I’m sorry guys, I’m two days late so I guess many of u have forgotten the beginning so in that case I’m posting both chapter 1 and 2.
Those who remember chapter 1 can continue with chapter two and if not, chapter 1 is right infront of you. If u like the story comment, u can also tell if u hate it….
Chapter 1:
It was a bright morning. Swara was busy in the kitchen, her ears listening to the song Sanskar was humming, as he was bathing. They lived in a duplex house. Sanskar chose to have the upper portion and Swara mostly dwelt in the lower.
When Sanskar was around her eyes would be the only sense that worked, when Sanskar was around but not in front, ears would be the only one working. When he was away, it was just her mind and his thoughts in her mind that worked.
She was cooking for him, even after his repetitive instruction, not to.
She loved cooking for him; she loved doing things for him. She loved him, more than she loved herself. She loved him like no one has ever loved before.
As the singing slowly faded away and the door knob clicked, she saw him coming out and striding away to his room.
She could not resist him. His tall six feet, slim frame, his fair skin which almost shone in the morning sun, everything in him was so irresistible, except the fact that, he was not showing any love towards her.
Swara meticulously plated breakfast for him. As he came down, formally dressed, she extended the plate to him.
Sanskar sighed. He looked at the plate and then at the floor. Without raising his head, he uttered, “I don’t want you to cook for me. I will take care of my needs” and strode away towards the door.
It was the usual scene. Swara often made only one serving of a meal. Sanskar would not eat it most of the time and she would manage with it. She got used to his silence and distance. She never complained. She was not sure how to tell it to someone. Parents, according to her were her last choice. She did not want to trouble them. She wanted of tell it to Adarsh, her brother. She thought let it wait for some time. Things will get changed, she thought. As she saw him walking away, she stopped him.
“Just a sec”, Swara spoke. She had so much love and numerous questions in her big innocent brown eyes.
Sanskar stopped moving. He did not look back.
“Few of my gold ornaments are missing”
“Where did you keep them?”
“At home. In my wardrobe”
“Search for one more time”
“No I did, several times. Those were my favorite ones.” Swara’s tone saddened.
“Ok. Let us see what could be done”, said Sanskar and moved out.
It was probably the longest conversation they had spoken in the past few weeks.
As Swara peeped to see him leave, Kamini, her neighbor, smiled at her.
“Come in, Aunty, Had breakfast?”
“Yes dear. I did. Thank you. By the way wanted to ask you the house key” Kamini extended her hands.
“Sure Aunty, Just a minute” Swara rushed in.
Kamini owned the house, which was exactly opposite to Swara’s. They were about to sell it. A doctor family had planned to buy it. The keys were with Swara , as she stayed home most of the time.
Swara gave away the keys. Kamini thanked and left.
As Kamini Aunty departed, Swara locked the house. It was empty again. She looked at the breakfast plate on the dining table. She covered it with another. She thought of having it later.
She walked swiftly towards her cupboard, drew out her reception Album. Probably it was the last time Sanskar had smiled at her.
She ran her fingers through the picture of her Sanskar smiling.
It has been one and a half years; she had felt his warmth. Swara and Sanskar never go out together. Sanskar did not let Swara to stay close to him even when he was sick. He was an independent person. But something had made him rigid. That something took him away from her. Above all, that something had made him hate her.
She felt a harsh pain in her head. Swara thought something in her made him hate her. She was puzzled as what it was. It was the worst feeling. She never knew what her mistake was, yet she was being punished. Tears rolled down her cheeks, as she recollected the phone call which Sanskar made just before their wedding.
“Hello”, Swara smiled as she attended his call.
“My love heaven is just a day away. By this time, tomorrow, you would be my wife. It’s just you who can bring so much happiness and beauty to my life”, Sanskar started.
“Enough, my dearest, have something in store after the wedding too.”
“You will not run out of Love and I will not run out of words, describing your love for me.”
“Oh my god. Hey listen, don’t make me blush.”
“Missing those cheeks and the blush”, Sanskar sighed.
“Hey Sweets, listen, I am starting from home to wedding hall. See you in the evening. We would have been paired for the family ritual then”, Swara smiled as she cut the call.
Her eyes and cheeks were wet as she ran through that beautiful conversation in her mind. It was the final lovely conversation she had had with Sanskar. After the reception he bade a bye and smiled at her before he walked to his room. That was the last time she saw him smiling at her.
Her head throbbed. She rested her head against the cushion. She cried until she dozed off.
Chapter 2:
Ragini was curling her hair strands that fell on her face with her left hand fingers. She mumbled a hindi song as she applied her mascara. She loved to keep herself gorgeous and beautiful. She looked at the mirror again. She looked perfect.
“Some idiots like Swara never know how to beautify themselves and hence her husband hates her”, Ragini thought.
Ragini was born in Delhi. She was charismatic. She believed people would like her for her beauty. She carried herself so well. She loved herself very much.
She had a strong hatred for Swara. Ragini lived in the same apartment as Swara. Though Swara had never shared her feelings to her, Ragini clearly made out that Swara was being loathed by her husband. She disliked her too.
“Stupid, dumb female”, she thought.
It was not a single day Ragini missed to notice Sanskar. She loved his manliness. His hard and stiff muscles, sharp facial features, everything in him made her go crazy.
She once overheard Sanskar talking to his friend about how bad her wife dresses and how less she cares for herself. “Someone who cannot care for themselves, can never care for others”, Sanskar blurted out.
Ragini decided to groom herself, right that day. She thought she is the form of a woman, whom Sanskar loves. She took special care to mould herself mentally and physically into a form which would be loved by Sanskar. She wanted him to love everything in her compared to how he hates everything in Swara.
If everything Sanskar loves took one form, I should be her, Ragini thought. She slowly started changing her completely.
“Too bad, he ignores me”, she thought. Sanskar never paid attention to her, even on those days, when she was in her best attire and the most beautiful make up.
“You look like a Greek god. Men with such godliness are often matched to stupid woman.”, Ragini tried to woo Sanskar. He just stared and walked away. Every day she dressed and waited for him, to leave his stupid wife back and come to her.
It was a bright day for her today. She had great plans ahead. As she completed her breakfast, she went out for shopping.
Swara never knew Ragini had so much love for her Husband.
Swara had stopped concentrating much on her surroundings. She locked herself into her small world; her small world with her love; her small world which was now full of confusions and miseries. Ragini took full advantage of this.
When Swara woke up, it was already half past two. She never knew how time flew. She had slept for so long. She pulled her hair into a French bun. Her stomach growled. She rushed to the dining table to grab the plate for eating. It was already soiled and left for washing.
She was stunned. She remembered covering it and leaving it on the dining table. “Did I really get up and eat it?” She thought. In panic she rushed to the main door. To add to her chaos, it was not latched.
No burglar would steal her breakfast she thought. Has someone been breaking into the house? Swara’s mind raced. Was he the reason behind the gold ornament stealth? She thought.
But how could someone break into a house in bright daylight. She thought of speaking to Sanskar first and then the Apartment security. She looked herself in the mirror. She had carelessly rested her face somewhere while she was asleep. There were few black markings. Swara was busy rubbing them off her face.
It was 7.30 PM. Sanskar usually, never had dinner at home. Swara was very tired that day. She toasted few slices of bread and was stuffing it into her mouth. The doorbell rang. She hesitantly opened the door. To her surprise Sanskar was standing there.
Her lips curled up spontaneously at his mere sight.
He did not wait to see her smile. He walked into the house.
She wanted to tell him about the burglary confusion. He walked straight to the kitchen and made coffee for him.
“Had lunch?”, Swara started.
“Yes”, he replied looking at his mobile.
“I want to talk to you.”
“Guess you are already talking to me”, Sanskar was still looking into his mobile.
“Not like this. It is something serious”
Sanskar let out a sigh and placed his mobile down. He looked at her, crossed his hands across his chest. He gestured as though he was ready to listen.
“For the past few days, I feel like someone is breaking into our house. I feel I am being followed. I feel someone is moving around while I am still here.”
“Stop imagining. It will be alright”
“No. I am kind of sure and kind of confused too. Today I remember placing the breakfast plate on the dining table. When I saw it after few hours, it was soiled and was kept for washing”
“Someone is following you, to break into the house for your breakfast? “
“Sanskar, Please. I am very serious. The ornament stealth also happened the same way.”
“See, you are imagining. You are assuming. That’s the problem.”
“Sanskar, why don’t you understand?”, Swara had tears. “I am discussing about something that is happening. Please don’t accuse me. It is hurting me. “
“Accuse me, hurt me, and understand me. It is always me me me and only me, right?” Sanskar raised his voice.
Tears rolled down her cheeks.
Sanskar continued, “As if everything around is so pleasing for me. Don’t pull words from my mouth. Stop imagining, finish your dinner, if you have not and go to bed.”, he ordered and strode towards the stairs.
Ragini was able to hear every single word of the conversation. She was happy that Swara was being abused. “Lame dog”, she thought.
“If it had been me, I would not cry like a weak animal. This female cannot fight tears, poor little thing. Keep crying, keep weeping. Don’t stand for yourself firm on your point, he is never going to love you. My Sanskar is going to be mine, very soon”, She thought.
Swara stood there helpless. She wept uncontrollably. He was mean to her. She was angry on him. She was angry on herself for making him behave this way. She sat on the couch, covered her face and cried. She never knew when she fell asleep.
Sanskar woke up as he heard some noise; noise of a chair being pulled. He was irritated, as he woke up from deep sleep. He was not sure from where it came. He thought it might not happen again and covered his head. He now heard the sound of door knob click. He was now startled.
He immediately rushed down. It was all quiet and normal. Swara was sleeping on the couch.
He felt relieved and as he was about to go back to his room, he saw a shadow running out from his house and to his bewilderment, the main door in his house was unlocked. The door wobbled as though someone had just pulled it hard. He went close to the door and peeped outside. The apartment veranda lights were on. The path looked normal. It did not show any sudden movements as his house door did.
Sanskar let out a sigh. As he was about to return to his home, he saw a dark figure standing inside the locked house that was owned by Kamini. Sanskar froze in shock. He never believed in ghosts or spirits. He was not sure what it was. His body was completely covered with sweat beads. He looked back. Swara was still sleeping calmly.