Delhi Civil Court, Judge Bakshi's Office - June 7th, 8:30 am

Raman squeezed his eyes shut and wiped the sweat off his brow with his handkerchief. Life worked in mysterious ways. It brought him to the same place where he was over five years ago. And now he had to face the two people who had ruined him in the same place where he had lost everything. Five years ago, he lost his son to Ashok and Shagun's schemes; today, his daughter was on the line. The thought itself made Raman clench his teeth in anger. 

On the other hand, Ishita fidgeted some more with her purse as she tried to contain her anxiety. She knew not what the future held regarding her and Ruhi's relationship, which scared her to death. But she hadn't met Shagun yet, so she thought that there was hope. If she could strike a deal with all three parties claiming custody -- her, Raman, and Shagun -- then she could still be a part of Ruhi's life.

"Raman bhai, Ishita ji, aap dono ke liye kuch lau kya, coffee? Chai? Anything," Mihir asked.  [Raman bhai, Ishita ji, should I get anything for you both, coffee? Tea? Anything.]

Both responded with a no, but Mihir still handed each of them a water bottle. He was particularly worried for Raman. He tended to hide and bury his troubles deep in a corner of his heart, but Mihir could always get an inkling of what his Bhai was going through. It was a miracle that he let him come to the court with him despite his initial plan of coming alone with Pathak. He was also concerned for Ishita, even though he had only met her a few minutes ago outside the court. Ishita was already there waiting for them when Raman, Pathak, and him arrived, and anyone with normal vision could tell she was stressed from a mile away.

"Bhai, they're here." Pathak brought their attention to Ashok and Shagun who were walking in with their lawyer. Raman and Ishita swiveled their heads around and witnessed their opponents walk in. Ashok strutted in wearing an expensive grey Brioni suit with his hands in his pockets and his nose in the air. Shagun showed off a designer pink and black saree which hugged her petite figure as her smooth hair cascaded down her shoulders.

"Hello Raman, kaise ho?" Ashok asked as he pulled Shagun closer by her waist to rub it into Raman's face. His face turned smug as he saw Raman look away, trying hard to contain his rage and disgust. [Hello Raman, how are you?]

"Hi, main Ishita Iyer," Ishita introduced herself as she stood up and shook hands with Shagun and Ashok. [Hi, I'm Ishita Iyer.]

"Hello Dr. Iyer," Shagun said. "Main Shagun hoon, Ruhi ki asli maa. Thank you so much itne mahine meri bacchi ka khayal rakhne ke liye. I'll be ever grateful to you." [I'm Shagun, Ruhi's real mother. Thank you for taking care of my daughter for so many months.]

Asli maa. [Real mother.] Those words reminded Ishita of her first encounter with Raman. He had walked into her life less than two months ago and threatened to take Ruhi to her real family. Today, Shagun walked in and threatened to take Ruhi with her as her real mother. And in that crossfire, Ruhi's life got put at stake each time.

Their conversation was cut short by the arrival of Judge Meeta Bakshi, the judge who was to preside over Ruhi's custody case. She quickly introduced herself and took a seat while signalling to the rest to have a seat as well. Both lawyers proceeded to introduce their clients and gave a brief explanation of the situation.

"I have listened to you all, and I have studied the case file," Judge Bakshi started. "Let me remind you that today we are merely deciding the details of the case. This is not a hearing and therefore, I will not be listening to any arguments put forth by either lawyer. Is that clear?"

Upon getting affirmative answers from Raman, Ishita, Shagun, and Ashok, Judge Bakshi continued. "Now, there cannot be three parties filing for custody. According to the law, the biological parents have the first right on the child. Dr. Iyer, I'm sorry to say that you don't have any valid claim on Ruhi. Neither are you biologically related to her, nor is there any paperwork in the system regarding your adoption. So naturally, the biological parents will get first rights. 

"Because both Raman Bhalla and Shagun Arora are divorced, there will be a custody case between both biological parents and I will decide who will get custody based on your lawyers' arguments, home checks, and the social worker's statement. The case will be held one week from today at this court on June 14th. Both of you will receive the official notice in a couple of days. Of course, if you would like to make an out-of-court settlement and share custody, then that is an option too."

Raman was visibly shaken by the turn of the events, but Ishita was absolutely crestfallen. Her worst nightmare had come true. She had no right on her daughter.

"Ma'am, how can you say that I have no claim on Ruhi?" she protested. "I've adopted her! I'm the first parent she ever had! She's been living with me for four months now. How can you..." 

"Dr. Iyer, I understand your sentiments, but the law is the law. I know she's been living with you, but there is no proof saying that you're her legal guardian. I can't allow you to claim custody without proper proof of your relation to her. I'm sorry," the judge replied. "What I will say though is that undoubtedly you're the closest to Ruhi out of everyone. So I will ask you to give a statement regarding who you think should get custody based on who Ruhi would be happiest and most secure with."

"Sure, ma'am."

Thus, it was decided that Ruhi Bhalla's custody case would be fought by two parties: Raman Bhalla and Shagun Arora. The rest of the formalities took another twenty minutes after which, the involved parties left the office.

"Tch tch tch, poor Raman," Ashok sneered as they left the court. "Pehle tumhari biwi ne tumhe choda, aur ab tumhari beti bhi tumhe chod degi." [First your wife left you, now your daughter will also leave you.]

At this, Raman lost his temper and grabbed Ashok by the collar of his suit. "Sun che foot do inch. Paanch saal pehle tumne mujhe hara diya tha lekin is baar tu nahi jitega, yeh mera vaada hai tujhse. Agar maine tujhe jitne diya na to mera naam bhi Raman Kumar Bhalla nahi, samjha?"

[Listen six foot two inch. You may have defeated me five years ago but I promise you, you won't this time. If I let you win this time then my name isn't Raman Kumar Bhalla, understood?]

Mihir and Pathak quickly pulled Raman back to calm him down while Shagun dragged Ashok away to their car. Although Ishita disapproved of Raman's public outburst, she couldn't help but feel a similar anger at Ashok Khanna. She remembered vividly Mr. Yadav saying that he had bribed the officials of the orphanage to stop the processing of the paperwork that would have finalized Ruhi's adoption for her.

"Bhai, please chalte hain yaha se. Let's go," Mihir implored. "Ishita ji, hum aapko ghar chod de ya..." [Bhai, please let's just go from here. Ishita ji, should we drop you home or...]

"Mihir, hume office jana hai aur iska clinic doosri taraf hai. Ishita, tum aayi kaise thi? Waise hi chali jaao na?" Raman asked. [Mihir, we have to go the office right now and her clinic is in the opposite direction. Ishita, how did you get here? Can't you just go back that way?]

"Tum kitne insensitive aur rude ho? Every time I try to think better of you, you surprise me even more. And not in a good way," Ishita said. [How insensitive and rude are you?]

"Apna lecture apne paas rakho. Vaise bhi mere paas itna time nahi hai ki pehle tumhe drop karu phir office jau. Meri ek bahot important client ke saath meeting hai." [Keep your lecture to yourself. Besides, I don't have enough time to drop you home and then go to my office. I have a meeting with a very important client.]

"Aap ki beti ki custody hearing ki baat nikli hai, aur aap ko apni clients aur meetings ki zyada padi hai, right? You are unbelievable." [Your daughter's custody is on the line, and you're more interested in your clients and meetings, right?]

"Seedhe seedhe jawab do na yaar, tum chali jaaogi ya nahi?" [Just give me an answer, will you go by yourself or not?]

"Jee haan, main chali jaaungi. Meri behen mujhe lene aa rahi hai. Usi ne mujhe drop kiya tha subah." [Yes, I'll go by myself. My sister is coming to pick me up. She is the one who dropped me off this morning.]

"Great then. Mihir, Pathak, chalo." [Let's go.]

Mihir and Pathak exchanged looks. Neither of them were comfortable in leaving Ishita alone. It was daylight now, but it was also Delhi. "Bhai, thoda wait karte hain na. Ishita ji ki behen aa jaye then we'll leave." [Bhai, let's wait for a bit. We'll leave once Ishita ji's sister arrives.]

"Fine, whatever."

In about five minutes, Mihika arrived in Ishita's red SUV and came out of the car. "Akka, sorry mujhe itni der lag gayi. Woh traffic..." Mihika's words got stuck in her mouth as she saw who Raman was standing with. [Akka, sorry I got so late. Actually traffic...]

Simultaneously, Mihir's eyes grew wide as he connected the dots in his head. "TUM!" They both shouted out. [YOU!]

Raman did a double take and Ishita nearly jumped out of her skin at their cries. "Tum dono ek doosre ko jaante ho kya?" she asked. [Do you guys know each other?]

"Akka, actually..."

"Haa bolo Miku. Mihir tum hi bol do." [Yes Miku, speak up. Mihir, why don't you say something.]

"Actually Ishita ji, Raman bhai..."

Both Mihir and Mihika had trouble finding words to explain their relationship. Mihir almost began blushing seeing which Raman figured out the truth.

"Mihir, don't tell me. Tu jo ladki ko date kar raha hai, kya woh Mihika hai?" [Is Mihika the girl you're dating?]

Mihir's nod and Mihika's downcast eyes confirmed Raman's doubts. Both Raman and Ishita were shocked to say the least.

"Seriously, Mihir! Tujhe puri duniya mein isi Madrasan ki behen mili thi pyaar karne ke liye?" [Out of all the girls in the world, you had to fall in love with this madrasan's sister?]

"Miku! Jab tune Punjabi bola tha, to maine Murugan say pray kiya tha ki woh Raman jaisa na nikle. Lekin yeh to uska bhai hi nikla!" [Miku! When you said your boyfriend was Punjabi, I was praying to Murugan that he shouldn't be anything like Raman. But he turned out to be his brother only!]

"Bhai trust me, mujhe nahi pata tha ki Mihika Iyer family ki hai." [Bhai trust me, I had no idea that Mihika was from the Iyer family.]

"Haa Akka, aur mujhe bhi nahi pata tha ki Mihir Raman ka bhai hai." [Yes akka, and even I didn't know thar Mihir was Raman's brother.]

Unfortunately, Mihir and Mihika's explanations did little to lessen Raman and Ishita's shock. Both of them were finally dragged to their vehicles by their respective siblings with promises to answer all of their questions.

.....................................................................................................................

Meanwhile, on the roads of Delhi - Ashok's car

"Ashok, tumhe Raman ko aise uksaana nahi chahiye tha," Shagun reprimanded her boyfriend while they were seated in the back seat of their car as their driver drove them home. [Ashok, you shouldn't have instigated Raman like that.]

"Why baby? Achanak apne ex-husband ke liye pyaar to nahi umad raha?" [Why baby? Are you feeling bad for your ex-husband all of a sudden?]

"No you idiot. I couldn't care less about Raman. But didn't you hear the judge? She is going to take Ishita's statement about who should get Ruhi's custody. It doesn't serve us well for you to go creating trouble with Raman while she is watching."

"I must say Shagun darling, mere saath rehte rehte tum bhi samajhdaar ho gayi ho. You're right, hume Ishita ko apni side lena hoga. And I'm going to entrust you with that responsibility, all right?" [You've gotten wiser after staying in my company. You're right, we need to get Ishita on our side.]

"Matlab? Main kya kar sakti hoon iske liye?" [What do you mean? What can I do?]

"Tum bhi aurat ho, woh bhi aurat hai. Tum Ruhi ki asli maa ho, woh Ruhi ki adoptive mother hai. Use your charm and string a story together about how much you love your daughter and how badly you want her with you. You know, something like how ek maa ka dard ek aurat hi samajh sakti hain kinda crap."

[You're a woman, she's a woman. You're Ruhi's real mother, she's Ruhi's adoptive mother. Use your charm and string a story together about how much you love your daughter and how badly you want her with you. You know, something like how only a woman can understand another woman's pain kinda crap.]

"Fine."

"Watch me baby, I'm not going to let Raman Bhalla win, ever."

.....................................................................................................................

Bhalla/Iyer Residence - 8 pm

Both the Bhalla and Iyer houses were in chaos. It had been a mere few hours since they had found out about Mihir and Mihika, and saying that they were shocked was an understatement. Rinki and Romi could not end teasing the newest love birds in town. Vandu joined in on the fun over the phone when Mihika called to reveal who she was dating, as she had promised to tell Vandu first. 

However, the elders of the family had their own issues. Madhu and Vishwa found it hard to accept that their niece was dating someone, no less a Punjabi man. While Toshi and Omprakash were happy Mihir had found someone, Toshi threw a ruckus on finding out that she was a Tamilian, and that too from the Iyer family. Mihika and Mihir grew tense at the disapproval of their elders, but Ishita assured them that it was just the initial shock. All they needed was time and space to get used to the idea of Mihika and Mihir dating. 

Once she had managed to put Mihir and Mihika's worries at ease, her own worries returned. Ruhi's custody case. Soon, Ruhi would be taken from her. She wouldn't be able to feed her, tell her stories, or hug and kiss her as her mom. And to compound her distress, she had been given the responsibility of choosing which parent was best suited to meet Ruhi's needs. She hated that she had to pick herself where to send Ruhi, and she was terrified of making the wrong decision.

"Ishimaa, aaj dinner mein kya hai?" Ruhi tugged on Ishita's kurti who was busy in the kitchen with her Amma. [Ishimaa, what's for dinner today?]

"Aaj uttapam aur sambhar hai, Ruhi. Dekho, khana almost ready hai. Aap ko bhukh lagi hai kya?" [Today there is uttapam and sambhar, Ruhi. Look, dinner is almost ready. Are you hungry?]

"Haa mumma, mere pet mein choohe daud rahe hai!" [Yes mumma, my stomach is growling like crazy!]

"Arey baap re, itni bhukh lagi hai? Chalo chalo, tum baitho table pe, main tumhari plate nikalti hoon, thik hai?" [Oh my god, you're that hungry? Come on then, go sit at the table and I'll bring your plate, ok?]

After one last stir to the pot of sambhar, Ishita served it in a bowl and added an uttapam to a plate and gave Ruhi her dinner. Amma called out to Appa and they too, joined for dinner. Ishita served her father but her mother stopped her from serving her a plate.

"Kanna, mujhe apni Ruhi ko apne haath se khilana hai. Pata nahi kab tak yeh hamare paas rahegi," she sighed. [Dear, I want to feed Ruhi with my own hands. God knows how long she'll stay here with us.]

Ishita simply nodded her approval as a brick of tears jammed her throat. Once Mihir and Mihika's matter had subsided, the rest of the family had undoubtedly found out about the decisions made in Judge Bakshi's office, and the Iyers had gotten the shorter end of the stick. While the Bhallas were distraught at Shagun's return, they managed to hold on to the hope that Raman would win custody. But the Iyers were saddened for both Ruhi and Ishita.

The ring of Ishita's phone distracted her from witnessing the pleasant scene at the table.

"Hello, who is this?"

"Hi, is this Dr. Isheeta Iyer?"

"Yes, aap kaun?" [Yes, who are you?]

"Main Shagun bol rahi hoon. From court today. Remember? Mujhe tumhara number telephone directory se mila." [I'm Shagun. I found your number from the telephone directory.]

"Oh yes, yaad hai mujhe." [Oh yes, I remember.]

"Hi Isheeta, woh main soch rahi thi ki kyun na tum Ruhi ko leke humare ghar aao kabhi, like in the next few days? Mujhe apni beti se milne ki itni excitement hai." [Hi Isheeta, I was thinking why don't you bring Ruhi to our house sometime, like in the next few days? I'm so excited to meet my daughter.]

"Actually maine abhi Ruhi ko bataya nahi hai aapke baare mein. Pehle main usse baat karti hoon, uske baad..." [Actually I haven't talked to Ruhi about this. First I'll talk with her, then...]

"Yes yes, of course, not a problem! Main samajh sakti hoon uske liye kitni tough situation hogi yeh. Par ho sake to please usse jaldi baat karna. Mujhse ab aur door nahi raha jaayega usse." [I can understand how tough the situation must be for her. But please talk to her soon if you can. I won't be able to stay away from her now.]

"Sure, main usse baat karti hoon uske baad I'll call you." [Sure, I'll talk to her then I'll call you.]

"Ok great. Thanks."

Ishita hung up the phone and turned around to join her family at the dinner table. But try as she may, her feet didn't seem to cooperate. Neither could she find the courage to face Ruhi, nor could she find the appetite to eat anything. Too much was happening too fast, and she needed a break to clear her mind.

"Amma, main niche walk pe jaa rahi hoon." [Amma, I'm going downstairs for a walk.]

"Aiyo Ishu, khaana to kha lo..." [Aiyo Ishu, at least eat something...]

"Nahi Amma, mujhe bhukh nahi hain. I'm going for a stroll around the block." [No Amma, I'm not hungry.]

Ishita put on her slippers and left for some air outside. Ruhi was happily munching on the uttapam and both her grandparents were there to keep her company. But right now, Ishita needed some space for herself. 

The past few weeks had taken a toll on her. Raman's entry into her life had thrown her life out of balance, and now Shagun's arrival and the court case meant she was kicked out of Ruhi's life. And now she somehow had to find the words to explain to Ruhi what this all meant for her. How would she make her understand that she had to leave her Ishimaa soon? 

Ishita found a bench and sunk into it as her whole body grew tired and weary. And for the first time in weeks, she let herself shed her inhibitions and cry. She had kept herself together in front of her family, especially Ruhi. She had held onto some distant ray of hope but it had disappeared today. And so she wept away her troubles for as long as she could.

Once she was all out of tears, Ishita convinced herself to get up and face Ruhi. Whether she liked it or not, she had to tell her about Shagun. She gathered herself, wiped her face, and stood up to leave. But before she did, she noticed a white handkerchief on the bench that wasn't there when she arrived. Someone must have seen her crying and left it there for her unnoticed, she thought.

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10 minutes