Starting Over

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"Sunehri, pack everything.  Get the kids to grab whatever is important.  We are leaving this city. Tonight.   I can't stay here any longer.  I won't stay here any longer." 

"But Avni, what about Mowgli?"

"Mowgli will stay with his Papa, we are the ones leaving.  Not Mowgli"  said Avni

"Avni, what about a house?  How can we leave without any idea where we are going?" asked Tara.

"I found a house for us in Manori.   We will be far away from everyone but close enough when we need to be.   Sayesha can always bring Mowgli with her when she comes to visit.   I have signed over the custody of Mowgli to Neil.    Now Neil can move on with Mitali and Mowgli."

"What about you?" asked Sunehri

"There is nothing for me.  I had my share of happiness.  Happiness doesn't stay long in my life.  I forgot that.   My husband and family hate me.  I have signed the divorce papers that Neil gave me.  There is nothing here but pain.  I can't blame anyone but myself even though I had no choice.    I curse the day that Ragini Pandit came into our lives."  said Avni

"I want to leave by tonight.  So grab what you can, and we will be situated in the new house tonight.  If anything gets left behind, Samrat and I will come back on the weekend and sort it out before giving the keys back to the owners. "  stated Avni.

"Did you inform the Khanna family you are leaving again."  asked Sunehri

"No.  They hate me.  Any communication thru Neil and I are done by the courts and our lawyers.   So I have left the divorce papers and the custody agreement with my lawyer.  He will bring them over to Neil in the morning." said Avni

"You are being a coward, Avni!  You are being Neelajaana not Avni."  stated Sunehri.

"Yes, I am being a coward.  I need to hide to recover from my wounds.  That is the only way I have survived since I was a little girl.   Now let's get organized and leave.   I will bring Samrat on the weekend and we will clear up anything left behind."

It took a couple of hours but in the end, Avni had left Mumbai for Manori.  The next morning, Avni's lawyer had come to Khanna House.  

He had explained that Avni has left town with the kids, she has signed the divorce papers and custody agreement.   Her only wish is that with your permission, Mowgli be able to visit her with Sayesha, but if that is not possible she will accept it.  She hopes that you receive all the happiness and love that you desires.   

"What?  Avni left?" whispered Prakash.

Neil grabbed his keys and left, heading towards Sukoon House.  When he arrived there, he saw that the door was locked.    He banged his hand against the pillar.

"Damn you, Avni.  You left me again."

Neil went back to Khanna House.   As he walk in, he noticed that everyone was quiet.  Mowgli was quiet.   Bebe and Shweta were quiet.  Prakash was ignoring him.

A little while later, DD and Mitali came to the Khanna House.   

"Neil sir, I couldn't track Sunehri or Ms Avni's phones.  They seem to disconnected or out of range."

"Damn it, where are you Avni?" as banged his hand again.

"Why do you care?  As long as you won that all that should matter to you.  You didn't care that you were hurting Avni so why does it matter whether she has left the city.  You got her to sign the divorce papers and the custody papers.  You're free."

"Papa..."

Prakash got up, and yelled for Mowgli, who was in his room.  "Let's go to the park, Mowgli"

"Okay, Dadu"  answered Mowgli

As Prakash and Mowgli left, Neil sat down on the sofa and started to go thru the files that given to him by the lawyer.   The noticed that there was a letter between the papers of the Divorce.  It was a letter.

Dear Neil,

If you are reading this letter, I had already left Mumbai.   I have taken the children and decided to start all over.    Where there are no goons, no misunderstandings, no hatred.   I did leave 5 years ago, to save my family.  If I had to do it over again, I would do the same thing.  I rather have my family hate me than lose what is left my family.    You have been the only man I have ever love or will love.  I have accepted that you never loved me.  Cause you have never accepted me for who I am.  To you I will always be a liar, thief, a criminal.    You say that Mitali will be a better mother, then fine.  I accept it.  But please, for the love of god, please don't dimish my love for my son.   He was the reason for living for the past 5 years.   If possible, please let him visit me when Sayesha comes to visit.  I hope that you and your family may get all the happiness in the world.

AA

"Damn it, Avni.  I loved you then, and I still love you.  I accepted you with your faults just as you did with me.  Wait a minute, Mitali?"

"Yes, Neil"

"How does Avni know that I said that you would be a better mother than her?"  

"Neil,  I met up with Avni yesterday morning, I might of said something"  stammered Mitali

"How could you?  How could you hurt Avni like that?"  cried Neil  "This was never a real engagement.  It was never gonna be a real marriage!!  It was all for Mowgli"

"Why are you blaming Mitali?  You are at fault.  You were punishing Avni.  Instead of being together, working thru your issues, you played the blame game.  Now she has left and we may never see her again.  So congratulations.  You won.  When Mowgli asks for his mother what are you gonna say.  Are you gonna blame her for leaving.  During your marriage, she fought.  First it was her grandmother, fighting for her mother's justice.  She finds out that her father the man she hated all these years, was murdered by her grandmother.  When that issue got resolved, your mother made her life difficult, then you were injured in that bomb, she fought to save you.  Then Juhi comes back into your life, she accepted it.  She goes into Rang Mahal to save her life, she loses her brother when he goes to jail.  When Juhi is rescued she tells your that her daughter, Mishty is your daughter.   Avni accepted that too.  She goes to save her from Vidyut.  When Juhi died, you sent her to jail even though she was innocent.  Vidyut becomes mad man in his quest to conquer Avni.  He kills her mother.  She fakes her death, so we all can live in peace.  But she is at fault.  She deserves to lose everyone in her life." said Bebe

"Bebe, I didn't mean it like that" replied Neil

"Then, how did you mean it?  I was so busy in being angry with her in hiding our grandson, that i forgot what she has been thru." said Shweta.

"Don't worry, I will find her and I will bring her back."

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