EPISODE 14
Link to the previous epi
episode 13
It was half past ten that night. Swara was sitting near the window staring at the moonless sky. She was immersed in her own thoughts.
Where was Sanskar? Is he fine? Will Sanjay keep his words? all these questions were roaming in her head. She heard the door opening behind her. She turned back, fear clearly visible in her eyes. There stood Sanjay Maheshwari in his night suit scanning her body with his eyes from head to toe. She tried to move away from his sight feeling uncomfortable. He reached for her and held her close to him by wrapping his left hand around her petite frame. His eyes were hot, red rimmed.
“I have come Swara.” he said slowly. “I told you I would. I have wanted you for so long”
He leaned forward to her lips. She struggled violently under him. Then her desperate eyes saw the curtains of her window moving. Without making noise a man stepped in with the grace of a panther. She stared at him, her eyes filled with tears of joy. She gave a little cry.
“You!*
Sanjay released her and turned around. His body stiffened, jaws clenched. The man who entered their room looked tired, harassed, his costumes torn, his hair matted. He looked as if he was in the final stage of exhaustion, but his brown orbs burnt like fire.
Sanskar was indeed broken by Swara. He had come with the lust for vengeance.
Swara had no time to speak. She saw Sanjay pull something from his pocket, something which glittered in the lamplight. At the same time Sanskar pulled out a knife from his sash. Swara ran towards Sanjay to stop him from firing.There was a blinding flash. Only when the smoke got cleared the men did realize what had happened. Sanjay had shot Swara. She fell on the floor next to Sanjay’s feet, without a sound. Both the ment rushed to the girl. Sanjay switched on all the lights in the room. Sanjay ran towards her, calling her name.Sanskar didn’t touch her. He spoke gently:
“She’s fine. You have got her only through her arm. She fainted due to shock.”
Sanjay once again examined the wound thoroughly. The gypsy was right. He took out his hand kerchief and tied it around her wound to stop bleeding. He then looked up at the Gypsy. The relief which surfaced his soul a while ago got replaced by a mixture of anger, shock, fear and jealousy.
“Sanskar..” he cried out. “Sanskar.. you ?”
“I am not Sanskar. I am Sarovar. The Gypsy leader.”
“You are Sarovar? Oh my God? You are that gypsy outlaw who has become a headache for me and my troop?. No. its impossible.”
“It is possible. Sanjay Maheshwari. You used to say that I always had a wild element in me. Sarovar is the result of that wild element which came out of me when you all abandoned me.”
Sanjay was stammering, bewildered. He was reduced to a state of complete mental confusion by the discovery that Sarovar and his brother were one and the same. He was terror stricken too, if he would tell everybody that he unjustly accused him years ago.
“Don’t worry.” Sanskar said as if he read Sanjay’s thoughts. “I’m going out of your life. I came back for Swara. But tonight, she has shown which man she prefers.”
“But she was mine. You didn’t have any right on her.” Sanjay said in slow voice.
“No Sanjay Maheshwari. She was mine. She was my wife. You didn’t have any right on her. But I am finished with her. She has chosen you tonight. I will never see her again. By gypsy law, I made her mine that day. by gypsy law I am divorcing her tonight.” He said in a fierce voice.
He knelt on the floor by her side. She moaned and tried to open her eyes. But the fatigue was making it impossible for her. He was filled with bitterness when he touched her. Never again would he be tricked and fooled.
“What are you going to do? ” Sanjay asked nervously.
“You’ll see.” Sanskar answered. He took out a small instrument from his pocket and cut the chain around her neck. Sanjay couldn’t clearly see Sanskar’s face – the pain in his eyes as he separated the chain from her throat. He stood up drinking in the sight of her beautiful face, for one last time.
“You won’t try to see our mother, will you?” asked Sanjay.
Sanskar laughed. “No. she never had much use of me. It was always you.”
Sanskar turned from the bed. His face was a mask. with cold contempt he looked his brother up and down.
“I advise you to have that arm seen at once. The bleeding has not stopped.”
“Of course.” mumbled Sanjay. “The moment you have gone, I’ll get her maid and doctor.”
Sanskar didn’t look back to see Swara. All his senses seemed frozen. Sanjay knew it was Sanskar whom Swara preferred. But he kept quiet. His mad desire for Swara and sheer hatred for his brother kept him silent. The sadistic pleasure he got by separating the two lovers, two halves, was far better than the twinge of guilt, if he felt so. Without a word, Sanskar left the brother whom he had not seem for years and the woman he loved once more than life itself.
When Swara woke up, she found the same doctor who attended her when she fainted, examining her wound. He was using a probe to bring out the bullent. She tried to ask for Sanskar when again the probe entered her arm and she fainted for the second time tat night. She heard Sanjay’s hushed voice.
“Don’t let this news go out. We can’t tell my mom the truth. We must have to cook up some convincing story.”
When she woke up for the second time that night, she saw Sanjay pacing in her room.She spoke up with all strength and courage she has got
“Where’s Sanskar?”
“He is gone Swara. ”
“You… did you shoot him?” she asked, fear gripping her soul.
“No. considering your feelings for him, I let him go.”
Swara took a sigh of relief. Suddenly her eyes caught the sight of the broken chain lying in the satin quilt. She took the pieces and clutched them dearly to her chest. With a sea if anger and grief in her voice she snapped at Sanjay, her eyes burning.
“Who did this?”
Sanjay Maheshwari, for a second was taken aback by the harshness in her voice and the boldness in her behavior. Later on regaining his inner self he said
“Shut up Swara. Her.. read this..”
He handed a piece of paper to her.
With burning eyes she read the note.
“I have broken the chain around youtmr neck, so is our marriage. That day I made you mine by gypsy law. Tonight I am liberating you from all ties by gypsy law. Good bye.”
Sarovar
Swara read the words feverishly. She broke into a heartrending cry bly clutching the piece of paper and the pieces of chain to her.
“Sanskar… no Sanskar.. this is not true. I’m your wife. Please come back.”
Sanjay looked down at the girl who was crying like a maniac for his brother. How dare she? What was there in that outlaw who is technically his brother that the woman he desperately wanted was walking over him, Sanjay Maheshwari?
Sanjay gritted his teeth. All his boyhood’s hatred of Sanskar returned in full force. If a while ago he was feeling even a twinge of guilt for what he had done, then it was no longer there, once he heard Swara’s pleas. The recent encounter with Sanskar didn’t bring back any kind of kinship or affection. Rather, it filled more poison in Sanjay’s heart for Sanskar.
Then he spoke up:
“Why don’t you make up your mind to submit to me and forget this Sarovar? Am I not the owner of this Palace? Can’t I give you everything a woman wants? What have you to complain about? What is it that you prefer about this criminal who calls himself Sarovar the Gypsy?
In a voice of despair she said:
“You can never understand why I prefer him over you. You don’t know what true love is, Sanjay. All you want is to possess me. All you want is my body. Sarovar is different. He loves me more than himself. Perhaps, you can give me all the comforts in the world. But the sense of security and freedom that I want can only be provided by him. Although I get everything here, still it is a prison for me. So what is the change if the cage is made of gold, I still can’t have the freedom that I wish for. I don’t wish to marry you Sanjay. Surely you don’t want an unwilling wife, don’t you? For God’s sake, send me back to Kolkata.”
He felt defeated. Through this woman his brother was again defeating him and he resented it. He stood up, walked back to the window and looked out. Dawn was breaking over Ajmer. A fiendish desire shook him – a desire to master this woman, and through doing so, become the conqueror of his brother.
“I’ll not let you return to Kolkata.” he said between his teeth. “I shall regard you as insane, Swara. You shall remain in this castle until you have come to your senses again.”.
She didn’t say anything. She gave a long shuddering sigh and turned her face to the pillow. She determined that at any cost she must see Sanskar once again. She would tell him the whole story, the story of Naik’s treachery and her devotion. Then, if he wished to shove her away, then she would make no effort to get back to him, she would go back to Kolkata without the remorse of having kept him in dark.
Here’s the 14th installment of Gypsy lover. How was it? Did you all like it? Ignore typos as I don’t have time to proof read. Leave your comments as I treasure them more than any precious thing in this world. Silent readers, please do comment. I’d love to hear from you all. I have replied to all your comments on the last chapter.
Next, I need your suggestion. I have an idea in my mind. A new story which is completely mine. Shall I start writing it? if yes tell me through you comments. I’ll start it soon after Gypsy Lover. Here Sanskar will be a rude arrogant guy with a pathetic past because of which he will hate girls and use them only for his pleasure. Swara will be a beautiful innocent, independent girl. Though her life was vulnerable at times, she fought against them with her positivity. Their past is almost the same and this journey will show how different two people are even when their experiences are almost the same. How will they meet? How will they fall in love with each other?
Disclaimer: it may contain mature scenes and most often you’ll find the female protagonist suffering immense physical as well as mental pain because of our hero. She is tough and strong, but in a different way.
So tell me if I should start writing it or not?. I’ll start the new story only if I get sufficient comments. Otherwise I’ll drop the idea then and there. Waiting for your comments…