Jeevansathi (RTMC ff) Pt 12 in Pg 54 - Page 11

Siddharth hesitated for a moment and then finally spoke : " Main janta hu Avantika ki meri wajah se aapko bahut takleef pahuchi hain. Lekin mera yakeen kijiye maine jo bhi kiya apni mom ki jaan bachane ke liye kiya. Shayad ab meri saari baatein apko bahut khokli lagegi. But please try to understand. Meri majboori samajhne ki koshish kijiye. Main janta hu ki in sab mein aapki koi galti nehi hain. Aur aaj mujhe ehsaas hua ki mujhe koi haq nehi hain aapki jindagi barbaad karne ki. Shayad main aapko wo haq kabhe nehi de paonga, wo pyar kabhie nehi de paonga jiski aap haqdar hain. Isliye shayad yehi accha hoga ki hum alag ho jaye aur aapki jindagi aur jyada kharab na ho."

Avantika's head, who was till the moment staring down at the floor, shot up at the blunt statement uttered by him so easily. She now realized that perhaps this relationship, their relationship meant absolutely nothing for him and that perhaps he wished to get out of this relationship which was nothing more than a mere obligation for him as soon as feasible. For a moment she tore away her gaze from him and forced back the tears and gulped down the painful lump that formed in her throat. After a moment of unbearable silence, finally she turned her gaze to him once again and he was surprsed to see that something had hardened up in her exquisite features.

Finally Avantika spoke in a somewhat cracked voice : " Jaisa aap sahi samjhe."

As soon as Avantika said this, for some strange reason, Siddharth didn't feel as much relieved as he thought he would feel. Instead he felt a strange pain engulfing him as she agreed to the separation so easily. However, he soon shoved aside the weird thoughts and feeling and composed himself.

Siddharth : "Uh….thik hain fir. Within 6 months we will file a divorce and then you will be free from this relationship."

Avantika muttered to herself in a mere whisper : "And you'll be really happy with it."

Siddharth couldn't get what she muttered as she did so in quite a low voice, in a mere whisper. He cocked up his brows and decided to ask her if he was missing out on something.

Siddharth : "Umm….aapne kuch kaha?"

Avantika shook her head lightly and replied : "Ji nehi. Kuch bhi nehi."

Saying this she strode away to the washroom in a haste while simultaneously trying to stop the tears which were threatening to spill out any moment while Siddharth kept staring at her retreating figure. When she dissapeared behind the door of the washroom and the noise of locking it reached his ear, Siddharth sighed and turned away. He took out the wallet and opened it. He kept staring at her photo for a few moments in absolute silence and then sighed in frustration and dejection and looked up with troubled eyes as if questioning the Almighty for getting him enmeshed in all these and making his ever so perfect life so much confusing and frustrating.

Siddharth : "Kyun meri jindagi mein hi itne saare uljhane hain? Maine aisi kya gunaah kiya tha jiske wajah se mujhe koi khushi nehi mil sakti? Aur agar maine koi gunaah kiya bhi tha toh uski saja sirf mujhe milna tha na. Avantika ki kya galti hain? Usko kis baat ka saja de rahe ho aap? Main chahta hu ke wo humesha khush rahe aur apne jindagii waise hi jeeye jaise usne sapne dekhe hongey. Par agar meri saath rahi toh apne hi haatho apni jindagi kharab kar degi. Main na khud khush reh sakta hu aur na hi kisi aur ko koi khushi de sakta hu. Isliye shayad jo faisla maine liya wohi sahi ho."

However, his train of thoughts broke with a knock on the door. Siddharth came out of his thoghts and went to open the door as the impatient knocks increased. He unlocked the door only to find Priyanka standing there with a mischievous smirk playng on her lips.

Priyanka smirked : "kya baat hain bhai? Aaj darwaja kholne mein kaafi time laga diya aapne? Pehle toh aisa kabhie nehi hua. (And then she scrutinized him carefully and smirked mischievously again) hmm….sherwani bhi nehi badli aapne. Time nehi mila hoga hain na?"

With a swift movement, Siddharth grabbed his little sister's ear and twisted it ever so lightly.

Priyanka : "Aaow bhai!"

Siddharth : "Badmash kahi ki! Aapne bare bhai ka majak ura rahi hain hmm?"

Priyanka : "Nehi bhai. Main toh bas….accha aage se aisa nehi hoga na bhai. Ab choro na!"

Siddharth smiled at his naughty sister and let go off her and asked : "Ab bata kun aayi thi?"

Priyanka replied while rubbing her ear : " Wo maa ne kaha ke agar aap dono jaag gaye ho toh neeche aa jao. Waise bhabhi kaha hain?"

Siddharth hesitated for a moment before replying : "Uh…wo washroom gayi hain."

Priyanka : "Okay! Ab dono neeche aa jaye."

Siddharth gave her a small smile and replied : "Thik hain tum jao hum aa jayenge."

Priyanka nodded and left while Siddharth sighed in anxiety as he had no idea when his mother would come to know about the whole scenario of last night as well as the morning what would be her reaction. He only prayed that she didn't take any extreme step.

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(inside the washroom)

Avantika slide down the closed door with tears streaming down her face. She folded her legs and pulled them up to her chest and enveloped them in a tight grip with her slender arms. She rested her head on the door behind her and sobbed silently. She shut her eyes tightly and fresh tears rolled down her soft, light pinkish cheeks. When the beautiful black eyes opened again. There was no trace of that liveliness, that happiness and that mischievous sparkle that used to reside there and all that left was an intense pain, a poignant ache that had now made her heart its permanent abode.

She looked up to the ceiling. She wanted to scream, to complain to the Almighty and ask why did it happen with her, what was her fault, why in a blink of an eye all her joy, all her dreams shattered.

She questioned the Almighty though not a single word came out of her throat as she gulped down the painful lump that formed on her throat :

"Kyun? Mere saath hi kyun hua aisa? Shivji maine aisa kaunsa gunaah kiya tha jiska itni bari saja mili mujhe? Kyun mere pati mujhse nehi kisi aur se pyar kartey hain? Isme meri kya galti hain agar unko mujhse pyar nehi hain? Meri jinadgi toh barbaad ho hi gayi na! unhone toh mujhse shaadi bhi dabaab mein aakar kari thi. Unko bhi kya dosh du, apni maa ki jaan bachane ke liye koi bhi aulaad yeh kadam uthata. Dosh toh meri kismat mein hain jisme shayad pyar likha hi nehi hain. Ab mein kisi aur se pyar nehi kar paoungi kabhie kyunki maine pehli hi najar mein unhe apna dil de diya tha. Lekin agar main unse pyar karti hu toh inme unka kya kasoor? Siddharth ne toh kabhie mere liye aisa nehi socha. Rishtey thopey nehi jaatey, unko toh dil se apnana parta hain. Tabhi ek rishta kamyab hota hain. Par yahan toh pyar ek tarfa hain. Unke liye toh yeh rishta ek bojh hain. (She slowly got up and wiped away her tears) Kehtey hain pyar mein apni nehi balki apno ki khushiya dekhi jaati hain. Agar Siddharth ki khushi is rishtey ki tootne se hain toh yahi sahi. Agar wo mujhse door jakar hi khush reh sakte hain, apna pyar wapas paa saktey hain, toh yehi sahi. Main aapko is ristey se ajaad kar dungi Siddharth. Agar isse aapki jindagi sawar sakti hain toh aapke liye yeh bhi kyunki meri jindagi toh kuch is tarah bikhar chuki hain ki ab wo sawar nehi sakti."

She sighed and walked towards the washbasin and leaning over it, she opened the tap and splashed water on her face again and again to erase every single stain of tear from her beautiful face as well as to wash away the pain and ache. But could the pain that she felt be erased so easily? It was something next to impossible.

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Siddharth was standing by the window with his back facing the washroom door. The gentle, soothing breeze was sufficient enough to calm anyone's nerves down. But was it helping Siddharh in any way? Well not really. His guilt was eating him alive. He knew what he was doing was utterly wrong but then he didn't know what to do otherwise to save the remaining life of the innocent girl from ruining as he knew for a fact that he could, perhaps never give her the love and the rights of a wife on himself that she truly deserved. However, at the very moment a small click of the door being opened made him turn around and what he saw left him mesmerized. He saw the most beautiful and mesmerizing sight in front of him.

Avantika just walked out of the washroom after taking a shower. Pearly droplets of water were dripping from the wet and tangled locks of her hair. Tiny, pearly droplets of water adorned the white, glowy surface of her forehead and some droplets were running down her rosy cheeks. The dark red saree wrapped around her petite body ever so elegantly was adding a mesmerizing charm to her already incredible and extraordinary exquisiteness, enhancing her fair complexion.

As if in a trance, Siddharth became oblivious of the world around him. He was gawking at her like she was the personification of an ethereal beauty and loveliness. He was enchanted with her beauty, something that he vaguely realized had never happened to him even with her. However, the blissful reverie was short lived. He was snapped out of the reverie when the comb slipped away from Avantika's hand and landed on the floor with a mild thud. Siddharth immediately realized that he was gawking at her unblinkingly and immediately turned away to conceal the embarrasement that colored his cheeks.

However, this momentary slip in his otherwise unfathomable demeanor went unnoticed by Avantika, who was engrossed in her own woes. Siddharth, after regaining control over himself and chiding himself mentally for gawking at her, turned back to look at her. He felt highly relieved to find that she hasn't noticed him gaping at her like an idiot. In order to make his presence felt, he faked a cough as he had to inform her that his mom had asked them to go downstairs.

Siddharth : "Ehem!"

Avantika looked up, listening to his fake cough and found him staring at her with an obvious discomfort etched on every single feature of his handsome face. She instintively felt as if he wanted to say something. Hence she raised her eyebrows inquisitively.

Siddharth : "um…wo…mom ne hum dono ko neechey bulaya hain."

Avantika : "Aap naha lijiye. Main neechey chalti hu. Aap baad mein aa jaiyega."

Siddharth smiled slightly : "Okay."

With quick and long strides, he crossed her and walked into the washroom. On hearing the sound of the washroom door being and shut and eventually locked, Avantika turned back and stared blankly for a few moments at the locked door and sighed dejectedly. Then she again turned back to the door and made her way out of the room.