Sacrifice And Realisation (BOOK #1) ✔

Chapter 56

Running his fingers along the curve of the tattoo, he murmured to himself again, "Do you realize how lonely this room feels without you? Do you know how empty I am without you? There are so many things I do daily, performing my duties as a DCP and as a son, taking care of mom and dad, spending time with my brother and sometimes asking sister-in-law how she is keeping these days. What I don't do is just quarreling with someone. I miss the arguments with you, I miss how you used to tease me for being so rude, I miss being your 'gim-cracks of arro-gance'..."

Vihaan's voice broke before he could complete his sentence. Wiping the moisture in his eyes quickly, he stared at his own reflection before the mirror. "Days are passing by in the same way as usual, but... Life has never been the same again... The alarm clock on my nightstand still wakes me up early in the morning and I religiously wish my second hickory daily... But I miss your sweet voice early in the morning, I miss how you used to stare at me with the cutest expression while nudging me to wake up, I miss our wonderful chats and... I miss you... Only you, hickory!"

Vihaan buttoned the last bead of his shirt with great difficulty and wrapped his backpack around his shoulders. "Why did you have to leave, Sanchi? Just because you wanted to have a successful career to yourself? Did you not trust me that I could have helped you with it? You thought we had nothing between us in this marriage when you were becoming my EVERYTHING. How can I live my entire life without you?"

As he shut the door of his room behind him with a thud, he stopped on his tracks again. "Travelling to the bureau without you on the backseat of my Royal Enfield is again very difficult. Having non-spicy lunch at the bureau without you teasing me is very very difficult. Looking after every case at the bureau without receiving your analyses is much more difficult. Was it so necessary to leave me incomplete, Sanchi?"

Vihaan reached the railings of the staircase and found Dheeraj waiting for him downstairs in the hallway. Quietly tapping his finger next to his heart from above the cotton material, he whispered, "But do you know why I am tolerating each and every pain without complaints? So that my family doesn't accuse you... So that you don't come to know what you have done to me... So that you don't have to cry for making me suffer... So that your happiness is not marred because of me... And all of it is just because I LOVE YOU and forever will, that also without complaints!"

*****

"Vanya!" Nidhi exclaimed with joy as soon as Sanchi moved out of the kitchen. Arjun was standing in front of her and her eyes went wide when she saw him glaring at her.

"Meet Arjun, he's my to-be fiancé and would-be husband very soon. He is a CBI officer and very brave kind of," Nidhi said, wrapping her arm around him.

Sanchi was not at all ready to face a situation so grave like this. Trying hard to keep nervousness away, she passed a weak smile. "Nice to me-et you, Ar-jun."

"Call him brother-in-law, alright?" Nidhi instructed in her chirpy voice, keeping the wide smile on her face intact.

Arjun rubbed the back of his neck before responding, "Nice to meet you too, San... Ms. Vanya..."

"You can just call her Vanya, she isn't that special," Nidhi interrupted, "Anyways, I'll go and see where my parents are. They need to meet you and fix the date of our marriage."

As Nidhi left Arjun to himself, Sanchi moved her legs as if she wanted to flee away as soon as possible. But Arjun's dense voice stopped her. "So you have been hiding here!"

"No. This is my hou-se, I don't need to hide he-re." Sanchi denied, looking elsewhere but Arjun.

"I was in the habit of hearing 'I don't have a house' for months now. From where did this ownership take birth all of a sudden?"