As Kumud awoke from her fever-induced coma, she found herself engulfed in a whirlwind of confusion and disbelief. The memories of her past life flooded her consciousness, overwhelming her senses with a surreal sense of déjà vu.
As she grappled with this inexplicable phenomenon, Kumud's mind raced with questions, her heart heavy with uncertainty.
"Who.... am I? Am I still.... Padmini or someone else?" she whispered, the words barely audible against the backdrop of her racing thoughts. "How .... can this .... be?"
Her gaze wandered around the room, taking in the familiar sights yet feeling strangely detached from her surroundings. The faces of her loved ones blurred into indistinct shapes, their voices mere echoes in the recesses of her mind.
Everything she once knew felt distant, like fragments of a dream slipping through her fingers.
"What is happening to me? And... " she looked herself up and down just to say, " The burn marks! They are not here... I clearly felt it... I" as she thought about that moment, her heart began to flutter.
Her breathing was rapid, as she crouched down holding her stomach. The sound of searing flesh assailed her ears and the words of her bloody oath lingered in her head, as she hyperventilated.
A surge of conflicting emotions washes over her – astonishment, disbelief, fear. She struggled to make sense of this inexplicable situation, as the memories flooded her mind, the echoes of a past life intertwined with the reality of her present existence.
Each memory, each sensation, felt both foreign and strangely familiar, like pieces of a puzzle slowly falling into place.
"I live....." she murmurs, her voice barely a whisper against the tumultuous storm raging within her. " Padmini lives...."
The weight of this revelation hung heavy in the air, casting a shadow over her once-clear sense of identity. Who was she now, if not the person she once believed herself to be? How could she reconcile the memories of a past life with the reality of her present existence?
The lines between past and present blur, leaving her adrift in a sea of uncertainty.
Just as she was on the brink of loosing her sanity, the sound of footsteps entering the room, her expression filled with concern.
When she found Padmini laying on the floor, she rushed forward, her eyes scanning Padmini's face for any signs of distress.
"My lady, are you feeling unwell? Why are you sitting on the floor? You look pale....... Is everything alright?"
Her questions made Padmini's confusion to only deepen She just wanted to ask this person Infront of her about the identity of this body, but she knew.... she could not do so.... NEVER!
Just as she tried to open her mouth, that little girl furrowed her brows in concern, her gaze searching Padmini's face for any hint of pain or uncomfort.
She sighed and helped Padmini get up from the floor as she said, "You must take care of yourself, my lady..... You work too hard, always putting others before yourself! Remember, this little maid of yours ' You are the only daughter of the great saamanta of Vajrakota, Pundarik Gupt, the ever gracious Devi Kumudini, and my dearest misterss....."
A bolt of thunder struck her mind as fragments of memories flashed through Kumud's mind like shards of glass, cutting through the haze of confusion that clouds her thoughts.
She sees glimpsed of another life, another self—Kumudini's life, Kumudini's memories. The weight of which threatened to overwhelm her, to consume her in a tide of emotions, she struggles to comprehend.......
All those memories came to an abrupt end as the truth dawned upon her. She was not dead..... Her soul was not dead.... She was now in someone else's body, but HOW!
Her face paled and cold sweat began tumbling down her forehead.
When that person saw this, she exclaimed in trepidation, " Miss! Miss! What happened to you? Why are you so cold? Tell this servant of yours! Tell this Renuka! Renuka is here! Miss!" The girl tried her utmost to hold Kumud up.......
Padmini took a deep breath inn, as she raised her head up to that girl and called, " Renuka?"
"Yes Miss! Please tell me how you feel! Are you fine? Are you feeling any pain?" Renuka said with a gaze of concern.
Padmini could not take it anymore. All she wanted was to scream and cry. But she had to hold on! She could not loose her sanity. NO!
Padmini, now Kumud, slowly opened her mouth, just to say, " I am okay..... just need some rest..... leave ... me alone....." her words a low whisper.
Renuka was worried but she could not go against her mistress's wishes. With a concerned gaze and a heavy heart, she backed out, very much unwilling to oblige.
The Room stilled------
In a quiet moment of introspection, Padmini found herself alone, the hushed stillness of the room offering a respite from the chaos swirling within her mind.
She closed her eyes, seeking solace in the darkness behind her lids, and allowed herself to drift back to the memories of her former life.
The pain of betrayal seared through her heart like a fiery brand, as images of Devendra and Abeera flash before her mind's eye.
She remembered the anguish of discovering their treachery, the searing agony of their deception cutting deep into her soul.......
The memory of Devendra's infidelity, of Abeera's deceitful charms, and the loss of her soul before her life, THE DEATH OF HER AARAV!
They filled her with a potent mix of rage and sorrow, threatening to consume her from within.
But amidst the tempest of her emotions, a flicker of determination ignites within Padmini's spirit. Her eyes flew open as the shone red!
How dare they! How dare they touch her son! They killed her son! destroyed her life! and tormented her to hell and back!
Why should she forgive them! WHY!
She refuses to be a victim of her past!
To succumb to the pain and despair that threaten to overwhelm her!
Suddenly Aarav's memories flooded her mind. Tears pricked at Padmini's eyes as she remembers the son she lost, Aarav, whose laughter once filled the halls of their home with joy and light.
She recalled the warmth of his embrace, the sparkle in his eyes, and the sound of his voice calling out to her with a love that knew no bounds.
And then.... how... in the blink of an eye, he was gone! leaving behind an aching void that no amount of time could ever hope to fill.....
The weight of grief settled upon her heart like a heavy stone.... Padmini, now Kumud, allowed herself to weep, to mourn the loss of all that she held dear...... For the last time, she let her tears fall.
She wept for Aarav, for the life they once shared together, and for the future that was stolen from them by cruel fate. She wept for her mother-in-law and sister-in-law, who supported her though her pain, for Kumud, whose body she now inhabits, for the family and life that once belonged to her, and finally for herself, for she never loved herself enough to be loved by others......
She howled as she pressed her face in the pillow, letting out all her pain, all her suffering.....
All the emotions that coursed through her mind, found their way out through her tears, leaving behind only a glimmer, a glimmer of dedication....
A dedication of vengeance....
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Lotus among the Roses
Historical Fiction'I cried that night.....so much that it numbed me to my core' Padmini sobbed hard. Her life came crashing down at her when she found that her husband had a mistress....... " Gulbahar" this name signified the woman he loves......just like her name wa...
