"What were you doing in the gynecology ward in the hospital today" Abhimanyu asked, making Radha receive a jolt. How did he know? she continued folding her clothes without looking at him. She wasn't answerable to him. Abhimanyu gripped her hand and turned her towards him, "I ASKED YOU A QUESTION!" he screamed. Radha looked at the door of the bedroom, which was still open. His voice would have made it down to his parents. Abhimanyu understood her concern and walked towards the door, slamming it loud and making it finch.
"Don't you understand what I am saying! Answer me, dammit!" Abhimanyu announced glaring at her.
"I went to see if I could ever be a mother in this goddamn relationship!" Radha spat out gathering all her courage
Abhimanyu broke into unamused laughter. "Oh really, and what did the doctor say?" he asked with a smirk
"That I couldn't be, that god doesn't give children to loveless wombs!" Radha spat out again, with a glare, furiously. She was really blaming Abhimanyu for what was happening with her.
"Oh really, and whose fault is that!" Abhimanyu said, loosening his tie and flinging his coat on to the chair.
"What-I don't believe this, you're trying to say it's my fault!? How pathetic of a man can you be Abhimanyu! You've fucked my life! You're the reason I am not going to be a mother and you blame it on me!?" Radha retaliated
"You should've thought about it before starting a relationship with a lie!?" Abhimanyu spat back.
"Lie! What lie! the only lie there is now is this relationship! You started it with a lie! What did I lie to you about!?" Radha screamed at the top of her voice, she was sweating now.
"What lie-I don't believe this and now you're going to lie about that! You're such a - god! You deserve this! You deserve my hate!" Abhimanyu said gritting his teeth as he bent towards her and warned her with his index finger.
"NO! I DON'T! I don't deserve anybody's hate! Stop making me believe that! I've believed it for so long! I deserve to be loved! You're an asshole, you choose to hurt me and not love me, but I am not the cause of that!" Radha screamed back at him. "What do I deserve your hate for? tell me!? I've tried nothing except making things right! What do you hate me for!?" She said as she screamed louder, she didn't know her voice could go upto those decibels.
"Right? yes, alright, yes you were right, you were right not reply to a single letter of mine that I wrote to you from my boarding school!? You were right to talk to me the night before our wedding when I told you I didn't want to marry you, assure me that I wouldn't need to be worried because you wouldn't come to the mandap and then land up on the wedding day and expect me to play marriage marriage with you!?" Abhimanyu said, and instantly realizing that he felt so much lighter after letting it all out.
"What!? are you drunK! Do you hear yourself! what letters were you talking about! you abandoned me and didn't send me a single letter, how the fuck would I reply to them! the day before my wedding I was sitting outside the ICU! Your father came to me and told me how much you wanted to marry me, how you were happy with this match and that's why i said yes! what phone call are you talking about!" Radha justified shocked at the mindless allegations
"Oh, stop spinning tales and lies around everything now! You trapped my father in the web of your words, you can't trap me!" Abhimanyu screamed at her
"I never trapped you father! Papa, always treated me as a daughter! I never said I wanted to get married to you! Your father asked me to! He said it was the only way i could save my father!" Radha said trying to clear things and getting a hint of what Abhi was implying.
"LIES!" Abhi screeched.
"NO ABHI, THEY'RE NOT LIES!" Radha retaliated.
"You're lying Radha, again, you're the one causing this distress! When you do horrible things to other people, this is what happens! You are a terrible terrible woman! You deserve it! You deserve all the horrible things!" Abhimanyu screamed at her. In that moment something got into Radha, she was furious, she took a glass vase on flung it on the wall across.
"SHUT UP ABHIMANYU! SHUT UP! I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!" she screamed as a large clash and shattering of glass made reverberated through the walls, shocking Abhimanyu he was speechless.
"I don't know anything about those letters and those phone calls! You caused this for our marriage! You didn't want me as a wife! Stop blaming me! You went sleeping around when i tried my best to be the wife you'd like! Stop it Abhimanyu! Stop blaming me for this marriage! I don't know anything about those goddamn letters and that fucking phone call!" Radha screamed as she took support of the wall and leaned on it, letting tears spill out of her eyes.
"Are you saying the truth Radha?" Abhimanyu asked her after a pause of silence. She nodded as she pressed her eyes together. Abhimanyu left the room.
-
Abhi sat on the bench recollecting the conversation he had with supposedly Radha on the phone. He was very scared and unsure about the wedding, he didn't want to get married and he thought she ought to know this, it wasn't in his hand to do anything about the relationship because he had promised his father but Radha could say no, she could say no to the wedding.
He quickly pulled a few strings and got her number.
"Hello, am I talking to Radha?"
"Yeah, who is this?"
"It's Abhi, Abhimanyu, Kapoor, our father's are friends and we are supposed to be getting, well err married"
"Oh yeah, hi Abhi, tell me"
"Actually Radha, I can't get married, I don't want to go through with this, I am not prepared, my love life is completely scattered, I don't think I can do this! I just don't have the courage to even wear my sherwani. I am not prepared at all, I don't want this marriage! Please try to understand, only you can prevent it. I feel awful, we don't know each other, I haven't seen you in the longest time, i don't think we are right for each other. It's being forced upon me Radha, but I can't do this please try and understand. I will runaway if needed!" Abhi explained being a little dramatic but pouring out his heart.
"oh no worried Abhi, you just come to the wedding tomorrow, I will take care of everything, by the time you come, I'd be gone. I don't want this wedding either. Just come to the wedding tomorrow, let things happen the way they are, alright? I will take care of the rest"
The next day while his happy father threw around money for the band to sing the loudest, he pretended to be an excited groom, at peace knowing that his bride would be gone and the marriage wouldn't take place. But to his dismay the bride walked over showing no intention of running away and pretended like they hadn't had the conversation. Abhi felt betrayed, almost trapped into coming there, he would not only have to go through with this marriage but begin it with a lie, it was suffocating for him and that moment he had built a caste of resentment against Radha, vowing to make her life miserable
He remembered writing multiple letters to Radha when he was new to the boarding school he missed their weekend forays very much and would write a new letter to her almost every weekend, it dejected him when he wouldn't hear back. It broke his heart and he began harboring loath against Radha, not wanting to see her even when they went for vacation, finding new ways to entertain himself with other girls his age.
Radha and him were very close, why wouldn't she have chosen to reply to his letters, she claimed that she hadn't even received them, Could there be a problem from the end of the post itself? Address errors? No NO, that can't be true, he had written the Mehra address after cross checking many times.
He called up his confidants, the men working for him, who sometimes also took care of the dirty work needed for his large company.
-
"Yes, tell me Veer, what have you gathered"
"Sir, I checked the post office and the address mentioned was right, I had to dig deep in their archives and I actually ended up meeting the post master who was on duty then, he said he found letters sent to that house every third day and it annoyed him but he did deliver them there. But sir he added that unlike the rest of the letter he delivered to that house, thel letters delivered from Dehradun never made it to the inside of the house, the guard kept it with him. The post master never asked why because it didn't concern him but he said that it was as if the guards had been instructed to do so!" The responded replied.
"Oh well, okay, thanks a lot Veer" Abhimanyu replied. It made sense but why would the guard not send it in the house, unless Anand Mehra himself had stopped the letters from reaching his daughter.
He received another call, "Sir, it's vivek, we managed to get the footage of the hospital of the day you wanted it for, sir, actually, Radha madam is seen in that footage but she is sitting there only, she doesn't receive any phone call, or talk to anyone"
Abhimanyu nodded. If Radha was there that night, then who spoke to him? He felt like the answers only lay in the Mehra house, but he needed answers! He needed them urgently, he had waited for so long only to realize that it wasn't Radha's fault. He pushed himself to the chair and took a large breath. In his intense hatred and clouded judgment, he had done everything wrong, he had hurt Radha and himself, would they ever attain normalcy.
-
Radha after her intense session of sobbing tried to look a little civil and go down for dinner. Sadness was raking in her voice but not having dinner two days in the row would make everything seem suspicious. As she slowly walked down, she saw a chair empty between Sameer and Abhimanyu. She didn't want to go sit next to him, she was hating on him. If he disappeared, all her life's problems could disappear! but without garnering any suspicion, she went and sat between her papa and Abhi. Abhi looked at her, to see her once, but Radha pretended as if he didn't exist.
"Your mother called Radha, saying you don't pick her calls up, I almost thought I heard you, my god the similarity in your voices. But I hope those are the only genes you picked up from her" Sunita said, taking a jibe at Radha. Suddenly Abhimanyu's brain lit up. That's why the caller on the other side, sounded so much like Radha.
"-I was quite shocked she even remembered she had a daughter, I mean we barely get a sweet box from the Mehra household on Diwali and when was the last time you visited them?" Sunita said as she taunted Radha.
"Sunita!" Sameer nudged her.
"What darling, I was just pointing out facts, after all I care for Radha and they are her parents" Sunita replied. Radha looked on, she was too fazed to say anything, she continued eating the few spoons of rice quietly.
"You're right Maa, I think Radha and I should go visit them, what say darling?" Abhimanyu said as he pretended to give Radha a sweet smile. Radha was astounded, why her parent's house suddenly, she was too exhausted to retaliate and continued eating her food.
"That's good dear, it will be a little bit of a change for both of you as well" Sameer replied giving his son an encouraging smile. Radha's behaviour had been different that week and perhaps going to her parents would be a bit of a change for her, Sameer thought.
-
"Why are we going to my parents?" Radha asked, she felt numb and indifferent. She didn't want to see her parents, they had pretty much abandoned her after her wedding while she retained herself in what was barely a marriage, so her parents wouldn't end up broke.
"To get our answers" Abhimanyu informed her, crisply
"I have got all my answers Abhimanyu, I have them" Radha announced, the lines of fatigue were visible on her face, Abhi tried not looking at her, or they'd end up in a fiasco like the last time.
"I haven't got mine Radha, don't you think I deserve to know?" Abhimanyu asked, answering her straight, there were few limited moments in their marriage when that had happened.
"Abhimanyu, what answers are you going to get from my parents!? I don't know of those letters or that phone call, how would they come close to knowing anything about it!? Yes, I know you are funding my father and yes perhaps our marriage was his attempt to seal this fund, but that's it! Your father knew about this! Papa, knew about this and he asked me to focus on my marriage and not these 'trivial things'!" Radha replied as she begged him with her eyes to turn the car and not take her to her parents.
"You married me so your father could be funded?" Abhi asked her objectively.
"No Abhi, when everything collapsed, when the idea of us having anything even close to a marriage collapsed, I decided to stay on, for my biological father's funding and for papa! What should I have done? Deserted my biological family!? They maybe money minded and greedy but they raised me!" Radha cleared to him, answering a question that he hadn't asked but lingered on his mind.
Abhimanyu let out a humorless chuckle.
"Abhi please lets go back, you have other ways to torture me, why are you bringing me here!?"
"Your parents have more to them than you understand Radha, you'll find out" Abhimanyu announced as he pulled his car in front of the Mehra mansion.
-
"Oh, Abhi and Radha, what a pleasant surprise, how did you come here this morning" Anand said as he was fairly surprised to see him there. Radha didn't even look at her father once. Abhimanyu sensed the distress there and answered for the both of them.
"Father-in-law, we had barely been here more than twice in our marriage, so we thought why not grab a quick breakfast, right darling?" Abhi said as he turned to a morose unconcerned Radha. She nodded in annoyance and walked along with Abhi.
"Radha! My dear, oh it's so lovely to see you, we missed you so much!" her mother said hugging Radha when she came out of the kitchen, Radha didn't reciprocate. She freed herself from her mother's clutches and sat next to Abhi. Abhi was quite astonished to see the coldness filling Radha.
"So what brings you here Abhi, suddenly, I hope work and all is doing well? I brought a few shares of the Kapoor group recently, did some great profit. How is dad's election campaign doing?" Anand Mehra asked without asking a single thing about his daughter.
"Everything's fine Mr. Mehra, we are actually here for the letters" Abhimanyu said, cutting to the chase.
"Letters what letters, oh don't be silly son who sends letter when we have email and whatsapp!" Anand exclaimed
"oh father you don't send those to your only daughter either!" Radha added sardonically. Abhi ignored it and continued his line of questioning.
"Letters that were delivered to your house but never reached your daughter, letters from Dehradun, ring a bell?" Abhimanyu asked, very sweetly.
"Abhi, please let's leave" Radha whispered to Abhi knowing very well this wasn't going to be good for her.
"What are you talking about Abhi, what is this nonsense!" Anand replied
"Mr. Mehra, this isn't nonsense, I sent letters to your house as a teenager that your daughter never received, why!?' Abhi said getting louder
"Abhi, what are you saying, why would Dad know about this!?" Radha said from behind, in a voice just audible to him.
"Mr. Mehra I have evidence from the secuirty guard and the post masters, are you going to tell me what was going on or should I cut your funding!?" Abhi threatened him
"Alright Alright! Yes! I put those letters away! I didn't let a single letter reach her! Because I couldn't afford for her to fall in love with anyone! Her marriage had to be profitable to me like na alliance and not done for the sake of love!" Anand screamed. Radha was aghast. She felt like an object. She already did feel like it when her parents had conveniently pushed her to marry Abhi and received funding in exchange of that but to know that her father would curb a child's interest for his own greed shocked her.
"I can't believe this father! How could you be this pathetic! Oh this is vicious! You're awful! I can't believe this!" Radha screamed when she stood up.
"And Mrs. Mehra, would you like to tell your daughter about the phone call we had the night before her wedding when i thought I was begging Radha to say no to the wedding?" Abhimanyu announced glaring a Radha's mother.
"W-we-well, I didn't know what to do! The wedding was essential and if Radha found out you didn't want it, she would never get married! You threatened to run away! I had to safeguard my daughter's future someway!" Radha's mother stuttered.
"I don't believe this! Marriage is not the way to safeguard your daughter's future! You could've let her study!Let her fulfill her ambitions and her goals!" Radha reasoned as she broke down. Her life felt like a lie now. She understood why Abhi hated her so much!
"I can't believe this, you guys are pathetic!" Radha exclaimed, she picked up her phone and began walking out of the house while her parents tried to convince her. Abhimanyu walked behind her. The drive home was abundant in silence.