RESIDES: Thyme Cottage, Glendale
OCCUPATION: Owner and mechanic at Patel’s Garage
MARITAL STATUS: Married to Neha Patel
PREVIOUS MARRIAGES: None
PREVIOUS RELATIONSHIPS: Unknown
CHILDREN: Kiaan Patel (non-biological son)
GRANDCHILDREN: None
FATHER: Arjun Patel (deceased)
MOTHER: Ekta Patel
SIBLINGS: Azad Patel
NOTABLE RELATIVES: Samir Sharma (father-in-law), Geeta Sharma (mother-in-law), Meera Sharma (sister-in-law), Nargis Patel (sister-in-law)

BIOGRAPHY: Born and raised in Bradford, Ashwin married Neha in 2004 after an introduction arranged by their families. In 2018, the couple moved to Glendale when Neha secured a teaching post at the local primary school. Within weeks, Ashwin had fully embraced village life by opening a mechanics garage, joining the local cricket team, and putting his love of cinema to use by establishing the Glendale Film Club.

Hoping to start a family, Ashwin was devastated to learn that, after several unsuccessful rounds of IVF, his sperm count had fallen too low for natural conception. With finances exhausted and no means to pursue further treatment, he was forced to confront the painful truth that fatherhood might never be possible, and the guilt of feeling he had failed Neha weighed heavily on him. As the strain deepened, he watched his wife spiral into alcohol dependency, often bearing the brunt of her violent, drunken outbursts. During one such incident, Ashwin collapsed and struck his head on the coffee table. Neha was later arrested for the assault, and a previously undetected blood clot from the fall caused Ashwin to suffer a stroke that nearly claimed his life.

With Neha behind bars, her sister, Meera, moved into the family home to care for him during his recovery. A deep friendship formed between them, and Meera proved to be Ashwin’s anchor when he eventually learnt – and slowly came to terms with – the news that Neha had become pregnant by James Harrington-Jones after a one-night stand.

Now, with Neha’s release approaching and baby Kiaan eight months old, Ashwin is determined to close the door on the darkest chapter of his life. But as he looks to the future, one question remains: can he truly raise another man’s child as his own, or are some wounds too deep to forgive?