Iniquity: a tale of guilt and love || Completed

1. Waves of Misunderstandings

~ the worst possible distance between two people is misunderstandings~

Suman Tiwari Malhotra, the name sounded sweet to her, the same music she had thought it would be, since the last ten years. While it was her cozy dream then, it was a starking reality now, a reality that scared her. This Shravan was not the one she had loved, this was entirely somebody else, who was driven by anger and rage. Suman was now sitting on the couch in Shravan's room, or better, their room now, but the irony hit her when she realized how there wasnt any 'their'. It was all about his and hers. A tear made its way out when she recalled the incident, when her wedding was announced with Aditya. How had Shravan congratulated her!

#flash back#

Shravan held suman by her arms, painfully, but it was less pain than what she suffered by seeing the pain in his eyes. She knew it was too difficult for him, but he didn't understand it was the same for her.

"Hey best friend, today I want to share something with you. Something very personal, listen to me na", he pulled her closer as they moved with the music.

"Four women, there are four women whom I have noticed up close. First, my so called mother, Nirmala Ahuja, second, my aunt- Kamini Malhotra, third my sister in law, and fourth is you, Suman Tiwari. My mother, who didn't waste a second to leave her husband and her only son, for her own ambitions and dreams. Her speciality- BETRAYAL. Second, my aunt- who meant more to me than my own mother, but she, in love of her own son, asks for as many curses as she can, for me, and give me that. Her speciality- POISON. Then come my dumb but sweet, Vandy bhabhi, she doesn't need anything until you fulfill her demands. She has nothing to do with the world, only herself. Her speciality- SELFISHNESS. And you- suman tiwari, I can see all these traits in you, together. You hide behind your middle class label and dramatize about your self respect, only to use people, or rather emotionally exploit them. You have all the above qualities in you. Talent haan?", He smirked and Suman could listen no more. She tried to free herself from his grip and go away, far away from him. But Shravan could never let her go, whatever the situation and so he grabbed her again.

"Listen me entirly first. So, if I ask you now, who is the best among all of them, what will you say? Let me tell you, Vandy bhabhi. You know why? Because atleast she in her selfishness doesn't give pain Because whatever she needs, she ask for it. Or she tells by right that it's mine. And when she gets that, she is happy. Atleast keeps varun bhayiya happy. And you know what, this is what a lady should be like. Keep your husband happy in the bedroom, and in return ask whatever you need. Stay happy and let others be happy. You too become like her, alright?", He spoke, venom dropping out of every word, tearing apart Suman's heart. He didn't even let her reply and pushed her roughly before moving out of the place.

#falshback ends#

Suman came out of her thoughts when she saw him entering, almost tripping. She ran to hold him, despite everything because Suman could never leave him in distress, no matter what. But Shravan was totally out of his senses. He had drank more than he ever did, to numb the ache of the constant betrayal he was gifted with, and today he had crossed all the limits.

"Suman! No, sumo!", He spoke as she guided him to the bed.

"Don't hold me now Suman, I don't need it now. You left me then, when I was desperately seeking you, don't come back now", he mumbled as she made him lie down on the bed, wiping her overflowing tears with one hand. He was in pain, she knew, but she was also in the same pain, if not less. Helping him open the tie and the blazer and then removing the shoes, she covered him with the duvet. He was still gazing at her, eyes half closed, almost out of consciousness but his lips mumbled only one name, Sumo, again and again, and Suman could not help but cry at her fate. There was this man she loved to death, and he loved her too, she knew that, he loved her so much that even in subconscious mind, his lips took only her name and yet, they were apart, far apart, not by destiny but by the misunderstandings.

As he finally slept, she sat by the bed, on the floor, holding his hand in hers.

"Please Shravan, don't do things that make me hate myself for loving you. I know you have a pure heart, but these bitter words you use, and those expressions when you see me, the hate in your eyes, it stabs me Shravan, it does. Please, come back to me Shravan, please", she begged keeping her head on their entwined hands, her sobs echoing in the terrifying silence of the room. Eventually, she fell asleep.

Shravan woke up with a bad headache, but the physical pain felt good to him. Something that could help him divert his mind from the constant pain in his chest. He sat up only to see Suman sleeping akwardly, her hands on the bed and her head resting on it, while she sat on the floor. For a moment, somthing inside him hurt but in the next moment, the bitterness took the best of him. He stood up, in the process pushing away her hands that were kept on the bed waking up Suman too.

"What do you want to show sumo? That I don't even let you sleep?", Sharavan spat, with a angry face and Suman could not help but chuckle. It was true, she couldn't sleep because of him, his words, his mumbles. But she chose not to reply. It was her first day after marriage and she rushed to the washroom to freshen up.

Almost late in afternoon, Suman was I full sumo mood, re-instructing everyone to clean the kitchen, she received a post. She opened it, to find a letter, from Aditya. Her initial reaction was the thought to tear it but them something stopped her and she read it, only to fall down on her knees by the end of it.

Preeta, her head assistant, ran to her, and held her by shoulders.

"Sumo?", Preeta called him and Suman looked at her, the reflection of her shattered heart, visible in her eyes.

"Deal with the remaining work. I will just come", Suman stood up, though shivering but determined, to confront him, Shravan.

This time it was going to be a battle harder than she had thought it to be, and she was not sure she would come around alive, but she was determined to bring back her chasmish, amidst the vultures he had created out of him.