Chapter 50
"No it can't be. How could it be possible? You...You were Arpita's husband. But how how could she NOT love you. Why did she lie to me about everything in the beginning?" with that Aman sat down in shock while Yash remained standing. Both did not notice Smriti entering the house. She had declined to go to the book launch as she had to take Aayu to the doctor for his vaccination. As she returned home she was in to hear a conversation she knew she had no right to listen to yet her feet refused to move. She somehow tried to make herself less visible to the both men present.
"She was never at fault Aman...I should never have married her. It was my mistake..Entirely mine. I was in love with someone else...my first and only love but since I could not have her I had thought I could move on with my life with someone else. However I was unsuccessful in doing so. We...Arpita and I did try initially. I remained truthful to her throughout our time together but when love is absent in a relation what is left is just a compromise"
"But why did you not divorce if both of you were unhappy?" Aman asked.
"We already had Palak by that time and then we were further trapped in a loveless marriage for the sake of our daughter"
"I see. But then what happened?"
"We both were suffocated. What we did not realize is that a loveless marriage even impacts the child. We we kept up the appearance for as long as we could till Arpita wanted out. She knew her parents would oppose a divorce as they were from the old school of thought that marriages were for life for better or for worse. I had told her not to worry that I would take the entire blame for the failure of the marriage and we did decide to part keeping Palak's custody joint. However before we could act on it Arpita's mother fell really ill. Arpita went to attend to her while Vidhi bhabhi took over handling Palak along with me. It was there I guess your story with Arpita began..."
"Yes Yash...oh! yes. I had met her for the first time in the hospital while she was with her mother, I was grief stricken over the loss of my dayimaa. The only mother figure I knew as a child. We both were lonely and we drifted slowly towards each other. I swear I did not know she was married. She neither wore the mangalsutra nor was there any sindoor, also she never spoke about her past. We lived in the present and that was that"
"If only you had not left her when you did Aman...you two could have been together now" Yash said with deep regret thinking back of a time that was very sad for him.
"What was I to do Yash...the circumstances that I came to know that she was married and a mother of a child was a huge blow to me? I had dared to go to meet her parents for the first time and guess what the servant told me...that madam had gone out with her husband and daughter. Oh! God I thought she was a cheating on her husband and having an affair with me. I did not even give her a chance to explain...oh! i just lost my mind over her supposed betrayal" Aman broke down.
"She was pregnant...with your child Aman the day when she came to tell you the news was the day you rejected her. She told me how she had met you and finally found love for the first time in her life. I was very happy for her. My guilt at ruining her life had lessened that day. We even told her parents of our decision to apply for a divorce do you know? They hated my guts and still do to this day. We are not on speaking terms even now Aman"
"I know Yash...I know everything but believe me I did not know anything when I brutally rejected Arpita. I told her that I was going to get married to some MLA's daughter and that I was just passing time with her. I wanted to hurt her just as much as I was hurting" Aman spoke with such pain that it was hard to not see it reflect on his face.
"That broke her my friend...totally and utterly. She just lost the will the live after that...I... I took over from there. I was with her all through the pregnancy. Her parents thought she was devastated because of me and my decision to part ways. They thought the baby was mine too and blamed me for ditching her in her condition. All this they wanted to share with my parents to but Arpita made them swear not to tell anything to anyone. And to this day my parents or anyone for that matter do not fully know the last truth"
"I never did marry anyone Yash I just could go through with it. Arpita wrote me a letter which I never received till recently while going through my father's files. That was the final straw Yash, which made me leave him for good" Aman said finally having great trouble to come out of the past. "What happened to the baby?" he asked in a chocked voice.
"Payal is a very happy and healthy six year old and takes a lot after her mother who died giving birth to her" was what Yash said.
With tears in his eyes Aman expressed his desire to see her wordlessly.
Yash led him to the kids room and Aman stopped at the entrance of the room staring resolutely at the portraits of the children placed on the centre of the wall. His eyes immediately fixing on the younger of the two girls in the photo.
His daughter. The daughter he did not know nor was known to by her. His and Arpita's love's only remaining trace. Their love was not doomed not when their daughter was such a pretty, beautiful reminder of it. He gulped the surge of emotion which was threatening to get the better of him. He had to distance himself from the pull. He had no place in his daughter's life. He was a stranger to her. She was in the best place possible, in a house full of love. He had to get away and stay away.
Aman turned and marched away from the room with Yash having to catch up after him.
"I have to go Yash. I am getting late and so are you. Don't you have to attend that...that book launch for which your family has gone to" Aman said trying his best not to show how emotionally fragile he was.
"Aman..it's OK...I can understand. No need for you to run away. Don't you want to meet your daughter" Yash asked fully understanding his friend's state of mind.
"No..never. Does anyone else know that...that Payal is not yours?" Aman asked his words forced out of him.
"No...no one knows. She was mine from the day she was born" was what Yash said, the love for his daughter eminent in his voice.
"Then so it shall be Yash...then so it shall be. I am a loner. I have nothing to offer to her. I just want her to continue being as happy as she is here. Will you promise to keep loving her as your own?" Aman asked knowing full well his friend would most certainly do so without his asking but he had to ask.
Yash shook his head in affirmation.
"Then I shall leave this country happily Yash"
Just when Aman was about to sit in the cab which was waiting for him. He turned and said
"Will you keep me posted about her..Yash. I need to know how she is doing. I...I...she is all that is left of Arpita. I...I..." he just held Yash's hands in his and buried his face in them before finally composing himself and leaving.
******************
Payal was not Yashji's daughter...Payal was not Yashji's daughter...those words kept repeating in Smriti's mind. It was a shock to know the truth about Yashji's first marriage. The fact that he tried to free Arpita spoke that he did genuinely did want his first wife's happiness which he was unable to provide himself. The fact that he tried to shield Arpita from her parents's wrath spoke about his selflessness. But above all that he gave his name to Payal who was not his blood spoke volumes about the character of the man.
He had to be told the truth about Aayu. She had no doubts on the matter now. She knew Yashji would understand. How could he not?
But then she questioned one thing that remained unanswered. Why did Yashji remarry? He already had faced and lived a loveless marriage...what possibly could be the reason behind such a step. And then her mind drifted to the woman who Yashji claimed was his first and only love...who could the mysterious lucky woman be? It was so sad that Yashji could not unite with her. A man of his nature deserved all the love he could get.
It was such a pity that he was stuck with her now. Such a sad,sad compromise yet again. And Vidhiji had thought that he loved his second wife Aarti? How could that be true when she herself heard from Yash's mouth that that mysterious someone was his one and only love.
TO BE CONTINUED...
PS: I know a very short update but had to deal with one problem at a time. Hope you understand.
How the CVs do the multi-layered, parallel track thingy is a mystery to me. I am struggling real bad here. LOL
PPS: If there are any logical loop holes just ignore. This track did seem very good to me and hence I included it. And I really do not remember what back story I had given for Aman. Hope this somehow just fits.
50th chapter would you believe!!!
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