Abhigya FF:Night To Remember LAST ch PG 75 NEW FF LINK pg 1

                           INDEX

Chapter 1

I sat on the bed and glanced at my wedding picture kept on the side table, a smirk escaped my lips, it had been six months but it seemed just yesterday that I had felt something flutter inside my heart on hearing her sing. I still remember clearly it was a dark cloudy evening, there was a power cut and as usual I was cursing the servants under my breath for taking so long to resume power. I went  to the balcony to gain some fresh air but as soon as I stepped out my ears caught something, something very sweet and melodious. I gazed at the direction from where the sound was coming, it was the building adjacent to Mehra mansion where our employees resided. It was still dark and it had begun to drizzle but I could make out a petite figure singing and dancing with her arms spread out wide on the terrace of that building

"roz shaam aati thi magar aisi na thi

Roz roz ghatta chaati thi magar aisi na thi

Ye aaj meri zindagi mein kaun aa gaya "

Leaving me totally mesmerized by her singing, her soothing voice touched my heart and a faint smile displayed on my face. I didn't know for how long I was standing watching her till I felt someone's hand on my shoulder, I turned around and found daadi  before me raising her brow and questioning me, I immediately dropped my gaze and began looking here and there. She continued to stare at me, soon power resumed and she too glanced at the terrace, then smiled and informed," she is our new accountant's daughter." I raised my head at once and turned in that direction, she had stopped singing and now was pulling down the clothes hanging on the nylon wire hurriedly, preventing them from getting wet.  A beautiful voice matched an equally beautiful face, how couldn't it? A soulful voice could make any ordinary person look extraordinary. This time daadi cleared her throat to make me realize that she was still around, I pursed my lips and walked back to my room before she could ask anything further, unaware that she could hear and understand even my unspoken words.

That night was different, really different from the ones I had spent in the past, that night was calm and serene. A person like me who never slept without drowning himself into alcohol, slept that night without touching even a drop of it, instead was drowned in her harmonious voice. The lyrics of her song resounded in my ears throughout the night, yeah someone had entered in my life as well.

As if it was destined, I spotted her the next day again, daadi had asked me to drop her to the temple, I was waiting for her in the car and while adjusting the rear view mirror I saw her buying veggies from an old vegetable seller. I smiled inwardly on seeing the way she was bargaining with the old man for a small bunch of coriander leaves, all of a sudden I heard a knock at the window of the car, Purab my younger brother smirked and said," Abhi, if you are through ogling her then please take Daadi to the temple ." When did she come and sit next to me, I didn't know, I glanced at her grinning face from the corner of my eye and began driving, the whole drive was silent but I had a nagging feeling that she was curious to initiate that topic which I had managed to avoid for years but alas not long enough, thanks to one more encounter with her.

This time I was sipping on the hot black coffee in my balcony and my ears got hold of the heart soothing bhajan that she was singing. My eyes moved around frantically in search for her, minutes later she came out in the terrace to water the plants, leaving me rooted to the place where I was standing. Admiring her calm face which glowed under the sunlight, her long black hair flew in the air and blocked my view. Soon her mother called her in, disappointed to see her leaving I too turned around and found daadi yet again standing in front of me. I kicked myself mentally on getting caught once again, why did she have to be around whenever I looked at her? I walked passed her," nice girl." She said softly, I stopped in my tracks but didn't reply. With my back still facing her, she asked," abhi, if you like her then should I send a proposal to her parents?" I glanced over my shoulder and left without protesting.

Things would move so speedily I hadn't expected, her parents were called within a week, they were pleasantly shocked at the proposed alliance, her father wouldn't disagree I knew from the beginning, the greed in his eyes had not gone unnoticed by me but for me the most important issue was to know her will because no girl dreams to marry a gangster! I didn't want her to accept the proposal under any kind of pressure, so with daadi's permission we both got a chance to talk in private. For the first time she was standing so close to me, fidgeting with the end of her dupatta, if she was nervous then I couldn't complain because even I was a bundle of nerves. There was long and deep silence in the balcony where we both were present. I swallowed the lump in my throat and said," some days back I saw you there...in the rain." pointing towards her terrace, her eyes travelled in that direction, she nodded silently," you were singing." I informed, her eyes shot up in surprise, to which I gave out a weak smile, she lowered her head once again," so, do you have any problem with this proposal?" I asked, she took a moment to reply and within that moment my heart skipped a beat," no, I don't have a problem." Was her reply which made me let out a sigh of relief on knowing that she wasn't against this alliance," is everything happening as per your wish and happiness?" I asked one more time to dispel my doubts, she shook her head in agreement," do you want to ask me anything?" I inquired, she said," no". I shrugged my shoulders and said," fine then lets go" she walked in quietly and I followed her behind still gazing at her terrace wondering that the distance from her terrace to my balcony would get covered so soon I had never imagined.

The wedding date which was a fortnight later was fixed, even though our horoscopes didn't match well still, daadi seeing my eagerness in somebody for the first time wanted to go ahead with this proposal. She suggested some puja for our better compatibility. Soon Mehra mansion was buzzing with excitement , an air of thrill and enthusiasm which was long missing spread all over the house. The one person who was on cloud nine was my sister in law, Bulbul, how could she leave this golden opportunity of indulging herself into shopping, she had a naughty grin on her face as her eyes shifted from purab to daadi," I was thinking why not today take bhabhi out for shopping? Even bhai can accompany us." She knew I disliked shopping but wouldn't refuse if daadi asked me to go out and that's exactly what happened, purab and I had to tag along with both the girls for that boring task. 

Bulbul's going hysterical on entering the showroom was expected but I was pleasantly surprised to see her thrilled too as she tried out different outfits for her wedding. Bulbul draped one sari after the other around her and in between asked for my opinion too," bhai, have a look. How's this one?" I hesitantly looked at her, she was fair and pretty, all the colors suited her especially red, it made her skin glow all the more," all are nice, but I think that red one, looks the best." I pointed towards the red one which had a simple golden border, her eyes travelled in that direction, she gazed at herself one more time in the mirror then said softly," but I prefer this yellow sari." I smiled and shrugged my shoulders, if she wished to buy that yellow sari with heavy golden work done all over then it was absolutely fine with me, after all at the end of the day she had to wear it, so her choice mattered the most what if ours didn't match in the process. 

After what seemed ages we all stepped out of that garments showroom only to enter a jewellary shop, daadi had strictly instructed to buy along with other necessary ornaments a mangal sutra as well. I was grinning inwardly when I saw her trying out those heavy necklaces and earrings, sometimes I felt she was unnecessarily crushing herself under the weight of those ornaments but what I forgot, was that she was shopping for her wedding, the most important day in a girl's life when she wants to look the best. Bulbul called me out to select a mangal sutra amongst the various pieces that were displayed. I glanced over them and thought she had already bought heavy wedding jewellery so a nice and simple mangal sutra would go well with her diamond studded necklace. I picked one with black beads and a small locket, she appeared a little disappointed with my choice, at least that's what I felt so suggested," I have absolute no knowledge about all this so go ahead and choose whichever you find suitable." And I honestly didn't have a clue as to what would look good on her so she might as well buy what she was comfortable in. She lowered her head and replied," no, this one is fine."

 I smiled and paid the bills, purab elbowed me at the cash counter and teased," abhi, this is just the start, you are not even married and see the bill. Don't tell me later that I didn't warn you." people marry once in their life so they have every right to splurge on themselves and I was more than happy to pay her bills. I slapped his back and said proudly," obviously she'll have a stylish taste, after all she is Abhishekh Mehra's would be wife" purab smiled back on hearing it.

 While driving back home my gaze fell on her, she was sitting behind me admiring the bangles she had bought, there was a certain childlike enthusiasm in her throughout the time we were shopping. The sparkle of gold bangles reached her eyes which I noticed to see through the rear view mirror, she caught me looking at her, she shyly dropped her gaze. It gave me enormous happiness to shower her with those wedding gifts.

The next day we had to get up early, daadi had organized the required puja for us at the temple.  Never a firm believer of God and hardly participated in any religious rituals but this time even I wished that everything went off well. After carrying out a long havan we both stood at the edge of the stairs. I joined both my hands to acknowledge and respect the presence of all the people who had turned up in large numbers to bless us and seek a glimpse of my soon to be wife. I stepped down two steps then stopped and looked to my left, she wasn't there, she hadn't moved an inch, I smiled and offered my hand, she seemed awestruck to witness the love which displayed across the faces of the people who had gathered and the way they were cheering for us. She glanced at my open palm and held it slowly, nervousness gave way to confidence as she stepped down with me and her eyes glowed with this new found adulation. On reaching the car I let her hand go and was walking towards the driver's seat when I heard her say," it seems strange and at the same time it feels powerful to see so many people at your mercy. Isn't it?" I knotted my brows in disappointment, people here loved and respected me. For them I was like their god father who protected them and worked for their welfare. I wasn't a gangster for them who they feared. I turned around and corrected," I don't rule over these people. They are like family to me. They are my strength. Their joined hands and bowed heads don't suggest their helplessness" She lowered her head in guilt for perceiving their love for me as their fear. The drive back home was a silent one, I felt bad for being rude to her, especially as she was not accustomed to all this so misinterpreted the whole thing, I wanted to speak to her more as also it was our last meeting, daadi had forbidden us to see each other till the wedding day but sadly nothing came out of my mouth.

At last the wedding day arrived and I was going through a gamut of emotions, a part of me was excited to spend the rest of the life with someone who I loved, while a part of me was nervous and questioned myself as to whether I was capable enough to discharge such a big responsibility? Would I make her happy? Would I be able to fulfill her dreams? I took a deep sigh and adjusted the stole around my neck then straightened my wedding outfit and glanced myself in the mirror for the last time. I looked around my room, a lot had changed in it within a few days and a lot more would change in a couple of hours. I smiled as my gaze fell on the hanging wind chime at the entrance, it was her idea, she enjoyed their sweet sound and wished to have it in the room when asked by bulbul as to how she desired to redecorate the room. I went near the wind chime and touched it lightly, its musical sound reminded me of her singing, a music lover like her could never miss out on such a beautiful thing. My eyes travelled across the room from the new cupboard which had her clothes to the huge mirror placed for her to get ready. A smile came to my lips on seeing that mirror which reflected a big picture of her that I had put up on the wall. Everything seemed like a dream, beautiful and perfect. Finally I was settling down, finally I had someone to share my life with, finally there was someone made just for me.

With bated breath I descended down the stairs, stepping toward my new world. The guests had arrived and everything as planned had been set up for the occasion. I scanned through the crowd for daadi, purab and bulbul, they weren't around. Something scared me from within, I slowly walked towards daadi's room and entered. 

Shashi my accountant  appeared shell shocked while his wife, Sarla was weeping profusely, I narrowed my eyes in confusion, what was happening? Why was the atmosphere so heavy and sad? daadi was sitting on the bed with her head down," what's the matter daadi? Why is everybody so tensed?" I asked, she lifted her head up, her eyes were teary which worried me all the more, this time I raised my voice and questioned," will someone tell me, what the HELL in happening here ?" startled with my high pitched voice, bulbul slowly walked toward me and handed a piece of paper to me, I read it quickly which said," I cannot marry you. I love someone else and will marry only him. I am going away."

 What was this some joke? I read the paper again and again, she was in love with some other guy and had eloped with him? How was it possible? I had asked her clearly whether she was happy with this marriage or not, whether everything was happening as per her will, she had said yes then now how could she back out? How could she do this to me? How could she betray me like this? I raised my head and looked around furiously at everybody then crushed the paper in my fist and threw it away as blood rose to my eyes.

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I tightened my grip around the glass of whiskey that I was holding, in an attempt to suppress my anger but it wasn't working, how could it? After crushing me and my dreams that fateful night, she had the audacity to enter my life one more time? What she did six months back wasn't enough that today again she had to come back? I clenched my jaws hard and yelled at the top of my voice," TANU " the glass in my hand crushed into pieces just as my hopes and happiness had crushed that night.

 She came running to the room and took my bleeding hand in hers, with pain and concerned filled eyes she asked," Suniye, what have you done?" I looked back at her blankly.

 I, Abhishekh Mehra and this was my story which ended before it could get started, which remained unfinished and left me incomplete.

Thanks for reading

Rose

Please buddy pm2rose for PMs

chapter 2

I heard him scream, "TANU" and ran to the room, he was squeezing his eyes firmly and his left palm was bleeding profusely, I took his hand in mine and saw glass pieces pierced into his skin. Carefully I took out a glass piece ensuring not to hurt him but at the same time couldn't stop myself from asking that why was he doing this to himself? ," Suniye, what have you done?" he opened his eyes and kept looking at me silently as I took out one glass piece after the other. When physical pain no more seemed to bother him then why did today her return bother him so much? When she was no longer a part of his life then why was he letting her affect his life?

 I got up to get the first aid kit and when returned found him collapsed on the bed, the heavy intake of alcohol had taken its toll on him. His wounded hand was hanging from the bedside. I sat on the floor to bandage it, applied antiseptic on the cuts, thankfully they weren't deep enough to require stitches but one thing surely needed to stitched up, his heart which got brutally smashed that fateful night when his bride to be and my sister eloped with her lover. That horrifying scene was still fresh in my mind.

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In one corner my mother was sobbing uncontrollably and my father was standing like a statue with his head lowered in shame. The only voice that was roaring in the room belonged to him, he couldn't believe what had happened," she cheated on me? Abhishekh Mehra? How dare she humiliate me like this?" he gritted his teeth and asked everybody around with hurt clearly reflecting in his teary and enraged eyes. Baba raised his head and folded his hands in front of him," I thought she had forgotten him. She herself told me that she was happy with this marriage...I really don't know then why she did this" 

I was shocked to know that my parents knew that she was in love with someone else, even then they pursued with this proposal, he glared at baba hard and grabbed him by his collars," I always saw the hunger for money in your eyes. You were a greedy filthy animal, I knew but you would turn out to be such a big fraud that I hadn't imagined. All along you knew that your daughter was having an affair behind my back, still nothing came out of your dirty mouth? "I pressed my lips in shame as he insulted baba in front of my eyes, his words though bitter were true, baba could cheat on anybody for money. I watched him silently as he walked furiously in the room like a ferocious wounded animal, then stopped all of a sudden and looked at purab to order him," I am sure they have not left the town. They mustn't have gone far away. Go and find them at any bloody cost." Infuriated purab nodded his head and said," abhi, you don't worry. I will find both of them and make sure that they..." He didn't let purab finish his sentence and declared in his ice cold voice," shoot them. I don't wish to see their faces" Leaving everybody stunned by his order to shoot both of them at sight.

 Daadi ji tried to intervene by saying," abhi, what will you get by doing all this?" but he gave her one sharp look and she was quiet. My mother parted her trembling lips and pleaded in front of him," please forgive my daughter. Please spare her life" He raised his hand in air silencing her, he was not willing to listen to anybody. This time baba was at his feet begging him to leave both of them," I beg of you, please don't kill my daughter. I know she made a mistake, punish me instead of her. But please don't take away her life."

 Once again he held baba's collars and pulled him up," how will your begging for mercy change anything? How can I forget that she played with my feelings? I wanted to start a new life with her but she made a mockery of this marriage. When she didn't think once before tarnishing my image then why should I let her live? Nobody gets away so easily after cheating Abhishekh Mehra". Maa and baba had nothing to say, he was right, tanu had indeed played with his emotions, had insulted him in public, though nobody could dare utter a word against him but behind his back they would surely mock at him. By running away on the wedding day, by rejecting him she had hurt his ego badly. Its not easy for anybody to take rejection graciously, especially for a man and that too of his stature. He was still holding baba, he brought him close before barking in his ear," can you get back the respect that I have lost? Do you have any way out?" he sniggered after leaving baba's collars and said," in any case today you had to give away your daughter to me. If not alive then dead. Now go and prepare yourself to light her pyre"

 Maa let out a huge cry on hearing him, baba once again gathered courage to convince him but before he could do that I interrupted and finally broke my silence," I will get your lost respect back. I will marry you."

He turned his neck sharply and for the first time our eyes met, I couldn't hold his strong hatred filled gaze for long and dropped my eyes. My proposal to marry him had left everybody shell shocked. The whole room was engulfed in silence which broke by the sound of slap that hit across my face by my mother," have you lost your senses? You'll marry your would be brother in law? How can such a disgraceful thought even cross your mind?." It was indeed shameful on my part to even think about stepping into my sister's shoes but to save her life and to salvage our family's honor I had to think along such lines," maa, we don't have any other option. This will be best for all of us." Maa curled her lips in annoyance and refused to agree with me, I looked around helplessly there was no one to support me, I closed my eyes in dismay. A while later I heard daadi ji say," I think this girl is right. This marriage is best for both the families"

 I glanced at him from the corner of my eye to see his reaction, for which I didn't have to wait long, he clenched his jaws hard and asked daadi ji," do you find all this a game? One sister decides to leave me at the altar so I go ahead and marry the other sister?" He shook his head in disagreement and added," now I don't wish to settle down with anyone." It wasn't easy for him to get married now but what he failed to understand was that it wasn't easy for me either, even I had never thought in my wildest of dreams to get married like this. Daadi ji walked up to him and placed her hand on his shoulder to turn him around," I know this is tough for you but for a minute think with a cool head and tell me, do we have any other alternative? If today this wedding doesn't take place then people will point fingers at our family. For god sake try to understand, the reputation of our family is at stake." She tried to show him the real picture, we all were in this hopeless situation and this was the only best option available but it wasn't working as he argued," if at the last moment, the bride gets changed even then people will ridicule and talk rubbish." Everything that he was saying was making sense that people would definitely point fingers on seeing another bride but daadi ji closed her tired eyes and took a deep breath before announcing," we are going ahead with this marriage and this is my final decision." He stared at her in protest and parted his lips to refuse once again but stopped, may be the respect that he has for her prevented him from doing so.

Daadi ji looked at bulbul and asked her to get the bridal outfit then glanced at my parents who were standing with hands folded and heads downcast, I licked my dry lips nervously and in a feeble voice said," before getting married I need to talk to him. Alone." Lowered heads snapped up in shock and all eyes looked at me in surprise as for the second time in the day I showed them how shameless and outrageous I could be. This time too only daadi ji was the one who understood me and shook her head in approval," we should all go out and welcome the guests." Slowly everyone left the room and the door was slammed hard leaving just the two of us behind.

I fidgeted with the edge of my dupatta and drew courage to speak to him, thankfully his rigid and tensed back was facing me which made it easier for me to say what I intended to," I have two conditions." On hearing me he at once turned around and glared at me, I knew I was not in a position to lay down conditions and that too in front of a powerful man like him but still it was important for me to make my stand clear. He seethed in anger and knotted his brows before questioning," first one, not to kill your sister and the second one? " I nodded my head silently, yes one thing which I wished was that he spared my sister's life and second was... I gulped the lump in my throat, closed my eyes shut, held the dupatta in my fist firmly, did everything possible to draw strength then said it one go," our relationship will never get physical." And let out a deep sigh after saying what I had to but still didn't have the confidence to face him.

A moment later my eyes reopened in shock and forehead creased in confusion on hearing him ask," why? Like your sister even you love someone?" I was marrying him only to protect her life and my family's name, beyond that I couldn't imagine myself sharing a normal husband and wife relationship with him. His suspicion was right I did love someone but didn't wish to get into the details, it wasn't necessary for him to know who that person was. I nodded my head silently, he had a sarcastic smile on his face as if it made him happy to know that like him even I had lost my love today. Slowly he began walking towards me, as a lion approaches his prey, his dark intense eyes not leaving my face, I too attempted at putting up a brave face but I guess it wasn't good enough, as he stopped just right before me. His tall powerful figure overlooked mine, I lowered my lashes and my gaze scattered the floor, he bought his face down a little, his warm breath fanned my face as he said," I am marrying you only because of daadi otherwise I wouldn't have thrown even a second glance at you." I was aware that getting physical with me would be the last thing in his mind but still I wanted to ensure that this marriage was a compromise from both the sides, there was no place for love in it. We both could never ever come together.

 Ever since we had shifted to this place a lot had changed for the whole family except for me I still pursued my graduation course though now by staying alone in a Lucknow hostel and had come here to attend tanu's wedding, and spend time with the family till my final semester started, not having the slightest clue that within minutes everything around me would change. From a normal salwar suit I was now in a wedding outfit and marrying none other than someone who would have been my sister's husband. 

Wedding mantras were chanted as we circled around the holy fire silently with garlands hanging around our necks. The priest explained the importance of various marital vows to us unaware that all this was falling on deaf ears, neither of us was interested in all these customs and formalities on the contrary we were engrossed in our pasts rather than in our present and future. He was asked to tie the mangal sutra around my neck, bulbul handed it over to him, he glared at me furiously while walking toward me with the mangal sutra hanging in his fingers, he stopped near the holy fire and threw the mangal sutra in it making the people around gasp in shock. I continued to look into his eyes, emotionlessly and blankly as he approached me then pulled out the gold chain from his neck and tied it around mine while doing so he was far from being gentle, the hook of the chain tangled with my hair, tugging it and in the process hurting me but he didn't care a bit. When asked to fill my parting with vermillion I closed my eyes as he smeared the red powder in my parting harshly, jerking my head back. A lone tear escaped my eye. The guests showered rose petals on us when we were declared husband and wife, neither of us bothered to look at the other, we bent down to seek daadi ji's blessings then approached my Maa, baba who appeared worried for their daughter, they didn't consider themselves worthy enough to bless him so joined their hands in front of him. Maa had tears in her eyes, didn't know whether they were for me or my sister or both of us, nevertheless I hugged her as my eyes too welled up.

Bulbul came up to me to take me to his room, like a lifeless body I climbed up the stairs still trying to take in all that had happened some time back. With heavy steps I entered the room decorated with flowers and aromatic candles, the fragrance of all this instead of making me feel nice was making me dizzy and nauseated. Sitting on the huge king size bed I watched bulbul leave the room quietly after keeping a small bag carrying my basic stuff brought from my house. I turned my neck to the right and saw myself in the mirror, a part of which was showing tanu's smiling picture hanging on the opposite wall and the remaining had my reflection. For the first time I saw myself in that heavy shimmering outfit which belonged to my sister and who's weight was crushing me down, the beautiful embroidery work done on it was pricking my skin now, the vermillion in my parting reminded me that I had married my future brother in law, which made me loath myself, I couldn't bear to see myself like that. I gripped the bed sheet underneath in my fist tightly and pressed my lips hard as I glanced at the bed covered with rose petals, squeezing my eyes in disgust I questioned myself," why am I sitting on this bed of thorns?" Enough was enough I couldn't take it anymore and stood up at once and rushed to the washroom with the bag.

After taking a long shower I stepped out in my own clothes and watched myself in the mirror once again, the vermillion and chain were still there, i sighed deeply and thought some things couldn't be changed, they had to be accepted either out of will or compulsion but they would stay with me forever. I opened the french door, and stood near it, the aroma of the candles was suffocating, fiddling with the gold chain I gazed out, there was a strange sadness and grief in the atmosphere, life would take such a dramatic turn I had never imagined, closing my eyes I leaned against the panel when all of a sudden the door open up and the wind chimes hanging above made a noise breaking the silence that had over shadowed the room earlier.

I turned around and saw his swaying figure walk in, he was clearly on a high with anger oozing out of his each and every pore. He pulled down the wind chimes and smashed them across the huge mirror creating a deep crack on it. I took some hurried steps to stop him but he was unstoppable, his eyes were full of rage and fury, he walked near the wall and pulled out tanu's picture, gazed at it for a moment before throwing it on the floor. The glass frame shattered into pieces but even that wasn't enough for him, he looked around for new things to break, he began blowing off and chucking the candles everywhere making the room fall into darkness. Scared of darkness I immediately switched on the nearby lamp and said, "I am afraid of darkness. May I keep this lamp on?" he turned and looked at me in confusion as if all along he didn't know that I was also present in the room watching him create that ruckus. With staggering feet he reached the bed and at once collapsed on it.

 Slumping on the recliner I glanced at the broken glass pieces scattered all around.

 I, Pragya Arora and this was my life, my story with shattered hopes, dreams and aspirations.

Thanks for reading

Rose

Please buddy pm2rose for PMs

Chapter 3

The bright sun rays entered the room disturbing my sleep, I squeezed opened my eyes and sat up resting my head against the headboard. My eyes travelled across the room, which appeared to be hit by a storm. Shattered picture frame, broken wind chimes, cracked mirror and candles scattered all around. The room was indeed in a mess so was my life, within minutes things had turned from good to bad and bad to worse.

 Having a splitting headache I pulled open the side drawer and took out an asprin then stood up to have a glass of water just then the door to the bathroom opened and she came out with my white towel wrapped around her head. We stared at each other, the fury of last night came back to my eyes while her eyes tried to appear calm and unaffected. Deep down I blamed her and her sister for creating a havoc in my life, for playing with my feelings.

 Turning my head away from her I had water and popped the pill in my mouth then began walking toward the bathroom, she hurriedly came up to me and lowered her posture, I looked down in confusion, she was removing the glass pieces coming my way. I shook my head in irritation, one sister had broken my dreams and the other one was gathering its pieces, she extended her hand to pick tanu's fallen picture but before she could do that I kicked the picture frame to a corner, showing tanu her right place and went to the bathroom without bothering to look back.

When I came out after freshening up, I found my blue suit lay out on the bed along with my wallet and watch. I curled my fingers in a fist and turned to glance at the door, she was coming in with a tray carrying tea, she kept it on the table and said without meeting my eyes," your ..tea." 

with slow and firm steps I walked in her direction and stopped close to her, this time she couldn't stop from being unnerved by the proximity we were sharing, her downcast eyes were scattering the floor, I grabbed her shoulders and pinned her against the wall. She gasped in terror, her head snapped up and her breath hitched. Glowering down upon her with measureless contempt written on my face, I lifted my hand and pulled down my towel covering her hair. At once her long black tresses came cascading down to her shoulders, startled by my act her quivering pink lips parted but not a word escaped from them. I pushed my body closer against hers. Her heart raced and her chest heaved up and down as she breathed heavily. Her eyes seemed petrified and wary, unsure of what was coming next.

 Gritting my teeth I said," hey you.." she whispered back in a trembling voice," pragya..its pragya." Which angered me more, she had the courage to correct me? I wrinkled my nose and spoke this time more harshly," without my permission, don't even think of touching my belongings." She seemed rattled. Good. She ought to be.

I moved toward the bed, picked up the clothes she had taken out for me, my eyes trailed from the suit to her face then without breaking the eye lock I chucked the suit aside and went to the cupboard to select what I wished to wear. Gazing at the various suits hanging before me, I heard a knock at the door, turning to look into that direction, I found bulbul standing. I went back to picking my clothes when she asked," what is this bhabhi, you are still in your old clothes? That cupboard is full of new suits and saris. Wear anything that you like."

 Hesitantly she opened the cupboard next to mine and glanced in my direction, her eyes seeking my permission which got nothing but a cold response from my side. She moved her head and began examining the saris kept in front of her, she once again parted her lips to say something but before she could blurt anything I shut her cupboard with a bang, frightening both bulbul and her," bulbul, buy her whatever she wants but she won't wear anything from this cupboard." bulbul had a confused expression on her face wondering what to do with the saris which were already hanging in the cupboard," throw them. Burn them. But they should never ever cross my sight again." 

Both of them were surprised to hear me burning down or throwing away those clothes but I had no choice, I couldn't bear to see her in any of those saris or suits which tanu had picked up when we had gone out shopping. In fact I hated to see anything which reminded me of her.

I picked up my wallet, took out wad of notes and threw them on the table after glancing at her. She looked at me briefly, her eyes seemed rebellious then moved to bulbul and said," there is no need to waste money on new clothes. I shall manage with what I have." I creased my forehead and glared at her, what was she attempting to show that unlike her sister she was not interested in my money? That she valued her self respect more? Pretence, all this was a big a pretence and I wasn't a fool to believe in all this again, her sister had taught me a very hard yet an important lesson, which I would never forget. I clenched my jaws and replied," you are no longer my servant's daughter. On the contrary now you are Abhishekh Mehra's wife. Stop covering yourself in these cheap outfits." Even if she was really not interested in splurging my money on herself as she wanted to sound, still she had a reputation to maintain in public, she was now my wife and she couldn't ignore that fact. Seeing me blasting her, bulbul interrupted me and suggested," bhabhi we'll go out in the evening." She nodded her head silently. 

I took out my brown suit, stopped in front of the broken mirror, made a mental note to ask purab to get it replaced and then went in take a shower with the towel hanging around my neck.

After a while she entered the room again, much to my dislike with the breakfast. I looked at her through the cracked mirror while buttoning my waist coat, she kept the tray on the table and probably noticed that the tea she had brought earlier remained untouched by me. I brushed back my wet hair, ignoring her presence all together when she said softly," not I but daadi ji has prepared this breakfast..for you." then began making the bed silently without bothering about my reaction, I tossed the hair brush on the dressing table and sat on the recliner with my back facing her to have the breakfast only because it was cooked by daadi.

 She stood behind me and asked gently," may I take this?" I glanced toward the bundle of notes kept near the tray and smirked, so all that I don't want your money, honey.' Was indeed a big fat lie. I told myself.

 "Yeah of course, take it." I replied still smirking.

 However my smirk didn't last long and I furrowed my brows in confusion when her hand came from behind and instead of picking the money picked up the newspaper. I glared at her retreating back as she went out of the French door, sat down in the balcony and busied herself in reading the newspaper. Wiping my hands with the tissue paper, I crumbled and threw it aside before leaving the room.

Next few hours were spent with purab in discussing about drug trafficking in the town, some unknown miscreants were smuggling the same and ruining the youth. I flared my nostrils in anger and ordered him to catch hold off the people who were behind all this, then I would personally deal with them. My cell began ringing, I looked around for it, maybe I had left it in the room so went back to collect it and found it lying on the bed. Bulbul came in to call me for lunch," everyone is waiting for you at the table." I nodded my head, she turned around to leave when I stopped her and handed her the money that was still lying on the table. She took the money and exited the room, I scanned the whole room, she wasn't there, not even in the balcony . I pursed my lips and shook my head thinking what a stubborn and arrogant girl!

Soon I joined everybody down for lunch and was having it peacefully till she came out of the kitchen. I concentrated on the plate and avoided looking up. She kept the plate of rice on the dining table and daadi said," pragya beta, now you also eat with us." Gesturing her to sit next to me, she slowly pulled the chair adjacent to mine and sat down, I gritted my teeth and pushed back my plate then stood up to leave. Her presence disgusted me to no extent. I began walking toward the stair case when daadi tried to stop me," abhi, you are leaving your food in the middle." I looked over my shoulder and replied," I am done." Her presence had made me lose my appetite.

Sipping my evening coffee I heard bulbul's excited voice, she must be back home after shopping. I walked out in the corridor and looked down, I was right she was carrying huge shopping bags, I smiled thinking this was something she enjoyed the most even if it was meant for others. She began taking out the stuff both of them had shopped to show daadi," look daadi, bhabhi has bought only suit pieces and not a single sari." daadi smiled and asked her softly that why didn't she buy saris for herself and readymade suits instead of these simple suit pieces? She lowered her head, coiled the end of her dupatta around her finger and replied," sorry daadi ji, but I don't feel comfortable in saris. I prefer suits instead." My eyes hovered over her full sleeved, round neck simple suit with dupatta having small irritating bells making noise. Bulbul looked up and caught me gazing at them, she raised some suit pieces and showed me, I shrugged off my shoulders and walked back to my room, I had more important things to think about rather than what she wore.

Later at night I reluctantly stepped down to have dinner, my eyes hoping not to catch a glimpse of her and I guess I was lucky as she preferred to remain in the kitchen as long as I was having dinner at the table. For once my mind appreciated her for being intelligent enough to understand how much I hated her being around myself.

 But unfortunately my mind couldn't appreciate her for long as after dinner she once again came before my eyes this time carrying something in two bowls. Couldn't she see me peacefully enjoying a couple of drinks with purab? I twirled on the bar stool and chose to look the other side, when purab asked excitedly," wow bhabhi, you made this?"

"After marriage today is my first day in the kitchen..so daadi ji asked me to cook something sweet for everybody." purab, ever so fond of sweets complimented her on making a delicious kheer.

She turned around and stood before me with the tray, I avoided gazing at her expecting that she would take the clue and leave away silently but no she stood there like a pillar making me furious with every passing second. Finally I turned my neck and gave her a stern glance clenching my jaws firmly, she looked back at me blankly. There was no trace of happiness in fact loneliness and sadness floated in her eyes, then why the hell was she celebrating this unwanted wedding by making this sweet dish?

 Seeing her not move an inch I tossed up the tray in rage, the contents of the bowl fell on her clothes while the bowl and the tray came crashing down. Purab who was having kheer paused midway in surprise as his eyes turned wide. She glanced at her suit and then at the floor where her preparation laid scattered. She closed her eyes for a moment as though attempting to absorb what had happened before bending down to pick up the broken pieces. I stared at her bent posture as a glass piece pricked her thumb. She winced softly, my eyes narrowed on seeing a drop of blood ooze out of her thumb. Stomping my foot I left the house carrying the unfinished bottle of whiskey in my hand.

Sometime later when I came back to the room it was empty, I sat on the recliner with my legs sprawled and head resting on the head rest behind. I opened my eyes on hearing the bathroom door unbolt, she stepped out in her changed clothes and wet hair. I frowned at her, what was the need to take a bath when only her suit had got spoilt? Anyway, I rested my head back once again, as she began arranging her old suits along with the new suit pieces in the cupboard. After a few minutes she came near the table and kept some money on it," suniye, this was left after shopping." I gazed at the unspent money then raised my hand in the air and said," keep it with you." She turned around without taking the money and walked toward the bed where my ironed out clothes were kept. She lifted and carried them to my cupboard and opened it when I came charging behind her and shut the panel on her face and growled," hey, you.."

 " pragya.." For the second time in the day she corrected me.

 I stepped close to her, she flinched and creased her face. I barked and stressed on each and every word so that she understood and remembered them forever," stay away from me and my belongings. Next time I see you touching them without my consent, I swear I will chop off your fingers" she was my wife just for namesake and she didn't have to perform those typical duties of a wife. Sooner she understood this fact the better it would be for her.

Taking a step back I turned around when I heard her ask," why are you punishing yourself for my sister's mistakes?" I wrinkled my forehead and wondered what made her think that I was punishing myself for that tanu?

Glancing over my shoulder I glared at her," tanu is nobody for me. She doesn't affect me." Her sister had no place in my life, she simply ceased exist for me.

She nodded her head and replied back confidently," it will be better if your heart too accepts the same."

I so wished to strangle her for being that brutally honest. It was true that I couldn't get over with what tanu had done to me, her betrayal had left my heart broken and life scarred but one thing the lady in front of me didn't know was that her presence would not make my life easier, in fact she would constantly remind me how insensitively her sister had played with my feelings.

I stared into those doe eyes which were fearless and emotionless, which didn't bow down before me on the contrary challenged me at every step. Had they belonged to someone else I would have probably admired their courage and sincerity but unfortunately they belonged to her.

 It would never be easy for me to accept her, cause she was the unwanted and undesired part of my story.

Thanks for reading

Rose

Please buddy pm2rose for PMs.