(HERE IS THE NEXT PART..HOPE I DON'T CONFUSE OR BORE U.😳.)
After putting Akanksha to sleep,Piya went and stood by the window,looking for a long time, at the moon and the clouds,which were hiding the moon every now and then. But her mind was in the past,rushing through the memories of her life five years ago. She slowly turned away from the window and walked up to the drawer of her bedside table and pulled out a small diary,untouched since the night her life had turned upside down.She opened it and pulled out a photo kept safely between its pages. The face of a laughing three-year-old boy stared back at her,his eyes twinkling in amusement. Piya lightly ran a thumb over the little face,as tears rose in her eyes."Armaan" she whispered,softly. The name brought back a rush of memories and sobs racked her body. She didn't know why she was thinking about the past again,when she'd so carefully learnt to shield herself from those memories. But tonight,she couldn't stop the tears that shook her whole body,tears for the life she had lost to the past..She kissed the photo and kept it aside,and pulled the diary towards her. Flicking through the pages,she stopped till she reached the part she wanted to read,not quite knowing why,and started to read,.
(REVELATION OF THE PAST:AS RECORDED IN PIYA'S DIARY)
19TH January,2006
Dear Diary,
Its been exactly two months since I settled in Dehradoon. And for the first time in my life, I don't feel lonely. I know people will always point their fingers at me,saying I am unmarried,but I still have a child. But I don't care what people think. I don't regret having Armaan in my life. He is the only one whom i can call my own. Teaching the children at St.Mary's orphanage has taught me a lot. I feel loved for the first time. The only thing I am afraid of is when Armaan will grow up and ask about his father,what will I say?That his father is a rapist? That nobody knows who he is? But I don't want to worry about that now. I want to forget that tormented night.But some scars never heal. I feel tainted, impure. I wish my parents were still alive, so that I didn't have to be alone,so that that night never happened. But I love Armaan. He will grow up to have a dignified life. And I will make sure these little children in the orphanage grow up safely too,that they never suffer for not having a family. I may not have received a mother's love,but I am a mother now. And all of them are my children.
21st January,2006
Dear Diary,
Something happened today. I don't know what to make of it. Today the sisters at the orphanage took the children for a picnic to the outskirts of Dehradoon,near the famous forests. Armaan and I were invited too. While returning we visited the ancient ruined palace of Pandher. I remember one of the sisters telling me that I look exactly like the last princess of Pandher. After that I somehow got separated from the group. That's when it happened. That odd feeling of deja vu. I remember seeing a flash..of the insides of a grand palace,the sound of music and laughter,and someone..whose face I couldn't see clearly.. That's when I fainted.I woke up to realize I was in somebody's arms, I remember blue eyes,astonishing ocean-blue deep eyes. I felt that person gently run his hand over my face,and I remember tears falling down my cheeks. Then I passed out again. I opened my eyes to see the worried faces of the children and the sisters looking down at me.Nobody knows about my saviour. How is that possible?
(PRESENT:Drops of tears fell on the pages of the diary as Piya read about her and his first meeting. Ever since that day,she had recurring dreams,of that palace,of that someone.But she still didn't know why..Flicking through the pages she came to a stop at another entry in the diary)
2nd March,2006
Dear Diary,
Its strange how you cannot fight destiny. The farther Abhay and I try to move,the closer we get. Even after our great fight last week, the pull and bond between us is stronger than ever. Today I was really upset. And that's when I bumped into Abhay. I couldn't help it. I threw my arms around him. And he held me there,letting me cry it all out,his arms around me, all fights forgotten. And that's when I realized one of the reasons I cannot forget him. He has a good and soft heart,behind his cold and rude mask. I've seen it sometimes, when he is with Armaan. The bonding between the two of them is so beautiful. But I am afraid what Abhay will think when he knows the truth behind Armaan's birth. Will he still be there to comfort me like he did today? Or will he laugh and scorn at me like the whole world? God help me..i think I am falling in love with him. But I am so afraid..of losing him..soo afraid..
(PRESENT:Piya clutched the diary close to her,crying. Stop reading,stop remembering, she told herself. But she still continued to read,though it was breaking her heart,making her weak. But it suddenly seemed very important,for her,to read on...)
10th March,2006.
Dear Diary,
I didn't write yesterday. I couldn't. Too many emotions inside me now.Yesterday we had the celebrations for the golden jubilee of St. Mary's orphanage. Abhay was also invited . And we ended up dancing together. I remember the feeling of being so close together. His hands on my waist,mine around his neck,our faces close together and as usual I forgot the whole world around me as we danced to the tunes of "dil ibadat.."His expressions so tender as he looked at me,as he slowly tucked a stray strand of hair behind my ears. I felt a shiver run down my spine. Yes I was madly,truly deeply in love with him. But did he love me? I am not sure. There's a lot of himself he holds back,a past which he hides from the world. Sometimes we get really close but he always finds reasons to pull back. But he feels for me and that is evident after yesterday, when he stood by me, when the world scorned. While we were dancing,a man yelled at me." That's right,u w****.No wonder u don't need to be married to be a mother,look at the way to get cozy with men."Tears of humiliation and pain welled up in my eyes,and if I hadn't stopped Abhay, he would have killed the man. The rage I saw in his eyes. But I couldn't stay there a little longer. i wished the ground opened and swallowed me up. I rushed out of the party. He followed me,not wanting to leave me alone. But he needed to know who I really was.A mark on society with an illegitimate child. And so I told him. About that nightmarish night when I was raped, at the age of seventeen, and the truth about Armaan's birth. I waited for him to scorn at me, to move away from me in disgust. But he held me close,cupping my face in his hands,and whispering"I'm here for u. Don't cry Piya, Don't cry." And he softly kissed my forehead. There was so much love, so much tenderness. I had never felt so wanted, so protected. I buried my face in his chest,crying out all the burden I had locked up deep inside me, and he held me close,in silence,kissing the top of my head every now and then.
(PRESENT:Piya walked upto Akanksha's room,her eyes still wet with tears. Akanksha was sleeping soundly, a small smile on her baby lips. She was the living proof of Piya and Abhay's love. Not that proof was needed.Piya knew the deep and incomprehensible bond they had,however much she wanted to deny it. She knew she would always love Abhay with every fibre of her being,with every heartbeat, every breath. But maybe, it was too late to call him back. She could not undo the past,she thought,as she stroked akanksha's dark brown curls. Had it been her fault,having pushed him away,or was it his fault,not holding on firmly enough. Tears slid down Piya's cheeks. However much she denied, she couldn't shake off that empty hole in her heart,her life. It hurt too much. Life without Abhay wasn't the same. He'd come like a storm in her life, and like that storm he had left, leaving damages behind. Damages these five years could not wash away. As Piya looked at her baby daughter sleeping, her night wandered back to the best night of her life. And with that also came memories of that night not long after,when she'd lost both Armaan and Abhay...)
PRECAP:MORE OF THE PAST, A LITTLE ABOUT JEH AND ABHIYA MEET(WELL SORT OF)
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