Madhu went to the morgue. When she reached the door. She panicked and started to run back. When her husband's voice stopped her, who was watching her from distance
"Don't you want to say goodbye to him?" RK
Madhu looked at him absentminded. She didn't know what to say or do. RK held her hand and took her inside the morgue to see her father for the last time
"No RK please don't" Madhu was begging him not to take her
"Don't worry Madhu I will be with you" RK was side hugging her and helping her to walk
RK took her close to her father's body and uncovered his face
"Say goodbye to him Madhu" RK
Madhu looked at RK with frightened eyes. She was shaking her head as no repeatedly
"No please RK. Take me home" Madhu was pleading him to take her away
"He is your father Madhu. Don't you want to see him for the last time" RK
"No he is not my father" Madhu said with cracked voice
"What?" RK couldn't understand her
"This is not my father. My father at home. This is just a patient" Madhu said almost with no voice
"No Madhu. This is your father. Touch him. He is so cold. You won't see him again. You won't talk to him again. He is gone" RK was trying to take her out of her shock
RK took her hand and put it on her father's forehead. When she felt her father ice cold. She realized that her father was dead. She screamed calling her father. RK hugged her tight
"Papaaa" Madhu was screaming
"Shush Madhu. I want you to be strong" RK was hugging her tight patting her head
"I want my Papa" Madhu was crying
"Hush please be strong. For your family. They need you" RK was hugging her tighter as if he wanted to hide her inside him to protect her from this pain
They stayed like this for minutes until she calmed down suddenly. When RK felt her crying stopped. He held her face with his hands. Wiped her tears with his thumb. Caressed her cheeks. Looked in her eyes
"Will you be strong?" RK
Madhu didn't say a word
"Come with me. Your mother needs you" RK
Madhu walked with him without any word. He took her to her mother's house. Padmini hugged Madhu and cried a lot in her arms. But Madhu didn't do or say anything. She didn't have any tears in her eyes.
"Rishabh I want you to do the entire funeral rituals. Aryan is too young to do it. And Malik considered you as his son" Padmini
"Sure mom I will do it" RK
RK took care of everything. After the funeral and everyone left. RK talked with his mother in-law
"Mom I need to ask you something" RK
"No Rishabh I can't" Padmini
"You didn't know what it is" RK
"I know. But I can't leave Malik's house" Padmini
"It will give me peace of mind. I can't leave you here alone" RK
"Please Rishabh don't force me. Every inch in this house full of his memories. I can't leave him" Padmini was crying
"As you like mom. But please think about it. Our house is very big and we are living there alone. You will be with Madhu when I got late or busy at work. It is hard for me to leave her" RK
"No please Rishabh. Don't leave her now. You saw her. The entire funeral she was like a robot. She say nothing. She even didn't cry" Padmini
"Yes mom I know. She is in shock. Don't worry about her. I will take care of her. I will never leave her. Don't worry" RK
"Thank you son. I will never forget what you did today. You are real son" Padmini was in tears
"Do you still have doubts that I'm your son" RK
"No dear. I know that even Aryan would never do what you did to us" Padmini
"He was crying hard today. Both did. Please mom take care of them. And take care of yourself for my sake please" RK
"Ok son. You too take care of Madhu" Padmini was looking at her motionless daughter
"I will. It is getting late. I will take Madhu and leave now. Please stay strong mom" RK
"Ok dear. Good night and drive safely" Padmini
"Come Madhu. We need to go" RK said to his wife
When Madhu didn't respond to her husband, he went to her, held her shoulders. helped her to stand, and he took her with him to their house.
They reached their house. RK prepared dinner. Led Madhu to a chair in the dining room. He served her food. She didn't move at all. He tried to feed her
"Madhu. Please eat something. You didn't eat anything since yesterday" RK
Madhu didn't blink
"Madhu open your mouth" RK was trying to feed her
Madhu didn't respond at all
"Please Madhu. For me" RK was holding the spoon inch away from her mouth
She didn't move at all
"Ok as you like come with me" RK
RK helped her to stand and led her to her room. He changed her clothes, put her on bed, helped her to sleep, tucked her with a blanket, turned off the lights, and went to his room
RK tried to sleep but he couldn't. He didn't sleep for two days. Since his father in-law died previous night. He stayed squirming on the bed. But couldn't sleep. He was thinking about his wife. And worry so much about her.
She didn't speak since she saw her father's body in the morgue. She didn't eat. She didn't sleep. And he was sure that she was in terrible pain and sadness.
It was true love is pain but only because now he isn't just one person. He felt the pain of the person that holds his heart between their hands he felt their pain strikingly within his chest perhaps magnified.
He didn't know how to console her. He was thinking of ways to take her mind out of that condition when he heard screams coming from her room.
RK ran to his wife's room to see why she was screaming. He saw her sitting on the bed, with terrifying look on her face. She was screaming calling her father. He ran to her and held her tight. All her body was shaking hard. He tried to calm her down but she didn't stop. She continued screaming and shaking.
He realized she had nervous breakdown. He injected her with sedative. She started to lose her tension gradually. Then she slept in his arms. He put her back on the bed. Tucked her body with a blanket.
He took a billow, and tried to sleep on a couch in her room. He didn't want to leave her. He slept just two hours after dawn. When he woke up, he walked to her bed to check on her.
He found her awake. Staring at the ceiling. She was not moving at all. The only sign that she was alive was her chest movement up and down with her breathing rhythm.
"Good morning Madhu" RK tried to talk to her
She didn't respond to him
"Come get up. Let us have breakfast" RK
She didn't say anything
He pulled her with her arms to sit up
"Madhu please come out of it. I can't see you like this" RK said with tears in his eyes
She didn't flicker
RK called a psychologist to come and check on his wife. After the doctor saw her. He spoke with RK
"When will she come out of it?" RK
"We don't know Dr. Kundra" Dr. Omar
"I can't see her like this" RK
"She refuses to talk. Or communicate with us by any way. We don't know what is in her mind. But it is clear that she built a shell and only she lives in that shell. She doesn't want to live in our world anymore. She refuses to live with us. I will prescribe her sedative to help her relax and sleep. But until she talks we can't do anything to her" Dr. Omar
"Thank you doctor" RK
He led the psychologist out and bought the medicines for her. Then he came back to his wife to be with her