“Kuchh nahin Bro. Bas hamare beech ki baat hai. Ismein aapke jaanne ki liye kuchh nahin hai,” Dev put on his charming manners and replied. He immediately left the room.

Geet on the other hand looked really disturbed. Maan noticed it immediately.

“Geet! Sab theek to hai?”

“Haan,” Geet tried her best to appear normal. But it wasn’t her cup of tea. She dreaded the moment when she would have to tell him the truth. She had considered all the alternatives. Keeping mum for example – but that wasn’t really an option. That would entail living under the same roof as Dev. For the rest of her life. She also thought of going away from his life without telling him. But she knew just how much he loved her and how devastated he will be if she left without a word. She could not have done that to him. That gem of a person, her God, did not deserve that.

Telling him the truth – it had to be. She cringed at the thought of the pain it will cause him. But that was the only real option. The only question was “when?”!

“Kya chhupa rahi ho mujhse Geet? Kya hua tha kal shaam ko?” His hands were crossed on his chest and his voice was authoritative and demanding.

“Kuchh bhi to nahin,” she did not meet his eyes and looked down.

He went near her, held her chin, lifted her face up and said softly, “Tumhari aankhein tumse bewafai karti hain Geet. Tum chaho bhi to ye tumhein jhooth nahin bolne deti hain. Mujhse to bilkul bhi nahin.”

Geet didn’t know how to hide the tears that were threatening to fill her eyes. She jerked back and turned away from him, “Aap bhi na.”

Maan held her at shoulders, “Kal to tum kitni khush thi Geet? Phir aisa kya ho gaya ki tumhari aankhon ki chamak aur honthon ki hansi yun gayab ho gayi? Kal subah tak tumhari sehat bilkul theek thi. Phir aisa kya ho gaya ki shaam mein tumhein hospital le jaane ki zaroorat pad gayi. Do din pahle hi to humne zindagi bhar saath nibhane ka waada kiya tha Geet, phir aisa kya hoga ki tumhein mujh par bharosa nahin raha, ki tum apne man ki baat mujhe nahin bata pa rahi ho?”

“Maan Sir!” the mention of trust moved her! What was she to do? Just when she had started looking forward to her new life, leaving her past behind, the past had brought itself before her. And in what form? In the form of a curse to her new life as well!

Tears welled up and she could no longer contain them. Maan came around to face her, “Geet, tumhein pata hai na ki tum mujhe kuchh bhi bata sakti ho. Na koi sharm, na jhijhak aur na hi koi dar. Phir, kyon tadpa rahi ho tum khud ko aur mujhe bhi? Kyon mere pyaar par bharosa nahin ho raha Geet tumhein? Mujhe batao Geet, batao mujhe kya hua tha?”

Geet finally broke down, “Mera ateet mera peechha nahin chhodta Sir. Aur uski aag mein main aapko jalte nahin dekh sakti.”

Maan took her hands in his, “Geet. Aisa kyon kah rahi ho? Humne baat ki hai na is baare mein?”

“Maine us insaan ko dekha,” Geet could not hold it any longer.

“Kya?”

“Jiski wajah se meri zindagi tabaah ho gayi, jisne mera parivaar, meri izzat, mera sab kuchh mujhse chheen liya tha, use maine kal shaam dekha.”

Maan’s eyes were on fire with anger, “Kaun hai woh Geet? Tumne mujhe bataya kyon nahin? Tum mere paas kyon nahin aayi Geet?”

“Main aayi thi aapke paas…”

“Kya?”

“Main aayi thi…” Geet could not continue as she started sobbing uncontrollably.

And then he remembered the time when she had told him, “Main use dekha. Maine Dev ko dekha…” But he was too happy to notice how disturbed she was.

“Dev?” He asked her in disbelief.

She nodded, still not able to speak anything.

“Aisa nahin ho sakta. Aisa nahin ho sakta Geet,” he left her hand. She felt devastated. Then he held her by her upper arms and shook her violently, “Dev tumhare saath aisa nahin kar sakta Geet. Aisa nahin ho sakta…”

She was hurt for a moment. He did not believe her! But she looked at his face and then the only thing she could feel was pain for him. What excruciating pain he must be going through at the moment?

She cried when he left her and took a few steps backwards. Her tears then were not for herself, but for him. He turned without saying a word and left the room.

Geet slumped on the bed and cried and cried, not knowing what else to do.

When she recovered her sense, it had been two hours since Maan had left. The sun had already set. She concluded that Maan wasn’t coming back. The sun of her life and happiness had also set. It was time to leave. She opened her cupboard and started packing the few dresses she had come to this house with.

She had no complaints against Maan. She didn’t think that his love wasn’t strong enough. Things could not be set all right. Her being in his life would not help him in any way. It would remind him of his brother’s crime for the rest of his life and that can not be a great feeling to live with. She had to leave.

—

Maan blankly walked to the terrace after he came out of Geet’s room. For quite sometime, his mind was not working at all. He would not have reacted, even if someone pointed a gun towards him. Then slowly he started comprehending the situation. The person devastating Geet’s life was none other than Dev, his own brother. Geet couldn’t have lied. Was there a possibility that she had been mistaken? But then he remembered something. He had found Dev’s number in her room just before leaving for Manali. She had denied having any connection with the number. He realized that she had lied. ‘Lekin usne jhooth isliye bola tha kyonki woh apne ateet ko bhula kar aage badhna chahti thi. Usne mujhse waada bhi kiya tha ki woh apne ateet ko hamare beech nahin aane degi,’ Maan thought to himself. And then he cried for her. Why was the fate so cruel to her? He also remembered how Dev had evaded his question about how he paid off his debts. And Nayantara sneaking out Geet’s file from his office. It started making sense. It was a painful realization, but it was the truth. How could it be anything other than the truth, when Geet had said it. The epitome of truthfulness and trust. And then he realized that he had left her alone. To struggle for herself. How was she? Where was she? What would she have thought of him leaving like that?

He rushed back.

—

Dev was frantically looking for Nayantara after he came out of Geet’s room. The situation was more difficult than he had imagined. He was unable to think of a way out. Sooner or later Geet would tell Maan everything. Since she did not fear that their relationship would be in danger. Nayantara was the one who could keep her cool even in such difficult situations. But it turned out that Dadi had taken her to some function. He prayed furiously for her to come back quickly.

She returned after around two hours and Dev hurriedly explained to her that Maan already knew about Geet’s past.

—

Geet was about to step out of her room with her suitcase when Maan blocked her, “Geet!”

They just looked at each other with pain and tear filled eyes for a few seconds. Neither could speak a word.

Finally Maan broke the silence, “Kya kar rahi ho Geet? Ye sab kya hai?”

Geet looked down as she replied, “Main aapko aise nahin dekh sakti. Main aapki zindagi se door chali jaungi. Meri wajah se…”

“Aisa kyon kah rahi ho Geet,” Maan held her. Then suddenly a thought struck him and he left her. His face showed a heart-wrenching pain as he asked, “Mujhse door kyon jaana chahti ho Geet? Kya tumhein lagta hai ki main bhi zimmedaar hoon…”

—

To be continued