Raiza's Burden

Chapter 28 The Stain

Raiza gained consciousness as a throbbing headache was killing her. She was back in that house that had imprisoned her, tears started flowing down her cheeks. She couldn't believe she was back here. This place had taken her life and denied her freedom. She got out of bed intending to call Roina. But her phone was missing. She went to look for her things and didn't find them. As she wobbled around the bed to get out of the bedroom, the door opened. She stood still as Siddhart entered with a tray of tea and macaroons.

"You are up, good" he declared. "I was about to wake you up, to eat" he added, placing the tray on the side table.

His smile and the care in his voice reminded her of the man she had fallen in Love.

"Where are my things" she questioned. Her curt tone didn't cause a single dent in the smile.

"Yet to be brought" he stated "I'm arranging for them to be here by tomorrow morning." he declared and rubbed his hands together with a smile "Now come here" he reached out holding her hand and gently tugging her towards a chair at the little table. "Sit and eat. You must be hungry" he declared.

Not knowing what else to do, she sat down but kept her gaze on Siddharth. He served her tea along with macaroons in a cup and saucer and handed it to her.

"Here you go, be careful it's hot."

She observed him silently "What are you doing?" she wondered. Siddharth didn't move till she finished the tea and macaroons. As soon as she was done, he took the cup from her hand and set it aside.

"Well now let's talk" he declared.

"About what?" she asked irritated.

"About Us" Siddharth declared.

He knew it will not be easy. Too many things had gone bad between them. He didn't know whose fault it was and he didn't care anymore. He had to work on something, anything to ensure their child had a good life.

"There is no us" she indicated.

"We will always be us, Raiza, nothing can change it."

"Really, in the last few years, you have drilled into me that we are nothing more than a master and a puppet. The puppet being me."

He ran a hand through his hair all the hurt he wanted to forget rushing in like a flood. He took a deep breath.

"Please, darling, forget the past" he begged.

"How?" she questioned.

"Can't we start anew?" he asked.

"No" she replied vehemently.

He reclined towards her "Raiza we are going to be parents. Do you want our child to grow up without one parent?" he asked.

She was silent "Will you take away our child from me?" she asked tears streaming down her eyes.

"No darling, I don't want to. Please don't make me" he begged.

"Make you?" She laughed "When have I made you do anything? You did things to hurt me all on your own, and now you want me to forget that pain and move on, how?" she asked him.

Siddharth stood up and paced the room, trying to control the anger rising inside him.

"Have you forgotten the time you have humiliated me? Do you remember how you turned your parents against me lying to them about my friendship with Arjun?" She questions unable to stop the hurt inside from boiling and overflowing breaking the dam she had built over the year.

"Raiza!" Siddharth warned at the mention of the name he didn't want to hear.

"You humiliated me in front of my father, he died thinking I was at fault" she almost yelled at him. Angry eyes meeting angry eyes.

"I did it?" he questioned. "You ran away with a man who you called a friend and hid with him for weeks in a cheap hotel. You left me. Did you realize you turned me into a crazy asshole?" He countered her argument raising his voice.

"You forced me to run away. Your doubt and anger were the reason for me trying to escape you."

"Escape me? Did I imprison you, Raiza? Did I force you to marry me? What did I ask of you? Love? Is that too much for a man to ask his wife?" He yelled.

"Love? What Love are you talking Sid you wanted to possess me. You never respected me. You never trusted me."

"Didn't I?"

"No, you didn't!" Raiza screamed. "If you had trusted me you would not have thought I slept with someone other than you," she stated.

"You lied to me. You went to see him skipping college. The college that was so important to you. You gave that up for that asshole." He fumed.

"Oh, is that why you ensured my admission was terminated? Or did you enjoy making me your slave? Or better yet, your whore." Razia was out of control.

"Raiza!" Siddharth was burning in rage.

Raiza quivered in fear and stood up, stepping away from an advancing Siddharth.

"I never treated you like a whore, but your actions have been responsible for what happened to your father. Do you even know or tried to understand why he was in the hospital? No, let me tell you then. When I woke up that eventful morning, the first thing I saw was not your face but your letter. Where you said, you are leaving me and going away. We had a fight the night before, and I assumed you went to your father's place. So I called him. He didn't answer, so I went to see him at his house. That poor man thought of you as his angel. I barged in on him while he ate at his breakfast table, I demanded he let me talk to you. He was shocked more shocked than I was. Seeing him like that, I realized he had no clue. I then showed him your letter, and his first question was - who is Arjun? I told him what had happened in the days before you ran away. He collapsed in worry for you and probably in shame." Siddharth paused, noticing Raiza going white.

She looked at him in shock "You showed him my letter?" she asked confused.

"I had to" Siddharth stated.

"Did you also tell him how you beat up my friend, did you tell him that you are a monster" she screamed.

Siddharth laughed, pain seared through his head "I'm a monster and Arjun was your savour. Is that why he forced himself on you? Is that why you pushed a knife in his chest and left him half dead on the floor of a cheap hotel and came back running to me? Is that why you sought out this monster husband of yours so this monster can protect you?" He was towering over her.

Tears flooded, her eyes hurt, pain and shame overwhelmed her, the room started spinning, and she could hear no more.

"My father died thinking I'm a stain on his name" she whispered as she lost consciousness.