Sin or Salvation?

II.

"My eyes were dazed by you for a  little, and that was all."

                                  -- Thomas Hardy
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The never ending passageways of The Sabherwal Mansion.

"This would rather be The Sabherwal Maze,.."She smiled a wry smile as she mentally made a change in the name of one of the most enigmatic, robust and awe-worthy mansions of Chandigarh. Anyone, probably the residents themselves (as she very gallantly suspected) would feel disoriented in terms of finding their way out inside the premise of this minimised version of a palace, graced by the aristocratic and unparalleled Sabherwal's.

Wrapping her arms around herself in the form of an interlinked ring, her fingers tightened its grip on either sides of the shirt, making an attempt at strengthening the self-brace. She increased the pace with which her bare and somewhat numb with cold feet's could manage to dart ahead. She knew that she has signed in for an impending risk by her present course of actions!

The still newly wedded, "not-so-favourite" daughter-in-law of the house, tiptoeing down the corridor early at the break of the dawn, wearing only her son's damaged white shirt is the last thing that Badi Maa could possibly look forward to seeing anytime soon or EVER.

"I swear Nikki, this damned impulse of yours shall prove to be the death of you someday!!... Mata Rani, tu sirf yeh dekhle ki mujhe koi na dekhe...", she murmured under her breathe.

However, she couldn't help put giggle shamelessly at the mere thought of what the domestic helpers shall think if they manage to catch even a glimpse of their apparently "shant, sundar , sushil , adhyayanashil bahu" .
Finally, she manoeuvred to stealth in her husband's very own, personalised gymnasium within the Mansion or the "...damned maze" as she would prefer to call it.

"This man has been mollycoddled like anything! Aastha Ma'a...Maa nahi thi toh kyan hua...like, who even gets to have a gym of his own within his own house? Not to mention his second most favourite place in the world,(after me, of course)again exclusive  for him only...the library..."

Continuing with her burble of criticising her husband, she smoothly glided the door close, making sure not to make any apparent sound as such, "...aur jab ki usse pata hain.. that now it's me who has got hopelessly spoilt! Thanks to him. Pampering me with the best includes my need of waking up to hi..i.....m.."

That, which made the most apt of tongues to stumble and fall, the sight that is nothing less than a blessing to her eyes... yes, that's exactly what the Universe calls "Endgame".
She was prepared for the view of him, working out . Of course she was. It was his gymnasium she has made an entry into, after all. Regardless of which, she wasn't girded for THIS encounter .

With an athletic, black sweat pant being the only clothing that braced his body, there he was! The Shaurya Sabherwal. Her Shaurya Sabherwal, that is.
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( Hope all  of you're holding up pretty well!!! So here finally is what you had  cursed the hell out of us to get.. Though this update was meant to be even shorter, we took pity and thought of introducing our "The Shaurya Sabherwal" to you all...❤️.. Now that here he is, wait.... Also can't thank y'all enough for the love and appreciation you showered. Looking forward to having more ..❣️Till the next time... happy reading ❤️✨🙃)