My chest tightened, and I searched for air. I wanted to run out, but I sat with a thud on the chair.
Aise kyun lag raha hai ki humse humari duniya hi chinli gayi ho.
Why does it feel as if my whole world is pulled apart?
My eyes dropped on the table in front of us. And without giving a second thought, I gulped all the shot glasses one after the other.
"Stop. Ruhi!" Rayan caught my hand, but my glare made it easier for him to leave.
I stood up, and I said, "Guys, do you want to meet my husband's mistress? Come, let me introduce her to you all."
I made my way to the dance floor. Though my friends tried to stop me, I pushed them away and approached my cheater husband and his fucker mistress.
They both were making their way out of the club. I approached them and pulled them apart and breathing heavily, I glared at Ekansh. The hurt of betrayal crushed my soul.
"Ruhi!" He exclaimed and looked agape at me.
"Look guys, who are here? This is Ekansh, my cheater husband and this is Anthra, his rakhel." (rakhel: mistress)
"Ruhi!" Saniya caught my arm but I thwacked it from her grip.
"How dare you call me that?" I heard his rakhel warning voice.
But the alcohol in my blood tripled my guts, "Rakhel ko rakhel na bolu toh kya bolu." What's better than the word "mistress", mistress?
"Ruhi, you are taking this wrong." I admired that cheater's confidence.
I clapped my hands. The music was no longer audible to me, maybe they stopped playing it. "Ekansh. I took things wrong till now but tonight, everything got clear. You kept me in the dark."
"Yes, he kept you in the dark. Yes, he was sleeping with me. And yes, he did say that I am better than you." His mistress rambled on my face.
If she thinks that I am the kind of wife, who will sit at the corner and cry like a weak woman then she is wrong. I am a rebel, who can give answers both by slap and words. So, the first thing, I did was to slap her hard on her cheek and next was to show her real value, "Yes, you are a slut. Yes, you are a bitch. Yes, you are a mistress. And yes, you are a whore who is warming a married man's bed without any shame. YOU ARE A SHAMELESS WHORE!"
"Ruhi. Bas bhut hogaya ab!" Came another warning from my husband. (Enough!)
"You are equally shameless, dear husband," I informed him. Then I gazed back at my husband's mistress. "If you have even an inch of self-esteem then go and drink rat poison before people start calling you Ekansh's mistress. Just kill yourself."
I spit at her and walked out of the club. Along with my friend's call-outs, I even heard the voice of my cheater husband. Tears flew out of my eyes continuously. Those romantic nights, the uncountable sex we had, everything was a lie. He never broke up with her. He only wanted to get me on his bed.
"Ruhi. Bath suniye humari." Ekansh approached me first and made me a whirl.
I couldn't see anything. My eyes were blurred with tears and alcohol made my head heavy. "Meri Jaan!"
"Don't call me that, you cheater!" I demanded and pushed him away. Saniya stood behind him.
"Let me explain, Ruhi."
"Sab kuch khatam kar diye apne Ekansh. Kuch bacha nahi samjane ke liye." (You ended everything Ekansh, there's nothing left to explain.)
I pushed him and grabbed Saniya's hand. "We should leave." I dragged her to the parking lot.
"Maybe there's a misunderstanding, Ruhi! I can see something in his eyes," Saniya protested on his behalf.
I shook my head, "We girls love fairytales, Saniya. But the truth is they don't exist. He clarified to me before engagement that he loves her. I am stupid, I believed him."
"Can you drive?" She asked, softly. I shook my head, crying. "Give me the keys." I handed her my keys. I sat on the passenger seat and sobbed, by palming my face. "Ruhi, control yourself."
"Just take me away from here, Saniya. I can't breathe anymore."
I heard the roar of my car's engine. She drove it smoothly but my heart was ripping into multiple pieces.
"He cheated on me, Saniya. Ekansh cheated me. I gave him everything but he played with me and my feelings." My hiccups began too. "Aise hi humari duniya kaise ujad sakthi hai, Saniya." (My whole life is destroyed, Saniya)
"Don't say, as if you will give up on him."
"What is left to try, Saniya?" I asked her instead. "Wo kabhi humare the hi nahi. Unki subah aur Rath toh sirf us badh chalan se shuru hothi hai aur khatam. Hum toh bas unki bholi bathon ka shikar ban kar reh gaye." (He was never mine. His every day and night starts and ends with that whore. I got trapped in his sensible words.)
I heard her sighing, "I am sorry, Ruhi. Where should I take you?"
"Anywhere but not near him."
"Can I take you to my dorm room?"
I nodded my head but even felt increased heaviness in my head. I closed my eyes muttering, "Everything has ended."
She took me to her room. There was an extra bed opposite her. "You can take that bed." I lay down on it and balled my whole body, by flexing my knees near my chest. She covered me with a comforter. "Do you need anything?" When I didn't respond and cried constantly she asked, "Water?"
Then I heard her speaking to someone, "She is with me." I thought it was Ekansh but she named Rayan.
Why would he be worried about me?
I tried to sleep but all I remembered was his loving words. Those love making memories. The way he used to speak with me, whenever he made love to me. Was it a fake? No. They can't be.
He loves me! Maybe Anthra is playing a game? I should save my husband.
I sat up. "Saniya. Did I make a mistake? Ekansh loves me so much. He can't betray me." I stood up. "I should give him a chance."
Just then Rayan and Manoj stepped inside the room.
"Where are you going?"
"To my house."
"Ruhi, wait I will drive you back home," Saniya suggested. I nodded my head and followed her.
"We will follow you in my car," Manoj announced and Rayan agreed to him.
While Saniya drove towards my house, I decided to apologize to him for my behaviour.
She pulled the car into the garage. And after we climbed out, she pulled me in a side hug. "If there is any problem, you will call me."
I nodded my head but added, "Thanks for being for me."
"Just don't forget that you are the strongest girl in the whole world."
I pulled away from her and made my way towards the door. Gurpreet opened the door for me.
"Parjai!" She exclaimed in shock.
"Where is Ekansh?" I asked stepping inside the house. "Ekansh," I called but no response came from him.
"Parjai. He is not at home. He left a few minutes ago."
"Where?"
"I dunno. But he looked so worried. He said to call you and ask about your whereabouts."
I closed my eyes for a moment. Waheguru, give me some strength. Don't break my wedding.
I sat down on the couch and covered myself with a blanket.
"Do you need anything, Parjai?"
"No. I am fine. I will wait for him here. You can to your room and sleep."
I tried hard not to sleep but alcohol in my blood turned my head dizzy and pushed me into a deep sleep.
.
.
"Ruhi!" I heard his voice. Then he shook my whole form. "Ruhi! Wake up! We need to speak!"
I opened my eyes and saw him. The first thing I noticed was his red eyes.
"Ekansh!" I exclaimed and sat up. Then shaking my head, "I am sorry. I didn't mean to say those hurtful words."
"But you said it. And because of you, Anthra is taking her last breath," I gasped and instantly my eyes widened with shock. Then he turned around, his back facing me and he spoke, "I will lose her because of you."
I was flabbergasted by his response, "Do you still love her?"
"I never stopped," he whispered.
I walked and stood in front of him, "Why did you... I mean those nights and all. What does it mean?"
"It was fake," he barked. My eyes widened and I took a step back. Once again he tilted his body away from me, "Yes, I faked because of my family force. They wanted me to take your care and work on this wedding. But I couldn't tell them that you were nothing but a...," he paused, "burden to me."
His words slit my heart into two, "Ekansh!" I voiced unbelievable. "Burden?"
"Yes."
"But I already told you that I will leave you if you don't want me."
Suddenly he whirled and stared directly into my eyes, "And then blame everyone that I had a girlfriend that's why we ended our wedding. I would have lost everything. This house, cars, credit cards and even my share of the property. I can't risk that for you."
I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply. "Tell me what you want," I whispered, staring at his foot.
He took out a small envelope from his back pocket and handed a paper to me. "I want you to divorce me and get out of my life, now at this very moment."
"Ekansh, apki himmat kaise hui?" Kirpal Dadaji's demanding voice roared in the living room.
We both spun and saw our grandparents standing in front of us. My eyes fell on dadu. Who appeared weak to me. But my focus was on the discussion. I thought momentarily and said, "Isme Ekansh ki koi galti nahi hai dadaji. Bas hum behak Gaye."(Ekansh, is not wrong here, Kirpal Dadaji. I got deviated.)
"Ruhi!" My dadu voiced, unbelievable. "Ap kya bol Rahi hai."(What are you saying?)
I lowered my head, tears flew out of my eyes. Humara riste ki kabhi koi buniyad bani hj nahi aur hum toh Mohobath ke manzil banane ki khwaish mei kush ho rahe the. (Since the beginning, our relationship had no base and I was dreaming of building a castle of love)
"I am sorry dadu. But I like someone else," I had no idea, why I was taking everything on me. But I felt it right as I didn't want him to face his grandfather's wrath.
"Aur Ekansh ka kya?" My Dadu demanded. (And what about Ekansh?)
"Hum yeh rishta nahi nibah sakthe," I announced. (I can't be in this relationship. Not anymore.)
"Aj pehli bar, aap ki wajah se humara saar sharam se jhuk gaya. Chale jao Ruhi. Hum apki shakal thak nahi dekhna chahre," he shouted. I closed my eyes, it was the first time he called me Ruhi instead of Ladoo Rani. (For the first, I lost my esteem because of you. Go away, Ruhi. I don't want to see your face!)
Nodding my head, I moved to the room I shared with Ekansh. After removing my one-piece, I took out a Patiyala dress and put it on. Then, I packed my books and clothes.
I stared at the divorce papers. He made them, which means he was planning to give me divorce one or another day. I took a pen and signed on it.
Gurpreet approached me. Her eyes were wet too. "parjai. Aap sab ko jhut bol sakthi ho par mujhe nahi. Humne dekha kaisa aap Pra ka khayal rakha. Apki Mohobath ko dekha humne." (You can't lie to me. I saw how you used to care for him and love him.)
"Apki galat fahmi thi wo sab kuch, Gurpreet." I lied to her and dragged out my trolley bag. (Iz was your misunderstanding, Gurpreet!)
She caught my bag. "I will take it down."
We both reached down. Dadu and dadaji sat down on a couch. I had no guts to face any of them. I lowered my head and moved to Ekansh. I handed him divorce papers and muttered, "Jeet Mubarak ho apko." Neither did I see his face. (Congratulations, on your win.)
I ambled to my Dadu, who sat on the couch and knelt in front of him. He stood up and walked away. I fisted my hands, tears fell upon my thighs wetting my fabric.
"Ruhi," I heard Kripal Dadaji's voice, "Kahan jayngi aap?"
"Dormitory of my university." He placed his hand on my head.
"Khayal rakhiye apna." He mumbled and walked away too. (Take care)
"I will drop you," I heard Ekansh's voice and then he grabbed my hand.
I lifted my head, glaring at him, and demanded, "hath chodiye humara." (Leave my hand) He narrowed his eyes at me. I pulled my hand with force. "Reha kar Diya Aaj humne apko humari zimmedari se, Ekansh. Go and celebrate your independence with your whore." (I released you from my responsibility, Ekansh.)
I pulled my bag and stepped out of his house.
*****
Do comment and vote.
What do you think? Why Ekansh is doing this all?