NEXT DAY-
Alay- ( I got ready and went inside Ishu's room. I saw him sleeping peacefully. I caressed his cheeks and he stirred a bit)
Ishu- Alay... It feels good.
Alay- Umhmm. Uth jao jaldi. Apki session hai aaj.
Ishu- mujhe nahi jana. I am good.
Alay- Chaliye jaldi. Apko wapas drop karneke baad I have to be in office.
Ishu- ( I got up and stared at him. I caressed his cheeks)
Tum mere sath time spend kyu nahi karte alay? Kya ab mujhse tang aa agye ho? Me pasand nahi tumhe?
Alay- Apse yeh sab kisne kaha hai? Mere liye aap pehle bhi bohot important the or ab bhi ho or hamesha rahoge.
Ishu- I don't wanna go to the hospital Alay.
Alay- ( he seems very different today. He didn't wait for my reply and went to the washroom. I was sitting there thinking that what's going on in his mind. )
Ishu - ( I did my routine and got dressed up. The marks on my back are gone like it wasn't there. But the memories are still there. I came out and saw him in a deep thought)
Let's go Alay.
Alay- (we went down and I cancelled the session for today. he seem to be in a different zone)
Nina- Ishu beta thik ho? bohot pareshan lag rahe ho.
Ishu- Breakfast ke baad mujhe aap sab se important baat karni hai.
Sameer - what's wrong bachhe?
Ishu- Can you guys please not go to the office today? Please baba.
Kabir- ( I looked at him and he looked very hurt and sad. I guess he has decided to open up to us)
Jaise ishu chahta hai waisa hi hoga. Cancel all the meetings for today. Sab gharpe hi rahenge.
Ishu- thanks baba.
Samar- ( kal raat kuch hua tha kya mere jaane k baad? Yeh bohot pareshan lag raha hai. I looked at bhabhi and she was looking tensed as well)
Pehle naashta karlo sab uske baad aaramse baat karenge.
Alay- ( he is looking nervous and tensed. What is this all about?. Soon we all finished the breakfast and settled in the living area)
Kabir- Relax bachhe. If you are not ready then it's absolutely fine. Take your time.
Ishu- I wanna say it baba. I wanna share about my marriage with you all.
( I took a deep breath)
Mujhe shaadi nahi karni thi dad. But sirf apki zid ke wajah se haan kari thi mene. I wanted you to be happy because I love you.
Jab apne mujhe uske sath date pe jaane k liye force kiya, I wasn't comfortable. Me nahi jaana chahta tha. I didn't wanted to be with him. He was a gentleman of course now we all know he was acting. I decided to give it a chance as you were confident about him. Mene mom ki baat nahi suni Or jaisa apne chaha waise karta raha.
Jab shaadi ke baad hum us ghar me shift hue, mujhe sab thik hi laga. He wanted me to spend time with him and get to know him. Mene usse time maanga tha is shaadi ko puri tarah se accept karne ke liye and he was cool about it. We shared the room but didn't touch me inappropriately which I was glad about and did respect him for that.
First month was all good. He took me on a trip and outings. It was nice. He asked me to help him in his office work which I gladly did. He knew I wasn't much interested in business, as I shared it during our dates that I wanted to be an artist like sammy. So he gave me a room and filled it with art supplies. And I was very happy about it. He said he would manage the office work for me and help me pursue my dream of becoming an artist.
It was just another day when he went for his work and I was in my art room. I was so bored that I decided to explore the house which I didn't do. But mujhe nahi pata tha, that exploring the house could be my worst nightmare.
I went through the whole house and the last room was his study. I never actually went there as it was on the second floor and we were staying on the first floor.
I saw different books and that excited me. I was going through the shelves, jab mera dhakka lagne ki wajah se uske desk se files gir gae. I picked up those files and that's when I came across this file which had divorce papers and along with that property papers.
It stated that I am transferring all my rights and properties to Rajat as he is my spouse. The whole day I kept thinking about it and then I understood, he tricked us. Dad ka fayda uthaya hai un logo ne. I kept those papers with me and decided to confront him.
When he came from office, he looked very happy. Mene usse woh papers dikhaye, he started making excuses that it was for the well being but I started understanding his true intentions. Hum argue kar rahe the and then he got angry and slapped me. Usdin usne apna asli chehra dikhaya mujhe.
He accepted that he wanted the property and was going to divorce me. I wasn't afraid of getting divorced but was scared of losing dad's hard earned money. I started packing my bags and came out of the room and was about to call dad when he broke my phone and pushed me. I lost my balance and rolled down the stairs.
He looked scared and called the doctor. Luckily I was not seriously injured. My ankle was in bad condition and my head had a scratch. He helped me till my room. I asked him to give me a separate room as I didn't want to be with him and he did that.
Taking advantage of that I decided to escape. It was late night when I took my backpack and started moving in the dark. But the luck was not on my side. He was already there in the kitchen and caught me. He dragged me in the room and pushed me hard which hurt my back. He locked me in the room and next morning I saw that there were many guards. I knew he hired them for me.
The whole day I spent in my room and tended my leg. I wanted to escape but there was no phone and the guards were making it more difficult. It was around 11 pm when he came home and for the first time I saw him drunk. He was frustrated about work and when he saw me, he got angry. He said dad couldn't make the deal and he faced the loss. He tied my hands and hit me with the belt. I was shouting for help but no one was there. Mom I was crying for help and it went unheard. ( I wiped my tears)
That night was the first time when he became a monster. Next morning he started saying sorry and apologized. He came with breakfast and meds. I threw the meds, mene usse kaha me sabko baata dunga. Me baba ko bata dunga ki usne kya kiya hai. He looked scared hearing his name. And said sorry, he said he was drunk and would never do it again. He applied the meds and helped me eat. I was so weak mom that I couldn't manage to get out of his grip. He was physically bigger and stronger than me.
Later that day he received a call, he came and said he needs to be somewhere and it's urgent. It took everything in me to get up, I put my shoes on and checked for the guards. The guard was not at the backside of the house and I took that as an opportunity. I ran, but it was a jungle behind. I didn't stop and it felt like an hour. Because of weakness and harsh sun, I was tired. I decided to sit for a while as I felt thirsty. But that was the grave mistake I did.
I don't know when I slept and when I woke up I was in my room and he was staring at me angrily. I was scared mom. I was scared of him. He got up and started hitting me with his belt on my back. I kept begging him but he didn't stop. He said he couldn't hit me on my face as he cannot risk it.
From that day till the day you found me, he did the same thing with me. Whenever I tried to escape he would hit me and kept starving me. He would only give me food once in 2 or 3 days mom. And that wasn't even a proper meal. But you know what, I didn't stop trying. I tried till I couldn't.
He said he is gonna end my misery and I knew he was planning to kill me. I would have died mom. He planned to kill me and for what? For all my property which was not even earned by me. It was earned by my grandpa, dad and baba. These people gave it to me and he wanted that.
How can someone be so cruel? Is my life so cheap?
Nina- Mera bachha.
( I couldn't take it anymore. I sat beside him and hugged him tightly.)
I am glad that bhai and Alay found you. Your life is not cheap. Tum bohot precious ho ishu.
Sameer- ( I hugged him tightly)
I am so sorry beta. Sab meri galti hai. Me gunehgaar hun tumhara. Meri zid ka natija hai yeh sab.
Mene kabhi tumhare liye time hi nahi nikala. Mere liye yeh sab kiya tumne and me samajha nahi kabhi. Mujhe laga me tumhari zindagi sawar raha hu. Lekin mujhe nahi pata tha ki zindagi barbaad ho jayegi.
Maaf kardo apne dad ko ishu.
Ishu- not your fault dad. Apko bhi toh dhoka diya hai. Mom stop crying. Me bhi nahi ro raha hu. I am safe now.
I don't wanna be stuck in the past. I have moved on and you people helped me.
Samar- Nark me jayega woh Or uska baap. Mere bachhe ko itni taklif di hai.
Ishu- You are too cute to curse sammy.
Samar- ( he tried to make a joke.)
Bataya kyu nahi ki artist banna hai?
Ishu- I am the only child sammy. Agar me nahi toh or kon karega yeh sab. Isliye mene business sikha. I am happy to help dad.
Sameer- Itna bada kab hua mera ishu?
Ishu- I am tall see.
Kabir- Haan, bus vani, nina Or samar se hi tall ho tum.
Ishu- Baba... Stop making fun of my height. 5.10 is a good height. Not my fault that you 3 are giraffe.
I am absolutely fine now. Ab aap logo ko pareshaan hone ki zarurat nahi hai.
The whole day they made sure that ishu was in good mood. Vani came back from her classes and started playing with him. She was happy that the old ishu was back. They kept the truth hidden from vani. They didn't want her to be stressed at such a young age.
It was around 5 pm when they all were having snacks except for Alay. He was attending an online meeting. Ishu went inside his room and sat on the chair. He waited for the meeting to be over.
Alay- ( I finished my call and looked at him and he was already looking at me.)
Come here.
Ishu- ( I hugged him tightly and he kept on caressing my back and hair. I tightened my hold on his shirt. Suddenly his phone ringed and it was Steve. He loosened his grip)
Alay- Hello, I will be there.
Ishu- kya hua?
Alay- Lets go downstairs.
Baba, me Steve ke ghar jaa raha hu.
Kabir- Kya important hai aisa?
Alay- he needs help with shifting baba. New apartment liya hai. So, he needs help.
Nina- ( ishu looked sad. Alay kissed his head)
Alay- I will be back I promise.
Sameer- Pyaar karte ho usse?
Ishu- dad, woh..
Sameer- Sach sach batao. Agar meri maano toh mat karna. He seems to have moved on.
Ishu- ( I chuckled at his statement)
I have always loved him dad. Mene shaadi ke baad realise kiya, ki nahi aana chahiye tha apki baaton me. I hated myself for hurting him that night.
I hated that I let go of him. I wanted to be with him. But your happiness and expectations didn't let me accept my feelings for him.
Sameer- Agar me naa kahun toh?
Ishu- Woh nahi toh koi or bhi nahi hoga dad. And I promise you that.
Nina- Keh rahi hu na me, kidnapping wala idea sahi tha.
Samar- Bhabhi, bhai sun lenge. Shh.
Bhai, please maan jaiye na. Bachhe bohot pyaar karte hai or khush rahenge sathme.
Sameer- Alay toh Steve ke sath hai. Usse shaadi..
Ishu- Shaadi my foot. Aag laga dunga uske mandap ko. Me bata raha hu baba, apne bete ko na samjha dijiye.
Kabir- Tum kyu nahi samjha dete. Ab toh confess karlo.
Oh haan, dad nahi maan rahe hai. Ek kaam karo, tum dono na sidha uski shaadi attend karna. sameer khushi me drink karega Or tum devdas ban jana.
Ishu- baba..
Kabir- What? Don't expect sympathy from me.
Sameer- concentrate on yourself ishu. Me business dekh lunga. Continue your dream. You wanna study more on that then do it.
Ishu- Alay ko fir bhi bhul nahi paunga dad.
( I went towards him and got on my knees. I held his hand)
Aap jaisa chahte ho waisa hoga dad. Bus mujhe Alay chahiye, uska pyaar, uska sath chahiye. I really love him dad.
Sameer- Hum is baareme baadme baat karenge.
Ishu- Dad. ( he just went from there)
After that sameer didn't come out of his room. He had dinner with them and then again went in his room. No one spoke about it. Samar called alay and he said he won't be home as the work is still pending.
It was 2 days and Alay wasn't home. He was going to office and then at Steve's home. He wasn't home and only Kabir saw him in these 2 days. sameer was a different story. He wasn't speaking much but was spending time with them. Ishu started going to office and was working with sameer. Even though sameer asked him to not work and continue his dream.
It was the 3rd day that Alay went directly to his office and then to Steve's. Kabir was angry and finally asked Alay to be at home and that it wasn't acceptable. It was late at night when Alay came home.
Alay- ( I came inside my room, locked the door and turned the lights on. I turned around and saw ishu sitting on my bed)
Itni raat ko aap yahan kya kar rahe ho? Soye nahi?
( he came towards me angrily and slapped me.)
What the hell ishu?
Ishu- ( I grabbed his collar)
HOW DARE YOU?