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Chapter 30
She walked inside her house, feeling an overwhelming sense of nostalgia hit her. She was reminded of the times she could call this place home, before she got scared of its very existence.
Sanyukta went into the kitchen first and her mother-in-law's eyes widened as soon as she saw her, as if she couldn't believe her eyes.
"Sanyukta," she said and rushed towards her. "How are you my child?"
She hugged her mother-in-law tightly and smiled.
"I'm good Mom," she told her positively. "I'm very happy."
"I'm happy you are back," her mother-in-law responded, breaking the hug. "Sameer misses you too."
"Sanyukta?" she heard from behind her and her eyes closed quickly, her hands grabbing her dupatta tightly as soon as she heard his voice.
She turned around and opened her eyes to face Sameer.
"I'm so sorry," he said, running towards her and engulfing her in a tight hug... it was such a tight hug that she could barely breathe.
"I want to... I want to clear things," Sanyukta said, trying to free herself from Sameer's embrace.
When Sameer let go of her, she took a deep breath and placed her hands on her tummy instinctively, not even realizing what she was doing.
"I can't stay here anymore," she told both of them. "It's not the right place for me."
"Sanyukta," her mother-in-law said, sounding shocked. "It is your home. If home isn't the right place then where is? Sameer said he won't hurt you again. Isn't it Sameer?"
Sameer looked down shamefully and nodded.
"Sorry," he mumbled.
Sanyukta shook her head.
"Thanks for apologizing Sameer, and I accept it too, I am willing to put the past behind me. But I can't stay here. And I'm sorry for that," she told him sincerely.
"Just one more chance," her mother-in-law pleaded. "Sanyukta where will you go? Your parent's surely won't keep you in their house after all this."
"If it was just a matter of my life," Sanyukta continued, "I might even give another chance. But here I have more lives to think about."
She stroked her belly lovingly and smiled. Her baby, her Randhir... she had to think about both of them now.
"Sanyukta," Sameer said firmly and grabbed her wrist.
She tried to shake his hand off but he wouldn't let go.
"You can't go anywhere," he said coldly to her. "You have to stay here."
She shook her head.
"No Sameer! I have to go! I can't," she responded. "This might have been my home at one point of my life, but it isn't anymore. My home is somewhere else."
"Oh yeah?" he asked, leaning closer to her and she gulped. "Where?"
She squeezed her eyes shut, deciding she may as well tell him the truth.
"There's... there's... someone else... someone I'm in love with," she told him, breathing sharply, scared out of her mind.
Whether being truthful was just being stupid on her part or good, she didn't know.
Her mother-in-law gasped loudly.
"A man?" she asked Sanyukta.
Sanyukta nodded.
"I love him," she whispered.
Sameer's eyes went red.
Chapter 31
"What do you mean by another man?" he spat out angrily.
"I love him," Sanyukta told him, her eyes filling with tears. "And he loves me so much... I can't even explain how much."
"Disgusting," her mother-in-law said, sounding angry. "Sameer let her go. We don't want this girl in our house anymore."
"I'm sorry mom," Sanyukta whispered, hating to break her mother-in-law's heart. "I am so sorry."
"Don't call me mom anymore," her mother-in-law warned. "From today I am not your mother. Wait let me call your house."
Sanyukta started to sob even more, knowing that her mother-in-law was going to find out that she wasn't even home for over a month.
"Keep your daughter at your house," she spat into the phone. "She's running off with other men. I'm shocked you didn't even send her back once in this last month."
Her mother-in-law's eyes widened with shock.
"She hasn't been home?" she asked into the phone. "Amazing. She has been sleeping with that man for the last month."
Sanyukta started to choke on her own tears.
"Yes, I will let her know that you don't want to see her face again either," her mother-in-law said and hung up the phone, turning towards Sanyukta. "Heard that?"
"You're such a wh**e," Sameer spat out, disgusted. "I can't believe I married someone as cheap as you."
Sanyukta sobbed.
"Were you living with him the last month?" her mother-in-law asked nastily.
Sanyukta nodded.
Her mother-in-law grabbed her hair and started to pull her out of the house.
"Ouch... mom please!" Sanyukta cried. "I'm sorry. I didn't know where else to go!"
"You could have come home, but instead you go living with a stranger? With a man, disgusting!" she said, sounding utterly disgusted. "Get out of my house!"
Sameer grabbed Sanyukta's arm and her mother-in-law let go of her.
"You are so disgusting," Sameer said, shaking his head. "As a married woman you were seeing another man?"
"He loves me," Sanyukta told him, sobbing. "Sameer, you don't even understand how much... he would let his whole existence be erased for me!"
"Oh yeah?" Sameer asked, sounding pissed off. He grabbed Sanyukta's arm and started to pull her outside of the house. "You can go and live with him."
Her mother-in-law folded her arms and stayed inside her house, her own eyes filling with tears.
"I didn't know you were like this, Sanyukta," she said sounding disappointed.
"I'm sorry," she whispered to them.
Then Sameer threw her down on the ground outside their house hard, and she fell face first, toppling down the steps on the porch, unable to turn around quick enough.
It was like she knew what was happening before it happened. She didn't scream. She didn't cry. She didn't say anything. Instead, as Sameer closed the door behind her, and she started to bleed, she just got up and walked barefoot, not feeling anything anymore.
She walked at a steady pace... she didn't run, she didn't crawl, even though her whole body was burning. It was like she couldn't even feel the body that was torturing her as her own body. It was like she was merely observing it.
Sanyukta had no thoughts. She didn't know where she was going, but the compass inside of her guided her the right direction, as she numbly continued to walk.
She only stopped when she reached Randhir's door. She didn't even raise her hand to knock, for she just felt inside that he would know she was there.
And he knew.
The door opened. He had heard her coming, not with his ears, but with his soul. And she had heard him hear her, with her soul too.
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
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