Flouting Our Destiny

Chapter 10

Shanaya felt a sudden rush of adrenaline flow in her body, Ms Panchkul, the famous page 3 icon of a fashion magazine which Shanaya usually reads was sometimes glimpsing at her and then behind her, Arjun's fiancée gulped her own saliva feeling like an interloper in the news of her own marriage, the looks of the taller woman were pernicious and lethal.

"Shanaya?" Arjun couldn't sense the thumping mind of his beloved and the doubts arousing inside her.

"Arjun, baby!"
His eyes still felt being swallowed by the woman whose hands were now crestfallen from actively showing him the henna designs on them.

He felt a light weighted head struck his chest,
"I am so happy that you agreed" he now heard his ex-girlfriend who was forcefully cuddling with him.

"Congratulations..." a voice trailed off from his lover's side until she swept away with the wind.

"Draupadi!" He sounded desperate, but the lady beside him forced him to move along with her.

"Congratulations for what?" He pondered until the two were standing in front of Pritha and Paranjay.

Arjun couldn't realise the happenings around, he wanted to go behind her but the social obligations stopped him.

"Attention everyone" Pritha smiled, now standing next to Malti.
"On the occasion of my dear niece's first pre-wedding ceremony, I would like to make a big announcement"
The cunning lady grinned observing Shanaya hold Arjun's hand, "A marriage alliance has been fixed between the Yaduv industries and Kuruvanshi enterprises, Shanaya has been betrothed to my son, Arjun"

The loud cheers and claps deafened the prospective bridegroom, his mother's merry words shot prickly thorns at him.
Somehow in such a situation, his inner self decided to mock his intelligence, the smart man was trying to keep his eldest away from her but he, himself, fell in a hot soup.
Bheem's blood boiled assuming the betrayal made by Arjun to someone from the past while Lakshana gaped at her aunt whose declaration shook her soul.

"Drau?" She mumbled to herself, aware of the magnetic relationship between her best friend and her cousin.
All the attempts of the soon to be a bride to excuse herself and rescue her best friend from any emotional breakdown lay shattered like the pieces of glass mingling with the wine on the ground which Bheem had ordered for.
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An unclear sense of familiarity drenched Draupadi and filled her empty heart, her internals shivered to recall the excited words of the new woman.
A Shooting pain pinching her organs, has she been in such a situation before? Not once, but three times.

She washed away the dry henna forcefully, the cold droplets decorated her face with some hope, perhaps it is all a hoax.

"This is not me" her hands clenched wisps of her hair,
Mirror mirror on the wall...
She had once acted as Snow White in a play wherein she had to portray as a personality which is scared of the magical mirror.
The fake fear from the drama knocked at her mind's door, now, all real.
She touched her face, "who is this?"
A striking beauty in the mirror instead of her, same face as hers but a woman like the one in her hallucinations, doped with antique jewellery and a radiating smile on lips.
Draupadi's squinted eyes snipped the reality to view  a scene from the past,
A woman beside him, a toddler in his arms, a perfect family and she? Just an estranged wife.
The man himself walked up to her, guilt hovering over his eyes.
"I couldn't refuse Madhav, Panchali!"

"Aarya...Aarya.....Arjun" shrill shrieks collapsed the frightened lady's lungs, she felt herself breathing but no air reaching her respiratory system.
Her deep breaths trembled as more ugly memories played on a loop,
"Drau.." a voice overtook her loud wheezing, the door was being mercilessly banged until it was unlocked from outside.

The lady who was trying to breathe and sense the surroundings was on the cold ground of the big bathroom, her hand on her chest, coughing loudly, she could only call for one person, Arjun.

Arjun threw himself to the ground to comfort her, he picked the half-conscious woman in his arms, her half-open eyes perceived his presence, water wobbled inside her throat, her hands quivered to hold the glass with stability.
Her head hit the bed stand while her hands clutched his arm,
"Please don't leave me, please don't leave me"

Arjun's mind froze, a paralysing numbness went down his body,
"Please don't leave me" she whimpered with a lone tear falling from her eye, his humble attire gasped at the lady dressed in jewels,
a tiny bump on her abdomen being perfectly covered by her clothes, not his child, not their child...
"I broke the vow, I have to do penance"

Sweat beads rolled down his face, he punched on the wall roughly seeing the half-conscious woman, his miseries, his shortcomings, his past doings enveloped his silent weeping.

Her loud and prominent breathing synchronised with his heart beats, heavy and painful.
"Why?" He shouted this time, again punching on the wall, "why did I let her suffer?"

Sounds and utterances from her side became less audible,
"Draupadi!" Arjun panicked assuming her to have fainted.
He rubbed her palm lightly, "Maybe, the reason for everything was me and maybe I will ruin even this life of yours, I should leave...I should just go away from your life" he kisses her palms softly before sniffing back the next round of tears.

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It was four in the morning, the intoxicating henna had taken over the girls thus everyone partied till late night,

Lakshana waved at Sarakshi and Vidyut who went in different directions after the three checked upon the mysterious disappearance of the youngest in the Panchkul family,
Cleverly, Lakshana had managed to wipe away the tear stains and messy condition of the lady before anyone else could meet her. She closed the room's door, making the least possible sound, after pitifully watching the lady who was sleeping.

"Laks!" A sweet sounding voice excitedly greeted the soon to be a bride.

"Deva! My dear Devangi" Vidyut's future wife immediately pulled the lady in a hearty embrace.
Devangi's smile shined as brightly as it used to do during the school days,
Draupadi, Laks and she were schoolmates but then the old friend shifted to another city.

"I thought you guys would be sleeping" Deva giggled seeing the enthusiasm of her friend,
The two sat down on a garden bench as gleeful reminisce flowed in.

Unbeknownst to the best friend of Draupadi, the old friend of theirs was going to bring a new whirlwind in the lives of two of Lakshana's cousins and the bridegroom's twin.