Wife.
Abhi still couldn't believe it.
He'd been watching the petite woman all day, trying to adjust to the idea that she was, indeed, his wife.
But even with the reality of her in front of his eyes, talking to his doctors and managing his family as he inched toward recovery, he was having trouble accepting it. Nevermind that he apparently had a living, breathing, busybody wife - he couldn't even come to terms with the concept of being married.
The last he remembered, he'd been very well-satisfied with his behind-the-scenes arrangement with Tanu. All of the benefits of having a girlfriend, none of the hassle of carrying out a relationship in public.
Yes, he did recall that Daadi had been making noises about giving her a bahu. And yes, once or twice it had crossed his mind that he should just make it official with Tanu.
But he'd never seriously intended to get married. The whole conventional expectation of settling down to play house and have kids had never been a priority for him. He knew Daadi wanted it for him, but that had never been reason enough to do it. He'd managed just fine living life on his own terms while pacifying her with the promise that he'd get around to marriage someday.
And yet, apparently, he had just given in to Daadi. That was what everyone had explained to him. Daadi had chosen Pragya for him, and he'd agreed to the marriage to make Daadi happy. They had been married just over two months, doing their best to make an arranged marriage work.
Just like any average couple.
One thing he had never wanted to be.
And what frustrated him especially was that he couldn't even talk to Daadi about it. She'd apparently gone off with her cousins, wanting to relax after all the work of preparing his wedding. She had so much trust in this hand-picked bahu of hers, she didn't even feel the need to stay near to take care of him.
But, as he observed Pragya - his wife! - throughout the day, he realized that he didn't really need to talk to Daadi. It was obvious why his grandmother had chosen this particular woman to be his life partner.
She was the most responsible person on the planet.
When the nurses came to dose him or change the dressing on his head wound, his wife kept a watchful eye on their every move. When the doctors came to check his charts, she squeezed every detail of his progress from them, not intimidated by their medical jargon and condescending attitudes. When his family came to visit, she politely retired to a corner of the room, but made a point of keeping everyone to strict time limits so he wouldn't get tired.
She absolutely refused to let him have his phone, insisting that it would strain his eyes too much with his surgery so recent. She fed him his meals by hand, not betraying the slightest hint of awkwardness even though it was embarrassingly clear that he didn't remember her.
In short, she took full and perfect care of him. She seemed to be utterly devoted to his well-being, which meant that of course she was the granddaughter-in-law of Daadi's dreams.
Still, Abhi knew that there had to be more to his decision than just wanting to please Daadi. He must have liked something about this Pragya for himself before accepting her as the only woman in his life for as long as they both lived.
As his first day in the hospital unfolded, he thought maybe he could see hints of what might have made him want her. Probably something about her sense of responsibility had appealed to him - it made him instantly respect and trust her, even though he consider her a stranger. She was obviously quite intelligent, given the way she interacted with the medical staff. She had a sweet smile, though he only saw it flashed once or twice that day, as she was so preoccupied about his health.
And she was pretty. Or at least, pretty enough. Dressed in a dowdy green anarkali and wearing a pair of simple wire-framed specs with no trace of makeup, she wouldn't be winning any beauty contests. But she had a nice figure, with the lines of her long-sleeved, high-necked suit clinging to her curves. Abhi even admired that her face was well-proportioned, with her cute button nose being balanced by her lush mouth and wide, dark eyes.
When he caught himself thinking that, Abhi took it as definite evidence of his brain injury. He might have forgotten a few months of his life, but he knew he was not the kind of man who thought of noses being cute when he was healthy. He closed his eyes so he wouldn't be tempted to keep appraising his new-found wife.
His last thought as he drifted into a nap was that being married might not be so bad after all.
***
Partial retrograde amnesia.
A terrifying diagnosis, and one that Pragya had always thought only existed in fiction. She had read stories and seen movies about people who forgot chunks of their lives after some terrible accident, but she'd never thought it could really happen.
But now, it really had.
To her estranged fake-husband, who couldn't remember marrying her.
Who couldn't remember her, period.
It was a good thing that Pragya didn't have any spare moments for wandering thoughts after Abhi woke up from his surgery. She might have worked herself into a hysterical fit if she'd stopped to think about how bizarre the situation was.
As it was, her life had become all about Abhi. Everyone expected her to make decisions for him, so she had simply stepped into the role of caretaker. What mattered now was bringing Abhi back to health. The uneasy question of what, exactly, lay ahead for their relationship would just have to be settled later.
The neurological specialist had explained that Abhi was likely to regain his memories, but there was no specific timeline for his recovery, and he might never remember every specific experience of the time period he'd forgotten. The doctor had further advised that everyone should treat him as normally as possible. Rather than overwhelming him with explanations of everything he'd missed, the people around him should answer his questions organically. The most important thing was to give him stability by returning him to his regular routine and environment.
And under no circumstances should he be exposed to emotional shock.
That last prescription posed a problem for Pragya. She didn't need a mental health expert to tell her that it would cause Abhi an emotional shock if she tried explaining the exact circumstances of their marriage. Telling him all about his mistaken revenge would hardly be a beneficial welcome back from a traumatic coma.
And with Purab and Aaliya both out of reach, there was no one else to support her in telling the story. Abhi might think she was an insane liar if she claimed to be the victim of an elaborate plot hatched by his adored baby sister after being rejected by his beloved best friend. Without the two of them there to speak for themselves, he wouldn't believe that they could have done anything wrong. Especially not from the mouth of someone who he considered a stranger.
So telling him the real truth was out of the question. She'd had to settle for telling him the version of their relationship history both of their families had believed to be true until Aaliya's disastrous sangeet. Raj Bhaiyya and Tayaji had been very helpful in convincing Abhi that he had married her out of dutiful feelings for Daadi. He was receptive to their calm, rational explanations, accepting their version of the story because he had always known them to be honest and reliable.
From the time she was called to the hospital, Pragya found herself constantly turning to Raj and his father for advice and second opinions. While she'd lived at Mehra mansion, the two men had merely been present in the background, and she'd barely ever interacted with them. But she was learning now that in their own quiet way, they were pillars of the household. She was grateful that they were doing their best to help, yet also easily deferred to her about having the final say.
Tayaji and Raj had talked her out of informing Daadi of Abhi's condition. When the doctors had advised that he needed to be near all that was familiar and important to him, Pragya had thought it best to ask Daadi to return from Ludhiana right away. But Abhi's uncle and cousin had pointed out to her that they couldn't predict the effect of such awful news on Daadi's health, and the last thing they needed now was for Daadi to be unwell too. Thus it was decided that first they would see about settling Abhi at home, and then consider how to tell Daadi.
With Daadi ruled out, Pragya's next thought was that Abhi needed Purab by his side. Since his memory loss seemed to go back to about three months, Abhi did not remember the sequence of events that had led him to break off business relations with Purab and appoint Aakash in his place. He still thought of Purab as his best friend and constant companion, so of course Pragya needed to reunite them as soon as possible.
Unfortunately, Purab was almost impossible to find. He didn't respond to phone calls or SMS messages, and when Aakash went to check at his apartment, no one answered the door. Pragya was starting to worry that perhaps something terrible had happened to Purab too. Then they finally got news from his office that he was, in fact, away on business as Pragya had told Abhi. He had taken on a project in South Africa and was not expected to return for five weeks.
Pragya had no doubt that if she could speak to Purab and explain Abhi's state, he would rush back to his friend's side. Thinking of how lonely Abhi would feel without him, she was strongly tempted to try just that. But considering everything he'd just been through with Bulbul and Aaliya, Purab deserved a fresh break as much as anyone. She couldn't justify bringing him back when he'd obviously made a point of seeking distance from Mumbai.
She also tried reaching Aaliya, on the theory that even though Abhi expected her to be still studying in Australia, he wouldn't think it strange for her to drop everything and come to be with him when he was so vulnerable. From what Pragya knew of her nanad, as spoiled as the younger girl was, she did have a genuine attachment to her brother. Even if she couldn't make it back right away, she should at least be informed that such a major incident had occurred.
But luck was not on Pragya's side. Aaliya was away on a retreat with the team at her new job, not even in mobile range for the rest of the week. It was hard to imagine Abhi's little princess apparently roughing it in the outback for the sake of corporate bonding, but that was indeed what she was doing. Another way that Pragya's life had just become stranger than fiction.
With Daadi, Purab, and Aaliya all unavailable, there was only one other person Pragya knew Abhi was close to. Only one other person who could provide the familiarity and comfort he would need.
And so, that evening Pragya secluded herself in a small visiting room near Abhi's hospital suite. He was asleep, and Aakash was sitting with him, so she knew she had time enough to make the call she was dreading.
The number had been easy enough to find, as there were several recent SMS messages on Abhi's mobile with an Italian dial code. It had stung her heart to see such evidence of their ongoing relationship, which had clearly not been affected by her dramatic departure from Abhi's life. She also felt guilty that she was looking at Abhi's phone without his permission. All in all, her state of mind was less than comfortable as she sat down to make the international call.
It took a moment for the call to be routed through, and then she had to wait through four rings. But then, finally, the call was answered.
"Hi baby. Didn't I tell you not to call me at this time? It's still afternoon here. But, chalo, I'm free for a few minutes. How are you?" Tanu's voice was so light and carefree, Pragya could almost feel the sunlight the supermodel must be basking in.
"Actually, it's Pragya," she replied. "I'm calling to let you know that Abhi's had an accident and he needs you to come back as soon as possible."
"What? Pragya?" Tanu snapped. "Is this some kind of joke? How did you get Abhi's phone?"
"No, it's not a joke," Pragya answered patiently. Then she explained everything that had happened, including the doctor's advice that Abhi needed to be with the people he spent the most time with to help him get his memories back.
Tanu was uncharacteristically quiet as she listened to Pragya's summary. When Pragya finished, all Tanu said was, "Wow. I can't believe this."
Pragya prompted her, "So when can you fly back? They'll probably keep him in the hospital a few more days, but if you can be here when it's time to take him home -"
"No," Tanu interrupted. "Look, Pragya, I wish I could help you -"
"Not me! Him!" Pragya protested immediately.
"You, him, whichever. The thing is, I signed a contract, so I can't leave."
"Tanu," Pragya said with deliberate patience. "He needs you. You love him. Surely a broken contract -"
"The truth is, he never spent that much time with me anyway," Tanu interjected. "Before you got married, I only saw him once every few weeks, when we both had breaks in our schedule. And all the times I've been to his house after your wedding, I've mostly been with Aaliya. I really wouldn't be that much help for getting back his memories."
"But you're his girlfriend," Pragya insisted. She was amazed that Tanu could actually refuse to help Abhi when he so desperately needed her. What kind of relationship did they have, if she didn't care about him enough to break a contract?
"And you're his wife," Tanu countered. "So that means looking after him and playing nurse, that's all your responsibility. I'm sorry, I can't do anything. Please don't call me again. I'll look up Abhi when I'm back in India, but that won't be for months. Bye."
And just like that, the line went dead. Tanu disconnected the call without waiting for her reply, and Pragya was left listening to the dialtone.
She clicked off Abhi's phone and leaned back against the stiff hospital sofa, numb with disbelief.
She had known Tanu was selfish, but she was still surprised to see just how selfish. She couldn't imagine how anyone could turn their back on Abhi at this moment, when he most needed those he loved.
She would have to guide Abhi through his recovery all on her own. Somehow, she'd need to ease him back to normality, without distressing him with the truth about their relationship. He had never fully accepted her into his life, but now she had to help him pick up the pieces and regain what he'd lost.
It felt like an impossible task. But, as scared as she was to deal with this huge responsibility, Pragya was certain of one thing.
For Abhi's sake, she would not fail.
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