SUMMARY: Shaurya has reached boiling point. Mandaar mocks him one night that he will always know that his wife is living as his. She will obey him, and bear his children all in front of his eyes and he wont be able to do anything about it. His family are against him. No body believes Vandana is Mehek.
ECLIPSE
They call it an eclipse.
You know when the moon covers the sun. And dims us into darkness.
I had been plunged into a similar darkness.
A cold lonely darkness.
One without happiness.
One without laughter.
One without her.
They told me she was gone.
They told me that she had left me.
After promising me forever.
She betrayed me.
She left me.
The dozens of pictures of her around my room all stared back at me. Her eyes shining were shinning beautiful black pools, that smiled at me. Almost as if taunting me.
There was what you had.
And what you will never have again.
Greif has stages.
The first one they call it denial.
The second they call drowning your denial. Well mine was more like drowning in intoxication.
The third one, was emotional blackmail. My family, their cries and sadness at my state stopped all, of my self-pity in its tracks.
It was in the fourth stage you realise how your self destruction begins to harms others and for me, I just pretended to be happy and self destructed when everyone was not looking.
During the fifth step, I concentrated on the mundane things that once excited me like my business.
There was no step after this for me. Because every minute and every second I spent felt cold. Cold like how her lifeless body felt in my arms.
Cold like the moment my feet were immersed in the water and I let go of her ashes.
But all eclipse's end.
Mind ended too.
She came back.
After leaving me.
After letting me die inside.
She came back.
I had sinned so much in my life, I guess this was gods way of punishing me. For hurting her so much in the past.
She came back to me.
But things between us were no longer the same.
She did not know me.
She did not want to see me.
She thought I was a liar.
Was I a liar?
Of course. I was one of the biggest liars ever. I never saw a problem in telling a lie in order to achieve something.
She always stood by me.
She always forgave me.
No matter what I did.
But would she forgive me for what I did now?
I never wanted to hurt her. I love her. You all know how much I love her. My day starts with her image in my head and ends with it too.
She was the love of my life. God gave her back to me.
How was I suppose to just let her go?
At the drop of a hand?
She was my soul mate.
My everything.
How did everyone expect me to let her go? I reached out and touched her face that was framed in my bedroom. The cold glass met my fingers. I ran my index finger over her smile.
"Even if the whole world conspired against us being together, I would find my way to you and you would to me. Because you are my forever and I will always be yours I said to her. I pulled my coat off and my phone vibrated in my pocket. I pulled it out of my back pocket of my white slacks and unlocked it.
The job is done.
A single sentence.
No number nothing. Just like that. Vicky had been right the dark web was a beautiful thing.
I went to my window and the truck was there. Just as I had asked for it. The money, I had drawn from my savings I had placed in a silver brief case. I left my room. I had asked for them to come late. After everyone had slept.
It was time for my eclipse to be over and for my sunshine to come back. In my white button down formal shirt, I could feel the chilly wind outside. I stood outside in the dead of the night. A man with a black cap walked towards me and held out his hand for the suitcase.
"12 AppleWove Drive He said and left.
I walked backwards into my yard. Carefully looking at flight prices as I walked up the steps.
"Shaurya what are you doing up so late My mother said, standing in front of me sleepily. I forced a chirpy smile onto my face.
"Nothing, I just left my phone in my car I lied smoothly.
"I thought you went to see her again She said looking at him disapprovingly.
"I know she is not Mehek. Mom. I am moving on I lied again, she looked at me disbelievingly.
Was I going to pretend that everything was ok?
Tomorrow all hell would break loose.
And I would leave.
Nothing could stop me from leaving.
Not Mandaar's restraining order.
No family.
No nothing.
"Shaurya I don't believe for a second you would ever let Vandana go. You are obsessed. Even Archi is worried
"Archi is only worried about herself don't take her name in front of me. If she was my friend she would have told me about Mehek
"She knew you would do anything to get Mehek back. She knew that you would force Vandana into your life. She was scared. We all know Shaurya that you don't see straight when it comes to Mehek.
She was right. If they all knew how important she was to me nobody would have tried to take her away from me.
They all played with me and now I would play with all of them.
"I am moving on. I have a business deal in Japan. I will be going there for the next 4 months I told her plainly. Her eyes widened.
"How did this plan come about so suddenly? Last night you broke the entire living room after seeing Vandana brush shoulders with her husband My eyebrow twitched at the reference. I had seen it in his eyes. He knew that I knew she was Mehek and he used her naivety against her. He touched her to annoy me. He knew how my blood boiled, seeing her near him. Seeing her standing with him submissively with her head tilted downwards.
"I have decided the further I am away from all of this the better I lied again. She probably could detect the slight annoyance that tinged in my voice as my mind still lingered on Mandaar being near her.
"Maybe you are right. But you better be phoning me every day She touched my shoulder and gave it a little squeeze and then went back to her room.
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The package has left. I got another text that morning.
Again, from an unknown number. I heard a commotion downstairs as I dressed in a dark blue suit and pale pink shirt.
"HE TOOK VANDANA HE TOOK HER FROM ME THAT ASSHOLE TOOK MY WIFE. HE KIDNAPPED HER... I waited for my door to swing open and for that village idiot to walk in and try and to get a good shot at me. But when he did not I walked towards my door and opened the door. He stood there a little away from it. Held back by my security. I waved them away with a slick of my hand and raised a brow.
"WHERE IS SHE?
"You should know where your wife is I told him plainly. My family all stood in the background as witness. His words to be earlier were oh you will always see her with me, in my arms. In my bed, having more of my children and you will never be able to have her. You will always know who she really is, but you will never be able to do anything about it.
He had two police officers with him.
"Mr Khanna last night between 8 pm and 4 am where were you?
"Bhaiya was with me, we came back from work. Then we both ate around 9 and played chess then he said he was exhausted and went to sleep
"At what time did you go to sleep
"Around 12
"There is still a window between 12 and 4 am
"I saw him myself, he was walking upstairs, after going to his car for something...his phone I smirked as all my alibis all came through.
"I have a plane to catch. I can't stay here I told them looking at my watch. The little buffalo charged at me, but I held him back with one hand.
"YOU TOOK HER LAST NIGHT YOU GOT SOMEONE ELSE TO DO IT!!!
"Why would I kidnap your wife? I said stressing on the word your, to mess with him.
I pushed him backwards and he fell down.
"I have a business to run. I don't have time to look for your wife. And secondly don't ever step foot on my property again. If you do I will sue you! I put on my sunglasses and tuned out his screaming.
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There was an inept darkness inside souls. Some hid away from it, some basked in it loving its allure. I guess I was the second kind.
I never went to Japan. Someone went. In my place.
But I never left.
Finally, Mehek would see the house I had bought her. The house I had planned on giving her.
After our honeymoon.
The house she never saw.
A little piece of heaven.
I opened the door. It had been done up just the way I had asked for it to be. The door opened only by my finger print and retina scan, and admired the simple elegance of the white bare walls.
I walked up the rail-less steps.
There were no doors. Apart from the main door. Nothing would keep us apart. It would just be the two of us.
The windows, were shatter proof.
She lay on the master bed perfectly asleep, her hands tucked under her plump rosy cheek. The drug had not worn off.
I stared at her.
For god knows how long. Until I felt moisture escape the corner of my eyes.
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I woke up feeling her move. She had woken up. She looked at me strangely then around the room and her face turned pale.
"Where am I? She asked looking around, like a frightened rabbit.
I held her still by placing arm over the side of her waist.
"You can't touch me like this She said looking terrified. "Where is my Neev? Where is my family? She trying to feebly push his arm away.
"I am your family Mehek Her eyes fell onto the huge picture I had of her. "I am all you will ever need Her eyes watered and she tried to get out of my hold. I pulled her into my arms.
"You don't remember because that Mandaar has never let you remember. You have to remember me Mehek. Do you have any idea how much I love you?
"You kidnapped me because you think I am your wife. She said incredulous.
"You are my wife
Her eyes were wide like buttons. I cupped her cheek and she pulled away.
"You are insane She said angrily. She got off the bed I grabbed her wrist and she tried to pull away as I dragged her near me. I stood up and pulled her against me.
Her hearth was thundering in her chest.
I could feel it.
"I have been wrong before about many things. But even if you did not look the way you did I would know you Mehek
"Stop touching me She said trying to pull away. She got a hold of my hand and bit it.
Hard. I pulled away and she ran out of the room. She ran down the steps and looked around for an exit she went to the door and stared at the key pad.
"The door is locked it only opens with my eye and finger print and one other thing
"What is that?
"A passcode that can override the scans
"What is the passcode? I followed her. And stood a hair inch away from her.
She looked at me through her lashes. It was something Mehek had always done. Like a deer caught in the headlights, her pink lips parted. And her cheeks turned rosier.
"It is the date of the first night we spent together She stumbled a little. And just went towards the door and tried to open it.
"So, if I never remember you will never open this door? She asked me. I caged her against the door, her hands fell onto the lapels of my jacket.
She turned her face away. And I kissed her cheek. Her mouth dropped open.
"There is no way your heart can ever forget me. And even if you did I will love you so much that you will be forced to except me one day I told her.
We were intertwined, there was no Shaurya without Mehek and there was no Mehek without Shaurya. I knew that it was time she knew that. It was time she excepted our relationship.
The eclipse was over.
This was our new beginning.
Bollywood
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
Mangal Lakshmi
