You and Me | ✓

27

Days were flying like hours but the only thing that mattered was the comfort Roop and Amrit found in each other.

"It's been six months already?" Her sister, Sriya's soft voice was heard from the other side.

"Yeah..it's...beautiful." Roop replied, a sigh escaping her lips as she smiled, recalling the new memories she made with him.

"Is he nice to you?" Sriya asked.

Roop and Sriya were never close but Sriya wasn't like her parents, she treated her like a person but the random call was somewhere bugging her, Sriya didn't bother to call her in the past six months then why now?

"He's nice to me, very nice. He makes me happy." She replied, waiting for her to drop the bomb on her, she knew the call wasn't for wishing her, it was something else.

"Um, Roop..dad got a heart attack last night, I didn't call yesterday because I thought you'd be celebrating...we're in the city hospital...if you.." Sriya trailed off.

They did celebrate last night, it wasn't something big, just a small celebration and Roop was happy to know that she didn't ruin that celebration because as bad as it sounds, she stopped caring about those people a long time ago.

"I'll visit him today." She replied, hanging up the call, a tired sigh left her lips as she got up to change into something a little suitable to visit a hospital.

It didn't take her long to change her clothes and get ready to leave, wishing to quickly get over the formalities and come back home, she informed her mother-in-law before leaving for the hospital.

She didn't bother telling Amrit about her father since he already left for a business trip early in the morning and probably won't come back for atleast three days.

"Thank you." She thanked the driver as he informed her about them reaching the destination before walking inside.

She wanted to turn around and leave as soon as she stepped inside the hospital but her footsteps took her to the reception, "Excuse me." She called out to the receptionist, "Can you help me with Mr. Akash Madan's room number?" She asked.

"Third floor, Room 306." Came the reply.

"Thank you." She replied, making her way toward the third floor.

She knew her father wouldn't care about her visit, and that man didn't bother to tell her who she was getting married to let alone give her an assurance that she could always have a place back home, he completely abandoned her the moment her name joined with another.

Knocking on the door softly, she walked in hearing a reply, seeing the people who were supposed to be her family after six months of zero contact.

"Hi." Roop initiated the conversation since none of them bothered to, keeping the fruits she brought on a table beside the bed.

Her father looked away from her while her mother looked at her with no expression, "Who called her?" Meher, her mother asked.

"How are you?" Roop asked, ignoring them.

"Leave." Was the reply her father gave.

"I didn't want to come but I'm not like you." She replied, standing firm on her feet, as much as she tried not to let them affect her, she couldn't help but let their actions get to her.

A bitter chuckle left his mouth as he looked at his daughter, "khud aayi ho ya nikaal dia usne?" He asked.
(Have you come yourself or has he thrown you out?)

"Excuse me?"

"Ye abhi bhi apni kitaabi duniya me jee rahi hai." He turned to his wife, taunting her sarcastically, "Yaad hai na ye shaadi sirf ek deal thi? 6 mahine ki baat thi, kitne mahine ho gaye?" He acted nonchalant.
(She is still living in her bookish world.) (Remember, this marriage was just a deal? It was a matter of 6 months, how many months have passed?)

"Shut up!" Roop felt herself moving backward, the big hospital room was feeling suffocating.

"What happened now? Leaving already? This is the truth. He married you so he could sign a deal with a big client, I married you off so I could repay a loan I took from him, that's it." He told her the harsh truth, "looks like little Roop didn't know."

"Dad, she's your daughter!" Sriya started to say but was shown a hand to stop talking.

"Shut up! Bola tha isey ki ab humara koi rishta nahi hai, kyun aayi fir yahan? Nikaal dia iske pati ne? Iska rishta humse tabhi khatam ho gaya tha jiss din isne mere bete ko maara tha, isne mujhse mera beta cheena, maine issey iski khushiyan, hisaab barabar." He said as if everything was normal as if he did nothing wrong.
(shut up! We told her that we don't have any relationship now, so why did she come here again? Did her husband throw her out? Her relationship with us ended the day she killed my son, she snatched my son from me, and I took her happiness from her, the account is equal.)

"Maine nahi maara unhe, unka pair fisla tha!" Roop shouted the same thing she was shouting since she was six, tears flowing down as her cheeks turned red along with her nose.
(I didn't kill him, his leg slipped!)

"You pushed him! You always were a jealous person Roop, get out of here. Your sight disgusts me!" He yelled, looking away.

Roop's eyes went to her mother, waiting for her to say something, anything to tell her that she believed her but she got nothing, her mother and sister stood by her father's side as he blamed her for something she never did.

Roop loved her older brother more than anything, why would she kill him then? Drowning was the cause of his death, unfortunately, Roop was the one with him at the moment, a six-year-old child who didn't know how to swim.

She watched her 8-year-old Ruaan bhai drown while she yelled for help but no one came and when they did, it was too late and all the blame came on Roop.

"I didn't kill him...I didn't...he slipped.." She walked out of the room, her body trembling as she rushed out, panic filling her senses as she tried to get rid of the memories she buried deep down as they resurfaced.

"Are you okay ma'am?" The driver she came with asked as he noticed her condition, watching her rush out of the hospital as tears flowed down her face.

"Home..please take me home." She managed to say, gulping huge sips of water the driver provided her.

The driver kept throwing concerned glances at her throughout the way but stayed silent, giving her the space she needed.

Roop wiped her face as they reached nearer to the mansion, covering her eyes with sunglasses to hide the puffy eyes.

A knock on the window startled her as the car stopped at the entry gate, "Mrs. Mehrotra? Ye aapke liye aaya tha." The guard told her, handing her a parcel.
(Mrs. Mehrotra? This came for you.)

...
Well...this chapter was a rollercoaster ride for me but yeah it was very much needed for the backstory isn't it? hope nothing was too much?
Have a good day! <3