Chapter - 30

                                        

                                              
"Maa, what was the need for you to spew so much venom there? And that too for Swara?"  Shekhar spoke fiercely with blood shot eyes, throwing daggers at his mother.
"Shut up Shekhar... don't teach me. Why did you need to bring me back home forcibly? And that Swara...you are feeling a lot of affection for that illegitimate child of yours. Till yesterday you were my Ragini's beloved father, today suddenly you have developed love for your second daughter." Parvati raised her voice but her son interrupted.
"Ma, you must be forgetting that where you are standing right now, this house belongs to my that illegitimate daughter only." Shekhar quieted his mother with his cold yet definitive tone. He continued, "What if Sanskar would have asked us to leave this house hearing the trash from you about his wife. Where would we have gone?"
"Don't brag about his wealth in front of me." Parvati hated to accept reality. 
"Don't forget, we should be thankful to Maheshwari's that after all the nuisance your lovely grand-daughter had created, they are still letting her stay in their house. It is because of Laksh's grace that despite being betrayed by Ragini, he is continuing his marriage with her. If there was someone else in his place, your granddaughter would have returned to her parents' home long ago." Sharmishtha was silently hearing her husband's and her mother-in law 's argument for the last one hour.
Ring on the doorbell halted the heated discussion. Sharmishtha went to open the door. Instantly her forehead squeezed looking at the visitors. 
"Ragini?" 
Shekhar and Parvati could hardly hear mumblings from Sharmishtha.
Ragini was standing at the doorstep and Laksh was behind her with a lower head. 
"Laddoo, what are you doing here?" Parvati surpassed Sharmishtha. "Come, come inside. You are still weak. You should not stand for a long time."
Ragini stepped in with a blank face. 
"Ragini, I am leaving." Laksh kept a small bag on the doorstep before turning his back. "I will ask Ramesh to get your necessities either today or tomorrow."
"When will you come back, Laksh?" Ragini mumbled faintly. She could feel a tear streamed over her cheek.
"I don't know." He replied quickly without meeting his eyes with his wife. He turned, taking long steps he moved towards elevators. Ragini halted at her place looking at her husband who was waiting for the elevators.
Few moments passed, the elevator door opened and Laksh entered inside without turning back to see his wife. 
"Laddoo, say something?" Parvati asked with a thudded heart.
"Ragini, what happened?" Shekhar asked, the fear of inevitable had already settled in his mind.
"Ma, did not allow me to step inside the house." Ragini took a long pause before voicing out the events that happened an hour ago.
Shekhar dragged his mother forcefully from Maheshwari house after apologising towards the lady of the house. He had folded his hands but Annapurna left without showing any sympathy towards him.
Unaware of the situation Laksh discharged Ragini and drove to their home. Couple was welcomed by the ferocious glare of Annapurna. 
"Laksh, please I beg of you, I don't want Ragini to stay in this house." Annapurna concluded after unfolding the past events to her son and daughter in law.
"Ma, but what was my fault? Dadi Ma, sometimes she talks nonsense. Everyone knows it." Ragini tried to save her case whereas Laksh was a silent listener.