Always A Wife, Never A Widow - Kanum FF (16 Parts Updated, Completed)

The brown eyed man focused on the picture of the woman as he shut the paper and thanked the man before giving it back

*5 Years Ago*

Kanak ran up the stairs of the burning building "Uma, Uma, where are you" she cried

The door flung open as Uma covered his mouth with a scarf and pulled Kanak in as she did the same, dragging her to the window he pointed outside

The flames grew as the heat became scorching

"Jump, we have to jump"

Kanak shook her head "Uma I cant, I cant"

Grabbing her face he let go of the scarf "you can do this, we can do this"

His hand rested on her stomach "for the baby"

Kanak nodded as she grapsed his hand and they stood on the ledge ready to jump

Hands grabbed Uma's shoulders as he was yanked back in, Kanak slipped and fell down, landing on the floor she twisted over, a shard of glass stuck in her stomach, pulling it out she screamed loudly as tears blurred her vision

She looked up at the now burnt body being thrown out of the window, crawling over to the body she grasped his hand "Uma"

Kanak fell unconscious as the paramedics arrived

Uma Shankar was described as dead on scene, although no prints could be taken from the body because it was so badly burnt

*End Of Flashback

Kanak held onto her mangalsultra as she walked in the streets

A young boy ran up to her "Didi, do you have any spare change"

Kanak reached into her bag and pulled out her purse, shaking the money into the boys hand she continued to walk on

A woman grabbed the boy "Discard of this money, this woman is crazy, havent you heard what happened 5 years ago"

A woman also joined in "Look she still wears coloured clothes even though her husband is dead, how disgusting"

The woman tutted as she glared at Kanak

"I heard she hasnt spoken since the night of the incident, you are expecting a baby hm, stay away from her she is cursed, you will lose your baby"

Kanak was used to the taunts she heard from the small villiage she had moved to

They didn't bother her anymore, what were they to know about the love she shared?

She would never dress as a widow because she didnt believe she was one, in her heart he was still alive, always with her

She prayed daily for his safety, because deep down she knew, that he was out there somewhere

Part 2-

Kanak was asleep when she heard banging on her door waking her up

Pulling the door open a herd of women walked in "We have had enough of this disrespect of your relationship, we all knew of the good man Uma was, we wont let you tarnish his reputation or your relationship with him anymore "

One woman grabbed her as the others pulled of her top, she fought back as much as she could but she was no match for these other women

Dragging her out to the lake they showed her , her reflection

A woman wearing white looked back at her, tears filled her eyes as she screamed loudly trying to remove the white sari

She wasnt a widow, her husband was still alive, why did no one believe her

"You must cleanse yourself" a woman shouted as she was pushed into the lake

It was better she died then assumed her husband was dead

Her head was pushed under as she allowed the water to hit her, freezing cold water that took her breath away as her legs began to kick, as if fighting what Kanak really wanted

The man rose out from under the water as he put his hands together, he went back under as the garland from around his neck removed itself and went away

Kanak was pulled up from the water as she coughed loudly, her eyes bloodshot from the water

Looking down at her neck she saw a yellow garland

Thanking the lord she began to sob, she knew Uma was still with her somewhere

Part 3-

An elderly woman dragged Kanak out of the water

"You must not lose hope or faith my dear, you have to keep believing "

Kanak let out a loud sob in her arms as she held her, both sat in the mud alone crying for 2 different types of love they had both lost

It was a few hours later when Kanak arrived back home, grabbing the picture of Uma and herself she threw it to the floor as she cried again

She begged every day for his return and she was tired of waiting

Dropping to the floor she held the broken frame in her hand till her hands bled

Looking into the mirror she looked down at her bloody hands

Pushing her hand through her hair, she looked at the blood now in her hair

Grasping her mangalsultra she closed her eyes, she was a wife, not a widow, no matter what anybody else said

Climbing into bed she held the frame to her chest as she fell asleep

The old woman walked past her door as she turned to the sky "Bring back her love, dont let the child suffer anymore, you took my son from me atleast return her husband, dont shatter her faith"

Part 4-

"Hello, are you the woman who looks at names"

Lakshmi nodded, Arjit sat down as he pulled his friend in

Rolling his eyes he sat down "I dont believe in these things"

Arjit shook his head "This woman is never wrong, there must be a reason why your car broke down here "

Lakshmi smiled "It takes time to believe, what is your name"

"Dayashankar"

The woman searched up his name, hee eyes widened as she paused

"This name links with Lord Shiv, meaning merciful Lord Shiv, in close relation to Umashankar"

Arjit sat back "Wow, like that crazy womans dead husband

Dayashankar turned around "You mean Kanak, the girl in the paper"

Arjit nodded

Lakshmi shook her head "Kanak is not crazy, she is in love"

Arjit nodded "Whatever you say Aunty, we will take your leave now"

Taking her blessings the 2 men left

"Why did that woman keep staring at me like that, is she crazy "

Arjit laughed "She may be Daya, but shes never been wrong, you must have some relation with that Kanak girl"

Lakshmi stood up, putting her hands together "Thank you Lord for answering my prayers, let him be the one to mend that girls heart"

Part 5-

Kanak walked out of her house, turning around she locked the door

Pulling her coat around her body she continued to walk as Lakshmi stopped infront of her

"Kanak, dear I want you to consider something for me"

Kanak nodded

"You have been so lonely for 5 years, no family, no husband all you have is me and I am getting old"

Kanak shook her head, she didnt want to think of what life would be like without Lakshmi, fresh hot tears made their way down her face

Lakshmi raised a shaking hand to her cheek to wipe her tears

"Maybe you should remarry"

Kanak looked up in shock shaking her head

"Listen all im asking is you think about it hmm"

Kanak nodded, but how could she ever remarry?

She was still married right? Because Uma was still alive!

Kanak continued to walk on when some men followed her down the alley

"Dont you miss what a real man is"

Kanak shrugged the mans hand off and continued walking

"Oh so youre gonna be like that"

The man grabbed a rock and began to throw it at her as his friends joined in

Kanak began to run as she slipped on the road at the end of the alleyway

Falling down to the ground she saw mens shoes stood infront of her

Looking up she missed his face as the shadows hid his face

She watched as the man stepped around her as she led against the wall catching her breath

Part 6-

Daya walked towards one of the goons, raising his hand he smacked him around the face

Kicking the leader he fell into his friends, picking another one up by his collar he smacked him into the wall

Banging the other twos head together he punched one in the face again

One man grabbed Daya as another man began to punch him

Kicking his legs forward he threw one man down as he twisted and pushed the other one down and stamped on his leg

The men ran off as Daya returned to Kanak

Holding out his hand she took it, electricity shot through them as she jolted back and ran away without a second glance back

Daya held his head as flashes went through of his head of a similiar occurence, squeezing his eyes shut he walked away

Daya turned back to Arjit as he sat down with him to eat
"I think I ran into that Kanak girl today, some guys were chasing her, throwing rocks at her"

Arjit nodded "Its a common occurence here, they all think shes crazy and cursed or disrespectful because she refuses to believe her husband is dead"

Saanvi sat down next to her husband "Its sad, I think id be the same if anything happened to Arjit, but she wont talk to anyone and the only person who speaks to her is Lakshmi, but by association to Kanak, she is also crazy "

Daya nodded "So why do you believe Lakshmi is always right"
"She predicted my marriage with Arjit here, so if she believes you have a relation with Kanak then you probably do" said Saanvi

"But what if thats what she wants but i dont" asked Daya
Arjit took a sip of his water, then turned to Daya "Your car broke down here, your name is just like Uma's, you saved her today what else do you need"

Daya shook his head "I got this massive headache after, I saw these pictures in my head, a man was there and a woman touched him and got some electric shock, thats what I felt with Kanak"

Saanvi coughed loudly "Maybe Kanak was right, maybe he is alive and you are him"
Daya shook his head "I dont believe in these fancy miracles"

Saanvi smiled "I think you need to find out more about who Uma was, what he looks like before you make that decision, Shiv Ji can make anything happen, youre here for a reason"

Daya thanked them for the food and walked to his room, muttering under his breath about how crazy everyone was here
Checking his phone, he still has no signal and was likely going to be trapped here for sometime

Maybe it would do him some good to find out who Uma was.
If anything he may be able to make Kanak realise her husband is gone so she can grieve, because he agreed, he was here for a reason, he just had no idea what this reason was

Tomorrow he would wake up and find out more about Uma and Kanak, he didnt believe for a second that he was Uma, but as he traced the large scar across his chest, he wondered if the fire Uma died in had a link to the many scars he had littered on his body

"I dont think you can understand loss unless youve lived it, just think of it like this, your world is full of colour, then suddenly drenched in darkness. Every time you laughed, every happy time is all but a distant memory, you cant even begin to remember how to smile. Everything reminds you of loss, a happy song or a sad one, a picture in a frame is all you have, who has the right to tell you that you are wrong for still believing that the one you love more than life itself is still alive"

Lakshmi's eyes filled with tears as she let go of Daya's hand
Daya wrapped an arm around her "It sounds like youre talking from experience "

Sniffing she nodded "I lost my son a few years back, he went to school and never came back, you never come to terms with it, the hope of him being alive keeps me here"
Daya grasped his head as another memory flashed through his head

A man sat on the floor as a woman dances around him as it rained

Shaking his head he groaned, who were these people that he kept seeing

"Do you have a picture of Uma" asked Saanvi as she gripped Arjits hand in anticipation, she truly believed that Kanak deserved a happy ending after everything she had been through

Lakshmi pulled a picture from under her pillow, turning it she gave it to her "I never looked at it, just kept it safe"
Saanvi gasped as she showed Arjit the picture

Daya turned to face them lifting his head, a silent question.

Turning the picture towards him Arjit whispered ever so quietly "Its you"

Daya took the picture as his fingers shook, Kanak stood next to him, smiling up at him as he looked toward the camera

Another flash of a memory went through his head
"Look at the camera not at me silly" a woman said to a man

Pinching the brim of his nose he sighed heavily "Is it possible that i'm a brother or something "
Lakshmi shook her head "Uma didnt have one, just a cousin, and a cousin wouldnt look like him as much as you do, there isnt one difference "

Daya stood up quickly "i need some air"

Walking outside he grasped his head as he fell to the ground
Shouts of his name became distant as he fell unconscious

Daya woke up, lying on an unknown bed.
"Oh im so glad you're awake" said Lakshmi

"You really scared us out there brother" muttered Arjit
Sitting up quickly "I need to find Kanak, I need answers"


Saanvi shook her head "No, you need to rest"
Arjit shook his head "Let him go"

Lakshmi pointed to the temple "She will be praying there now "

Daya ran as fast as he could to the temple, it was so crowded it took him ages to reach the top of the stairs

A priest carrying a platter of red powder held it out to him "Hold this please son"
Sighing he did as he was told

Kanak stood at the corner praying, her head covered, if anyone saw her here, shed be kicked out for sure
She came here daily to pray for Uma
And she didnt want to lose that opportunity

"Hey look that cursed girl is here"
A woman shouted, sending daggers her way

Grabbing Kanak's arm she pushed Kanak forward
A hand grabbed her waist to support her from falling then let her go quickly as they recognised who she was

As the scarf fell from her head she tripped forward banging into someone

The platter of red powder went up in the air at the sudden knock towards his hand , he watched as the powder came down and fell on the womans head as he grabbed her hand to save her from falling down the stairs

Blinking she looked up at the man who saved her, pushing the powder out of her eyes she looked at her hand in shock, looking up she made eye contact with the man shed been praying for

Her husband, Shiv Ji had answered her prayers, he was here, for her, to save her from a widows life

All at once a hand shoved Kanak as she faltered and flew down the stairs Daya fell with her

As his hand covered the back of her head, she held his until they reached the bottom of the stairs

Lying above Kanak another flash of a memory went through his head, but clearer this time
Kanak stood on his feet as they walked across grass

Shaking his head he looked down at her again
Lifting her hand she touched his cheek, then his forehead, then his lips

Her eyes brimmed with tears as she pushed him up and wrapped her hands around his neck, burrying her head into his shoulder she sobbed

Wrapping his hands around her back he pulled her closer, nothing had ever felt more right than this, for the last 5 years he had been empty, now he felt complete

Pulling back he helped her stand up, he went to pull his hand back but she grasped onto it tightly shaking her head

As if letting his hand go meant she would let him go again

Sitting her down he passed her the bottle of water he got from the store, as he went to grab a shawl for her she grabbed his hand again shaking her head.

Holding out the water to him, he took it gratefully, removing his coat he wrapped it around her shoulders

"Kanak I need to talk to you"
Kanak looked up at him, waiting

"I came here about 2 weeks ago when my car crashed"
Her features contorted into fear as she looked at his body for injury

"Im okay, but I was told I was here for a reason, Ive been staying with Arjit and Saanvi and they took me to see Lakshmi who told me my name Dayashankar has a close relation to the name Umashankar"

Kanak looked up at him confused
"I found you that day running away from those men, but after I helped you up you ran away, but when I touched you it was like a current had touched me and I got some memory of when a man was touched by a woman and the same thing happened but I couldn't see their faces"

Kanak nodded happily as she pointed to him and then to her
He nodded in understanding

"5 years ago, I was found with burns over my body, and I know people believed Uma died in a fire, ive had a few flashes of memories, one a woman danced by a man in the rain"

Kanak smiled as she remembered the Ramba test , she nodded again putting her thumb up

"And again when we fell, you were stood on my feet and we were walking "
Kanak remembered that as the day she wanted to prove women could do anything that men could

"But I have lost my memory and I cant be sure I am Uma"
Kanak stood up holding his hand, linking their fingers together she looked up at him

She knew it was him

Then suddenly an idea popped into her head , Uma had tried something when he thought Aditya had memory loss, maybe that could help him

Kanak led him down on the bed in Lakshmi's house

Attaching the broken pot above him she watched as it dripped down onto his head, sitting next to him she held his hand as she waited for the water to make a difference

Kanak had fallen asleep when she was woken up by a loud sound outside
Looking at the bed Uma was nowhere to be seen

Getting up quickly she ran outside to see lots of kids stood in a line
Looking around she could see Uma nowhere

Fear consumed her, had she made it all up in her head, was she dreaming?
Looking back she saw the pot was gone to

Turning back the kids all held up a letter, reading across it said "I remember"

Kanak's eyes widened as Uma stood further behind them, his arms wide

Kanak smiled before running over to him, jumping into his arms he picked her up spinning her around

Putting her down he pressed a soft kiss on her forehead as he cupped her cheek

It had been to long without this ray of sunshine in his life and he promised there and then that he would never lose her again

Part 13-

Uma lifted Kanak's chin "Say something "
Kanak opened her mouth, then closed it as she shook her head

"Just like you believed I would return I believe you can talk, please try I need to hear your voice "
Kanak shut her eyes tightly as she took a deep breath

Her voice was raspy as she looked into his eyes and spoke his name
Uma's eyes gleamed with unshed tears as he held her to him

"You are the strongest woman I know, I cant believe what these people did to you"
Kanak gulped again at the pain in her throat "Its okay, we can leave now and forget all of this"

"Stay away from her she is cursed" a woman shouted as she dropped her groceries in shock at seeing someone other than Lakshmi stood so close to Kanak

Uma gritted his teeth as he went over to the woman "Gather the village I have an announcement "


30 minuted had passed as the whole village surrounded Uma and Kanak
"My name is Uma Shankar, maybe you have heard of me, maybe you havent , this is my wife Kanak who for 5 years has had to deal with your torment for loving me so much she believed I was alive when everyone thought I was dead"

Grabbing Kanak's hand he brought it to his lips and pressed a kiss to her hand "You should all be ashamed of yourselves for doubting a love so true, it brought me back to her, no matter what you all did she never lost faith in me, even when you made my wife a widow"

The crowd murmured apologies as some cried as the guilt hit them for all they had done to Kanak over the 5 years making her an outcast

Kanak looked up at her husband in pride
"You say you are people of the Lord, so where is your faith and your compassion, your humanity"

People walked forward, grabbing Kanak's hand they made their apologies and passed on their blessings as they walked away head down in disgust at their behaviour

Uma went forward to Lakshmi taking her blessings "Thank you for uniting me with Kanak"
Lakshmi smiled "Its not me that did it, its her love for you"

Uma turned to face Kanak smiling


Part 14-
Arriving at Kanak's house Uma went to the bathroom to freshen up

Walking out Uma pulled his top over his head
Kanak shielded her eyes "Uma what are you doing"

Laughing he walked over to her, pulling her closer to him "We are husband and wife, you have waited 5 years for me and now you are shy"


Kanak shook her head as she tried to pull back "Oh no, not that easy"

Kanak pulled away, just to be pulled back as her back hit his chest, he began to kiss from her shoulder down to her hand as she shuddered in delight

Turning her to face him, he picked her up and led her on the bed, leaning over her he pressed his lips to hers, gently he coaxed her into kissing him back

Her fingers massaged his shoulders gently sending tingles through his body , his fingers traced the line of her waist as he pushed her top up and kissed her stomach

As the sun set Uma and Kanak became one again.



Part 15-
As the sun shined through the window Kanak blinked fast as she shielded her eyes and rolled over snuggling into Uma's chest

Her fingers traced shapes on his chest as he opened his eyes, pressed a kiss on her hair and stretched "Good morning"

Kanak sat up stretching "Ill go make breakfast"

Uma tugged her back down "No, we can do that together later, ive just got you back just lie with me for now"

Kanak led back down as Uma pulled her closer, his finger traced lines on her back
"Uma stop it tickles"

Uma laughed "You didnt tell me to stop last night "
Kanak slapped his arm "Behave, im going to freshen up"


Kanak rubbed the towel through her hair as Uma opened the door to Arjit and Saanvi

"Listen to me, I got my friend to do a little research into the fire and we found out a man got arrested for starting the fire and murdering the family "
Kanak walked over to the table as Uma and the couple sat down

Saanvi pulled a picture out of her purse, sliding it across the table Uma picked it up

Kanak peered over his shoulder as she gasped
"Aditya"



Part 16-
"I cant believe one cousin would kill his whole family" muttered Saanvi

"It doesnt surprise me" muttered Kanak
Resting her hand on her stomach she said bitterly "I hope he rots in hell, he made me lose my baby"

Uma slammed his hand on the table before walking out the door

"Uma, Uma wait" Kanak shouted but to no avail as she sunk down in her seat, this wasnt going to be easy, the bad may be over but the aftermath left over was shattering


A few hours later Uma returned home, everything was planned perfectly and he couldn't wait

Kanak sat down with a blindfold on "Saanvi atleast let me see what youve dressed me in"
"Nope, its a surprise, now come on"

As Kanak arrived at the temple, the blindfold was removed
She looked at Uma sat down, smiling she wiped away a tear as she sat next to him


So Kanak and Uma did their round around the fire, made their promised and Uma filled her head with sindoor and added a new mangalsultra to her collection

Now, they would be together for 14 lives, come what may Kanak would never be a widow, she would always be a wife

Thank you, its so nice to see you used your first post to comment on one of my stories! Thank you so much for your support, im glad you liked it!