Love Happens

9

Ananya hugged her friend Sarah and cried on her shoulder because she was the only person she could trust among the people she was surrounded with.

"Your father has informed me about everything. I wish I was strict enough with you regarding taking your medications. You wouldn't be crying now because then, even after seeing them, you wouldn't remember who they were."

"I am glad I remembered, or they would have gotten away with their crimes." Shraddha pulled back. "I have to get Anand's father back on his feet again. He can't be bedridden."

"Let me go in. You can't stop me from meeting my wife." Ananya looked at Anand, who entered her room with Mr. Pandey, trying to stop him.

"What are you doing here?"

"I want to talk to you, Shraddha, please."

She asked both Sarah and Mr. Pamdey to leave the room so that she could hear what he desperately wanted to tell her as he asked with folded hands. Her father refused to, as he had promised Mr. Kapoor she would stay far away from his family and his son.

"This is the last time we're going to meet. Let him say whatever he wishes to because it is the last." Shraddha said to her father. Although he was still not convinced, he gave them privacy and left with her friend.

"What do you mean the last? We'll stay together until my death."

Her anger melted for a while until her mind replayed the moment he danced with Lakshmi. As she became insensitive again, she asked. "Don't deviate from the topic. What brought you?"

"In the past, I said after your bail, we'd remarry with all the ceremonies. I'll be a part of all of them so that you and I can stay together without problems. You, me, and our children will move out of the mansion to start a new life."

"You speak about living forever when, despite being aware of who shot me in the past, you're remaining quiet and protecting the person. I wasn't expecting you to take action because he's your brother-in-law, but not confronting him—I didn't expect that from you. You've never given me respect as your wife; you've never supported me; you've never...." She closed her eyes, and tears gushed from them, wetting her long black lashes. "Never. We may not have gotten divorced legally, but Shraddha was pronounced dead. In fact, I'm surprised at your audacity that, despite having a wife, you're back here. What else do you want? Your family has taken my strength—my mother." She gazed back at him.

"I loved you late, but I've always respected you."

After the room became silent, Anand read the hesitation in Shraddha's eyes concerning her mother's ashes.

"I poured your mother's ashes into the Ganges. I didn't forget her. I could never. I know what my family did to her. Time wasn't sufficient for me to ask her to forgive you, but I'm sure she didn't die while being upset with you. You're her only daughter. She loved you dearly."

"What should I do with this piece of information? Should I smile and be happy? You allowed the house we lived in, which was the only memory I have left of her, to be demolished and sold. What explanation do you have for this?"

"When I found out, it was too late. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for hurting you, Shraddha. Let's forget the past and start afresh."

She stepped away when his hands were about to rest on her shoulder and released a heavy breath that also set her free from the obligations of her past. She settled her eyes once again at him, confidently, she voiced. "I'm not Shraddha. We can never start over. Moreover, you have a wife. Don't torture her like you did to me with Supriya's memories. Move on. Move on with your family."

"Lakshmi is Supriya's biological sister. She's my sister. We're not married. You're my last Shraddha. I could never betray you."

"You now lie too. I heard what Mr Pandey said. Couples."

"Do you really think I can marry someone else apart from you?"

"I heard and I believed it."

"If I've hurt you in anyway, please forgive me."

"Is this your parting message?" she asked.

"I will give you your space. I know it is too much for you to handle. Eat and sleep. We'll continue the discussion tomorrow."

"There will be no conversation between us again. It is over. OVER!"

"Good night Shraddha." he left while Sarah and Mr Pandey returned inside and asked her what she discussed with him.

"I asked him if he was married. He agreed he was and then went away. There's nothing left from our relationship that was built with lies."

"I'm happy you realized and accepted. Don't worry, your father will make everything right." he proceeded and hugged her as she was delicate with emotions, from recovering from her mother's loss and also trying to heal with moving on from Anand.

•••••

"Hell will break lose if I let her continue to breathe. She took my daughter's life. She took away my happiness." Riya fathomed to Ranbir who was placating his fear with a cup of liquor. He was in the abyss of his thoughts that was overeaten with worry about what would happen to him if Shraddha was to tell the world he had shot her.

"It seems you gave up already. Your silence tells me you won't get rid of her and I must step up and do something on my own." she eyed how he turned into a drunkard again and got upset by his sight, so she stormed out of the room.

••••

"Will Shraddha return to this house? Father went to bring her back. Why, after all these years? Riddhima has already moved on from her. She showed us she hated us by making Father send me to boarding school. Will you still let her return? Can you do this to Mother Lakshmi? She is all alone in this world. She only has us." Poonam told her grandmother.

Her grandmother looked at Lakshmi that was by the window and then back to her granddaughter, then shook her head and muttered, "Never. Shraddha doesn't have a place in the house. I won't even let her walk through the door. The phase when she used to be my daughter-in-law is over. She didn't do anything except ruin our relationships."