Avanthika laid back on a matted chair.
Cafe Rio Grande used to be her favourite place years back.
She and Devasena visited this place so often, mostly because Deva insisted. The plush green decor of real plants made this place heavenly and fresh.

Avanthika heaved a sigh.
Her life had been such of a roller coaster ride, since the day Devasena chose to run after her past, and chose her past finally.

But what was beautiful, was that, Deva's past made her present worth living.

Avanthika never expected her life to be better than what it was now, neither did she crave emptiness like Adway Mathur did. She knew she wouldn't meet Mahendra in this life. And she had accepted life as it was.

She had luckily received the scholarship to Texas, and as days past with both Amarendra and Devasena away from her, she knew, there was no use of burning within. What even would past stories do to lives today??

She left for America, joined meditation classes, spiritual talks began drawing her. She slowly calmed down from within.

But never completely. A particle of dust as if always clung to her eyes, and made her not forget about Mahendra Baahubali's death. Time and again the spiritual atmosphere she wound herself with made her believe that Mahendra wasn't her husband anymore, and his death or murder held no significance therefore.
But if that's so, why Amarendra and Devasena happened again?
Why even?

Adway Mathur used to listen to her dilemma time and again, and Avanthika didn't understand his stand for a long time.
Anyways, slowly she did that too.
As the air of her revenge began clearing time and again, he would just try to softly ignite. Sometimes it did, mostly it didn't.
But Avanthika realised, Adway was no friend of Amarendra Devasena.

And so, she herself had decided to step back from being their enemy as well.

They had had enough in their lives. Why more???

Rather, time and again Avanthika as if began enjoying Adway's take on this, and tag along. And would herself withdraw when things or rather their common interest started going overboard. And then she would hibernate in her job, until Adway pinged again.

Life was getting sorted, and she had accepted everything in the best possible light she could, until one day, she received an email from Devasena Bhawaani. That's what the address read.

She spontaneously opened the mail.

It read something like this,

" Dearest Avanthika,

I don't know where you are for over a year now. Your sim has gone non existent. Our little PG room has been handed over to two new teenagers. And things have changed like they could never go back to the start. Neither am I sure if I want that. Nor sure what you have been wanting either.

But just because, I'm a simple human being and I have got my own insecurities, I write this email. Which I'm not sure will reach you even. I wish upon thousand stars that it does.

Amarendra Baahubali has not changed a cell.
But I'm not sure, how you would react if I share the little happinesses I get from him,even as a friend.
I would never want to be afraid of you Avanthika. Had I not ran after my past, we would still be bound by the world's purest form of relationship.
But, who can change destiny? 

Avanthika, I write this email only because I don't know where you are, I don't know if you still have been watching me from somewhere while I have no clue at all....
Amarendra is emotional. And I don't or rather cannot hold back his emotions. Nor can I force my fears and insecurities upon him. Because they're vague, but have been eating me up lately. He on the other hand is on top of the world, and has been spreading good vibes as much as he can, and I have got no right to stop him from doing that...

Avanthika, I'm a week pregnant.
Yeah, a life has started growing in my womb.
And I don't know, when my husband is rejoicing every moment of this precious period, why a cloud of uncertainty and fear surrounds ne throughout.
The fear of losing...... 

Avanthika, you had lost your husband. And you had forever held me responsible for that. I am not sure if you have got over that phase. The worst part being , you have never wanted to listen to my part of the story.
And that troubles me more. I can't help but feel, you unnecessarily want to keep the flame burning, and that might end up hurting someone close to me. And trust me, that would be so unfortunate! Rajmata Shivagami killed Amarendra Baahubali the same way, knowing half the story, and didn't even caring to ask his part.

That's mere foolishness Avanthika!

Once again, I don't know if you still bear that grudge against me, but I'm plain and simple afraid.

For my child. For my husband.... 

Avanthika, I thereby send an attachment with this email. Do open it. I don't believe you'll trust me, if you are still in that phase. I hope you do though.

It's a photo of some old parchments. If you look carefully, they date back to a few hundred years, precisely five.

It belongs to the Bhawaanis, my in-laws.

I hope you haven't forgotten Raghav Bhavani and Vushan Bhavani, those who occupied a major portion of your insecurities....
And a huge reason of your taking their as well as my life....

So, today I let you know the truth.
Mahendra, was murdered by Vushan Bhavani....
Yes, he was murdered. Because Virendra was young and immature, and Vushan Bhavani like a blind father believed that I would make Raghav the king out of affection, as if I was a fool!!!

I had come to know that later from a maid who mixed the poison in Mahendra's drink, and had planned Vushan's execution the very day you killed both him and his son..

Alas, I so wish I had let you know.... 

Amarendra, my husband in this life, had known this. Because, Vushan belonged to his clan. And Raghav resembled Amarendra Baahubali's characters because, the Bhawaanis are actually the family of Amarendra Baahubali's dead mother.... 

Vushan Bhavani's wife was a highly literate woman of her times as well, just like her husband..
But, she completely detested her husband's desire to use the opportunity of my affection towards his son, to rule Maahishmathi eventually, the very desire everyone mostly had....
Also because Bhawaanis detested Maahishmathi as a whole, they believed their daughter was neglected and ill treated by Maahishmathi when she died..

But Vushan was something else. I don't have words for him. I just don't.

Vushan Bhavani's wife, Kamyakriti, used to jot down her feelings in parchments, just as we do in diaries..

Amarendra had got access to her parchments in Sreebhoomi itself, locked in a big trunk in one of those rows of rooms.

She had clearly stated,
" I won't see my husband's face if he really executes his plan of murdering Mahendra Baahubali. "

Kamyakriti devi had left her in laws the day Mahendra Baahubali died, carefully hiding the parchments, but also, not destroying them completely.

I don't know how much you got me Avanthika, but I swear to god, I know how it feels when you lose your dearest. Why would I do that to someone else, leave this alone that a mother won't murder her son. You may not believe that after Rajmata Shivagami.... 

Avanthika, I just hope you had already got over your bitterness. Just in case you hadn't, try trusting me once, try talking to me once, try visiting me once, but please don't snatch away from me, my dearests!! 

Yours,

Devasena

Avanthika had come to India, with no revenge in mind, with no intention to harm. Because she had really gotten over everything. And what she had now was, a guilt of staining her hands with blood, without knowing the truth. She could have come as soon as she received the email, but then she felt, she didn't want to be the cause of emotional upheavals, both good and bad, in the life of a pregnant woman.
Plus, she too was going through torments herself.

Anyways, she was extremely happy that she had finished her husband's murderer anyway. Devasena was back, and that was the enough to seek forgiveness.... 

But, Adway Mathur?
No, Avanthika didn't let him know about the email. Rather she kept him in a delusion that she was all set to kill the upcoming new born.

Because she knew Adway wanted just that. And if he was sure that Avanthika would do that anyway...he wouldn't take an initiative. Hence, Avanthika is here. She'll have to think of ways she'll let them know about Adway's real intentions, and that maybe they should take extra care of the baby....

Anyways, she had time. Because, Adway knew, she's going to do his needful.... 

Avanthika's thought process broke, when a number of khaki dressed men surrounded her table suddenly,

" Ms Avanthika Mohan, come to the police station with us. "