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"Intezar rahega"
2 months later...
The soft clinking of anklets echoed through the garden as Ishika strolled along, her palm gently cradling her little bump.
She hummed a soothing melody, her voice blending with the gentle rustle of leaves in the breeze. As she walked, the warm sun danced across her face, casting a serene glow. Eventually, fatigue caught up with her, and she settled onto a nearby bench with a contented sigh.
"Ishika!" her mother called out, breaking the tranquil atmosphere.
Ishika turned, a soft smile still gracing her lips. "Jii, Mataji," she replied, her voice sweet and respectful.
Her mother approached, an empty ice cream box in hand, a hint of exasperation etched on her face. Ishika's eyes widened, and she bit her tongue, whispering "margaye" (I'm doomed) under her breath. She began to rise, but her mother's firm tone stopped her.
"Stay right there, You're not going anywhere!" Her mother's voice was laced with a mix of concern and frustration.
Ishika pouted, sinking back onto the bench. Her mother launched into a familiar lecture, "Ishika, what's gotten into you? Every day, you'd eat a small cup, but today... look at this box! It's a family pack, and you devoured it all! Do you know how much harm it can cause? You could get a fever! I'm fed up; you never listen to me!"
Ishika let out a dramatic sigh, resigned to another lengthy scolding. It seemed her days began and ended with her mother's lectures.
Sneaking into the kitchen at night to indulge in ice cream had become her guilty pleasure, and her mother's long speeches were the inevitable consequence.
"Mumma, sorry na... bss bhi kardo ab," Ishika pleaded, her big, round eyes sparkling with apology.
Her mother's expression softened, but her voice remained firm. "Now, I'll lock the freezer. No more sneaking ice creams for you"
Ishika nodded, a mischievous glint still dancing in her eyes, as she agreed to her mother's terms.
Her mother glared at her, but Ishika's smile softened her expression. Ishika held her wrist, guiding her to sit beside her on the bench.
As her mother sat, Ishika nestled her head on her shoulder, wrapping her arms tightly around her. Closing her eyes, she let out a contented sigh, feeling the warmth of her mother's presence.
Her mother's expression transformed, and she smiled, gently patting Ishika's cheeks with her palm. "Ishika," she hummed softly, her voice filled with love and concern.
Ishika's eyes fluttered open, and her smile faltered. "It's been two months," her mother continued, her voice laced with concern and a hint of sadness.
Two months had passed, yet everything remained unchanged. The day he left, Ishika's world crumbled. There were no calls, no messages â only silence. She existed, but happiness eluded her. Whenever Mahi called and told her to come back, Ishika's response remained the same: "Let him come first." Avyaan's whereabouts remained a mystery, known only to his father.
Ishika's heart ached with every passing day, the longing for him growing stronger.
Her mother spoke, her words tinged with sadness and empathy. "Ishika, every household faces fights and misunderstandings, but that doesn't mean you'll leave your home." Her mother's eyes searched Ishika's face, seeking answers to unspoken questions.
Ishika's head remained on her mother's shoulder, her voice barely above a whisper. "My home is not here, Mumma. It's somewhere else." A lone tear escaped her eye, rolling down her cheek as she thought of him.
Her mother's eyes welled up with tears as she grasped the depth of Ishika's words. "Ishika, this baby needs his father. This baby's mother needs her husband. End this misunderstanding." Her mother's husky voice pierced Ishika's soul, resonating with the ache in her heart.
Ishika's heart clenched, the pain of separation threatening to overwhelm her. Only her pillow knew the turmoil she endured, the thoughts of him haunting her every waking moment.
Yet, she clung to his last words, spoken before he left: "ye aakhri baar hum alag hore hai, par yaad rakhna main wapas aaunga, jarur apni biwi ko wapas le jaane, usse woh izzat aur haq dilwane jo dilwane mein main fail ho gaya."
(This is the last time we'll be apart, but remember, I'll come back, and I'll take my wife back with the respect and rights that I failed to give her earlier.)
The sound of her father's voice interrupted the moment. "Sakshi, where are you?"
Her mother pecked her cheek lovingly before getting up. "Yeah, coming!" she shouted, leaving Ishika alone with her thoughts.
As her mother disappeared inside, Ishika's gaze drifted toward her brother Rahul, standing in his balcony. His straight face hid the turmoil brewing within.
When his brother returned, Rahul's anger knew no bounds upon learning about the ordeal his sister faced. However, Ishika's stern warning had silenced him, breaking his heart in the process.
After that, he never smiled. Ishika tried numerous times, but he never talked to her straightly. His eyes seemed to hold a deep sadness, a pain that he couldn't share with her. Gazing at her one last time, he moved inside, and Ishika felt an unbearable pang in her heart.
It was as if he had taken a piece of her soul with him. But today, she didn't want to keep quiet; she wanted to talk to him, to clear everything, to heal the wounds that had been festering for so long.
"I won't let my brother be with this gandi si shakal," she said playfully, trying to sound casual despite the turmoil brewing inside. In these two months, rather than being sad most of the time, she had tried to reclaim her old bubbly personality.
She had put on a brave face, hiding her true emotions behind a mask of laughter and smiles.
She walked inside the house and made her way towards her brother's bedroom. She was about to knock on the door but stopped. "Ab apne hi bhai ke kamre mein knock karu main?" she mumbled to herself, a hint of frustration creeping into her voice. Why was she feeling so nervous? What was she afraid of? Without another thought, she opened the door; it wasn't locked.
As she stepped inside, the room seemed empty, but then she heard the sound of water pouring from the washroom. She huffed and turned to leave.
That's when her eyes caught sight of her study table, and her breath hitched. The wall above the table was adorned with Avyaan's pictures, small notes pinned to each one. A laptop sat on the table, its screen displaying a progress bar: 74 percent. Her heart skipped a beat as she felt a wave of emotions wash over her.
Her legs automatically started moving towards the table, her trembling hands reaching for a note. There, written in familiar handwriting, was a date with a single word: 'USA'. Beside it, a copy of a flight ticket was present. She gulped and picked it up, her heart racing as she realized it was the ticket from the day he left after meeting her. Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes as she felt the pain of his departure all over again.
"What the hell?" her eyes stayed widened, fixed on the notes, the pictures, the ticket. The note fell from her hand when she heard the washroom door open.
She turned to face her brother, who was already looking at her. Their eyes met, and for a moment, time stood still.
"Rahul, what is all this?" The question tumbled out of her mouth as she gestured towards the table, her voice shaking with a mix of emotions. She felt like she was drowning in a sea of confusion and pain.
He walked towards her, took the copy of the ticket, and placed it inside his drawer. "Why did you come inside?" he questioned, his voice laced with a hint of defensiveness. Ishika felt a surge of anger at his tone, but she pushed it aside, determined to get answers.
"I questioned you first; I think you should reply to that first," her stern voice made him gulp. "Nothing, now go," he spoke, avoiding eye contact. Ishika's heart sank at his words. Why was he being so secretive?
"Rahul, I asked you something. What is all this? These pictures, these notes?" She was speaking, her eyes fixed on the laptop, which now displayed "100 percent" and suddenly showed a location: 'Rajasthan'. Her heart skipped a beat as she felt the ground beneath her feet give way. Everything seemed to be spinning out of control.
He sighed, the weight of his secrets crushing him. "Will you please open your mouth?" her stern voice made him gulp, and he finally decided to speak, his words tumbling out like a confession.
"I'm tracking him, what he's doing, where he's at... all that," his answer made her eyes widen in shock, her face a picture of incredulity.
"And why the hell are you doing this?" her voice was laced with anger, her words piercing his heart like a dagger. "Because I couldn't see my sister like this," his voice cracked with emotion, his eyes welling up with tears. "How could he just roam anywhere, leaving you behind?" His statement made her heart clench, as if a knife had been twisted into her soul, the pain radiating through her entire being.
She sighed, her shoulders sagging under the weight of her emotions, and held his shoulder, her touch warm and comforting. "Look, there's so much you don't know, and you don't need to do all this," she said, her voice softening, her words dripping with empathy.
"He didn't leave me, okay? I left that house, but not him. Everything will be fine with time." Her words were like a balm to his frazzled nerves, soothing his anxiety, but he knew he still didn't have the full truth.
He nodded, his eyes cast downward, shame and guilt written all over his face. "Focus on your studies and stop doing this foolish thing, Rahul." He nodded again, his fingers fidgeting with anxiety, his mind racing with thoughts.
There was a silence for a few seconds, the tension between them palpable, but it was suddenly broken by her whispered apology.
"I'm sorry," she said, her voice barely audible, her words laced with regret. He looked at her face, and his heart melted at the sight of her tears.
His anger vanished in an instant, replaced by a deep sense of love and concern. Without another thought, he hugged her tightly, holding her close as if he'd never let her go.
A smile formed on her lips as she wrapped her arms around him, her touch warm and comforting. She moved her palm over his head, and a lone tear escaped her eyes, but she quickly wiped it off, trying to compose herself. They broke the hug, and that's when their mother's voice reached them, calling them for breakfast.
"Cominggg!" they both shouted in unison, their voices laced with a mix of emotions. "Let's go," she said, and was about to walk away, but he held her wrist, his touch gentle but firm. She looked at him, her eyes questioning.
"I got some information about him," his voice was laced with seriousness, his eyes locked on hers. "What?" she questioned, her heartbeat fastening with anticipation, her mind racing with thoughts.
"He's not in the USA," Rahul said, his eyes never leaving hers.
"He's here, in Rajasthan." Ishika's eyes widened in shock, her mind reeling with the implications, her heart skipping a beat as if it had stopped functioning altogether.
"What? How?" she questioned, her mind racing with a multitude of thoughts, each one more terrifying than the last. If he was here, why hadn't he come to meet her? What was going on in his mind? The questions swirled in her head like a vortex, leaving her breathless.
"He came back from the USA one month ago, but his location has been unreachable," Rahul spoke, his words dripping with a sense of foreboding. Ishika's thoughts grew more haunting, her imagination running wild with worst-case scenarios.
"Ishikaa, Rahulll!" their mother's voice reached their ears, shattering the silence. "We will talk later," Ishika spoke, her voice barely above a whisper, as she was still unable to process what she had just heard. The words hung in the air like a challenge, a promise of secrets yet to be revealed.
He nodded, and they both walked downstairs, the silence between them oppressive. They began having their breakfast, the clinking of utensils against plates the only sound breaking the stillness.
But then, her phone rang, flashing Mahi's name on the screen. Ishika's heart skipped a beat as she picked it up, her hand trembling slightly. She brought the spoon near her lips, ready to take a bite, but as she picked up the call, her world came crashing down.
"Ishuu, Avyaan has met with an accident" Mahi's voice was laced with worry.
The words echoing in Ishika's mind like a death knell. Her world stopped, the spoon slipping from her hand, clattering against the plate. A silence of fear echoed around her, the only sound the pounding of her heart in her chest.
As I said 1k words update after every 2 days, and 3k words update after every week but I was still confused so I update after 4 days with an 2k+ words update, I hope that's okayy.
2k+ words
VOTE and COMMENT for the next update.
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