Next morning, Shivan woke up on an empty bed. He placed his hand on the other side of the bed. It was cold. It was the first time in several months that he had slept without Ratneshwari. He sighed. He got up from the bed and went to take a bath.

On the other hand, Ratneshwari was sitting on the floor near the door. She did not sleep. Her eyes were red partly due to the lack of sleep and partly due to anger. She waited till it was 8 o'clock in the morning. But, Shivan did not arrive. So, she got up from her place and started her daily chores.

(That afternoon)

Shivan decided to have lunch in a restaurant. He did not like the taste of the food that was served to him. But still, he continued to eat silently. He wanted to divert his mind away from Ratneshwari's thoughts but, he could not. He thought,"I should have returned home last night. She must have been worried." He took another morsel of food and then thought,"Why will she worry about me? She must have thought that I am a heartless and arrogant man. After the phone call, she must have decided to remove me from her life completely. Why will she wait for me?"

Ratneshwari was sitting in the balcony. She went to her room and took out the box where Shivan had kept Sheetal's photos. She looked at the photos and said,"What is so special about this witch? Why does he love her so much? If he did not want me in his life, then why did he marry me? Why did he make me fall in love with him? Why did he come in my life? He loves her....and not me. Why? What is the reason? Is it because she is beautiful and I am ugly?" She looked at her reflection in the mirror. She started scratching her face. She kept saying,"I am ugly.....I am ugly..... That's why he doesn't love me.... That's why he left me alone that night..."

(That evening)

Ratneshwari had cooked food and was sitting in the drawing room. She thought,"It is getting late. He should have returned. Where is he? Oh God! Did he just leave me forever? Will he never return?" Just then, she heard the doorbell. She felt relieved and went to open the door.

Ratneshwari opened the door and saw Shivan. He stared at her briefly and then, entered the house.

Shivan was changing his clothes. Ratneshwari entered the room. She looked at Shivan and said,"Why didn't you come home last night? Do you even know how worried I was? Whole night, I was waiting for you." Ratneshwari burst out in tears. Shivan could not say anything. He just stared at her with his helpless eyes. He placed his hand on her shoulder. Ratneshwari wiped her tears and said,"If you ever feel like doing the same thing next time, stab me, kill me and then do whatever you want." After saying this, Ratneshwari left the room. Shivan shed a few tears of helplessness as he was incapable of doing anything to make things better.

Shivan went downstairs and sat at the dining table. Ratneshwari also sat beside him. They started eating. Shivan noticed Ratneshwari's cheeks. They were red and quite swollen. He said to her,"What happened to your cheeks?" Ratneshwari sighed and said,"Nothing."

Shivan did not question her further and said,"Apply an ointment before sleeping."

(Later that night)

Shivan was lying on the bed. Ratneshwari came and slept beside him. He looked at her. Ratneshwari looked at him and said,"Sleep here. Don't go anywhere else. I will not do anything. That night......It was different that night....I just got carried away......For a moment, I just thought that, you love me. For the first time in my entire life, I had felt a man's touch. I just wanted a normal life. I wanted to be loved and cherished. When you touched me that night, my emotions had overflown. They took over me and I could not control myself any longer." She smiled slightly and a few drops of agony escaped her glittering eyes.

When Ratneshwari had slept, Shivan caressed her head and whispered,"I am sorry, Ratna. I am very sorry." He turned to the other side of the bed and cried.

Several days had passed. Things were same between Shivan and Ratneshwari. The platonic relationship was bothering Ratneshwari. Her desires had increased after Shivan touched her that night. There were numerous nights when she woke up after a wet dream. She used to take cold showers at night when it became unbearable for her.

Shivan avoided looking at her as much as possible. He was afraid that he would lose control once again if he looked at her. He wanted to avoid that because it would only add to their miseries.

One day, Ratneshwari was sitting and handpicking stones from rice when she heard the doorbell. She opened the door and found Sheetal standing there. Sheetal said,"Actually I....." Ratneshwari did not listen to her and asked her to enter the house. Shivan was at home. He was sitting in the drawing room when he saw Sheetal.

Sheetal said,"I need to say something to both of you. Actually.....I......I am pregnant with your child, Shivan." Ratneshwari's eyes were wide open in horror. Her worst nightmare had come true. Shivan was shocked. He said,"How can this happen?" Sheetal looked down and said,"That night, you stayed at my place. We got drunk and then you went to your room. I went to see you and then......What is done, is done! The child is Shivan's. Ratneshwari, Shivan loves me. Divorce him and allow him to marry me." Ratneshwari ran towards the bedroom.

Sheetal said to Shivan,"I think I should leave." Shivan did not say anything to her. Sheetal left the house quietly. Shivan was confused. Never ever in his wildest dreams he had thought that, this will be the consequence of his actions. Just then, he remembered what Ratneshwari had told him once.

"If you ever feel like doing the same thing next time, stab me, kill me and then do whatever you want."

He had seen Ratneshwari running towards the bedroom. A chill ran down his spine. He hurried towards the bedroom. He entered through the open door and found the whole room in a mess. Things were scattered here and there. In a corner of the room, Ratneshwari was sitting on the floor and sobbing.

He sat down near her. Ratneshwari looked at him with eyes full of fury.
She said,"Why did you do this, Shiv? Why? Do I deserve this? Is this how you reward someone who has always been loyal to you and has loved you more than anyone else. I loved you more than myself. Then why did you do this? You left me that night, right? You could not touch your wife but you could sleep with her! Tell me Shiv! Am I so incapable of satisfying you that you need to sleep with some other woman behind my back?" Shivan had tears in his eyes. He could not say anything. Ratneshwari started coughing. Shivan rubbed her back. She held his hand and said,"Why did you not kill me before doing this, Shiv? I trusted you with my life. But you....."

Ratneshwari started laughing hysterically and then gradually, the laughter changed and she started crying. She said to him,"I am not beautiful like Sheetal. That's why you don't love me, right? But, is it my fault that I am ugly?"

They sat there silently for sometime. After sometime, Ratneshwari wiped her tears and said calmly,"Get the divorce papers ready. I will leave you. You will be relieved of my burden. That's what you want."

The divorce papers arrived a few days later. It was evening. Shivan took the papers and went to his room. He saw Ratneshwari sitting on the bed. He said,"Ratna, the papers....."

Ratneshwari looked at him and said,"You will never love me, right? Why will you love me anyways? You have your Sheetal and your child. You will love them. I will go. That's what you want." Ratneshwari signed the papers.

About an hour later, Shivan found her packing clothes. After she had finished packing, she said,"I am leaving. I have not taken anything from you. I don't want your jewelleries or clothes or anything else. I am leaving." Shivan said,"Don't go now, Ratna. It is dark. Where will you go now?" Ratneshwari looked at him again and said,"I have to go, Shiv. I cannot stay here."

Ratneshwari was about to leave when Shivan said,"Ratna, you don't have a job. So, about the alimony...." Ratneshwari said sternly,"I don't want your money. If I ever wanted anything from you, then it was your love. But, you will not give that to me. And, does it even matter even if I die? I am already dead. At this time, if my soul leaves my mortal body, then it will be the best thing for me."

Ratneshwari walked towards the gate and looked at Shivan's face for the last time. With tears in her eyes and pain in her heart, she walked away.

Shivan also had tears in his eyes. He wanted to stop her, but there was nothing he could do. He closed the door and cried out loud, perhaps for the first time in years.