Chapter 1

Aasha's pov. 

Today. 

The first day of my married life and I don't know what exactly is happening around me. Everything here seems unfair and I only get to watch as if I'm invisible to this all people. None has their eyes on me but only on their dead son and some women who are crying over his body. 

Today is supposed to be the day when I should be following rituals as a new bride. But here I was widowed with a white saree. 

The irony is though I'm his wife another woman is crying over him as if she is his wife. His dead body was laid on the floor covered with a white sheet with people surrounding him and a woman over his chest as she wept like a woman who is sincerely in vain at his departure. 

While me. I sat out of all those people away from the body leaning back to the pillar with my legs cuddled to my chest, my hands around my legs as I looked at her with zero expression as the tear strains on my cheeks itched. I'm outcasted from his people while I'm his wife. 

I don't understand anything. I was married just yesterday and I became a widow today. And no one came to console me but strangely three women who are his mother, aunt, and sister were consoling that particular woman while I am staring at them as a lost cause. 

I don't even know whether I have to cry or not. Not once we had a good interaction with each other. The last time I was terrified to the bones listening to his words. What kind of husband would offer his wife to his friends? I was so afraid about this marriage. I even planned to get myself killed if he anytime would offer me to his friends. 

But fate played a different thing and I don't know whether to be thankful or not. Sure I'm happy that I'm not in his clutch but his death isn't something I didn't wish for as well. As a girl, I had my dreams about marriage. The day I was supposed to wear a red saree and hear laughings were now resonating with cries and white color. Now my husband is dead I wonder if I'm going to spend my whole life like a widow. With no husband in my fate. I didn't even get to enjoy a moment of my martial status. If I have any reason to cry now, then it is only my fate. I'm going to spend my life like a widow with no daydreaming about my married life and dance. 

The rituals started as they weighed the body on their shoulders and took to the crematorium to burn the body. I thought at least now I'll be walking with them along with the body. Yet she was the one who is following him close while leaning on my mother-in-law as she gave her shoulder. The scene looked betraying. Soon the body was burned and his ashes were collected. 

Everyone was back home by the evening and I was asked to make tea for all of them. After making tea I started to serve everyone. But my mother-in-law was nowhere to see and I can only assume that she is gone to do some other rituals. I finally reached his room which I consider mine as his wife but..... I again found her in his room. 

Strange. Why she is everywhere that I am supposed to be? 

Lying on the bed, with a shirt in her hand.....

I gulped away the unusual feeling. 

And I'm again clueless, or I choose to be clueless seeing something unacceptable. Here I feel I don't have the authority to question anyone and the same goes for this stranger. But who is she exactly? I wonder if she is someone particular to him and though I don't have any emotion for him, it felt betraying and deceiving. I don't want to be cheated on or tricked because they think I'm dumb. 

Walking in with the tray in my hand I slightly shook her body and she opened her eyes tiredly. Her eyes were red and sleepy. Lazily she got up and sat on the bed in a mermaid position as she looked at the ground longingly. She looked as if she is still mourning his death. I wonder if I will have the same feeling after spending some time with him. Shaking away my thoughts I forwarded her a tea and she took it though her attention is elsewhere. 

She took a sip from the tea as I stood to her side as now I clenched the tray in my hands and contemplated whether to ask her or not. 

Biting my lower lip and taking a breath I piped up myself and opened my mouth.  

"W-who are you to him". 

I asked and her actions paused as she turned her head to look at me. As soon as her eyes acknowledged me her eyes turned cold as she looked at me coldly. I waited for her answer patiently as she continued to look at me which now looks like glaring. 

Suddenly the hot content fell on my face I let out a shriek my hands shielded my face but failed to protect me from the content. It took me a moment to realize that she threw tea at me and I cleared my eyes with my fingers and looked at her with heavy breathing. 

Her glare intensified as she still stared at me and I am still busy wiping away the hot tea from my face. 

Before I ask something, Yamini, mother law came in she looked at me and stridden towards her as she held her in her hug.  

"What did you do to anger her. Get out". She spoke enraged as others entered the room they walked to her when she started crying again while I am again outcast. 

"Can't you hear. Get out". Shouted my mother-in-law and I hurried out of my room glancing back at them. A hiccup left my mouth as tears jammed in my eyes.  I'm so much in a dilemma. What is happening? Why are they siding with her when I'm their daughter-in-law? Why are they even siding with her without knowing what happened and straight away blaming me? None of them consoled me or asked me what happened but they legit choose her. Who is she exactly? 

I went to the hall and walked into the common washroom and washed my face. Parting my face gently with cold water I straightened up and saw myself in the mirror only to meet with a red face. Apparently because of the tea. Dabbing my face with a towel I stared at myself as again tears jammed in my eyes but I blinked them away furiously as I blew air to my face with my hands. After controlling my tears I exited the washroom and walled into the kitchen I made myself a place beside the fridge as I sat down on the floor and hugged my legs to my chest as I cried in my arms.  

Fate is bad to me. 

But little does she know. Soon it gonna be worst. 

After 10 days that particular girl of whom I even failed in knowing the name left the house with her luggage and now only me and my mother-in-law and her sister and my sister-in-law. Only we were left and remaining all relatives have left the house. And I'm particularly happy that she left the house. Don't know why but my heart always complained to me that she is his something and I cannot digest that. 

Alive or dead. I expect him to be at least loyal. Though she is his before marriage the thing that she cried and did rituals like his wife made me bitter and discriminated against my rights. It might look strange for having devotion to that husband who hasn't even spent a day and on top of that when he misbehaved with me. Though he didn't deserve respect. It is the relationship that needs to be respected. If not for him I at least respect the marriage even in his absence. Marriage is a sacred thing that took on the oath of the god and one has to follow it. 

The days passed by and I'm getting used to the work in my home but the atmosphere is still gloomy. I wonder why that man had killed my husband and I don't know why they didn't put any case on him. Once they rejected my opinion when I voiced out about putting a case on him but I was told not to interfere much and concentrate on my work. This house is full of mysteries. 

But one day when I was about to enter into my mother-in-law's room with tea I overheard something which broke my heart.