Chapter 2 - the Storm
Warning: Abusive language used, violence as well. Readers read at your own risk.
Without further ado, I present my second update.
At about 10 pm Sanskaar walked inside his home totally spent. He had a mountain of work awaiting him in office when he went to work, attending clients and meetings after meetings, he had had a very busy day. Wanting nothing but to crash on his bed he stepped inside the kitchen for a glass of water before he crashed.
As a filled himself a glass of water Swara came to his mind. He had been noticing a change in her feelings right from the day she had come back home; she did everything in her capacity to make him happy and bring a smile to his lips, doing romantic gestures by cooking his favourite day after day, sending him love messages, slipping endearments in the restricted conversations they had, setting out his clothes just like a wife would for her husband; she had been behaving more like a wife to him than a friend.
Today morning she had said,"I miss my friend Sanskaar and i want him back, but more than him I miss my old Sanskaar whose eyes would light up seeing me in front of him, I miss him and his love. I desperately wait for the day he would come back. Wish he'd be back to me."
He had cut her off yet again and lashed out at her, he could see her heartbreak in her eyes with every word he spoke.He regretted saying them the moment they slipped off his tongue but he wasn't convinced whether she was doing it for him or out of guilt for her previous behaviour.
They say "Once bitten twice shy" now that was what the situation was for Sanskaar, so big was his fear of heartbreak that he couldn't look beyond it and gauge the depth and intensity of Swara's feelings for him.
Putting away the glass down with force he thought he had to clear this between Swara and him once and for all. He needed this, they both needed it. The cat and mouse game had to end. With that he walked out of the kitchen purposefully, as he entered the hall he felt an eerie silence settle there, like something had happened that ought not to have happened, he couldn't shake off the strange feeling of foreboding.
Climbing the stairs to his room he mentally prepared himself to talk to Swara. There she was sitting outside their room in the hallway, looking heartbreakingly beautiful in a dark blue and silver saree, her beauty was something he couldn't describe in words and it increased ten folds when she wore a saree, but there was something amiss today.
As she came in full view he noticed with wild panic and fear she was crying; tears running down her face hard and fast. Panic gripped his being as he ran down the hallway to where she sat; "Swara tum yaha kya.." and his words were choked in his throat looking at her upfront now.
Eyes red looking into nothingness as tears fell down. Her head resting on the wall behind. Sanskaar's eyes scanned her face and registered with mindless rage the cut on her forehead, her bruised lips. It increased ten folds when he saw the teeth marks over her neck.
Tears came to his eyes as he slowly placed his palms on her shoulder;she flinched in fear from his touch and stood up abruptly, "Dont touch me let me go please. " she all but screamed; scaring the wits out of Sanskaar. Sanskaar turned to hear the shuffling of feets and saw his entire family come into view.
Sensing the same kind of foreboding feeling they all walked to where Sanskaar and Swara stood but nothing could have prepared them for the sight they saw. The tough warrior they had earlier seen in swara was reduced to a lost soldier. Their reactions ranged fron fury,shock, rage shame, panic, sadness and worry. They all had an inkling as to what must have happened with her and they couldn't feel anything but grief and pity for Swara.
Sanskaar lay a shaky hand on her shoulder gently and Swara flinched yet again, " Swara, Shona its me Sanskaar I'm doing nothing to you, no one would till i am here with you. " Relaxing a bit she slumped back on the wall. Slowly Sanskaar moved her pallu away to check for any more injuries and the sight that greeted him made him furious beyond words. There were the same marks on her shoulders and collarbone. Angry red welts could be seen through the exposed skin of her blouse. A collective gasp reverbated through the Maheshwari family seeing the inhuman marks on Swara's being. He saw nail marks on her forearms below the red welts which extended upto her palms.
Sanskaar knew who was probably behind this heinous act but he wanted to give the person a benefit of doubt and deep down wished he was not behind Swara's molest, he only wanted a confirmation before hell broke loose on that man. Bracing himself he asked in a teary rage filled voice, "Shona who did this to you? Name him"
One word uttered from Swara's lips in a soft tone, "Laksh" but it was enough for Sanskaar to hear. It left everyone shocked that the son of their house could attempt something so cheap so lowly. Durga Prasad and Annapurna's head bowed down in shame and grief that it was their Son behind this heinous crime.
And then something snapped inside of Sanskaar; he saw red and fury took over him, a rage so huge that his body couldn't contain it in; all he could see was Swara's mutilated broken self. He would destroy Laksh swearing under his breath he made his way towards their room.
Meanwhile inside the room Laksh came awake, clutching his head he slowly sat up on the floor and then with horrified shock the events of the previous hours came back to him and his eyes flew open in shock when he felt a hard slap the sound of which echoed across the mansion.
Before he could register what was happening around him he was roughed up by his collar and he met Sanskaar's cold murderous glare; If looks could kill laksh would have been long dead. he had just opened his mouth to apologize and give justification for his actions when a hard punch landed on his jaw and he went staggering back on the cupboard.
So hard was the impact that he couldn't find the energy in him to stand on his two feet and he could swear the bone in his jaw must be dislocated with the impact of the punch. Then followed a punch in his chest, in his gut and a kick on his groin and he went down howling in pain.
Roughing him up by his collar yet again Sanskaar's rage filled voice boomed in the corridor, " Feeling the pain are you Laksh? Swara fared worse the pain at your hands. You b*****d, the nerve of you to do this to my wife? How did you gather the wits to effing touch her. You've stooped so low that I have no words to describe the level of your cheapness. You disgust me to no levels laksh, I feel ashamed that we shared a relationship of brothers; I cannot have such a cheap man for my brother. I earlier used to feel pity on you for the games life played with you but now after what you've to my love I hate you Laksh more than anyone i have ever hated and I hate you with a burning passion. I swear laksh; Iswear to put you behind the bars and get my Swara her well deserved justice. You've seen my love until now, you will see the extent of my hate henceforth I'll destroy you lucky just finish. " He flicked his hands across his neck depicting him what his words meant with menace.
You want to see the level of hurt and the level of your savage behaviour Laksh Maheshwari? " with that he pulled Laksh out of the room with his collar but away from Swara, he didnt want him within one mile radius of Swara.
Laksh couldn't believe he could do something so dirty, so heinous to someone whom he claimed to love, to Swara. He advanced towards her and saw her flinching back and moving away in fear as she saw him approach her but before he could reach her Sanskaar stood between them, "Don't take as much as a step towards her Laksh or else i will forget all my boundaries, I dont want to do something that I may feel bad about later and that wont be for your sake but for the sake of Bade Papa and Badi Ma they would lose their Son overnight.
"Sanskaar please let me talk to Swara; I want to apologize to my love for doing this to her I shouldn't have done what i did to her. I was too wasted and she kept pushing my hands awayfrom her to make it worse she kept declaring herundying love for you Sanskaar and then all hell broke loose." He ran a frustrated hand in his hair, calming himself he again moved towards her but was disoriented by Sanskaar's punch.
Eyes glazing red with anger he said, "Wife. She is my wife Laksh no one's love. Keep one thing in your mind Laksh I love her, she is mine and no one else's. And for what you said you call molestation, physical abuse and a forced physical relationship love laksh? Seriously how delusional are you?
You know actually I'll tell you what is love, love is loving someone back unconditionally and not forcing your feelings on them, it is finding happiness in the happiness of the person you love even if it means you are to never get their affection in life, it means giving your everything, it means trusting, it means giving, it means affection, it is gentle soft passionate and warm. What you feel is obsession. Love isn't forceful it isn't brutal and definitely not abusive. You can never force someone to love you it happens if it has to.
So just for you to know you're far off from the definition of true love Laksh so for the last time clear your delusions and don't compare your cheap lust to such a pure emotion Laksh do not demean it so much; get a life. Actually no; I won't let you have a life; destroy; that's what I'll do to you, I'll break you down so bad that you'll never be able to gather your smithereens, never will you be able to put back the broken pieces of your existence, you made Swara suffer you'll see the worse of me now. Look at what you've done Laksh just." and he broke off finding it difficult to complete.
A lump formed inside his throat as he saw her emotionless unmoving form, she stood there as an uninterested audience to the events happening around her. A sheet of sheen covered his eyes as he saw the love of his existence so broken, so dejected,so deathly pale; it seemed like life was sucked out of her and it was seeping away slowly.
"Shona" Sanskaar softly called out cupping her face in between his palms; she shrinked away in fear yet again but then looking up she realized it was Sanskaar and looked away yet again unable to meet his gaze, "Shona please look at me, talk to me please Swara, you're scaring me please talk to me please. " And look up she did but that broke Sanskaar even more she was battered, mutilated and still, her old bubbly self lost, the spark of her eyes gone.
Slowly pulling her still form to him he wrapped his arm slowly around her and when he felt she was comfortable with him touching her he tightened his hold and that was all it took for Swara to come undone. A loud heart piercing sob broke through her and echoed in the hallway. So heartbreaking was her cry that the Maheshwari clan were stunned into silence getting their first insight into her pain.
One sob followed another as Sanskaar pushed her into his chest crying silently with her, "I'm so sorry for failing you Swara I cant even come to tell how guilty i feel for not making it for you, for not being there when you needed me the most. I feel horrible Shona, i failed in my test of love i failed you Swara I'm so sorry. "
That sentence broke Swara even more than she already was and she snapped from the inside, "I begged, cried and pleaded time and again; baar baar rokne ki koshish ki but he didn't stop Sanskaar he just continued with his man slaughter. He walked away on my dignity; pairon tale raund diya meri izzat ko usne. I feel dirty, used, cheap it makes me sick Sanskaar i feel sick of him. He ruined me Sanskaar; khatam kar diya usne mujhe. I'll never be able to trust anyone; devar bhabhi ke rishte ko ganda kar diya usne. I hate him, he disgusts me. I hate him Sanskaar ganda kar diya usne mujhe ganda kar diya" and she cried more and more burying herself in the warmth of his chest while he stood there stoically, crying along with her as she vent out what she actually felt and he was broken even more on hearing how low she felt about herself. That f****r had done a number to her self respect and self esteem. He silently swore to himself he would get justice for his love, no matter what it would take, he would heal her to her old confident proud self.
"Shona; sweetheart you'll be fine. We'll be fine. No one can as much as touch a single hair of yours till I'm here, don't worry I'll set everything straight. "
Durga prasad recovered himself from the trauma and called the shots in the situation by dismissing everyone to their rooms, "We'll talk about this tomorrow; my daughter needs rest. Sanskaar take her to the room dress her wounds and make her sleep she needs it the most after tonight. "
Nodding Sanskaar took Swara to the guest bedroom. Their bedroom was the last place he would take them to. He would heal her slowly but heal her he will he was certain.
To be continued...
Okay people second installment of the story's here. Its a bit long i know but it was needed. I hope it lives up to the expectations of you people as the readers of my story. Lemme know your feedback and if there is something or somewhere in this story and update where I hurt your sentiments i apologize again for it my imagination again. Drop in your suggestions and constructive criticism it'll help me improve.
And before I forget thank you so much guys for your feedback on my previous update it made me immensely happy and the writer in me rejoiced reading the comments pouring in.
Love,
Kashmi
Itti Si Khushi Sab TV
Anupamaa
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