To hear of the possibility of Bondita's death itself was enough to cause Anirudh to feel death.

She was so precious to him, that the mere thought of her getting hurt was enough to kill him inside. And here it wasn't just a matter of her getting hurt, but a matter of her... dying. 

His Maa had pre-eclampsia when she was pregnant with him, and nearly died as a result. However, even without such conditions, death was possible during labour. It was very much possible and not unheard of. 

How could he ever live with such a fear looming over his head? The fear that Bondita may not make it? 

"Jamai Babu, we were only talking about a possibility. It's unlikely!" Thakumaa said, sounding very worried. 

"Anirudh don't be ridiculous and pretend like you didn't know of this," Kaka just said. 

Thakumaa glared at Trilochan. "Can you be a little softer?" she hissed. 

"What? Anirudh is acting like he's never heard of women who pass away during childbirth!" 

She's not just a woman. She's Bondita. M - My Bondita. My Bondita who never should have been mine. 

But Anirudh couldn't get the words to form. He was in a state of shock. He was in a state of absolute fear. Trembling on his feet, his whole being shaking, he started to step forward, stepping on the shattered pieces of glass on the floor as he moved forward. 

He couldn't even feel the pain as his feet crunched over the glass shards. He was too lost, with no awareness of his surroundings.

Thakumaa and Kaka both watched with absolute shock, but before they could do anything, Bondita had appeared, a smile on her lips, trying to find her Pati Babu. 

However, when she saw the shattered pieces of glass on the floor, and Anirudh stepping over them, a gasp escaped her lips. 

Without even thinking, Bondita ran after him, stepping on the glass pieces herself, not even realizing that they were there. 

"BONDITA!" Thakumaa yelled, as her bloody footprints merged with Anirudh's, the blood mixing together. 

His footprints were always what she followed... and today too, she would blissfully walk the path that he walked on, stepping inside the prints of his feet with full reverence. 

When Anirudh heard Thakumaa screaming Bondita's name in panic, he turned around and saw Bondita, who had stepped over the same glass pieces he had, trying to get to him. 

Anirudh glanced down at her bloodied feet, which had stepped into his red footprints on the floor. Fresh tears filled his eyes when he saw this.  

Bondita got to him, taking deep breaths and grabbed his arms, pushing him down onto the sofa, and falling to her knees in front of him. 

Anirudh watched her with an aching heart. She was even on the floor now, for him. 

Her hands were now on his feet, his blood rubbing on her saree. 

Thakumaa had run off to get medical supplies, and Trilochan watched, his eyes wide, not sure whether he should be happy that his Bahu was doing such great patni dharm, or worried because she was pregnant. 

"Bondita, what are you doing?" Anirudh yelled, making Bondita look up at him, as she pulled stuck glass pieces out of his feet. "Get up!" 

"How could you not see where you were stepping?" Bondita questioned, tears in her own eyes. 

"And you? Did you see?" Anirudh hissed. "Look at your own feet. Do you realize that you're bleeding too?" 

"I can forget every pain I have, if you're hurt," Bondita told him, tears flowing down her cheeks. "Even if I'm going through the biggest agony, if you're in pain, I'll forget about my pains!" 

"Bondita!" Anirudh yelled, his voice cracking. "Let go of my feet, now!" 

"N - not until I pull the glass out!" she cried. "I will never let go of you Pati Babu! Never!" 

"It's not about the glass Bondita! My pain can only be healed if you're healed," Anirudh cried, as he looked at her, his heart heavy. "So get up, and let me look at your feet." 

"I know you love me very much," Bondita cried, "But your Bondita is fine. Shotti!" 

"DO YOU LOOK FINE BONDITA?" Anirudh yelled. "DON'T YOU REALIZE YOU'RE BLEEDING? YOU'RE IN PAIN? YOU'RE CARRYING WOUNDS THAT YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE?"

"And you? Why are you carrying wounds too?" she asked tearfully. "If I'm carrying wounds, does it mean that you have to too?" 

Anirudh yanked his foot away from her grip. Her alta-lined hands were now filled with blood. His blood. 

He stood up and then reached down, grabbing her shoulders pulling her up on her feet. He then made her sit on the sofa, before getting down on his own knees and looking at her feet. 

As he held her feet preciously in his hands, Trilochan who was still standing there, gasped! Even though he had witnessed this many times, a husband touching a wife's feet was still blasphemous in his eyes! 

"Bondita, I can't see you in pain," Anirudh cried, as he pulled the glass pieces out of her feet. "I can't ever see you in pain." 

"I know," she whispered, tears streaming down her cheeks, "I s - shouldn't have gotten hurt. I s - should have known better. I shouldn't have ever... caused myself to bleed. It only ended up h - hurting you." 

The double meaning behind their talks in this whole encounter, might have been known to nobody, except themselves. 

The pain that the two of them were talking about wasn't merely the pain that resulted from stepping on the glass. The blood that they had covered themselves in wasn't the shattering of the glass. In fact, it was a shattering of hopes, dreams, life. It was the blood and pain that would be caused by enduring childbirth and labour. 

The whole conversation was symbolic, filled with many such symbolisms; symbolisms that defined the beginning of their whole pregnancy journey. 

When Thakumaa came back, she took care of both of their feet, and dressed them appropriately. 

"What happened?" Bondita finally asked, as she sat next to Anirudh on the sofa. It wasn't difficult to decipher that Anirudh wasn't happy for even a normal person, let alone for Bondita who was so deeply connected to him. 

Thakumaa stood up after finishing with their feet and glanced at Anirudh, worried that his pain would make Bondita sad. 

Anirudh wasn't saying anything. He was just looking down, avoiding Bondita's gaze, not sure what to say to her.  

"Nothing Bahu!" Kaka just piped in, "Don't you worry! You don't take any tensions!"

"I was suggesting that you should stay here for a few days, and Jamai Babu got sad because of that," Thakumaa said with a light laugh, "That's all." 

Anirudh looked down, and Bondita glanced at Anirudh, a little suspiciously. 

"Why would I stay here Thakumaa?" she just asked, and she wrapped her hand around her Pati Babu's arm from beside him, resting her head on his shoulder. "I'll go home with my Pati Babu!"

"Shiv Shiv Shiv," Kaka muttered under his breath when he saw this not-fake affection!

Thakumaa just forced a smile and said, "Since you're pregnant, it's a good idea to stay here for some time. Zamindar Babu said that you're off for the next few days from school anyways. So you should stay at least for one or two days." 

Kalindi believed at least then, Anirudh's stress wouldn't affect Bondita. She was finally looking much better now, and was accepting the pregnancy more. If her Jamai Babu dove into depression, just like Bondita ran after him and stepped on the glass shards, hurting her own feet, she would run after him into depression too. 

She was not someone who would leave Anirudh alone in any state, and Kalindi was very worried about Bondita's health and the health of the baby too. 

"No Thakumaa! I will go home with my Pati Babu!" 

Anirudh brought his hand to his forehead, wiping the sweat that had accumulated there, and he said in a hoarse voice, "B - Bondita, you should... stay back." 

He was thinking along the same lines as Thakumaa. After the latest revelation by her, he needed some time to process this and not sink into guilt again. He needed to not even let his shadow fall upon Bondita. He couldn't let even a tinge or sliver of pain be inflicted on her.

He had already caused her to land in a painful situation, by getting her pregnant... now at least he shouldn't cause her more pain. 

"What?" Bondita asked, shocked that her Pati Babu said the same thing. "Why?" 

"Thakumaa said s - she will take care of you. She is the b - best person to... she's a Vaid, and she is familiar with these things..." Anirudh just mumbled. 

Tears filled Bondita's eyes and she said, "But I don't want to part with you Pati Babu." 

Neither did he. He didn't want to part with her either. His heart was breaking at the possibility of staying away from Bondita. But what could he do? He had to choose between the lesser of the two evils. He had to choose the one which would cause her less pain... even if it hurt him immensely instead.

"Stay here. Take care of yourself," Anirudh said, his voice cracking. "I'll come back tomorrow or the day after to pick you up." 

Kaka was watching all this, shaking his head. He didn't know whether he supported leaving Bahu here or not, but as long as his waaris remained safe, he was willing to agree. 

-- 

Chandrachur was pacing back and forth outside at the back of the haveli, tears in his eyes, as he reminisced what had happened earlier between Barrister Babu and Bondita! 

That closeness, that intimacy! That passion! He had never... even imagined such a passion!

How Bondita herself looked at Anirudh! Did that girl have no shame to look at a man like that?

And Barrister Babu... the places he was touching Bondita! It repulsed Chandrachur and broke his heart into a million pieces! 

He had expected that the perfume would send Bondita into Chandrachur's arms, but no his dreams all got crushed! 

https://youtu.be/lzabtTR_r08

Dil ke armaan aansuo mein beh gaye
The desires of my heart swept away with my tears
Dil ke armaan aansuo mein beh gaye
The desires of my heart swept away with my tears

Hum wafa karke bhi tanha reh gaye
I was lonely even after being faithful
Dil ke armaan aansuo mein beh gaye
The desires of my heart swept away with my tears

Zindagi ik pyaas bankar reh gayi
My life has now become a thirst
Zindagi ik pyaas bankar reh gayi
My life has now become a thirst

Pyar ke kisse adhoore reh gaye
The stories of love are incomplete
Pyar ke kisse adhoore reh gaye
The stories of love are incomplete

Shayad unka aakhri ho yeh sitam
May be this is his last injustice
Har sitam yeh sochkar hum seh gaye
I beared all the distress thinking just that

Khudko bhi humne mita daala magar
I even destroyed myself
Faasle joh darmiyan the reh gaye
But the distance between us was still there

Hum wafa karke bhi tanha reh gaye
I was lonely even after being faithful
Dil ke armaan aansuo mein beh gaye
The desires of my heart swept away with my tears

Chandrachur smashed his hand into the cement wall outside of the house, and his knuckles started to bleed, as he cried tears of blood too. 

"Everything, all my tapasya, everything feels wasted Bondita! I did everything for you! For you only! I was willing to accept you even after you tainted yourself with the touch of other men! Still, you don't spare me a single glance! Still all of my plans only get foiled! You only end up getting closer to Barrister Babu!" Chandrachur cried.

"I didn't even touch my own wife for you! I didn't even look at another woman! I only kept you in my mind and heart! But you... you don't look at me even once! At least once, come to me! At least once, give me some acknowledgement! Let me know that you feel my love! I love you Bondita, but you...! Why can't my plans ever work? I try so hard because I care about you!" 

Tears of pain continued to seep down Chandrachur's cheeks. What he witnessed was going to take him time to recover from... but he hadn't given up. 

No he would never give up on Bondita! He loved her and he would try to attain her until the end!

-- 

Batuk pulled himself out of Tupur's grip and turned around to glare at her with his pain-filled eyes. 

"You chose this life!" Batuk yelled at her, causing her to shake as she looked at him. "You could have chosen otherwise! Why are you mad now? Now suffer!" 

Tupur cried and she said, "B - Batuk nobody in this world aside from you told me that I could choose anything different! Everyone only said that this is how life works! Love outside of marriage is immoral and a sin! This is how I was taught! Thakumaa's example was flaunted in front of me. She was a chhodi hui aurat... and did you see her life? Won't anyone be scared?" 

Batuk glared at her with pain. 

"I - did t - try, despite all that. I told Maa, Batuk! I told her that I love you. But she forced me to keep my mouth shut and marry him. What did you want me to do? You always chose Bondita over me! How would I know that tomorrow you wouldn't leave me for her too?" Tupur sobbed. "I wasn't first in your life Batuk! Even if you were first in my life! My Maa even told me that I was being foolish. How could I trust you so much? Still, I wanted to. I didn't ever want to marry him. How can you expect me to know anything? I was not even 16! I was so young... I knew no men except you. I only knew of the values that were taught within the four walls of this haveli!" 

His heart ached. She was right. How could he blame her when she wasn't taught any better? Her whole life she had been pressured, injected with fear.

"Now what do you want to do?" Batuk asked, his voice cracking. "Do you think that there's a way out now if you don't leave him? I can only... help you if you leave him. Maybe my Boudi or Big D can h - help, like they helped Manika Didi. But alone, I'm not capable."

"N - no I can't leave him," Tupur sobbed. "I need his love. That's the only option. I need to make this marriage work."

"Tupur he isn't worth it," Batuk said, his eyes getting wet, because his heart ached, despite trying to be cold to her, he hated to see her in this situation. "Don't hold on to him. He isn't worth anything!" 

Tears filled Tupur's eyes again. Fresh ones, and she whispered, "I always wanted to hold on to you Batuk. I always did. B - but when Bondita left from here, and didn't come back for her wedding... I got scared. A - and you didn't show me any s - sympathy. You didn't give me any importance." 

"And you never understood that my priority was my Boudi and Big D!" Batuk cried out. "I also didn't want to leave you... but you never understood me!" 

"Did you understand me?" Tupur sobbed. 

"I did! I understood! My Big D always gave Boudi preference. He always chose her over me. I got jealous too back then, Tupur! I understood you. But.. maybe our priorities were different. My Big D explained to me about compatibility! We just weren't compatible!" 

"Compatible? Is that required when there's l - love?" she cried. 

Batuk took a deep breath and brought his hand to his head, rubbing it lightly as he said, "I dunno." 

Tupur whispered, "Because I never forgot about you. I always loved you... and I still love you... and I always will Batuk. I... can't help it. I can't control my feelings. Even if it's a sin and wrong... I can't help what I feel!"

Batuk looked at her, dropping his hand, his heart filled with a painful ache. 

"W - what?" he asked, tears forming in his eyes. 

All of a sudden, Tupur threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. 

"I love you Batuk..." she squeezed her eyes shut against his chest as she clung on to him, holding on to him and feeling the warmth from his body again. 

A warmth that she craved for but didn't get for over a year. A warmth that Chandrachur, forget about giving her through his embrace, didn't even give her through his eyes. She didn't exist for him... and she craved this love. She craved to be understood. She just wanted to be held... with love. She wanted someone to tell her they loved her, that she meant something to them. 

Was that too much to ask for? 

Batuk's shaking hands raised to her back as he hugged her, feeling her against him after so long. He closed his eyes, tears streaming down his cheeks. 

"Y - you still love me?" he cried. 

"I love you..." she whispered against him. 

"I... love..." he squeezed his eyes shut even harder, and before he could say you, Surabhi's face flashed in front of his eyes. "... Surabhi." Further tears rolled down his cheeks as he let go of Tupur with a shock. 

"What?" Tupur asked, looking at him when he said that. 

Batuk wiped his tears away and said, "I... I have to go." 

"What's... Surabhi?" Tupur asked. 

"My girlfriend..." Batuk whispered, looking at her with pain. 

--

Precap: 

Bondita followed Anirudh outside to the front, where they were having a final conversation, before Anirudh was going to leave her in Krishnanagar. 

They were in front of the tree where they shared their first kiss. 

"How can I separate from you, even if it's for one or two days?" Bondita sobbed, while Anirudh also watched her with tears in his eyes. 

When Anirudh took steps away from her...

One... two... three... seven... eight... nine... ten.

His heart beating faster every moment. He couldn't leave her. How could he leave her? How could he part with Bondita?

Suddenly, he turned around and began to run towards Bondita. His Bondita. 

He cupped her face and...

-- 

I hope you enjoyed this part! I teared up in many instances (for Anidita and TuTuk included)

What did you think of the symbolism in the first scene? There are many things I have symbolized, and I want to see if anyone understood them. What have you noticed about the symbolism? 

The Chandrachur scene? 🤭 I needed to include this song! 

The Batuk/Tupur scene? 

The precap? Is History going to repeat? 

Anything that stood out to you/that you enjoyed?

Any predictions for what's coming up?

Promo will most likely be next!

If you are enjoying the story and would like faster updates, I would appreciate your stars on all the parts. 

Your excited comments are filling with me with much needed motivation, so if you can leave your comments, I would appreciate that too. ❤️

Love you all! ❤️❤️❤️