Yuhn Hota Toh Kya Hota- Rikara FF

Chapter 108

Gauri was confused: should she go and thank him for the portrait, of course, she should. 

But there was something stopping her, she knew herself well, she couldn't accept his kindness as just that, she would ask him why did he go to the extent of doing all that he did, of sketching that picture when he hadn't touched his brushes or clay for months. 

And Gauri knew that if he answered that he did all out of the pure goodness of his heart, then she will not like it. She will be hurt in fact, which in turn made her slightly anxious that why did he matter so much?

She was lost in all these thoughts, stitching away out of reflex, when Majmudaarji informed her that Jahnvi Maaji was here to meet her. He was not looking happy about it. Gauri knew he said nothing because the Oberois were powerful, and on more than one occasion, Jahnvi had paid him off, or bought something from his enterprise, but still with Gauri's frequent leaves from work, he was bound to be annoyed.

"Namaste Maaji, how are you?" asked Gauri.

"I'm, after months, feeling truly happy. Gauri, you have only been a source of happiness for me, from the moment you entered my life" said Jahnvi.

Gauri was puzzled, what had she done?

"You spoke to Tej that day, and I don't know what you told him, he refused to divulge, but whatever you said made him think and release Om from that contract" said Jahnvi pleased. 

"Meaning?" asked Gauri still confused.

"Oh Gauri, the contract about Om and his joining business. Day before yesterday, Tej approached Om at night, and told him that he has to do it no more, not join the business, not try to become a business person. Well, obviously Omkara questioned his intentions towards me, and accused him of trying to leave me, but Tej said that he has seen the error of his ways, and he won't divorce me. I didn't believe it either, and I almost interrogated Tej yesterday" said Jahnvi.

"And is he going to leave you or try to?" asked Gauri anxiously.

"No, he is not. He has left that choice to me. And honestly, the Jahnvi who would tremble from within, at the thought of her marriage ending has long left. I have my father back, my sons and daughters are with me, my family is with me, you are with me too, Gauri. I have no reason to hold onto Tej" said Jahnvi.

Gauri could hear a quiver in Jahnvi's voice, "And would you divorce him? Once the six months are officially over?" she asked.

"I don't know Gauri, I don't want to talk about it. The important thing is that after my conversation with Tej, I felt free and I went to spoke to Omkara. It took me a long time to convince him, but I think he finally believes that his mother is no more the weak person she used to be. He can finally return to doing what he does best, follow his heart, his art" said Jahnvi.

Gauri was happy to know this development. Now it made sense that he sketched that portrait of her mother yesterday, and left it as a present for her. Omkaraji could finally regain a part of himself. 

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Omkara looked at the empty canvass in front of him. 

This was the second day he hadn't gone to office. Free of the prison, that curtailed his freedom of expression, and make him part of a system that he loathed, for how it treated the less privileged. He hated the business empire, where the hard work of the poor was appropriated by the rich. 

He still cursed himself sometimes for how he deprived so many people of their shops and living in Bareilly, when he acquired that piece of land. Gauri was one of them, who knows maybe it was his actions, and her sudden unemployment that had forced her into Kali Thakur's clutches, out of desperation? Why had Omkara never thought of that? Maybe because being bound in the world of business had chained his heart.