The Wounds that time couldn't heal

Adrijay stood frozen in his place upon hearing her words, as Sarika had mentioned it after so many years. Once again, Adrijay's heart was lost in the memory of his deceased child, and tears welled up in his eyes. He recalled the moment he found out about his baby:

The doctor approached Adrijay with a sorrowful expression and said, “I’m sorry, Mr. Chaudhary, but we couldn’t save your second child. However, Mrs. Chaudhary and your first baby are completely safe. But your younger son… he passed away the moment he came into this world. We will hand over the baby to you; you can proceed with the funeral…” Saying this, she left.

Hearing those words, Adrijay’s steps faltered, but Devansh rushed to support him. Looking at Devansh with teary eyes, Adrijay stammered, “My… baby… my baby… is no more… no more…”

Seeing his state, Devansh’s eyes also turned moist, but he composed himself and tried to console Adrijay. “Brother, please, control yourself. If you break down like this, who will take care of Bhabhi? You weren’t even able to form a bond with the baby yet, but Bhabhi… she carried him for nine months, felt every moment of his existence. Do you realize how difficult this will be for her? You need to be strong… for her, for Adhik, and for your other child…”

Hearing his words, Adrijay stepped back and said, “No… I don’t have the courage to face Sarika… I can’t tell her… Please, I can’t face her… I need to stay away from her… I need to stay away…” Saying this, he wiped his tears and hurried toward the reception.

Devansh tried to stop him, but Adrijay refused to listen. Left with no choice, Devansh sighed deeply and called Yamini Ji to come and take care of Sarika.

Adrijay sat on a bench in the hospital hallway, burying his face in his hands as silent tears streamed down his face. After some time, a ward boy approached him and handed over the baby. As Adrijay took the lifeless child in his arms, his hands trembled, but somehow, he gathered the strength to hold him. Staring at the lifeless body, he whispered, “I’m sorry, my baby… Papa couldn’t save you… I’m really very sorry…” Saying this, he clutched the baby to his chest and broke down into uncontrollable sobs.

Just then, Devansh came to him and softly said, “Brother, it’s time for the last rites… We have to bury him…”

Tears streaming down his face, Adrijay held his lifeless baby tightly and said, “No, he won’t go anywhere… Dev, how can we bury him? How will he breathe? Look how tiny he is… how will he stay in the dark? Please understand, Dev… we can’t bury him… we can’t…”

Seeing his condition, Devansh stood there with teary eyes. At that moment, Mohit rushed in. Upon witnessing Adrijay’s state, his own eyes welled up. Moving forward, he placed a comforting hand on Adrijay’s shoulder and said, “Adri, try to understand… We need to set him free. Do you want him to remain trapped here forever, unable to find peace? He has already suffered so much, Adri… Now, you need to let him go, so he can be happy above. Let him go… set him free… for his happiness…”

Hearing his words, Adrijay looked at him with tear-filled eyes. Then, looking at his baby, he gently kissed his forehead and whispered, “I won’t imprison you in this world anymore, my love… You go and be happy… That’s all I want…”

Seeing this, Devansh and Mohit sighed in relief. Then, the three of them proceeded to bury the baby. As they laid the child to rest, Adrijay’s hands trembled, and tears continued to fall from his eyes. But somehow, he mustered the courage to complete the last rites. Without informing anyone, he silently walked away from there.

Recalling that day, tears streamed down Adrijay’s face. He realized how big a mistake he had made by not meeting Sarika that day, and how wrong he was to keep ignoring her afterward. Realizing everything, he turned to Sarika with tear-filled eyes and said, “My sorry means nothing… The pain I have caused you is beyond words… But Sarika, what could I do? I had no idea this would happen… I ignored you because I didn’t have the courage to face you… And later, I assumed you had moved on… I never even tried to understand what you were going through… And that was my biggest mistake… That’s why I want to talk to you now. I want you to release all the pain, all the anger, all the sorrow that you have kept inside you for so many years… Tell me everything, so I can do something for you… But please, Sarika… just talk to me once!” Saying this, his voice choked, and without realizing it, he drifted into sleep.

The Next Morning,

Sarika woke up at four in the morning, bathed quickly, and went downstairs to clean the temple first. Then, she headed to the kitchen to prepare an offering for Goddess Durga.

After preparing the offering, she washed her hands and changed her clothes before returning to the temple. She dressed the deity, performed the puja, and placed the offering before the goddess.

After completing the rituals, Sarika went back to the kitchen to prepare the children's lunchboxes and the food for the fasting members of the house.

Around six o’clock, she wiped her hands with a cloth and went to the children's room. She woke them up and helped Tanishk take a bath before dressing him up. Bringing both children downstairs, she asked them to fold their hands in prayer before the deity.

Both children obediently joined their hands and sat in their respective places. Sarika served their breakfast and placed their lunchboxes in their bags before checking their school diaries.

After checking everything, she turned to Tanishk and said, “Tanu, go and call your Papa, or you’ll be late for school.”

Tanishk ran up the stairs and entered Adrijay and Sarika’s room.

Since Adrijay had slept late, he was still in the bathroom. Tanishk knocked on the door and said, “Papa, come out quickly, or we’ll be late!”

From inside, Adrijay replied, “I’m coming… Meanwhile, put on your shoes and socks.”

Tanishk responded with an "Okay" and went back downstairs.

Seeing him alone, Sarika asked, “Where’s your Papa?”

Tanishk sat on the chair and said, “Papa will take time because he is still showering.” Then, excitedly, he added, “You know, Mumma, I think we might not go to school today. So, should I change my uniform? Then we can play badminton together?”

Sarika playfully tapped his head and said, “All you think about is playing, Tanu!”

Tanishk pouted and replied, “And all you think about is work, Mumma!”🥴

Sarika glared at him, making him giggle. He turned to Adhik and said, “Bhaiya, let’s put on our shoes; Papa asked us to.”

Sarika brought their shoes and socks from the rack. She helped Tanishk put them on while Adhik wore his by himself. Then, Adhik asked, “Mumma, are you fasting today?”

Sarika, still helping Tanishk, nodded and said, “Yes, everyone is.”

Smiling brightly, Adhik said, “Mumma, next time, I’ll also fast because I’m grown up now.”

Sarika smiled and said, “As you wish.”

Before she could say anything more, Tanishk interrupted excitedly, “But I won’t! If I fast, how will I sit for the Kanya Pujan? I love visiting houses for Kanya Pujan! And I get so many gifts and chocolates! So, I won’t fast!”🤤

Sarika chuckled and asked, “And who told you that you have to fast?”

Tanishk innocently said, “I thought you’d tell me, ‘Tanu, see how your brother is fasting; you should too!’” He mimicked her voice while saying this.

Sarika pulled his ear lightly and said, “You’re getting too naughty these days!”

Tanishk rubbed his ear and said, “Ouch!! Mumma it hurts."

Sarika, glaring at him, says, "You must finish your entire tiffin today. I’ve packed potatoes and sago—don’t bring anything back, or I won’t talk to you. And I’m serious about it."

Hearing this, Tanishk responds with sadness, "Okay, Mumma…."

Just then, Adrijay rushes downstairs, picks up the kids' bags, and looks at them, saying, "Come on, hurry up! We're getting late today!"

Hearing this, Tanishk quickly retorts, "Yeah, it's because of you that we're late! Otherwise, we were already ready."

Adrijay glares at him and says, "I’ll deal with you in the evening. You talk too much, don’t you? Chhotu se ho, par muh dekho kaise chalta Hain. (You’re small, but look at how much you chatter) Now come on, or your teacher will set you straight at school."

Tanishk pouts but walks with him. Suddenly, he turns back to Sarika, motions for her to bend down, and when she does, he kisses her cheek and says, "Bye, Mumma. Take care of yourself. And don’t miss me, okay? I’ll be back soon."

Sarika smiles, kisses his forehead, and says, "I won’t miss you at all. But make sure you finish your tiffin on time."

Tanishk nods, smiles, and says goodbye before quickly leaving with Adrijay. Sarika kisses Adhik’s forehead too and bids him goodbye, and he runs off with Adrijay as well.

Once they all leave, Sarika takes a deep breath and heads to the kitchen.

A while later, everyone gathers in the prayer room for Goddess Durga’s aarti. Sarika has already completed her prayers, so she starts setting breakfast on the dining table.

After the prayer, everyone sits down at the dining table and begins having their breakfast. As usual, Adrijay asks Sarika to sit as well, so she quietly sits beside him and eat furits in silence.

After breakfast, Adrijay goes to the room to get his bag. Then, he calls out to Sarika. She enters the room, lowers her gaze, and asks, "Do you need something?"

Adrijay steps closer, stands right in front of her, lifts her chin gently, and gazes at her with affection. "Hmm… take care of yourself. Your fast starts today, so don’t overwork yourself. Don’t stress too much, and get some rest. I’ll call you in the afternoon. I’m leaving now, bye," he says.

Saying this, he cups her face in his hands and presses a deep, tender kiss on her forehead.

Sarika shrinks into herself as she feels his lips and a shiver runs through her body and her eyes automatically close.

After a few moments, Adrijay separates from her and smiles slightly at her, then caresses her cheek gently and takes his bag and leaves from there.

Sarika shrinks into herself and remains lost in his feelings.

*************************************

How was the chapter?

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Thank you so much for all the love and support. But now I want to make a schedule for this story update as I can't update daily because I have my studies also.

So tell me which one is better:

1. Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.

2. Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.

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Next chapter target:- 300 votes and 70 comments.