Naav was still in the hospital when Varun finally had called Naav and said that he would come to see his daughter, and he seemed anxious and did'nt say much and disconnected the call.
Naav was speaking with the police officer who was sent to gather details about the mishap by Pratap when Varun arrived.
Varun hurried up to where Naav was standing and asked her to take him to where Maithili was, and Naav asked the nurse who was attending to Maithili to take him to Maithili's room.
Maithili was sleeping, and Varun was in tears seeing his daughter in this state. He sat there like a statue deep in thoughts. He was not blind to her suffering but was scared to confront his wife. He was scared if she left him. He was so dependent on her that he could'nt imagine what or how he would manage without her. When he was taking care of Maithili all by himself when his mother passed away. When Maithili's mother had died giving birth to Maithili Varun's mother was healthy and strong and took care of the family untill Maithili was 4 and untill she was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer and died few months after that.
Varun was struggling to meet the ends, being the single parent. It was not an easy task. He got married after a year thinking that was a good decision, but it turned out to be the worst nightmare for little Maithili .
Varun was deluged deep in his musings when the Police officer came along with Naav into the room, snapping him out of it.
Good afternoon, Mr Varun Pathak,I am Officer Jayanth suxena. I am here to gather details about your daughter's accident......
Good afternoon, Mr Varun Pathak,I am Officer Jayanth suxena. I am here to gather details about your daughter's accident. Well, speaking of which, I would like to enlighten you that it was not an accident but attempted murder. We have been collecting evidence .We have cctv footage and also the recording of the security camera of your neighbour and more.
Varun was flabbergasted hearing what the police officer said. He stared at the officer like he had grown two heads and then said, " Officer, you are mistaken.It was an accident. My wife filled me in on the details. It was not attempted murder. Maithili is such a harmless innocent girl.Who would want to hurt her?
The officer said, " It is our job to find out if it was an accident or attempted murder. Let us do our job and we have opened our investigation and we want your cooperation. I am going to ask some questions. Please answer to the best of your knowledge and with honesty. "
Varun was now anxious. He said,"Sure,officer."The officer handed him a form to fill up after he finished asking a few questions .
Officer, " Is the victum your biological daughter?"
Varun,"Yes, she is."
Officer," Is your wife biological Mother of the victum?"
Varun," No, she is her stepmother."
Officer, " How long have you been married to her now?"
Varun, " 12 years."
Officer, " Do you have any other children apart from the victum?"
Varun," Yes . I have 2 children ,a boy and a girl apart from Maithili."
Officer, " Are they your wife's biological children?"
Varun," yes,they are."
Officer," How old are they?"
Varun," My son is 11, and my daughter is 10."
Officer," How is the relationship between the victum and her stepmother?"
Varun," They have a good relationship, just like any mother and daughter."
Officer, " What happened on the day when the victum slipped and fell from the staircase ? Did she have a fight or .....?
Varun, " Well, when she left home, I was not there , I had already left for work, but as far as I know, they were no fight or any arguement between my daughter and wife."
Officer, " Mr Varun, in this case, your wife is the prime suspect. The evidence that we have collected so far is all pointing towards your wife."
Varun, " That is impossible ,my wife can never do such a thing."
Officer," We have evidence and also eye witnesses. We will be coming soon with the arrest warrant. You better not keep things from us as protecting the criminal is considered equally a crime. You will be charged too as an accomplice to the crime ,so you better be honest."
Varun went silent. He knew he was in trouble.
Naani was not informed yet about Maithili's accident. Naav had told Naanima that she was taking care of one of my friends as she was sick and her parents were not in town and she would return home once her parents were back.
*****************************
Raghunandan
The next day, Raghu went to the hospital to meet his Papa. He was still reeling from all the information he learned about Dadaji's life. He very clearly understood Dadaji's predicament. Regrets are the worst enemy of a man, more so when you know the damage is irreparable.
We don't have to make mistakes and learn from them, but we can also learn from other's mistakes too and that's what wise men do. He didn't want to be in Dadaji's shoes. He knew what to do. Dadaji's story was an eye-opener to him.
"Good morning Papa, did you have your breakfast?"
"Yes," Neerav answered in monosyllable.
Raghu knew that his Papa was upset. Palpable discontentment emanated from him. Raghu was'nt daft to comprehend that and, of course, the reason behind.
Raghu cleared his throat and said, " Papa, I have booked 2 tickets to Delhi for tonight."
Neerav was appalled ," I am not going anywhere with you, Raghu." He said, looking into his eyes with disdainful expression.
Raghu smiled and said , " Come on Papa or should I call you a "grown up child '? Now be a good boy and pack your bags."
Neerav blistering with unfettered fury and roared, "How dare you, Raghunandan Kasyap? You being such a disobidient brat call me " A grown up child? cancel my ticket. I am not going anywhere with you."
" What if I say that I am not a disobedient brat and I will obey you?" Raghu said nonchalantly.