THE HIDDEN HALF

Chapter 14 : You were not there!

*** CHAPTER 14 ***

No!

No! This can’t be happening.

She thought she had lost him. Long back.

How come she hasn’t realized it yet?! Her breathing come out in uneven pants as Annapurna looks at both the pendants again and again and again. What has she done? How could she let her anger overpower her senses? She has ruined everything. But how can she let this go? She has waited for this moment for years, even without a single ray of hope she has waited and now that he is in front of her she can’t let him go. She will take everything he will give. Love. Hatred. Anger. No matter what it is she won’t lose him. Not again.

With all her might she grabs both the pendants and sprints back to the central hall. She needs to get a hold of the last handful of things dear to her before everything falls apart. She has to.

-----------------.

Vidhaan winces as Laksh dabs the sterilized cotton swab at the wound on the side of his neck whereas Ragini sits beside her husband on the couch in the central hall as he attends to Vidhaan’s wound.

So, this is how it feels. The only thing that has been dear to him is no longer in his possession. Fisting his palm to his sides Vidhaan takes a deep breath to stop himself from doing anything rash. He could have fought back but he didn’t. He couldn’t and he himself doesn’t know why. Shouting and fighting have never been his things but he is not a person to sit back either when he is being wronged. He can totally understand her point of view as well. She’s scared… scared of losing her daughter after losing her son. But that’s not an excuse to take away his dearest thing.

Applying the ointment, Laksh walks away to wash his hands and Ragini gets up to place the first-aid kit back in the drawer.

Vidhaan closes his eyes reminiscing the few happy moments of his life back there in Mumbai. Oh, how he wishes to be back there again! Life has been so simple there. So sorted without any worries and hurt. A small smile tugs at his lips as he feels warm fingers run hesitantly through his hair.

Wait! He has never felt this warmth before.

He opens his eyes with a jolt just to turn around and look at the person standing right behind him but Durga Prasad’s booming voice answers his questions even without turning as he storms towards his wife yanking her away from Vidhaan and he instantly misses the warmth.

Durga Prasad: What the hell are you doing here?

Annapurna: (stutters) I… I came to see.

Durga Prasad: What do you want to see? Haven’t you hurt him enough already?

Annapurna: I-I’m sorry!

Durga Prasad: Sorry? That’s all you’ve to say Annapurna?

Annapurna: I know I have done a mistake. I just…

Durga Prasad: You just, what? He’s the only person who has been helping us selflessly… without asking for anything and this is what you have given him in return.

Annapurna: I… I can explain.

Durga Prasad: I don’t think so. What you did back there has no valid explanation. How come my Annapurna became so cold? So heartless!

Annapurna: I just saw him with Swara and…

Durga Prasad: And you behaved like that. What were you thinking? Were you even thinking? What’s wrong if he was with Swara? Shlok… Our son is not coming back. Swara needs someone by her side and Vidhaan makes her happy. Can’t you see that?