Vaidehi - His Second chance

4. Set-Up

✦Sankaar✦

"Sanskaar, are you even listening? We're talking to you. Where are you lost?" My mother's voice broke through my thoughts, pulling me back from the abyss of memories. I looked up and realized I was still at home, surrounded by the familiar confines of our mansion.

But was I really lost? Nah, I had discovered a part of me that I didn't know existed—the ruthless, vengeful side that had surfaced after her departure. Could that be considered being lost? Maybe, if it meant being consumed by this darkness until my very last breath, and being damned to eternal suffering...

"What were you all discussing?" I inquired, my voice tinged with confusion, though deep down, I already had an inkling.

"Your marriage, Sanskaar. Look at the girl's picture." Chachi handed me the photograph, and despite the warning bells in my mind, I accepted it. As I gazed at the image, all I saw was Siya in that girl, her presence haunting every corner of my heart. Anger surged within me, tearing at my insides and flinging the shattered remnants of my emotions into the abyss. I wished I could rip her memory from my heart with the same force, but I couldn't. And for that, I despised myself even more.

She left me shattered, a pitiful wreck of a man. It fills me with rage, with hatred, with a desire to unleash destruction upon the world. Yet, as they say, no matter how much someone detaches themselves from you, if you've ever loved them, you can't truly hate them.

"Marriage! Marriage! Marriage!" I sighed, shaking my head. "Don't you people get tired of chanting the same word all day long? What's with the obsession with it? If you need someone to look after, just let me know. I can hire a whole line of servants. If you need someone to talk to, I'm here too. But please, spare me from the constant barrage of marriage talk."

"Sanskaar, watch your tone! That's your mother you're speaking to," Papa reprimanded.

"It was your choice, Sanskaar. Why are you taking it out on everyone else?" She chided gently.

"I knew it, damn knew it! I'm always the wrong one, aren't I? It's not that my choice is wrong, but I am myself a wrong choice. I'm living with that fact, but don't point it out again and again. Let me wallow in my own guilt!" I shouted, my eyes blazing with anger, as I pounded my fist against the wooden table.

"Aapne man ki toh karke dekh liya, ek baar bado ki bhi sun lo"Dadi added, moving her wheel chair towards him.

(You've followed your heart's desires, now listen to the elders for once)

"Please, Dadi, I beg of you. For God's sake, I'm done with it. I'm done with my life. Stop wasting your time on me. A rejected piece is not worthy of your love and care." I replied and closed my eyes before I loses control over my body.

"I have a girl in mind" Ma said, her voice heavy with resignation but I kept focusing on my memories.

"Who?" Dadi asked.

"Anant Chauhan's daughter"

"Well, that's promising. He is the Minister of Culture, after all," Papa remarked, showing a sudden interest in the conversation.

"Adhir, it's not about who her father is; it's about who your son is. There is very less chance that any girl would want to marry him."Ma countered, her tone laced with concern.

As my eyes remained closed, I could still sense the presence of everyone around me. Amidst the blur  faces, one stood out, hauntingly familiar yet painfully forgettable. Tears welled up in my eyes, betraying the facade of composure I tried to maintain. With a swift motion, I brushed them away, masking my turmoil before anyone could notice.