Is Love Enough ??

Chapter 51

"They need to attend the wedding tomorrow," Kamal said dispiritedly.

"Have you lost your mind Kamal," Anoop said loudly, "after all that has happened, after all the lies you have said..." he started saying when Kamal interrupted him.

"Yes, after all that has happened," Kamal said firmly as she stood up from her bed where she had been sitting for the past half hour listening to her husband condemn her and call her a liar and a traitor. They had eventually returned to the party and within the hour wrapped it up. It had been late anyway for anyone to protest. Besides, everyone wanted to look their best at the wedding the next day which was to take place at the Gurdwara in the morning at eleven. If anybody noticed Kirti or Aryaman's absence or the tightness on their faces or the forced smiles nobody said anything. And Kamal wanted to just leave it at that. "I want Kirti and Aryaman to attend the wedding tomorrow, for the past few days I have done everything to make sure nobody gets even a wisp of truth I am not going to throw water over my efforts," she told Anoop.

"They are lies Kamal," Anoop responded a bit taken aback at the firmness he heard in Kamal's voice. He couldn't recall the last time Kamal had spoken to him in such a manner. Maybe, once or twice in the early days of their marriage when she had wanted to assert her points of view but she had learnt never to take that tone with him.

"We are all living a lie, ji," Kamal said with a tired smile, "in front of others you have words of praise for me, but we both know how much you really mean them," she said unable to take the blame anymore. And for what? She did what she did to save their family name. Had she done nothing she would still have to listen. "In front of everyone we have always shown our united stand with the Khanna's, how much we really mean it, we both know," she went on, "you have always said how you keep an open mind while discussing matters with your daughters," she said and shook her head sadly, "we both know how those conversations have always ended," she said and took a deep sigh, "I lied because had I not, there would have been a huge scandal, once again our family name would have been ruined, people would have commented, things could have escalated to a point where Anika's marriage could have been broken," she said citing the reasons for all she had done, "just because my one daughter decided to be foolish and defy norms, I couldn't let Anika get punished for it," she said emotionally, "but mostly I lied because of you," she said.

"Me?" Anoop said puzzled. Everything Kamal was saying, the reasons made sense even though he was still angry and saw them only as excuses. But she had lost him when she said that she had lied because of him. "What have I got to do with your lies?" he asked as he angled his chin already resenting the words that Kamal might use.

"Everything," Kamal said with a sad smile, "when you lose your temper, you forget everything, you just now accused me of being a liar and a traitor, wow," she said sarcastically, "for all the efforts I have put in for this house, for this family, for you...nothing mattered," she said feeling the pain of years of neglect on Anoop's side for not recognizing her as an individual, as a person, who had dedicated her life to this house and family. "I was scared if you found out the truth you would do something that may make us all regret. I was worried in your anger you might do something drastic, that is why I lied," she said honestly, "when Kirti returned it was as much of a surprise for me as it had been for you, I had asked her to leave, the problem was the servants knew she had come, Anika had invited her, Gurpreet knew she had been invited and was coming....how would it have looked if she had left and everyone found out," she asked to which Anoop opened his mouth and then closed it since he didn't have a ready answer, "did you even stop to think about that scenario? What would you have done if that had happened? But I can tell you what you would have done," Kamal said as she straightened her shoulders, "you would have lied," she said plainly, "to keep up appearances, you would have made up some excuse...or asked me to do it if it would have been too much for you, since you never like to be seen as a villain," she told him without a hitch. "For you, it is all about you, it always has been your feelings, your thoughts, your ideas, but you never ever paused to consider how I feel," she asked feeling pathetic but unable to contain it anymore, "and this is only one example. Every time you have to get your work done you place the gun on my shoulder, did I ever complain," she said, "what I did, I did out of necessity, to preserve our appearance in front of others, to stop our family name being ridiculed again, there is nothing more to it," she said quietly, "but if you think I deserve punishment then let me rouse everyone in the house and tell them the truth, you just be ready to handle the repercussions," she said and fell quiet.

"I had specifically asked you if Kirti had married him," he said unable to let go of the topic.

"And I never said yes," Kamal reminded him, "I had stayed quiet and you had assumed that she had," she said in her defense.

"It is just a technicality," Anoop said surprised that Kamal wasn't apologizing to him yet.

Kamal took in a deep breath. Men.

"Let me be very clear ji," Kamal said tiredly, "what has been said, what has been done is said and done," she told Anoop, "I will not say anything to anyone and jeopardize Anika's happiness," she said decidedly, "if you are having so much trouble with this lie or pretense or whatever it is, you can go tell the truth," she told him and watched Anoop's eyes widen, "tomorrow for me is just one more day, post that Anika will be in her in laws' and Kirti will return to wherever she came from, after all that has happened am sure she won't come back again," Kamal said simply, even though her heart protested, she was a mother after all, to not see her child ever again was...tough. But it was better that way. In all that had happened tonight, she had seen Kirti's strength. She had seen the bond she shared with Aryaman. Whether they were married or not, whether she agreed with how they lived their life or not, she couldn't deny they had something rare. She hoped they would understand someday and get married, but even if they did, she was sure Anoop would never forgive them and she would never go against Anoop. In that she stood united with her husband even if he didn't believe in doing the same for her. But that was her life and it was too late to change either her or Anoop. "So, I can continue with this lie for another day, if you can't, by all means you are free to do what you want to do, but I won't be the one to break that news to anyone," she declared and started to walk towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Anoop asked perplexed. He had always been in control, hell, he liked to be in control. But here, the control had slipped, when had that happened he didn't know. The decision Kamal had just said out loud to him, should have been his. It should have come from him. But it hadn't. And he wasn't liking it one bit. He was the head of the family. The male in the house. By right, he should be the one dictating who should be doing what or what needs to be done in a certain situation. That was not what was happening here. And he didn't know how to react.

"Am tired ji," Kamal replied with a sigh, "am going to sleep in the other room, have to wake up early for the morning puja and chuda ceremony, besides you wouldn't want to be in the same room as a traitor," she told Anoop and started walking towards the door again then paused and turned to look at Anoop, "you know, Kirti is right in one thing," she said and looked directly at Anoop, "a relationship is a partnership, and love and respect are the foundations, if either of these things are missing, relationship takes a very different shape," she told Anoop, "am glad that at least she has found all of that with Aryaman, and I sincerely hope Anika does too," she said and without waiting for a response she turned around and walked out.

Tomorrow was another day. And post that everything will return to normal or whatever they called was normal. Hopefully, it would stay that way for a long time because she didn't think she had it in her to face such a situation again.

Ever.

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