Swasan SS - Elixir

Chapter 8

‘What are you doing here Kavita?’ His tone was pleasant, smartly concealing the malevolence in to it.
‘I think you know that very well Sanskar,’ she said with equal politeness. ‘After all it was this meeting that would be the fitting climax to your five year scheming, to your tremendous efforts to ruin my husband, you wanted this right?’
He leaned against his chair, closed his eyes and sighed, before sitting upright once more slightly grinning.
‘Couldn’t have put it better myself,’ he said then.
‘How low can you stoop? You know very well that I love another…’ Kavita stopped and then gave a slightly shaken yet utterly unrealistic smile. ‘What am I saying? This has become a habit of yours now, how can I forget that the woman you have trapped in marriage was your brother’s love too. Now that he wants her back in his life, in spite of your promise to her you’re not letting her go.’
‘This conversation doesn’t concern her,’ Sanskar said shortly. ‘It concerns you and the blunders you made along the way.’
Kavita’s eyes flashed angrily at him as he spoke.
‘After all you’re the most shrewd woman I have ever known Kavi, you dared to have an affair with Adarsh right under his father and his wife’s noses and used me who loved you like a fool as your cover.’
‘You know Lucky suggested that right? He was the one who said you’re head over heels for me and that Parineeta, clinging to Adarsh like a leech, so I thought why not put your feelings to use.’
‘Yes, because you thought I was a good for nothing rich boy, who you can ditch anytime you wanted.’
Kavita smiled.
‘You have to agree you were such a cute pie those days Sanskar. I actually enjoyed your company, but then you wanted more, you wanted marriage, I couldn’t possibly risk that can I?’
‘It was not only my heart you broke that night.’
‘Of cause you broke a few of Adarsh’s bones as well but then I’m sure you’re talking about your dear Parineeta Bhabi’s fragile heart!’ She laughed a little. ‘So then you see the pit we’ve pushed you in to and you decide to ruin the three of us.’ She exhaled. ‘You have done it, now celebrate!’
‘I wanted to ruin him yes,’ Sanskar agreed. ‘I wanted you to see that you had made the wrong choice, that he was nothing compared to me, I wanted you to mourn over your fate and come back to me.’
‘Which I have,’ said Kavita.
The conversation was cut short as his cabin door opened. Sanskar sighed looking at his extremely ill mannered personal assistant cum wife who always forgets to knock before entering. But his thought process was cut short as he noticed her slightly shaken posture and trembling lips. Well done, he thought to himself. She heard the most unpleasant and inappropriate part of the conversation.
‘I need your signatures here sir,’ she said in the steadiest voice she could manage as she placed the folder in front of him and, swiftly turned around to leave.
‘Mrs Maheshwari, wait for a moment,’ he called after her, knowing that she would not listen to him again.
Swara stopped against her better judgment; she seriously wanted to hear his explanation to this conversation. She wanted him to say that she had misunderstood whatever passed between Kavita and him, so desperately that even against the risk of breaking further by listening she stayed rooted on her spot.
There was a second of pause before Sanskar resumed to talk, in which her mind reflected over the past few months. True, he was not the whitest of characters she had known, but immorality was not one of his vices. He had been honest with her when they got married, presumably had been honest ever since. The moments they had shared grew intense with the passing time that by then she had almost lost her heart once more. Swara closed her eyes. Perhaps she was not destined for love that whenever she falls it seems more pain was in store for her, more pieces of her heart to shatter. Whenever she thought elixir was found, it turned out to be a more lethal poison than the last.
‘So Kavita Bhabi, as I was saying,’ Sanskar resumed the earlier conversation, with a lighter tone. ‘I wanted you at my feet yes, begging just as you are now, and he stood up. ‘Do you know what I wanted to do then?’
Kavita looked up at him, almost mockingly and then her eyes shifted to Swara.
‘Why don’t you let the poor child go Sanskar? You’re literally murdering her by displaying your true colors like this. At least out of earshot she can imagine this scene never occurred in her life, like most wives do.’
‘Hmm,’ said Sanskar as he signed the papers she brought and looked at Swara with the folder in his hand. She stretched out an arm to take it and leave as soon as possible. But instead of giving it to her, he slammed it against the table in front of Kavita.
‘This!’ He said then. ‘I wanted to do this. Read it, you’ll find I have released all Adarsh bhai’s assets, shagun samaj ke rakh lo’
‘Sanskar!’
‘What did you think? That I wanted you? How high do you think of yourself Kavita? I’d waste my time and energy after you? I just wanted your husband to know that everything he is proud of is just my mercy on him; he has them because I chose to forsake them. Let’s see how happy he’d be when he lives with that knowledge.’
Kavita stood up, glaring at him but speechless in front of that bitter logic.
‘Now, if you care enough, leave.’ Sanskar held the door open. Without a second glance at both 0f them Kavita trotted off, snorting in frustration.
Shutting the door after her Sanskar turned his eyes upon his rather unsettled looking wife.
‘And you Mrs. Maheshwari,’ he said then. ‘How many times do I have to tell you to knock before you enter?’
Swara nodded her head, her eyes threatening to overflow and her heart pumping relief all over her body.
‘Now why are you nodding like a puppet?’ He said lifting her chin to meet his gaze. ‘Aren’t you going to give one of your world famous retorts?’
She just smiled at him, with her glittering eyes that most obviously reflected her happiness.
‘You weren’t by any chance thinking along the lines of Kavita were you?’ He asked then, rather mockingly. ‘Here I thought you were sane.’
‘And I thought you were evil,’ Swara said timidly. ‘But you’re not.’
‘Don’t be so quick on judgments Mrs. Maheshwari, I can be wicked you know.’
*
The memory swept past her mind as she stared blankly at the divorce papers in her hand. He had already signed them. But she had not finished talking yet.
‘Sanskar,’ she looked up at him. ‘I didn’t do it. I know every proof is against me but I was not involved in the swindle.’
‘I don’t care,’ said Sanskar. ‘He knows the truth now, he loves you as well, and as I promised you are free.’
She stood up, almost choking on her words.
‘And you? Don’t you feel nothing?’
‘I? I feel free too.’
‘Do you think I passed on information because I love him? Is that how you think of me?’
‘You were trying to break free, I was holding you trapped. I’m not blaming you Swara. You wanted to go back, I had no right to block your path after making a promise initially. But I had to, I wanted Lucky to suffer!’
‘You said you loved me.’ she said then. ‘Were you lying then?’
There was a pause as she stared in to his eyes; they blinked, breaking the eye contact.
‘Yes.’ Sanskar muttered. ‘I did love you, but that was before you had decided to crush my heart beneath your feet. I have no more feelings for you. I couldn’t just let you hurt me and run away unscathed.’
‘You’re lying! You’re lying so that I would sign this paper!’
‘You helped Lakshya break me. How could I not return the favor? I took your help in breaking him, there, that’s it.’
She grabbed his shoulders shaking him and glaring in to his eyes.
‘Say anything, but don’t say you used me.’ She said then. ‘You can end everything in a split second, fine, but I can’t! I won’t! For me it’s a relation of seven lives!’
‘Oh come on Swara, now you’re irritating me.’
‘Am I? Then what about everything you said just because of this misconception of yours? Wait for a week Sanskar, a week and you’ll know the truth. I won’t lie; I’ll be waiting for you then.’
He closed his eyes and reopened them to his present. He was driving through the rain soaked road, after that conversation, her words still ringing through his mind.
It was not a matter of trust, he would trust her with his life. But, it was a matter of love and he knew she never loved him. She was in pain, she was suffering his company, and his family had made him apparent to the fact. He could not watch her suffer anymore. He would make sure she got what she deserved, that she was loved and was happy, no matter at what cost.
In the meantime he would be far from pain too. He simply could not take it anymore. Firstly it was Kavita and then… No matter how much his brain would debate he deserves this, his heart was wrenching in pain. He had to let her go, make sure she holds on to no more grudges and seeks to pain him no more. He was tired; this war had gone long enough.
Absentmindedly he checked his buzzing mobile and realized she was calling him for the ninth time. Almost as if from reflex he put the phone in to silent mode and drove on, with no second glance.
*
Swara was going hysterical. She tried to call him again and again with no success. The words she heard replayed on loop in her mind.
It started with Kavita and Ragini’s laughter.
‘So you know her from before?’ Kavita asked.
‘Yes,’ said Ragini. ‘Perhaps she may not remember now, but we are step sisters. I was the one who threw her out of my house when Papa brought her there.’
‘He agreed, just like that?’
‘He had not brought her out of love!’ Ragini chuckled. ‘Her mother died you see.’ She dropped her voice. ‘I think he was involved in her murder as well, to compress the matter he brought her home.’
‘Oh,’
‘Then my mom left. She was so broken after knowing all that, couldn’t take it. If it had not been for that cursed girl, she would be alive today.’
Ragini stopped for a moment.
‘Since then I hated her. Her happiness irks me, then I found out Lucky was head over heels for her! Can you imagine Bhabi? We are two fated enemies! Always tagging at the other’s happiness. So I made her wife of the beast! But now she seems to have tamed the beast!’
‘That’s over now,’ said Kavita. ‘He chose her over me, insulted me in front of her I couldn’t stand and watch can I? Now I have proved her an even bigger traitor. His agony is soothing to watch.’
‘Don’t celebrate just yet; she would prove her innocence soon.’
‘She would,’ Kavita said slyly. ‘But Sanskar would never know. He thinks she did all that to break free, because she is in love with Lucky and he would die with the same delusion.’
‘What did you do?’
‘That car, it has a bomb,’ came the short reply. ‘At least he would be happy thinking she would be free now, finally.’
*
A crystal vase shattered on the floor, sending many glittering partials bouncing around their feet. Ragini watched in silence, Lakshya’s pain always soothed her. It was true she thirsted to watch him suffer had married him for the same reason. But, later she realized hurting him was not as easy as it seemed then. A part of her still cared for him, and that part bleed along whenever she cut him open.
She had decided to give up on this revenge when her truth was exposed. Lakshya again had crushed her heart by saying he wanted nothing to do with her. Then, he had the guts to reclaim his love for Swara, setting Ragini’s wrath ablaze. This time she hated herself. How could she love someone so despicable? But her heart was still beyond her comparison, it still felt for him.
Then there was Swara. She was born to snatch things away from her, first it was her Ma, then it was Lakshya, nowadays it was her peace of mind!
‘How can she choose him? She loved me, how can she do that?’ Lakshya was saying.
‘She doesn’t remember your love and Sanskar is a smart player.’ Ragini said calmly as she filled a glass of water and handed him.
With a large gulp Lakshya emptied the glass and banged it on the bedside table.
‘I thought he hated her! But he…what kind of a man is he?’
A better kind than yours, Ragini thought to herself but smiled slightly in reply.
‘He is playing his old game once more,’ she said slowly. ‘Using Swara to hurt you, she doesn’t realize that, as she doesn’t remember anything about him.’
‘I can’t watch him win,’
‘You don’t have to.’
‘How Ragini? What am I to do?’
‘Depends on how much you need her Lucky,’ said Ragini calmly.
‘I’d die for her!’
‘Can you kill for her?’
‘Huh?’
‘Dying would do you no help now. But if you want her, pain surely can play a vital role.’
‘What do you want me to do?’
‘Compel her to remember everything.’
Lakshya watched her as if she had grown a second head.
‘She would die! No, I can’t do that!’
‘She might not,’ Ragini pointed out. ‘Think of it. If she remembers she would realize how much you love her. If she…umm…let’s say if she’s harmed well you’ve already lost her to Sanskar what difference would that make, really?’
‘You frighten me sometimes do you know that?’
‘Think about it, think well. I know the pain of losing your love Lucky, I want to help you overcome it. Think wisely.’
His mind was almost transparent she could see the conclusion etching across it. Poor Lucky! Ragini thought. You’re always the weapon of others. First it was Adarsh Bhai, now it is me. First you destroyed Sanskar now you would kill Swara and destroy yourself along with her. Can anyone plan a better revenge?
*
Kavita snapped him out of the trance, holding his hand in hers.
‘I still do have that effect on you don’t I?’
Sanskar frowned.
‘What are you trying to do now?’
‘Uh ah,’ said Kavita sweetly. ‘I have already done what I intended to.’
‘What?’
‘Don’t mind me asking Sanskar,’ she continued briskly. ‘But I saw your wife here earlier, where is she now?’
Instantly Sanskar turned around and glanced at the staircase. She was nowhere to be seen.
‘Have you lost her?’ Whispering to his ear she brushed past him, chuckling to herself. ‘Run along now; see if someone took her away!’
*