After the last performance, Ramya was exhausted and just wanted to go back to her apartment for a relaxed nap.

Sonia saw the way Rajeev was amiss in the function…again. She couldn’t understand the boy who didn’t want any public interaction being happy in his own world.

Mrunal was silent ever since Ramya’s performance confusing her mother who asked her. But Mrunal denied it as her tiredness and told her that she wanted some shut eye.

Arjun bid bye to the family and told his driver to take out the car, as Deepika came back with their bags.

In the car parking area, Arjun was advising the driver to arrange the sweets and gifts properly as he heard Mrunal calling him out to help Deepika.

As Mrunal was watching the driver put the things properly, she sensed some movements in the right-side lone corridor of the parking lot.

She moved to the groaning noise as it was getting louder by the minute.

The scene disgusted her to the extent to realise a disapproval. Ramya saw the girl muttering cusses at her and shrugged the white shirt man to the side to silence her.

The same white shirt with rugged jeans and the beaded clad leather banded hands caressing her cheeks. Mrunal was able to recognise the man even when only his back was visible, assuming it to be…

But as she saw Mrunal mouth ‘Rajeev’ it was a chance for Ramya to make the girl out of the picture once and for all. She closed in the white shirt guy and kissed him with no shame eyeing Mrunal who closed her mouth with her flowing tears.

She ran out of the scene not able to take the sickening sight as it made her belch visioning the way the couple were shamelessly canoodling in broad daylight.

As she sat on the back seat of her car, Ramya came out alone reapplying her lip gloss.

She smirked at Mrunal who saw her from the car window getting repulsed.

After 15 minutes

“…Thanks so much Rajeev…for the help…” Deepika thanked him who smiled to get a pat on the back as he loaded the car trunk.

Arjun occupied the front seat securing with the seat belt and gave a forced smile to Rajeev.

Deepika told him to call Dhiraj as he was enquiring about his bestie. Rajeev told her that he will as soon as he reaches home. He saw the way Mrunal was avoiding him and bid her bye who went silent at his voice.

He shrugged it off as her tiredness and saw the way his second favourite people moving out of the place.

In the evening,

Prisha was getting a hearty laugh at the way Veena was explaining to her Xavier’s struggle to control the kids in the hall.

But she had to admit that her husband did an amazing job at keeping the kids engaged with his jokes and tall tales, making the kids gawk at his imaginative story telling.

Sonia joined in the conversation asking about the seminar and their return home. Sanal told them they would arrive day after tomorrow as Prisha wanted to shop for the family.

Sonia advised her to not tire herself as she couldn’t rest a minute after the birthday bash.

Prisha informed that Sanal and her were planning for a family picnic in Shimla. Veena rejoiced on hearing the great news and the cousins started to plan the trip.

Rajeev’s room

“…why did she cry?...does she hate me for the dressing room incident?!!...I need to apologise to her…wait!...It will only complicate things…” Rajeev voiced out at the moment in the dressing room still in a daze.

He knew that Mrunal had a minor crush on him as teased by Rani often times. But he ignored it saying that it was just her admiration for her teacher. And moreover, he didn’t want Mrunal to feel the same intense love that he had for her, just to complicate his heart more.

Even Sanal told him that it was just an adrenaline rush of the hormonal energy that the kids would have at that particular age.

He thought to not dwell too much into it and made a video call with the Jokester on how to move in the next target in Mumbai.

“…I think we can take the flight after two days…” the Jokester then send him the photos that his informant could find from the resting place of the dead delivery guy.

As Rajeev looked at the pictures, his brow creased at the way the body was being slashed. Apparently as the informant had scavenged the resting place, he came across some pictures of the probable victim being slashed in the similar pattern as the delivery guy.

But Rajeev thought why did the murderer leave such a crucial detail in the resting place of one of his victim. Was it left deliberately to divert the search party or was it a foul play?

“…Jokester…. can you see this point where the blood has clotted?...” Rajeev showed him the spot as Jokester examined from the screen.

“…is it a stitch?!...” The Jokester asked to which Rajeev hummed replying

“…the area has been stitched…I think I know what is this…we will discuss about it with El Rey and Siruttai after our return…for now let’s plan for the Goa investigation…and yeah we are going by train…not flight…” Rajeev then ended the call to pack his bag for the trip as assigned by his Boss.

The next day

Mrunal was getting all the ingredients ready to make her famous biryani for the family. As she washed the meat while being too silent. Deepika snapped her fingers in front of the girl who hummed a weak smile and continued to cut the vegetables.

Arjun came inside the kitchen with his home-grown mint and coriander leaves, handing them over to Deepika.

As Mrunal sat on the kitchen counter thinking about the parking lot scenario, miniscule tears were flowing from her eyes. She could have never imagined that she would witness the couple at their most vulnerable state. She had readied her mind that her Rajeev would soon marry his girlfriend. But her heart was not able to ready itself.

Her chest hurt the most after the incident and would not reduce. She wiped her tears at the whistle of the cooker and got down the kitchen counter.

After the lunch, Mrunal sat on the wide swing on the back porch facing the garden tilting her head on the swing chain.

“…Buji!! Let’s go for a stroll in the park?...” Arjun came to sit beside his daughter who shaked her head as a no.

He saw the way she was silent the whole day, sensing some stress in her.

As he side hugged her, Mrunal burst into silent tears and rested her head on his shoulders asking

“…when did you stop loving Sonia aunt, Appa?...”

Arjun sighed smiling and caressed his smart kid’s hairs who had seen his loving gaze at his first love – Madhu.

“…my love turned into care and respect…that’s all…it never went…” his reply made her smile with a sad hum.

“…Appa?...” Arjun hummed in response.

“…is this how heartbreak feels like?...” Mrunal could ask in between her sniffles to make her father tighten his embrace replying

“…Mhm…don’t worry…it will vanish once you have that someone special in your life…and trust me…he will make you forget the heartbreak…filling your heart with his immense, fathomless love…only for my Buji…hm?” Arjun couldn’t understand why Mrunal felt this way. But he wanted her not let her heart take over her mind with his thoughts anymore.

It was good that she felt the heartbreak at such an early stage, before his marriage. If at all that will prepare her to overlook the trauma which might entail with the sight of Rajeev and Ramya together as a married couple.

He felt relaxed knowing that now at least she won’t wait for him as her last resort.

Making him consider the admission requisition to the Sangeet Natak Akademi and maybe send her away from the one place that would remind her of him.

In the evening

The rugged man was beating the tied man with the whip till he felt satisfied. As he backed huffing badly, he ordered his men to take away the unconscious man out of his sight.

The injured was dragged out of the dark shackles to be dumped in the wide sea.

As the man lit his smoker, he spoke gritting his teeth “…how did the shipment get confiscated, huh?...”

“…we had no idea, Boss?!!...we could only manage to escape out of the harbour before falling into the hands of the authorities….” One of his men muttered as the Boss slapped him across making him fall.

“…I don’t care?!!...I want the shipment back…100 million pounds worth of order under the stupid incorrigible authorities….do you realise it, huh?...100 million pounds!!...idiots!!!...get out and get me the black scorpions…” he barked at them who shuddered at his voice and nodded to move ahead with his orders.

Nair residence

Sonia hummed as Arjun told his decision over the phone, getting saddened at the situation. Vinay saw the way; his wife was feeling so helpless in front of her family.

“…don’t worry…maybe it was just an infatuation…relax honey…we know our kids…they are still in their…you know…lovey dovey era…*soft chuckle*…please don’t stress yourself, hm?” Vinay hugged her who got worried about the way she couldn’t get the genuine happiness for her son.

She had seen the way Mrunal would gaze at her son with so much love and respect that reminded her of her dedication to Vinay.

Vinay had told her many times to not act as the match maker and let the kids decide on their own to where their heart would lead them to.

“…I agree with Arjun here…let Buji go to Delhi…maybe this will also make her forget our Rajeev…and perhaps even find her own calling…hm?” he continued to pacify his wife who had dreamt and had a longing to see the perky girl in her house as her daughter-in-law.

But when Vinod expressed his desire for matching Ramya with Rajeev, Vinay couldn’t refuse the one request that his brother wanted from him.