The untold story of the first wife

Chapter 16 - Games

It has been a month since the full moon day. Everybody has fallen into their old routine except Yuvraj Pratap. He has been trying to spend some time with Anamika ever since the full moon day but She was giving excuses of work or something else at most times. Sometimes the kids will be there with her and they just spend some good time together but he couldn't spend alone time with her ever.

Even when he goes to her room at night so that she won't have any excuses but then again she would ask him to sleep on the other side of the bed and will sleep saying she is tired.

Anamika didn't want to confront him regarding anything because people confront the ones whom they don't want to loose,  not the ones whom they already lost. That's why she is avoiding him at any cost. There is no need for any confrontation.

Alongside Yuvraj was behaving or trying to behave as a good husband for both his wives.  He would go to check the kids both in morning and night as well as Saudamini who is pregnant. She will try to distract him from going to Anamika although he was splitting his time equally between them both. Yuvraj also noticing her attempts to stop him from going to Anamika but he just left it at that thinking she is just behaving jealous.

One such day Yuvraj was playing with kids in east wing, while Anamika was creating a garland of flowers. He thought of a plan to involve her with them and asked the kids whether they want to play in the garden.

The kids nodded enthusiastically making him grin. He slowly whispered to the elder two girls whether they want their badi masa to join them in the garden as well. When they nodded at him, he asked them to plead and forcefully drag her to the garden to play.

All this went unnoticed by Anamika as she was totally immersed in her job. When the kids asked her with puppy eyes pleading for her to come and play with them in the garden, she just couldn't refuse them even though she knows he will also be there.

She nodded giving her half smile to the kids without facing him and let them drag her out. when they reached garden, yuvraj asked the kids, "So, what shall we play?"

"Mmm.. I will blindfold you and you have to catch us. Is it fine babasa? ", Malini asked her father. "ok", yuvraj replied. He took a cloth and blindfolded himself and started searching for them. The children were giggling while running here and there which made both the adults smile.
Yuvraj was approaching Anamika in the search of kids. She stiffened at his proximity as she didn't see him coming near her till then as she focussed on kids all this time. Yuvraj also sensed her as he touched her hands and hold her still.

Though he is blindfolded, he could still feel her piercing eyes on him. In fact he could even feel that her ever so blank eyes were questioning him now.  Anamika was in a daze. As he was blindfolded she didn't mask her gaze towards him. She wanted to at least let out her emotions this one time taking advantage of his blind fold.

She very well know that they cannot have any other relationship between them except being parents to their children. When she felt him removing the blindfold, she quickly masked her eyes.

Yuvraj just wanted to see her eyes with emotions atleast once. So he removed his blindfold but he was met with a pair of eyes devoid of any emotions. He just looked at her without knowing what to say.

They looked like some long lost lovers with their intense staring which was noticed by the other two pairs of eyes as well. One felt insecure and the other felt guilty. Insecure to see its own possession going away from its hand and Guilty of doing a sin which a woman should never do to another woman.

Both left from there without disturbing anyone. Anamika freed herself from Yuvraj's arms after coming out of their daze by the clapping sounds of the kids.
They yelled, "Babasa caught badi masa. Yay! Now badi masa you have to blindfold and catch us." Anamika nodded and took the blindfold from him and tied it herself before he comes for help. They continued playing for some time as Anamika avoided clashing with yuvraj at all costs.

When they finally stopped playing feeling tired. Prachi asked her father, "Babasa, I cannot run anymore. I'm tired.  But I don't want to go just yet. Can we please play in the swing for some time? ". Yuvraj smiled at her and said, "of course my baby. We will play in swing. Let's go everyone"

Anamika denied them saying, "You people go and play, I will go to my room and take rest as I feel tired". She herself don't know why she is feeling tired all of a sudden. She had done sword practice even more than the time they played now.

Yuvraj looked at her confusedly as he thought the swing will bring back their cherished memories. But she want to get away from that. He didn't want to give up on this just yet. So he said, "Kids, It's almost lunch time. You all go to the dining room and eat lunch. Badi masa is also tired, so we will play another time. ok?"

The kids nodded at him and went away. He turned to Anamika and said, "Do you remember? This swing is the one I have gifted you on our first Anniversary. You wouldn't miss to play in this a single day. Why don't you sit on this, I will help you swing."

Anamika looked at him and replied, "If even a drop of poison is put in pure white milk, the entire milk will turn poison. Likewise if there is a single bad memory attached to a thing, it will
overshadow all good memories."

Yuvraj was still confused though he could make out that something had happened that made her pleasant memories sour but couldn't pinpoint it.   She turned to go away but stopped and said, "You very well know yuvraj that I don't share my priced possessions and if it is snatched from me and used by someone else then I will not take not back. "

Yuvraj felt as if she was not just talking about the swing bit also himself. Thinking of her words, yuvraj vaguely remembered that he took Saudamini to the garden when she was pregnant for the first time. And she sat on the swing even after his warnings about it being Anamika's gift. Having no other way as she has already seated and started swinging on her own with her baby bump, he went and stood behind her and started to push and pull the swing carefully so that she doesn't fall down.

After that he warned her sternly to never go to the swing as Anamika doesn't like that but he never knew that She would sit on the swing whenever she feels Anamika isn't watching or nearby.

He cursed himself for being so insensitive of Anamika's feelings as it doesn't matter whether she is there or not but he should have respected her emotions attached to the swing.

He started to look for her whether she went to her chamber or not and he found her walking towards it. He started to walk towards her to apologize thinking its better late than never. Suddenly he saw that a crow was flying too low and was near her head. He called her thinking the crow will hit her head, "Anamika! ".

Anamika turned around hearing his shout but the crow didn't hit her head like he thought so he slowed down. Then something unexpected happened.

The crow dropped some ball kind of thing near her and flew away. Before he could think of it, the ball exploded into smoke surrounding her, without any noise.

He couldn't spot her within the smoke so he ran near her but still couldn't see anything. Suddenly his foot touched something soft and he realized it was Anamika who fainted.

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SM.