Chronicles Of My Darling Husband

34. Pratisthana (Part 4)

"Can you believe Jaggy's getting engaged?" Unni remarked, his eyes shifting between the couple and the ceremonial proceedings. "One moment he's weaving dreams about a woman, and the next, he's exchanging vows with her. It's like a whirlwind romance!"

"It's not that sudden," Prasanna nodded, her expression thoughtful. "It's been about three years since he started dreaming about her, right, Kant?"

"Yeah, the lucky bastard," Chandrakant scoffed, taking a sip of some random soft drink that was handed to him and wrinkling his nose in disdain. "Fucking shit, this stuff is barely drinkable. I need whiskey."

Prasanna's concern deepened as she noticed Chandrakant's increasingly frequent indulgence in alcohol. "Are you hitting the bottle more often these days?"

Chandrakant's response was tinged with sarcasm. "Thanks, Mom, for keeping tabs on my drinking habits," he clicked his tongue, "Tsk... If you ever find me rotting in a footpath, you can play detective and pinpoint the cause of my death."

Prasanna's patience wore thin as she shot him a reproachful glance. "There's no need to be snarky when we're just looking out for you."

In the last few months, there was a noticeable change in Chandrakant's behavior that hadn't escaped Prasanna's notice.

He had become withdrawn, shutting himself off from their circle, and burying his sorrows in work. She had even caught him still at his desk long after everyone else had left for the day. When Jagdish had attempted to broach the subject, Chandrakant had snapped at him, deflecting any inquiries about his well-being. Their confrontation had left a rift between them, pushing Chandrakant further into his shell.

Prasanna's visit to his apartment had revealed a troubling scene—a chaotic mess, redolent with the stench of neglect, cigarette smoke, and alcohol. While Chandrakant had never been the neatest person, the state of his home was cause for alarm. Their argument had escalated into a heated exchange, with Chandrakant lashing out and ordering her to leave, forbidding her from ever returning.

As Unni, the silent observer, remained on the outskirts of their circle, Jagdish and Prasanna exchanged worried glances every day, their concern for Chandrakant weighing heavily on their minds. They couldn't shake the nagging feeling that his downward spiral might have dire consequences if left unchecked.

--

Devika couldn't help but smile at her friend's sudden blush, spurred by Subhadra and Mohini's teasing. It was a rare sight, like catching a unicorn in the wild. She couldn't quite wrap her head around the fact that her usually composed friend had agreed to marry a guy she barely knew, all because she found his eyes "mesmerizing." It sounded straight out of a cheesy romance novel, spun from the pages of a fairy tale, a prince charming with captivating eyes, but Devika trusted Nishita's judgment.

Still, she made a mental note—if Jagdish ever messed with her friend, she'd have no qualms to make him pay. She'd go as far as breaking his ribs and tearing out his heart to crush it if he ever dared to betray her friend, as gruesome as it sounded, she meant every word.

Scanning the room, her eyes unexpectedly collided with a pair of very familiar eyes. They were a deep, majestic shade of golden brown, reminiscent of pools of liquid amber, drawing her into their enigmatic depths with an irresistible pull. Her heart skipped a beat, and the world around her faded into insignificance, leaving only those captivating eyes in her vision.

Kant...

The pain she saw in those eyes was like a punch to the gut, raw and palpable. She wanted to run over, to ask him what had hurt him so deeply, to comfort in her embrace, but her feet were glued to the floor as if tethered by an invisible force. Maybe, deep down, she already knew the answer.

No!

Tears welled up in her eyes, mirroring the unspoken sorrow she discerned in his gaze. It felt as though her heart was being squeezed in a vice, the ache nearly unbearable. Unable to withstand the intensity of his gaze any longer, she lowered her lashes, shielding her eyes from his penetrating stare. It was a silent acknowledgment.

Blinking back tears, she turned away, her heart heavy with unspoken emotions. She couldn't shake the image of those tortured eyes from her mind, a silent plea for understanding and solace.

--

"I'm out," Chandrakant declared, his voice strained with emotion. "I don't think I fucking belong here anyway."

"Kant..." Prasanna reached out, clutching his arm desperately. "Jaggy is your best friend! What the fuck has happened to you?"

"Haan, so what if he is!?" Chandrakant spat bitterly, his eyes clouded with pain. "He's living the dream while I'm stuck in this mess. Not everyone gets handed happiness on a silver platter, so let me find my own path to whatever shitty contentment I could manage. Just let me go!"

She tightened her grip, her heart aching at the torment in his voice. "Please, Kant, tell me what's wrong. I'll do anything to help—"

"Sana, I need to get out of here, please..." Chandrakant choked out, his head bowed in misery. Prasanna caught sight of tears glazing his eyes.

"Kant..."

"Please, Sana, I can't stay here. Please. Please. Please... I am... fucking begging you, please..."

Prasanna's own tears threatened to spill over as she watched him plead.

"Please..." a tear trickled down his cheek, his voice barely above a whisper. "I just... I can't do this, please."

Her fingers loosened their grip on his arm as he spun around, practically fleeing from the engagement hall. Prasanna watched his troubled figure vanish, a knot of worry tightening in her chest.

--

A/N

There's no song in the whole universe (in my opinion, at least) that captures the depth of anguish like "Aur Ho."

Every track, every musical composition in the movie "Rockstar" is exceptional, but "Aur Ho" and "Tum Ko Paa Hi Liya" are the ones that truly tug at my heartstrings, it just makes my heart ache so much. Despite listening to countless songs (I guess if you read my work, you already know that), whenever I revisit these two, I find myself pausing everything around me, just to sit in silence for a few moments. The lyrics, the vocals, the music—oh, they're indescribable. It's like... I can't even put it into words... I just can't...

While writing this chapter, this song came up on YouTube and I was like- "Seriously?"

Gosh, I felt so tense that it took me two days to draft and edit this chapter! FML.

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