Hey Guys!!!!

The second chapter of the story. 

Happy Reading!!

◤----------------------------------------------------------◥

The young lady who looked like an angel was not wearing Sindoor, her Mang was empty while the other things showed that she is married. Except the white saree of course.

People parted away as she walked ahead and she did not question it. Simply walked ahead.

"Anika?" A lady whispered and the people turn to stare at the lady.

Did the lady know her?

But why would Mrs. Rajbanshi know her? That too she of all the people.

Mrs. Rajbanshi was the wife of the richest man of the state. And mother of the youngest handsomest billionaire.
Thus, the question.

"Anika!" Mrs. Rajbanshi called louder, stopping the young lady mid step.

The young lady turned to look at Mrs. Rajbanshi. Her face was as expressionless as before.

"What are you doing, Anika?" Mrs. Rajbanshi asked the girl in low tone but the silence of the amphitheater was such that everybody heard it.

"What am I doing?" The lady asks, her voice was a soft breeze. It brought a strange calmness over all the people.

"Why are you wearing this out of all things?" Mrs. Rajbanshi question.

"What is wrong with it?" Anika asks slowly looking down at herself.

The people all around gasp, it the girl serious asking that question? What is wrong with her?

"White cloths, Anika?" Mrs. Rajbanshi chides. "Don't you know it's meaning?"

"What? That I am a widow?" She tilt her head looking at Mrs. Rajbanshi.

People looked at the ongoing conversation intriguingly. They didn't even know that she was married. But why does Mrs. Rajbanshi know about it?

"Anika!"

"What Ma?" Anika questions and people gasp.

Why did she call her mother?

"My son is still alive. Then why are you dressed like this?" Another round of gasp echoed the amphitheater, this declaration.

"You are right he is alive." Anika nods.

She moves ahead to where a plate of Sindoor (vermilion) was kept and filled her partition with Sindoor. Before letting her hand trail on front of the saree, coloring it in the color of Sindoor.

"Is it fine now, Ma?" She questions. "Now neither is my Mang empty nor is the saree white."

Mrs. Rajbanshi stares at her as her Devar's (younger brother- in- law) son's come to stand beside her. They are two of them, Kabir and Karan.

"Bhabhi (sister- in- law), what happened?" Kabir asks.

"I have had enough." Anika exclaims. "Yesterday, was enough. I have never protested. Never. But yesterday. Yesterday was the last step. I did not say any thing when he told me that he did not want to make our wedding public. I did not say any thing when he refused to consider me his wife. I did not say any thing when he wanted to act as a happy couple in front of people."

She takes a breath, "I did not complain when he wanted to sleep in two different rooms. I did not complain when he refused to take part in any of the ritual's. I did not complain when he refused to try to recline with me. I did not complain when .... I ... I Ma, have had enough."
"I am fed up. Done with all this. I hated the daily fights. Every day the things I had to hear and I did not protest any day. Never said a word. But yesterday, yesterday the last string broke."

She looked like she would cry but there were no tears. Her eyes practically looked drained now.

"What did he do?" Mrs. Rajbanshi asks, staring at her daughter- in- law.

"What did he do? He did the worst thing of all, Ma." Anika smiled. It looked weird, that she had no pain in saying it. "He died for me, yesterday."

"He killed himself in my eyes." Anika declared.

"What are you saying, Bhabhi?" Karan questioned.

"He is dead for me, K." Anika says. She then proceeds to pick the end of her pallu (drape of saree) and wipe the Sindoor away. Smearing it almost all over her head.

"He is dead for me." She says once again, before walking ahead.

She continues to walk ahead until she stood n front of the Havan, that was in front of Devi Ma's idol. And silently stares at it.

People look at her in waiting. What is she doing?

"The day I married she came." Anika says. "The day she goes, I will go too."

"Bhabhi, what are you talking about?" Kabir asks. "Where are you going?"

"We won't let you go." Karan pitches in. "Hardik, is mad. Leave him, as he is."

"I am leaving him, K. I am leaving him." Anika says looking back at Karan for a minute, before she turns back. And suddenly bangs both her hands over the fire of Havan, breaking her bangles. The pieces of her bangle fall in the fire and igniting it more.

"What are you doing lady?" The pandit questions.

In answer Anika opens her Kamar bandh (waist chain.) and throws it into the fire. And following it was the payal (anklets).

"Lady! Why are you doing this?" The Pandit screams. "So in- auspicious."

"In- auspicious? The lady who has followed all rules. Who is simply a human, makes Devi. Such a big, celebrated goddess un- pure?" Anika snaps. "How can a mere mortal make the wife of the god of gods un- pure?"

After throwing her ear ring and nose pin in the fire, she turns around to look at the people.

Fire burn in her eyes. Just like the one burning behind her. But there was nothing else in her aura that could point to her being angry. Rather it was the opposite, she looked so calm and peaceful.

"Ma, you were the best mother I could ever ask for. Nobody has got a mother- in- law like you, because then the notions for mother- in- laws would have changed." Anika says. "I love you. Forgive me if you can."

"What- what are you saying?"

"I am saying the truth. K, you were my kid. My body builder. My foodie. I have as much as right on you as our mother's, after all at the end of the day Bhabhi's are mother too, right?"

"Bhabhi, I don't understand what are you talking about?" Karan asks moving towards her.

"Not now, K. Kabiri, people say that you don't talk easily. But you were the first person I befriended. The first person I laughed with in this house. You are my kid too." Anika smiles at her two Devar's.

"Karan is right, Bhabhi. What is all this about?"

"Forgive me. I know, I will hurt you doing this but I am doing this as a wife. My last duty as a wife." Anika whispers a the end.

Before turning to look at her side. People turned to a surprising sight.

There stood Hardik Rajbanshi, the youngest and the most handsome looking young man, with a girl at his side. Not any girl, there stood Tia Oberoi.

"I hope you both have a happily married life." Anika says before taking a step back.

"ANIKA!!" 

◣----------------------------------------------------------------◢

How was it?

(1240 words.)

--Sxxxxx