A/N : Inline comments are love, so are your final comments on how you feel about the whole story after you read it. Looking forward to lots of both as you read each chapter!
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"Why did you do this?" his almost shrieked as he shook her shoulders hard, he could see the glistening tears layering her eye fast, but he didn't have time to console her now, the damage was done, he couldn't think of a way reverse it, but he needed answers, "Tell me Pragya why did you do this? Why didn't you tell me once? Why didn't we discuss this step?" he kept asking as his voice grew louder with every question. His vision was blurring, he realized he had tears in his eyes too, "Tell me God damn it!" he screamed out in frustration rubbing his face with his hand.
"Answer him Pragya!" he heard his daadi tell her with a shaking voice, he shut his eyes in dismay knowing deep down he was the cause of all this misery - he wanted answers, why did Pragya take such a step? He knew she was going to go away but she had planned her exit this way? Why was this necessary? Why did she want to take hate with her? Why did she have to suddenly blurt out that she had aborted their child? His mind wasn't catching up with her action - he stared at her in dismay when she looked at daadi and uttered the next few words.
"I am tired of all this daadi, I didn't want the child, I thought of continuing seeing all your happiness, but see what happened? I thought about all your happiness but did your grand-daughter consider my sister's happiness? She tried killing my Bulbul daadi! I regretted being pregnant - if I wasn't busy taking care of my health and leaving her with Aaliya, my sister would have been happily married to Purab by now - I am sick of this - I don't want to be here - ever since I have stepped into your household, happiness seems to have eluded me - either you are unwell, or your grand-daughter is plotting against my family, or I get kidnapped and if not anything, then I get pregnant - I don't want this - I want a career, I want freedom - I want to drink and dance - I can't be chained any longer daadi - and this baby was the last straw - I couldn't take it any longer - I had to abort it." she finished.
Abhi watched his daadi with baited breath, he was scared of her reaction - how would she take this? But then he looked at Fuggy, she seemed more vulnerable than his daadi at that point - he didn't even realize when he went by his side and gently supported her by holding her shoulder - he could feel her shaking, he gripped her firmly to help her keep standing.
"Pragya why are you doing this?" he whispered, panic making his voice distraught. She didn't seem to hear him, as she stared at daadi for her judgement to pass.
"Pragya beta, look at Abhi, in spite of all this he is standing by you, supporting you - this is the true love of a husband many crave for life but never get, you killed his child, yet he is there for you - you really think your happiness doesn't lie with him?" she tried once again.
"NO. I don't care about Abhi or his child, I want to be set free" she said loudly, but before she could proceed further, daadi came forward and landed a hard slap across her face - Pragya almost lost balance and was going to fall, but Abhi held on to her and stared at his daadi in shock.
"Don't you dare say that you don't care about my grandson or his child! What kind of a mother are you? You killed your own child for your independence? You don't deserve to be a mother - and such a horrible mother cannot ever be a good wife" her voice thundered as Pragya kept shaking with tears profusely tracing down her cheeks.
Abhi had to intervene. "Daadi, I need to talk to Pragya alone for a few minutes" he said hoarsely, and started to pull Pragya by her elbow, but she showed no signs of moving, deep inside she knew she couldn't face Abhi alone, not anymore - if he questioned her actions, she would break down to pieces before him, as it is, this was choking her. "Tell me what you have to right now, over here before everyone, there is nothing personal left between us" she said as clearly as tears would let her.
Abhi read her expression carefully, and saw the stubbornness in her eyes - he wasn't going to give in today, he looked her straight in the eye, she wasn't looking at him, she was just shaking terribly, her fragile form not being able to withstand the pressure of the situation - he swiftly picked her in his arms, and walked up the steps into their bedroom, he could hear gasps from his family standing behind, but he couldn't care lesser - He looked at fuggy, she was staring at him in shock, mouth gaped open and eyes tear stricken. He didn't stop until and unless he reached their room - he dropped her gently on the bed and bolted their door and came back before her, she was already getting up from the bed, but he moved closer to her and pushed her back into the bed - she lay down staring at him surprised.
Abhi sat down next to her quietly and looked deeply into her eyes, for the first few moments none of them spoke, both looked at the other and thought of the impending separation and silent tears escaped their eyes. Finally Abhi found his voice, "Fuggy please don't do this, this will kill her"then he paused for a moment and continued, "This is killing me" - she looked at him with her widened doe-eyes, "Abhishek, this is necessary - if daadi doesn't hate me, she will never get over our marriage and accept Tanu and your child" she whispered.
"We will figure out another way tomorrow - please" he gently coaxed.
"There is no tomorrow Abhishek, Tanu and her parents are coming to see daadi tomorrow - our time is up - you have to let me go, for your child's sake" she reminded him softly.
"I don't care about Tanu or her child right now - why can't you stay too? I will do anything to explain daadi - if she hates me, I deserve it not you." He tried again, but Pragya was in no mood to listen, she had made up her mind - "Suniye, this is not right,"she begun and started to get up from the bed. But Abhi pushed her back, and in order to hold her back, he was on the bed too, holding himself above her on his elbows - almost lying down himself - Pragya pushed back further on the bed.
"It's not right huh? Then why does it feel so right?" he whispered, his words tore her heart and she gave in to sobbing - next moment she clutched onto his tee and hid her head in his hard chest and gave in to weeping profusely - he was silently crying too - overwhelmed at how scared he was when he was in the verge of losing his fuggy - this was love, not what he had felt for Tanu for so long - he sighed. As they silently held on to each other lying in each other's arm on the bed, Pragya gave in to exhaustion and soon dozed off in the comfort of his hard chiselled chest. When Abhi realized she had dozed off, he pulled himself up and looked at her innocent, sleeping face - he gently brushed away the tears from her cheek and gave her a small peck on her forehead - then he got up - he knew his family was still waiting for them downstairs - he knew in all probability she had leave him soon - whether he would be able to stop her or not he knew not - but all he could tell himself was - not today - as he pushed this for another day.
When he walked down to their living room, where the rest of the family was waiting with baited breath, he looked at daadi - she seemed to have recovered from the shock - she was standing there with her arms folded across her chest looking stern - she saw Abhi and waited till he came before her.
"Where is Pragya?"she asked.
"In the room - she isn't well, she is exhausted, I have put her to sleep" he mumbled.
"You are taking care of the woman who killed your child?" she asked in disbelief.
"When a child is lost, it affects' the mother's heath too daadi, and she is my wife" he replied indignantly.
Daadi looked at her grandson in shock, she realized how much he loved her, she almost smiled seeing the change in her grandson - he was the most loving husband a girl could seek - but she refrained from smiling remembering Pragya's words - did she deserve him? Probably she didn't, in fact she had decided to tell Abhi to divorce her. This was unpardonable a mistake - but seeing Abhi and hearing him, she wasn't sure - he was the father of the child, if he was willing to forgive Pragya and give her a chance, she shouldn't come in between - they had the right to decide what they wanted.
"Beta, I have decided that, we will let you decide, what you want to do with her and your marriage - if you can forgive her for this heinous crime then she can stay here, else she can go - she is your wife, you get to decide" she told him curtly.
Abhi looked at his daadi, never had he seen such deep-rooted hatred in her eyes, and least of all for Fuggy - he knew prudence lay in keeping quiet, so that later eventually when she had to leave, daadi wouldn't be difficult to handle - but he couldn't see hate in his daadi's loving eyes for his fuggy - fuggy deserved no-one's hate - not even as a part of a misunderstanding. He knew he was making his future difficult, but if it was for fuggy's betterment, it was worth it.
He took a deep breath and looked at daadi, "Daadi, I need to tell you something" as his daadi looked at him in answer, he shuddered, but this lie was worth it, because it was to protect his fuggy he thought. "Daadi, Pragya didn't abort the child - after whatever happened in Bulbul's wedding, she had gone into shock, and any shock is not good for the baby in the first tri-semester - daadi your Pragya miscarried the baby. But she is going through post shock trauma and she blames herself for not taking better care of the child, hence she called it abortion - she is in self-loathing - she didn't mean anything she said - she loves me daadi, she wouldn't do such a thing ever - I just went upstairs and gave her medication - now she is sedated" he completed.
There was stunned silence around him, "Oh Dear Lord, how did I not see it, my dear child was in pain and I was blaming her?" came daadi's pained voice - he hated himself for this, but at the same time he saw her love for Pragya was restored. As daadi, daasi's and the rest of the family rushed to their bedroom where Pragya was sleeping, a silent tear rolled down his eyes - all was well, but only for tonight.
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