He opened the door and stepped in to see her standing beside the window lost in her thoughts. She looked so beautiful in the moon light, but her eyes shining with tears stung his heart. Knowing he is the reason for it tore him from inside. She was biting her lower lip trying hard not to let the tears roll out of her eyes. But a tear escaped her eye and rolled down her cheek. She wiped it immediately. He wished to wipe her tear and take her in his arms. But..he sighed. She turned and looked at feeling his presence. Her face hardened seeing him and she turned to the other side not looking at him. He came and stood beside her and took a deep breath. She walked away from him.
"I want to talk to you" she heard him saying and stopped. He came in front of her and started speaking "I.." she interrupted him and spoke looking at him. "I don't want to talk you. I really don't want to, not now. Just leave me alone.." she paused for a couple of seconds and continued "Like you did before. And to say the truth, you never were with me. I was just another girl for you always. There was a time when it hurt me to know that you think of me that way, but not anymore. I am not the same person you knew. Before, we were a little more than strangers. Now, even though we are bonded, we are mere strangers. You were not the one whom I thought you to be. You never were. I was always wrong about you. I never thought we will meet again and all this will happen. I forgot you and moved on. You don't have a place in my heart. We will be man and wife only for our family and friends. Inside this room and in my heart, we are strangers MR.Mallik. And we will remain the same always. I can never be a wife in any sense for you. Now that everyone has left from here, I am moving out of this room. You can be free and I will not disturb you. You can go wherever you want. Do whatever you want. And you can bring anyone you want here, to this house. I will not question you. You live your life as you want and I will live mine" she said with a blank expression on her face, her eyes empty and without any emotions at all in her tone and walked out of the room, not looking at him.
Armaan sighed and went out to the gallery. He looked at the moon shining in the sky, lost in his thoughts. "You are right riddhima. You were always wrong about me. You didn't understand me before and you don't do now. I too, never understood your before and when I started to, everything was out of my hands. Now, I am not able to understand you at all. Like you said, you are not the riddhima i knew. You are changed, a Lot".
*******
Armaan woke up as the sun rays hit his eyes. He looked at the side and sighed. She was not there beside him. In the one month they were married, he got used to seeing her first in the morning and he didn't feel good about not seeing her as soon as he opened his eyes. He looked at the clock and saw it showing 7.10 AM. He slept around 6 AM, which meant he slept for only an hour. He sat up and looked at their wedding photo which was on the wall. She was smiling in it, but it didn't reach her eyes. He stared at it for sometime and got up from the bed. He went to the bathroom and came out after taking a shower. He went down getting ready for work. He saw her talking on the phone with someone, sitting in the dining table chair. She felt his presence, but didn't turn to look at him. Going near and hearing her, he understood she is talking with her intern and giving him some instructions. He looked at her from the corner of his eyes, eating the breakfast she made. "Yeah Sunil. Give him the tablet and take care of MR. Sharma. I will be there in thirty minutes" she said and ended the call. She stood up from the chair with her coffee cup and went to the kitchen.
Armaan looked at her when she came out and said, "I will drop you riddhima. You can't reach sanjeevani in thirty minutes in the morning traffic". "You don't need to worry about it. I know how to go. So just mind your work and don't interfere in mine" she said angrily and walked past him. He suddenly got up from the chair and held her wrist stopping her. He pinned her to the wall by her wrist and spoke angrily looking into her eyes. "Enough riddhima. I am tolerating your anger and snide remarks from the day we got married. But that doesn't mean you can speak anything and always insult me. If you don't like me, than why did you agree to marry me?" "You don't know why I married you MR.Mallik? You can't tolerate my anger and it hurts you. Now do you understand how it feels to be on the receiving end?" "Riddhima tum..why can't you give a chance to our marriage? Just listen to me once. Please" "You didn't listen to me when I asked you to armaan. I pleaded you to listen to me but you didn't" she said in low voice as her eyes filled with tears blurring her vision. He looked at her understanding her pain. He left her wrist and raised his hand to wipe her tears. She pushed him back before he could do what he wanted. "I am not the riddhima who fell for you. I am telling you again. I am Mrs. Riddhima Armaan Mallik for others. In my heart, I am DR.Riddhima Gupta. You better understand it" she shouted on him and stormed out of the house. He stood there staring at her retreating back, not knowing how to bring back the riddhima he knew. He saw pure anger in her eyes when she shouted on him. Infact, he is seeing it from the couple of months they met again. He didn't see and hear the soft spoken riddhima at all in these two months. She was always shouting on him. She never speaks to him normally. It was like, she forgot how to smile. Yes, she did smile in front of their family and friends. But it didn't come from her heart. He knew it and it hurt him. He went upstairs to the room and took out something from his personal locker. He stared at it with moist eyes caressing it and whispered "I lost her" hugging it close to his heart.
**************
Itti Si Khushi Sab TV
42