Marriage In Echo

8

Chapter 8

Four months had passed since Tiya's departure, yet Karan's heart still carried the weight of her absence. In his opulent office, amidst the hustle and bustle of corporate life, Karan found himself lost in memories of his vanished wife. Holding Tiya's mangalsutra in his hand, he stared at it intently, his mind consumed with thoughts of her.

Nayan, Karan's best friend and the CEO of the company, entered his office, concern etched on his face. Karan and Nayan have been best friends since high school. They also were the co-founders of their IT company.

He observed Karan silently for a moment, recognizing the pain that lingered behind his friend's eyes.

"Karan," Nayan began softly, approaching his friend with a sympathetic gaze. "It's been four months. Have you heard anything from Tiya?"

Karan shook his head, his voice heavy with frustration. "I've searched everywhere, Nayan. But it's like she's vanished into thin air. I don't know where to look anymore."

Nayan placed a reassuring hand on Karan's shoulder, offering him silent support in his time of need.

"I can't believe my own sister helped my wife flee," he uttered, his voice choked with a mix of disbelief and betrayal.

Flashback: Two months ago

In the sombre atmosphere of the dining area, Karan sat in silence, his appetite nonexistent as his family members gathered around him. Meera, who happened to be home that day, observed the tension in the room, her own meal momentarily forgotten.

"Any news on Tiya's whereabouts, beta?" Karan's mother inquired, her concern evident in her voice.

Karan shook his head wearily, his frustration palpable. "I can't believe she walked out of our marriage so easily," he remarked with a bitter chuckle, his hurt reflected in his eyes.

Meera, mid-bite, couldn't hold back a cynical snicker at her brother's words. Swallowing her food, she interjected with a blunt honesty that pierced through the silence. "She didn't walk out so easily, bhaiya. You made her walk out of this marriage. You were so busy building emotional barriers between yourself and bhabhi that you never really cared about her. She's an orphan, bhaiya. She's never had a family. She does everything selflessly. Even after marriage, you were grieving for that Sanjana. The same girl who refused to marry you because you didn't have this wealth and status years ago.”

Karan's gaze bore into Meera's with a mix of incredulity and dawning realisation. The weight of her words hung heavy in the air, each accusation a sharp dagger piercing through his defences.

"She suffered a miscarriage! Where were you?" Meera's voice quivered with righteous anger, her frustration boiling over as she confronted her brother. "Why were you not with her when she spent her days crying in the balcony, staring at the USG scan pictures? Tell me, if Atharv ji treated me the way you treated Tiya bhabhi! You would have killed him!”

The words struck Karan like a thunderbolt, his mind reeling with the gravity of Meera's accusations. Atharv, Meera's husband, became an unwitting reference point, a stark reminder of the emotional void that had plagued his own marriage.

Meera's resolve remained unshaken, her voice cutting through the silence with unwavering conviction. "I should have helped her leave much earlier. She deserved better than a man who never emotionally made himself available. You are disgusting bhaiya."

Karan's initial shock gave way to a flicker of disbelief, his brows furrowing as he struggled to process the revelation. "You helped Tiya in all this?" he asked, his tone laced with disbelief and a hint of betrayal.

"Yes, I helped Tiya bhabhi," Meera affirmed, her voice steady despite the weight of her admission. "In fact, that day, I myself dropped her off at the airport. I myself booked her plane tickets to Delhi."

Karan's heart sank as the reality of Meera's words washed over him. Anger and shame swirled within him, battling for dominance as he grappled with the magnitude of his own actions. Tiya's pain, her suffering after the miscarriage—his failure to be there for her echoed loudly in his mind.

"One day, she heard me and maa talking about you and Sanjana..." Meera's words hung in the air, a painful reminder of the wounds he had inflicted upon his wife.

Karan's fists clenched, his jaw tightening with the weight of Meera's accusations. Shame and regret gnawed at him, intertwining with the flickers of anger simmering beneath the surface.

"Anyways, why are you even worried about bhabhi?" Meera's voice pierced through his thoughts, her words a bitter reminder of the fractured state of their marriage. "She has left. Now you and Sanjana can get back together. After all, that's why you treated her like crap all these years."

"Bhabhi was absolutely broken after losing the baby," Meera began, her tone tinged with a mix of bitterness and sorrow. "But I am glad she lost the baby. That child didn't deserve a father like you, who was always preoccupied with thoughts of his past love affair and not with his own wife. I am fucking glad that she lost that ba…"

The words hung heavily in the air, carrying the weight of Meera's resentment and disappointment. But before she could continue, Rekha's hand shot out, delivering a sharp slap across Meera's cheek.

"Don't cross your limits, Meera," Rekha's voice was firm, her eyes flashing with a mix of anger and sadness. "That child was innocent and deserved to live, no matter what.”

The shock was palpable in the room, a heavy silence settling between them like a suffocating blanket. Karan's voice broke the stillness, his tone pleading and desperate.

"Where is Tiya? Please tell me, Meera... I will work on myself, I will be a better husband. Just tell me where she is," he implored, his words tinged with desperation and regret.

Meera, tears streaming down her face, met her brother's gaze, seeing the sincerity in his eyes. She took a deep breath before responding, her voice trembling with emotion.

"She went to Delhi," Meera revealed, her voice barely above a whisper. "She told me that she would call me once she lands there. But she never called me. I have never heard from her in the last two months," she admitted, her own anguish evident in her words.

Flashback Ends

Karan's voice was void of emotion as he spoke, his words heavy with despair. "Tiya is not in Delhi. She never boarded that flight to Delhi."

Nayan, his best friend and confidant, nodded in understanding. "We will find bhabhi, Karan. Even if it means flipping the whole world," Nayan reassured him, placing a comforting hand on Karan's shoulder.

Karan's shattered demeanour was evident as he stood there, his shoulders slumped with the weight of his grief. Dark circles underscored his eyes, evidence of the sleepless nights spent agonising over Tiya's whereabouts. He couldn't shake the overwhelming fear for her safety, knowing that she was too innocent for the cruelty of the world.

***********************************

Tiya is not in Delhi. Where is she?

Do you agree with Meera?

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Hare Krishna