Treacherous Souls

V. "Aashika, control your tongue."

Aastha Rajput

Sometimes, I used to think that I was an unlucky child because my luck seemed to never be on my side. And I think my theory was proven right today because, for the first time, I was so excited to leave early and just then we got the news that someone had leaked the test papers, and I had to make them all over again so it took me a bit longer to leave the school. By the time I had finished making papers, the whole school was empty.

Then, when I tried to start my car to leave the school, it wouldn't budge. It took me another half an hour just trying to start it, and then when I was half-way down the road, my car ran out of petrol.

So, I was stuck in the middle with an empty stomach and I was so frustrated. I tried to call Aashika, but she didn't pick up and I didn't bother calling Mishka bhabhi because her office was in the opposite direction. I couldn't call my husband because I knew he wouldn't pick up, so I booked a cab, left my car where it was and waited until a white taxi pulled up in front of me.

"Kaha jaana hai, madam?" The driver asked.

"Aap chaliye, main batati hu." I sighed and sat in the back seat, giving directions to the unknown man who was more reliable than my own husband.

The daughters-in-law of the Rajput Palace were not revealed. Nobody saw their faces, so it was easy for us to go about our lives like we used to before.

If I were banned to work just because I was the daughter-in-law of a prestigious family, I wouldn't know what I would do. I would probably go ballistic. Even though sometimes I hated being a teacher, it was the only thing that gave me peace. Teaching was my salvation, and there was nobody who could convince me to stop working.

"Bas yahi rok do, bhaiya." I made him stop the car a few minutes away from the Palace, because I wouldn't want a stranger to know the location of such an ancient palace which was secluded and hidden away from the prying eyes of the society. What if he sold the location of the palace? I would be killed by my husband's bare hands.

"Pakka yahi chod du, madam? Bohot ghana jungle hai ye."

"Haa, pakka. Thank you, bhaiya." It was such an irony that a stranger was concerned for my well-being whereas my own husband couldn't give two shits about me.

I handed him his fare and began walking down the road to the Rajput Palace, which had a touch of modern interior.

The palace was beautiful, but I couldn't say the same about its people. My in-laws were nice, but not their sons. They were complete assholes, especially my husband. But that didn't mean I didn't care for them. My mumma raised me better than to be rude to my own husband. However bad he was, he was still my husband and in our house, we never treated our husbands with disrespect. Of course, that respect had to be reciprocated. But I wouldn't dare hope for anything from him.

I had a really nice and loving family, but God snatched that away from me on my tenth birthday. I still remember that day as if it happened just yesterday.

After we had celebrated my birthday, my parents had come to my room to tuck me in, and that was the biggest mistake we ever made.

My parents were killed in front of me by some people I couldn't see, and I had no idea why they didn't kill me too.

I was just a ten-year-old kid who had no idea what to do, so I did what any kid would do. I knocked on our neighbour's door and told them what had occured in our home. The old couple called the cops and ambulance for me, and my parents and I were evacuated from there immediately.