AnuPreRish FF- Broken (Chap-5, Pg-4 Updated)

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Anjali

@arshi_asya

IF-Dazzler

Posted: 4 years ago

This is my first attempt at writing any fiction ever. I love fan fictions because they provide a good escape & deviation from the original plot. Here, I am officially pissed with Prerna's character being a sandwich, reduced to a woman without an authority where everyone takes actions on her behalf & she runs miles & stones to make a place for herself. So, this idea has been haunting my mind since yesterday. The story is a quite melancholic, with 3 morally conflicted characters & not perfect white & black. It goes a little deep on psychological level too.

Since it's my first ever attempt, it is bound to be pathetic. Please bear with it if you can. Reviews of any kind would be of great sukoon to me personally. Here we go.

INDEX-

Prologue- Page 1 https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/post/150894537?tid=5106037

Chapter 1- Prerna Bajaj- Pg 1 https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/post/150894537?tid=5106037

Chapter 2- Rishabh Bajaj- Pg 1 https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/post/150894559?tid=5106037

Chapter 3- The Conversation- Pg 2 https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/post/150899674?tid=5106037

Chaapter 4- Sneha Bajaj- Pg 4 https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/post/150916356?tid=5106037

Chapter 5- Anurag Basu- Pg 4 https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/post/150929753?tid=5106037

Plot Premise- It has been 7 months since PreRish marriage. Prerna has lost her baby 2 months ago (5th month of her marriage). Everyone's life had turned upside-down with one incident that changed it all for each character- Prerna, Bajaj, Anurag & Sneha. It's the story of fall from high to the low, from winning to losing it all, only to rise again to form new relationships that are meant to stay.

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Prologue-

The garden full of with lush greenery, blossomed with colorful flowers, smelled heavenly of wet mud, making for an impeccable scenery. Rain had silenced the city of Kolkata & stripped it off the usual traffic noises. Sound of mild thunder & rain drops hitting the ground were the only things they could hear.

In this city were 3 souls, lost in their own abyss of darkness. They viewed the enchanting scenery but none could enjoy it. They wanted to but they couldn't. Each wondered at how could life change dramatically for each, right in front of them.

She stood by the window of her lavish room in her husband's house, gazing at the scenery outside. Some time back, she would have danced in this rain to her heart's full content but it didn't allure her anymore. Silence had become Prerna Bajaj's best friend for a long time now. There was a time she would chirp around all day & irritate everyone, but she was no longer the same girl. That girl was lost, somewhere in the world or in the past. An year has passed since Prerna began this journey only to be lost in the abyss & wonder where it went wrong.

He stood in his master bedroom by the window, with a cigar in one hand & a whiskey glass in another, drenched in the smell he was used to. Rishabh Bajaj had been perturbed in his life before, but nothing came close to what he has been feeling now a days. He had been a practical man for a long time but this unknown feeling was killing him & he hated that he couldn't control it. He had never been bothered with silence but this time he had wanted anything but silence under his roof. He looked back his own journey of past year, on how overhauling it had been for him & wonder where it went wrong.

On the other corner of the city, a young man gazed outside his room's window with loud, shrieking female voices in the background. But he didn't care, for he was lost in the noise of his own storm. Thoughts after thoughts kept haunting him & he was able to do nothing to stop them. All he could do was wince at every memory. A year had changed a lot of his life & all he could do was just reminisce it & wonder where it went wrong.

A moment is enough to change an individual's world, as they say. Anurag, Prerna & Bajaj's life had changed in a moment but it was journey of an year that changed them from who they were then & who they are now. All it took was an year to break these three, slowly & slowly, in bits & pieces. If there was a time macine to turn back time, these three would have paid with anything to go back in time, to heal their Broken souls. But can they really heal the souls they have broken of each other, all for their own personal reasons they deemed fit or would they lose each other in the process, only to head to a different path where they discover what love truly is.

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Chapter-1 Prerna Bajaj

It was afternoon with heavy rains pouring outside. Prerna had confined herself to her room for weeks now. She had resigned herself from daily wifely duties since that incident because she was too broken to care about anything including herself. Sleep had evaded her eyes for most days & so was hunger. She used to cry once but now her eyes had dried, with no tears left to dishevel her face. Prerna had lost a lot in last one year- her father, her lover, her family, her child & herself.

It has been 2 months since Prerna lost her child, the only thing that was testimony to her love for Anurag, something she held dear & closest to her heart after her fall down with Anurag. Ever since, she lost a reason to live anymore. An year ago, Prerna had wanted nothing but true love in her life & her wish seemed to have been granted when she fell for Anurag & he fell for her. They loved each other, or at least, that's what Prerna thought. Anurag's love was fire for her & she like a willing moth, had burnt herself in it with all her heart & mind. But now, she had been disillusioned by love, disillusioned by what was once her only goal in life. She had been irrevocable romantic at heart with her fantasies of love like every young woman of her age would have but something seems to have changed & she didn't know yet what had changed but the idea doesn't excite her anymore.

Never did she know that an enemy she unwillingly made an year ago, will cause so much destruction for her. Ronit had entered her sister's life like a havoc, but she didn't realize when he had become a havoc of her life as well. He had kidnapped her once, frame Anurag for murder & tried to kidnap her again in Switzerland. He had been caught & arrested only because of her husband's efforts. Husband, a cold smile passed Prerna's lips as she thought about the word "Husband". She had once dreamt of marrying Anurag, have a happy family with him but she should have known that he dreams were meant to be broken. Ronit had returned again. Just when she was beginning to taste happiness, he had returned to destroy it forever with one more person added to his vengeance, Bajaj.

Bajaj had once helped Ronit escape, a truth she came to know only few weeks earlier. Same Bajaj had put him behind bars when she was kidnapped again & he had now come to avenge Bajaj & her. Prerna had just begun to get used to momentary happiness that her child brought but that fateful incident brutally murdered her happiness. Apart from her child, she remembered of Sneha, girl who was another reason for her happiness, a sunshine in her otherwise dark life. The pure love & innocence that came with Sneha was enough for her to survive this sham of marriage. She hadn't known why her husband married her until he revealed the reason one day. To say, she was angry would be an understatement. She was enraged beyond her wits. But she had no option, she was a moth ready to burn in any fire for her love for Anurag & she couldn't find it in her heart to punish the child for father's wrongs.

Ronit had taken Sneha hostage to her & her husband's horror. Bajaj had tried tooth & nail for his only daughter. Prerna had never seen Bajaj so vulnerable before this. She had always seen this man as evil, shrewd, narcissistic man devoid of any empathy but if one thing she could confirm after living for 7 months with him, it would be her husband's absolute love for his only child, Sneha. He wore a mask of indifference for the world but it melted beneath tiny fingers & twinkling eyes of an 8-year old. They had tried hard, everyone did, until they found her. Sneha had brought a mother out of Prerna way before her own child could do it. It wouldn't be wrong to say that she could give her life to protect the child, if need befalls. The need indeed befell. Ronit had tried to kill Sneha, only for Prerna to become the target. The bullet had hit her from the back & with it ended her dream of having her own child. She woke up next time, only to learn that her child had died & that broke only part that was left of Prerna's heart. Prerna had wailed, screamed & cried in agony over the loss of her child until her voice had faded & fallen into silence.

Prerna had wanted to leave, run away to any corner of the world where she could no longer hear her heart or remember the last year. She wanted to forget the memories, the pain, the suffering & everything. She wished for a switch that could turn it off, that could make her forget, that could make her stop feeling anything anymore.

Prerna stood by the window & reminisced about the tragedy of her life, so lost to not even hear her own thoughts, like a living corpse. A swift knock on the door broke her trance & house maid, Kaka, had brought her lunch to her room. Prerna had lost her appetite after that incident. She would eat only because of Sneha who was clearly disturbed by the event. Sneha had been recovering from the trauma, while Prerna had been slipping deep into that abyss. She was a mother to Sneha but apart from it she had lost sense of any other identity left with her.

Kaka- "Sahab has been asking about you memsahab. He is worried about you & thus asked me to bring the lunch to your room. Please eat, otherwise Sneha baby will get angry when she returns from school if she finds out that you have not eaten again." (Kaka tried his best & looked at her with hope & sympathy)

Prerna didn't budge & Kaka repeated again, only this time, Prerna finally spoke.

Prerna- "Don't worry Kaka. Ask Mr. Bajaj to worry about me. I will have the lunch before Sneha comes."

Kaka hung his head in disappointment on her reply. He had been used to it by now but nevertheless, he tried. Something in his heart tinged when he looked at this girl in front of her. He began to leave when Prerna spoke up again.

Prerna- "Kaka, Is Mr. Bajaj home?"

Kaka- "Sahab is working from home today. He is in his room."

Prerna- "OK. You can go & thank you for the lunch, Kaka."

Kaka left the room quietly, giving her one last glance before leaving.

For the world, Prerna was Bajaj's wife & they were happily married couple but only the household of Bajaj Mansion knew the reality of this perfect-looking marriage. Marriage proposal from Bajaj had overhauled her life from root. She had lost everything in that one decision she took without knowing anything about this man & the responsibility that awaited her. That one decision caused her to lose her family & Anurag forever.

Ever since the incident, Prerna had stopped keeping a tab on her husband. Everytime she thought of him, she felt a pang in her heart & she was consumed with mixed emotions- hatred, anger, vengeance, pity & lately indifference. Yes, indifference, something Prerna thought she wasn't capable of. Prerna had always had emotions (positive or negative) for a person she knew except indifference but this man's company had taught her this crucial thing & honestly, it helped. It helped immensely to be indifferent to people she loved, to not care because that helped her protect them, until she didn't realize when she had truly begun to feel indifferent to all those people she once loved with her heart.

Amidst several thoughts plaguing Prerna's mind, there was one thought that was haunting her the most for past many days. The thought of leaving. Prerna had tried hard to let go of her painful memories, forget her suffering by immersing herself into Sneha's recovery but she couldn't do it any longer & she didn't want to pretend anymore. She didn't want her indifference to consume her & turn her into a hateful person. Last thing she wanted was to destroy Sneha by faking that she was happy when she was struggling. She wasn't happy & she wanted out before she slipped into abyss of her own darkness where no voice of help could reach her. Prerna needed to help herself if she wanted to help her daughter to grow into a healthy woman & she couldn't do it while she was here chained with memories of pain & suffering.

Prerna eyed her lunch on the trolley. She had to do something today & for that she would need all her energy she could get. With her mind set on her goal, she ate her lunch & set out to do something that would alter 4 lives forever, including hers. Few months ago, Prerna could have not imagined doing something like this, but today, she was ready. It would be first time in last one year, Prerna was going to take a decision solely for herself.

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Edited by arshi_asya - 4 years ago

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Anjali

@arshi_asya

IF-Dazzler

Posted: 4 years ago

Chapter- 2 Rishabh Bajaj

In his lavish bedroom, Bajaj sat on his high chair with cigar & wine, that seemed to have become his permanent companion in grief. Ever since that incident, Bajaj had avoided going to office & had been working from home for most days. Mr. Mehra, his secretary was giving him all the details & managing things on his behalf.

Rishabh Bajaj has known heartbreak before. After all, he had not been a cold, calculated, practical, destructive businessman since the beginning. He was once the man of fair principles, just like Anurag, always believed in white & black, until life threw him a curve ball & he was left with no option but to survive alone. He had once loved as well, his wife, Maneka. She was a smart woman, high class, sophisticated & ambitious just like him & he was smitten by her, just like she was by him. The young love it was, most beautiful thing to happen to a man. They had a perfect life until Maneka could no longer live with him & his ways.

He had tried hard to convince Maneka & save his marriage. They had tried hard to rekindle romance with her. He had asked for time to prove himself true to her expectations. He remembered how exciting he was Maneka had informed him of her pregnancy. For him, it was an assurance that she would never leave him now. To have a woman who loved you the way you did & have a child with her, is an indescribable feeling. Bajaj had felt it once. He remembered holding his precious little daughter for the first time, the moment of euphoria when she held his finger with her tiny hands, looked at him with wonder in her twinkling little eyes, made a weird sound on his "Hello", mouthing a tiny yawn & smiled a little. She was a work of wonder, thought Bajaj. They say, fatherhood makes a man vulnerable & that's exactly what Bajaj had felt in that moment, all he wanted to do was protect her daughter from all evils, go to any extreme to make her happy no matter what cost. He had thought that he had it all & thanked the universe for this tiny wonder but his amazement suffered a blow when he was informed that his daughter was mute. It was a rude shock when realization dawned on him that he would never hear his little princess call him "Dad". Rishabh named her "Sneha", meaning "love", after all she was token of his love for his beloved wife.

Maneka hadn't been too happy with him even after the birth of their daughter. News of her being mute had distanced her further. Rishabh was trying hard to hold things together in his life, until one day, his wife packed her bags & left without a word, leaving behind their 6 months old daughter to his responsibility. That was the first time, Bajaj had known heartbreak. He had tried to locate her for months, only to find out that she had moved on with another only for money. He had gone through agony, pain, suffering; had cried over his fate for months, until he shut it all off. With that, shutter fell on Rishabh & rose Mr. Bajaj, a cunning, ruthless, shrewd businessman who destroyed things for the thrill of it. He had spent every moment of past 7 years with like that. He distanced his daughter away from himself because everytime he would look at her, he would feel guilty of not being able to do justice to her, provide her with answers that her curious, twinkling eyes wanted from him.

Bajaj was so immersed in his mask that it consumed him. What began as a mask of indifference had become a weapon & part of him without his own realization. He prided himself in having that weapon & gloated when other lacked it. But this mask has faded in last one year, all thanks to a woman he himself chose to bring in his life with his own shady means.

Prerna, he recalled the moment she stepped into his territory, disheveled, desperate, fierce & passionate for a man she loved. She had presented herself like an open book to him & to say, he was amused by her would be an understatement. There was something about Prerna he didn't like & yet was amazed by it, her empathy. He had known it before, he had felt it before & then he had shut it away to rise as Business shark Mr. Bajaj. Even though that was his first meeting with her, he had known about this woman. She had saved his daughter twice & he knew it. Bajaj had hawk eyes for everything he held dear. Anurag Basu's arrest had given him perfect opportunity to use this shady opportunity to learn about this woman & she didn't disappoint. She was a young, naive, passionate woman but sadly, an open book as well. His rivalry with Basus goes long back but Prerna was not a part of that rivalry.

Prerna had asked for help & he provided it in return of a condition that would benefit him & her, he had thought. One thing Bajaj absolutely valued was loyalty in any person & Prerna was loyal to those she loved. He was amused when she had tried her luck by revealing her pregnancy to escape him, but he wasn't bothered. World may call him evil, but marriage with Prerna would achieve two of his goals- destruction of Basus & return of his daughter to him with a mother who would love her. Bajaj had made a decision without informing Prerna anything about his past because he had confidence that his plan would never backfire & he wanted her loyalty for his child while in return he would agree to every condition she may hold. And it didn't backfire at all. Prerna hated him but she loved his daughter more than anything in the world.

To achieve his plans, he had used Ronit as a pawn & then helped him escape the clutches of law. Ronit, a sharp expression crossed his face, the moment this name crossed his mind. He had never underestimated someone in past many years but Ronit managed to do the destruction. He had kidnapped Prerna earlier & he had got him put behind bars as a precautionary measure. He didn't care to bother about him until he striked hard with sheer vengeance against his daughter & the woman he had grown to feel for.

Prerna's dedication towards Sneha had caused Bajaj's mask to wither away slowly. She still hated him but she held a high opinion of him as a father. He had grown fond of this woman & was amazed by her capability to make his child her own, while she was going to have her own child with a man she loved. The thought of Prerna loving another man pinched Bajaj. He knew he had caused a heartbreak to this woman, all for his selfish reasons. He had wanted to mend some things between him & her but a tragedy striked hard to ruin all of his chances.

Letting Ronit escape in the first attempt was a mistake, acknowledged Bajaj. Unknowingly, he had created an enemy whose vengeance bite Bajaj really hard. He hated to remember his young girl getting kidnapped. He had never been restless, helpless & vulnerable in past many years like he had been in that moment. With days of trying, he had gotten his daughter, safe & sound but that came at a heavy price that shook Bajaj's entire existence.

Prerna lost her child, her last symbol of love in an attempt to save his daughter, only because he had allowed a criminal to escape for his own goals. Bajaj wished he was the one to have suffered the bullet or if he had never involved her in his life in the first place, maybe her child could have lived. It was his duty to protect his wife & he had failed to do so while she upheld every promise of this bargain, he had carefully placed for her for his own selfish goals. Bajaj knew what it meant to have a child, the happiness, excitement of having one. When Prerna woke up in the hospital & was informed of her loss, her wailing & scream filled his ears.

The wine glass jerked out of Bajaj's hands the moment he recalls her wailing. Bajaj had never been at peace since that day. He recalled Prerna's haunting silence after that incident, absolute disonnect between them ever since. Only time he heard him talking was when Sneha was going through therapy. She had been helping his daughter recover in her own ways while refusing to express what she was going through. It has been 2 months since that incident, Prerna had recovered physically but he had no idea on what was going on with her emotionally & mentally.

He was heartbroken & this time it was different, very different from what he had ever felt for anyone before. This last year, his proposal, Prerna's taunts & heatred, her moments with his daughter & her scream had been haunting his mind constantly since that day. He wanted it to stop, somehow, anyhow, but he felt truly powerless.

"Guilt is to spirit what pain is to body".

"Difference between shame & guilt is the difference between "I am bad" & "I did something bad"."

He had heard these lines before but never paid attention. Bajaj didn't know if it was shame or guilt that was haunting him. He had always prided himself in his own slander because he believed he was bad but this time, he couldn't enjoy this- guilt, shame, grief. This heartbreak stemmed from all of these & it felt like a excruciating pain running through his body while he was forced to feel it, suffer it, just like how Prerna suffered for all these months. He wondered if it was punishment for his actions so far. But if this was punishment, then why was she going through with this, why not only him.

"You would have not woken up from your sleep of arrogance without facing the repercussions of your actions", called a voice in his head. "Prerna's suffering was your punishment, so that you look at her every moment & break a little every time just like you broke her. Glory, built on selfish principles, is shame & guilt".

Bajaj had often been hearing these voices in his head now a days & it broke him more. He knew that he had made his glory on his selfish principles. He had never broken completely, atleast never inguilt & shame, but what happened with Prerna did that to him & this time, it was unbearable. It grieved him beyond words. He had known grief but this grief didn't come alone. It came from guilt of his own actions.

Bajaj was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't realize that he had been holding a broken piece of glass that cut her hands. He heard a knock on the door that broke his trance. He turned around to find Mr. Mehra on the door. Mehra was shocked to see his boss's condition. Mehra had known him through his worst, he had seen the best & worst side of his boss. To say, he had been his confidante, wouldn't be wrong. He immediately rushed to Bajaj's aid, put out the first-aid box & bandaged his hands. Bajaj didn't even wince in pain when Mehra took the glass shreds out of his hands. He tried to talk to him meanwhile but found his boss lost somewhere too deep to not even know what was heppening around him. Mehra hadn't seen him like this in a really, really long time. He knew what was troubling Bajaj but he didn't dare bring it up to discuss with him. He waited for Bajaj to say something, but on seeing no response, he found it apt to leave him alone.

Bajaj-"Do you think I am bad man Mehra?"

Mehra was bewildered at the question. Never in his wildest dreams, had he thought of his boss asking him this question. He didn't reply anything but stood there in silence.

Bajaj-"You have known me for a long time. Do you think I am a bad man?"

Mehra had no answer to this question. He just watched his boss, a broken man in confusion. He didn't know what to say because he had seen his good side & the bad side and there were times when Mehra hated doing his dirty work but he did it because at depth of his heart, he believed he wasn't a bad man but had his own skewed reasons for his actions. There was a silence in the room, when both of them heard a knock.

Prerna entered the room, leaving Bajaj shocked, since she had not tried to communicate with him for past 2 months at all. Mehra felt the tension rise in the room & took his leave, leaving behind 2 broken souls to make an attempt to heal themselves or break the other more. He prayed only for the former to happen.

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P.S- Next update, the conversation between PreRish. Anurag Basu will be introduced later with his own moral conflict. This story won't be long. I plan to make the end little biased towards Prerna alone.