Stranger's Deal

Lost Everything

🎶 Breathe again - Sara bareilles 🎶

🎶 Mero Aasu - The Edged Band 🎶

After like forever, I got up packed my bag, and got ready to leave. I was almost towards the door when something came to my mind. I left my bags near the door and went to the secret lab through the passage which I had found a few months ago. There I searched for a syringe and found one. I drew my blood using it and filled it in a small glass tube.

I was not aware If he had already taken my blood but I wanted this deal to be over forever. By doing this maybe It would end here. I didn't know If this blood would be enough for him cause I didn't even know why he needed my blood. I had heard Ratna said magic blood so I guessed this must be enough.

I went back to the room, picked up my bag, and for the last time looked at It. Everything came at once. Our laugh, our fights, his teasing me, how I felt safe around him, and how in years I slept without waking up at night cause he was beside me. I gave him my everything, my body, my soul, and above all my heart which I had kept protecting from everyone else. Today, I lost had everything. I had lost him and while I had lost him, I had lost myself too. I always kept my heart protected from attachment, from love but while I was with him these months, I couldn't keep It safe. He took everything from me and left me with nothing.

I was about to leave when I heard a knock on the door. My heart started to beat fast. I wondered If It was him. I was not in a position to face him. I wouldn't be able to control my tears If he was standing there. I sighed and mustered up the courage to turn. It was his mother. She had a file in her hand. She stood there staring at my hand. I had my bag in one hand and a blood-filled tube in the other.

She hesitated at first but then walked to me.

"Here, take it," she forwarded her hand to give me the file.

I stared at it for a minute wondering what it was.

"Your freedom," she mentioned and I looked at her.

I slowly let go of my bag. I placed the tube above the bag and took that file. I opened it and there were divorce papers and a ticket.

"I... I know sorry is not enough but I am so sorry," she hesitated for a second. "Thank you for everything,"

"Yeah for the blood," I murmured not looking at her.

"No," she almost yelled.

I looked at her.

"There is a car waiting for you. I won't ask if you want to stay 'cause I know you won't," she said and was about to leave but I stopped her.

"Wait,"

She looked at me with slight confusion on her face. I took the pen from the drawer and signed the papers. I handed it to her with the blood-filled tube I had with me.

"I guess now it's over forever,"

She hesitated to take the tube.

"He married me for this," I whispered.

It was very difficult for me to speak. Every part of my body was in pain. She looked at me, sympathy in her eyes.

I didn't need her sympathy. The last thing I wanted was someone to show me sympathy and how they felt sorry for me. I ignored her and then walked out of the room.

The whole house was filled with silence and slowly with my heavy heart, I stepped out of the house. I looked back at the house for one last time. All the memories came at once. The first time I woke up in this house and saw him in the garden. The day he made a deal with me. The day I married him. The day I stepped into this house as his wife.

On the day of our marriage everyone told me to bow on his feet cause it was a tradition but he didn't let my head touch his feet. He shut everyone out and now I knew why didn't they dare to speak a word in front of him. He was a prince. My parents would show me eyes and tell me to bow in his feet. Even if I didn't like it, I tried but he didn't let me.

"Modern children and their modern thoughts," Priest had joked.

"I am not being modern. Just changing what I believe is wrong," Amol had replied.

Somewhere it made me happy. He dared to stand up for me.

"Tradition is tradition. You must follow," My mother had told him.

She didn't leave a chance to glare at me. My father wasn't happy too. What would be worse than that in a patriarchal society that I wasn't touching my husband's feet?

My eyes went towards the window of our room. He was there standing. My heart fell a little. As soon as I looked at him, he closed the curtains. When did he go inside the room? Maybe after I came out? He must be happy that he got my blood. I could never understand why I was so cursed in love. Why had life always cursed me and why was I always the one to suffer?

The driver asked me if I was ready to go once he was done placing my bag behind the back seat. I got inside the car and looked out the window where I could see him standing through the curtain, his back facing me. Slowly tears fell down my cheeks and a sob escaped from my mouth. I covered my mouth and silently cried. The whole ride driver asked me what was wrong but I couldn't even speak a word. He even handed me tissues and I silently thanked him.

Amol didn't even bother to stop me. He just let me go without even a fight. Was I not worth even a single fight? I guess he never felt anything for me. I was foolish to give him everything, my heart, my body. How did I dare to forget that it was just a deal? He kept me there for my blood and foolish me fell for him. He never told me anything about the blood. Did he keep everything secret just for the blood? He could have asked me or even taken my blood using his vampire tricks.Why ruined my life?

The car stopped and I realized, we had arrived at the airport.

"Safe journey," the driver said before driving away. "It's always difficult to leave the country and your family,"

What family? I wanted to ask him.

I couldn't reply to him as I was busy crying.

I looked at the ticket to find that I was going to the USA. Why USA? We lived there before coming back here. I knew people there but why there? I thanked the driver. I thought of my parents and what they would do if they found out about my divorce. They would hate me even more. I didn't want to leave but their place would be the last place I would like to go.

They said even if everyone left you in your worst time, you could always count on your parents but in my case, they were the first people to taunt me or who would leave me. They never loved me. The first thing was that they expected a son instead of me and unfortunately, I was born. They always told me, I was a mistake.

For the first time in my life, they were happy because of me when I married Amol. They would tell me for the first time I did something right and that's why I deserved to be called their daughter. They always wanted a son cause he would send them to heaven after death but not a daughter. They loved my sister. I never understood why they hated me. They loved Prarthi. Maybe I was ugly and I had no talent in me?

At this time, I needed a shoulder to lean on and cry but as I looked around there was no one. I was all alone. I always longed for love. My whole life, I waited for my parents to love me. I thought maybe someday my parents would love me but they didn't. When I married him, he made me feel that maybe he would just love me a little bit. I slowly fell for him and now I realized it was all fake. I forgot about the deal seeing his behavior. I was foolish, stupid to even think that a girl like me with no beauty nor any specialty would be loved.

Till I reached the plane I was crying like a child. Everyone started to give me a look. Someone even asked me If I was ok. Of course I wasn't ok. An air hostess handed me water once I was seated on my seat. She gave me a look of sympathy. I muttered thanks to her. I had got the window seat. I kept staring at the window so I didn't had to talk to other people beside me.

Plane started to take off and with so much pain in my heart and tears in my eyes, I left the country.