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This idea behind this story is Jia (jia.astk). I hope i have done justice to what you asked for dearest 😊 I've posted this story in two parts, since i cannot help but be descriptive 😆 So here's the first part...
When Pride turns to Ashes -Part A
Shlok woke up with a start, soaked in perspiration. His hand reached out to the glass of water to soothe his parched throat, and gulped it down, spilling half of it on his t-shirt. Those horrendous nightmares were back to haunt him again. He looked to the empty space next to him. He missed her, especially during such times when he needed her the most. When he would wake up, she would pat his back and make him drink a glass of water, after which he would hug her and lay his head on her shoulder while she shushed him to sleep by gently patting his head with her one hand, and shoulder with another. He touched her side of the sheets - crisp and untouched. He recalled those good times when he would wake up in the morning and find the sheets totally messy - although he was responsible for the crumpled sheets as he was an ardent lover while she would try her best to match up to his passion. Presently, he missed her. Her touch, her scent, her caresses, her voice. He leaned against the headboard of the bed and closed his eyes. The images of the nightmare he had just forgotten came flooding back to his mind. It was the same one, ever since he could remember. It did not happen on a regular basis, but when it did, it took him to hell and brought him back. It was a blurry dark image, like the negatives of a photo roll, wherein a man was trying to hit a woman with a cane, and she kept pleading him to spare her. There were no voices, just pleading cries. And then the man would yank the woman by her hair to drag her against the wall and would raise his hand to slap her. He opened his eyes, and surprisingly they were moist. He did not know how exactly this dream was connected to him, nor did he identify the people in it. The only person who knew about his nightmares was Aastha, and right now, even she wasn't near him. It wasn't really her fault. He had forced her to part from him, threatening her to throw her out of his house. But she was adamant, and fought to stay, until he had told her to stay on the other side of the house. Deep down in his heart, he was glad she stayed back. At least he could see her every day. With her thoughts in mind, he lay down on the bed, and drifted asleep when tiredness washed over him.
The next morning when he woke up, he felt unusual. A strange eerie feeling engulfed him. Thinking it was due to staying up for a long time last night, he dismissed the thought and got ready for work, after which he went downstairs. When he reached the living room, he saw Mrs. Agnihotri, Sojal and Aastha staring at the Aarthi thaali that was fallen on the floor, with all the contents of it scattered across. Mrs. Agnihotri looked pale as though she had some ghosts visiting her, while Sojal looked worried as Aastha was calming her down. "No Aastha. This is not a good sign. I'm having this horrible feeling since morning. I'm getting worried about you. Please don't go anywhere, at least for my peace of mind?" Shlok frowned. The woman could never say anything nice, even on an auspicious occasion like Dusshera. His focus shifted back to Aastha who only pacified the panic-stricken lady. "Uffo Aayi, nothing will happen to me. Why are you unnecessarily getting worried? And it's not like I am out the whole day. I just have some important work at office, which I will complete within an hour and be back. After that, I will sit next to you and won't move. Okay?" Somehow the look on Mrs. Agnihotri's face told them all that she wasn't very convinced. The three women fell silent when they saw Shlok standing in the hall. Aastha gave him a smile, which he did not return. His ego and love for his Baba did not permit him to look at the woman who insulted his God-like father, and it did not matter if he loved her more than himself. For him, his wife came after his father. She winked at him naughtily and this time, his lips did curve up in a small smile at her antics to which she grinned. He shook his head and walked out.
He had barely reached his car when Aastha called out to him and he turned back. She asked him to hold out his hand, and when he did, after rolling his eyes at her, she placed a leaf in his hand. "Son-patti. It brings prosperity and luck" He looked at her and thought that more than the leaf, she was his good-luck charm. Before he could come out of his thoughts, she bent and touched his feet as per traditions. "Now pray that we will always be together for seven more lives to come" she chuckled and he smirked at her, "I hope that this is the seventh life." She pouted at his teasing. "You say that now, Mister. But when I'm gone, you're sure to miss me! You will call out for me, but still I won't come back" Somehow, her words pricked his heart and he felt his chest burn at what she said. It suddenly dawned on him that he had never imagined his life without her. Even if she was physically far from him, he knew she was within reach. All of a sudden he felt insecure, weak and vulnerable. He just could not imagine calling out to her, and she would not be around to respond to him. She was pleasantly shocked when he pulled her close to him into a bone-crushing hug. She smiled at his unpredictable mood. Few seconds back he was teasing her about getting fed up of her, and now he was holding her as though his life depended on her. She knew his heart still loved her, despite the fact that he wore a mask of hatred. Then he suddenly left her, and she was disappointed at the loss of his proximity. She couldn't quite read his eyes that were screened with his chocolate-brown shades. He did not say anything, but quietly slid into his vehicle and drove away. She smiled as she saw the vehicle departing, while he looked at her diminishing figure in the rear-view mirror.
He did not drive to office. Instead, he drove to the lonely hills, where he usually went when he was troubled. He sat at his favourite spot, a shady rock that was few feet away from a steep valley, and closed his eyes, resting against it. He recalled the night when she saved him from the snake in the jungle when their car broke down. She was usually terrified when she saw snakes, even on TV, but had been brave enough to throw the snake away with her bare hands. How she had shivered for almost an hour, and refused to let go of his embrace. It was when he asked her why she did that, she had told him that he mattered to her the most, and would die if something were to happen to him.
He opened his eyes. He knew she was not lying. Her eyes were true and not one, not even a drama-queen like his wife, could fake those emotions. His thoughts went to the talk they had that night.
She gulped down a few more mouthfuls of the brandy, and the madcap person hiding in her had leaped out again. Only this time, she wasn't dancing around; she was sulking. He had, by now, turned sober. And he did not know if it was the fear of the snake, the tiny bonfire or the antics of his adorable wife that kept him warm, despite the biting cold. "Why don't you trust me Shlok? Have I ever done anything deliberately to hurt you?" She was inebriated and she slurred when she spoke, but now, she was speaking her heart out, and for odd reasons, he decided to hear her out with an impartial neutralism. "I too was shocked when I came to know about Baba on the Sweekruthi Samaroh. I saw him slapping Aayi just because Sojal Vahini went to visit her mother. Then, I came to know that he was the one who had gotten Swathi hurt. He is not what you see Shlok. Why don't you trust me?" She crawled to him on her fours, and sat on her heels in front of him. Cupping his face in her tiny hands, she leaned against his forehead. "What happened to the man whom I loved? Does he not love me anymore? Is it that easy for him to just leave me hurting? I love you Shlok. I love you so much..." and she had drifted off to sleep in his arms, leaving him awake till wee hours of morning, forcing him to ponder over what she said.
He opened his eyes when he heard a car to a screeching halt. Almost immediately he stood up and rushed to the man. "Can we talk somewhere else, where no one could see us?" He asked, and the man nodded. They drove to the man's apartment in complete silence. Only when they reached the living room of the flat, Shlok spoke up. "I needed to ask you a few things, Vinayak Chachu" Vinayak nodded as he brought him a cup of steaming coffee. "Tell me Shlok. What is it that you wanted to ask?" Shlok took a sip and looked at him in apprehension. "I wanted to ask you about Baba" A dead silence followed that statement. "What about him?" Vinayak asked, his tone completely dry. Shlok cleared his throat. "Have you ever felt that Baba was... I don't know... rude to Mrs. Agnihotri?" Vinayak raised an eyebrow. "Why is it that you ask me now?" Shlok took a deep breath and before he could give a reason, Vinayak said in a soft tone, "Yes, Niranjan Daada has been rude to Anjali Vahini, much ruder than you can ever imagine." The colour from Shlok's face drained. Vinayak hesitated, but it was high time Shlok learnt about the true colours of his father.
"Your father must be the cruelest man on this earth, Shlok. He has harassed Vahini and tortured her beyond limits. He used to beat her up with belts and canes, and one day when her parents learnt of it and sent him to jail, he threatened her that he would kill them the moment he was bailed out. Your father had many contacts, and as soon he was bailed out, he forced your Aayi to cut off all contact with her parents. She was forced to comply to his wish if she wanted them to be safe. When Jyothi was born, he had cursed both, Jyothi and your Aayi, just because a girl was born. Later when you were born, he sensed that you were close to your mother, more than being close to him. So he began to fill all dreaded things in your head against her, and eventually you grew up to hate your mother. Even Swathi was asked to leave by your father, and your mother was only framed. It wasn't her fault." Vinayak paused to see Shlok sitting in shock. The coffee on the table had blown cold long back. But Vinayak hadn't finished yet. "I still remember that time during Diwali. The three of you - Varadh, Jyothi and you were playing with fireworks outside. Due to unexpected showers, you three came running inside the house, only to find that your father was beating up your mother ruthlessly. You and Jyothi were too small to understand, but Varadh knew what was happening. He came running to me and asked me to stop them. But when I interfered, Anjali Vahini stopped me and asked me to leave the room, taking you three kids with me. You three hadn't slept the whole night, especially you Shlok. You kept shivering and crying for your Aayi, you must have been around four or five years old. It is not for no reason that Varadh dislikes Niranjan Daada" Shlok stood up as he had heard enough. "I don't believe you Chachu. My Baba can never do such a thing" he said with a faltering confidence. Vinayak only shrugged his shoulders and saw the young man walk out in quick long strides.
Shlok was dropped back to the same shady rock by Vinayak's driver. He felt emotionally drained. Had Aastha been right all this while? Was Baba the same person as he showed he was? His thoughts went back to his nightmares. Was it connected to him? The skies turned cloudy, but it did not rain. Everything darkened around him to a shade of blackish blue. He felt his chest getting heavy, and there was only one person who could help him out of his misery - Aastha. He quickly got up and drove to the office, for he had heard this morning that she would be at work today. He hoped she was still there. As soon as he entered the building, he saw his Baba. All of Vinayak's words came rushing back to him. He stood rooted to the ground when Niranjan came and hugged him, wishing him on the occasion of Dusshera, and for some odd reason, he did not reciprocate the hug. "Today everything will be alright Shlok. Today is the day when Lord Rama killed Raavan. I'm sure all difficulties of life will vanish from today, and we will all be happy, like we used to!" Shlok could not decipher what his father actually meant, but there was an unusual glint in his eyes which told him something big was to happen, something dangerous. Instantly his mind focused on Aastha. "Baba, I'll be back" he said and when Niranjan asked him where he was off to him a hurry, he said, "I've some work to finish" or the first time, he lied to the man he considered God. For now, nothing mattered to him. All he needed was an assuring hug from Aastha, and to hear from her that everything was going to be alright.
He entered their cabin and noticed that she had not yet come to office. The files on her table that required her signatures were untouched. He dialled her number, but it was out of reach. Worry took over him. Why hadn't she come yet and where was she? Why was her phone out of reach? He dialled his home and Anjali picked up. "Where's Aastha? She hasn't come to office today!" he asked, and heard a gasp from the other end. "But, she left in the morning, and hasn't come home yet! I thought she must be busy with work" Fear crept in Shlok's mind. "She must have gone to her Aayi's house, I'll call home up and ask her." He did call up, but when Kalindi asked him to give her wishes to Aastha, he knew she hadn't gone there either. He was now panicking. "Calm down Shlok! She's going to be fine. Jus calm down!" He tried her number again and it was still out of reach. He let loose a string of curses and picked up the car keys to leave in a hurry. He decided to inform Niranjan that he was leaving for home, and also wanted to remind him about Raavan-Dehen in the evening. He went to his cabin, but it was empty. He turned to leave and went to the parking lot, where he spotted Baba between the space of two parked cars, who looked tensed and was having an argument with two other people. Shlok walked towards them to listen to what the matter was, but stopped in his tracks when he saw Niranjan handing over a huge bundle of cash to them. He knew something was wrong, and although he felt guilty of snooping on his father, he hid behind the cars to listen to their conversation.
"You were three people, yet you couldn't manage to handle one girl? That too, a tiny girl like Aastha?" Her name caused a curiousness in Shlok and he leaned ahead to pay close attention to what was being spoken. "But Saheb, we did not know how she managed to escape. We tied her up really tight to the chair. But still she escaped." Shlok felt the earth come to a halt. His father had gotten her kidnapped! He recalled the injury on her hand and his heart pained. She had told him that the goons revealed she was kidnapped for only two hours. It was when he put two and two together it dawned on him that his father did not want her to attend the presentation. Even when he had told him that she had saved his life in the jungle, he looked disinterested. And when Shlok worried his butt off when she did not turn up in time for the presentation, Niranjan had just dismissed his worry asking him to focus on the presentation. He almost stepped out from the hiding place and went to confront his father, but froze when he heard what was said next.
"Here's the money for today's work. I hope she hasn't escaped again, today?" The men shook their heads and one of them said, "No Saheb, we have one of our men watching her at the old warehouse. Moreover, this time we have made her unconscious and tied her. And even if she were to regain consciousness, she wouldn't be able to return from the outskirts of the city" "Good job! I will call you up when it's time for the next step. This time I want no mistakes. I am getting rid of her forever. She has to die!" The two men assured him that his work would be done and Niranjan only nodded. The men left and Niranjan too sat in the car and left for home. Shlok stood still, leaning against the car for support, fearing that his legs would betray supporting him. His entire world came crumbing down. Aastha was right, Vinayak Chachu was right. His father was a demon in disguise. All his beliefs were wrong. He trusted his father, who crumbled his faith! His life turned upside down as reality hit him hard. No words could explain how devastated he felt right now. His lungs hurt as he tried to breathe. His mind went blank, not knowing what to do. Then he remembered. Aastha! He recalled the men saying that she was at the old warehouse, and it was at the outskirts of the city. He had to reach her before it was too late. He got into his car, and dialled Vinayak's number simultaneously. "Chachu, I need your help" he said and Vinayak listened closely.
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