izzat sambhal le to wahi kaafi hoga aapke liye," Bakshi said before running out of the room.

"Arjun, use roko! Agar ussne sabko meri sachchai bata dia toh.... Arjun, roko use! Sab barbaad hojayega. Use roko, Arjun!" Tia panicked, repeating the same thing over and over again.

She shut up as soon as he clutched her hands and kissed on her forehead, "Rani-sa, aap thik to hain na?"

Her heaving chest and uneven breathe had normalized. She stared at him, thinking how he managed to calm her with a simple gesture. He wasn't even looking angry anymore.

"Arjun, tum meri chhoro, uss Bakshi ko pakro. Sabko sachchai nehi pata chal sakti! Baba-sa aur Gayatri ko bohot bara sadma pohochega. Aur Tej...." she said as tears welled up in her eyes.

"Humein usski parwa nehi hain!" He cupped her face with his hands, "Hume aapki parwa hain...." His eyes reflected nothing but only concern for her.

"Sab barbaad hojayega, Arjun.... Main sab khatam kardungi...." she let out her tears run down her face.

Her tears flowed like fountain. Without caring to wipe them, she tried to stand up and pull herself towards the door.

"Kaha ja rahi hain aap!" He got a hold of her wrist.

"Arjun, chhoro mujhe! Please mujhe chhor do! I don't deserve this life. I don't deserve you. I don't deserve anything! Please let me go!" She tried to get out of his strong hold.

"Rani-sa, shaant ho jaiye. Please chup hojaiye," he tried to calm her down.

"Nehi, nehi, nehi! Mera ateet mera pichha kabhi chhorega. Main kabhi ek veshya hone ka dhabba nehi mita paungi. Mere wajah se main tumhe aur Tej ko suffer karte huye nehi dekh sakti. Main nehi chahti ki Priya ki tarha mere bete ko bhi ek veshya ki awlad hone ka bojh uthana pare.... Iss liye mujhe yaha se bohot door jana hoga... Mujhe tumdono se bohot door jana hoga! Mujhe jaane do, Arjun. Mera saya bhi Tej pe nehi parna chahiye. Mujhe jaane do!" She succeeded in pushing him away with all her strength.

She limped heavily towards the door, closely followed by him. Even though she had managed to open the door but he slammed it closed with a thud and pushed her against the nearby wall. She slipped to the ground crying but was immediately wrapped by two strong masculine arms. She succumbed into his arms and he rubbed her back lightly to soothe her.

"Main yaha nehi reh sakti... Main tumhare saath nehi reh sakti.... Main sab barbaad kardungi. Main nehi chahti Tej ko kabhi sunna pare ki vo ek veshya ka beta hain. Vo mere saath saath khud se bhi nafrat karega agar use pata chala toh," she cried her heart out in his arms.

Seeing her cry, silent tears even dropped from his eyes which he wiped immediately.

"Main nehi chahti ki use kabhi pata chale ki usski maa ke dhande-wali hain. Jo..." she choked on her words, "Jo paise kamane ke liye khudke jism ko bhechti hain...."

"SHUT UP!" He yelled on top of his voice to interrupt her.

Hearing him, her mouth stopped but her tears didn't. She stared into his eyes as he cupped her face with both hands.

"Shut up, Rani-sa! Aap kahi nehi jayengi! Do you understand that? Aap. Kahi. Nehi. Jayengi. Aap humare saath hi rahengi! Kuch barbaad nehi hoha, kuch khatam nehi hoga. Kisi ko kuch bhi pata nehi chalega! Aap please shaant hojaiye," he pleaded.

Caressing his right cheek, she said, "Mujhe chup karane se sachchai nehi badlegi, Arjun.... Main veshya thi aur humesha..."

He kept a hand over her mouth to prevent her from talking. "Aap ab sirf Rani-sa hain! Humari biwi and Tej ki maa. Isske ilava jo bhi tha, vo aapke ateet mein tha. Jabtak hum hain, aapko kabhi aapke ateet ka samna akele nehi karna parega. Aur raha sawal Tej ka.... Aap hi kehti thi na ki ek bachche ke liye maa-baba dono ka hona bohot zaruri hain? Toh aapke bina Tej kaise rahega? Hum kaise rahenge.... Tej ke saath unnke maa-baba dono honge humesha! Na aap kahi jayengi aur na hi hum. Unnki parvarish hum dono milke karenge. Aur unnka haq banta hain janne ka ki unnke maa ka ateet kya tha. Lekin hume vishwas hain ki humara beta itna samajhdar hoga ki aapni maa ki taqleef samajh sakhe...."

She watched him speak with tearful eyes without saying anything. He kissed on her forehead which made her cry even harder.

"Chaliye, ab uthiye. Garam pani se nahalijiye, araam milega aapko."

He tried to make her stand up but due to the unbearable pain in her thigh, she couldn't stand straight. He scooped her up in his arms and took her to the bathroom.

Making her stand against one of the counters, he let the bathtub fill with warm water. He took her hands to wash them but stopped seeing the red grip marks on her wrists. He turned the tap on and gently washed her hands and wiped the dried tears from her face.

"Aap nahalijiye. Tabtak hum dinner order karte hain."

He waited for her reply but she neither nodded nor said anything. He picked her up again and gently put her in the bathtub. Her trance broke and she saw him close the door after leaving. She held her knees closer to her chest and cried again.

Arjun kept the receiver of the intercom down after ordering for some food. He exhaled heavily after having a quick go through all their moments starting from their first meet till now. A few drops of tear rolled down from his eyes remembering everything. He closed his eyes to find some relaxation but opened them immediately after hearing the sound of the bathroom door open.

"Arreh, aapne to bohot jaldi nahalia," he tried to change the environment. "Humne dinner order kia hain, thodi der mein aajayega."

Silently, she limped to the bed with much difficulty and laid on one side.

He rolled over to check her but she was fast asleep. He removed the strands of hair which were on her face and kissed her forehead.

"Good night, Rani-sa."

He pulled the covers over her and changed the lights.

~*~

Next morning, Tia squirmed in sleep and slowly opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was Arjun sleeping peacefully. She admired him for a while and then tried to get up stealthily but felt a strong hold around her waist.

"Sochna bhi matt!" She heard a familiar voice.

On turning back, she found him staring at her.

"I am sorry, Arjun. I am so so sorry!"

Her tears started flowing again as soon as he pulled her back on the bed and hugged her from behind. He held are so close as if he was going to lose her if he releases her from the hug.

"It's okay, Rani-sa. Jaldi se taiyaar hojaiye. Aapne kal raat se kuch nehi khaya. Jaldi jaiye warna hum phirse aapko uthake leke jayenge," he joked hoping for her to smile.

She chuckled a little and turned around to face him. She gave him a tight hug before getting down from the bed. He smiled seeing her smile even though it was too small to be called a smile.

~

After breakfast, it was their time to leave. While stepping out of the elevator, Tia stiffened seeing Bakshi coming from the opposite side. Arjun followed her gaze and tightened his fist.

To their astonishment, Bakshi gave them a very endearing smile on spotting them.

"Good morning, Raja-sa," he forwarded his hand for a handshake.

Arjun clenched his teeth instead, which made Bakshi withdraw his hand reluctantly.

"Good morning, Rani-sa," he greeted Tia with the same smile.

"Chaliye," Arjun pulled Tia along towards the exit.

Her brain couldn't stop thinking about Bakshi's overnight changed behavior.

"Sorry, sorry, I am a bit late," Jai came running to them.

"It's okay."

"Praneet se baat huyi?" Jai asked.

"Nehi. Kyun?"

"Unnko beti huyi hain!" Jai replied enthusiastically.

Arjun was shocked to know that because there was still a month left for the delivery.

"What? Wah, that's such a great news! Rani-sa, aapne suna...." he looked to his side and didn't find her.

They looked around and found her almost in the middle of the driveway of the hotel where a car was honking continuously as it almost hit her. Arjun pulled her back just in time, breaking her trance.

"Ye aap kya karne jaa rahi thi!" Jai scolded like an elder brother.

"Main....vo..." Tia herself was startled.

"Aap thik to hain na?" Arjun asked, worried.

"Main soch rahi thi ki..."

"Aapko pata hain, Priya ko beti huyi hain," Arjun informed her.

"Priya ko.... Kab, kaise? Sach?!" Her mood was immediately elevated. "Toh chalo jaldi chalte hain! Mujhe milna hain usse."

"Perfect timing! Dekhiye gari bhi aagaya hain," Jai pointed towards the car.

~

At the Jaipur airport, to their surprise, Gayatri had brought Tej with her to pick them. Tia couldn't control her tears on seeing him. She quickly scoped him in her arms and started kissing him all over his face while he giggled.

"Lagta hain Bhabi-sa ne Tej ko kuch zyada hi miss kia hain. Iss liye aapne mujhe Tej ko saath lane ko kaha na?" Gayatri told Arjun as he watched them with a smile of satisfaction.

~

They came straight to the hospital from the aiport to meet Priya and the newborn.

Tia was the first one to enter the cabin, where Priya was talking to a nurse.

"Pri!" Tia gave her a tight hug as soon as she entered. "Congratulations, congratulations!"

"Thank you, thank you. Kaisi hain tu?"

"Tum mujhe kya puch rahi ho! Tum batao, how are you feeling? I really wanted to be with you during this. I am so sorry."

"Hatt pagal! Sorry kyun bol rahi hain. Teri galti thori na hain! Shayad meri chhoti si pari ko jaldi jaldi aapni Maasi se milna tha, iss liye jaldi aagayi."

Everyone laughed at that.

"Ye lijiye," the nurse handed the baby girl to Tia. "Innki skin bohot soft hain, iss liye thora sambhalke."

"Awww, sach mein bohot soft skin lagti hain," Tia caressed the baby's cheek, "Ekdum kisi pankhuri jaisi..." she said admiring the baby girl who was curled into a ball in the pink towel.

"That can be a nice name actually," suggested Priya.

Tej, who was in Arjun's arms, started crying.

"Awwllee, looks like our prince charming doesn't like the name for our princess," joked Gayatri, letting everyone have a good laugh over it.

"Toh it's decided! Her name will be 'Pankhuri'," announced Tia.

~

After spending some time with Priya, they were back at the palace.

Arjun was playing with Tej on the bed while Tia was staring at her own reflection in the dressing table mirror. Suddenly she could see some blurry flashbacks and hear her own screams.

"No! No, no, no!" She covered her ears and shut her eyes tightly.

"Rani-sa. Rani-sa, aapko kya hua?" Arjun ran to her.

"Nehi! Ahhh!" She started rubbing her arms vigorously.

"Yeh aap kya kar rahi hain? Rukiye!" He tried to catch hold of her hands as her arms were becoming red from the rubbing.

"Ahhhh! Stop. Please stop....." she started crying rubbing her neck.

"Rani-sa, hoosh mein aiye!" He jerked her back to the reality.

"Arjun...." she said when her reverie broke.

"Aapko achanak kya hua?" He asked, wiping her tears.

Without saying anything, she simply hugged him tightly.

"Shh. Shh! Hum hain na aapke saath. Kuch nehi hoga.... Kuch nehi hoga aapko," he gently caressed her hair as she cried.

"Yeh sab mera pichha kabhi nehi chhorega.... Main nehi bhul sakti unn dardnak raaton ko. Mujhe khudke chikhe sunai deti hain, Arjun... Ye sab mere astitva ke hisse bann chuke hain. Main khudko khudse kaise alag karu?"

"Rani-sa, look at me," he broke the hug and held her hands in both his hands, "Hum jiss Tia ko jante hain vo bohot strong hain. Jo bhi hojaye vo kabhi kamzoor nehi parti hain! Khud mein uss Tia ko dhundiye, Rani-sa!" He wiped her tears again.

Shaking her head sideways, she said, "Itna aasaan nehi hain, Arjun.... Mujhe bhi laga tha ki ab shayad main ek naye sire se zindagi shuru kar paungi. Lekin nehi.... Kal ki tarha, zindagi mein aise kayi moor ayenge jaha mujhe phirse inn sabka samna karna parega. Inn sabse main kabhi door nehi karpaungi khudko," she hid her face in with her hands.

He removed her hand from her face and gently kissed the back of her palms.

"Rani-sa, pehle shayad aap akeli thi. Lekin aisa kabhi matt sochiyega ki aap abhi bhi akele hain. Aapke saath hum humesha rahenge. Aajtak jaise aapka saath diya hain, zindagi ke aant tak bhi denge. You'll never be alone. Never!"

They shared an eye-lock which was soon broken by Tej's slight mumbling.

"Mum....Ma," he mumbled again, clapping his hands together.

"Arjun. Tumne suna?" Her eyes turned glassy in disbelief.

"Mum..."

She rushed to his side, "Beta, phirse bolo?"

"Mummmmma," he giggled as she hugged him.

Arjun recorded the moment on his phone, "Dekha, Rani-sa, aapka beta bhi aapse