Armaan snapped out of his thoughts as he heard Riddhima's voice. She walked towards the swing talking on phone unaware of his presence as he stood to the other side of the tree. He had thought of leaving instantly but her words caught his attention;
"Haan Maa main theek hu, sab theek hai aap tension mat lo. Aur aap kyun humesha aisa kehti ho... I know Armaan thode ghussa hai mujhse par unki galti nahi hai. Vo bas apni Maa se pyaar karte hai aur isi liye sach samajh nahi paa rahe Maa. Aap bhi jaanti hai ki vo dil se kitne ache hai, bas haalat ki vajah se thode pareshaan hai."
Armaan stilled hearing her words. It was just an hour ago he had insulted her in front of his entire group, muttered so cheap things that he himself didn't know why. Still she was saying she was fine. He had never bothered of what she told her mother, or whether she discussed her pain with anybody or not, but right now as she potrayed him as a good husband in front of her mother he was surprised. He wondered for a minute if she know he stood there and said all of it as a pretnce, but realized it couldn't be.
"Aap tension mat leejiye Maa, main khush hu. Vaise bhi inke kuch dost aaye the aaj aur----"
She topped for a minute but continued with a constant voice;
"Pata hai sab se dosti ho gayi meri. Inke dost kaafi kuch bata rahe the mujhe inke baarein mein. I know Maa you are worried par aap unki bhi toh sochiye na, unkii Maa ki halat itni najuk hai is waqt voh kitne pareshaan hote hai Mom ko lekar. Kuch nahi kehte par main janti hu ki vo bohot takleef mein hai. He really needs someone by his side Maa. Aur mujhe koi shikayat nahi hai unse. Kisi din toh vo sach jaanenge fir sab theek ho jayega Maa. Tab tak toh mera yahi farz banta hai na ki main unhe samjhu. Aapko kabhi kabhi aake unse mil lena chahiye Maa... unhe bhi thoda acha lagega, unko bhi thodi kam khalegi Ananya aunty ki kami, unke is halat ko lekar Armaan ki tension thodi kam ho jayegi...
Haan Maa vaise bhi main bohot khush hu Maa, aur bilkul theek hu. Agar aap kahe toh aapko apni ek selfie bhej du?"
She giggled trying to convince her mother of her well being but both of them knew well that she was lying. After a while as their conversation ended she sat quietly for a few minutes and then went back in.
Armaan was caught up in a whirlwind of emotions and he just failed to understand her once again. Was he wrong in blaming her? So much had transpired between them still she did not leave the house, neither complained of him to anybody ever. Why? She had no reason to suffer but she did. But the night flashed again and he sighed. He had loved her to no ends, he hadn't confessed it to himself loud and clear but he was sure that he held some strong emotions for her but that fateful night changed everything. He tried his best to hate her but his heart would always draw him towards her. He hated himself for that, she was the reason his mother was suffering today still his heart did beat for her. Perturbed with all the emotions he walked back inside and for the first time let the alcohol take over and wash his senses off. Everthing had taken a toll over him and he no more wished to be in his senses. He drank till his body could take in and his thoughts stopped. Around 4 in the morning he finally decided to get back to his room but now that was a task. Stumbling on his own feet and with a blurry vision, holding onto the railing of the stairs he somehow managed to reach the top. Riddhima who had walked out of the room to grab a glass of water from the kitchen noticed him and quickly hid behind the passage wall. She could clearly see that he was drunk as hell and the empty bottle of rum that his hand held was enough to prove it.
Finally as he succeded in climbing the stairs he thought of keeping the bottle away and placed rather banged it on the railing not in enough senses to realize that the harshness could break it and neither was the railing broad enough to balance the bottle. He hissed hard as the bottle broke cutting through his skin; the sudden pain distracted him enough and he lost his balance. Straight from the top he was to roll down all the stairs to the bottom but to his luck Riddhima had rushed forward and pulled him towards herself breaking his fall.
"Armaan sambhalo..."
He banged hard into her but somehow the wall behind helped her balance his weight over her. She gasped as her eyes dropped down towards his hand which shed continuous blood drops.
"Aapko toh bohot chot lag gayi hai Armaan. Chaliye mere saath..."
"Ch... chodooo mujhe. Ka---hi nahi jaana mujh...mujhe. Chodooo"
He uttered in a slurry voice, his tongue too heavy to speak normally. Somehow with all his retorts and moans constant she managed to drag him to her room supporting him as he wasn't able to walk a step without stumbling. She opened the first aid box and started cleaning the blood but he dragged his hand back.
"Chodooo mera ha...haath, leave me alone."
"Armaan aapka khoon beh raha hai, jid mat keejiye."
He blinked hard trying to clear his vision and look at the person, the voice sounded familiar. She started draping the bandage while he tried to figre out who she was and just as she finished draping it he pulled his hand out of her hold leading to a sharp pain in his hand making him hiss loudly under the effect of alcohol.
"Armaan aap theek hai? Jaa kar so jaiye Armaan, aapki halat mujhe theek nahi---"
"Riddhima!!"
He had managed to figure out that it was her and instantly made an effort to get up but stumbled back on the couch.
"Armaan chot lag jayegi aapko kitni pi li hai aapne. Chaliye aapko apne kamre mein---"
"Riddhi---ma... Riddhima Mallik... tum mere kamre mein... kyun aayi?"
"Armaan ye aapka kamra nahi hai, main chod deti hu aapko kamre mein chaliye."
She held his hand to take him along but he pushed her off.
"Nahii... tumhare saath kahi na---hi jana mujhe. I ha--- hate you Rid...ima. I hateee you!" Riddhima shut her eyes tight as he had uttered the words for another time with same intensity even under such strong effect of alcohol. A sharp chill ran through her.
"Tum aisi kyun ho... what do you waaannt fr---om me? Cha---li kyun nahi jaati tum mu----mujhse dur. Haaan? Agar itni takleee---eef de raha hu, toh ky---un ho yaaha pe? Naa hi batati ho mujhe--- ki us raat ko kya hua? Aak"khir chahti kya ho tum? Meri poori zind...ai barbaad kar di hai tu...mne. Kyun... kiya tumne aisa... mere saath?"
"Armaan please maine kuch nahi kiya."
He stood up pulling her closer,
"Tumne hi kiya hai ye sab. Mujh...e kuch samjh...ne ke layak nahi choda. Sab sab... bigaad diya tumne. Naf...rat bhi nahi kar paa..ta tumse theek se. Chod kyun na...hi deti mujhe akela?"
"Kyunki aapki patni hu main Armaan, aapko kabhi beech raste mein nahi chod sakti. Shaadi ki kasmein khaayi hai aapke saath."
He left her with a jerk and started laughing hard,
"Shaadi!! Of course... shaa...di. Pat... patni ho na tum meri. Kasmein? Tum samjhti... ky-a ho khud ko? Jab main ye sh...adi manta hi nahi toh ka... kaun patni?"
"Aap nahi maante, par main is shaadi ko maanti hu Armaan. Yahi mera vajood hai!"
Armaan's jaws tightened as she looked at him conveying how much she believed in this relationship and though not in full senses, the intensity of her words did touch the chords of his heart. Strong emotions surged within him as se looked deep in his eyes and he forgot everything for a while. He remembered the good old days when he could look at that angelic face of hers with affection and she would shy away catching his strong gaze. But he snapped out of his trance soon and held her arms tightly making sure his grip hurt her;
"Acha... patni ho na tum meri? To---toh patni ke farz toh nibha logi tum par mu---jhe bhi toh pati hone ka far...z poora karna chahiye na."
Riddhima eyes snapped open as he dragged her closer by her waist. It was the first time she was in such close proximity with him, but she regretted the moment as he stinked of alcohol and his eyes held pure hatred.
"Armaan kya kar rahe hai aap? Chodiye mujhe... aap hosh main nahi hai, ahhh----"
He pulled her even closer turning his grip tighter as she struggled hard,
"Come on Riddhima... kya hua? Tu...tum hi toh ab---abhi keh ra---hi thi you believe in this marriage, toh fir itna dar ky---un rahi ho, pati hu main tumhara!"
Riddhima tried her best to get out of his hold but not only was he out of his senses to realize what he was doing but was also intending to hurt her which she knew.
"Armaan ruk jaiye pleaseee, aap nahi jaante aap kya kar rahe hai!"
She tried to push him away through his chest when he pinned her hands behind her and brought her closer. The intoxication was not letting him think straight and he had simply decided to give her a brunt so that she would get scared of him and stay away from him so that he would not need to insult her to keep her away. However he denied but he hated to insult her, being rude to her. So; he tried to make her uncomfortable so that she stopped with this pati-vrata act and stayed happy in her life sparing him from the dilemma of hating her. He bent in closer to her slowly while she kept struggling and nuzzled her nose. He could sense her shudder with fear as he bent down to her neck and rubbed his nose tip along her neckline but that is when his plan backfired. The intoxication that he felt earlier; increased further more feeling her soft smooth skin. Oh how he wished to feel her few days ago, to hug her closer, to cherish her skin, to plant innumerous kisses onto her as she would be his. So much had changed after their marriage, but right now he forgot what he was in for. Her smooth skin and divine fragrance distracted him completely off his task and he forgot all his motives and limits.
Riddhima on the other hand was shattering slowly into million pieces as he forgot his limits and was literally forcing her. She knew he was angry and disappointed in her but never ever in her wild dreams had she ever thought he would go to such an extent. Unaware of reality and what sin he was about to commit he descended down and started kissing her neck intensely drowned in his own world. All her retorts fell on deaf ears as he lost himself in her, planting a series of wet kisses all over her neck he cherished the moment. Little did he know that he was killing her self-respect by his advance. As he caressed her cheek bending in, trying to capture her lips she turned her face away disgusted as he was stinked of alcohol. Moving to her other side he kissed her entire earlobe part by part and hid himself in the crook of her neck. Completely lost in his passion he continued his trail of kisses and bites and reached her shoulder blade when she finally managed to set herself free of his hold and what followed definitely brought him out of his trance. The minute she succeeded in pushing him off her she had slapped him so hard that he coud actually feel his cheek burning hot. He was shocked would be an under statement, never ever in his life was he slapped by anyone but she had dared to. Anger arose in him and he looked back at her but her messed state made him realize that he deserved it. She was shivering hard probably out of fear and panic, her eyes showed off the blood veins clearly as she shed tears while her entire face was red either out of anger or shame for everything that had just occurred.
Not able to stand his presence anymore she rushed inside the washroom and banged the door hard. She slowly set the new set of tears free and slid down against the door crying hard and before he could understand what was happening his body gave away and he collapsed down onto the couch drifted into deep sleep.
Riddhima who was devastated by his act held her head feeling disgusted;
"Ye kya karne chale the aap Armaan? Ab tak main chup thi, aapki har kadvi baat ko, ghusse se bhari har harkat ko undekha karti rahi par aaj aapne saari hadein paar kardi. Aapki ijjat karti hu main isi liye kabhi kuch kehti nahi aapse, aur jis dard se aap gujar rahe hai use samjhti hu isi liye chup hu par iska ye matlab nahi ki aap apni saari hadein bhul jaaye. Is shaadi ko aur is rishte ko vakai apne dil se apnaya hai maine, aur jaanti hu ki mere pati hone ke naatein poora haq hai aapko mujhe chune ka. Jis waqt se humari shaadi hui hai maine har mumkin koshish ki hai is duri ko mitaane ki, main bhi ye chahti hu ki ye rishta aap bhi maane aur agar ek pati ke haq se aap mujhe choote toh main chahkar bhi aapko nahi rokti shayad, par aaj aapne sirf mujhse najdeeki banane ki koshish ki taaki aap apni nafrat jata sake aur ye main kabhi bardasht nahi karungi Armaan. Main is rishte ko, apne aatma sanman aur mere pyaar ko majaak nahi banane dungi aapko. Aapko sare haq diye the maine khud par, par is tarah nafrat ki aag mein jalkar sirf us haq ka faayda nahi utha sakte aap. Bohot pyaar karti hu main aapse Armaan, kyu mere liye har din ek nayi mushkil khadi kar dete hai aap. Kaise itna gir gaye aap Armaan... kaise... Is rishte ko majak banake rakh diya hai aapne, is harkat ke liye main aapko kabhi maaf nahi kar sakti Armaan... kabhi nahi."
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A strong pain erupting in his head forced him to wake up. Holding his throbbing head in both his hands he sat up cursing himself for drinking too much. With a lot of difficuly he made a futile attempt of opening his eyes and involuntarily his hand tapped his sides in search of the side drawer by his bed. On not finding it he widened his eyes to full stretch to clear his blurry vision and somehow catch hold of the pain killer from his kit, but his frown only deepened as his eyes registered the surrounding. The side table was missing, he wasn't on his bed... heck this wasn't even his room, this was... oh shit!! The realization dawned upon him like a thundering bolt and his hangover was sidelined as some flashes from previous night haunted him. He was so drunk that he was unable to remember clearly what took place, how he reached there but he could just see some glimpses where he was literally forcing onto her and when she had slapped him hard.That was all, he could remember nothing more and he wasn't even sure about the chronology of events he remembered. His eyes frantically moved in all four directions to look out for her, but the room was empty.
"Mujh... mujhe kuch yaad kyu nahi... What happened last night? Main yaha kaise... kahi maine Riddhima ke saath kuch..."
His breath hitched and he almost choked on air as that horrendous thought crossed his mind.The amount of alcohol he had consumed last night he couldn't guarantee his own actions and his memory wasn't of any help either. A fear and guilt surpassed his veins as he gave it a thought, he was already too upset with her, and the drunken state must have only worsened his state. He knew she must have tried to help him but wasn't sure if the alcohol had overpowered his senses and he had crossed his limits. No it couldn't be... it SHOULD not be so. He was up on his feet trying hard to recollect the last night's happening. Had he done something inappropriate, did he say something and hurt her, did he physically harm her? All these thoughts ran in his mind at the same time like whirlwind. He couldn't find any answers and neither her. But what if she was present here, could he be able to face her then? He hated her, disliked her presence, was upset with her big time; everything taken but if what he thought, had really happened he would never be able to face himself ever again. All her wrongs on one side, but her self respect, he never had the right to take that away. But how was he to find out. Somehow getting back into his own room and brainstorming for some more while he remembered that she had dressed his hand as well, but still the chronology was not clear. He was hurt, she had helped him but was she hurt in any way... by HIM? That single thought killed him every other minute.
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Still with a throbbing head he managed to take a shower, the pain killer long forgotten while he walked downstairs deep drowned in his own thoughts. All his thoughts could be answered by only one person whohe did not wish to face but the reasons today were different. But another part of him wanted to know about her, to check on if she was okay and not hurt in any way!
To his luck today Noora was setting the table and had also made the breakfast all by herself. Billy was still in his room busy taking care of Ananya. She was nowhere in sight. His gaze went up every now and then as he found her room locked, but how could he find out what was her status.
His trance was broken by a chirpy Tani who wished him morning. As she settled by his side to have her breakfast she noticed he was lost and too quiet. Riddhima too wasn't seen anyewhere, which gave her an hint that something was not correct. But just as he was to question Billy arrived and Riddhima followed. One glance at her and he knew she had cried her eyes out, maybe the whole night. His hand fisted on its own noticing her puffed eyes. However he thought of her, but the assumption that his inappropriate conduct might have hurt her, did not go well with him. Amidst that she served Billy and did her everyday chores he tried to read her eyes, trying to find out what he thought was true or not, but not once did she look up. But the only time that she made an eye contact, her gaze pierced deep through him. It held an accusation and he just couldn't face her anymore. Hell he could never be able to face himself ever again.
Excusing himself he quickly walked out to his car while she had already made her way to her room leaving everyone all the more confused by their behaviour. He hit hard on the steering not wanting to think of last night but the flashes haunted him. And the look in her eyes only confirmed his doubts. The rage in him was uncontrollable at the moment;
"Ye kya kar diya tune Armaan? Usne chahe jo bhi kiya ho par tune... tune toh saari hadein paar kardi. Itni badi saja de di use. Oh God... ye kya kar diya maine. Nashe ki halat mein shayad mera khud pe kaabu hi nahi raha par... nahi; aisa nahi hona chahiye tha, aisa nahi hona chahiye tha!! Maine Riddhima ke saath jabardasti---- Damn you Armaan!!"
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Two weeks there after had been a hell. He had noticed that she drew herself completely away from him on her own, though she still took care of Ananya the same way. And if that wasn't enough, Padma had come home the very next day to meet him and spend some time with him which he remembered was on Riddhima's request, but Riddhima had purposely slipped out of the situation under the pretext of her duties. Both Billy and Tani had been watching their silent war quietly since past few days. He had no intentions of having a conversation with her, his anger was still constant but along with it a huge guilt had started residing in him. Everything that he thought must have happened that night made him all the more restless. He no more taunted or scolded her for anything, not that she gave any chances.
After a few more days as he sat by Ananya's side, Tani cleared her throat to grab his attention as he looked lost.
"Tani? Tu kab aayi?"
"Jab tu apne khayalon mein khoya hua tha tabhi."
Armaan averted his gaze and got back to the magazine lying on the side table. Tani checed onto Ananya and called him aside for a while. As they settled at the coffee table, Armaan sighed as he knew what she wanted to talk about;
"Tani please, is waqt koi baat nahi karni, main pehle hi bohot pareshaan hu."
"Jaanti hu. Tum dono ke beech kya hua Ammy. Peechle kai dino se dekh rahi hu; Riddhima ki halat bhi kuch theek nahi lag rahi." A guilt flashed across him and he looked up at Tani for a minute but soon shut his eyes tightly as his jaws clenched remembering the night. Tani frowned seeing his reaction and couldn't stay quiet anymore; "Ammy tune khud ko dekha hai? Kya ban gaya hai tu! Aur Riddhima... us bechari ko bhi kitna majboor bana diya hai tune. Aur ye baat hum sab dekh rahe hai ki jitna tu use chot pohochata hai utna hi khud bhi bhugat raha hai. Fir ye sab kis liye?"
"Tani please----"
"Nahi Armaan... aaj tujhe sunna padega. Tu aise hi khud ki aur uski zindagi barbaad nahi kar sakta. Riddhima tere baarein mein bohot sochti hai Ammy, teri bohot ijjat karti hai vo. Itna sab kuch ho jane ke baad bhi vo yaha hai kyunki use teri fikar hai. Tere saath rehna chahti hai vo, chahe tu logon ke saamne use kitna hi bura bhala kyun na kahe. Armaan baki saare baatein chod, kya kabhi tune ye socha hai ki vo aaj is ghar mein kyu hai? Is bematlab ke rishte mein, teri patni banke kyu hai vo yaha?"
"Kya matlab?"
"Matlab yahi Armaan, ki uski hogi shayad koi galti jiske liye tu itna naarz hai usse, par agar vo tere is nafrat ke hi layak hoti toh kya tujhe lagta hai Ananya aunty ne us halat min bhi uska haath tere haath mein diya hota, aur ye maang ki hoti ki unki haalat bigad jaye tab bhi teri Riddhima se shaadi hona jaroori hai?"
His eyes snapped up at her as if a thundering bolt struck him hard; "Armaan agar Riddhima itni hi galat hoti toh kya Ananya aunty us haalat mein bhi sirf ye chahti ki tu uska haath thaame? Agar unhone ye chaha hai toh kuch toh socha hoga na Armaan. Koi toh vajah hogi jo vo chahti hongi ki tu humesha Riddhima ke saath rahe, kuch toh aisa dekha hoga na unhone Riddhima mein?"
Armaan couldn't stop thinking over and over again about her words. She indeed had a point. Ananya chose to get him married to her on the same day irrespective of her own health. He had seen her in some debate with Ridhima just few minutes back before the attack and still she had asked him to marry her. There HAD to be some reason. Just when he was busy thinking over these things he heard a beeping noise which stunned both of them. Ananya was breathing hard while the machine was beeping hard and both Tani and Armaan rushed towards her. Listening to all the chaos Riddhima and Billy too entered the room when Riddhima told everyone to get a little away. Riddhima rubbed Ananya's feet and soon the nurse arrived with an injection that Riddhima had asked for. As soon as Riddhima injected her and monitored the machine, but the next minute Ananya stilled and Riddhima felt her heart thud hard against her chest. The nurse and Riddhima exchanged a look and turned their eyes back to Ananya to see no movements. Riddhima settled by her side and held her hand, "Ananya aunty please uth jaiye, aapko vapas ana hoga aunty. Apne ghar ke liye, Billy uncle ke liye, Armaan ke liye... mere liye. Aanein kholiye aunty... pleaseee..."
There was pin drop silence in the room, Armaan was pacing outside the room while Billy settled on the chair too dazed. Tani was trying to calm Billy when they heard Riddhima call out for armaan loudly; "Armaaan!!"
Without wasting a minute more everyone rushed inside the room and as the door flung open, they couldn't believe their eyes.
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PRECAP: Maine kabhi apni marzi se tumhe chot nahi pohochayi Riddhima, tum majboor kar deti ho mujhe.
"Is sawaal ka jawab main aaj bhi aapko nahi de sakti Armaan. Par rahi baat us raat ki toh... main aapko maaf karti hu!"
P.S: Ye part padhke mera khoon mat karna, I know you guys are really upset with on going track but all I can say is be a little patient, wait and watch... urmmm... I mean wait and read! 😉 😆
Pyaar Kii Ye Ek Kahaani
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
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