Set in the pre-wedding phase. The wedding gets postponed for six months here and thus, everything that we saw Netra doing after Shashank and Apurva get married in the show – she does it here before that. You’ll know the rest as you read.  

| Part Twenty |

“We need to go,” Apurva said, looking at Dada-Kaka who had stood up by then. She could tell that he was on the verge of losing patience or perhaps, he had already lost it. 

“Tuza shevatacha nirnay kay aahe?”

Everyone was up on their feet, sensing the suppressed tension raising its head again while Apurva and the Kukki Gang rushed back to the scene. 

Shashank looked down for a brief moment before holding Netra’s hand. “Ha… maza shevatacha nirnay aahe!”

“Khadoos tyachyasathi khup problems create kartoy,” Apurva murmured to Manasi. 

Dada-Kaka gave him a nod. “Thik aahe. Tula Netra shi lagna karaycha aahe? Kar. Fakta ek goshta lakshaat thev. Hya lagnasaathi gharatun baher padlyaavar maage kadhi valun baghu nako karan hya waadyache darwaaze tuzyasaathi parat kadhich ughadnaar nahi!”

“Aho!” Mai cried while everyone else gasped. “Kaay boltaay tumhi?” 

Shashank moved a step backward, fiercely pushed by the impact of the decision announced. 

Apurva sighed though visibly still stable. Dada-Kaka raagaat boltoy. But when she looked around at everyone, their faces told a whole different story altogether. She raised a brow at Manasi but she stayed quiet.

“Jashi Avantika aaj mazi konihi nahi tasach tu hi aaj pasun maza konihi nahi!” Dada-Kaka’s words echoed in the Wada, his voice frighteningly cold and unforgiving.

“Avantika?” Apurva whispered, clueless about the name mentioned. Her gaze went to Shashank’s clenched hand. She knew he was trying hard to hold back from the way he kept his gaze down. 

“Vitthu Bhaau Ji, Suva… hyanna samjava.,” Mai urged, knowing the severity of the words spoken. Terrified of losing another kid, she begged her husband. “Aho asa naka bolu. Shashank… Shashank la mi samjaavte. To nakki aikel-”

“Thik aahe!”

Mai’s words were left hanging in the air when Shashank’s agreement stunned everyone.

“Tasahi lagnanantar aamhi U.S. la shift honyacha nirnay ghetla aahe!” Shashank revealed, hitting everyone with yet another shocking decision of his.

Dada-Kaka sank into a chair, clutching his chest. The pain he had been ignoring for the past several minutes had suddenly intensified, leaving him almost gasping for breath. 

“DADA!” everyone shouted as they rushed to his side. His face contorted in pain’ he could barely speak a word. 

“Mi Baba la call karte,” Apurva said, hurriedly looking for her bag. Amey took out his phone and gave it to her. 

Shashank fell on the floor, near Dada-Kaka’s legs but he was pushed back the very next moment. Even in the moments of unbearable discomfort, he couldn’t seem to stand the sight or touch of Shashank. 

The Kanitkar’s Wada erupted into absolute chaos with voices overlapping as they dealt with the scary situation in front of them. 

Apurva was dialing her father’s number when a loud sound of slap echoed through the Wada, making her turn around to see what had happened. 

There stood Vitthu Baba against Shashank, warning him to stay away from Dada-Kaka. “Jar Dada la kahi zala tar mareparyant tuza chehra baghnaar nahi! Ho bhajula!” 

Kanitkar’s Wada had become a battlefield of emotions. His father’s words felt too heavy for Shashank to carry. He felt his balance waver as he staggered back from the force of his father’s push. He stumbled backward but he was caught by someone just in time.

He looked aside to find that Apurva had wrapped her hand around him to protect him from falling while he other hand was holding Amey’s phone to her ear. 

His eyes brimmed with unshed tears as he looked at Dada-Kaka. Forcefully tearing his gaze away from him, he looked at Apurva. 

Apurva who was informing Dr, Kaushik about Dada-Kaka’s condition seemed to have deliberately kept her hand around Shashank even after he was steady on his feet. She pretended to have done it otherwise though. 

Once she disconnected the call, she rushed to Dada-Kaka. “Mi Baba la phone kelaay. To yetoy hospital la. Mi driver dada la gaadi kaadhayla saangte.”

Shashank watched Amey and Nikhil help Dada-Kaka get to the car while the rest of the family members followed them.

The sterile white-walled corridor of Dr. Kaushik’s hospital was no less than the entrance of a divine temple for the anxious Kanitkars who stood outside the ward while Dada-Kaka was being examined and treated inside. 

“Shashank Sir-” Netra whispered, trying to hold his hand as he stood in a corner, at enough distance from his family. 

“Can you please leave?” he asked, taking his hand out of her hold as he stepped aside. “You claim to love me, don’t you? If you really do, please respect my one request. Just one. Leave for now. I’ll call you when the time is right.”

“What if they get you married to Apurva by blackmailing you, as the last wish of Dada-”

“Jara humanity asu de na, Netra Tai. Far nahi tar thodi tari, hmm?” Apurva said, cutting Netra off as she walked toward them. She looked at Shashank who was uncomfortably quiet before she turned to Netra. “If the only thing that you are worried about, the only reason you refuse to leave now is our wedding tomorrow… it won’t happen. You have my word.”

“You think I trust you?” asked Netra. 

“Of course, you don’t, I know! Netra Tai, aapan jase asto, aaplyala watata sagli loka tashish astaat,” Apurva said, her eyes going to Shashank for a brief moment, “pan tasa nasta na!” 

She grabbed Netra’s arm and dragged her aside. “Jar Dada-Kaka la kharach kahi zala, tar tuzyashi lagna tar sodunach de, Khadoos tuzyashi parat kadhi bolel ka hyababatahi shankach aahe. Dada-Kaka cha thik hona tuzyasathi hi titkach mahattvacha asaayala hava jitka aamchyasathi aahe. Tu ithe aslyamule jar Dada-Kaka chi tabyet aankhi bighadli tar…” Apurva left the rest of the words hanging, knowing what she said was enough for what she needed to accomplish. 

Netra stared at Apurva, thinking over her words, knowing they held some weight. For a change, Apurva wasn’t spouting nonsense, she thought. She walked back to Shashank and said, “Mi nantar yete!”

And with that, she disappeared from their sight. 

Apurva scrutinized Shashank’s face to see if it made him feel better but his face was expressionless. She could barely figure out anything from it. When did you learn to hide your emotions from me, Khadoos?

She covered the distance between them and stood beside him, looking at his hands that were in his pockets. “Don’t take what she said seriously. Dada-Kaka is going to be fine,” she made an attempt to comfort him. 

It had taken her a lot to keep her calm after she heard Netra crossing yet another line yet another time. At times, it made her wonder if Netra really was her Atti’s daughter. How could her nicest Atti’s daughter be so cruel?

“I don’t care what she says.”

She heard him uttering in a barely audible voice. 

I don’t care what she says.

Explains why he was standing indifferent to the statement as infuriating as the one Netra had made. 

“I don’t believe what she says.”

She heard him again.

“But I will believe what you say,” he whispered, slowly turning toward her, “tell me he is going to be alright… can you?”

I have always struggled to do scenes where multiple characters are involved. Pardon me for not including everyone’s reactions. It breaks the flow of writing for me. If you want, feel free to imagine their reactions according to your understanding of the characters.
As for the silence of certin characters, it’s deliberate. You’ll know in the next few chapters. I know this was supposed to end by now but I think I’ll need some more chapters. Bear with me if you can.
Let me know what you think about the chapter and the story so far in the comments.<3