Prejudice

31. Fake Reality

It was two days straight that Jay had said a single word.

When he woke up that night, he was brought back to the harsh reality. He did not have any emotion left in him that could make him shed any tear. He sat at the foot of his bed and closed his eyes.
Pranav's came to him and tried to coax him into eating something, anything. But Jay refused to open his mouth and respond to anything at all.
Neither did he eat, not did he move from there for a shower. He sat there motionless, emotionless, for the time unknown. He had lost the reason to breathe.

Siddharth too, tried his best to sweet talk to him. But nothing changed.

It was after two days that Pranav clenched his jaw lightly for a brief moment, but was back to his composed self, before anyone could notice him.
He blinked once when his father entered the house.

He knew what he was there for. He was there to offer his fake condolences.... He was there to check if everything was just according to his plan. Pranav could not misbehave. Though he knew, the man in front of him was the reason for every misery, he could not put the people, still alive, at risk.
His young wife and baby was at stake.

He, as always, moved forward to touch his father's feet as a gesture of respect, and his father placed a strong hand on his head. He averted his eyes when his father held him gaze. Without another word, Gautam Agarwal was walking proudly towards his younger son's chamber and Pranav slumped down on the sofa, helplessly.

Gautam pushed opened the door to Jay's chamber and looked around in the dark room.
Jay was sitting with his back resting on the wall, with closed eyes.
His father walked to him and placed his right hand on the left side of Jay's face. Jay opened his eyes, startled by w the warm feeling and blinked at his father. Next moment, he leaped in his father's embrace and broke down bitterly.

"Dad" he called out helplessly, within his cries as he held onto his father's shirt and recalled the unfortunate cruel night.

His father stroked his back, asking him to compose himself. But Jay was nowhere better.

He was not composed even after an intense breakdown session. His father had finally left him, with assuring words that, one day, everything will be fine.

Pranav was still in the living room when he stepped down.

"Where is my grandson?" he asked and Pranav's heart skipped a beat.

He cleared his throat nervously.
"He is asleep."

His father nodded in understanding.
"I could not meet him last time. I will stay here for two days. I think even Jay needs me."

Pranav was not surprised. He just nodded. He knew, his father would not leave, until he was sure that his plan had succeeded in every term.
On his father's insistence, Pranav had given orders for the post cremation rituals of the dead daughter-in-law.

Jay was constantly going through emotional rollercoaster. There were times when he would break down bitterly. There were times when he would trash and scream for his dead wife and unborn child and there were times too, when he would go silent as if a statue, sending Pranav into more frenzy.

A couple of days passed and Jay found himself sitting in front of the large photograph, stacked by flower garlands. He sat like a statue, dressed in a cotton shirt and with messy hair as people tried to offer their condolences to him. All the business alliances, close relatives and friends had came to Charu Villa to offer their final respect to the late daughter-in-law of the Agarwal family.

He did not know how many people came and tried to talk to him. He was lost in thinking about the dreadful night that took his wife away.

He did not know that his elder brother was standing at the entrance with folded hands and bowed head, to thank the people who decided to be a part of their mourning. He did not know anything and he did not care for anything.

Pranav looked hopefully at the car that came to a stop and disheveled Ajay stepped down, along with Arjun and Dev.

Pranav could not stop a lone tear that slipped, as he had seen his last hope crashing with mourning Ajay.
Ajay was held back by Arjun's strong frame when he was about to punch motionless Jay.
Dev and Arjun had to drag Ajay from the scene, but Jay was too lost to notice anything.

A furious and angry Ajay was forced in the car, before the car left the premises of Charu Villa.

Initially, Pranav was hopeful that Diya was somehow saved by Ajay. But all his hopes came crashing down, when he had secretly stalked Ajay and his native in Joshimath. He was shocked to know that Ajay's parents in Joshimath were shocked by the news, and his mother could not take it easy. She was mourning for the loss of the only child of her late sister. For her, her entire maternal family came to a full-stop, with the sudden death of Diya. Both Ajay and his parents were devastated and we're grieving for the loss.

It did not stop Pranav from keeping a close watch on Ajay's daily activities.
To his dismay, he did not find anything that could give a slightest hope, that Diya was still alive.

But somehow, his internal self was not agreeing with the fact that everything happening around him was true.

He was aware, Diya was alive.

He had his own theories for the fact.

He knew, the body they cremated was not of Diya. He had seen the gold earrings on the body very closely, but he did not remember where. But it was a fact that it did not belong to Diya, but someone else he knew briefly.

But Ajay's behavior always surprised him. He waited patiently and kept a close watch on him. But he could not find a valid explanation to his beliefs.

Jay was not composed even after two weeks of the unfortunate night. He would find himself sitting on the ground, in front of the banglow. He never had the heart to go inside and look around the place, where he had spend the most beautiful moments of his life.

He would sit down, with his knees pulled in his embrace and look at the banglow that had taken life of two innocent people, with unblinking eyes.

Pranav would come home to find his brother's chamber empty and with tired body and slumped shoulders, would drive back to the banglow, to bring his brother back.
He did not know how to bring Jay back to reality.

Jay's mental health was deteriorating with every passing day.

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Another chapter up.

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