Maami ki Behen ki Beti ✓

1. Akele Chodke

Everything was over.

Finished.

Raavi never felt this alone and heartbroken in her life, this was not supposed to happen, yet it did. And her life was completely pointless now. She was so blank, so distorted that no tears, no words, nothing could bring her back her life. She always had one dream since she was five when she would see Dev, with his cute family. She dreamt to be Dev's wife, live forever as a Pandya, be a part of that beautiful family and that was it.

It was all she wanted.

Was it too much to ask though? And then she was in this bubble, this weird bubble that Dev loved her too, which she mistook his nature for. She could not see past her illusion which she had woven since childhood, and it came crashing down when Dev broke their wedding and married Rishita, the woman he loved.

Good for him, Raavi was happy, why would she not be? She truly loved Dev and if he was happy, then she was.

So what if it was not her.

The entire wedding was a blur, when Raavi stepped down from the mandap. Everything happened really fast, Dev got married to Rishita, the Pandya family with long faces left with the newly married couple and here she was, all alone. Her massi, her massa, cousin, family and relatives all surrounded her, sympathised with her, cried for her but she was standing like a pillar. Not even a single tear fell from her eyes.

Somehow she escaped the sorrowful state at her house and sat on the high wall on a hill, in her bridal avatar. There was a deep lake past the wall and Raavi knew that if she fell, she would instantly die by the height and if not then would drown for sure. But right now, just as dead the night was, Raavi was too. This was not living, this was slow death to her. Her mind somehow thought what Dev and his wife must be doing and that thought made her shudder, shaking her head, and she gulped.

Her hands tightened against the stony wall, maybe if she jumped, this would all stop. Maybe it would be better to go take a dip in the cold lake, or make her mind stop from imagining all these stupid scenes. Maybe her family would be spared from humiliation of yet another daughter not being unmarried right before the altar. Pandya family would now be celebrating with their new bahu, forgetting her, and Raavi felt the pang in her heart return when she imagined a laughing Shiva.

He hated her since day 1.

Shiva never wanted her to enter his house, and he was always against the wedding with Dev, and he probably would be the most happiest right now. Sighing, Raavi shut her eyes, the bridal dress was already heavy with all the jewellery and overdo, but her heart was heavier with the heartbreak and the betrayal. She took a deep breath, looking down at the black lake, and gulped.

It would be easier once she was gone.

"I would not do that if I were you."

Raavi came to her senses before she had done the deed and snapped out of it, not realising how deeply she was breathing. Panting, she relaxed, thankful she had not taken the drastic step out of misery and looked at her saviour, but her jaw clenched when she saw her arch-nemesis stand close by.

Shiva was still dressed in the wedding sherwani he had worn for the wedding, meeting Raavi's eyes with a grim smile.

He wanted to taunt her, hurt her more, Raavi thought, looking ahead, "chala jaa, Shiva." She managed to say, the first words from her mouth after the evening's happenings. "Please, chala jaa. Na mujh mein aaj ladne ki taakat hai aur na tere paas mere liye time. Toh please..."

"Sun, ye jagah tere baap ki hai?" Rowdy Shiva spoke aloud, "ya ye seat pe sirf teri tashrif baith sakti hai aisa koi rule hai?"

Huffing at his words, Raavi shut her eyes. She really had no strength to fight with him but it seemed like Shiva was not done, because he sat next to her, and like her, kept his feet dangling in the air. There was still an arm's distance between them and Raavi still felt the grief, the pain now increasing.