"Kisse puchke ye tasveer lagayi?! Ye MERA ghar hai, samjhi? Yaha mere permission ke bina ek samaan apni jagah se nahi hilega. SAMJHI?!"

The crash that followed was deafening to Sailee's ears, her hand flying immediately to her mouth as she gasped in shock.

There, right at her feet, laid the shattered remains of her father's picture. Her late father's picture that she had got framed in his loving memory.

Sailee scrambled to collect the shattered glass before it tore the picture, piercing herself accidentally multiple times in the process as Renuka turned around coldly on her heels and retreated to her room.

She collected the shattered glass, discarded the broken frame, and grabbed her father's picture.

Sailee couldn't have locked herself in the room fast enough, the events from the past week getting the better of her as she clutched the picture close to her.

The constant taunts, degradation and disrespect wasn't something she could handle anymore. It was going overboard and there was nothing she could do about it.

A feeling that she couldn't put her finger on began to clog her chest. Frustration, anger, helplessness? Whatever it was, it was bothering her enough that she was unable to get a hold of herself.

She wondered what would have happened if her father had never left so suddenly. She wouldn't be married into this household, she'd still be working diligently in front of the Ganesha Mandir, making garlands and sugarcane juice to help out at home.

She'd still be happy, and surrounded by people she loved.

Now? There was not a single person she could call her own. Yes, it takes time to settle in a new home. That's what her mother had taught her.

But this was just a house, not a home. A home is meant to be loving, caring and radiating warmth and comfort as soon as you cross its boundaries. It's made with love and people you love.

But she didn't love anyone here. Yes, she liked Paresh Kaka and Aaji, they were the sweetest and kindest people in this house. But it would be a long time before she could honestly say she loved them like her own family.

She had no words for her mother-in-law's behaviour, and today's actions just crossed the limits, striking a string of emotions within her.

Sorrow: For her father's poor soul that left so unhappy.

Anger. For all the situations that led her to this.

Confusion: For not knowing what the relationship between herself and her husband would bud into.

Pity: For herself. For allowing herself to be led into this arrangement.

Sailee wished she could be a little selfish and talk back to Renuka, her mother-in-law. But she knew that she would just spew more poison than her broken heart could take.

"Aye genda gulaab!" His voice boomed from outside the door, followed by loud raps. "Darwaaza khol na!"

Sailee stood up hastily, opening the door only to be greeted by her husband.

"Kya re," Sachin walked in, whistling as he kept his watch, wallet and keys by the bedside table, "Kabse bula raha tha, aisa kya kar rahi thi?"

Sailee mistook his tone, which ticked her off.

"Mai naachu, gaana gaau, kuch bhi karu. Tum ko farak kyu pad raha hai?" She sneered at him, catching his attention.

"Mai kuch kiya kya?" Sachin asked, surprised at her tone.

"Kuch bhi toh nahi karte! Yahi toh tumhari problem hai!" Sailee yelled, throwing his folded clothes at him. "Subah jaldi nikalte ho, raat ko der se aate ho. Pata bhi hota hai ghar mein kya ho raha hai?!"

"AYE!" Sachin threw them to the ground, "Merepe kaiko apna gussa nikaal rahi hai?!"

"Tumpe nahi nikaalungi toh kispe nikaalungi, HAAN?"

"Mai kya free-fund mein tera gussa jhelne ke liye baitha hai? Nusti kit-kit kit-kit!"

"Meri baatein kit-kit lagti hai tumhe?!"

"Dimaag mat kharab kar, Sailee!"

"Dimaag. Toh. Tumhara. Kharab. Hai."

She enunciated, throwing more clothes at him with each word she spewed.

"BAS!" Sachin walked towards her, taking the rest of the clothes from her hands and throwing it onto the bed in a fit of rage.

"Sunke le raha hai toh kuch bhi bolegi kya? Tere nakhre jhelke nahi lene waala mai, bata raha hai!"

Sailee stared at him crossly, the last line reminding her of the promise her father would make to her: that he'd always bear with her tantrums, no matter how old she got, because she was his favourite daughter.

And that was enough to let all emotions loose.

Sachin turned around to leave, but he wasn't done talking yet, so he turned back, only to be greeted by a sight that took him aback.

Sailee sat by the edge of the bed, sobbing as the tears poured down her face, her hands wiping at them to no avail.

All the anger built up within Sachin immediately melted away, replaced by guilt.

"Tu.... Tu ro rahi hai?" He asked softly, and she just turned her face away.

"Tum chale jaao yaha se. Mujhe nahi baat karni tumse." Sailee cried through her words, and Sachin pondered for 2 seconds, before leaving the room.

Sailee glanced at him leaving from the corner of her eye, and she expected nothing less of him, She knew she had been left alone again.

Alone to deal with all her problems, emotions, feel-

"Ye le." Sachin entered the room, latching the door behind him amd holding out a glass before her.

"Kya hai ye?" Sailee asked, staring at the glass, and at his face, not expecting him to come back.

"Daaru hai, tere liye small banaya hai. Piyegi?" He replied sarcastily, earning a glare from Sailee. "Paani hai. Pi le."

Sailee glared at him some more, before he placed the glass in her hands and grabbed a footstool, sitting in front of her.

"Pi."

She considered throwing that same glass of water onto his face, but her conscience told her otherwise, as she gulped down the contents, calming her racing heart.

"Ab batayegi mereko kya hua?" Sachin asked calmly. "Kyu ro rahi hai?"

Before she could answer, his eyes found the floor with guilt. "Meri wajah se? Nahi bolna chahiye tha tere se iss tareeke se. Par tu bhi mujhpe aag barsa rahi thi bina wajah-"

"Tumhari wajah se nahi ro rahi thi." Sailee wiped her nose with her scarf, looking away.

"Toh phir?" He asked, gently bending down to look at her.

Sailee looked at him through her tear-filled eyes, and wondered if he would understand what she was going through.

He wouldn't.

"Chodo. Tum nahi samjhoge. Tum jaao."

Sachin clicked his tongue in annoyance, "Abhi 2 minute pehle, mai ghar pe nahi rehta, ghar ki baat nahi jaanta, iske liye chilla rahi thi. Ab batayegi bhi nahi, aur dafa hone bol rahi hai? Tu decide karna tereko kya chahiye!"

Sachin received a hard glare from his wife, and it that moment he realised why all husbands silence themselves with one look from the wife.

Sailee contemplated telling him what she really felt, not knowing how he'd take it. But she decided, she might as well do it if it might make her feel better.

"Tumhe sunke accha nahi lagega. Kaku ke baare mein hai."

Sachin sighed, shaking his head. "Mai jaanta hu meri Aai kaisi hai. Tu bata toh sahi kya hua."

Sailee took a deep breath, recollecting all the insulting events from the past week, as tears pooled up in her eyes again.

"Jabse iss ghar mein aayi hu, Kaku mujhse tedhe muh hoke baat karti hai. Maanti hu, ki saas-bahu ka rishta maa-beti jaisa nahi hota, lekin itna bura bhi nahi hona chahiye na!"

Sachin listened quietly, as Sailee poured her sorrows out before him.

"Uss din, maine thodi zyaada coffee pi li, toh nazar rakhne lag gayi. Phir, mere ghar waalon ki bezzati karne lagi. Koi bhi beti apni maa ke baare mein aise apshabd sunna pasand karegi? Tum sunoge Kaka ke baare mein koi burai karega toh?"

A single tear streamed down her face, as she reasoned with him, and it took all his strength to not wipe that tear away himself.

It was just an in-built quality of his, he couldn't see tears in the eyes of people that mattered to him.

"Kal, mai khaana banane gayi, toh dabbo pe marker se nishaane banayi unhone. Keh rahi thi ki maine kabhi itna khaana nahi dekha hai, toh free mein zyaada na lelu."

"Arre!" Sailee cried painfully, "Maana ki hum paise waale ghar se nahi aate hai, iska ye matlab nahi ki mai chor hu!"

Her sobs were like arrows that pierced through his heart, and he simply didn't know why.

But, he understood the pain that his mother had caused her, because he was the only one who knew how much of a toll it took on one's mind.

"Aur aaj," Sailee sniffles, teardrops falling into the back of her palms, "Aaj unhone mere baba ki tasveer tod di!"

Sachin looked towards the photograph rolled up in her corner of the room, and realised that was the last straw for her.

"Mar gaye hai woh!" Sailee screamed in pain, "Unke aatma ki hi izzat kar leti! Kaise behremi se fek di unki tasveer. Bas, kyunki maine mandir mein lagayi thi, iss liye?!"

"Ye saari baatein kisse karungi?! Haan?!" Sailee reasoned, her chest tightening with every thought of it, "Kaka se ye sab nahi bata sakti. Balu aur Juhi chote hai. Aur Aai? Aai toh tension mein aa jaayegi na?!"

Her tears stained her cheeks, as she looked back at him, "Kitni akeli hu mai iss ghar mein! Mere paas koi nahi hai jisse mai apni takleef bataau!"

The woman he was tied to, his wife, was sitting in front of him, crying and crying, and there was nothing he was able to do. He didn't know how to comfort her, or help her, or say something that would calm her down.

But he had to try. For her sake.

Sachin glanced over at the teardrops falling on her hands, and noticed the tension in them, as if she was holding on to something very tightly. And the lightbulb went off in his head.

She was digging her nails into her palms to distract herself from the pain.

Sachin reached forward and held her fisted hands, undoing the tight hold of her curled fingers, gently clasping her tiny palms within his.

Sailee looked on, as he turned her palms over, slowly inspecting the indents made by her fingernails, his thumb caressing them tenderly, before clasping them between his and looking up at her.

The waves crashing against her chest seemed to mellow down to a soft tide, as his thumb gently caressed the back of her hands, the warmth from this simple gesture and his umwavering gaze on her being unexplainably comforting.

"Mai hoon na, Sailee."

Sailee simply stared at him, not understanding how 3 simple words could bring this much ease to her aching heart.

"Mujhse bol. Mai sununga."

"Par tum kaha hote ho?" Sailee reasoned, "Subah jaldi nikalte ho, raat ko der se aate ho. Kab karungi tumse ye saari shikaayatein? Subah toot-te hi, ya jab tum raat ko thak ke ghar aaoge, tab? Bolo!"

And it was in this moment, Sachin realised the real meaning behind his father's words:

Yaha tere intezaar mein, teri raah dekhti ek ladki hai. Uske liye toh ghar time se aaja!

Sachin simply stood up, and Sailee wondered if he'd leave her again, but his reached into his pocket and pulled out a small cloth.

Gently, he reached his hand forward, grasping her chin with the slightest grip, tilting her face towards him. Folding the handkerchief in his hands, he dabbed her tear-stained cheeks, wiping her tears away with every swipe.

Sailee just stared at the man before her, that always confused her with his actions. On the outside, he was tough to the world, but within the boundaries of these walls, he was as gentle as he could get.

Sachin cleared his throat, folding his handkerchief back into his pocket, letting go of her chin but not the gaze they shared.

"Aaj se, kabhi der raat ghar nahi lautunga. Khaana saath mein khayenge, aur tu mereko apne din ke baare mein bata. Chahiye toh mai bhi batayega."

Sailee knew he wasn't putting it in exact words, but she understood what he meant: he would be there for her always, from now on.

"Pakka?" Sailee pouted, rubbing her eyes as if this was a dream.

"Vaada hai, genda gulaab." Sachin promised, "Lekin aaj ke baad tu aise nahi royegi."

Sailee let out a small laugh, of happiness or relief, she didn't know. "Mujhe rone ka koi shauq hai kya? Rona aa gaya toh roungi na!"

Sachin shook his head, turning around to hide the smile forming on his face as he grabbed his keys and opened the door.

"Iss waqt jaa rahe ho? Duty?" Sailee asked innocently.

"Nahi. Woh...." Sachin pondered for a few seconds, "Ek passenger ka bag reh gaya tha gaadi mein. Abhi message aaya. Lautake aata hai."

"Theek hai. Jaldi aana." Sailee nodded, the pain from the last few hours fading away.

"Khaana garam kar degi? Mere aane ke baad khaate hai. Jaanta hai tune bhi nahi khaaya hoga. Hmm?" Sachin asked, and Sailee nodded.

"Jaldi aana. Mai wait karungi." Sailee called out, as he left the room, leaving feeling a lot better than she did a few hours ago.

~~~

The soft rays of morning sunshine peeked through the gaps of the curtain, as Sailee woke up to an empty bed.

She could hear the hustle and bustle outside the room, and she knew Sachin was already up and awake, probably letting her sleep through the night for once.

She quickly got dressed and prepared a cup of tea for him, placing it in front of him and rushing towards Bappa's idol, taking His blessings like she did each morning.

Sailee prayed for the new day to go well, and to keep her family and Sachin safe and happy, and reserve a little bit of happiness for herself.

Just as she turned around, she noticed a large frame that hung by a nail on the wall of the temple, and it gave her quite the shock.

On the wall was her father's picture, framed in glass with a small garland around the frame.

Sailee gaped at the frame, and whipped her head around to look at the person she knew would have done this.

Sachin looked up from his cup of tea, looking at her from across the room, and blinking in acceptance, holding their gaze for a few seconds before immediately going back to his conversation with Paresh Kaka.

So that's where he had gone last night.

To say she was overwhelmed with emotions was an understatement, as Sailee quickly took her father's blessings and prayed for his soul, reaching the living room just as Sachin was about to leave.

Another person who noticed this was a very bitter lady from across the hall, as she marched her way towards the prayer room.

"Ye kya hai!" Renuka yelled in her shrill, deafening voice. "Maine kal hi kaha tha tumse, ki ye sab mere ghar mein nahi chalega! Sharam nahi aati tumhe?"

Before Sailee could respond, Renuka shoved past her tor repeat yesterday's events, as Sachin slid himself between her and the door.

"Aai!" He said, his voice dripping with sweet sarcasm, "Tu ye kya karne jaa rahi thi?

"Peeche hatt. Beech mein mat pad, Sachin." Renuka warned him, but he didn't budge.

"Tereko Kaka ka ye photo hatana hai, toh ye mai hone nahi dunga. Kisike baba ki bezzati mein tujhe nahi karne dunga." Sachin announced, stepping forward so that Renuka moved further away from the temple.

"Tu kyu iss phoolwaali ki side kyu le raha hai?" His mother sneered, turning towards Sailee.

"Majhi baiko aahe ti!" Sachin warned, now stepping between his mother and wife. "Sailee naam hai iska! Thoda ijjat se naam le, Aai. Iski bezzati mai tereko karne nahi dunga."

"Aur agar," He rolled up his sleeves, "Mere saamne tune iski bezzati ki, ya mere ghar se nikalne ke baad isko tang kiya, toh mai tere 'Aai' hone ka lihaaz bhul jaunga."

Everyone in that room stared at Sachin, his behaviour shocking everyone to the core. The man who would run away from the mere mention of marriage, was now taking a stand for his wife against his own vile mother.

Especially Sailee, who was simply gaping at him with her mouth wide open. She had no idea how to react, except for the fact that her insides turned to mush and butterflies that she couldn't control.

"Chaalel na, Aai?" Sachin asked, not expecting a response and turning around to look at Sailee.

"Jaldi aa jaunga." He announced to her, and Sailee knew that he meant it.

She turned around and stood rooted to her spot, as her eyes followed her husband, quickly rushing towards him just as he crossed the threshold of the house.

Sachin stopped just in front of his car, checking for his keys and wallet, when a pair of arms wrapped themselves around his torso.

It made him jump, as he had never experienced this type of intimacy with anyone before, but turned his head slightly and knew exactly who it was.

"Thank you." Sailee murmured, resting her cheek against his back.

Heat creeped up Sachin's cheeks, a wide smile forming across his lips, as he clasped her hands within his and stayed like that for a few seconds, before turning around and holding her hands in his.

He didn't say anything, just stared at her with the softest look in eyes, not letting go of her hands. Intimacy didn't come easily to him, but Sachin realised he didn't really mind the little joys that came with something as simple as holding hands and giving hugs.

"Intezaar karungi." Sailee smiled, and he gave her the gentlest smile back, waving to her as he got in the car and drove off for the day, intending to keep the promise he made to her.

Sailee watched his car peel off from the driveway, turning around to enter the house, when something felt different within these 4 walls.

A good different.

She smiled to herself, as she finally felt something she hadn't thought she'd ever feel:

Home. She felt at home.