Gauri returned from the kitchen with a glass of cold water in her hand, this had been a ritual for her since she got married. Her husband always required cold water on his side table.
She was moving past the corridors when she heard him screaming... "No...no.... pls no.."
She rushed into the room only to find him heavily sweating,his eyes were closed and he was continuously murmuring in his sleep. She rushed towards him,
"Omkara.. shhhh, nothing has happened" she hesitatingly held his hand..

"Nooooo...." he yelled and got up with a jerk.
"What has- she began speaking buy soon realised he wasnt looking towards her. His hands were shivering, lips mumbling up hard to speak up something but it was tough to speak up between those hard and rapid breaths.
It was a panic attack she realised.

She rubbed his cheeks, "Omkaran It is me, Its me Omkara!"

But he kept on shivering and his terrified eyes were teary.

She came closer to him climbing up on the bed, but he jerked her away.

"Don't come near me, Dont touch me... Dont, SHE will harm me" he mumbled in his shaky voice which was absolutely hard to understand.

"Shhhhshh no one will harm you, no one will even dare to touch, pls calm down Omkara, calm down."
She grabbed him and dugged him into her neck and held him close to her heart and rubbed his back consoling him in that same tight hug.
"She, she..... " he once again mumbled with his grip on her becoming even more tighter.

"Who she? Exclaimed an extremely confused Gauri.
She shook him "who are you talking about Omkara? And what did she do".
"She... I am sorry" he mumbled with his grip falling loose and he fainted in her arms..
"Who Omkara?" Questioned a teary Gauri once again.
And she shook him once again but recieved no response from him, it was then when she realised he had fainted.
She managed to arrange him properly on the bed and put him under the comforter. And herself also slid underneath it. She held his hand tight and feared him getting another panic attack when she was asleep, she feared loosing him, lone drops of tears left her eyes and she fell asleep.
________________________

Soon morning came and slight reflection of light peeped in through the light blue curtains and fell on Gauri's eyes, causing her to wake up.
She saw Omkara standing in front of the mirror tieing his tie and he was as normal as on any other day.

"How do you feel now Omkara?!" She questioned. Only to get back a reply of "why, do you care?"

And he leaned on her caging her between his arms. Finding herself caught in them she looked straight into his eyes without blinking.
"I care as I am a doctor" she said.

"Listen Omkara, I really well know that thin..gs arent quite well between us after that day's fight, bu..t I think we should consult phsychiatrist." Said Gauri still hesitating.

"And who are you to decide this? My wife?" He yelled out in anger.
"I am not mad, I am not mad, no, no, I am not mad..." he mumbled
"Get this straight into your head" he scteamed out.

"See Omkara... we can fight even after.... when you get well, ....but right now what.... you need is just a phsychiatrist,... please listen to me Omkara," she begged to him

"Who are you to me? Just a mere stranger? This is what you had told me that night when we had fought?" " Then why do you care for me why?" He grabbed her cheeks and dug his nails into her skin.

"But... the way.. you behaved.. last night.. you need treatment... pls listen to me Omkara...." gauri appealed to him tearily.

"Ohk so now I get everything straight, You pity me right? You dont care for me, this all pretense right?!" Omkara yelled out, which shook Gauri.
And then he began laughing.

"Why arent you trying to understand Omkara?" Gauri cried

Omkara shook his head as if trying to convey she is impossible and moved out of the house.

"Omkara!! Omkara!!" Gauri shouted behind me, but he didnt turn around.

______________________

Evening time
Omkara returned back from work only to find Gauri in a pink elegant saree, he smirked seeing her.

"Are you trying to seduce me?" He exclaimed.

"Do I have to?!" She returned back to him with equal fire. And glared at him angrily.

"So are you angry? Now stop acting naive Gauri!! As you are not such, and both of us know that. And you get it into your head that I am not seduced" and he began moving inside the house.

"Why are you doing all this? You are sick and you need to be treated damnt it. Why dont you cooperate with me?! She gritted her teeth and a lone tear left her eyes.

"Who are you to ask me to cooperate? The same person who is my ex girlfriend, Or the same person who is my ex doctor. Or should I say is my present wife who is trying to show as if she cares, but no just pities me over my dreadfup nightmares! The same independent, practical and feminist person who considers me a coward. Or the one who is ashamed of me because of my nightmares! Ashamed thinking about what my past could have been!!" He yelled throwing her back...

"Belive me- I ... have... never been ashamed of you."

"No need to pretend, you would have never peeped into my dairy, if you would have trusted me, loved me!!" He felt week.

"The only reason why I peeped into your diary Omkara was, I cannot see you this way, I wanted to know the reason of your sufference, I wanted to share a part of it with you. I wanted to support you, I never knew I was invading your privacy!" Gauri tried to justify herself.

"So do you mean to say, that peeping into some one's personal diary is not invading privacy?!" Said Omkara waiting for her to answer.

"I know it is wrong to peep into someone's diary without permission, but... but what could I have possibly done! I could'nt see you that way, suffering each night with those nightmares, and I knew it well that this secret would have been there in your diary... but-.."

"But, i reached you before you could read that part" he confirmed with her.

"Yes, but Omkara I do wish to help you, I cannot see you this way.. I cannot" she said breaking down.
Thud she sat down on the ground.
"You don't even know how my heart shatters into several scattered pieces when I see you that way, when I see you suffer, when I see you getting lost in the fear of an unknown woman. No woman other than me can have the right to get on you, by your heart or even this way through fear. You belong solely to me, and I can go to any extent regarding my possisseveness and obssesion for you. I have loved your soul more than your body, and thus I always remained by you, I always agreed to you when you denied making physical relationship with me but I want to know the reason. Dont I possess this much right on you. You dont even realise how much I crave for you, but realising your fears I have always kept shut. I want you... I want you..." she said crying bitterly.

"I love you too Gauri with all my heart, but I.. I.." he said melting.
He sat down beside her on the ground.

"I fear loosing you, I fear loosing this love you have for me, I fear loosing everything that lies in my hands, I - " he stops and takes in a long breath.

"C'mon you've got to say that to me today, you have to overcome your fear, can't you just.." but she was interupted

"This happened a long time ago, I was barely 15 at that time and as naive as a kid of 5 years. I used to love spending time with my friends in the park. It was on one such day that while returning home- " his hands began shivering, his lips mumbling and he began trembling as those huanted memories of his past flashed before him.

Flashback

A woman probably in the mid forties pulled him towards him, giving him the greed of a chocolate and took him to a much silent part of that road and finally took him inside a store house kind of place.
He looked around astonished, as he had'nt expected being brought to such a place. The woman came closer to him, and looked at him evily. She began advancing towards him, while Omkara began stepping backwards.
It was finally that he was caged between the lady and the wall of the store house all stuck.

"Mamma" was all that he cried out.
The woman tore open his clothes like a wild animal and dug her nails deep into his skin. The tight grip hurted him and he started crying, to which he recieved a tight slap and was asked to shut his mouth.
The woman pulled open his clothes and got him naked, while he tried covering himself, he tried hard to fight back against what was being done to him, but he failed. He was not strong enough to compete againt a woman who was more than double of his age. He tried running away, but all his attempts went in vain. He became a victim of that woman's, greed and lust, who could go to any extent to complete her selfish desires.
She left Omkara shivering all alone in the dark house,
Omkara got up some how managed to get back home and got himself under the shower, he tried getting rid of those touches. But anxiety and that feeling of hatred for himself couldnt be stopped. He started hating his body, himself for whatever happened. And the worst of all couldnt open his heart up to anyone. As he knew about the old stupid rule of the society that men are meant to be strong, and if he split it out to anyone he will be tagged as umanly, he feared loosing his manliness, his respect. He was ashamed of people laughing at him. The nightmares never left him alone and came back each night as a reminiscene of his deadly past.

He cried out. "Why me?! Why did I have to loose myself? My manliness that day to devil? Why can I never- " he stopped for breath.

"Though the marks on my skin have been healed, but those on my soul can never be!" Laugh at me now? C'mon laugh at me" he said sarcastically
"Why are'nt you laughing" he siad breaking down. "I am a man na!! I lost myself to a beastt!!! Do you crave for me even now? Do you love me even now? The answer is a big noo!! I should be living like a dead corpse, but I fell for you.. I destroyed your life, I destroyed you.... you deserve someone better." His voice choked.

It was then when he felt something wet on his lips, he was shocked to see her take this bold move, she had smashed her lips on his. Out of shock he didnt respond, she dug her nails deep into his skin, causing him to jerk and bringing him into senses. He started responding back with equal passion. They parted when they were unable to hold their breath.

"Does this mean-" he began but Gauri stopped him from doing so by holding his face.
"I am with you, by you and for you, till my last breath and even after I die I will never stop loving you. I will heal your soul, with my unconditional compassionate love. But I want nothing but but same love in return. He pecked her lips while she claimed his lips.

"So don't you wish to try me now?' She winked her eyes.

He carried her up to their bed.

"Don't you worry Omkara! I will surely get you out of all this. I will never let you remain dwelling in those memories of your past. I will love you till my last breath, this really came out as a shock for me! As I had never expected this to be the reason of your nightmares! Since forever I felt this happened only to girl's. Now I do understand what equality in society actually means (sarvastically) , I will tend to your wounds and bring you out of all this!! The only woman who has right over you is Gauri Omkara Singh Oberoi.

__________________

I doubt if I have actually written down what I wanted to!! It did'nt come out the way I had planned!! Forgive me if I have ruined this!!
lubnashafi I doubt aapko isme thoda bhi rone ka mahol laga ho.. but I tried my best!! I had planned to write way more mature content but then left it for some other day, some other story😉😋. Chalo now do vote and comment. And yeah this time is 2300 words, no blaming me that this was short. Also I dont know if description was relatable with the story. But I have no experience in writing description.. so, ignore😂🙈🙈.

Credit of this amazing cover to Angelangela08

Thank you..

Sarah❤🙈