Episode 350

The next day… Darpana is in the office clearing her stuff out when Mayank walks into the room.

Mayank: Hi… what’s going on?

Darpana: I’m leaving.

Mayank: What? Darpana we had this conversation you can’t…

Darpana: Kaushik is returning to take over the company and he wants me gone.

Mayank: What? Why?

Darpana: What do you mean why? This is his company Mayank and I have no right to be here.

Mayank: Darpana you have taken this company to heights that Kaushik never did and…

Darpana: I’ve also messed things up beyond repair and I think it is time for me to leave.

Mayank: Listen, far be it from me to comment on your person life but what happens between the two of you as husband and wife should not affect the company in anyway.

Darpana: Unfortunately the profession and personal line does get crossed when the said company is a family business… and besides, I don’t think I’ll be part of this family for much longer anyway.

Mayank: What?

Darpana: Never mind. Just let me get my things together and be gone.

Mayank: Darpana what is going on? What aren’t you telling me?

Darpana: I’ve told you everything that you need to know.

Mayank: But…

Darpana: Please don’t say anything else. I have to do this and I have to do this now.

Mayank: This is absurd.

Mayank walks out of the office and Darpana looks on after him. However, she disregards the conversation and goes back to packing her things. In the meantime at the hospital… Simran is standing outside Dushyanth’s room looking very upset when Shatranj and Anirudh walk in.

Shatranj: Hi… any news?

Simran: Yea… the doctor just spoke with me. They’ve managed to keep Dushyanth from going into a coma.

Anirudh: Oh that’s great.

Simran: But they say that he needs to go through rehabilitation.

Shatranj: Well that is not a problem. We will do everything we can for him.

Simran: Shatranj… about that. I don’t think that keeping Dushyanth here and rehabilitating him is the best idea.

Shatranj: Why not?

Simran: He is going to always be surrounded by the enormity of his mistakes the more he sees this family and the more time he spends here.

Shatranj: So what do you propose?

Simran: I’ve made a very big decision and I’m hoping that you will agree with me on it.

Shatranj: And this decision is?

Simran: I’ve decided to go back to New Zealand. I think that my company here can run itself and it doesn’t need me as much as Dushyanth does right now. So in his best interest I think Dushyanth should come to New Zealand with me.

Anirudh: What? That’s crazy! With all due respect Aunty Dushyanth is our brother, he is part of this family and we can take care of him.

Simran: I know that. But walking into Chandra Mahel alone is going to be difficult for him. That house symbolizes a life without a father, his destructive relationship with all of you and the shame that he feels when he looks at Tamanna. He is constantly reminded of Rishikesh’s betrayal and Sanskriti’s death and his lost child… that house is like a landmine of broken emotions for him and the more he continues to surround himself with those memories the more difficult it is going to be for him to move on. Which is why I think taking him away from all this is a good idea. Besides, he’ll be with me. Dushyanth is like a son to me… I promised Keshav that I would look out for his family and that’s what I intend doing. Please let me help.

Shatranj thinks about this and walks away for a while. Anirudh follows him.

Anirudh: Chachu… you can’t seriously be thinking about this can you?

Shatranj: I have to agree with Simran on this Anirudh. What she is saying makes sense.

Anirudh: But Chach we can’t let Dushyanth just go away I mean…

Shatranj: Anirudh. You know the kind of trouble that Chandra Mahel faces every single day.

Anirudh: So does any other family.

Shatranj: Really?

Anirudh: Ok so maybe we’re different but we can still nurse him back to health.

Shatranj: How? Tamanna is not even willing to give him the time of day.

Anirudh: Badi Ma will come around.

Shatranj: Will she? I don’t know… I’ve known Tamanna all my life and I know that when she sets her mind on something it’s very difficult to change it.

Anirudh: So we should just let Dushyanth go?

Shatranj: At this point in time I believe that if we want what’s best for him then we should look to Simran for help. I’ve known Simran a long time too and I know that she feels like she owes Keshav Bhaiyya a huge part of her life. She won’t let anything happen to Dushyanth. We should let him go with her.

Shatranj walks back to Simran but Anirudh is still not convinced. However he doesn’t say anything further.

Simran: Well?

Shatranj: I agree with what you’re saying. Dushyanth needs a change and I believe that some time away from all of this will help him. We’ll make the necessary arrangements.

Simran: Thank you… we all want what’s best for him.

Shatranj: I know. I know.

Later… Mayank arrives at Chandra Mahel…

Mayank: Kaushik! Kaushik! Where are you?

His voice echoes through the halls of Chandra Mahel and not long after Rauktima comes downstairs and sees him there.

Rauktima: Can I help you with something?

Mayank: You’re Rauktima right?

Rauktima: Yes I am.

Mayank: I need to speak with your father right now.

Rauktima: And you are?

Mayank: Mayank… Mayank Agarwal. I work with your mother.

Rauktima: Ok…

Rauktima turns to go upstairs when Kaushik appears at the staircase.

Kaushik: What’s going on here? Mayank what are you doing here?

Mayank: Kaushik I need to talk with you.

Kaushik: About what?

Mayank: About Darpana.

Kaushik: What about her?

Mayank: How could you ask her to leave the company?

Kaushik: Excuse me?

Mayank: She has done so much for Agnihotri Alliances and now just like that you want her to pack up and leave because of some silly notion that you have and…

Kaushik: ONE MINUTE!

Kaushik walks all the way down the stairs and up to Mayank. Rauktima is watching all this silently.

Kaushik: How dare you walk into my house and question my authority.

Mayank: I’m doing it because you don’t know what you’re doing.

Kaushik: And who are you to tell me what I can and can’t do? Agnihotri Alliances is my company. I am responsible for its success and where it is today and I…

Mayank: If you could just stop to think beyond yourself for a moment then you would see how much your wife has actually done for YOUR company. It is true that you brought the place up to great heights but Darpana has taken it so much further than you could have possibly imagined…

Kaushik: Forgive me I didn’t know that you and my wife were on a first name basis.

Mayank: What?

Kaushik: You know I’ve wondered why she preferred working late hours to coming home and taking care of her family but now I see the reason behind it all. Look at you come to make a case for her… I always knew that there was something going on between the two of you and now you’ve made it very clear…

Mayank: ENOUGH! Enough of your sick thoughts and accusations! Our relationship has been nothing but professional since the day she took your place in that company!

Just then Urvashi walks in…

Urvashi: Oh really?

They all turn around to look at her.

Urvashi: Is that why she was seen crying in your arms?

Mayank: What?

Kaushik looks at Mayank like he could kill him and Rauktima is confused. Urvashi turns to Kaushik.

Urvashi: Did your wife fail to mention to you what she was doing when Nakshatra went to see her at the office?

Kaushik: What are you talking about?

Urvashi: Well… moments before Nakshatra walked in and got his heart broken by the words of the woman he considered his mother, she was in this man’s arms…

Kaushik: What?

Mayank: Listen I…

Urvashi: Are you denying it?

Mayank: She was upset over what was going on at home and she was breaking down. I was being a friend…

Kaushik lunges at him and grabs him by his shirt…

Kaushik: You son of a…

He then tosses Mayank aside like a piece of dirt.

Uravshi: Nakshatra didn’t want to tell me anything but I knew that something more must have happened for Darpana to go at him the way she did. He broke down last night and finally told me what he saw when he walked into the office. I was going to keep it to myself but then I came here to collect his things and heard all of this…

Mayank: It is not what you think!

Kaushik: SHUT UP! I want you to get out of my house and then pack your things up and get out of my office!

Mayank: Gladly. I don’t want to work for a man like you anyway! But know this. Darpana is innocent of everything you are accusing her of. This woman… Urvashi… she is the one you should be worried about.

Mayank walks out of Chandra Mahel and Kaushik walks away to his room. Urvashi is about to walk up to Nakshatra’s room when Rauktima walks over to her and stands in her way.

Rauktima: Why did you do this?

Urvashi: I haven’t done anything but speak the truth.

Rauktima: If you really wanted to keep what you knew to yourself then you wouldn’t have added salt to my mother’s wounds. I know her better than anyone else and I know that even if what Nakshatra saw was true then the only reason they would have been that way was because of the reasons that Mayank just said.

Urvashi: Even if that was the case she had no right to go at my son the way she did.

Rauktima: I fought you once to keep Nakshatra in this house and if required I will do it again.

Urvashi: Last time you were fighting for the right reasons Rauktima. This time I’m fighting for the right reasons.

Rauktima: Why are you doing all of this? What will you gain out of destroying my parents’ marriage?

Urvashi: Get this into your head for the last time! I do not want to come in between Kaushik and Darpana. Your mother believes that I do but that is not my problem. She has hurt this marriage beyond repair all on her own…

Rauktima: But without your interference they would have been able to work things out.

Urvashi: Oh really? Get real Rauktima. You and I both know that the final threads of this marriage have been cut off.

Rauktima: Because of you.

Urvashi: None of this happened because of me. I was just a friend who was there to help. I was here for your father when you were off playing house in Shimla and everyone thought you were dead. I don’t know what reasons you had to stay away for so long and I’m not going to question you on it but I will say this. The next time you want to point a finger at someone else you might want to look at yourself first and ask yourself whether things would have been different if you had been around. Your mother’s lapse in judgment is not my fault… if this marriage ends then it is because she managed it all by herself. Now if you will excuse me I’m here to get my son’s things. He is no longer part of this house and that’s something else that you have to get used to.

Urvashi brushes past Rauktima and walks away and Rauktima is stuck for words. She thinks to herself…

Rauktima: Maybe she’s right… maybe if I had been here then things would have been different. Maybe Ma and Baba would have never become this way if I was around. All of this is my fault. But what else was I supposed to do? But I can’t think of that now. I have to find a way to save this marriage. God please help me… I don’t know what to do… I’m lost and I feel so alone. There is no one I can turn to right now. Badi Ma is so busy with trying to find Sanskriti’s baby and with Dushyanth’s condition and everything else that has happened I can’t burden the family with this as well. What do I do? What do I do?

Rauktima covers her face and begins crying. She then looks up and sees Urvashi walking down with some of Nakshatra’s things all packed up. The two of them look at each other one last time and Urvashi walks out. Rauktima hears her car taking off and then turns to go back upstairs when suddenly she feels as though someone else is standing behind her. She turns around and there is a look of shock that is immediately registered on her face.

Protima: Rauktima… what’s going on?