Saving You

2.

Next morning, she woke up to an empty and cold bed. She checked the time to find out that it was past ten in the morning. Aditya was an early riser and he couldn't stay in bed after the sun had risen up.

Tossing the sheets aside, she stood up, and stretched. She smelled so much of sex and sweat. How long did they go on last night? She only remembered falling back to bed panting and then going out like a baby. The floor was cold as she made her way towards the bathroom.

Taking a shower, cleansing herself and brushing her teeth, she stepped out in her rob, back to the room. She checked her phone for any reminders and it instantly ticked with a notification.

Monday, it was Monday. Which meant she had to attend the neighborhood ladies' meeting with
her mother-in-law. And that meant draping into a saree. She groaned. She hated it but she had to play her part as the ideal daughter-in-law.

Walking into her closet, she fiddled with the cotton fabrics of the sarees that were folded and placed to such perfection. She wondered which one she should wear this time. Her mother-in-law did not like the brown one she wore last time. She said it was too dull for her.

Something bright it is then. Her eyes remained fixed on the yellow one at the top. She hated it, it was too bright for her eye but anything to be the ideal daughter-in-law.

Sighing she pulled it down.

When she came dressed down, the dining room was empty which was weird at that time of the day. Normally it would be packed with people but instead she found none. Weird!

The Kapoor mansion was huge, with uncles, aunts, cousins, and everyone that was included in the family tree. Each one had their own side of the house. Aditya being the eldest son and the heir, was given the biggest part of the house. And she loved the solace it provided her away from this chaotic family.

"There you are Shradha! Why weren't you down for breakfast early?" Came her mother-in-law's voice. She was a petite woman, but always wore sophisticated clothes and tried to hold this aura of power but she failed miserably. She was a hilarious character that often made Shradha want to laugh at her face for her stupidity but she knew better than to piss off her husband for mocking his mother.

"Good morning Ma. I'm sorry, I slept late last night." Just as she said that, a mischievous grin made its way to the older woman's face. Shradha knew what it was about. Babies!

The idea about having kids freaked her out. With a man like Aditya, who wouldn't be there to support her through motherhood, or even parenting, she knew it was a bad idea to even think about it. She didn't want another baggage to take care of. She had enough already.

Smiling it off, she excused herself and moved to the kitchen. Her stomach growled in hunger. Opening the huge door to the kitchen, she found the chefs and everyone other kitchen staff already busy with lunch preparation.

"I didn't see you for breakfast dear." Asked Reeta, a woman in her late forties as soon as she saw Shradha. Smiling, she made her way to the woman.

Reeta has been working for the Kapoors for thirty years. She has also been Aditya's nanny when he was a baby. She was the one who often updated Shradha about his likes and dislikes.

"I woke up late." She smiled and looked around the counter, "What's for breakfast?"

"You sit, I'll bring it."

"Thank You!"

"Have you heard? Mr. Raichand donated all his inheritance to charity!" Exclaimed a woman whose name Shradha didn't know.
Audible gasps and looks of disapproval were passed all around the table at that.

"What a waste! What will his children do?" Another jumped in with the question, curious about this new piece of information. Shradha rolled her eyes internally. She wondered what she was doing with a group of elderly women who did nothing but gossip about what happened around and boasted about their husband's wealth, son's capability, daughter's beauty and what not!

Shradha pretended to be interested in the conversation by sipping her tea, as she sat relaxed under the evening sun. The weather was great today. Typical March. The gardener was out grooming the plants and Shradha would often make eye contact with the man and offer a smile.

She loved gardening. Her father took notice of her liking and even set up an entire garden for her. She decorated the interior of her house with plants. They made her feel at home then. But after marriage, she kind of lost all the interest she had. She was pulled out of that carefree life which she once led. Now she has responsibilities as the daughter-in-law of the house.

She remembered once asking Aditya about decorating their part of the house with plants. He simply said no. And she knew better than to press further. If he wanted to live a monotonous life with no sense of colour in the house, then so be it. Everything was black and white there. Sometimes she even wondered if he was colour blind.

She was pulled back from her thoughts by someone calling her name. She immediately looked at the source of the sound and found her mother-in-law.

"Where were you lost Shradha? I asked if you could let the chefs know that we will be having company for dinner."

"Sure Ma, I'll inform him now." With that she placed the tea cup back on the table and stood up, accidentally tripping but still managed to stay on foot. The ladies around the table passed her a confused look but she smiled it off and walked ahead to the house. But she could still hear the conversation that was going on at the back.

"Anita, your daughter-in-law looks tired these days. Have you perhaps taken her to consult a doctor?"

"Ah she is just fine, nothing to worry about."

"Who said it's something to worry about? It could be something to celebrate as well." Laughs echoed from the table after that and Shradha wanted to kill herself. This wasn't the first time they all made a remark about her being pregnant. She didn't have a problem with it but her mother-in- law would now surely get tempted and ask them to give her grandchildren.

She didn't want kids. Neither did Aditya. They had no love for each other. They co-existed in a room with the same last names. As husband and wife. Giving and taking pleasure in bed and faking it in public. That was their relationship. Bringing kids in meant something more serious which neither of them could fathom.

Shradha knew that. He would never want to have kids with her. And with a lifestyle like his, he could never be a good father. She could never be a good mother. She didn't want to bring a kid of her own into this world and let the child suffer the same trauma she had growing up. It wasn't right.

Part of the reason why she had an abortion a few months ago.