NOW THAT I FULFILL ALL PROMISES I MADE TO YOU, PRINCESS… I’LL PUNISH YOU! [SS 7]

— PART SEVEN —
Ignoring her surprised expression, he tapes some functions on his phone, then pulling gently on her hand, he makes her follow him until they reach the center of the landing area witnessing their story…
While the first notes of flute starts wrapping them, she surprises him opening his hand to put in his palm a small silver packed chocolate. An adorable smile illuminates his face, filling her heart with happiness as he shakes his head in disbelieve…
He takes the sweet unwrapping it and approaches it to her lips making her bit in it first, she then takes it from his hand to put the rest in his mouth…
Repressing his eager to just continuing what he started few moments ago, he wraps her in his arms balancing his hips in rhythm with the beautiful song.
Swara buries her face in his chest humming his virile scents and enjoying a so missed sentiment of happiness and security. His heart beats cradling her with the sublime song he played for her, she dreams about their future, the lyrics echoing her unspoken feelings…
“Janam janam janam saath chalna yunhi”
(Forever, forever, forever, Walk by my side)
“Kasam tumhe kasam aake milna yahin”
(Promise me that will meet me again)
“Ek jaan hai bhale do badan ho judaa”
(We are two bodies, but our hearts beat as one)
“Meri hoke hamesha hi rehna”
(Be mine, forever)
“Kabhi na kehna alvida”
(Do not leave me ever)
Sanskar lands his head on hers closing his eyes then sings for her with the song twirling her all around:
“Meri subah ho tumhi”
(you are my twilight)
“Aur tumhi shaam ho”
(for you, my heart aches)
“Tum dard ho tum hi aaraam ho”
(And only you can allay the pain)
“Meri duaaon se aati hai bas ye sadaa »
(I have only one wish ever)
“Meri hoke hamesha hi rehna”
(Be mine, forever)
“Kabhi na kehna alvida”
(Do not leave me ever)
« Ha ha haa… ha ha haa… ho…… »

Swinging on the music notes, he tells her on a confident tone:
“- you’ll always amaze me, princess…”
“- because I brought chocolate while I didn’t know if there will any reason for celebration?”
He has a small laugh replying:
“- nahi Swara… for that, I was absolutely sure”
She looks up to his eyes smiling and says:
“- acchaa… so sure of yourself Mr Maheshwari… so, tell me what did amaze you in me?”
“- You’re so brave Mrs Maheshwari… I mean… coming here… to meet your angry mad husband… in a so isolated place…”
He looks around and adds:
“- on the top of this mountain…”
He balances her until she almost touches the ground then brings her back in his embrace expressing his thoughts, which makes her giggles… for response, she sings to him in chorus with their musical interlude:
« Teri baahon mein hai mere dono jahaan »
(Both my worlds are there in the embrace of your arms)
« Tu rahe jidhar meri jannat wahin »
(Wherever You reside, my heaven is right there)
“Jal rahi agan hai jo ye do tarfa”
(If this flame of desire is burning, it burns so from every direction)
« Na bujhe kabhi meri mannat yahi »
(I pray taken for granted the flame never goes out)
« Tu meri aarzu, main teri aashiqui »
(You are my desire, I am Your love)
« Tu meri shayari, main teri mausiqi »
(you are the words in my poem, I am your music)

Lifting her in his arms, he continuous :

“Talab talab talab bas teri hai mujhe”
(I am thirsty only for You)
“Nashon mein tu nasha banke ghulna yunhi »
(In my veins, always remain this way like an intoxicant)
« Meri mohabbat ka karna tu haq ye adaa »
(Fulfil this desire of my love)
« Meri hoke hamesha hi rehna”
(Be mine, forever)
“Kabhi na kehna alvida”
(Do not leave me ever)
While the song continuous, he puts her down forcing on her chin to look up to his eyes, he asks frowning:
“- aren’t you afraid?”
She shakes her head saying “no”, hugging him tighter she replies:
“- you’re Sanskar… my prince… my husband… my all… you promised to punish me, not yourself… and…”
She takes his hand to her head:
“- if something happens to Swara…”
Putting her hand on his heart:
“- it’s Sanskar who will suffer…”
Tears fill Sanskar’s eyes at her words mirroring hers, the last notes of the song surrounding them.
“Meri subah ho tumhi”
(you are my twilight)

“- I lived it before princess…”

“Aur tumhi shaam ho”
(for you, my heart aches)

“- I knew that when you fell in that river…” he shivers recalling those black days.

“Tum dard ho tum hi aaraam ho”
(And only you can allay the pain)

“- when everyone believed that you were…” he was unable to say this word.

“Meri duaaon se aati hai bas ye sadaa »
(I have only one wish ever)

“- what I felt when you escaped from my hand… when you fell then disappeared under water’s surface…”

“Meri hoke hamesha hi rehna”
(Be mine, forever)

“- I can bear everything in that world, princess…”

“Kabhi na kehna alvida”
(Do not leave me ever)

“- but THAT… nahi…”

« Ha ha haa… ha ha haa… ho…… »

« – i know… » Swara replies heavy tears rolling over her adorable cheeks making him frown in disagreement… he asks on a cold tone:
“- you know!?”
he takes off his hand from her head forcefully startling her; then snatches her hand from his chest pressing it in his as anger was winning all his senses and repeats between his clenched teeth:
“- if something happens to Swara… It’s Sanskar who will suffer… ”
“- and you know…”
Suddenly, he pushes her back putting distance between them, distance appearing like a deep crater separating her from him… Swara doesn’t understand his sudden changing mood. Looking straight in her eyes, he seems angrier than she ever saw him before.
“- so my princess… you know me so much… much better than I thought knowing you…”
When she wants to reply he stops her with his hand adding:
“- NAHI Mrs Maheshwari… NAHI… now… this wakt… you’ll listen to me… and you’ll listen to me carefully…”
He turns around her bending over head to say in her ear:
“- you’re the detective Swara, princess… why didn’t you search about the crime which happened six months ago?”
Facing her, he smiles to her astonished expression and explains:
“- we’re six months back… two brothers are fighting like collegians in the street, it’s not their first time… neither the last one probably… their older brother has succeeded perfectly making them forget that every fight that they had till that day made them closer… and the elder brother tries to kill his younger brother… it’s crime, hai na?”
— FLASH BACK —
Sanskar gripping Laksh’s collar wrestling him to the ground, he shouts in his face:
“- open your eyes Lucky!!! How can you believe that Aadash who let die Bade papa in the hospital cutting all kind of help, can just cut his veins for those damn papers I never got!!!???”
“- haa… he can!!! He’s shocked, depressed by your attempts to destroy this family you and your smart wife!”
Sanskar presses on his neck warning him:
“- don’t bring Swara in that!!”
Laksh tries to reverse him replying:
“- why not? Because of your Swara, Ragini disobeyed me for the first time!!! When she couldn’t convince her, she made a suicide drama like at Maheshwari’s gate obliging weak and ill Dad to get out and stop her from shooting herself…”
Shocked by his words, Sanskar doesn’t see the punch arriving on his face letting him on the ground. Laksh get up and takes a big rock to throw it on him, he rolls on himself at the last moment and gets up still astonished by what he just hear.
“- kia hua? Don’t act surprised bhai… wasn’t your plan? Or no… it’s always Swara’s plans… you just follow her instructions like a puppy but I agree this drama was superb! If only dad wasn’t so predicable… maybe she’ll be really dead…”
“ – LUCKY!!!”
— END OF FLASHBACK—
“- my innocent chote bhai announced me that my lovely wife faked a suicide attempt to prove my false innocence!”
Sanskar handles her arms making her look up to his mad eyes, he was fuming with rage:
“- if my innocence wasn’t false… then… your attempt wasn’t fake, hai na princess!?”
He takes her hand forcing her to point a finger on her temple his other hand gripping her hair back in her neck and asks:
“- tell me Swara, did you point an arm here?… did you pressed the trigger? Did you shoot youself?”
As she couldn’t say a word shaking in his hands like a trembling leaf in the wind, he shouts :
“- ANSWER ME, DAMN IT!!!!”
“- haa”
her whisper plays on his nerves more, he yelled louder at her face:
“- KYA??? I didn’t hear you…”
“- Sanskar…”
She takes his face in her hands to calm him down, but he takes them off asking her to give him a response. She turns her back to him wiping her eyes and says with a shaking voice:
“- ha, I did…”
Closing his eyes to contain his anger, he drags on her elbow saying:
“- don’t turn your back to me again, Mrs Maheshwari!”
For a moment, Swara is taken back to the day in his anger, Sanskar didn’t control himself and without thinking, she brings her forearm to her face in a protective posture startling him. He makes a step back shocked and says with a small voice:
“- do you think that I can beat you?”
She shakes her head saying no, but fear still filling her crying eyes.
Wounded, he takes his hands to his head pulling on his hair back, closing his eyes again he counts mentally to ten. When she feels her hand touching his face, he tightens his fists backing off again.
“- let me explain to you, Sanskar…”
“- kyu?… did you let me explain myself then?”
His cruel smile nagging her, recalling her; her own words.
“- what did you say ? did I let a chance to my brother to explain himself?”
He remembers his brother’s words saying that he would prefer that she was dead and inspires sharply before adding:
“- God!… I would do the same if it was to be repeated… I will kill him if he says it again whatever would be circumstances… and I’m not ashamed of it, princess!”
She puts a hand on his mouth shutting him but he takes it off dragging it in her back so she’s in his embrace, he says calmer:
“- this is you effect on me, princess… your power over the weak man I am…”
Pressing her all over his tensed body, he adds:
“- so you’ll agree with me… that technically, if Laksh’s missing was about that fight… you’re the responsible of it… ha or no?”
She struggles to free herself from him making him gripping her harder
“- ha or no, PRINCESS!?”
“- HA”

Satisfied by the defeat feeling he’s reading in her eyes, he finally let go of her smiling. He turns back and walks until his car, the bottle of wine just next to the prayer plate… the image of what he lived for the past months having nothing but this somber companion to retreating again and again what happened that transformed his universe to aches.
Tears fill his eyes again at that unsupportable idea that he could have lost her, she could have been died now… supporting himself with his fists on the car’s hook, he looks back to her… his so loved princess… what if bade papa didn’t change the bullet’s direction that day?… angry at his helpless situation, he brushes away the plate which contained all his love’s proofs to her and takes the bottle in his hand before returning back to her.
Stopping face to her, he takes a long sip of its contains looking in her murdered with cries eyes… even like that she’s the most beautiful vision he ever has in his life. He bends his head on one side admiring her wiping his lips and nose with his sleeve… then asks her calmly:
“- would it have been… so horrible… to simply accepting my decision? You wouldn’t break my heart by breaking my kasam… you wouldn’t put your life in danger… Laksh wouldn’t have gone missing and we wouldn’t have been here… hai na, princess?”
She sobs badly seeing him hide his tears from her, she wants to say how much she’s sorry but he wouldn’t let her, he puts a hand on his chest like stopping his running heart’s beats and says panting:
“- how could you imagine ek second that giving your life for my innocence would save mine, Swara?… what have I done to you to merit that punishment, princess?”
“- don’t say that, PLEASE…”
She tries again to touch him, but he doesn’t let her… she looks to him desperate then brushing away her own tears, she composes herself and says determined:
“- you’re right, Sanskar… it’s my entire fault and as I told you before, you can take my life for punishment if you want!”
he has a sad laugh to her proposition then coughing badly he says sarcastically:
“- oh please princess… Spare me your Mahan greatness!… I know I… ”
He lost his words seeing her kneels in front of him, squat and bowing her head to him, her two hand passively landing on her thighs.
Shocked, he hurries to her alarmed but he’s taken back long time ago when he has refused to accept her excuses… a bitter thought makes him feel worse than he was, may be if he hasn’t capitulate that time, they wouldn’t be suffering today!
He squats face to her bowing his head lower to look in her unanimated eyes,, he says:
“- didn’t I say no sorry… isn’t your first rule, princess? Between friends and lovers, no sorry, no thank you!”
She doesn’t look up to him, a small smile on her lips she replies:
“- main princess nahi, Sanskar… mahan nahi… great nahi… main Swara hai, sirf your Swara who’s waiting… not for forgiveness, for your punishment!…”
She finally looks in his eyes and adds:
“- I can’t bear to see you like that, Sanskar… stop it please… please… stop this hatred and give me deliverance… if there is an ounce of love left in your heart for me yet… then just give me deliverance… I told you hai na? I’ll accept it whatever it can be!”
He stays here scrutinizing her eyes in wonder, even now… even like that… she’s the one who rules his universe… punishment is hers, but he’s the one who can’t bear it… “if there is an ounce of love left yet in your heart for me… then just give me deliverance”… does she have any doubt of how much he loves her?… with those words she sealed their destiny.
Without a word, not breaking eye contact with her, he pours his bottle’s contains on the ground drawing a line between them… he gets up continuing his task by tracing a large circle around her trying to gauge her thoughts… she keep still like a statue of wax.
When he finishes, he throws the bottle away in the void surrounding them, he squats back face to her taking a matchbox from his pocket then asks her:
“- so, as a proof of my love to you… you’re asking me to punish you by the reason for what I’m punishing you, Swara?…”
He lights up a match looking behind her for a moment, then throwing it he adds looking back to her:
“- you’re so cruel, princess…”
As she wants to argue with him, he stops her shaking his head in deny saying:
“- as long as Sanskar will be alive, Swara will be his princess!”
Fire starts setting slowly in the alcoholic liquid behind them, he looks to its dancing flames then putting his right hand on Swara’s head he says looking straight in her eyes:
“- call it punishment… or a last promise I’ll fulfill to you… but never forget that princess…if something arrives to Swara, it’s Sanskar who will suffer…”
Not waiting for her urgent question, he prints a long tender kiss on her forehead and stands up abruptly letting her stunned in place.
He walks by the increasing flames and when the circle starts closing around her, she hears his car’s motor roaring… the smoke enveloping her starts troubling her vision but her heart’s beats accelerate as she has the impression that motor’s roaring was approaching and not getting away… closer and closer to her… she looks up to see the car passing just next to her, Sanskar’s face smiling to her but not stopping… before she realizes what is happening the car jumps in the void shocking her!
She stands up hurrying toward the edge but flames are faster and the fire circle closes around stopping her! Not really realizing what has just happened… she searches for her phone trembling…
When she looks back to the flames wall, choking, she hears the horrible sound of metal crash… she whispers:
“S… San…. S.. … Sansk-a-r”
She’s about traversing the flames when it starts raining heavily… suddenly she hears an explosion fire comes out of the void…
“ SANSKAAAAAAAAAAARR!!!”

TO BE CONTINUED………….