Judaaiyaan

1

2000

Love sometimes isn't easy. Not everyone's life is a fairytale where the reality is simple and endearing. Sometimes it involves a lot of difficult decisions like the one Mauli Khanna had taken after two weeks of thinking over her husband's infidelity.

"I know about Nandini, Kunal," his cheery and upbeat wife announced as they lay in their bed after another long day.

"What about Nandini?" he asked, not knowing which truth his wife was talking about.

Kunal Khanna was a powerful and rich man. The head of Khanna Industries ran an empire in Mumbai that was most admired and envied by his competitors. He was also a successful man in his private life with Mauli Khanna.

"She's pregnant and it's your child, isn't it?" Mauli was his right arm in the company. She wasn't one of those women who watched as their husbands became richer and richer while they spent money without a care in the world.

They were happily married for eight years and had dated two before their official union. She was still in her second year at college when it happened and didn't think twice about changing her subject from psychology to business. She wanted to help her husband, she wanted to be not only his wife but also his partner, and that had captured Kunal's heart even harder.

The only sad note about it was that a few years after they married, they found out Mauli was sterile. At first, it didn't bother Kunal because she was the perfect wife. Not only did she help him in the business with her insightful ideas and envying sixth sense but she also administered their house like an irreproachable housewife. His clothes, shoes, favorite food, and even tickets to his favorite actor's movie first-day show were always at his disposal. And Kunal loved Mauli for that.

But years passed and he started worrying about who would lead his business once he was old. He wanted to retire early enough to give Mauli all the attention she deserved. They planned to travel the world and enjoy the perks of being such a rich couple. One day he would finally die and would like to have someone in his family to perpetuate what he had worked so hard to build.

"Which is the only thing between her and me," he stated firmly. He didn't have a fling with Nandini. There was nothing about his assistant that made her a competition to his wife. Nandini was beautiful just like his wife and he wouldn't say otherwise, but Mauli was also warm and sweet while Nandini was simply austere.

"How did it happen?" Mauli asked and surprisingly enough to Kunal she sounded okay about the situation.

"Rajdeep told me she said no to his proposal. She doesn't want to get married or have any kids of her own. She said that she's only interested in making enough money to leave her position in the company and finally pay for the master's degree she dreams about."

"And that's why you fired Rajdeep?" Mauli asked about their CA.

"I relocated him to the company. I know he needed the money and then I tried to seduce Nandini, which wasn't difficult and when she found herself pregnant I let her go but demanded she keep the baby," he explained avoiding looking at his wife the whole time.

"How long did it last?"

"Two months. After I realized she was going to sleep with me I gave her a few pills of birth control saying I didn't like condoms. The pills were fertility medicine and a few weeks later she looked for me saying she was pregnant."

"Good," was all Mauli said before stretching her arm to turn off the nightstand lamp.

"Good?"