"I .... I ... I need your signatures for parent's approval to join school's overnight camp." He was standing in front of half opened door.

His mother was standing blocking his way leaning against door frame puffing out smoke from her mouth.

"You want to go there?"

"Yes"

She took the paper in her hands and then burned it with cigarette while looking at Sanskar's scared face passing smirky chuckle.

"This is your punishment for calling me your parent" her seething voice brought instant tears in his eyes.

"Sorry Mrs. Maheshwari"

"Now get out. I don't want to see your face to ruin my day" Sanskar bowed his head trying his best to control his tears.

"Baby, come inside why are you wasting our precious time" Sanskar heard voice from inside while going back to his room.

Sanskar jerked and opened his eyes. He stared at far for long time with out any emotions. He was still in his study.

'Beep' sound from his mobile earned his attention. It was almost 6 in the morning. He got up and then moved towards his room for getting ready in his gym cloths.

He came back to his room. Unknowingly his eyes went towards the couch which was empty.

'Where did she go?' he scrunched his eyebrows but then remembered their last night's encounter.

He straight went towards dressing room and then after freshening up he came back, that moment his eyes fell on the fragile figure sitting in the balcony. He went closer to realise it was Swara.

She was sleeping sitting on the couch curling herself in fetus position.

Sanskar remember the day, Granny was diagnosed with tumor. His whole world turned upside down with just one revelation. She was his only family.

But major blow out came to him in the form of Granny's demand for him to get married. He never believed in marriages and relations he had his worst memories associated with those.

Granny was also stubborn if her grandson. She put forward condition for him, he needed get married before she starts her medical treatment. She knew her grandson will need some support and who could be other than his soulmate.

She gave him option if he would be choosing girl for him or, does she needs to look after.

Sanskar was clear, he never wanted to put himself in any lifetime committed relation. He hated this bond from core of his heart.

After much of arguments, thoughts, he decided for escape way through contract marriage, but he needed a girl who would not cause him any headache post their contract ends, that too Indian as his Granny was much fond of their origin.

Roger came up with number of photos of girls who could be eligible candidates for his contract marriage proposals. He was least interested, but one picture captured his attention. It was of the same girl he had seen few months back in India while coming back. 'What her picture is doing here? I thought humanity still exists in this world but looks like she is also selfish.'

He asked Roger to find out about her and there he got to know everything. She was perfect solution for his problem.

'Sir, she doesn't know but her fiancée has submitted her picture to that agent. He is ready to do anything to get settled abord.'

Sanskar stared at her for a moment. For a moment he felt slight pang seeing her tear marks. He shook his head and left from there. 'It's better to be selfish than wounding one's heart being selfless.'

Later, Swara was doing puja in their house temple. She had folded her hands in front of Kanhaji.

'Kanhaji, please keep your blessings on my small family. Please give long life to Ma, Papa and Rohan. They are my everything. Don't let any bad eye fell on our small world. Please I beg you. I am doing this for them only.'

Granny was looking at her from video call. She could see tears rolling over Swara's chubby cheeks.

"Swara my child what happened?" Granny asked over call, "Julia ask her why she is crying?"

Swara heard her voice and then immediately wiped her tears, "Nothing Granny. I guess something went in my eyes."

"No come to the room right now. I need to know what happened?"

"Ok Granny" Swara turned to see Sanskar who was standing near staircase.

Sanskar was going back to his room post gym when he heard their conversation. He ignored and left upstairs.

'How can someone be so heartless?'

She went towards Granny's room, "Yes Granny"

"Come here sit beside me. What happened? You were crying."

"Nothing Granny" Swara held her shivering hand.

"Did Sanskar said something to you?" Granny asked carefully observing her expressions.

Swara nodded her head in denial.

"That means he is the reason behind your tears" Swara's expressions were enough for Granny to guess.

"Call him here"

"No Granny. It's ok" she tried to cover.

"Don't mind his words My Child. I know sometimes he does not realise that he is hurting other one with his cold and rude behaviour, but I cannot even blame him for it. His innocent heart had bled due to innumerable scars in his childhood. He had seen worst days of his life in tender age. Due to those he had built huge walls around his true self."

Swara kept on looking at Granny who had slipped in memory lane. Just a thought about their past shivered her soul.

Later in the afternoon Sanskar was sitting beside Granny.

"Sanskar, please don't fight with Swara. She was upset about something." Granny got opportunity to talk to Sanskar in afternoon when she had purposefully sent Swara to make some snacks for her.

"I didn't fight Granny. It was she who took everything other way round"

"I know you Sanskar. You are stubborn in your ways just like me." Granny chuckled and Sanskar also passed small smile.

"Ohh my... my... this smile is so preciouses. It has been long time I have seen you smiling like this even though it was just a small one" Granny caressed his cheeks.

But her eyes turned glassy when her grandson masked his face with no emotions.

"You need to let go off the past Sanskar. Open up with her. She will understand. Don't ruin your married life for that horrendous past." Tears rolled over her cheeks.

Sanskar kept on looking at far.

"If you will burst on her without giving her proper explanations then that will break trust level in your relation." Granny tried to make him understand.

"Granny can we please not talk about it. You need rest" he avoided as usual.

"Hmm" Granny hummed.

'What does that mean? Horrendous past?' Swara was standing at the doorstep. She had heard Granny's and Sanskar's talks.

'Yesterday also he mentioned about he is an orphan.' She shrugged her shoulders.

"Here you go Granny. Your fresh fruits salad" she entered plastering her face with grin.

Sanskar got up from bed and then moved out of Granny's room giving lame excuse of his office work not meeting his eyes with Swara. She also behaved as he did not even exist in the room.

Next day morning, "Swara, if I ask you something will you agree?" Granny was back with her chirpiness shrugging behind their horrendous past.

"Yes Granny"

"You know today is Janmashtami. Can you please take me to home temple?"

"No Granny. How can I? You will get tired and..." over last few months Swara understood her Granny is suffering from some disease though she didn't know the exact.

"Swara my child please. It's been 10 months I have seen my Kanhaji"

"Granny I have to ask his permission"

"What permission? You are his wife. You don't need his permission to do anything" Granny countered.

After long convincing session, somehow Granny made Swara agree to take her downstairs.

When Swara pushed her wheelchair inside house temple, Granny's eyes filled with tears looking at her Kanhaji's idol.

She folded her hands to pray for her children's bright future.

"Swara will you give me arti plate?"

Swara hand overed silver plate filled with puja items and diya.

"Om Jai Jagdish hare..." Granny sung in low whisper and Swara joined her as well.

"Hey Kanhaji please shower your blessings on my Sanskar and Swara. Keep them together" Granny wished closing her eyes.

Swara passed quick helpless look at Granny.

"Granny I think we should go back."

"No let me stay here for a moment."

"How many times I had asked Sanskar but he was always worried about me. And I was tired of telling him about wellbeings. But today I feel so... so good." Granny mumbled looking at Kanhaji's idol.

She had held Swara's hand in her other hand.

"Thank you so much Swara for bringing me here."

"How dare you bring Granny over here?" Sanskar roared standing at doorstep of temple. Earlier he went to Granny's room to see it empty, which made him restless.

Swara flinched at his high-pitched voice.

"Who gave you permission to decide anything about Granny?"

"I am ..."

"Have you lost your brain? Don't you know Granny is not well and still you brought her here?" He had lost his sanity and was not ready to listen anything.

"Sanskar listen..." Granny tried to intervene.

"Granny cannot take any exhaustion. She gets tired even with minimal moment. Have you seen her age?" He was unstoppable.

"Sanskar lower your pitch" Granny mumbled lowly defending Swara who was shedding tears.

"Swara you would see my worst if anything happened to Granny. I wont even mind to throw you out if..." he held her shoulder tightly. His hold was too tight which would have surely left mark on her arm.

"Sanskar enough. Leave her now" Granny gathered all her strength to shout on him.

But she started breathing heavily.

"Granny, are you ok?" Sanskar turned and sat on his knees.

Swara quickly brought water for Granny and made her drink.

"She was not even letting me out of my room Sanskar. But I wanted to come. I wanted to have some fresh air. I was tired of sitting in that one room from last 10 months. It was me who made her compel by giving my swear to her." Granny answered taking deep breaths.

"Granny you know you get tired then why?" Sanskar dropped his shoulders.

"Say sorry to her." Granny asked.

"Whatever it is it's her mistake. She brought you here"

"No, it was not her mistake but my compulsion. And whatever it is this is not the way you to talk to your wife" she was adamant.

"Granny, leave it na. Let's go back to your room" Swara tried to sort out.

"No Swara. He must apologise to you for the language he used. He cannot manhandled you. She is not your employee or your servant Sanskar on whom you can burst out whenever and however you want. She is your wife. You must respect her. Now say sorry." Granny was firm with her ask.

Sanskar did not say a word but got up and started to leave from temple.

Granny kept on looking at his retiring figure.

"You are becoming like them Sanskar." Her painful voice stopped in his tracks.

He turned to look at Granny. She was looking at him in astonishment, but tears were rolling over her cheeks.

"I did not even realise when you started becoming like them. Is my upbringing failed? Is their blood, wining this battle of right and wrong?" She mumbled to herself looking blankly at Sanskar.

Swara was standing there as statue.

But Sanskar had become numb when his mind registered Granny's words. His entire existence had shaken up to the core. His eyes filled with tears.

It was for the first time Swara saw helplessness, anguish in his usually emotionless eyes.

He and Granny kept on staring at each other to peep inside other's soul. He closed his eyes for a moment and then they were back to their usual.

"They are dead Granny. And my only unfulfilled wish is that I could not kill them with my bare hands." his voice was thunderous.

With stone face he left leaving Granny and Swara behind looking at him wide open eyes.

Swara could not understand but her hold on Granny's palm got tighten with fear. Fear of upcoming storm.

"Oh, my Kanhaji what did I blurt out?" Granny shook her head in disbelief.

"Swara, my child, go to him. He needs you now."       

"He would be closing himself again. Go please. Go to him." Granny pleaded crying bitterly.

"Go Bring him back Swara. Bring my innocent Sanskar back"

Unknowingly Swara's feet started moving and she started running behind him.

She stood at the main entrance and one car speeded away in front of her eyes.

And he was gone far far away.

***********************************

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