Love Happens

Chapter four

Mumbai
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Anand assumed everyone would be sleeping at seven since it was the weekend. He came home to bathe and then leave for work. Entering his room, he was stunned to see Shraddha awake. But more than everything, he was angry because she was his wife in front of the people. He decided to shove off her existence as if she weren't there as he went to the closet. Meanwhile, Shraddha's eyes followed his every movement. He returned, but he didn't appear quite pleased to see her. She concluded it was due to stress from work. Her gaze followed him until he entered the bathroom. Minutes later, he bathed and changed inside, then came out. Shraddha was waiting for him by the door. He walked past her as if he didn't see her. She followed him wherever he went in the room as he recklessly searched for a file amongst the many files in the drawer.

"Stay in one place!" He uttered in a pissed tone. She was behaving like a child who was following the man who shared candy. But the difference was that he didn't have candy.

"A-a--w-where--how--is work?" she stammered.

"Whoever told you I was at work lied. I didn't want to come home because you were there. I went to the bar." His cold proclamations flowed out of his lips. Shraddha smiled innocently and asked why he didn't come home if he wanted to use the bar. She has never been to the bar, so she has no idea what people do there. But by the name, it felt to her like a study room or something.

He sent her an icy glare, which sent cold chills down her spine. She got scared and gulped slowly out of nervousness.

"Are you stupid? Do you expect me to drink when my kids are around?"

"Drink? Why? Alcohol?" she got scared of asking. She hoped it wasn't alcohol because she heard people drink that when they're in pain, so she was scared he was hurt by something.

"Yes, Alcohol. In case you don't know, a bar is a place to drink. I went there to drink. I went there to get away from you because I hate you!" he exclaimed, clearing the questions in her head. She wanted to cry. Her husband was a drunkard. It was a sin to drink. That was what she was taught, and today she is married to a drunkard. But that's not what hurt her. What hurt her was that he went there to get away from her. When his mother came two weeks ago for her proposal, she said Anand saw and liked her, and today he confessed he hated her.

"Was that the reason you didn't save me yesterday? Shraddha's mascara by that time, after hearing what her husband had to say the next morning after not showing up for their wedding night, was blemished from her lashes down to her eyes. She didn't care if she looked like a witch at that moment. She waited for him all night, couldn't sleep because she was worried, and instead of giving her a reasonable excuse, all he said was that.

He bridged the distance between them as he held her chin within his two hard fingers. Of course, the proximity between them liquefied her anger, but his next response shocked her more. It broke her heart into pieces that could never be mended, even when found. He said it without remorse, regret, shame, or guilt.

"As a doctor, I'm ready to get my license revoked if the last option will be touching you. Even if you're hiking on the ladder of death and the only option to revive you is CPR from me, know that I won't give a damn. You may be my wife in the world, but in reality, this..." he jerked her body in front of the huge portrait of a beautiful woman in his bedroom. Her long hair was flawlessly black and she was wearing lots of golden ornaments just like a bride. She was in a silk saree that has an off-shoulder neck. Her smile was enough to light a thousand lamps for Diwali because of how infectious it was. Shraddha lowered her gaze almost on the threshold of tears. She knew what was about to come.

"This woman remains my wife. She's still the only one in my heart."

Her eyes were fixated on the portrait while she sailed through a phase of gloom. Anand walked out of the room without her notice.

The tears naturally crawled out of her eyes, not realizing it until Anand's mother went in. Her breath became sporadic as she couldn't believe what her husband told her a few minutes ago about him still having feelings for his first wife. She wasn't trying to be jealous since his first wife was already dead and wouldn't ever return, but she was upset that he was still stuck in the past and hadn't moved on yet.

"Bath and come to the breakfast table quickly. Anand will also be there." She tried to cheer up her dull, sad face.

"You lied to—" Shraddha began to express her sorrow.

"I did something wrong, I know. You won't understand the reason we got you married to our son, but believe me, it's for the best. I'll send clothes. Change into them after you take a bath and come downstairs." She evaded discussing the topic with her and left. She didn't want her to find out she was only a victim of a game in politics.

Shraddha drowsed in the bathroom. It wasn't her everyday bathroom at home. There were things she never saw or knew how to use. There was no bucket or cup to bathe with; rather, there was a river inside a huge tub. She walked into the shower and looked at the faucet, spouts, tap, and settings. She decided to try all of them and see what the shower was used for. After surveying them, she turned the faucet on. The round showerhead gushed warm water on her, and she sighed in contentment. That was what she needed at the moment, as she undressed. She tried to wash all her pain away with warm water. The pain Anand caused her by rejecting her as his wife. She spent many minutes under the warm water, trying to find peace. After all the feeling of getting rejected washed out of her heart, she draped a towel around her and went out. She met the colorful cotton sari her mother-in-law laid out for her on the bed.

She fitted into it after cleaning herself properly with the towel to wipe away the wetness of the water on her. Her hair wasn't so messy, and since she didn't have a comb with her, she decided to just go out without adjusting anything in it. She felt super comfortable in her attire as she descended the stairs of the house. She was happy she would get to meet Anand's children, at least. They were there to support her, even if their father wasn't ready to.

She went into the dining room.

Anand sat there only for his children to have breakfast like a normal family would, but when he saw Shraddha there, he got up to leave because he didn't want to share any relationship with her.

"Please stay. Have breakfast together. She waited all night for you to return and perform the welcoming ceremony." His mother shared. His children looked at Shraddha's pale face.

"Why?" the eldest girl whispered, which no one heard.

"I never asked her to.

She closed her eyes to prevent the tears that had crawled inside from coming out. His words broke her heart into pieces again, like a knife that stabbed it until it smashed.

He grabbed his car key and left.

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