"De 27 lakh!"

All the yelling, fighting and screaming went silent, leaving a mere ringing in here ears as he uttered these 3 words.

Disbelief. That's what she felt right now. This entire family thought of her and her family as a clown circus, trying to buy her existence for a mere 27 lakhs?

And Sachin never told her this in their 6 months of marriage. Ever.

There were a lot of emotions she felt in that moment. Betrayal. Pain. Anger. Frustration.

Sachin let go of Tejas' collar and looked at Sailee, only to find her looking at him with hurt and pain in her eyes. She met his eyes with her teary ones, immediately retreating to the room.

With whatever strength she had left in her, she picked up a suitcase, dumped all her things in it, zipped up the bag and stood in the hallway, glaring at each member in the Deshmukh family.

Sachin saw her with a single bag, and fear crept up in heart. Would she leave after hearing all that transpired today? But he had nothing to do with it, why would she punish him for it, right?

"Kaha-" He gulped, moving to stand in front of her, "Kaha jaa rahi hai?"

Sailee glared at him, clutching onto the bag tighter. "Aap logo ne mujhe koi samaan samajh rakha hai, jo paiso ke saude se khareed loge!"

Everyone hung their heads in shame, except Sachin, whose fear simply kept increasing in his heart.

"Aur tum," Sailee turned to him, with tears in her eyes, "Tumne bhi mujhe ye baat nahi batayi? 6 mahine hogaye shaadi ko, aaj tak yeh baat nahi paaye tum!"

"Sailee-" Sachin gulped, but she raised her palm to his face.

"Tumse naraaz nahi hu." Sailee uttered, "Kyunki iss sab mein tum bhi utne ulajh gaye the, jitna mai. Tumhari koi galti nahi thi."

Sachin stared at her, as she reached to clasp her mangalsutra.

"Iss shaadi ke hathkadi mein bandh gaye the na?"

Sachin shook his head, knowing what was coming. In a single moment, she snapped off the mangalsutra around her neck, and held his palm.

"Aaj mai tumhe iss shaadi ke bandhan se mukt karti hu."

Sailee placed the mangalsutra in his palms, and enclosed them with his fingers, as both of them stared at each other with tears in their eyes.

Sachin's world stopped around him, as he heard her utter the words he had always wanted to hear in the beginning. Not anymore, he hated those words and the burden that came with it.

The burden on his heart.

"Sailee." Sachin whispered, his heart cracking with the very thought of her leaving.

Sailee took one last look at him, before grabbing her bag and hastily leaving the Deshmukh house, as Sachin followed her and grabbed her arm.

"Sailee, aisa mat kar-" He pleaded desperately, and she shrugged her arm out of his hold.

"Mujhe jaane do, Sachin." She said, making every attempt not to burst into tears at the thought of leaving him. "Tumhe shuru se yehi chahiye tha na?"

She knew that wasn't true. If anything they had felt during these 6 months marriage was ever real, she knew that he didn't want it anymore.

But her mind took over her heart.

"Jaao diya tumhe maine azaadi." She called for a rickshaw, and placed her bag in it. "Khush rehna."

As the rickshaw drove away, taking a part of his heart with him, Sachin sunk to the ground, his hands desperately combing through his hair in frustration.

He stared at the mangalsutra he held, which was like their relationship now: broken.

She left. She left just the way she came into his life. All because of that useless brother of his.

Sachin's face turned into a scowl, as he marched into the house and grabbed Tejas by the collar.

"Tereko zara bhi sharam hai?!" Sachin punched him in the guts, "Tu jab bhi kuch karta hai, bhugatna mujhe padta hai!"

"Kaamchor saala!" He backed him into the wall, holding him by his collar. "Jab bhi kuch hota, mujhe fasa deta hai."

"Meri zindagi mei Sailee aayi. Teri wajah se!"

Sachin slapped him across the face.

"Meri zindagi se woh chali gayi, woh bhi TERI WAJAH SE!"

He slapped him harder, causing Tejas' spectacles to go flying across the room.

"Kaunse JANAM KI DUSHMANI nikaal raha hai tu mere se?" Sachin screamed, tears forming in his eyes. "Jaha se aaya tha waha WAAPAS CHALA JAA!"

"Jab aata hai, mereko barbaad kar deta hai!" Sachin yelled, pushing his brother to ground, grabbing the wall for support.

The burden on his heart was too heavy to even punish his brother for anything.

Paresh took one look at his son, and knew he was hurting. And it was his fault. He had never meant for this to be revealed, let alone expect Sailee to leave like this.

Sachin got up and retreated to his room, and Paresh followed him.

"Sachin, meri baat-"

"Kya zaroorat thi baba!" Sachin turned around, reasoning with his father. "Kya zaroorat thi aapko meri usse shaadi karane ki?"

"Chali gayi na woh!" He almost cried, controlling his emotions just as well as he did all these years. "Ab mai kya karunga? Phir se uske bina jeena seekhlu?"

Sachin didn't realise when she had become so important to her. The thought of not hearing her voice everyday killed him inside. She wouldn't be there when he woke up, drying her hair and purposely sprinkling water from it on his face. She wouldn't be there to yell at him when he drank too much. She wouldn't be there, waiting for him to have dinner together.

She made him happy. She made him want to wake up every day and live it.

Sailee made him one less lonely person in this busy world, and now he had to go back to how he was.

Miserable. Alone. Craving. For a loving touch, and most importantly, craving for love.

"Sachin-"

"Baba please!" Sachin folded his hands and pleaded, "Ab sab log ke chakkar mein mai pis jaata hoon. Mereko akela chod de, Baba!"

Paresh knew there was no point trying to explain anything to Sachin now, so he simple retreated from the room, as Sachin locked himself inside for the rest of the day.

~~~

Sailee picked up her ringing phone, only to find Sachin calling her for the 25th time that day. She simply declined the call and tossed her phone away, looking out the window at the moon.

"Sailee," Her mother sat down next to her with a plate of food, "Tu jamai babu ko galat samajh rahi hai."

"Sahi samajh rahi hu." Sailee reasoned, "Kyu nahi bataya unhone iske baare mein? Unke baba ki sacchai saamne aa jaati, isliye!"

"Yeh bhi toh ho sakta hai, ki woh tere saath khush the? Isliye tujhe nahi batana chaah rahe honge?" Shobha caressed her head, and Sailee turned towards her.

"Khush? Bilkul khush nahi the! Zabardasti nibha rahe the rishte ko!" Sailee raised her voice, the frustration evident in her voice.

"That's not true, Sailee. And you know that", a voice in her head echoed.

"Zabardasti nibha rahe the toh-" Shobha picked up Sailee's phone, that flashed Sachin's name, "-aise din mein 50 baar phone nahi kar rahe hote. Aur mai ye dekh rahi hu, 4 din se chal raha hai."

"Kaka ke taraf se maafi maangne ke liye phone kar rahe honge." Sailee snatched her phone away, "Unhe meri yaad aa rahi hoti toh mujhe lene aate."

Shobha gently turned her face towards her. "Aur tu unhe chup chaap andar le leti? Apna gussa unpe nahi nikalti? Bala, unhe kis baat ki saza de rahi hai?"

Sailee looked at her mother, and knew she was right. She was angry at the entire family for playing with her life like that. Sachin wasn't even a part of it, he was entangled in all this just like her.

And she knew that. The rational part of her knew that. Her mind knew he wasn't at fault. But, in her heart, she really wanted the truth. Just the plain truth.

Did they not have enough of a relationship, even after so long, for him to confide this in her? Of course, she would be mad. But not at him, because this was not his doing in anyway. Was she punishing him for this? For possibly wanting to be happy with her and move on from all that transpired?

But, God, did she miss him. She missed the scent of musk that followed him everywhere he went. She missed his soft touches to her face or hair when he thought she was asleep. She missed the nights where they sat on the rooftop, talking about their childhood.

She craved for him.

And she didn't know what to do.

She couldn't simply go back to him, because that would mean going back to that house. But, she needed him just as much.

Was this love? She didn't know. She loved her family, but she had never been 'in love' with anyone else.

Whatever she felt, escaped her heart in the form of tears, as she placed her head in her mother's lap, seeking comfort for her aching heart.

.

Juhi picked up Sailee's phone, only registering the name after she had answered the phone, "Hello?"

"Sailee?!" Sachin spoke from the other end, almost crying in relief, "Meri baat sun na-"

"Jiju, mai bol rahi hu. Juhi."

"Juhi, teri Tai ko phone de na. Mujhe usse baat karni hai. Please."

Juhi turned back and looked at her sister, who had fallen asleep in her mother's lap, after crying the entire night.

Something had transpired, but neither her sister nor her mother would tell her. And she had a feeling it had something to do with her Jiju.

"Sorry Jiju, mai tai ko phone nahi de sakti."

"Juhi-"

"Aaj tak aisa ek din nahi dekha jaha tai rote-rote soyi ho. Jis din se ghar aayi hai, bas ro rahi hai. Apne meri tai ko rulaya hai. Bye Jiju."

Sachin heard the phone click on the other end, and threw his phone down in frustration, shattering it into pieces.

15 days. It had been 15 days since he had heard her voice. 15 days since she took a piece of him with her.

And it hurt. It hurt like the kind of pain you get when you scratch your knee as a child, but this time the scratch was on his heart, only deeper.

"Dada?"

"KYA HAI AKASH?!" Sachin yelled at his brother, and Akash stepped back a few steps.

"Kuch nahi. Sorry."

Sachin breathed and calmed himself down. His brother had nothing to do with the turmoil he was facing now, and it was so wrong of him to take it out on him.

"Akash?"

"Jaa raha hu, Dada."

"Nahi. Idhar aa."

Akash peeped through the doorway, and stood on front of his brother.

Sachin pulled Akash into a tight hug, uttering something he rarely ever said, "Sorry."

"Jaanta hu, Dada." Akash patted his back sympathetically, "Vahini ke ghar chodke jaane se aapko bohot farak pada hai. Par aap dikhate nahi ho."

Sachin pulled back and looked at his baby brother. When did he get so mature? It was only yesterday that he remembered a little bundle of blankets being brought home, and little curious Sachin almost poked the baby's eye.

In fact, it was Sachin who insisted that his brother be named Akash.

Why? Because his blankets were blue, like the sky.

"Aapka dil toota hai unke jaane se, usse kaise theek karu, yeh mere haath mein nahi. Lekin," Akash got up and brought a plate of dinner, "Aapko khaali pet na sone dena, ye mere haath mein hai."

"Khaana laaya tha aapke liye. Khaa lo."

Sachin just looked at his baby brother in awe, wondering what he did to deserve a brother like him.

"Aapko yaad hai, bachpan mein, maine Aai se zabaan ladayi thi, aur unhone mujhe khaana nahi diya tha uss raat?"

Sachin nodded, and Akash made a morsel of the food, "Toh aapne kaise raat mein chupke kitchen se mere liye khaana laaya tha, aur khilaya bhi tha?"

Akash held up the morsel to Sachin's mouth, and fed him the first proper bite he had had in days. "Bas, waise hi. Mere dada ne mujhe kabhi bhooke pet sone nahi diya, toh mai kaise sone du?"

A single tear streamed down Sachin's cheek, and he wiped it away before Akash could see it, as he continued to feed his elder brother.

Sachin slept with a full heart that night.

~~~

Sachin scrambled around the house, hearing the ringtone of his brother's phone, throwing away pillows to find the phone in the gaps of the sofa.

He picked it up and declined the call.

Whoever had called, could wait.

Sachin unlocked the phone, and dialled Sailee's number, waiting for her to pick up the call.

30 days. He hadn't seen her for 30 days. And it was driving him up the wall. He missed the fragrance of jasmines she carried around with her on her hair. He missed that smile of hers that would brighten his worst days. He wanted to see her, hold her hands, take her on a drive, and tell her how he felt.

How he had felt all this while.

She wouldn't pick up his call, but she would certainly pick up a call from a number that wasn't saved on her phone.

"Hello?"

The voices in his mind settled down immediately, as he held his breath, the ringing in his hears stopped to allow the sound that came from the phone echo.

"Hello, koi hai?"

Sachin closed his eyes, and let out a sigh of relief, the gate to his emotions breaking away.

For a few seconds, there was silence. Sailee clutched the phone closer to her, as she heard a sigh.

It was him.

She knew it was him.

Tears pooled in Sailee's eyes, as she finally whispered his name, "Sachin?"

The moment he heard his name, he broke down, the phone slipping from his hand onto the floor.

"Dada!" Akash ran upto his brother, holding his inconsolable brother by his shoulders, grabbing the phone.

"Sachin?"

"Vahini, aapko baad mein phone karta hu."

Akash disconnected the call and tossed the phone aside, sitting up next to his brother who had slid down into the floor, holding his head in his hands.

"Akash, sab khatam ho gaya!" Sachin cried, hitting the palm of his hand against his forehead repeatedly. "Woh chali gayi, Akash! Mujhe chodke chali gayi!"

"Dada, sambhalo khud ko." Akash held Sachin's hands, trying to stop him from hurting himself. He teared up seeing his brother in this state.

"Meri Sailee mujhe chodke chali gayi!" His brother cried, and Akash couldn't do anything to heal his pain.

"Dada, Vahini aayegi waapas, aap-"

"Woh nahi aayegi! Mere paas waapas kabhi nahi aayegi!" Sachin bawled, crumbling into Akash's arms.

"Usse," Sachin looked up at his brother, "usse meri yaad bilkul nahi aayi? Ek bhi baar phone karke nahi pucha, ki mai theek hu, khaana khaa liya ki nahi, kuch nayi? Itna bura hu mai, Akash? Bata na!"

"Mera phone nahi uthaya. Uske ghar gaya, toh gate se woh makaan malik ne bhaga diya. Mujhe usse dekhna tha, batana tha ki-"

"Usse kaise batata," He wiped his tears, only for more to resurface, "ki woh 27 lakh waali baat nahi batayi kyunki mai uske saath khush tha!"

"Aur agar mai bata deta, toh wahi hota jo aaj ho raha hai!"

"Jo meri zindagi mein aata hai, mereko chodke chala jaata hai. Mai itna bura hoon? Itna?!"

"Nahi, dada." Akash whispered, holding his brother, "Aisa nahi hai. Aap best ho."

"Toh woh mere paas waapas kyu nahi aati! Meri Sailee mere paas waapas kyu nahi aati?!"

Sachin broke down again, and Akash just held him close as he cried; cried for the love he lost, the love he truly deserved.

.

Sailee clutched the phone, tears streaming down her face. Akash had thought he disconnected the call, but he didn't. And she had heard everything.

She had heard him reveal why he hid it. She heard him yearn for her. She had heard him call out for her.

It tugged on her heart that he was going through this, because of her. All this while she had just the inkling of doubt that this relationship was one-sided.

But, it never was. It was reciprocated. Her feelings were always reciprocated.

Sailee fell to the ground on her knees, clutching the phone to her chest and sobbing.

She wanted to tell him that she had missed him, that she had wanted to call him so many times. She wanted to come straight home to him.

He was her home, her safe place.

She cried. For the love that she had lost. For the love that he had lost. For their relationship that had ended in the way that it did.

"Sailee!" Shobha ran towards her daughter, and held her close.

"Aai, yeh maine kya kar diya!" Sailee sobbed, clutching the phone tighter, "Sab khatam kar diya!"

"Sab khatam hua hota toh," Shobha wiped her tears, "Sachin ke naam ki yeh sindoor abhi tak maang mein nahi hoti tere."

Sailee touched her forehead, the slight tinge of red staining her fingers.

Sachin was engraved in her mind and on her heart. And he was hers, from the day they were tied together.

And he'd always be.

~~~

Sachin grabbed his keys and wallet, which surprised everyone at the dining table, since Sachin hadn't as much as stepped outside since Sailee had left.

"Kaha jaa raha hai, Sachin?"

"Kaam pe."

"Itne dino ke baad?"

Sachin just nodded, wondering how did a day come where he went out for work to distract himself from home. No one had asked him about last might, because he had told Akash to keep it between themselves.

He patted his shirt's left pocket, and had almost reached the corridor, when a soft thump interrupted his stride.

He looked up from the ground, and his breath hitched.

There she was. Standing there in front of him, her bags on the floor, having the same blank expression as he did.

Sachin blinked.

Once.

Twice.

Thrice.

But she didn't vanish like in his dreams. She really was here, in front of him.

"Sailee."

His whisper was all it took for her to go running into his arms, sobs escaping her mouth as he engulfed her tightly in his arms.

She was in his arms, and he still couldn't believe it, as they both shed tears of happiness in their longing embrace.

He broke the embrace with the slightest gap between them, eyes brimming with tears, cupping her cheeks and wiping her tears away with his thumbs. "Kyu chali gayi thi tu mereko aise chodke? Pata hai kya haalat ho gayi thi tere bina?"

"Mujhe bohot yaad aayi tumhari." Sailee sobbed, wiping away his tears.

"Mujhe bhi."

"Sorry." She sobbed, putting her arms around him, and Sachin patted her head,

"Shhh." He whispered, his tears now surfacing from happiness. "Ab nahi chodke jaayegi na mereko?"

Sailee looked back at him, her arms still around his neck.

"Nahi jaayegi na, Sailee?"

Sailee looked at him, a soft smile forming on her lips, as she brushed his hair away from his face.

"I love you."

Sachin raised his eyebrows in shock, an expression Sailee didn't know how to decode. She was sure he felt the same way and-

Before she could question it, Sachin cupped her cheeks and placed his lips on hers.

Vessels fell and clanged in the background, audible gasps were heard, but Sachin didn't care, as he felt Sailee's hands grasp the front of his shirt.

She loved him. Just as much as he did. And he was not going to let her go.

Butterflies and every other zoo animal pranced around their stomachs, violins were playing the background, and the storm in their heart settled down, with just a single kiss.

Maybe that's what they needed all along.

Sailee grasped his shirt with one hand, the other moving to cup his cheek, as she pulled back to look at Sachin.

He had the most vulnerable, most innocent look in his eyes, his forehead resting against hers as their eyes fluttered shut in the warmth of the moment.

"Pyaar ho gaya hai terese, baiko."

Sailee giggled, cupping his face and going in for a second kiss, when a shrill voice echoed from the dining table.

"Yeh sab mere ghar mein nahi chalega! Chee!"

Sachin looked back at his fuming mother, mentally smirking at wanting to give her more reasons to fume.

Sailee almost stepped back at that warning, but Sachin simply grabbed her by her waist and pulled her in for another kiss, hearing an audible gasp from his baiko, as she melted into his arms and lips.

Sailee didn't know what she was doing, this being her first kiss. She just followed her instincts and his movements, breaking the kiss just enough to place her fingers on his lips and trace them, a giggle escaping her own.

"Mere paas teri amanat hai."

Sailee looked up, as he reached into his pocket and took out her mangalsutra, all fixed now.

"Par yeh toh maine tod di thi." She looked at it, surprised.

"Toot nahi gayi thi." Sachin simply said, clasping it around her neck. "Bas thode waqt ke liye alag ho gaye the."

Sailee looked up at him, knowing what he exactly meant: the mangalsutra as an analogy of their relationship.

It was never broken; just had its distance for a while. It was always meant to heal itself, for they had something they had always craved for:

Love.