His Forced Wife

51 | what had happened

Vanraj :

I sat back on the airplane to India.

The memories were fresh in my mind.
The haunting memories of the day that had followed.

When Viraj was lost, I remembered searching for him frantically throughout. Everyone else had joined in on the search too. Malvika had joined Papa and Maa. I had literally run around whole of Chanchalgarh, but to no avail.

After two week of tireless searching - we realised it was too late.
The police promised to keep checking but we knew, the case was shut.

And that's when worse of the panic set in.

10 years ago.
Chanchalgarh.

The room was silent when I had finally stepped in.
Exhausted and hopeless.
Meera had done us the great favour of taking care of the kids. Vanika was with her in their bedroom.

"Malvika?", I called out softly.
There was no reply.
I simply sat down beside the bed, on the floor.
"We did not find him.", I said, more to myself than anyone else.

The realisation literally passed through my whole being like daggers.
What a failure I was as a father!
"Malvika?", I called again.

"She's not here, Babusaheb.", A servant said at the doorway.
"Where is she?", I asked, somehow standing on my feet.
"Terrace.", The lady said before bowing and leaving.

I got out of the room and up to the terrace.
Despite everything, I somehow had lost the will to blame anyone, let alone her.
I just found myself yearning to curl in her arms and breakdown. To battle the grief together instead of fighting each other and tearing apart.

"Malvika..", I whispered as I reached the terrace.
I could see her, standing by the rather low boundary of the terrace.
"Vanraj..", I heard her voice, soft. It trembled a little.
I drew in a deep breath.
"We could not find him..", I said slowly dragging myself towards her.

She said nothing.
I looked down.

"I.. I don't know.. it's just..", I mumbled.
"You must blame me for it.", She said.
"It's not your fault Malvika.. it's no one's..", I replied.
"You are being kind.", Her voice somehow sounded hollow.
As if she said, but without any emotions. Like a robot.

"It's not that Mukku..", I said as I finally looked back up.
In the dimly lit night, I thought I saw her jump.

For moments I paused.
Almost paralysed.

And then I heard the loud splash of the lake by the house.

My blood ran cold.

I immediately ran down stairs.
Still unable to process what just happened.

When I reached by the lake I saw several people around it. The servants.
"What was that?!", This was Akshay.
"Malvika.", I mumbled before jumping into the icy cold water.
She was drowning.
Because she wasn't trying to save herself.

I somehow wrapped my arms around her body and pulled her out of the water.
When I pulled out, that's when I realised she had somehow hit her head somewhere. There was a deep wound on her forehead.

We immediately took her to a hospital.
There had to be a surgery done.

But when she woke up - nothing was the same anymore.

Half her memory had been wiped off.
Partial amnesia it was.
Permanent or temporary, that the doctors could not predict.

She had simply refused to recognise me when I had stepped before her. She knew Papa and Maa as her friends from Texas and Akshay as her brother. She did not remember Meera too.

Akshay had not been too happy with the turn of events.
Somehow he blamed me for his sister's attempted suicide.
Meera had taken my side, and Akshay had done what he did the best.

Sever all ties.

And that is how it had been.
For the last ten years.

Vanika had to stay with Malvika because somehow she remembered Vanika as her daughter. The father, she did not remember and as per Akshay's report - she did not care.

But now,
After ten years,

It was time for me to go back.

The last ten years had been harder than I had ever expected. It was like a lifetime of pain.
I needed her in my life, she was the oxygen to it.

If I did not make my way back, I would probably lose her forever.

The news of her marriage was all over the newspaper. Akshay was getting his sister married again to some random businessman.

And I had had enough.

That wife was mine, and that daughter was very definitely mine.
They were my family, my homeland. I could not let anyone take that away from me.

If she did not remember me, fine -

I would win her back with love.

•••

And that was the reason :)
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