"I know that due to my foolishness I always gave pain to you and Ragini. In fact my entire family suffered because of me. But I promise Ma, I will never repeat my mistakes. Please forgive me for the last time." Laksh bent his head, folding his hands.
"This is the last time..." Annapurna pulled him in her motherly embrace.
After a long time, Laksh broke his hug and came in front of Swara. He folded his hands in front of her.
"I am sorry, Swara. In my issues, you and Bhai always gets dragged in. You both suffer for my irresponsible behaviour. I don't even have any courage to face Bhai. I have hurt him." 
"It's ok Laksh. But please as Badi Ma said, don't take any irrational decision. We are a family, whatever it is, we should share and communicate. We should trust our family members." Swara forgave him as per her nature.
Sujata shook her head which went unnoticed by all but one pair of an eye observed it.
"Swara is absolutely right. Trust and respect are the pillars for any family and relation... Maybe I know it better now" Annapurna choked.
"Badi Ma?" Swara came to her. 
"Sanskar... I did not trust him enough. I did not trust my child. My child who loved and respected me the most all his life."  Tears started rolling over cheeks.
"I knew my Sanskar could never harm Laksh, but still I blamed him. My motherly instincts dominated my mind. He is broken because of my mistakes." Annapurna weeped badly.
"Badi Ma, Sanskar loves you a lot. Just talk to him. He will forget everything. We should let go our past and start a fresh." Swara wiped her tears.
"Just talk? At least he must stay at home to talk. From that day, he closed himself in a shell." 
Recent revelation swiped floor beneath Swara's feet, she abruptly looked at Sujata to find truthfulness behind Annapurna's words. Tears streamed over Sujata's cheek, she gulped heavily looking everywhere but not at her.
"He doesn't stay at home. He buried himself in office work." Annapurna kept on mumbling.
"Ma but now everything will be fine." Ragini intervened for the first time. "Right Swara?"
Swara could hardly nod her head but uncertainty had created its home in her mind.
"Swara, will you please talk to him? Will you please ask him to forgive his Badi Ma? I know he will listen to you. Please beta." Annapurna was on the verge of folding her hands in front of Swara.
"For sure Badi Ma." She replied but her heart was grappling with pessimism.
Soon it was evening, Swara was in two minds whether to call or message Sanskar about his arrival. His morning reserved responses created commotion but with shaky hands she switched on her phone. 
She opened her recent call list to dial his number but she could not find it. It was a moment of realisation that she had not spoken to her husband on the phone for the last 6 months.
It alarmed her. Her hands started shaking, she could not gather courage to call him. But her heart wanted to ask him about his arrival. She closed her eyes for a moment to gain her emotional equilibrium. 
'He loves you from the moon to back, Swara.'
She opened their WhatsApp chat and a broad smile gleaned over her face seeing his last reply.
'Love you Swara'
But when her eyes landed on the date, it was the date when Adarsh played his cards, naming the entire property and business in his name. They had to leave their household to move to Baadi.