The ground beneath Khusi feet shook as she stared back at Bhaskar in pure bewilderment. Her smile diminished in thin air and her heart seemed to stop.
"Di ... divorce?" she whispered, waiting for Bhaskar to crack out loudly that he was kidding. But the serious resolve on Bhaskar's chestnut eyes, with a hint of smile on his lips, were saying another story. Something Khusi was dreading to hear.
"Yes. But before that let me show you the source of my happiness." Bhaskar sauntered out of the apartment, and Khusi stumbled back, her knees weak, slumping down on a couch.
"Be careful," Bhaskar gingerly whispered, bringing in a woman, his fingers cupping her shoulders. As soon as the woman looked up, Khusi's face paled, and her stomach clenched.
That girl student? What was she doing there? Why the hell was Bhaskar asking for a divorce from Khusi for her? Why was he treating her like a porcelain doll!?
"Khusi, meet Sanjana Choudhury. She's carrying my child." Everything else blurred for Khusi as she stared back at both of them with horrified eyes. Sanjana's gaze clueless and scared, Bhaskar's gleaming.
"Wha ... what?" Khusi asked in a daze, unable to process the information.
"Sanjana is pregnant with my baby," Bhaskar annouced, beaming widely.
"You!" Pushing herself on her feet, Khusi charged at Sanjana, her eyes red with rage. Bhaskar quickly pulled Sanjana away and stood infront of her, guarding his child carrier from his wife.
"Khusi! Control yourself. She's pregnant!" Bhaskar bellowed, his stance protective.
"Are you out of your mind Bhaskar!? You cheated on me! How are still having the guts to look straight at me and talk!?" Khusi's brain went haywire. She couldn't make a head or tail of the situation. For a second she almost asked herself whether she was dreaming?
"Khusi, please calm down. I know what I did was wrong ... but look at the bigger picture here. I'm finally having a baby of my own." Bhaskar chuckled, brushing his hand on Sanjana's almost flat belly.
Sanjana looked heavily disturbed with the current scenario she was responsible for. Tears swarmed in her eyes, as she held herself accountable for the disheveled condition of Khusi.
"BHASKAR! Are you listening to yourself!? Don't I held any importance to you? You are not even hesitating once to say that you cheated on me!?" Khusi roared, grabbing Bhaskar's collar and jerked him towards her.
Sanjana gasped and took a few steps back from the fighting couple.
"I did Khusi ... I did feel guilty in the beginning." For a second Bhaskar's eyes glimmered with regret.
"That's why I had been trying to treat you right for the last one month."
Khusi shoved him away as tears profusely cascaded down her cheeks. Bhaskar's gaze glided away from Khusi towards Sanjana's shivering form, and a gentle smile spread on his face.
"But now I don't." He sauntered towards Sanjana and circled his arms around her waist.
Khusi's head turned blank as she glared at her husband and his child carrier with resentment.
"You're a heartless bastard," she hissed, prowling away from both of them.
"I am just being practical." Bhaskar stated, looking doing at Sanjana's stomach complacently.
*******
"Listen to me Khusi. Don't take any rash decisions. Have a heart to heart conversation with Bhaskar," Shreya advised, as Khusi rubbed her cheeks. Tears had been her constant companion for the last 2 hours, as she stayed inside her room, locked.
"I don't know Shreya. How could Bhaskar do that? I don't even matter for him. How could he easily give up on me like that?" Khusi wept, cursing her fate.
"Don't cry Khusi, please. You've to handle the situation tactfully. Talk to Bhaskar and tell him once to reconsider his decision regarding the divorce. What if you keep that girl as a surrogate mother? Pay her off some money after the delivery and send her away. I'm sure even she's not ready to take up the responsibilities of a mother, at such a tender age."
"What? But Bhaskar had already made up his mind ... " Khusi's heart was not agreeing to this.
"Then make him change his decision. You've to fight for your marriage Khusi, for you rights. Look at the brighter picture here. You never wanted to carry a baby and Bhaskar wanted his own blood. Both of you will be happy at the end of this." Shreya's words echoed in the background as Khusi stared at the wall, blankly.
Would she be happy? How could she be happy and accept what Bhaskar did? He broke her trust and wasn't even ashamed of it. What kind of person does that?
And fight? For what would she fight? For her husband's attention? Who didn't even falter once before keeping a separation proposal infront of her? For the sake of an unborn baby. How did a fetus have a stronger grip on Bhaskar's heart than Khusi?
"Don't give up on him so easily ... " Shreya's voice rang form the other side of the phone, but Khusi barely paid any attention to it.
But he had already given up on her. What about that?
"Khusi! Are you listeni ... "
"I will talk to you later Shreya. Good night," Saying that, Khusi disconnected the call.
*******
After contemplating for almost an hour, Khusi decided to call her father. She was sure talking to her mother won't be fruitful. Khusi needed her father that very moment.
On the third ring, the call was recieved but Khusi's heart fell when she heard the voice.
"Hello?" It was her mother. Khusi had taken a strong resolved not to disclose anything to her, but her heart gave away at the familiar warm tone of her mother.
"Ma ... " Unable to control her emotions, Khusi's throat clogged and she sobbed, crying her heart out.
"Khusi!? What happened? Why are crying?"
Khusi didn't hesitate. She spoke her heart out, revealing each and every thing that had happened to her. Renuka Mukherjee remained silent on the other side of the phone.
By the time Khusi was done speaking, she was wheezing, profusely crying. The other side of the phone was still silent and dread started growing in Khusi's stomach.
"Ma ... "
"This is all your fault," Renuka hissed from behind the screen.
"What are you sayi ... "
"I told you not to test his patience, to give up on your stupid ideals. But no! You have to be stubborn, make exemplary changes in your life, go against the rule of nature. Who do you think is responsible for this Khusi!? You! Only you and your stupid decisions!" Khusi was bewildered at Renuka's words. Her own mother was blaming her for her husband's betrayal.
"Ma ... how can you ... "
"I don't want to talk anymore Khusi. You're on your own now. Don't try to contact us until you fix this problem!" Renuka spatted and harshly disconnected the call.
Khusi stared back at the pitch black screen of her phone, her eyes blurry and heart chaotic.
Never had she ever felt so devasted and lonely in her life.
*******
A knock resonated in the silent pitch black room, Khusi flinching out of her reverie. It was past midnight and she hadn't bothered to eat dinner.
Without waiting for an answer, Bhaskar creaked opened the door of the room.
"Leave," Khusi gritted, too tired, both mentally and physically.
"You didn't eat Khusi. Here," Bhaskar pointed, keeping a tray of food on the nightstand beside her.
Fisting the bedsheet tightly, Khusi laid still, ignoring Bhaskar. His fake concern for her health was pissing her off.
"We don't have to get divorced Khusi, if that's what you want. I had promised you once never to be dishonest. And I maintained that promise." Khusi gaze flashed at Bhaskar, who sat beside her lying figure on the bed, her eyes flaring with wrath.
"I told you the moment I came to know about the pregnancy."
Khusi scoffed internally. As if he did a huge favour on her by disclosing his nasty secrets.
At Khusi's silence, Bhaskar continued, "If you want we can talk to Sanjana, convince her to become our surrogate mother."
Khusi's eyebrows drew in. He wasn't even slightly remorse about his betrayal, and was still thinking only about the baby.
"And what do you want Bhaskar?" Khusi demanded, her eyes bloodshot.
"Right now, the only thing that matters to me is the baby. Nothing else."
"Not Sanjana?" Khusi enquired, the words leaving a sour taste in her mouth.
"To some extent yes. She is carrying the child afterall."
Khusi shook her head, her brain too jumbled up to say anything.
"Where's she?"
"She is sleeping in our guest room. She didn't wish to reveal this news to anyone else, that's why she contacted me the moment she came to know. Apparently her parents are too strict."
A cold scoff broke out of Khusi's throat. "If my parents were strict, I wouldn't dare to sleep with a married man, let alone my professor."
"It was a moment of weakness Khusi. We both were drunk and ..."
Khusi held our her hand infront of Bhaskar, signalling him to shut up. She was too tired to hear his excuses for cheating. No reason was good enough for betraying your spouse.
Sighing tiredly, Bhaskar went out, uttering his last words for the night. "Give my words a thought. It all depends on you now."
*******
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