"The fans have started forming the links and a sensational debate has taken over the subject of the scandalous pictures released some hours back. The pictures are from The Redstart Film Awards held last year. The peacock trail gown encased by Uttara made an uproar not long before and fans are quick to remember it. Now the point here is did she cheat on Dr. Chauhan or the Kabir star-Rocky by marrying another man within 48 hours? This news made existence when Uttara Sinha was nominated for the national award just this week. We can deduce this to be a well-plotted revenge or a bad PR activity. I'm sure the rising star could lose her entire career over this very piece of news. The social media platforms have been flooding with different hashtags trending in the country, making the Amor star the most searched name in the last 5 hours. We are also receiving intel from our agents..."
"Would you stop listening to them?"
Vidyut snatched the tablet out of her hands, brushing his palms against her ice-cold fingers as they stayed in her lap with her face stoic while her eyes refrained from moving. They stared into the dark winter night, unmoving, sitting upright like a statue.
He stared at her, trying to read her emotions, even those she didn't let out completely. She had ignored her continuously ringing phone, neither reacting to the muffled profanities he couldn't hold back. She sat through the rapid turns he took to not lose control entirely, waiting patiently in the car as they drove off to their place.
Their car was engulfed with heavy silence laced with confusion.
The kind that rings through your bones, the kind that quiets the voice inside of you that tells you that there is no good left anymore, or the one where the world could be falling behind but never a flinch passes through you. The kind of moment that takes your breath away. The kind of moments that change you.
And, Vidyut was apprehensive of these changes.
It was these moments that flipped lives and eroded destinies. There was one such silence he witnessed at that tender age which changed his life, his existence. He would never wish to bring up the same fate on her.
Uttara was a major part of his life. Somehow, this girl had become the axis his world revolved around and a mere imagination of losing his axis sent his world crashing down like a Jenga tower.
"Tara." He called her name in the hope of her breaking this suffocating hold around them. His fingers clutched the gear while he waited for her to stop with a bated breath.
The soft hum from her made him release the pressure and she blinked after the longest period.
"Nitya has been calling you." His eyes flitted to her discarded phone kept on the dashboard. "She must be going ballistic. Do you not want to answer?"
"No." She quipped without another thought and the silence stretched.
"I will get Shreya into clearing this mess. Believe me, it will all be over in an hour max." He said, not willing to elongate the pause. He needed to hear her speak before the drive ended, not that a lot was left.
Another turn and they would be parking in another 100 meters.
How did he wish the day would have ended the way it started? How blissful their morning together was and how dreadful their night had turned to be. Normalcy seemed to be an unfathomable notion these days.
"It won't."
The snarky murmur could be an imagination of his, for, the next second his vision blurred with zillion flashes.
"What the fuck?" Vidyut twisted the steering to not hit any human and applied brakes harshly. His arm shot towards her to avoid the hit while crashing into the small divider had an impact enough for them to fall forward.
His heavy breaths were muffled by the loud buzzing in his head due to the blood rush and then it was those parasites waiting to suck anything out of them. The sounds were roaring as the humongous crowd of media representatives that hoarded their apartment entrance circled them.
Quickly, the adrenaline rushed to his veins and he frantically moved to check on his wife.
"Are you okay?" He unlocked the seatbelt and yanked her away. Her moments turned dizzy while her wide, frightened eyes met his. For the first time in the past hour, he could see her mask fall.
"Yes, are you?" Her shaky nod made him lean and unlock her seatbelt, pulling her in his arms he did a quick once over on her for any injuries.
"Oh god." Vidyut sighed, feeling his heart rate coming down seeing how they evaded a potential accident. He parted from her, cupping her face, he made sure she was fine again. "I thought I lost you."
His breathless whisper met a soft shake of her head and an almost-there assuring smile, one he would give anything to witness again.
"You didn't. I am fine."
'Uttara, is that you?'
'Can you tell us who is Rocky to you?'
'Were you in a relationship with him?'
'Are you still with him?'
'Is this a publicity stunt for your next movie?'
The loud murmurs from outside refocused, so as the desperate clicks from the crowd of tenacious reporters who spread rumors and destroyed the mental peace of individuals for a living.
'Were you cheating on Mr. Chauhan?'
'Is there a past of yours with Rocky Makhija?'
'Did you have an affair, Uttara?'
'Can you step out? We know it is you.'
'Did you sleep with both of them together?'
"These fucking bastards!" The urge to stomp out and slam some heads in his car bonnet made him fist his palm and click the door open.
"No!" Uttara pulled him back, locking the car door again. "You cannot go out. You won't go."
"Tara. I need to smack some sense and sue these bloody suckers. We nearly got in a crash because of them. I won't leave them. Today would be the end of their lives." His rage got the best out of his doctor's brain. He was no peace-loving, composed man but a hungry hound who would draw blood through his claws when manhandled.
"They cannot see us." She stressed reminding him. "The glass is tainted. They cannot confirm it is us unless we step out, Vidyut. Please don't go."
"Do you want me to sit still?" He snapped at her. He has had enough of this world that she lived and strived each day. Maintaining a clean and perfect image every day was a nightmare she lived each day, only to be stripped out of it in a minute.
"I...I don't but we cannot do anything." Her lips quivered, glancing between the ongoing shitshow and him.
"I cannot watch them tear down our marriage, Uttara. I will not sit back and watch them insult us, me, or my family."
"Please."
He doubted if she realized what she begged for but he did. They need to move out and away from this place until they come up with a solution and he would be doing the same.
As if his brother knew, Anirudh's name flashed on his phone.
"Where are you?" He asked without beating around the bush.
Vidyut watched her flinching at every question that the media spat on them, some never getting past the sealed glasses. "I am on my way home, Bhai."
"Be quick."
'Is this a ploy against you?'
'Are you being framed?'
"Yes, I will." He replied.
"Is Uttara with you? Are you two okay?"
"I think." Was she with him? He didn't know.
Once hanging up, he pinched the bridge of his nose and touched her palm which she smartly slithered away in the pretense of tucking her seat belt back in place, recoiling in her seat as if hiding herself from the world.
'Are you divorcing Vidyut Chauhan?'
Gritting his molars, he ignited the engine and reversed the car, uncaring on trampling anyone. Vidyut had enough of these people. He wouldn't mind killing a few and later defending himself using the camera footage from the gate.
"You are cold." His observation came through after two turns from the apartment complex. The media to be left back, or he assumed them to leave them alone.
They were away from them and Uttara was pulling her mask back.
"Stop." Her lips moved. "Stop the car."
"What? No." Vidyut blinked at her with a confused stare. "We are going to Chauhan mansion."
Shaking her head, her gaze drifted to his and back to the window "I can't."
The words he heard made no sense anymore.
"I can't go there and face your family. My career is burning. I can't sit back and witness it."
"You don't have to." He was able to breathe again. Watching her snapping out of her thinking spree was better than having her numb from sitting in his car. "Do you think I would let you lose anything?"
"I don't know." She scoffed self-deprecatingly.
"Tara..."
"I have been let down a lot more times than I could remember. Being pushed away, and looked over in the years by everyone. Family. Co-workers. You."
"Sorry?" He stomped on the brakes in surprise. Snapping towards her, watching her letting out the thoughts that lived buried deep in her soul.
"I don't want to blame you but you did. You were ready to try only when I begged you. This very car, I sobbed and begged you to love me back, Vidyut. I may have overlooked the fact but you tried pushing me away too. I have had only my career with me. It was the only constant I had when people changed and when places changed but today it is being snatched from me. I don't know anymore. I know nothing anymore. I only need to save it before a man like him destroys it." Her words shifted something. Almost everything.
"Uttara, are you even thinking? How could you blame me? I am offering you help, am I not?"
"No! I can't think." She cut him off, for the first time and Vidyut felt the angst in him. "Whatever I did was for us, for you but you see, I cannot be burned again. I refuse to burn again. You cannot help. You can do nothing here. I will. They want to know the truth, I will give them the truth. I will tell them how I met you, what was our deal about, and why I did what I did."
"Are you out of your mind?" Vidyut hissed in disbelief. "Have you thought how it would change the dynamics? Everyone will know that our marriage was not based on a relationship but on a whip. What we had was a deal, a marriage of convenience."
"Don't I remember?" She admitted begrudgingly. "We decided to marry because you wanted to leave your home and I wanted some amount of stability in my life for carrying an image the media is tearing into shreds."
"That is why. You cannot give them more ammunition than they already have."
"I don't know." She scoffed. "But I will rather be myself, truthful and transparent to the world to judge rather than be parts of me that fit in with the image they created. I cannot be the person they expect again. Not again."
"So, you will throw stones in your own glass house and walk barefoot on the shreds? Do you realize it could cost you everything?" Him too.
"I know." She tried smiling in self-depreciation. "If truth costs me, then be it. But, I will not lie anymore."
"You have lost it." He shook his head in disbelief.
This was not the woman he lived with. She was a completely different person who was ready to wager him in this game she was playing. She did not fear losing him but he did.
"No." He announced, twisting the key, and igniting the engine. "You will do no such thing."
"You cannot stop me Vidyut." She asserted. "For the first time, I will go against you and you will watch me do it."
The door click resonated before he could press the accelerator and bring the car into motion. She was out in a blink and on empty roads after midnight.
"Uttara." He screamed for her from behind and slammed the door shut after him.
He ran to eat the distance between them. Holding her upper arm in a bruising hold, he yanked her to a stop and into his chest.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" He menaced. "You cannot disgrace us like that in front of the world, damnit. You. Cannot."
"You are hurting me." Uttara jerked and tried to push him away.
"Am I?" Vidyut glared at her. "What about you? Are you not hurting our marriage? That day, you came to me. You asked me to help you find an out from the clutches of Rocky. I may have proposed to you the idea of marriage but it was you who conditioned me to keep it real and its circumstances hidden. You cannot announce them to the world, Mrs. Uttara Chauhan. I will not let you."
"I will." She snapped pushing him harshly. "I will do whatever I will feel like to save my career."
She passed him, stomping on the road and flagging down passing taxi rides.
"You will destroy our marriage to save your career?" He asked clutching his eyes shut, the will to hear her answer was fading with every second she took.
What followed was a slam of the door and the wheezing of a car away from him.
She left without an answer.
Without him.
â â â â
The cold air was biting, harsh to the extent of slapping onto her bare arms and so strong. As if on their way to create a storm, the winds swayed the curtains to the full length yet Dhwani never turned to return inside the sanctuary of their room.
Watching the first rays of the sun gave her an odd form of calm and today, she was in dire need of one.
She was supposed to rest after a late night yesterday but here she was. Yesterday was nowhere normal. What started on a light note had ended with so much apprehension that she could feel it trickle down her nape in the form of sweat beads while she stood in the open.
Leaving the office in the morning before lunch, she had made unplanned visits to her old orphanage and then to the others. On her way to next, she met with traffic that wasn't because of vehicles but crowd. People were standing in the middle of the road herding to witness a man beating his children and wife like an animal. He was thrashing the woman as if she was his punching bag but what flipped Dhwani's beliefs was the people who stood there silently witnessing the entire charade.
With raging emotions, she had fished her cell phone to report the incident but somewhere someone was left with some humanity left and the police came barreling inside the circle, taking charge, and arresting the man. Another car that followed them was the social workers and the ambulance that took the bruised woman and her children to the hospital.
"This is the seventh case of the week." The social worker informed her frozen form, she was staring at the ambulance where they were given first aid before driving them to the hospital.
"Where will they be taken?" Dhwani asked unsurely.
"Their home if they have one or will be sent to shelter homes and orphanages, but there aren't enough accommodations left." He confined. "I am Tejas Dixit, Chehak foundation."
"Dhwani Chauhan." She introduced herself.
"Gayatri Devi foundation?" The recognition was naked in his eyes.
She nodded.
"Oh, wow." He exclaimed, "I didn't expect to meet you here, Ma'am."
She could manage only a small smile, while her focus was on those poor kids. Once the ambulances drove off, she could finally register that the man kept blabbering something to her.
"I don't know how to ask but please if you could..." He trailed.
"What is it?" She shook the daze out and concentrated on the conversation in hand.
"Would you help us with a patient? She needs a place to live and as I said, accommodation is difficult, so..."
She nodded and passed him her card. "You can let me know the details. I would do the best I can."
As if scheduled, she received a call from him around 3 in the afternoon and they told her about Manna. A 7-month pregnant woman was kicked out of her marital home because she was carrying a girl child. No idea where they got the information but she was thrown out on the roads for the last two days and the social workers failed to arrange a suitable place for her.
Dhwani was their option and she readily helped them.
She was no more a girl of 21 years who was terrified of men specie after whatever she went through. Luckily, Dhwani took her to the orphanage with the maximum female staff and got them to assist her in recovery. She had several questions in her but never voiced them out until her documents were delivered to her desk by the next morning - Today.
In a few hours, she will have complete information to share and discuss with her team. It was a decision she had taken, acute, abrupt, and unreflective.
"Aren't you a careless little thing?" A murmur made her jump in surprise, the shawl draped on her shoulders was next.
"You are awake." She watched Anirudh hum and secure her frame with a warmth she felt in more than one way.
"What are you thinking?" His eyes assessed her, a brow rising to show his lack of patience. The calmness she had often associated with his personality seemed to be missing from yesterday night.
"Nothing." She shook her head for assurance. "Just waiting for sunrise. You couldn't sleep."
He hummed again.
"Worried?" She asked observing the purplish eyebags in his face, she winced recalling the night before.
"Shouldn't I?" He whispered to not break the silence in the remnants of the night. "My little brother drank himself to sleep."
"Did Vidyut say something?" She had never seen him this restless. "Where is Uttara? Why did she not come with him?"
"Don't tell me you are worried for her." He gritted bitterly. "To answer, he said nothing. I have nothing to start with to end this mess."
"Anirudh." She touched his arm tentatively, "Uttara is not the villain here. We don't know the entire situation to conclude yet. You are forgetting that Uttara makes him happy. There has to be something that we don't know. You cannot blame her only to regret it later."
"I can deal with regrets." He stated with a clenched jaw. "But I cannot deal with nothing. He is breaking and I am helpless. Shreya is tackling the media, Rakshit has been on calls the entire night, Mom-dad is trying to handle investors and what job was I given? I was to get them home safe and sound and think of a solution for all of this but see, Petal. I couldn't even get Vidyut to tell me about it to start with. He may have come home but he is not here. He kept drinking and passed out eventually when his body couldn't anymore."
The world around them never seemed like a card castle that could crash with a single blow. It was a strong palace standing on the back of this man who cherished and loved his family like a madman. He may have desired to move out of this home but never he removed them from him. He did anything and everything for them.
Their marriage was one such sacrifice his family asked and he made.
Not that she condemns his love for them. It was this love that attracted her to him, his heart.
"I swear the moment I know who is behind this scandal, I will drag them to dust. I will avenge every second of my family's libel. Every word out of those scumbags will be avenged."
She knew he would.
Anirudh wasn't a thunder, he did not make a sound when he struck. He was a humungous cobra who would choke you to your death. Every second he sees the life passing out of his victim's eyes, he will squeeze their windpipe harder, crumbling their bones and sucking the hope out of them.
"It is morning." She pointed as the silence lingered, her fingers traveling to his in silent support. She knew he needed comfort, some sort of acceptance after speaking his thoughts aloud.
He squeezed her hand back.
Thank you.
She heard his gesture loud and clear.
"I have a few things to discuss with you." She hinted at her impending discussion regarding the irregular occurrences in the orphanage. The missing of two boys, the police, dubious staff, and taking in of Manna. There were so many things she had kept to herself in the past 4 months that they had shifted here. Before, she never felt the urge to speak to this man, later the continued uproar in their lives had made her put things on a backseat.
"What is it about?" Anirudh turned his attention to her.
"It can wait a few more days." She smiled with a reassuring blink. "But only a few more. Let's deal with this and then you and I need to occupy the conference room for 2 hours straight. I have 4 months full of briefing for you and need a truckload of advice from you. So, be prepared Mr. Anirudh Chauhan."
He grimaced and scrounged his nose "I wish I could say bring it on."
She laughed.
He smiled watching her and pulled her closer to him.
Surprised at his sudden gesture, her grin paddled and froze.
"Can I hold you for a minute?" He asked, his arms on her sides and hovering over her arms ready to withdraw if denied.
"Can you..." She trailed before taking the step between them and snaking her arms against his chest. "...hold me, Anirudh?" I might fall for you.
It wasn't her heart. It was her mind speaking the unsaid words. It was full of thoughts of him and the way he gazed at her. He watched her like a traveler amid a storming sea watching the only star above in search of directions. He was looking at her for guidance, for hope, for forgiveness, and for burying the bitter past they shared before they let go.
He was looking at her like she looked for the early rays of the sun. His steel grey eyes were heavy with intentions, not that they didn't freeze her for seconds but they never affected her as his strong arms pulled her to his chest. She felt the hard ridges beneath his plain t-shirt and inhaled the protection he oozed.
In some inexplicable ways, he got her like no one else.
He held her as if she was the most precious treasure, as if losing her would destroy her and her heart fluttered at the mere realization.
She may have brought upon this impromptu, unwanted marriage on them but somehow, it was proving to be their retreat.
Anirudh could leave his self-righteous, put-together, calm self behind and be a man who was vengeful, sensitive, and snarky. He could argue and tease her while she could act careless, irresponsible, and a mess.
Staying in his arms wrapped around her, she felt human. There was no burden of carrying a name and proving her worth. His presence rang through her bones and made her feel alive. She had always valued small things in life, but he was showing her how she could value everything around her. This family, him, her work, and every second she passed in his hold.
"It has been more than a minute." She murmured and watched him roll his eyes.
"I am holding my wife, you got some problem with that, lady?" His eyes narrowed at her in the fake complaint.
"Right, hold her. Who am I to intervene?" She smirked and turned to watch the early morning sun that illuminated the horizon.
He hummed. "I like people who mind their own business."
"Does that mean you like me?" She quipped with a teasing grin.
"I like you." He admitted. "Like I like a lot of people."
She pushed him away...
To be continued.
A VERYYYY HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OF YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!
I wish to enter this new year with all of you.
I am a slacker, I admit this. I have had an entirely packed schedule for the past month and I couldn't squeeze in an update. I hope those who had their end semesters would understand my plea.
We have some 5 chapters left including Epilogue.
Let's hope, 2024 will be a better and more productive year for all of us. Wishing you all a prosperous, enlightening, and romantic year ahead.
This is your author,
Arwa.