SHIKWA

Chapter 18

It took an hour for Maheshwaris to reach Dehradun. Sanskaar was quiter than usual. Everyone noticed that. But nobody dared to ask him anything.

It was late at night. Laksh cancelled the call he was on. He looked at Ragini and she understood what he wanted to say.

"Not even a single news of Divorce of Yuvraj. Not even a single news about his estranged wife. Why do I feel as if there is something more fishy than we think?"

Ragini wrapped her hands around Laksh. Placing her head on his chest, she said, "Should we go to the Ashram where she lives?"

"I called there too. Someone named Sudha picked the call. And she did not divulge any information." Laksh said, "Have you contacted any of your friends?"

"Yes! None of them replied yet! But I am sure they will as soon as they see the message!"

Unknown to them, the wounded lover was in a deep thinking. Swara's empty eyes were haunting him. Her words which she wrote in letter were not matching with her actions. If she really was a person who valued money over love, why she tore the cheque with such fierceness in her eyes.

He went to his cupboard and took out the letter. Reading the lines again and again, words like fame, luxury felt so shallow for what Swara did for him now. He remembered how much longing he had witnessed in her eyes.

"Bhaiya!"

Sanskaar turned and smiled a little seeing Uttara. He tried to smile.

"Ha bachhe!" He said.

"I missed you!" Uttara said hugging him tightly.

Sanskaar gently patted her hair. But he felt there was something more she wanted to tell him.

"You want to tell me something?" Sanskaar asked.

Uttara looked at him. She really came to him to tell him everything about her meet with Swara. Though young, she knew her brother was distressed. When Swara met her before these many years, Uttara was just a kid who did not understand the gravity of the situation. But now, as she saw her family, she knew she had to tell them about the things she knew.

She was about to say something when Adarsh came from behind.

"Uttara! You here!" Adarsh said, "It's 11 in night. Let bhaiya sleep!"

"Adarsh bhaiya! I... "

"Shh! You too go and sleep." Adarsh took her away from the room.

"Bhaiya! Please listen na!" Uttara said as Adarsh was going back to his room.

"Uttara! I know we all want to talk to bhaiya! But he needs rest na! Tomorrow we will watch a movie with him! Okay!" Adarsh lovingly said.

"It's not about a movie bhaiya! It's about Swara didi!"

Adarsh stopped. Turning around, he looked at her with questions and surprise.

After listening to Uttara, Adarsh asked, "You mean Swara didi was afraid of her husband!"

"Yes! I have not seen anybody so afraid of someone. And one more thing, when I tried to hold her wrist, I saw some bruises over them." Uttara replied.

"Why did you not tell us?" Adarsh was getting a little angry.

"I did not know the depth of situation. I just thought that she came to meet us one last time. I have even completely forgotten about it. But when I saw her again, I remembered everything!"

Adarsh sighed. Determinedly, he knocked the door of Laksh and Ragini. This was something really urgent for them.

After listening to both Uttara and Adarsh, Laksh stood up and started to pack his bags.