— PART FIVE —
Trying to escape Sanskar’s grip, Swara struggles fiercely against his imposing posture in vain, he just doesn’t let go of her. After closing the door behind him, he immediately pushes her to the wall immobilizing her in place with all his weight, his hand on her mouth stifling her cries, his other hand trying to trap her both hands pushing on his chest with all her forces.
His anger was drugging all his other senses but jealousy, teasing her about that boy who keeps being glued to her like a lost puppy was just the appearing top of the iceberg… his beautiful wife is too innocent to be aware of the effect she has on men surrounding her, how many heads she makes turning by her natural charm and delightful spirit. But tonight, pretending doing just her work as a wedding planner, she has crossed another limit to help his family…
When he catches her hands forcefully freeing her mouth, she yells at him fuming with rage:
“- HOW DARE YOU!? LET GO OF M…”
“- SHUT UP! SWARA… JUST SHUT UP!!!” he warns her narrowing his eyes, her wrists were pinned on the wall at her head sides.
“- you want me to talk about professional matters, hai na? so… tell me miss wedding planner, offering a sensual dance on the bride’s sagai is in the program of Sawaragini wedding planners’ affair? Tell me… how much does it cost? The money garland was enough or we’ll have a supplement charge? ANSWER ME DAMN IT!!!”
“- Sans… kar…”, her voice was trembling…
“- ha, mai Sanskar ho… »
Haunted by the image of that man who proposed her money while she was dancing, he’s unconscious of how much he’s hurting her, freeing one of her hands, he immobilizes her pressing on her throat to express his harsh words:
“- Sanskar who almost killed your sister when she insulted your honor”
Taking her other hand, he brings it to his temple pressing it and adds:
“- do you remember this mark?… you healed it…”
Showing her hand in front of her face, he explains:
“- with this hand…”
Swara shocked eyes don’t break contact with his almost mad look, he seems in trance when he continuous:
“- I had it when I fought with my brother defending your honor…”
Dragging her gripped hand to his back, he presses it which makes him bump in her erasing distance between them, at inches from her lips he whispers:
“- I wasn’t yet your husband, miss wedding planner!… ”
Detailing her face, he bends over her lips adding:
“- And now… now Mrs Swara Sanskar Maheshwari… now that your honor is MINE… you humiliate it for MY little sister… how can you be so cruel!?”
He was so close, forcing her arm surrounding his waist, she hasn’t been in his embrace since eternity and yet she can feel that alchemy between them finding its way in the middle of all that hater. Feeling his heart pounding against her chest, memories of their intimate moments submerge her as she closes her eyes, once upon time… they used to be happy… today, all she can see in his eyes is that consuming anger!
She remembers his shock seeing her dancing, Gayathri-ji words, garland, the guy who accosted her with money… opening her eyes, tears filling her husband’s eyes break her last defenses in front of him, she says with a trembling voice:
“- and mai Swara ho… cruel hai … dishonored hai… tumhara wife nahi…”
She burst out crying making him take off his hand abruptly, joining her hands under her chin, she prays him with a broken voice:
“- if there is… no relation between… between us…”
Not bearing to see her tears, neither hearing that statement again, Sanskar turns his back to her.
“- … humiliation… dishonor… mere hai… sirf mere hai… tumhara nahi…”
She slides along the wall supporting her to the ground, takes her face in her hands and lets go of all the pain and sorrow she’s hiding for months.
At this moment, Uttara’s engagements function… Gayathri-ji demands… Maheshwari’s blaming looks… Laksh’ still missing situation… Ragini’s pain… everything vanishes as she feels like falling endlessly in infinite darkness she’s avoiding since that moment when Sanskar announced his decision to her.
Suddenly, she feels his hands on hers, taking them off her face. Then cuddling it, he prints a tender kiss on her maang at the point which should be filled with sindoor making her open her eyes surprised. Seeing him kneeling face to her makes her cry more trying to turn away from him, but he doesn’t let go of her. Bending his face to her, he kisses the corner of her eyes one after the other brushing her tears away, her cheeks, her jaw, the corner of her salted tendered lips… when he possesses them finally, passion bursts from nowhere between them and soon the world disappears around them …
— END OF FLASHBACK —
Blushing under Sanskar’s burning gaze, Swara turns away embarrassed. Her hand hugging tightly her mangal sutra.
Both of them were recalling what happened after that… how Uttara’s dowry issue brought them brutally to the reality and how they caused the engagement’s annulations.
Swara closes her eyes remembering how he defended her in front of Gayathri-ji then assuring to everyone that she’s his wife, before assuring her sister that even when they’ll find Laksh, they’ll never be together again…
Sanskar looks to her turning her back to him… again… he could almost hear her words when she refused her sister’s concerned request about patching up. How he felt slapped again after what happened…
He smiles shaking his head in stupefaction about her stubbornness. Then putting his hands in his pants pockets, he goes to face her looking to her closed fist then to her face, her neck then her maang, he asks frowning:
“- kia hua princess?… the Mahan Swara never breaks her promises, hai na?… Laksh’ is back… why is your mangal sutra in your hand?… and why have I to bear seeing your bare maang yet?”
As she keeps quite, he makes a step toward her looking straight into her eyes and adds:
“- I know you’re better in breaking relations Mrs Maheshwari… but now that I fulfill my part of promise…”
“- mangal sutra and sindoor are for married woman… if I promised to put them on when Laksh’ will be back, all you are promising for the last months is punishment… so… Mr Maheshwari…”
She lifts her hand and opens it showing him the chain of their sacred relation… both of them remembers the moment each other said that their relation is over, but they recalls the moment they got married too… she asks him:
“- I’m fulfilling my promise of accepting your decision… Tell me Sanskar, what will you do?”
His smile widens taking the precious jewel from her palm, he seems about saying something, but stay silent then turns around her. She closes her eyes with apprehension feeling his eyes on her.
He passes his hands on her neck cuddling her sensible tenderly while taking her hair away to bare it, she stops breathing hearing him humming its perfume. After putting it aside on her shoulder, he finally spreads the sacred necklace a on her collar before knotting it making her shiver at his fingers’ contact.
He bends over her to whisper in her ear:
“- how can I punish a stranger woman… you have to be my wife again first… princess”.
TO BE CONTINUED…