Forever Yours - A Rishbala FF UPDT:CH. 20 -PG. 117 - Page 28

Chapter Nine – The Love Lie

She stopped at the top of the stairs as she looked down at her parents.

I looked towards her and tugged on her hand. She looked at me and spoke to me for the first time since our wedding.

"I can't lie to them…"

"Then tell them the truth."

She looked at me in shock. She didn't want to hurt her parents like that.

"Just begin to tell them the truth. I'll handle it. You can trust your husband."

I smirked and she gave me a look which showed that she clearly would never trust me.

She nodded her head and swallowed before heading down the stairs with me.

I had told her to keep a smile on her face, but the minute she got in close proximity of her parents, she burst into tears and ran into their arms.

"I'm sorry…I'm sorry ma, papa."

They hugged her back as I stood watching impatiently. A minute later Madhu pulled away. Her parents stared at her sindoor and mangulsutra in slight shock.

"Why didn't you tell us Madhu? Why'd you get married…how'd you get married to RK? Superstar RK? We would've come to your wedding."

"I didn't know how to tell you both."

She began answering her dad's question. With the truth.

"We met, at the mall. And…"

"How'd he find you in the crowd? Why you?"

Her father continued to pester her with questions, which she tried her best to answer without lying.

"I wasn't interested in him. So he came to me. Then he bothered me for days and days. He told me he'd make me like him. And then…"

"Then we fell in love."

I cut her off, helping her not lie to her own parents. I lied for her.

Why'd I lie for her? I wasn't sure at the time. But in the end it paid off. Step one to making her like me.

"Really?"

Her mother spoke.

"That's…Madhu. All I want is to see you get all the happiness in the world before…"

"Ma, papa, you two should go."

Madhu cut her off.

Before what?

I didn't understand what her mother was talking about.

"You're going to come visit right?"

Madhu shot a slight glance towards me, as if she was expecting me to answer for her. But I was still trying to comprehend what her mother meant by before.

"Definitely."

She ended up answering her mother herself. I could tell she didn't know if she was lying or telling the truth to her mother.

We watched as her parents left after waving a final goodbye to their daughter.

Once they were out of sight, she turned to look at me.

Then she walked past me and up the stairs as if nothing had happened.

I followed her to my room and then closed the door behind me.

"What was your mother saying?"

She ignored me and went to sit on my bed.

"I'm asking you something."

She grabbed the tray with food and began to eat.

At least she was eating. But I still wanted an answer to my question.

I walked up to her and sat on the bed beside her.

"Before what? If you don't answer me…"

She put her spoon down and the tray on the side table.

She looked at me.

"Then what? What will you do? Throw me in bed again? Force me to eat? Forcefully marry me again? What else is left for you to do to me? What could possibly be worse?"

I stared at her for a moment. Then I spoke.

"Tell me."

She ignored me and looked the other way.

I went to grab her face but she got up and slowly walked away.

"Biwi."

She came to a stop in her tracks. She turned with tears in her eyes.

"Ma has cancer. You happy now? She wants to see me have all the happiness in the world before she dies. HAPPY?!"

I realized that was the reason for her starvation of three days.

I sat on the edge of my bed and watched her burst into tears.

She fell to her knees on the ground.

I got up and walked towards her. I had the initial instinct to comfort her, but I stopped myself. She looked up at me in tears and spoke between them.

"I need a favour."

"Depends what it is."

I didn't want to promise her anything she wouldn't get.

"Let me take my mom to chemotherapy when she has to go please…"

I stared at her. Her tears. Her visible pain.

"Fine. Only for chemo. Nothing else."

She almost smiled but stopped herself. She nodded her head and looked down.

I walked out of my room and out the door. My vacation was over. It was time I went back to set for shooting.

Note to readers: Hi everyone! So I finished writing up the last part to this FF. So far I've only written the tragic part. I'm still in the process of writing the happy ending. But as I wrote the tragic end, I put myself to tears...So I decided, I'll be giving you all a sentence from the tragic end for every other next part I update until the end. Just so I can prepare you all for the tragic end (if that's the one you plan to read, if you plan to read the happy end then disregard this). Anyways, the ending won't be posted for another approximately twenty more chapters.

"I grabbed the corner and slowly lifted it to reveal her face. Her serene, beautiful face. She seemed at peace as she slept."