Twenty-four hours had passed since I learned the terrible truth that I was the third wife of that bastard, Rakesh. Last night I nearly tossed hot curry over his head, but I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction, not once the case was filed. The hate and fury I felt for that family were words the dictionary didn’t contain.
I refused to face him that morning. I cooked breakfast but locked myself in the bathroom, pretending to bathe. I heard him shout and pound on the door, furious that I hadn’t stayed to serve him, but I kept my eyes closed and stayed put until I was sure he’d left.
When I finally came out, the witch—she was already in the living room, watching TV. The moment she saw me she turned it off, clearly relieved to have fresh entertainment.
“Useless woman, What were you doing all this time? You can’t even serve your husband his breakfast before he leaves? My son works so hard, and you parade around like a queen. Shameless, you can’t even bear a child. Not an ounce of regret in you.” she spat.
For a second I wanted to fling the teacup at her, but instead I yawned, set the cup on the table, and went to the kitchen to wash the dishes. I was only trying to make time pass. Geetha madam was coming today with papers for my signature.
I wiped my hands, carried a cup of tea back into the living room, and then went up to the terrace where Radhika didi and Geetha madam were already waiting. I mumbled an apology for being late but they only smiled. Geetha madam handed me the papers; I signed them without hesitation.
“I’ll file the papers immediately and make sure he receives the summons from the court within a day or two at the most. You have me, Meera, and you will have your freedom soon. So stay strong and try to relax,” Geetha said, and somehow, her smile soothed my aching heart.
“I’ve also informed a friend from the police department to find details about his first two wives. If there were any divorces, I can pull those records from the family court. That would strengthen your case. I could even secure alimony or a monthly allowance to support your life, Meera.”
I shook my head firmly, rejecting the idea of alimony or any allowance.
“No, madam. The harsh truth is that I was sold, he paid and spent around ten or some fifteen lakhs on me. It disgusts me that I ever ate from his kitchen. I would hate myself for the rest of my life if I had to live on his money, even a single penny. I don’t want anything from him. I just want my freedom,” I said, though Geetha didn’t seem to agree with me.
“They’ve abused you, Meera. He raped you and harassed you. The standard working hours in this country are nine, and even if you worked in a hotel or a small company, the minimum wage fixed by the government is around twelve thousand a month. But you worked double that time for two years and on top of that, he abused you physically and mentally. No money could truly compensate for what you went through. Don’t see alimony as his charity, it’s your right,” she said, trying to convince me.
But my hatred for that man ran deeper than any desire for compensation.
“You’re right, madam, but there are certain things I want to prioritize in this case. I don’t want him to have the satisfaction of thinking I needed his money to survive. I’ve lived twenty-two years proving that I care about more than just three meals and a set of clothes. If I accept his money, I’ll feel worthless. For once, let me feel that I still have some dignity and pride left in me,” I said, tears rolling down my cheeks. They understood. Both women nodded silently.
I thanked them and returned to my room. I sat on the couch for a while, wondering what I should do once I finally leave this hell. My eyes drifted toward the wardrobe. Most of the clothes inside were bought by Rakesh. I pulled out the few sarees my mother and grandmother had gifted me. For now, these would do. I folded them neatly and set them aside, ready to pack once the papers were served to him.
I cooked lunch, placed it on the table, and returned to the room. I heard the witch screaming that I had grown wings and started disrespecting her but I couldn’t care less. For all I cared, she could die with her bastard son.
All I had to do was avoid him for another one or two nights. I just had to hold back my fury until the papers were served to him. I could do that, I’ve been pretending everything was fine all my life, so forty-eight hours wouldn’t be difficult.
I rushed to my wardrobe, picked up the sanitary pad packet, and left it on the nightstand. By evening, I prepared dinner earlier than usual and returned to the room. I folded the clothes and glanced at the clock. When I heard the sound of the car, I lay down on the couch, pretending to be asleep.
A few minutes later, I heard footsteps, the bastard entered the room and halted sharply. He had never once seen me asleep when he came home from work, so he must have been shocked. Thankfully, my back was facing him, so I couldn’t see his reaction.
“Useless bitch… she had to have those bloody periods today,” he muttered.
Oh, he had seen the packet on the nightstand. I sighed in relief and continued my act while he went on with his usual routine. When I heard the bathroom door open, I braced myself, ready for what would come. As expected, he slapped my back. I startled awake and adjusted my saree.
“Idiot, get out and serve me dinner!” he screamed.
I walked out slowly, pretending to be in pain, and served him dinner. My mother-in-law, the witch was staring at me as if she could burn me to ashes. The mahaan father-in-law was eating as if it was the last meal on earth.
Spineless man.
I took my own time cleaning the kitchen before returning to the room. Rakesh was smiling at something on his phone. Lately, he had been glued to it like some teenager in love.
Bastard. Why doesn’t he just get into an accident?
I picked up a sanitary pad and entered the bathroom to keep up the act. When I walked out, he was standing in front of the mirror, admiring himself. I tried to move past him toward the couch, but he stopped me by grabbing my wrist. Disgust crawled up my skin.
I knew that smirk. I knew that look.
“I’m on my periods. Let me go. I’m in pain and exhausted,” I said, trying to yank my hand free. But he only pulled me closer and hugged me with that cruel smirk.
“So what if you’re on your periods? That doesn’t mean we can’t have fun. There’s always a way,” he sneered.
Saying that, he pushed me to the ground and dropped his pants. I crawled away from him, but he yanked me back by my hair. Whatever happened, I knew one thing, I would never give in to him again. I found a way to my freedom and this time, I was determined not to back down from my decision.
I forced myself to my feet and glared at him with equal fury.
“Aren’t you ashamed? Let go of me” I screamed.
His smirk vanished, replaced by rage. He began slapping me again and again. I screamed, ran toward the door, and somehow managed to unlatch it. Bolting out of the room, I rushed into the nearest one and locked the door from inside.
He banged on it for a while, shouting at me to open up, but I ignored him and lay down on the bed, trembling yet numb.
By morning, I didn’t care to bathe, my clothes were still in the bedroom, and I had no interest in seeing his face. I simply refreshed myself and went to prepare breakfast. As I carried on with my chores, the witch was the first to step out of her room. I placed a glass of coffee on the dining table, completely ignoring her just as I had ignored her son last night.
“How respectful of you, Maharani? Should I thank you for the coffee or bow before you for it? Not your fault though, I’m the fool for expecting respect from a woman like you,” she sneered.
I rolled my eyes and kept chopping vegetables. As she ranted, her husband walked out, dressed for work, and I ignored him until the witch screamed for coffee. I placed another glass on the table and returned to my work.
By nine, the bastard entered, his jaw clenched. I set the breakfast before him, he gripped the glass so tightly his knuckles whitened, his eyes fixed on me. He pushed back his chair and dragged me into the kitchen.
“Let go of me” I screamed, but he yanked my hair.
“You said you were on your period last night, and here you are still in the same saree from last night, and you never went back to the room to get pads. Pretending, were you? How dare you, bitch.” He shoved me to the floor with a sharp slap.
Now we had an audience. The witch and her husband stood at the threshold watching. Rakesh rolled up his sleeves and grabbed my hair, forcing my face toward him.
“You’ve been acting different lately. Do you think I haven’t noticed the changes in you? Wait till I come back from work. I’ll kill you,” he screamed in my face.
“Do that, Rakesh. At least you won’t have to spend any more money on this useless woman,” the witch said, and went back to her meal. Rakesh grabbed a jug of water from the counter, hurled it at me, and walked out.
I wiped my face and sat down, leaning against the wall.
“How dare she pretend to be on her periods? No woman would do that to her husband. Poor Rakesh got nothing by marrying this bitch. She doesn’t even serve him food, and now she refuses to behave like a wife” the witch screamed.
I ignored her words, returned to the room, and got ready in a simple saree. Then I went up to the terrace and waited for Radhika didi. She arrived a few minutes later, holding a plate of food, and placed it before me. I told her everything that had happened. She listened quietly, lost in thought.
“Meera, I think you should record that man’s reaction when the papers are delivered. It would help us in the case,” she suggested, and I nodded in agreement.
One more day. Just one more day, and I’ll be free from this hell and from that bastard.
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A/N:
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