A Scorned Woman
Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned - Anonymous
"And now...farewell to kindness, humanity and gratitude. I have substituted myself for Providence in rewarding the good; may the God of vengeance now yield me His place to punish the wicked."
He finds himself a mute spectator in his own home.
His home is a flurry of activities right now, and the one simple task assigned to him amidst the chaos is to keep out of things. Honestly, he feels as little as Ruhi and Shravan right about now no make it smaller, not younger smaller. Because even the kids have, some menial tasks assigned to them by Ishita. She has asked them to handle the balloons at Amma' place, keeping them out of the way as well as making them feel important. They are gleefully blowing balloons and bursting them at the same time.
She is of course the head of operations so to speak.
His mother has overtaken the kitchen and is making all sorts of dishes.
Simi has been asked to clean up Ruhi' room while Romi and Mihir are busy in reallocating things. They are moving some furniture Mihika and Amma bought. The furniture store could not send in the delivery boys owing to the short notice, which Romi and Mihir have to do the job. The cupboard is taking the most time, the study table and chair set was a breeze.
He thinks he has never been more gobsmacked in his life than this day.
This day, this moment, which he dreamed of for years now, is turning into a reality. It should be the happiest day of his life. He should be akin to a lunatic and participating in the festivities of his house right along with his family. Instead, he finds himself all alone and secluded today. The worst part is he himself is to blame for all of this and more. He knows he deserves this.
He cannot blame anyone else for his state, not a single soul.
Ruhi is so ecstatic with the news of her brother' arrival, him staying with them from now on his daughter is practically skipping all over the place and Shravan is being her shadow at it.
His mother is busy preparing his son' favorite dishes and his wife is tidying up the living room. He means to ask for a job, to be given something, anything to do to help instead he simply stands in a corner unable to meet her eyes.
Shock and surprise have overridden his senses quite literally.
He cannot even fathom what to do first - thank her or apologize to her. Hell he would do practically both of them together if she would just give him a chance. The woman who is his wife has given him the greatest joy possible in the world for him today and as much as he feels happy and overjoyed, he finds himself burdened with guilt and mortification.
How he misunderstood her! How he treated her these past few days, all of it comes back to him. The lies, the deception all of it shames him to no end.
This woman has managed to turn his world upside down singlehandedly - make his life, his family better bit by bit without him even asking it of her and all he does is manage to hurt her for that every single time!
What she did today has him astonished and honestly a little frightened of her. He has known deception and he has known betrayal, he has lived anger and he has known hatred. But this is fury, utter fury unleashed and from her - the calmest, the most levelheaded person he knows. Yeah he now understands completely what it means to speak softly and use a big stick as it sure as hell fits her to the T.
She not only managed to knock the socks off him but Ashok and Shagun as well. He knew she had it in her, the capacity to outwit her opponent when necessary with the way she had managed to fool Shagun on their wedding day, he never figured someday his name would be added to the list.
He has to know how she managed it though; she solved the mess he created over days so easily in almost no time.
His father is hanging a garland by the door and he is watching things standing near the chair closest to it, she comes where he is standing with the vacuum cleaner and asks him to move aside, so she can clean up the spot.
Only he does not move, she has been polite with him... distant and furious no less ever since she discovered his secret at the resort.
She repeats her word again and when he does not move she looks daggers at him.
In the first words spoken by him to her in hours, he quietly utters what has been bothering him the most
"Ishita how did you do it?"
She looks on angrily at him and replies, only it is not the one he hoped or expected,
"With the vacuum cleaner, move please. I have a lot of work pending still."
He is pissed with her reply
"Don't play dumb Ishita... tell me how you managed to get your hands on the evidence? How did you know about Adi being the culprit? How was your lawyer prepared to file a case for custody with papers ready immediately?"
It's when he is done that he notices there is pin drop silence in the house, everyone has stopped doing what they were busy with and looking at him peculiarly.
She does not answer him but turns her back on him; impatient for her reply he holds her arm before she can move away. As soon as it is done, he realizes the gravity of the situation when she quietly releases her arm from his grip letting go of the cleaner in her hand. Had she slapped him here it would not have been more humiliating to him he thinks.
Only because his mother is facing them does he manage to catch the slight gesture that passes between the two most important women in his life as she requests Ishita to speak up.
Closing her eyes, and taking in a breath, she turns towards him and looks at him. Her eyes still have that odd mixture of disappointment, sadness and anger coupled with understanding from the looks of it.
"What do you want to know Raman?" she asks him quietly.
"When... when did you learn about... about Adi?" He asks meekly.
The attention of the whole family oddly makes him feel puny and conscious of his every move.
Ishita looks towards Romi who smiles slightly at his bhabhi with fondness and understanding and he cannot understand for a moment what Romi has to do with any of it.
"Yesterday... after I left your office, Romi called me up. He asked to meet up at the coffee shop near my clinic and let me know he heard the argument Shagun was having with you. He had heard what you two were saying and realized Adi did the accident. You were hiding things all these days because you swore he would be safe as would Shagun be. After that, I called up my lawyer and the rest was done by her legal advice. She said this could help us get Adi' custody because Shagun' negligence as a parent would be evident in the court. "
He nods his head upon learning the first fact but his curiosity isn't sated so he moves on to the next question on his mind,
"How did you manage to get the footage then?"
"You have your resources I have mine." She says with an air of arrogance, any other time he would have perhaps handled the whole situation a bit differently today though he can be only humble with her.
"Please Ishita, I asked you a simple question."
With a hint of smile on her face she replies,
"Neil had the footage... and I knew of it as soon as he got it. Only in all this mess, he had no time to dispose it. It was at his home and... I called in a favor from someone, someone who has access to him any time she wants."
"She, whom are you talking about?"
"Trisha, she got it for me."
"She is back from London?"
"Yes she is."
He says the only thing left for him to say after that.
"Ishita... I am sorry and thank you."
She just nods her head and is about to set off when he continues,
"What you did today, I'll never be able to repay you for that, what you did today for me..."
He never manages to finish when she cuts him off.
"I dint do anything for you Raman, get that out of your head first thing, what I did I did it because it was the right thing to do. Next, do not be under any assumptions here this doesn't change a thing for us... I am still mad at you and haven't forgiven you."
"But now you know the truth, even understand my reasons because of it. Please I am sorry Ishita. I know I could have handled things better, but I was..."
"Helpless... yes I know, I have heard a lot of that these past few days enough to last me a lifetime frankly. Knowing your reasons, understanding them does not get you a free pass though Raman. What you did is still unforgivable not because you acted as a father, but because even there... as a father you went wrong Raman, you did wrong even by your son."
It is the worst thing anyone has ever said to him and he doesn't know how to react for a moment but suddenly his eyes blaze fire but he controls his temper and voice though there is no mistaking the fury when he speaks next,
"How can you say that? How can you say such a thing? Is loving my son a crime? Is it a crime if I wanna ensure he is happy?"
"No... loving your child can never be a crime but loving them blindly is. Don't you see Raman, there was not any difference in what Shagun did or what you were made to do. You were allowing your son to think its ok to commit a crime, nothing is wrong in what he did."
"He is just a child Ishita, how could I have been harsh with him?"
"A child who had no remorse, regret or guilt for running someone over, it's a good thing my Amma made it Raman, could you not imagine what could have happened here?"
"It was a mistake." His voice falters and he is unable to meet her eye as he says it.
"A mistake Shagun allowed him to commit, a mistake that you tried to hide. A mistake that could have cost my Amma her life. So yes... many mistakes happening here Raman, someone had to set things straight, and since you and Shagun were busy hiding things, I did what an actual parent should be doing - I am trying to set things straight. Like it or not, Adi happens to be related to me too now and from now on I will ensure that son of yours is on the right track."
"I was going to talk to Adi Ishita."
"When after he has committed his next accident where he actually ends up killing someone or sometime before that?"
"Enough Ishita!" He yells at her.
His mother comes to his wife' defense when that happens.
"Raman... what is wrong with you? What Ishita is saying is the truth here; don't you see what you and Shagun were doing? You were setting him on the wrong path by making him believe he can get away with anything he does so long as the witch manipulates you and you, you being the fool that you are do as asked by them."
"Maa, please..."
"No Raman, don't try to justify yourself. As a parent you are supposed to teach your kids right from wrong, not allow your kids or their love to blind you so much that you yourself forget to differentiate between the two."
"I was doing what I thought was right... I...I never intended to hurt anyone."
"And that's exactly what you ended up doing, you hurt all of us and you didn't realize what you were doing by your son too. Raman as your mother, I could have blindly supported you for doing these things, but I stood against you, even slapped you. Does it make you think I love you any less? Tell me."
He cannot meet his mother' eyes or respond in any way to that. Its then that he feels her tender touch as she cups his face,
"Raman, you are my pride, I cannot put into words how much I love you but you were in the wrong and I had to stand by Ishita. Raman being a parent doesn't mean you stand by your child always, it means you stand by what's correct for them, even if it means opposing your child."
"Adi already hates me maa how... how was I supposed to do the right thing even when I know I should have done it?"
He chokes on the words as he lets out a tear with the words he speaks.
"Raman, that's the mark of a good parent though! Stupid boy why don't you realize, you know you are a good parent when your child hates you sometimes. A child at some point hates their parent, or at least they get angry with you. Were not you angry with me, upset with me all those days when I tried to find you a wife again? Does it mean you stopped loving me or I should have taken your words to heart and left you to your devices? "
"Maa how can you equate those things? My marriage and this case?"
"Silly, I know they are different but what I meant is... I knew what was best for you, and you should have known what was best for Adi."
"I wanted you to be happy Raman... and see Ishita has completed our family today. Similarly you should have known Adi had to learn what his mistake was not be supported for it or think he can do anything and hide it."
He is about to make a reply when there is a knock on the door, he sees a couple of uniforms standing with Adi, Shagun and Ashok at his doorstep. The sight of the officers is a shock to the family.
The inspector approaches Raman and speaks up.
"Mr. Bhalla your wife had asked us to keep an eye on Mr. Khanna and Miss Shagun and make sure they don't manage to flee with your son, seems like she was right. These people were off to the airport and we caught them just in time, we are here to handover your son before we initiate any action on these two."
He looks at his wife then and is surprised she thought things through so much.
"I don't wanna stay with these people. I hate them, I will not stay here. "His son yells.
"Adi..." All he manages is to say his son' name when he is cut off.
"You lied to me, I hate you."
"Enough Aditya!" His wife speaks up at last and approaches his errant son.
"How dare you speak to me? You are no one to yell at me. I am talking to this man here who claims to be my father so get lost."
He is about to slap his son for that when one look from his wife stops him and then she speaks quietly to his son and manages to tame him in one move.
"I am the woman who is your father' wife, the man who has your custody at the moment and believe me Aditya, right now one word from me is enough to have your Shagun mama sent to jail for trying to flee with you. Now either you will quietly go with your bua to your new room or I'll make your dad lodge a complaint against these two. Have your pick Adi."
So unnerved is his son when he sees Shagun and Ashok squirming that he quietly goes to Simi and meekly speaks,
"Simi bua where is my room?"
Simi holds Adi' hand and takes him towards his new room.
Once he assures the police he does not intend to file a case as of now they leave, Ashok and Shagun though are still at their doorstep.
"I won't spare you Ishita for doing this; I would have my son back. You shall see to it."
"Right now get out of my home Shagun... as for your son, we'll see to it."
"I must say Ishita you are a better player than I anticipated." Ashok pipes in.
His wife replies to the man who was once his mentor with a smirk.
"I had to step up with the likes of you involved after all."
"You think you are so smart Ishita but I'll make you pay for this." His ex roars.
He finally steps in between them and speaks up.
"Right now if you don't leave with your boyfriend Shagun I might just forget my wife asked me to be civil with you."
The duo leaves after the threat.
The day passes by in a blur, Adi refuses to talk with anyone or eat anything but Ruhi somehow manages to make her brother sleep in her room.
In a quiet moment later when they are alone in their room at night, he steps up to his wife. She is getting ready to hit the sack, and is busy placing her pillow on the sofa.
"I never knew you could do something like this. Manage to take on the likes of Ashok and Shagun singlehandedly like that. You really are Jhansi Ki Rani."
He says the last words to bring back some semblance of normalcy back between them. He wants things restored to their status quo, her silence and distance hurt him more than he can put into words.
Her reply though stings him.
"I never knew I had it in me too Raman, but this game you three play... unfortunately life and fate have made me a part of it. I was a pawn for far too long in this, Shagun played me to get Ruhi, you married me for Ruhi and Ashok he used me to hurt you and Shagun recently. I decided I had had enough of being a pawn and decided to finally join this game as the player I was intended to be. As I said I did not do anything for you today, I did it for my family. Adi is a child, I can't send him to jail but I will reform him and as for Shagun, she had to pay for endangering my Amma' life. This is her punishment - I could have lost my mother, now she will stay without her son. And Ashok will now know too not to mess around with me.
Why are you looking at me like that Raman? Do you take me for an all-forgiving saint? I am just as human as you are."
"Then how would you punish me?"
"Your punishment... your punishment would be watching your son get reformed. Watching your children grow together."
"How is that a punishment to me at all?"
"It is and will be because you won't have any say in their upbringing, I would raise them as I see fit. Like I said Raman, I am here for my family but now, now I don't trust you because you didn't trust me enough to share the truth with me in the first place . Therefore, you will not interfere in whatever I do when it comes to Adi or Ruhi."
"I am their father, your husband Ishita; you can't expect me to do that."
"I can and I will, you are their father... but not one who can do things right by them. You neglected Ruhi for a long time and with Adi, you were about to commit an even bigger mistake. You and Shagun were ensuring he becomes a criminal, so you being their father and doing what a father is supposed to do are two different things Raman. As for the husband part, this marriage was a contract from the beginning... I just forgot that part when you became someone I trusted, someone I called a friend. Now with the rude awakening, I know better than to make the same mistake twice."
"Will you never forgive me?" He asks her quietly.
"Goodnight Raman."
With the words, she lies down on the sofa, covers herself with a blanket and turns her back on him.
He stands there for a while and retreats defeated to his bed.
He stares at his wife' figure from the bed and vows to earn her forgiveness, her trust if it's the last thing he does.
Edited by EkPaheli - 11 years ago
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