Do Anjaane

Chapter 18

This chapter is pretty simple, like all the ones so far, but it leads to a few revelations in the next chapter. So, stay tuned!

Vaidehi was neither surprised that nobody had wished her even as she was leaving for work, nor was she disappointed. How could she expect her husband or in-laws to know her birthday if she never told them? Her day went about as usual, and her team at work joined together to give her a gift, which she really treasured. As she was heading out for lunch with Radhika and Shraddha, which was their normal treat on her birthday, Vaidehi's bosses told her to take the rest of the day off. She gladly accepted so could spend some leisurely time with her friends. 

She headed back home, pleasantly tired. Another day and another year bit the dust. 'Here's to a happy 23rd Vaidehi.' As she stepped inside, she was greeted by a dark house. Suddenly, thousands of fairy lights turned on and her entire family, including friends, jumped out, shouting surprise. Vaidehi's jaw hung open, and she slowly smiled. "Aap sab koyaad tha?" "Bhabhs, seriously! Apne ek lauti aur favorite Bhabhi ka janamdin kaise yaad nahi hoga?" "Thank you all, for remembering and for surprising me."

Chandrika and Ranvijay came and hugged her. "Chal pagli! Apni beti ka janamdinmanane ke liye kaise thank you. Ab jao, ready ho jao." "Haan, Bhai bhi aate hi honge, hum khoob celebrate karenge!" Vaidehi got dressed in the maroon lace saree and matching garnet jewelry set laid out for her. As she descended downstairs, she noticed that the rest of the guests had arrived. 

Although it was still a small party, they had invited two other close family friends, and this time, Abhiram, Radhika, and Shraddha's families had also arrived, along with Radhika and Shraddha's fiancés. Shraddha and Radhika's parents, whom Vaidehi was pretty close to, had promised to stay the entire time today. They felt bad that they had to miss her sixth monthiversary party to attend a relative's wedding, so they insisted on staying today. Of course, Vaidehi was happy to have them, even though her own parents skipped the party to attend wedding, just wishing her through a short phone call. 

Several hours passed with games, food and drinks (non-alcoholic of course), and music. Vaidehi and Avinash spent the majority of the time teasing Radhika, Shraddha, and their, who were clearly whipped for their lady loves. Finally, the time to cut the cake had arrived, and some guests had even left. But one person was still missing. Raghuveer. Vaidehi insisted on waiting for him, as it was clear that he was supposed to be there for the party. Perhaps some urgent work or traffic had delayed him. 

Yuv was scrolling on his phone while waiting, and he came across a post that made him yell, "What the hell?" Because of the music, nobody paid attention, but Vaidehi, who was just passing the duo from behind, paused. Yug slapped his twin on the head. "Chup kar kutte! Bhabhs ne sun liyatoh?" Leaning closer, she could see that the post was of a high-scale businessparty-cum-gathering. Her husband was at the center of a few group pictures, but the one that caught her attention was a single picture with another woman. 

First of all, she and Raghuveer didn't have a normal relationship for her to feel jealous or betrayed, and second, men and women took pictures together all the time. It didn't necessarily mean anything. The only thing that annoyed her a bit was that if had to attend the party, he could have at least informed his family. They had been getting quite worried about his absence. Or maybe, they knew where he was but were disappointed that he hadn't yet arrived. Who knew?