Please leave your inline comments, as this is a very dear chapter to my heart. 

This is kaashful. If you know what it is, feel free to elaborate in the inline comments so others can learn too:

October, 1950

Dawn had broken.

They had been delivered their clothes already a few days ago, for their escape.

Bondita was dressed in a plain cotton brown saree, while Anirudh was in a simple kurta top and pants.

"They'll recognize us," Bondita said, "Pati Babu, we both should have worn burqas."

"This is what we were given," Anirudh said.

"You were Roopa once Pati Babu," Bondita pointed out. "Even Roopa is a better disguise than this!"

"Should we be Vaijayanti and Roopa then Bondita?" Anirudh teased.

Bondita couldn't help but smile, as she recalled their earlier days together.

She lifted a fake moustache and beard from the pile of items, and started to press it on Anirudh's face.

"You were even my Jadugar Babu. And you were disguised when you rescued me from Hira Mandi too," Bondita said, "Let's make you look like that."

As they recalled all the disguises they put on for each other, smiles appeared on their lips. 

Bondita worked on Anirudh, dressing him up until the moustache and beard look seemed to change his identity. 

There were thick square glasses in a pile, and Bondita put those on. A fake mole went on her cheek, and she used whatever makeup there was to make her look older than she was. 

"Nobody knows I'm pregnant," Bondita said, as she looked in a small handheld mirror, thinking that people wouldn't recognize her unless they looked hard enough. "So at first glance, they won't suspect a pregnant woman of being Bondita." 

Anirudh nodded, and took the mirror from Bondita, making sure they both looked okay. 

"I can recognize you, Bondita," Anirudh said with a smile, putting the mirror down on a table. 

"Of course, you can," Bondita said with a dreamy smile, "No matter how I come to you, you'll recognize me." 

"And I never want to dismiss you..." he murmured, wrapping his arms around her waist now and pulling her close. 

Bondita smiled, closing her eyes. 

"You won't."

"In every form of yours, I will remember you," he murmured softly, "Your looks, your nature, your energy." 

He leaned towards her. Bondita moved closer.

But suddenly her baby bump was in the way!

It knocked against his stomach, and her eyes opened. 

Anirudh chuckled, as Bondita pouted. 

"I can't have you as close as before," she said.

Anirudh moved his chest closer to her, holding her bump snugly against his stomach. 

He pecked her lips gently and said softly, "There are many positions missy. Don't tell me you suddenly got so innocent." 

Bondita's blush deepened. 

"We have to go soon," she whispered. 

"We do," Anirudh agreed, placing his lips over hers again gently.  

"I'll miss this place," she whispered against his comforting lips. "Even though it wasn't the most comfortable... it had you and..." Her voice cracked. "You... you're all I need." 

Anirudh brought his hand up to her hair, where he caressed her long strands with love. Briefly moving his lips off hers, he gazed into her wet eyes. 

"When haven't I been here for you?" he asked her. 

She sniffled and said, "You have been. Y - You're my Guru... the remover of my darkness, the one who lit up my whole life, my whole world." 

He took her hand and brought it to his lips, kissing the back of it gently. 

"And it shall always stay lit," he said to her. 

"You're the one who g - gave me such a beautiful life. You're the one who saved me from shackles and freed me. You're the one who showed me that my dreams could be endless. You gave me a loving family, you gave me our children..." she was crying now, as she remembered her three kids. 

How much she missed them. 

Anirudh teared up too now, and he brought his hands to her cheeks. 

"We'll come back soon. We'll see them soon Bondita," Anirudh told her, wiping her fallen tears.

"It may be... years," she sobbed. "Years before we see them." 

"Breathe, Bondita. Breathe. We will take it one step at a time," he told her. 

She nodded, her chest heaving up and down as she took deep breaths. "If I have you with me, I can take it one step at a time. So you... you stay with me. No matter what. Stay with me." 

"Where will I go, Bondita? I'm always with you," he said to her, "Now come on - it's time to leave." 

He let go of her and prepared Bondita's shoes for her. 

"We'll see the kaashful... right Pati Babu?" she asked, as a bent-down Anirudh slipped her feet one-by-one inside the sandals that were brought for her. 

"We will, on the way," he told her with a small smile. 

A smile appeared on Bondita's lips. 

"Today, on a hopefully bright and sunny day - where the white kaashful blooms, will be the path for us, Pati Babu. That's how we'll get to our destination," she told him softly. 

Anirudh chuckled and said, "The kaashful will remain in our memories Bondita. Forever." 

--

2021

Rimi had left. 

It was just the two of them. All alone. 

And both Anirudh and Bondita were feeling wild surges of hormones. Both of them wanted to close the gap between them... immediately. 

And Anirudh?

He was already closing the gap. 

His lips were edging closer to hers - so close that his breath was fanning her lips. Bondita's eyes were squeezed shut, her heart fluttering with excitement. 

She didn't think it was going to stop at a kiss. 

Not today. 

His lips brushed over hers. Gently. Almost like he was trying to protect each moment - stamp it to his mind, his memory. Hold it close to his heart and truly... truly, live in the moment. 

For some reason, Bondita wanted to cry. She wanted to hold him close and cry -- 

Was it her feelings for him that were brimming her with emotions? 

She had to keep a hold on those... what if, she scared him? He hadn't told her that he loved her, even though he did seem very interested. 

Anirudh could feel his stomach perform somersaults, his heart beating irrevocably fast. 

Bondita's mind went fuzzy - the only thing she knew was that in a second, she was being pressed against the wall beside the kitchen and Anirudh's hands were on her waist, his lips deeply devouring hers, kissing her hungrily. 

A gasp escaped her lips into his mouth, as he kissed her harder, his tongue quick to enter her mouth. 

Bondita reached to his back, feeling his muscles, wanting to touch him... everywhere. 

The cell phone on the kitchen counter beeped. 

Was it her phone? Or his? 

She didn't care. She wanted to kiss him senselessly. She wanted to continue this. She wanted to soothe the ache between her legs, with something - she didn't know what, so she pressed herself against him, rubbing her body against the hardness that formed by his crotch. 

His hands gently went underneath her anarkali top, caressing her bare waist, making her throb with pleasure. She wanted him to feel her everywhere. She wanted his hands, his lips... all over her body. 

The way she wanted him was more than just desire. It was more than just lust. It was like... years and years of waiting. Years and years of pent-up frustration - a long separation... that just needed to be satisfied. 

Bondita didn't understand that. 

All she understood was that she needed him badly. 

The phone beeped again. 

"Who's sending you a text?" Anirudh growled against her mouth, "If it's that Rimi --" 

"I'll shut it off," Bondita gasped breathlessly. 

"No need. Ignore it," Anirudh demanded. 

"It might interrupt us again," Bondita said, as he broke the kiss and looked into her eyes with a hungry gaze. 

"Should I break the phone so it doesn't?" Anirudh asked. 

"Hawww?" Bondita asked, eyes wide. "You're so aggressive?"

"I can buy you a new one," he teased, now smiling at her, as if he was flaunting his wealth. 

"You're a spoiled rich man!" 

"Spoiled?" Anirudh asked, raising his brow, "Who spoiled me? You?" 

"Me?" 

"I wouldn't break a phone for just anyone... missy."

Her heart was pounding even harder now. He was such a flirt!

"Let me... let me put it on silent," Bondita just stammered, her cheeks red. 

She practically hopped to the kitchen counter, quickly ready to turn off the distraction. Her core was throbbing, and she needed to continue what they were doing as soon as possible. 

As her eyes landed on the phone, she recognized that it was a photo that had popped on her screen. 

And sent from Paritosh.

The man she was supposed to marry. 

He had sent her a photo of newly-bloomed kaashful. 

A message sent after had said: I wanted to see the first bloom of the kaashful with my wife. But you cheated me Bondita. I hope that rich man you fooled realizes what a fraud you are. I hope he ditches you, just like you ditched me.

Tears flooded Bondita's eyes, and she suddenly dropped her phone on the counter, as her mind saw a static-y, grainy image. Black and white - blurry. She couldn't make out too much. 

But the image was of her... and a man... riding on a cart, being pulled by horses and a driver. There were covers around them, but Bondita had lifted them slightly to peer outside.  

"Kaashful, Pati Babu," she had cried, lifting the cover further so he could see, "Do you see it?" 

The man turned to look at her, and before he could answer her, the cart had come to a halt. 

A loud scream filled the cold air. 

Bondita, in the present, felt her head spin. 

"Bondita?" Anirudh's voice called out from the distance -- it felt like he was far away. She could barely hear him. "What's wrong -" 

She gripped the kitchen counter, her eyes closing as the dizziness took over.

She heard his footsteps rush over to her, but it was too late. 

She collapsed. 

Kaashful. 

Kaashful remained in their memories forever. 

--

October, 1950

A driver had been appointed for their horse cart, to take them to the docks so they could board their ship to London.

They were riding in a carriage, covers around them - giving them their privacy. They couldn't see outside, nor could anyone see within. 

They had gotten straight in the carriage, and had barely had a chance to inhale the fresh air of the October month. 

"Bondita, we have medicine," Anirudh told her softly as they rode in the slight darkness of the covers, "I requested it in a letter earlier, and the driver had brought it." 

"You told them about my pregnancy?" Bondita asked, eyes widening. 

"No," Anirudh said, shaking his head, "I didn't want them to worry. I just got medicines for nausea, because you may get seasick. The ones I ordered are safe to take during pregnancy." 

"Pati Babu, we're going to miss the kaashful," Bondita said with a pout. She took a deep breath and said, "It's okay though - staying safe is more important." 

Anirudh wrapped his arm around her gently and whispered, "That's right Bondita. Let's stay safe. We will see the kaashful when we return to India." 

He felt a little disappointed that he couldn't allow Bondita to peer out and gaze at the kaashful. After all, she had been couped up inside the farmhouse for so long, and she was pregnant. But, priorities were priorities. 

Bondita gazed at him and said, "I can look at you instead." 

Anirudh looked right back at her and asked, "Are you flirting missy?" 

"Imagine making love in a horse carriage!" Bondita gasped. 

Anirudh couldn't help but laugh. 

"The seriousness of the situation, and you want to make love in a horse carriage? You and your wild fantasies Bondita," he said, shaking his head. 

Bondita seductively placed her hand on his shirt and asked, "Why not? We have privacy drapes on." 

Anirudh leaned close to her, his breath gently caressing her lips, and he whispered, "First of all, missy, I'm already hesitant about allowing you to ride in this horse carriage because it's a rocky ride. And you're pregnant. They couldn't appoint a car for us, because a car would stand out... a horse carriage is less likely to get stopped, because they may assume the British are in here."

Not all the British had left after independence. 

"And you want to make the ride even rockier by making love?" he questioned, raising his eyebrows. 

"So if I wasn't pregnant, would you?" she asked seductively, bringing her hand to his kurta top. 

"Maybe," he teased.

Bondita gently kissed his lips, her cheeks burning. 

If she couldn't make love to him, she could at least kiss him! 

Anirudh's hand touched her belly gently, as he kissed her back lovingly. 

"Your moustache is tickling me," Bondita giggled, as he rubbed her belly, almost in a protective manner. 

"And your fantasies are tickling me," he chuckled, making her laugh even harder. 

He pulled back and gazed at her. 

His Bondita. 

Her laughter. 

Even in these moments, she knew how to relax and enjoy the situation. She never lost that childlike innocence she always had. She would get emotional, stressed out even -- but the next moment, she would remember how to enjoy herself. 

This was his Bondita. 

This was the one who had taught him to let loose and enjoy life too. 

She was the one who had turned his whole life around. Made room for every level of success, and every moment of bliss. 

"Bondita," Anirudh said, his voice deep with emotion. 

"Hmm?" Bondita asked, the corner of her eyes curving upwards with a smile. 

"They say that behind every successful man, there's a woman. I don't know about every man Bondita... but I know... that behind Anirudh Roy Choudhary, there's Bondita Anirudh Roy Choudhary. Without her, Anirudh Roy Choudhary wouldn't exist. Without her, Anirudh Roy Choudhary would have never achieved his dreams or reached any level of success."

Bondita's chest clogged up with emotion. 

"P - Pati Babu?" she suddenly whispered. 

"It's true Bondita," he told her softly. "I w - wouldn't be here without you. I was just a corpse Bondita, but you gave me life. The life force that powers through my veins is you." 

Tears rolled down her cheeks and she whispered, "You're showering so much appreciation on me suddenly."

"What to do? I don't feel like holding anything back," he told her, and smiled at her. "Do you want to see the kaashful Bondita?"

"N - no," she said, shaking her head. "Let's stay safe." 

Anirudh took her hand and squeezed it. 

"If there's a chance, I'll show you," he told her firmly. "My Bondita deserves to see all the best things." 

Suddenly, the carriage stopped, and Anirudh furrowed his brows protectively. 

"Pati Babu," Bondita gasped. "Why did the carriage stop?"

"Kaka!" Anirudh called out to the driver, "Is everything okay?" 

"Yes B - Barrister Babu, just taking a break," his older man's voice called back. '"Horses are tired."

"Kaka, don't say that!" Bondita yelled. "He's Meethun and I'm Mouni!" 

Bondita took a deep breath, and shook her head. "He should know that much - he can't take our names right now" 

"Relax Sir... Ma'am... all is okay."

"Is the coast clear Kaka?" Anirudh asked. "Is anybody around?"

"Nobody is here Bar - Meethun sir. No hiccups along the way either. After a five-minute break, we should make it to the port within an hour." 

"Can we peek outside?" Anirudh asked. 

"Yes sir."

Bondita looked at Anirudh with wide eyes. 

"Are you sure?" she whispered. 

"We can trust Kaka," Anirudh told her, "You can look outside for a moment and get some fresh air Bondita."

Bondita's eyes lit up, and she gently pulled the curtains back, the fresh floral scent of the clean roads hitting her nostrils. 

Oh, how she missed this fresh air. 

She glanced outside - where there was a row of beautiful white kaashful that had bloomed and lined the streets. 

Tears filled her eyes, as she caught the sight of nature's beauty after so long. 

"Kaashful, Pati Babu," she cried, lifting the cover further so he could see, "Do you see it?" 

Anirudh turned to answer her question, and before he could even peek outside, a loud scream could be heard in the cold air -- too close to their carriage. 

He immediately grabbed Bondita, covering her with his arms. 

"K - Kaka?" Anirudh gasped. 

"Run!" the driver's voice yelled, sounding like he was in pain, "They know we're here. Run!" 

Bondita looked at Anirudh with wide eyes. 

"Kaka --" Anirudh started. 

"I'm injured Barrister Babu! One of the men was following us for some time in a car. I don't know how he found out. I tried to get him off our tail, but he stopped in front of me and forced me to lie to you that the horses were tired. He had me under knifepoint! I had no choice! He - he injured me so that I can't move - he s- stabbed my leg. He went to find the rest of his allies. Please Barrister Babu, run now. Now is the time!" 

Anirudh immediately pulled open the curtain. 

"Pati Babu!" Bondita screamed, as he jumped out to check on the driver's injury. 

Bondita immediately stepped out too, and saw Anirudh tend to the driver's leg wound. He had ripped a piece of his kurta off and tied it to stop the bleeding. 

"You'll be fine Kaka," Anirudh said, "Come with us." 

He tried to lift the driver, but Kaka shook his head. 

"No Barrister Babu, leave me here. They won't k - kill me. They'll keep me for information. You - you run. Yours and Bondita malikin's lives are in grave danger. Run." 

The driver lifted a shaking finger and pointed in a direction. 

"Run th - through the forest that way. The man who stabbed me, went the opposite way. You have to make it to the dock. If you keep going that way, you will m - make it. Your student Saiyeesha is waiting for you n - near the docks. I think she has other means of tracking you - she must have kept one more person on our tail, and they must have gone to inform her about the situation. So don't worry, you will be helped. Just go," Driver Kaka begged.  

Bondita managed to say, "Thank you Kaka." 

"Please Malikin, go - go and survive. That will be my greatest thanks." 

"I'll tell Saiyeesha to take care of you. Hang in there Kaka, I know you'll be fine. The wound isn't too deep," Anirudh said, and took Bondita's hand, "Come on Bondita, let's make it to the docks." 

Bondita nodded, and followed Anirudh as he took a fast pace into the forest beside them. 

"Whoever stabbed Kaka, would have gone to get a group of villagers," Anirudh said. "After everything that happened in the last few years, things in Tulsipur have been terrible. We have some support from the police, but the truth is that even the government doesn't like the freedom movement we had started. They have been doing very little to support us... because people thinking outside of the box, fighting for their rights... will only increase problems for them. They have to deal with more." 

Bondita nodded sadly, as Anirudh ran into the forest with her. She knew this. The villagers weren't on their side as it was, and the police that they had on their side all feared the government, who hadn't done anything to support their movements. 

"Are you okay Bondita? Can you run a little bit?" he asked her. "We won't go too fast. Just a little speed, okay?" 

Bondita nodded. 

"If you need to take a break, let me know," Anirudh told her seriously. "We... we can buy some time before they find us." 

"B - before they find us?" Bondita asked meekly, looking at him with worry. "They won't. They won't find us Pati Babu. W - we have to... we have to go." 

"Let's go then, let's go," Anirudh told her, nodding, trying to remain strong. 

Strong for his Bondita. 

Strong for their baby. 

Because no matter what happened to him, he had to make sure he took these two to safety. 

Even if it meant that he couldn't make it. 

--

2021

Bondita was lying in bed, unconscious. 

Anirudh was sitting next to her, hand on her head, which was damp with sweat, hair matted to her forehead. 

"What happened to you all of a sudden?" he wondered. "Bondita, you were fine... very fine... you checked your phone, and all of a sudden, you fainted?"

Bondita shivered in her sleep. 

"P - P - Pati B - Ba --" her voice was shaking, and tears leaked out of her eyes. 

"Yes, Bondita?" Anirudh asked. 

"Pati B - Babu," Bondita gasped. 

When he heard that... he was filled with a strange sensation. Something familiar, yet haunting. 

"I... I know we're married now Bondita, but you don't have to call me Pati Babu..." Anirudh said, making a weirded-out face. "Anirudh is fine." 

Bondita suddenly gripped his thigh in her unconscious state. 

"D - don't go a - anywhere! Your Bond - Bondita... s - she will... not m - make it without you." 

Anirudh stared at her in shock now. 

"What are you talking about? I'm right here." 

"Pati B - Babu, I c - can't wait for a - another l - lifetime. I c - can't! Don't put me t - through it. P - Pati Babu don't d - do this to your Bondita," Bondita sobbed. 

She was crying in her sleep, and Anirudh didn't understand what she was talking about. 

"Are you having a nightmare?" he asked her softly, his heart melting. "Bondita... what's wrong?"

Bondita wasn't recalling any memories right now, but emotions - raw emotions of a particular moment. 

These dialogues weren't repeated from a moment in the past. Rather, they formed as she felt the surge of emotion... emotion from their final moments together. 

Anirudh leaned closer to her and whispered, "You're worrying me, Bondita. Can you open your eyes? T - this isn't normal. I'm calling the doctor Bondita." 

Before anything else could happen, the doorbell rang. 

Anirudh got up and went to check who it was - perhaps, it was Rimi. She would know about Bondita's condition better than him, as much as he hated to admit it. 

When he opened the door, he was unhappy to see that it wasn't Rimi. 

It was his mother. 

"You married that gold-digger didn't you?" his mother screamed in a shrill voice at Anirudh. 

"Maa?" Anirudh asked with disbelief. 

His mother looked livid. 

Absolutely livid. 

--

Precap: 

1950

"And in our next lifetime, what do you want to be?" Anirudh asked her, in a soft voice, as they lay in a dark shack that they found in a forest. 

They were covered in bloodstains. 

"Your wife," Bondita sobbed, as she hugged him tightly, her head on his chest. 

"Again, Bondita?" Anirudh asked. "You've said you wanted this since you were a child." 

"I'm not done!" Bondita cried harder. "I'm not done being your wife! And don't you dare push me away again next lifetime - otherwise, I - I won't talk to you!"

"Hey, I need to have my fun with you too," he teased her, as he rubbed her back. "What's the fun in having a straightforward love story?"

He was met with a smack on his chest, and he laughed. "Oww Bondita, you're hurting your Pati Babu?" 

She just hugged him tighter, sobbing against his chest.

"Dusht Babu! I can struggle endlessly if I'm beside you. Be mine, and I accept a whole life full of struggle. Just... stay with me. Next life... stay with me." 

Her voice cracked harder.  

"Stay with me... until the end Pati Babu."

--

The tears were uncontrollable when I wrote this chapter. I hope you enjoyed this part too. 

Please leave your comments, as this is a very dear chapter to my heart. 

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Love you all. ♥