Chapter 31

Rishi drove to the hospital and found none outside the private room. He touched the handle of the door to open it but stopped on hearing Manjari’s voice.

Manjari: Vimal, I m really happy that you trust me but I still can’t believe that my brother did not believe in my words. He never cared for me and after all these years he confessed that he really cared for me but look what happened today ? Once again he proved that he never cared for me.

Vimal: Manju, you need lot of rest so please rest for sometime. This is not right time to talk about anything.

Manjari: I love you Vimal, I m happy that atleast today you got to know your sister’s real face.

Rishi grit his teeth and held her mobile in a tight grip. He was equally mad on Vimal for not beleving in Aadhi.

Vimal: Manju, will you please stop this for a while. For god sake this is atleast the 100th time you are repeating the same words. I have been silent because you need my support but that doesn’t mean I m doing good. Even I m grieving the loss of our baby and don’t you ever say that Aadhi killed our baby. She would never do that even in her dreams. The only reason I stayed quite is because I saw the way Rishi was supporting her. I thought this would fix their relationship so I decided to hurt her by giving her the belief that I did not trust her. Now Aadhi has Rishi and I hope she gets what she deserved. We lost the baby by accident and nothing would bring him  back to us. Let us heal from this together.

Manjari: You pretended to believe my words ? You think I m blaming her ? Vimal, she is jealous of us.

Vimal: You know what ? Let me go speak to the doctor and I will let her give you meds to let you sleep. My head would burst from hearing the same thing since the moment you gained your conscious. Please stop blaming my sister, she would never do that.

Rishi Mv: Both brother and sister are the same. They would go to any extreme for each other.

Rishi did not wait any longer and entered inside the ward. Both Vimal and Manjari looked at him but spoke nothing. Manjari turned away avoiding to meet Rishi.

Rishi: Where are our parents ?

Vimal: They are in the guest room. I sent them to relax for a while. I need to speak to the doctor and need a coffee for myself. Hope you don’t mind stay a while with your sister.

Rishi: Sure go ahead, I will be here until you are back.

Vimal bobed his head and walked out leaving the brother, sister duo. Manjari wiped the tears from her eyes and Rishi waited for a few seconds before he stretched out her mobile before her face. Manjari immediately snapped her head looking at Rishi.

Rishi: How are you Manjari ?

Manjari: I appreciate your care for me after you decided to take your wife’s side and leave me alone.

Rishi: You weren’t alone Manjari, you had both our parents by your side and your friends were so worried and wouldn’t stop calling you to know about your health after you tripped on the wet floor in the mall yesterday.

Manjari gulped and looked at Rishi who pulled a chair and sat next to her bed.

Rishi: Cat caught your tongue  Manjari ? I m really impressed to see your actings skills and I m amazed to see your will power. All these years I thought you were a naive girl, who would be scared of everything around her but how wrong I have been. You were such a strong and hot headed woman that you fell on your own to escape the wrath of your husband and both our parents. You were so clever and cunning to plan a perfect sequence to plan my wife who is actually the naive and kind hearted girl here.

Manjari: I did trip and fell yesterday but I was fine. It was your wife, she pushed me and killed my baby.

Rishi kicked the chair and stood before Manjari pointing his forefinger.

Rishi: Stop it. I read the messages you sent to your friend about your state and Aadhira has noticed your blood stained clothes even before you fell from the stairs so stop blaming her for your carelessness. I knew you hated her but how could stoop so low to blame her on killing a child even before it is born ? I might have not been expressive but I always took care of you which you never paid attention. Even now she didn’t want me to confront you but I had to do this to let you know the difference between you and Aadhira. You disgust me and don’t ever say its your jealous for the reason you acted to Aadhira.

Manjari started crying and Rishi passed a glass of water to her which she accepted.

Rishi: I will not reveal this to anyone not because you are my sister and I m supporting you but it is Aadhira’s wish and she didn’t want to see her brother in a broken state more than how he is now. Also she didn’t want you to lose the life with Vimal. I hope you will change your attitude and your perspective on people and life. Try to find the happiness in what you have rather being jealous over others. God has really given you everything and a man who really loves you. Atleast be loyal to your love and don’t let him down or you will be left all alone.

Manjari: Please, I m sorry, I was scared.

Rishi: That doesn’t give you any right to blame someone else. Have you ever realized that your actions were affecting my life too ? You weren’t the only one who lived a life under all those rules, regulations and whatever stupid customs they called it as. I thought you would be happy in your life if you were married to the man you were in love so I talked, in fact I fought with our father to let you marry Vimal and in return I agreed to do whatever he asked for. Would you say the same to me and Aadhi when we got married ? She lived exactly the same life like you except for having Vimal by her side. May be if I had not been a coward and been expressive then we would have not seen this day and I regret for that.

Manjari: I m sorry brother, please forgive me.

Rishi: Your sorry will not fix Aadhira’s relationsip with everyone. Your jealousy against her will not fix the bond she shared with Vimal. You lied to me, you provoked me against Aadhira, is there something that you haven’t done to pull down others ?

Manjari: Vimal will throw me out of his life if he get to know about this. Please bro.

Rishi: You are still selfish and worried only about your life, just like I guessed. Still don’t worry, I won’t reveal this to anyone only for Aadhira’s sake. I don’t want to see you anywhere around me and Aadhira. We don’t deserve all this.

Rishi did not speak further and moved away to the couch in the corner of the room. Manjari continued to sob for a while but quickly wiped her tears when the door opened and Vimal entered with fresh juice for her.

Rishi: Take care of her.

Vimal: Aren’t you visiting our parents in the guest room ?

Rishi: No..

Rishi walked out of the ward and drove to his home.

Meanwhile Aadhi received a call from grandpa and she answered his call in the first ring.

Grandpa: Aadhi, I heard what happened to Manjari. I trust you Aadhi, don’t worry about others. They will come around when they realize that you would never do such thing.

Aadhi broke down on hearing his words when her own parents were against her.

Aadhi: Thank you grandpa, for trusting me.

Grandpa: Forgive me Aadhi, you wouldn’t be enduring all these if I had not proposed your marriage with Rishi. I m equally responsible for everything happening in your life. Take care Aadhi and trust me, I will stand by you in every situation.

Aadhi cut the call not before thanking him and looked at the wedding portrait on the wall before her. She pulled her knees to her chest and everything that happened since the day one of her marriage flashed through her mind. Every word Rishi spoke in the past, in the present were fresh in her heart. She felt torn between everything happening in her life. For once she wanted to run away from everything and everyone. She was lost in thoughts when Rishi entered holding a bouquet of roses and a chocolate box.

Rishi sat next to her and placed the roses and chocolate box before her.

Aadhi: What happened ? Is everything ok ?

Rishi: Ofcourse everything is ok baby. Good thing I confronted her. She really needed a reality check in her life.

Aadhi: But why are you so happy ?

Rishi: I m sure you would be happy too after you hear me. Before I met Manjari, I happened to listen to their conversation.

Aadhi looked at him with a frown and Rishi explained her the conversation he heard between Vimal and Manjari. He expected her to smile but there wasn’t even a bit of relief on her face.

Rishi: Aadhu, aren’t you happy that your brother trust you ?

Aadhi: I don’t know what should I do or react with everything happening in my life. May be I m tired of everything and everyone.

Rishi held her hands in his hold and caressed her knuckled with his thumb.

Rishi: Aadhu, I know you are hurt but please don’t give up. You have me baby and I know its quite difficult for you to trust anyone especially me but I will earn my chance.

Aadhi: I don’t have any strength left in me to bring myself in trusting anyone right now. May be its my fault for having too much expectations in life but the price I had to pay to learn the lesson was too much.

Rishi: sshhhh, please Aadhu, you haven’t lost anything. You have me and I will give you everything that you deserve. Please trust me once and give me a chance baby.

Aadhi: Why should I trust you Rishi ?

Rishi: Because I love you Aadhu, I love you so much and would do anything for you baby.

Aadhi: Prove it Rishi..

Rishi quickly knelt before her without letting go of her hands and looked at her with a smile.

Rishi: I m ready to do anything to prove my love for you Aadhu. Tell me what should I do.

Aadhi: Let go of me.

Aadhi yanked her hands from his hold and walked away but Rishi rushed to her and hugged her from behind with his one around her neck and one on her abdomen.

Rishi: Aadhu, I m ready to bear any punishment but not this one please. I was just existing on this earth but you taught me to live. Now I have started learning to live so please don’t take back what you gave me. I would rather die than letting you go Aadhu. I really love you Aadhu.

Aadhi: Rishi, I m giving you a chance to prove yourself.

She removed his hands and turned to face him. This time she held both his hands and looked into his eyes.

Aadhi: I can see everything you do to earn a chance. Though I feel that you really mean everything you say, I m scared of being broken once again. I don’t want you realize later that what you felt for me was only pity.

Rishi: Aadhu..

Aadhi: Let me finish Rishi. What you heard from my brother and read from dairy is true. I had been in love with you despite I never knew your name or got a chance to meet you. Seven months I had survived only with your thoughts now I want you to prove that what you feel for me is only love.

Rishi: Do you want me to live and love you the way you loved me ?

Aadhi: Yes, I will leave with no traces of my existence in your life. You will not hold anything that will remind me in your life, you will not call me, follow me or even stalk me with your influence. The day after tomorrow completes six months to our wedding and you have the next six months to prove yourself. On the day of our first anniversary if you come back to me without fail then I m all yours but if you fail to turn up then you will let go of me forever. You will sign the divorce papers and we shall never meet. Do you agree ?