Happily Ever After

Chapter 15

I was standing on the coast, admiring the beauty of the lagoon. Adira would have appreciated it, since she loved blue. Adira! I just remembered her. I couldn't even talk to her these days! Suddenly, I felt a sharp jab near my hip. I half paralyzed out of pain. Somebody had stabbed me on the back! Then someone said, "Look who's here...... Adira's new boyfriend, isn't it? Soon you will be her late boyfriend!" and took out the knife. It was Hayden. I fell down, very helpless. Then he slashed the knife into my body again and took it out. He trampled my head and laughed.

"I've brought you a present!" Hayden shouted, after a few minutes. I was almost dying at the time he said that. I was bleeding excessively. Adira was thrown in front of me. She started crying, and fell down, while stepping back so that she thought that I could be saved. But needless to say, I was dying. Suddenly, Adira shouted as if she was having a heart attack. I looked at her. She seemed to be drawing her last breath. Even I was drawing my last breath. As I inhaled, Hayden rushed to Adira and told his henchmen to dump me into the forest. Then I died.

Or at least, I felt like dying. It was morning. I actually thought that it was a dream. But, as I woke up, I saw blood everywhere. Body was paining. I had lost a lot of blood. I could see blurry images, but then I noticed a medicinal herb. I crawled in pain to the herb and picked up a few leaves. I chewed it and applied it to my wounds. After a few seconds, the painkilling affect started to activate. Soon, I was able to stand up with the help of a tree. When I got to the coast, I started to see clearly. I knew that I needed some help, so I decided to leave for the village. The wounds were throbbing against my skin. I managed to get to the village road, but then I fell. Then somebody asked me, "Niru?" It was the blacksmith. I told him that I was wounded, and he took me to his house. He was living with his only son. His wife had died because of Dengue. Both of them treated my wounds. They didn't know what was happening, but knew that I was wounded. His son was surprised to see me surviving two stabs of a knife. The blacksmith kept it secret that I was in his house, under my request.

Nearly a month went for my recovery. I knew that Adira wasn't dead, but she might be thinking that I was dead. I learnt from the blacksmith that Adira's marriage to Hayden was confirmed. I had to ruin that marriage, no matter what. God gave me a chance to live again, because he knew that I had to reclaim my love, no matter what. All love stories I heard- Romeo and Juliet, Padmaavati and Ratan Singh, Rama and Sita- ended tragically. But mine isn't going to be like that. I am going to show everyone that a love story can end happily!

On Adira's wedding day, I left the blacksmith's house at 6 o'clock in the evening, fresh. I had washed myself, worshipped the earth and set foot out of the house. No one was out, as they had gone to the wedding. The ceremony was to be held at night, 8:00. The bodyguards were chatting outside. I easily defeated them. Now you must be thinking, the one who should be saving lives is killing lives now! It's not that. I just got angry. I sneaked inside. It was 6:15. You have to walk a distance of 3 meters to get into the garden (where the wedding was going to be held). As soon as I got there, I hid behind a tree. Sure enough, this large garden was enough to hold the wedding. There were many decorations. I heard someone say, "Adira, go and wear your saree now." It was Hayden. Adira was in her usual blue attire, while Hayden had got specially dressed for occasion. "The right time is at 7:00. Since I am in India, I would like to carry out the traditions perfectly." Oh my God! Had Adira grown thinner? Of course she had! Seemed to me as if she was starving. Nevertheless, I was going to take my second chance and use it, since God knew our love for each other.