As a result of Anita's phone call, Aditya and Vishal reached the mall, fifteen minutes after five. He was just dialing his phone to call Anjali and ask her about her whereabouts when he noticed her. He quickened his steps, but in the next moment stopped in his tracks. He was shocked to see Anjali talking and laughing with a man.

Not just any man, but a very well known architect Anish Mistry, whom Mehta Constructions will be working with soon. He wondered how Anjali knew Anish.

When Vishal noticed that Aditya had stopped walking alongside him, he looked behind him to see what had caught Aditya's interest. He noticed his cousin was starring in distance, and turned to see what he was looking at and was also shocked to see Anjali talking to Anish.

What surprised Vishal was that Anjali appeared relaxed and her smile was affectionate. His sister-in-law had seemed sad in last few months, and he knew why, and hadn't known how to help her, but now seeing her like this made him happy.

He turned and walked back to his cousin. "Bhai, are you ok?" He knew his brother and sister-in-law's relations were strained, but his and cousin's relations have also seen the distance that was not there before.

Just then Anjali turned and saw them walking towards her, her smile dimmed instantly, seeing Aditya's scowl.

Anish noticed the Mehtas walking towards them and turned to Anjali. "Do you know them?"

Before she could reply, Hina and Ramila joined her, and on the other side Anish's mom and sister-in-law also arrived. Anjali's smiled widened when she saw the new arrivals. She rushed to Ketki Mistry, bent and took her blessing and then hugged her tight. She then turned to Anish's sister-in-law, Sudha and greeted her also.

Mehta family looked on at the exchange with confusion on their faces. They all wondered how Anjali knew the Mistrys. She turned towards her family. "Maa, this is Ketki aunty, my aunt Shanti's, sister-in-law, her elder daughter in-law Sudha and her younger son Anish."

She then turned and introduced her family to Ketki. Anish smiled at Aditya and Vishal. "Anjali, I already know your husband and brother-in-law, we will be working together soon."

Anjali turned back to Keti and spoke with bit of nostalgia in her voice. "Aunty, how is my Kakima doing, and when did you come back?"

Ketki smiled at Anjali and caressed her head. "Your Kakima is fine and she misses you a lot. We came back six months ago, and your Kakima is coming back soon also. I will tell her I saw you and will let you know when she comes back so you can come see her. Anjali's eyes became wet with tears at the thought of the person who raised her until she turned sixteen. She discreetly wiped the tears from her eyes and turned back towards her family.

She was about to ask Ketki what they were doing at the mall when they heard a loud voice from behind them. "Anjali, what are you doing here?" Anjali turned with surprise and watched as her aunt and cousin Riya rushed towards them. Besides her Ketki also stiffened as Urmila came towards them.

Ramila gritted her teeth, while Hina smiled. "Urmilaben, what are you doing here?"

Urmila eyed Anjali with glee on her face, and thought perfect. "Woh, Ramilaben, my Raj had sent money for Riya to get Rakshabandan gift, and she did not want to wait, so we came to shop for what she wants." She turned to Anjali with a calculating look. "Did you also receive your gift, is that why you are here also?" Seeing the pain on Anjali's face made her day. Thank god her son Dhaval had called and informed her that he had heard Vishal talking with his father about the shopping trip. She didn't want to miss the opportunity to taunt Anjali and also show off her daughter to Hina and Vishal.

Both Ramila and Aditya noticed the pain on Anjali's face at the mention of her brother's name, but it was Ramila who stepped up to Anjali and answered to Urmila. "Urmilaben we are actually shopping for Kajal's gift for right now, and as for Anjali's gift, she does not want to spend her money yet, so we will come back another time for it."

Ketki also spoke up. She knew what Urmila was trying to do. "Urmilaben, looks like you didn't recognize me, remember me? I am Anjali's kakima, Shantiben's sister-in-law, Ketki."

At the mention of Anjali's kakima, Urmila shut right up. "Oh, Ketkiben of course I remember you, how are you doing, and how is Shantiben?"

Ketki smiled and said, "I am fine and so is Shantiben, she will be returning to India soon." She turned to Anjali. "We are also here to shop for Shreya's Rakshabandan gift, so I hope you can also help us with her gift."

Anjali's smiled at mention of Mehatas youngest daughter, she was just like Kajal. "Of course aunty, I will help you."

After few minutes they all entered the Jewelry store. Anjali stiffened when her aunt and Riya followed them in the store. She knew exactly what her aunt was trying to do, she wanted her cousin Riya to catch Vishal's attention, but thank god he was ignoring her so far, and so is Hina aunty. She didn't know how she would handle it, if they asked her to set up the alliance between Vishal and Riya. Her aunt didn't like to hear no from Anjali, and if she ever did she has always retaliated back by getting her father involve, and that has yet to change.

Aditya had been watching Anjali from the moment he spotted her to the moment when she realized her aunt and cousin were following them into the store. He frowned thinking he didn't know his wife. His mom seems to know more about Anjali then he does.

He watched as she discussed several options regarding Kajal's gift with his aunt and mom, then finally decided on a diamond set from him and matching bangles from Vishal. She turned towards him and held the set out to show him. Her eyes widened when he moved towards her and deliberately touched her hand when he took the necklace out of her hand, all the time starring straight into her eyes. She tried to move back, but he caught her hand. "Don't move," He raised an eyebrow when she glared at him.

"Why are you glaring at me? I can't even touch my wife?"

Anjali looked around to be sure no one was watching. "No one is watching us right now, you don't have to put up the loving husband act." She said this with sarcasm.

Aditya caressed her hand. "Who says I am putting on an act?"

She was startled to see glimpse of the old Aditya when he said that, it reminded her of the day when they met up for the second time in the library. Before she could say anything, Ramila called out to her, and he let go of her hand.

He watched as Anjali went back to his mom, and smiled. He had managed to surprise her today. He followed her to the counter and stood beside her as she helped the Mistrys select their gift.

After the shopping was complete, the Mistrys once again reminded Anjali to come visit them soon, and made Aditya promise to bring her with him. He and his mom both reassured them that they would have Anjali visit them soon.

After the Mistrys left, he noticed that Anjali was gazing at the art shop with longing. He turned to Vishal. "You take mom and aunty home, I will bring Anjali, I need to make a stop, we will meet you at home."

Before Vishal could reply Urmila and Riya came out of the shop. Everyone in the shop had ignored them, but Aditya had noticed, Riya trying to flirt with Vishal, but Anjali had kept interrupting them. He had been curious at her peculiar behavior, and now he realized there was something definitely going on with her and it had something to do with her family.

After they bid the family goodbye, Aditya lead Anjali to the art shop. She stopped outside the store and looked at him curiously. He noticed her looking at him. "You wanted to shop in here right? I know you like to paint, so why not, go do your shopping."

She opened her mouth as if to say something, then just shook her head and went into the shop, muttering under her breath. He wasn't sure, but he thought he heard her say, "He is going to drive me crazy one day." Her muttering amused Aditya and it reminded him of their days in college. Back in college, he had found out about her interest in art, as a matter of fact that's what she had wanted to study, and every time they went shopping she had always wanted go to the art shops first, and he had always made her wait till the end. She used to mutter about him the same way. He wondered what she has done with her art lately.

In the past eight months he had noticed her sketching several times, but never took the interest in what she was doing, but now he wanted to know what was in her sketchbook. He was so lost in his thoughts, he hadn't even realized she had finished shopping and was getting ready to pay for her purchases, before she could pay for them, he paid for the items, surprising her again. He took the purchases from the sales clerk and turned to her, "Shall we go?"

Anjali was dumbfounded by his behavior, and wondered what's gotten into him, when just this morning he had turned away from her. In the end she concluded she will never understand his behavior and decided to keep quiet. She had more things to worry about than her husband's odd behavior.

Her thoughts went back to what her aunt had said earlier about her brother and how he had sent money for Riya for rakhi. This didn't surprise Anjali, her aunt had always managed to show everyone how Riya was the good girl and Anjali was the bad girl. She didn't care about the money that her brother had sent for Riya, but it irked her because her aunt always did everything for show, and not for any real caring in her part towards Anjali's family. She wished she could make her father understand her aunt's true intentions, but her father had never believed her and never would.

Thought of her father reminded her of what Ketki aunty had said about her Kakima. Her kakima was returning soon, but will she want to see Anjali or would it be too painful for her? When her kakima had left India she had broken all relations with Anjali's father.

Anjali's kakima had been married to her dad's younger brother, who had died in a car accident at a young age, soon after that Anjali's mom had also died giving birth. Her Kakima had raised Anjali as her own daughter and had also loved her brother just as equally, but all that had changed when Anjali's aunt, her mom's elder brother's wife, came to live with them with her two kids, after Anjali's uncle died.

Her aunt had filled her dad's head with lies about kakima, and her father had swallowed each lie as a gospel truth, no matter how much her Kakima had defended herself, he had accused her of being after Anjali and Raj's inheritance, in the end Kakima's brothers had insisted she leave that house, and then her younger brother had taken her to Australia to live with him, and her kakima hasn't returned in eight years.