"The sweetest smiles hold the darkest secrets..." ― Sara Shepard, Flawless
Jaipur, India
Akanksha was packing her stuff from her desk. It was Tuesday already, and she was done with her work at the Bureau. It had been three weeks since she grasped this new way of life. She was still adjusting to her new lifestyle. She no longer worked as an informer since she joined the Bureau as it would have posed a threat to her life and career. The business was never an issue as her sister almost handled her part of the job.
After a lot of talking, she was relieved from the Bureau on Saturdays. It was the only day of the week when she was free, which she dedicated to her family. Her schedule was pretty stressful, but she managed it all with her never-ending patience and smile.
Her equation with Vihaan had slightly developed or so she believed. That day when she had gone downstairs for dinner after getting dressed, Vihaan looked surprised. He had never imagined that she would take his suggestion seriously. Warmth spread through him. No, they weren't friends. But they thought of each other as acquaintances. They had a long way to go.
The one person who noticed this development was Shailaja. She was very happy with the progress and did not fail to offer laddus to Lord Krishna the next day. She had asked Akanksha about it after dinner that day.
"Dear, may I ask you something?" Shailaja stopped Akanksha as she was heading towards the kitchen.
Akanksha nodded.
"I never saw you wearing this. Why today?" she pointed towards the nuptials, which were adorning her neck and forehead.
The faint tint of pink on Akanksha's cheeks didn't go unnoticed by Shailaja. After making a straight face, she replied, "I always wore it, Mom. You did not notice it."
Today, it was Aadya who was dropping her back home as Vihaan, Viraaj, and Vikram had already left. The long-lost friends were now united. They were all smiles. It was the giggles that sailed upon their boat, the laughter, the smiles. They saw the funny in everything, and that was their bond. It was more of sisters and less of friends. Akanksha had found a sister in Aadya. It was Aadya who now did the pick and drop business for her.
The time passed so quickly that they didn't realise they had reached the Chauhan house. Like always, Aadya started blabbering, "If that douchebag husband of yours does something, let me know. I can teach him a lesson or two." She flicked her forefinger at Akanksha.
"Yes, Ma'am!" Akanksha comically bowed in front of her.
As she walked towards the main door, her phone chimed in with a message. She looked at her phone and saw that the owner of the message happened to be her elder sister, Anika. She tapped on the message that read, 'Before you go in your angry and freak out mode, just know that Maa and Papa arrived at your house this afternoon. She had called me just a few minutes ago. She said they had come for something 'important'. Just don't be surprised at their arrival. If anything happens, I am on your speed dial. Just be careful.'
Akanksha was shocked at the news of their arrival. Her happy mood immediately drained away. The last she had seen them was five years ago at Anika's wedding reception. They had barely spoken to each other. Even after all these years, she couldn't help but feel anxious. She rang the doorbell in hesitation, her heart hammering against her chest as she tried to maintain her calm. Shailaja opened the door to see her dear daughter all tired after a long time at the hospital.
"Come inside, dear. There's a special surprise for you." She ushered her inside.
Alas! Shailaja didn't know that Akanksha was already aware of the 'surprise'.
Naresh and Sneha were already sitting in the living hall, talking to Vikram. Vihaan and Viraaj were also present there. As soon as they saw Akanksha, both Naresh and Sneha got up from their seats and walked towards her.
Akanksha watched them approaching towards her, but she kept her gait casual with no hint of hesitation and anger. Her slender fingers pressed into the skin of her forearms, nails biting the layer of fine dust, drawing beads of blood. She could feel her body slightly shaking but maintained her calm. As Sneha was about to hug her, she stepped back, making them aware that she didn't forget anything.
"You are still upset, aren't you?" Naresh asked, his tone sounding low.
"No, I am not upset. I don't feel anything. You two don't exist for me," she blankly replied.
Naresh let out a dry chuckle. "Fair enough."
Vihaan observed her. She had the look of one with a soul intact yet hiding as a child may from monsters imagined or real. There is a way people look when they are well, truly well, and then there is the look and appearance of masking struggle, of putting on a brave face. Vihaan knew it was the latter. For the first time, he could see right through her soul. The conflict and the pain were easily visible. He wanted to help her.
When he met her parents, he didn't like them in the first place. There was some sort of façade, a layer which they weren't shedding off — adding to the fact that how they tricked her into this marriage amplified his dislike for them. He could scrutinise her expressions. He could apprehend how unhappy she was after meeting them. Yet, she did not want to disappoint his parents by disregarding them. He was surprised at how she managed to be strong after all she went through. After learning about her side of the truth, he started looking at her from a different angle, an angle where he wasn't judgemental.
That day when she had an outburst at him in the cabin, he was more surprised than angry. He understood that she had kept those feelings and thoughts locked for a long time, which she wasn't letting out. She had repressed her emotions very strongly. Her outburst had put him into thought. Was he bitter? Past experiences do make you bitter. Even though she had a bad experience, she was not bitter, or was she?
"Akanksha, why don't you take your parents up to your room? They wanted to talk to you about something important. You can talk there while I get the dinner ready," Shailaja said, bringing Vihaan out of his trance.
Akanksha silently nodded, leading her parents towards her room. Vihaan's eyes lingered on her retreating figure for one more minute.
Akanksha opened the door of her room, leading them inside. Naresh and Sneha took a seat on the bed, whereas she took a seat on her couch. Sneha keenly observed the room. There wasn't any picture of either of them, be it separate or together.
"I assume you and Vihaan are not on good terms?" Sneha asked her daughter.
"Right guess," Akanksha huffed a response, eagerly wanting to get over the conversation fast.
"Why? He seems like a nice guy," Naresh immediately asked her, not believing her.
Akanksha wondered how much her father had changed. She was not blinded by her father's love anymore. Everything appeared raw and true to her now. The father who would go to any extent to protect her just told her that her husband 'seems like a nice person'.
"He is a nice person. It's just that we are not on good terms," she replied.
"Then what did you do in these seven years? We don't want you to tarnish our image," Naresh replied, disappointment clearly showing up on his face.
"You are a woman, Akanksha. You should know how to attend to the needs of your husband. You should fulfil your duties as a wife. If he wants more, give it. Rather than getting degrees, you should have first focused on how to be an obedient wife," Sneha rebuked her.
Akanksha was utterly embarrassed at the sudden turn of conversation. She didn't want to have this conversation, especially not in front of her father.
"I still can't believe you hold on to your orthodox thinking, Maa. I don't think you should teach me what to do and what not because you don't hold any rights. Talking about my degrees, it is something that I have always wanted. Something that I wanted to achieve. The day I stepped out of that house, I never took a single penny from you two. I am a self-made person, and that is because I hold these degrees," Akanksha said. They were no one for her to be giving explanations for all the decisions she had taken in life.
"Well, what has been done cannot be changed. It's all because of your friends that have been influenced," Naresh sighed.
"Don't bring my friends here!" Akanksha's voice was low yet filled with anger.
"Anyway," Naresh said, disregarding his daughter's slight outburst, "we have something important to talk to you about."
"The last time you told me this, I got tricked into this marriage. What is it now?" she let out a dry, humourless chuckle.
"We need you to sign these papers." Naresh took out a paper from the pocket of his undercoat and handed it out to her.
"Feels like déjà vu," Akanksha sing sang.
Akanksha opened it to read the contents. With every line she read, her anger intensified. She slowly crumpled the paper and held it under her fist.
"You want me to sign the hotel over to your name and transfer my share of the house to Maa?" she slowly asked, disbelief etching her face.
"Yes. We know that most of your work is done by Anika. So, why don't you relieve yourself from the hotel duty? Whereas for the house, you have cut all ties with us. So why do you need the house then?"
"No," she replied straight away.
"Huh?"
"No. I am not naming either of these over to you," she said.
"And why is that?" Sneha asked.
"Because I don't want to. About the hotel, I give thirty percent of the profit we earn to Di, and she has no objection. So, in no way am I doing injustice to my sister. But why do you want it?" she cross-questioned.
"I wanted it as a security for Anika. She went against us and ran away to marry that guy, and you helped them. What if he leaves her one day? We don't want to take any risks for her," Naresh said.
"You guys are such hypocrites. You got me married to clear her path. People rejected her for her skin tone. When she got someone, who accepted her without judging her, you objected. So, for the last time, she's happy with Reyansh Jiju. Wait, let me call Di and let you know that she doesn't have any objection," Akanksha immediately dialled her sister, who picked up the call on the second ring. Then, she put the call on speaker.
"Hello! Akanksha, are you okay? What happened?" Anika's voice was laced with concern, unaware of the other two pairs of ears listening to her.
"Di, do you want me to sign the Jaipur hotel over to you?" she asked directly, coming straight to the point.
"What rubbish! No! Where did this even come from? I have my share, and Reyansh has a job that pays him well. We are more than well off. Why would I want yours when you already give me my share of the profit we get from the Jaipur hotel?" her voice held confusion.
"Nothing. Just wanted to know. I will call you later. Okay? Bye, Di. Take care."
"Bye."
Akanksha hung up and waved her phone at her parents. "See? I told you. Our bond is much deeper than you think. This won't work."
"Well, she said it all. She doesn't want it. We were just trying to help her. What about the house? Didn't you cut ties with that house?" Sneha asked, a twisted smile playing on her lips.
Akanksha knew her mother was trying to push her into a guilt trip. But she had a strong mind. "No, I haven't. I have cut my ties with you, not with my house. Apart from that bitter day, I have very fond memories of that house, and unfortunately, a lot of those memories include you two. Maa, do you remember what I had told you during my Bidaai? If you don't, let me repeat it. Agarwal house will always be rightfully owned by the Agarwal sisters. And to let you know, I had heard your conversation with Papa later that day; how you were asking him to make me sign the papers of the house. I haven't forgotten anything, and I wouldn't forget anything. So, I would want you guys to leave after dinner if you don't want to get your reputation tarnished," Akanksha held back a sob, trying to control herself.
Both Naresh and Sneha knew by now that there was no point in trying and immediately left the room. Akanksha fell on her knees after they left as tears started spilling through her eyes. She was raised with love and was always taught to forgive and forget. But the ones who gave her these values betrayed her. She could never make up her mind to forget and forgive them. Somehow they always knew about her and Vihaan, yet they wanted to ask that question.
They silently watched her suffer in a dysfunctional marriage and had the audacity to ask her if she fulfilled her husband's needs. Her bitterness towards them was growing like a tumour with each passing year, and now it was toxic.
There was another person who was the lone spectator of the entire exchange and the breakdown. Vihaan stood there, watching her crying. He wasn't surprised at their actions but was rather surprised at Akanksha's reactions. She had so much anger and bitterness stored inside her and was spitting fire when she spoke to them. Someone truly said that appearances could be really deceptive.
He slowly entered the room without making any noise. He took steady steps towards her, each step making him wonder whether he should approach her or not. He stood in front of her and crouched on his one knee, and observed her. He took out his handkerchief from the back pocket of his jeans and held it out in front of her. It had been years since he had grown concerned for a woman — the woman who happened to be his lawfully wedded wife. Akanksha raised her head from her knees, her blurry eyes meeting his.
She took the handkerchief from his hand to wipe her tears, and then she blew her nose. Vihaan scrunched up his nose at that sight. She held out his handkerchief back to him, to which he raised his hands to show his refusal.
"You heard it, didn't you?" Akanksha sniffled. Her voice held shame and embarrassment as she asked him that.
"Yes. Although I knew how they tricked you into this marriage, I did not know the that they used your sister to coax you into all of this."
It was Akanksha's turn to be surprised. "You knew? How? When?" she asked.
"Dad told me after I dropped you home back from the hospital. He had a slight inkling about all of this but wasn't certain of the main reason," Vihaan replied.
"No wonder why you sent me coffee that day," she mumbled.
Vihaan acted as if he didn't hear her.
"Why didn't you tell me this before?" she questioned.
"I wanted you to tell me about it yourself," he said.
Akanksha snickered at his response. "As if you would have believed every word that I would have said."
"Maybe not. But I don't think it is the right time to discuss this. There are lots of things going on, and this doesn't seem like an ideal time. We can save it up for later. Freshen up and come down for dinner. No one should know about the drama that happened here." Vihaan stood up, turned around, and walked towards the door.
"Vihaan!" she called from behind, "Do you still blame me for all of this?"
Vihaan didn't turn back. "No, I don't," Saying this, he walked away.
Akanksha could feel herself smiling in relief through her tears. She was afraid of bearing another accusation, and she was glad that she was relieved from one.
The dinner was normal. The elders had their usual chat, whereas the youngsters silently ate their food, listening to their conversation. The tension between Akanksha and her parents didn't go unnoticed by Vikram. Vihaan, too, could feel the tension radiating out of them, but when he saw Akanksha's nonchalant approach, he realised that she was trying to wade off the tension. Shailaja happily chatted about her daughter-in-law's good deeds, and Sneha couldn't help but feel embarrassed.
Soon, they bade goodbye.
"Good riddance," Vihaan muttered behind Akanksha as they were standing at the main door.
She hummed in response.
They were returning back to their rooms when Ramdeen Kaka called Akanksha from behind.
"Choti Bahu!" he called out.
"What happened, Kaka?" Akanksha turned around, facing him.
"A letter has come for you. I was about to give you earlier, but you were busy with your parents. So, I didn't disturb." He handed out a white envelope to her.
Akanksha turned over the envelope to see the address, but there were none.
"There is no address, Kaka," she said.
"I don't know about it as it was there in our mailbox," he said and took his leave.
Akanksha opened the envelope and took out the letter. When she read the contents of the letter, it felt somewhat familiar, but she couldn't exactly remember where she had seen it. The letter said,
'Once there were five,
Now there are four.
The number will remain the same,
If you can find her.
But if you don't,
There are consequences.
She will be gone,
And then there will be three.
'Cause two can keep a secret,
If one of them is dead.'
And BAM! That's the end of this chapter. So it's me again back with yet another chapter. What do you think of the last part? Let me know. Also, Vihaan tried to comfort Akanksha. Yay! Their relationship will progress slowly and this is just the initial phase of their relationship. But the mystery has started. So yay again! Also thank you so much for supporting as this book is just a few reads away from hitting 4K.
Let me know your thoughts about this chapter in the comments section. I read every comment and reply to them. So, every comment counts. Also please vote if you like this chapter.
By the way, is it there any cold where you live? Because the place where I live has been changing weathers like crazy. Sometimes cold, sometimes hot.
With Love,
Akii.