The immaculately made bed, the pillows fluffed, everything in its place...except...
His breath stopped...it couldn't be...but...but it was...her mangalsutra...on his pillow...
His hand tightened on the door handle...digging the metal into his flesh...he didn't notice...his eyes were focused on the piece of jewellery resting on his pillow...a regular piece of jewellery...yet one that had been become a heavy weight around her neck...binding her to him...symbol of the sham that had been their marriage...
He moved closer...one slow step at a time...his breath coming fast and painful...his chest tightening...hurting...
He stood next to the bed...looking down at it...unable to move his eyes away...his jaw clenching...teeth grinding against each other...breathing short and sharp now...his eyes stung...blurred...moistened...
Eyes closed tight...tears rolling down his cheeks...hands slowly clenching...
He forced his breath to steady...hands to unclench...eyes to open...
Bent down, picked it up...the delicate white stones...the black beads...the gold metal...
His other hand came up...finger stroked the stone...the beads...the metal...trying to feel her in it...but it was cold...cold as ice...no warmth left...nothing of her in it...just another piece of jewellery when not around her neck...
He turned...sat down...cupped it in his palm...stroke...stroke...
He looked up...the photo should be on top of his bedside draw.
The top of the draw was empty...except...
It shone under the light...silver...round...plain...no decoration...no colours...
She had used it every morning...a ritual...never forgotten...
He had watched while she applied some of the contents to the parting in her hair...every morning...always up before him...he would watch her while in bed...knowing she didn't know...
He reached for it...the metal was cold...the lid with its glass circle in the middle...the red powder seen through it...almost finished...
He cupped one in each palm...the heat from his hands warming the cold meta...'the cold from the metal invading his body...travelling through his veins...racing towards his chest...his heart...
She had left...no need to check the cupboards...the bathroom...
The sound of her bangles...silenced...
The sound of her jewellery...silenced...
The sound of her feet...silenced...
His hands clenched around them...
Hurting...
...her pain...
Hurting...
...her tears...
Hurting...
...her cries...
That fateful day...her in HIS arms...the start of it all...
She reached the door...stopped...forced her hand to slowly open i...'looked at the world outside...
...cold...unwelcoming...no different to the world inside the door...
She couldn't move...her body wouldn't obey her mind...
She closed her eyes...breathed deepl...swallowed the painful lump in her throat...
Right foot...always the right foot first...for good luck...
Reached behind...pulled the door closed...heard the soft click as it locked...
Walked towards the garden...tended lovingly by the servants...immaculate...just as he wanted it...
His plants...
She had seen him tend to them daily...never missing a day...watering them...making sure they were perfect...just the way he wanted...
She would watch him from the bed as he lovingly tended to them...she knew he didn't know she watched him...
Drinking in the sight of his face...
His face...
...face that would twist into a mask of disgust ...freezing her with the coldness of his hate...
Drinking in the sight of his eyes...
His eyes...
...eyes that blazed in anger when he saw her...searing her flesh with the heat of his hate...
Drinking in the sight of his hands...
His hands...
...hands that would hurt when he touched he...'leaving behind invisible burns with the flames of his hate...
The hands that had tended to her injuries time and again...the same hands had hurt her...
That fateful day...when HE had taken her in HIS arms...the start of it all...
The start of it all...
He had opened the door...and seen...
[YOUTUBE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JeFW1fB1U9g[/YOUTUBE]
P.s Please either PM me or Buddy me if you would like to be PM-ed with updates.
Am a lazy elephant, you see?
ChurailMukhi's VM Adda: https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/post/53509139
Hindi TV Shows
Current Affairs
35