REPLACEMENT WIFE (Short Story) [THE MARTYR WIVES BOOK 1]

13. Viparita

VIDYUT

It's been hard to focus on my work with my mind stuck on my young wife in college with her young guy friends. I know she is fine because Nirnay has been messaging me every hour, giving me intel on what she is doing, who she is with and where she is.

I am not so controlling, even with Manya, I was possessive about keeping a sentry in her school and college and it was her own best friend. But, this obsession to know what Sarisha is doing every single minute is unlike me.

I heard Daharthya talking to me about something, I withheld my wandering mind tightly in my grasp and tried to focus on his words but it was a tough call.

I stood, excusing myself. He stared but let me go, I stepped outside towards the first-floor porch deck.
Reading the message Nirnay dropped, telling me that they are on break right now, and she is at the college cafeteria with her friends. I was aching to know more, to maybe call her.

But the uneasiness that has arisen between us since last night, I questioned myself.
Yet, I dialled videocall on Nirnay's number and he picked it up after three rings, his brown face in sight. "Show her," I ordered but he already had switched the camera, the network blur, and the image was distorted from the distance but with the blurriness she was partly visible.

She was sitting, facing the other way, her side profile, that I have been obsessed with day one, in front, but she wasn't cheerful. She was making average conversations.

I inhaled with her image before my eyes, and I sat down on the chair on the deck and watched her eating peacefully and talking.

Why this strong need to see her?

Unsure of how long I watched her. The break was over and she retired to her class but her head turned, probably towards Nirnay. I could feel that she fumbled and was aware of the fact that it was probably me, for whom Nirnay had angled his camera.

~

I chose to leave and pick her up myself, coming out with Ekvarthya I stepped outside and towards the front. He went ahead on his jeep, and I walked over to my car.

It was afternoon, and she only started college today. She will be out soon, I drove towards her college parked right outside her college arc, and outside waited for her to leave.

I looked at so many people stepping out, some couples walking out, some young women who looked at me in a daze, I know I am old but I am not at all detestable. With the right amount of money and looks and my height and body, I was very admirable. It's not egocentricity, it was simple self-awareness, and these women and lady teachers checked me out, with eyes that glittered when rested on me and then came my wife, whose eyes made my illusion break and reminded me I am simply unsightly and hideous for her.

Who she pulls apart from the touch of. She met my eyes and blinked before she stared at the floor, probably trying to figure out what to do. And then came Raghav Purohit behind her, with two more friends.

He smiled and laughed, and taking his hand he rested it on Sarisha's shoulder.
And that's enough.

That's fucking enough. I strode aggressively towards where all her friends and she were, she shoved his hand away, but it was very late Sarisha. That man wrote his death wish.

Laughter and friendship, I don't see some stupid reasoning. He dared to touch my wife.

My wife!

Sarisha saw me striding angrily towards them, who were still laughing probably at some lame joke because humour is a concept these people wouldn't grasp.