It had been a month and Ridhima had been all determined to mess up with Vansh until he himself gives up. And as a result it was not an easy month for Vansh too. Everyday Ridhima would try to do something to make things difficult for Vansh.
*****
"I need your card. Ishani was asking me to come shopping with her." Ridhima demand.
"It is in the closet in the wallet." Vansh said and then got back to the work.
She took the ATM card and asked, "Pin?" shortly and demanding.
"It is ####." Still focused on the laptop screen.
Without any other word Ridhima went away.
After one or two hours Vansh almost was finishing his work when he stretched his arms, his eyes fell on his phone which was beeping, showing that message has come. He took the phone in his hands and opened his messages and yeah he was not expecting this. It was from bank showing how much money his love of life is spending. After a minute or two the phone was still in his hand when other similar message came.
They entered the mansion and went for their rooms with shopping in their hands. When she came inside her their room, she saw Vansh on the couch, his legs on each other resting on the table in front, glaring at her. Her breath hitched, eyes fixed with his and body got frozen.
"Why are you standing there, come and rest? You must be tied after all this shopping, right?" he said normally.
Ridhima went towards the couch and put the bags on the couch and left to bathroom. After some minutes she came back and went to Vansh, handing him his card.
"Here. Thanks." She said.
"Umm... you bought just these five bags, is there anything outside?"
"No. Why?" She tried to be bold, but her heart knows what it felt when she saw him glaring at her earlier.
"Nothing, just these are ... umm.. just five and the...."
"Ishani had forgot her card so she also used your card." She understood what he was trying to ask so she cut him off in the middle.
"Oh... OK." He said while looking at the card with which he was playing in hand. "So what did you bought?" he asked while looking at her again.
"Girls stuff." She answered shortly, sounding like she doesn't want to talk. She went towards her bed and arranged it before getting in. When she was about to lay, she saw him looking at her and that look she couldn't understand.
She sighed, "Are you angry that I spend that much money?"
"No, Ridhima I didn...."
"I got it, ok... umm... next time I won't even ask you." She cut him off not giving a chance to speak, and lay down on the bed.
"Ridhima..."
"I'm switching off the lights, if you want to sleeping then sleep."
He went to the couch and lay down, "You can switch off the lights now." And the room turned dark. Only dim moonlight was flashing through the windows.
Ridhima turned slowly to face her husband who was sleeping on the couch.
Few days before.
Ridhima and Vansh were about to sleep.
"I will sleep on the couch from now." Ridhima said.
"Why?" Vansh asked.
"I just don't feel comfortable on the bed with you."
"What?" Vansh came in front of her, "You weren't OK all this time then?"
"No I don't like you hugging me and your arms all around me, it suffocates me." She said rudely, and regretted it instantly when her eyes met his.
Shit. Was I too much? Ridhima said to herself..
"You sleep on the bed, I'll go to the couch." He took his pillow from the bed and a new blanket from the wardrobe and settled himself on the couch.
And from then he slept on couch.
Present
I feel guilty for making you sleep on the couch. But what else choice do I have? You are not letting me go, you ruined my life. But let it be, you can get to taste your own medicine.
Thinking this she closed her eyes and drifted into her dreamland.
**Next day.**
It was a holiday, and everyone was having their breakfast peacefully. When suddenly Rudra said something that made Ishani and Angre choke on the same at the time, "I was thinking to invite Raj and Vijay tomorrow, and Ishani will also meet him."
Both of them were now coughing. Sia passed water to Ishani and Aryan passed water to Angre.
"You Okay, Ishani?" Vansh asked.
"Ye..yeah, I'm fine." she answered clearing her throat.
"That is good, they can have a chance to know each other. Right Ishani?" Chanchal said.
"M..my head is hurting, I'll just t..take a nap." Ishani said and left the place.
"What is wrong with her? Whenever we talk about her marriage she gets a head ache?" Chanchal said in a mix of annoyance and anger.
Ridhima slowly lifted her head and looked at Angre, who was also not eating his breakfast and just playing with the food. It was evident that he was hurt. She sighed and focused on her breakfast, thinking that she was no one interfere.
_____
"Hey Ishani di, how are you now?" Sia asked entering Ishani's room.
"I'm fine. Get out now." Ishani answered putting the sheet above her head.
"It is fine, didi. Come get up we will go out today. You will feel good." She came towards Ishani trying to shake her.
"I'm fine, Sia. I don't want to go out. Leave me alone please." Her voice came muffled as her face on a pillow.
"OK, if you say so. We are going to movie, if you wan.."
"Sia, I told you, you can go if you want, I don't want to go anywhere."
"OK." Sia whispered and went out.
"What did she say?" Aryan asked Sia, when she came back to the lobby where Aryan was waiting.
"She said that she doesn't want to go anywhere." Sia sighed and sat on a couch"
"Oh... Is she fine now?"
"She said she is OK but I don't know."
"OK, forget that we'll go to the movie."
"But Isha..."
"Sia, come get up, she will be ok if she will be alone for some time." He said and saw Ridhima coming in the lobby, "Oh bhabhi, you are free today? We are going to movie, you want to come?"
"Yes, bhabhi, please."
"umm...I'm sorry, I can't go. I have to help chachi in cleaning today."
"Yes, she is helping me and you two are also helping me. No need to go out today." Chachi said as she was coming from the kitchen.
"No.. mummy... please... we get only one weekend....please." Aryan whined.
"NO... go and clean your rooms." She said in a stern voice. Aryan and Sia looked at each other and went to clean their rooms.
"These kids, always going out. They need learn how to be responsible that's why I have told them to clean their rooms on their own." Chachi sighed.
Ridhima was helping Chachi with folding and ironing clothes.
"I am worried about Ishani. It looks like she is not interested in marriage... I mean she doesn't even talk to me.... at least tell me something.... So I could get a hint but no she will just distance herself until she will be just stressed out and then blame me that I can't understand her... how can I understand when she doesn't even talk." Chachi said, and Ridhima could sense her worry for Ishani.
"umm Chachi... Why don't you go her and talk to her? Maybe she is doesn't want to talk is because she is afraid to talk but if you go her and make her comfortable then she may talk about this? And ask her if she is even ready for marriage right now or not? Or if she has already someone in her life? Maybe she is afraid that we'll get angry if she put her choice first?" She said and looked at Chanchal who was also looking at her, Ridhima thought that she did a mistake to tell her these things, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said...."
"No actually you are right, we didn't ask her. I guess we were wrong. I will go to her later and talk to her. And what about you and Vansh?"
"We are good, Chachi," Ridhima smiled at chachi.
They were just having their random talks when dadi entered the room. After some time they went to prepare for lunch. They were working in the kitchen when Dadi came in. Chanchal saw her and asked, "Dadi you need anything?"
"No, I just came to help you. Ridhima give this to me I will cut it."
"Arry, nhi dadi. I can do it." She said trying to get back the vegetable plate from dadi.
"Bata just give me. You know I am a master in cooking."
"It is OK, Ridhima. Dadi won't let you cut it, she always does that to me too." Chanchal chuckled.
"Yeah you sit in front of me, we have a lot to talk." Dadi smiled and they sat at the table in front of each other."So tell me, are you liking it here? Your marriage life?"
"Yes Dadi, everything is fine. And yeah I like it very much here. I'm really happy that I got a family like this." Ridhima smiled. She wasn't lying when she said she was happy with the family she got, she liked here except Vansh.
"umm... Ridhima...I... umm... have you two thought about kids?"
And Ridhima choked on air.
Chanchal chuckled, "Dadi, you are making her nervous, they are not-"and mysteriously smile at dadi
"It is OK, Ridhima. I ... just... I just want to see my grand-grandchild. But I understand if you two are not ready yet, I'm not going until I see your child."Dadi held her hand and smiled.
"MUMMY.." Aryan entered shouting and breathing heavily.
"Kya howa Aryan?" Dadi asked.
"Dadi... Ridhima bhabhi... Va..nsh bhaiya....he..."
"Stop stuttering Aryan, what happened to Vansh, is he ok?"
"Yeah.. he... is in the hospital."
"Ho.spital?" Chanchal exclaimed.
"umm... he got into an accident while he was coming back but d..on't worry it is not serious." He said while looking at Ridhima, "I am going to the hospital."
He was about to turn when, "Aryan can I come too, Please."
"It is not that serio..."
"Please."
****
"It is not that much serious, thanks to God. He was got a fracture in left arm, so he should rest completely. And plus the medication should not be delayed. For now he is not in conscious, he should rest as much." The doctor told the trio, Ridhima, Aryan and Angre.
Angre was the one to call Aryan.
"At least can we go inside and see him?" Aryan asked.
"Yeah you can, but keep it quiet." The doctor and took his leave.
Ridhima came inside and sat on the table near the bed. Her eyes were fixed on his face, which had some bruises on now. Her hand automatically went near the bruise near his eyes and started to caress it softly. And her hand held his right hand which was also wounded but at least not fractured.
Aryan and Angre were watching her through the glass door. They didn't go inside.
"You were with him when the accident happened?" Aryan asked.
"Of course, I was there. He got out of the car and was crossing the road when a car... ," Angre sighed, "you know."
"Thank God, things aren't serious. And what about the car and the driver?"
"Yeah, he was caught. Turns out he was a little drunk."
"Drunk? Who the hell gets drunk in a mid of day?"
Angre sighed, "The police is investigating, and we'll get to know."
At evening.
"Bhabhi, you should go home. I and Angre will manage here. And also mummy was asking for you to come back." Aryan said to Ridhima.
"But I want to stay."
"I understand, but don't worry. He will be discharged tomorrow, right? So don't stress. Angre will take you home. OK?" Aryan smiled a little to assure her.
Ridhima nodded and stood up to leave.
Ridhima and Angre were in car driving back to the mansion.
"So," She cleared her throat, "How did this happened?" She asked looking outside the window.
"He was crossing the road, when a car hit him."
"So he doesn't even know how to cross a road now?" Ridhima said in little taunting tone.
"The driver was a little drunk, he was still drinking in the car while driving. Thank God he wasn't completely drunk. And why do you care so much to come over to see him?"
"Huh?"
"You say you don't love him as a husband and want a divorce then why did you came to see him?"
"It was just a formality, Angre. If I hadn't come to see him then what will the family say." She answered in a stern voice.
"Oh... formality? Yeah... but was holding his hand and caressing his bruises also a formality when no was there to judge you." The car stopped inside the mansion.
Ridhima looked at him. "I agree Ridhima whatever happened shouldn't have ever happened and should not ever happen to anyone, but not everything was his fault."
Ridhima took a deep breath, "Don't tell what to do Angre, when you are also equally guilty." She opened the car door and left. Angre sighed and took a turn back to go back to the hospital.
Ridhima came to their room. After freshening up she laid on the bed to sleep. But sleep was far away from her eyes. She kept on rolling and turning from one side to other side, but all in vain. She opened her eyes and thought...
Why did I held his hand there? I guess it was just a reflex, he is husband after all, until divorce. But do I really like him as my husband. No I don't. But yeah he is good-looking, handsome and is rich. His family is nice. But still this is all not for me, right? I wasn't supposed to be his wife in the first place. But now.... Ughh (She buried her face in the pillow) this is so stressful. I don't know what to do now. I can't even behave rudely now. He is already fractured. What do I do? What do I do? What do I do? Ridhima forget it for now. Sleep. Sleep. SLEEP.
And she couldn't sleep the whole