Unkept Promises

The storm

Avantika's POV

He stood there inside the kitchen, his back facing me. Hmm, but that was our reality. He had turned his back to me, to us and now even I had given up on the fight to make him face me, to face the reality, because he simply did not want to.

Ours was an arranged marriage. Abhiram and I had professions which were nowhere related. I was a criminal lawyer and him, he was a business guy with a creative mind - the owner of an interior designing firm. His baby - as he would affectionately refer to. It was not difficult for us to find a common ground in this marriage, we were both really ambitious and reserved from the rest of the world barring our family and a friend here and there. But over the time, we fell for each other. I did and he claimed that he did too, but then what went wrong?

He often used to say, "Avi, trust is the most important pillar in our relationship."

What an irony, he himself went back on his principles.

Now, there did not seem to be an us, it just seemed that Aarush's mom and dad existed in this home.

"Aaru baby, come here baccha (child), I have made pudla for you today.", Abhiram called out.

(Made of besan (gram flour), curd and spices, pudla is a Gujarati version of an omelette.)

My sweet baby ran into the dining room where his dad had served plates for the three of us. I was a decent cook, but Abhi, I meant Abhiram, he was an exceptional one. Aaru too loved his dad's food a lot. I should really get used to calling him Abhiram, he was no longer my Abhi. He himself had established that.

This had become the routine since the last six months. When we had gotten married, we had decided to equally split the chores. While earlier, these chores were filled with love and banter and were a bonding time for us, some quality time to spend together, now, they seemed too mundane, too robotic. We still completed our fill of chores, but now it was all different, too dry.

I had always found her somewhat malicious, but I never knew she would be so vindictive, so destructive. Abhiram's younger sister, Kinjal, she always had some sort of an issue with me. I got along so well with his pappa (dad) and mummy. They were like the second sets of parents for me. But her- I tried, I really tried to understand her, but to no avail. I thought, she might calm down after getting married, which was two years after our marriage, but nahi (no), her cribbing and plotting knew no ends.

After overlooking for some period, I spoke with Abhiram about this, but he brushed it off stating "such things happen Avi when there are people in home, such clashes happen. Moreover where do we meet often? Once in a month we visit my parents' home, you can ignore her then. And after she gets married, hardly thrice a year or so." I agreed with him, his thoughts were logical, but there was still a nagging thought in my mind. Being a lawyer, I knew the importance of proper communication and conveyed my thought to Abhiram, only to have it brushed off yet again.

He was adamant on his sister not being an 'evil' person and told me to ignore 'small' things.

"She's a bit different Avi, different than you. Its just that you two don't get along and that's okay. Just ignore it, hmm?", he had said and given me a long affectionate kiss.

I did as he said. I just never knew how this would come to haunt me later. I wish I had never underestimated the poison she bore, the malice she personified.

Abhiram was feeding Aaru the pudla when our eyes met. I could sense the same longing in his eyes, the same pain which I bore, just the anger, it was different. This was not my Abhi, with this anger, he was Kinjal's bhai.

(bhai - brother)

His cold anger took me back to that wretched day six months prior.