"I entered the grand mansion of Mathurs as Vikram Ji's wife and everyone accepted me as such. But inwardly my guilt and depression were eating me away, and I had my first PTSD attack soon after. Chacha, Chachi and Vikram Ji went to great lengths to keep everything hidden from the staff at their Mansion but soon one more attack happened and we moved to a smaller bungalow in Delhi, where there were no other people from Vikramji' side.
Once Vikram brought me to Mumbai, to get me checked by an eminent Psychiatrist. It was then, out of the blue, in my troubled state of mind, that I decided to visit you at your home. I roughly knew the location and all other details as you described your neighbourhood and your friends to me so vividly all those times when we were dating. Vikramji had gone out to a shareholder meeting and I grabbed my chance to escape from the hotel, and rHi all this chapter drained me so much, emotionally. I feel I am not best equipped at writing these kind of chapters because half the time I am in tears and feeling emotional too. Please let me know how you felt as you read the Chapter. All I can say is no one is perfect, we all have our flaws and Aryan and Chandni are no exception. Where do these two should go from here? What do you think. Share your thoughts and ideas. But IMO, the power of love is what makes us accept our loved ones as they are, with all their flaws.
Aryan stared helplessly at his surroundings, his gaze almost blank, unable to think or fathom what was happening around him, as his heart and mind were right now with Chandni, and he was sure that she was weeping her heart out in her room. Minutes passed and finally he made his way towards her room, still not sure whether he should go to her, and once he did, what he was going to do or say to her. He stopped at the door, still unsure, and finally knocked on the door. There was no response from inside. He knocked again and after waiting for a few more moments, finally turned the handle to open the door. Chandni was sprawled on the bed, her head buried in the pillow, her cries completely muffled up, but the fall and rise of her shoulders, clearly indicating what he already knew. He strode slowly and stood next to h
Aryan never slept so soundly in recent times. Something soft and warm was wrapped around him and the faint sweet aroma made him cuddle it even closer. As his sleepiness began to fade, he realised it was Chandni sleeping next to him and all the events of last night came back into memory, in a flash. Nothing was resolved last night, they were still stuck in their own worlds but it cannot continue this way anymore, because now, they have Atharv to think of. From the slow rise and fall of her chest against his, he could gather that she was still in deep sleep. The bliss he was currently feeling, to have her in his arms, was this just a mirage? Even if it was, he just wanted to hold on to it for a few more moments. Suddenly, he felt a pair of little fingers touching his face along with some soft cloth. It tickled a bit initially and he began to realise someone wa
Ajmer Vikram looked at the enshrined dome of Ajmer Dargah, a holy site not only for muslims, but people of all faiths who come and pray and pay their respect to the Tomb of Sufi Saint Garib Nawaz. Thanks to the expert guidance of Nargis Chachi and Rashid Chacha, who were frequent visitors, he was able to visit all the important sites within the huge complex and absorb the beauty and sanctity of the Dargah, now brightly lit, which was crowded even at that late hour. His hands automatically came together in prayer as he heard the soulful Sufi song being sung by worshippers near the entrance " Mere Khwaja Ji Ek Nigahe Karm Ho Mujh Pe" ( Almighty please take care of me) He closed his eyes blocking out all the other sounds and vision of fellow worshippers around him as his weak bod
Chandni cast her eyes down guiltily, unable to face the fury in her Dev's eyes. Just as Aryan was about to reply harshly to Chandni's comments. Atharv chipped in. "Daddy, are you afraid of Mummy?" Chandni's face broke into a smile as she completely forgot what she was worrying about and she coyly turned her gaze to Aryan, curious to know what his reply was going to be. This was just a strange and abrupt question that Aryan took a moment or two before replying. It also gave him a forethought into where he was going wrong, when dealing with Chandni.So much has happened since the accident. He could easily
They became oblivious to Atharv's loud chatter in the background. Their warm breaths intermingled with each other and her very smell was driving him crazy. Chandni slowly raised both her hands and cupped his face and Aryan closed his eyes in bliss, as his thirst for her love and touch was finally fulfilled and it felt as innocent and loving as all those years ago. "My husband is a brave man who has taken on so many bad guys to fight for me. He is equally brave to accept me back into his life, in spite of everything I have done to him." As her soft lips touched his forehead and went down towards his cheeks, kissing every light scar and healed wound along the way, Aryan's right arm went up her back, while his left arm held her thigh as he turned her towards him and drew h
"On that day when I was about to leave for Mumbai, I was shown a paper advertisement by Rashid Bhai which had the obituary of my elder daughter Reshma. I was devastated and immediately left for Delhi as the ad mentioned a Delhi address." Chandni let out a small gasp and Nargis Chachi, who was sitting next to her, wound her arms protectively around her. Aryan who was sitting on the other side of Chandni was still observing the poignant faces of Vikram and Raj Kaka even as Sanjay's words began to disturb him. "Once I landed at Delhi, I looked up the address and reached this huge mansion which seemed to belong to the Mathurs family where my daughter was married to, and there, for the first time, met my Son in Law Vikram."
Vikram settled back into the lounge comfortably and looked at the eager faces of Aryan and Chandni. "Okay before I explain my own story, I want to clarify something which might confuse or raise doubts in your mind later, especially you Aryan! Why have I taken so long to buy this company or force you two to come together? Trust me when I say this, I have tried for a long time to persuade Chandni, directly as well as indirectly, to approach you on her own. But all my efforts utterly failed." Chandni looked guiltily at Aryan but he just beckoned to sit closer to him and her eyes welled with unshed tears. She moved sideways and entwined her arm around his, thanking all the lucky stars who blessed her with such a loving and mature husband. "VikramJi, you don't owe us any explanation. What is past is past. We are all t
Vikram rubbed his stubbled cheeks slowly and continued. "Meeting Renu was like a fresh blossom of life for me. And the more I came to know about her personality, the more I loved her. Once you break through her defensive shield, she was a lovely and mischievous person, very sharp and witty and I enjoyed her company immensely. By this time, I was serious about my relationship with her. She was about to finish her graduation and I went and proposed to her, full of hope that we will be married soon. But she rejected me outright saying she and me becoming a couple was out of the question. She wouldn't tell me why and we had a huge row. I almost thought it was the end of our relationship. We didn't speak to each other or tried to meet. But our separation was just killing me. I didn't know what to do with myself or my life. I began to drink heavily, and even had trouble doing my duty. I was never callous enough
For the first time the confident smile on Dev's face faltered. "Hmm Yes I think so Mrs. Bharadwaj. But if there is anything he does that you don't like, and you are too shy to tell him directly, maybe I can help you?" He looked hopefully at her. The waiter hovered around them, hoping they would order. "It's your choice!!" Dev handed over the menu to her. Chandni didn't bother to open it. She looked sweetly at the waiter and asked, "What are your signature dishes for entrees and mains here?" The waiter went through a long list of delectable dishes, which as per his recommendation were most sought after. Chandni randomly picked a few and asked them to be served as quickly as p
"Everything is about you is it? What you want to do, what you don't want to do? What If I am not in the mood to talk right now? What if I am finding my husband too..."? She didn't finish her sentence and Dev grabbed her waist and pulled her towards him. "Your command is my wish... my majesty." He smiled in relief. "This is what I want sweetheart!! That you tell me everything openly. I didn't tell you how you look in this dress because I was afraid I will get too carried away even without...forget it!! When I saw this dress in a catalogue, I knew you would look damn good in this, but when the time comes, I was hoping I could do this too...." His ran his fingers lazily in a feathery touch along her open back, making her shudder involuntarily and wrap her arms around him. She nuzzled his neck, kissing him slowly al
It was almost Seven pm and Dev had booked their dinner at Eight. Chandni opened the suitcase that Dev brought along with him, which was supposed to have all her clothes that she packed in Mumbai. But to her horror, it was practically empty except for some new underwear and casual clothes. As she made a thorough search to see if any of her clothes were in other suitcases, She recalled all the events of the afternoon After dumping their luggage at the hotel, they had a leisurely lunch, and strolled around the streets of shopping markets. Dev insisted on going back to the same shop where she bought the shorts she wore to the airport, and buy every combination of shorts and casual tops there, as he said "it made you look like a local and the 18-year-old I married." But Chandni suspected otherwise, the way his hungry
A war-like atmosphere had descended upon the marble island counter in the kitchen, which also served as Dining table in the Bharadwaj household. "I want to come to Goa too.. I have never been there! Mummy! Mummy!! Tell Daddy I want to come too.. I don't want to go and stay with Miku Chacha!! I am not going to eat this breakfast anymore till you agree to take me along." Atharv crossed his arms and looked at his parents furiously, after making sure that he finished all but a few spoons of the huge second serve of his favorite Kheer! "Hey Buddy!! Why are you saying you don't want to come and stay with me? I am hurt... deeply hurt! We are friends, remember!! Goa is seriously boring! All you do is sit in front of the beach and stare at waves! And trust me, there too your Mum and Dad would be telling you don't do this, don't do that.... But you and me, we are going
A few months later. -------------------------- "Atharv... tell your mummy to hurry up otherwise we both are going to the function without her!" Aryan said in irritation, as he looked at his watch for the umpteenth time. "Daddy you can tell her whatever you want in person, because she is right behind you. Haha" Atharv pointed to his father with a jerk of his head, and went back to playing the video game on his phone. "Don't you start anything now!! As it is, I am in such a bad mood for spending so much time wearing this saree." Chandni didn't even let her husband open his mouth. Aryan groaned loudly. "Well, who asked you to wear this? And if you knew
A flushed and pained Vikram slowly made his way out of the washroom towards his bed and sat down exhausted. He should have gone to the living room and joined others at Breakfast but he felt totally drained. Maybe he could rest for a few more moments. He sat upright against the propped up soft pillows on the head board and took some deep breaths. Just then he heard soft footsteps followed by a knock and his face broke into a smile. "Come in!" Chandni and Aryan entered with breakfast tray. "Aaah!! Mr. and Mrs. Bharadwaj! And with breakfast for me! I should thank my lucky stars huh!!" He cheered them jovially. Chandni gave the juice to Vikram with a smile and sat next to him on the bed. Vikram scooted over and tapped on the other side of the bed, inviting Ar
Her heart rejoiced at the thought itself, even though she was still depressed thinking about her Didi and the drastic step she took. Committing suicide is such a stupid cowardly thing. It is not a solution to any problem. In fact, you leave so much trauma and grief for all the people you leave behind, who loved you all your life, and they get sometimes permanently scarred from it. Vikram ji had been through so much trauma after Didi died. If only she knew how much he loved her!! He went out of the way to help everyone from his wife's family and fulfilled the last wish of his wife. She and everyone in the family was sure that if only Didi had reached out to her Daddy, Vikram would have been so happy to meet them all in normal circumstances, and they would have been one big happy family! Now she understood the meaning behind each and every word Vikram ji said to her at the top of that hill cliff after he saved her..... Her thoughts wandered to that fate
"Chandni, after I saw your father at Renu's Anniversary, I went through her things and found this letter addressed to me. And everything that I did afterwards was because of this. Please read it, it is nothing personal. And I have read it so many times that I know the contents of that letter by heart now." Chandni took the letter with trembling hands and began to read. ============================ Hi Vikram, By the time you read this letter, I am probably gone from your life, and this world. I know what I am going to do is a cowardly act, and something I will just add to the list of regrets that I now have in my life. I wish I was as brave as my mother who loved my father wholeheartedly and fought a
"I know Sanjayji, what wonders women can do, to turn our family life into a bliss. But I also knew what kind of people my relatives were, Renu didn't!” Vikram rubbed his eyes and sighed. “ They would pass snide remarks about her to my father and other relatives or bring up the topic of her family just to unsettle her. Her nervousness only made things worse, as it made all of us suspect that she was hiding something from us. She began to have trouble sleeping and I took her to the doctors who ordered her to do some lifestyle changes, exercises and also prescribed some sleeping pills, but requested her to use them as a last resort. She became fidgety and moody as time went on. I asked her plainly one day, was there anything I needed to know? She flatly denied that she was hiding anything from me but was hurt that I am not trusting her word. She accused me that I was trying to spy on her, which made me