Over 500 comments on the last part in a few hours! WOW! It was so motivating that I couldn't help but write this one and post it sooner. ❤️

This is the 2nd update for today! Read the last one first, and do remember to star/comment on that chapter as well as this one.

I love you all! Enjoy! ❤️

When Anirudh and Bondita were kissing, Rimjhim had gasped to Sumati, "Kill me if I lie, but these two are showing too much public affection! Is Thakumaa correct about this man using Bondita? It looks opposite to me!" 

Her eyes kept on shifting to Batuk Roy Choudhary, the boy who had dared to put a hand on her daughter's respect, and she kept on breathing relieved sighs, knowing that Tupur's future was saved. If word ever got out about their affair, then there would be no saving Tupur from living a harsh life. 

Sumati had just gulped, feeling very awkward when Anirudh and Bondita were kissing, and she said, "Thakumaa knows best. She always does." 

Rimjhim just rolled her eyes and said to Shoumik, "I'm happy that our daughter is married. She has married into a good family before all this drama." 

Shoumik grunted in response, and looked at Sumati, who was looking quite disturbed. Their relationship was already hampered years ago, when he cast Sumati and Bondita out of this house after Arvind's death, and the guilt and pain of it was still lingering. 

In all of this, Tapur had been left outside with her friends.

When Thakumaa finally gave in, and fell to her knees, Anirudh and Bondita had both also fallen to the ground, with Anirudh wiping her tears and Bondita placing her hand on Thakumaa's shoulder. 

Trilochan had quickly grabbed the rifle so that nobody else could use Thakumaa's weapon. 

"I've done so wrong..." Thakumaa cried, as Anirudh wiped her tears. "I've done so wrong to you... and you're here wiping my tears." 

Anirudh shook his head and said, "It's in the past now Thakumaa. Forget all of that." 

He was never one to feel superior over someone's apologies. He was grateful enough to be alive with his Bondita. Being superior and feeling like he deserved more, was never Anirudh Roy Choudhary. 

Rather, he believed that one should be humble, and these values were also what ran in Bondita's veins. 

"How can I?" Thakumaa asked tearfully, "I've only pointed fingers on your character. I've doubted your love for Bondita, to the point that you had to prove it like this. I have said such terrible things about you. I tried to get you to leave Bondita. I have caused you so much physical pain and sent you to jail... I almost killed you. And you're telling me to forget all of it? How can you be so good?" 

Anirudh smiled and he asked her, "Will you doubt me again Thakumaa? That someone can't be so forgiving, so I must be fake?" 

He was only joking, and Thakumaa sniffled. 

"Of course, I was upset. I was very hurt Thakumaa. I didn't want you to hate me so much. I didn't want to be away from Bondita... but when I came here as Roopa, I got to you know... and you aren't a bad woman. You aren't evil. Your ways might be harsh, but you are soft on the inside," Anirudh told her softly, making Thakumaa look at him with awe. "You have caused me a lot of pain, yes, but you have also done that because you loved Bondita. You wanted to protect her from what happened to you. Your methods weren't correct, but your intentions were not wrong. You never wanted to ruin her life. You wanted to save her from who you believed would hurt her."

It moved Thakumaa's heart that Anirudh came to understand her so much in the time that he had spent as Roopa. 

"And Thakumaa, how can I hate you, when our goals were always the same? You and I both wanted to protect Bondita. I can't ever hate someone who wants to protect my Bondita," he said with a smile. 

Fresh tears flowed down Thakumaa's cheeks, and she just smiled, her heart melting, as she finally understood just what a great man was in front of her. 

Nobody would forgive her after all the torture she had put them through, but here Anirudh Roy Choudhary, her Jamai Babu, not only forgave her, but looked at her with eyes of love. 

"That's right Thakumaa," Bondita said softly, tears sliding down her own cheeks. "We never hated you. I was very upset with some of the things you did. I was mad that you sent my Pati Babu to jail. I was angry when I saw that he was beat. In fact, I wanted to fight all those people who did that to him! But Thakumaa, I can't hate you when I know that you were shaped this way because of your harsh past. It's not your fault. You truly did what you felt was right... and even though you made mistakes, we all do. The important thing is that you have realized it. Our harsh treatment to you was only until you realizing your mistakes, but never beyond that."

Thakumaa looked at Bondita. Even she was so good. Thakumaa had tried to separate her from Anirudh, and Bondita still didn't walk away from her, leaving her alone. 

"I never would have let Bondita die... I never would have let her leg be cut off..." Thakumaa confessed tearfully. "I just wanted to keep you away from her, so that I could give her what I thought was a better future... but I was wrong... I was so wrong... she has someone like you... someone who would die for her, someone who loves her so much that even through beatings, he would never back away from her... someone who could even leave her for her life... and someone who could forgive this terrible Thakumaa of hers. How selfless do you have to be?" 

Anirudh shook his head again and said, "It's okay Thakumaa. Let it go now. Let's move on from this." 

The truth was that he and Bondita were nobody to forgive Thakumaa. Thakumaa's guilt was her truest punishment. She was already sobbing in guilt, and the hit to her conscience was the true punishment for the deeds she had done. 

Plus, he was very grateful that Thakumaa did this. He was able to learn the strength of his and Bondita's relationship. He was able to learn so much about their bond because of Thakumaa's pressures. Without Thakumaa, he wouldn't have gotten some of the most memorable and beautiful moments of his life in this way.  

Thakumaa raised her hands and folded them in front of Anirudh. 

"Bondita is right. You t - truly are a God..." Thakumaa said, her voice cracking, "No human can forgive me like this after what I've done." 

"Thakumaa please," Anirudh said, feeling uncomfortable, and held her hands gently. "This is not needed. In fact... someone else should be doing this to you..." 

Anirudh turned to look at Kaka, and Kaka just sighed, his heart heavy. 

This was what needed to be done a long time ago, but Kaka never allowed himself to bow before this lady. 

He knew that he was wrong though. He knew that he messed up terribly in the past, and the rippling effect of that was what caused these harsh situations. 

Therefore, Kaka put his pride down for a moment and passed his cane and the gun to Batuk before going towards Thakumaa. He fell down to his knees and put his hands together. 

"Kalindi Ji... I'm sorry..." he said. "I'm sorry for what happened in the past. I was a coward. An idiot." 

Thakumaa looked up at him with tear-filled eyes, her heart melting. 

This was what she wanted to hear for so long. 

The one man who had caused her so much pain in her life, finally acknowledging his mistake and asking for forgiveness. It made her feel like her pain was understood. Her life didn't feel so meaningless anymore, now that her suffering was validated by him. 

"I did wrong with you..." Trilochan said. "I was young, and immature... I didn't know what was right or wrong... and I hurt you very badly... I know it has been a long time, and we are both old now, but will you forgive this cowardly idiot?" 

Thakumaa looked at him, and she smiled through her tears. 

"Wow Zamindar Babu, I didn't know that you could also apologize," she pointed out, with a soft smile, and then she nodded. "I do forgive you." 

"Does that mean we can start fresh?" Trilochan asked, "With no more bad blood between us?" 

Thakumaa nodded again and she said, "Yes, let's start fresh." 

Anirudh and Bondita looked at each other with smiles, as the bad blood between the families was finally settled, and everyone released their past heartaches and traumas. 

Chandrachur watched this whole exchange, looking like he could go ballistic at any moment now! 

What was going on? 

Why was everyone being overly sweet to each other? 

ARGH, he just wanted his Bondita, and here Thakumaa had accepted Anirudh Roy Choudhary and his family, and it didn't seem like she would spare Chandrachur a second glance anymore! 

"Let's go from here," his mother hissed in his ear. "Do you want to be embarrassed more? Don't you care for your self-respect? Take your wife and get out. There are guests outside we have to greet." 

"But I want Bondita..." Chandrachur wailed. 

"Shut up," his mother hissed, "That girl was kissing her husband like a shameless girl in front of everyone. She's characterless. You can find better than her." 

Clearly, what Bondita said earlier didn't register in Chandrachur's mother's head. 

His mother went up to Tupur and said to her, "There are guests outside. You and Chandrachur have to greet them. You are our Bahu now. You don't need to be here." 

Tupur looked sadly at the exchange in her household, before giving a grieved look to Batuk. He looked at her painfully, as she followed Chandrachur's family out. 

After Tupur left, everyone got up off the floor, and Bondita placed her arms around Thakumaa's shoulder with a smile, resting the side of her head against her Thakumaa's temple. 

"I am so happy Thakumaa," Bondita said happily.

Thakumaa smiled and then reached towards Anirudh. She placed her hand on his arm gently and said, "Jamai Babu, you probably haven't eaten all day. Let's go outside and have some food." 

Anirudh was not used to getting so much love from Thakumaa, but it was rather a heartwarming feeling. 

"Wah, Thakumaa," Kaka said jokingly with a smile. "I never knew that you can speak so sweetly." 

Thakuma smiled sweetly at Kaka and said, "Kaka, what can I say? My Jamai Babu and his Bondita have unearthed a side of me that has been buried under so many layers." 

His Bondita. To Anirudh, hearing that from Thakumaa's mouth felt like he had won a big war. 

"Kaka?! I'm not your Kaka," Trilochan huffed. 

"Neither am I your Thakumaa!" she huffed back. 

Kaka just smiled softly, and he took his cane back from Batuk. 

"Now Samdhi Ji, would you like to have some food too?" Thakumaa asked. 

"Of course, I would, Samdhan Ji," Kaka said, "But first, take your gun and please lock that thing! It's enough to cause me nightmares for my whole life!" 

Thakumaa laughed and took the gun from Batuk, before going to lock it up. 

Anirudh reached for Bondita's hand and he squeezed it happily. He leaned into her ear and he whispered, "We did it Bondita! We were successful." 

She wanted to throw her arms around her Pati Babu and kiss him hard right now, but she knew that there were many eyes here. While it didn't matter to her a few moments ago because their life was on the line, the situation would certainly make it quite awkward if she were to do it right now. 

"Yes we were," she whispered breathlessly. "We really did it!" 

"Now I can take you back to Tulsipur with me," he whispered happily. 

Batuk was just watching the exchange, relieved for his Dada and Boudi, but he couldn't be completely happy because his mind was still stuck on Tupur. 

Thakumaa came back at this moment and saw Anirudh and Bondita's joined hands. She smiled to herself and said, "Come on, let's go and have some lunch." 

On the way out, Sumati approached Bondita and Anirudh. 

"Jamai Babu, I'm sorry... I misunderstood you," Sumati apologized. 

Bondita looked at Sumati and she said, "Maa, I understood Thakumaa because she had been traumatized from the past, but you have seen mine and Pati Babu's relationship. You have seen how much he always stood for me, and how many times he has saved my life. So how could you doubt him? Even for a single moment?" 

Bondita shook her head and continued, "And on top of that... when you fed me the roshogullas so that I would go to the jungle, I was heartbroken." 

Anirudh looked at Bondita with surprise. Sumati Maa fed Bondita the drugs? 

"Bondita, I'm very ashamed of myself. I know I was wrong. I trusted Thakumaa with all of my heart, and I got influenced by what others were saying. I should have remained firm. Maybe if I did, then instead of Thakumaa influencing me, I could have influenced her in the right direction sooner," Sumati apologized. "Maybe my conviction about you two would have weighed down on her insecurities, instead." 

"It's okay Maa," Bondita said with a sigh, even though a part of her was still quite disappointed in the woman she trusted almost as much as her Pati Babu. She took her mom's hand and said, "It is time for new beginnings. Let's not dwell on the past now." 

Sumati folded her hands in front of Anirudh, but he shook his head. 

"Please Sumati Maa, don't do this. I never have thought badly of you, and I never can," Anirudh told her softly. "You have given me Bondita. Without you, she wouldn't be here. How can I disrespect the woman who has given birth to my greatest treasure?" 

Tears of appreciation and guilt reached Sumati's eyes as Bondita just looked at Anirudh with a small smile, a blush reaching her cheeks. 

He always made her feel so loved. 

-- 

Chandrachur had barely paid attention to Tupur, and he kept on eyeing Bondita all throughout lunch unhappily. 

Tupur on the other hand, was just trying to avoid Batuk's gaze but it was hard. He kept on staring at her. 

When Tupur went to wash her hands by a tap outside the haveli, she felt a firm grip on her wrist pull her behind the haveli. 

"Batuk!" she gasped, eyes wide, as he pulled her there, away from everyone's eyes. 

"What did you do?" he demanded, tears in his eyes. "I would have stopped it!" 

"I didn't know that!" Tupur said, tears reaching her eyes too. 

"Forget this marriage!" Batuk begged. "You can't just marry that man!" 

"It's too late, I'm already married," Tupur sobbed. "And I can't let my life be like Thakumaa's. I can't be a mockery of society!" 

"What are you talking about?" Batuk yelled, and he grabbed her wrist more tightly, "You're my girlfriend! It can't end just like this! It's not fair!" 

"Batuk it's the end!" Tupur sobbed. "You were too late Batuk. It's the truth!" 

He pulled Tupur dangerously close to him and his eyes grew dark. 

"Do you think just because you're married, it makes a difference to me?" Batuk said darkly, "This marriage is such a game for these older people! This Chandrachur man wanted to marry Boudi, but he married you instead. You're not serious for him! But you're serious for me! You're mine Tupur, mine!" 

"N - no Batuk," Tupur warned, eyes wide, but Batuk had already closed the gap to kiss her. 

Precap: 

After lunch, many guests had left, and Anirudh waited for a moment where nobody was looking, before he took Bondita's hand and dragged her away. 

"Pati Babu, what are you doing?" she gasped, as he took her inside the empty haveli. 

Anirudh pushed her against the hallway wall and pressed his lips against hers hard, as if he was finally kissing her with all of his pent up emotions. 

Bondita was shocked, but she kissed him back. She had been wanting to do this all morning, especially after Thakumaa had accepted them. She just wanted to kiss him to her heart's content! 

His hands held her waist, pulling her body in his embrace, while she ran her hands up his chest as the kiss grew deeper.

-- 

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! 

I would love your inline (and off line) comments! Your love on the last part made my heart melt. ❤️

Any predictions for what will happen now?  

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I love you all! ❤️