In that calm atmosphere, the sharp ring of the mobile reverberated in the air. Rana looked at the incoming number doubtfully and hesitated whether to answer it or not. The mobile continued to ring. "Who is it Rana Bhai? Put it on speaker!!" Kanhaiya suggested. Rana followed his suggestion and the moment he answered the call and put it on speaker, his son Manish's frantic and panic ridden voice from the speaker echoed all around them. "BABA!!! BABA!!! ARE YOU THERE? PLEASE PLEASE DON'T DO ANYTHING TO SHANKAR OR ARYAN!! THEY WILL KILL ME HERE IF YOU DO!! BABA ANSWER ME!!" Rana just stared at the mobile, too stunned to answer, panic written all over his face. "BABA!!" Manish's voice sounded desperate.

Aryan's heart was in turmoil. After listening to everything Shankar revealed, he almost felt dumbfounded. He thought nothing else could shock him about the events of that fateful night from 16 years ago, but he was mistaken. But In a way, now everything made perfect sense. What happened that night as well as what happened later in Goa. His heart burst with relief and joy with that tiny hope all was still not lost. There is still humanity in this world and it might show in the strangest of places. But ultimately it reaffirmed his belief that whatever happened to him and Miku, it was purely because of the goodness and kindness of his parents. How else can he explain these new revelations that he heard today?He will never forget this day. And that was purely thanks to Shankar, who finally confirmed that he will stand as a police witness and give evidence against his former mentor Rana and his partner in crim

Chandni slowly opened her eyes. She was lying on her bed, in her bedroom. How she reached there, she had no Idea. On a chair beside her bed, sat Vikram who smiled slowly at her, now that she was awake. On the other side of bed, was Nargis Chachi, dozing off in her awkward sitting position at her feet. Chandni got up quickly, stunned. Vikram signaled her to be shush and smiled again in reassurance. "Don't worry Chandni, it is just Chachi and me. Everything is okay. Don't worry. Do you want some water?"He got up slowly from his chair and handed her a glass of water from the side table. Chandni grabbed the glass and gulped down all the water,

"What!! Why did you do that? If Aishwarya wants to come back, then it is the best thing for both of you isn't it? Go....go right now and bring her back from Lucknow." Raghav Demanded. "Hey Bhagwan!! Don't be so naïve Raghav. She just wants me to pay off her debts and borrow more money here, as the lenders over there might have refused to give her any more money." Sanjay said with gritted teeth. "I know exactly what I am talking about Sanjay, it seems you are missing the point here. If she is being ridiculed and insulted by her father and external people, isn't it your responsibility to protect her from these? Is this how you let others treat the woman you vowed to protect and care for, till the day you die?" Raghav snapped. Sanjay sighed deeply, grabbing Dev as he tried to escape under the table trying to catch a

For the first few months after her return, Aishwarya seemed to behave in controlled fashion, not spending much and took active interest in learning the ropes of running their business, much to Raghav and Vasudha's delight. But Sanjay knew her too well to believe everything straightaway. After the Rath Yatra finished, the communal riots that broke out between Hindus and Muslims in their nearby cities and the rest of India, distressed and derailed the normal life of every one including Sanjay and Raghav's families and their business as well. Slowly, after a few months, things returned somewhat to normal. All this while, Sanjay kept thinking of Damini, and prayed that their family was safe and unaffected due to the riots. It was as if her face got imprinted inside his heart forever. He was also gravely concerned about her wellbeing, considering the chauvinistic mentality of her family members. Many times, he