To say that Sanskar was shocked with what Sharmishtha just told him would be an understatement.
He was stupefied, he was unnerved... beyond measures. Swara... had a broken marriage?!
Suddenly, he felt so detached from everything. All that he knew about Swara, everything began blending up in itself. It was almost as if this wasn't the Swara Sharmishtha was talking about.
"S-Swara..." All that Sanskar could manage to utter to Sharmishtha. "H-Her marriage?"
He averted his gaze from Sharmishtha and looked on shock as he failed to muster his courage to say something. What was he supposed to say at this point? How was he supposed to react on this?
On the other hand, Sharmishtha was looking at him, as if she'd just expected this reaction from him.
"Yeh sach hai, Sanskar." Sharmishtha repeated the darkest truth of her daughter's life once more, and Sanskar still wasn't able to react, just staring at a random spot in shock. "Swara ki shaadi mandap par hote hote reh gayi thi. Meri beti ki zindagi ka ek aisa sach jisne uska pyaar or vishwas par se bharosa tut gaya."
Sanskar still couldn't believe what he was hearing. This was too much to take in.
"Answer me honestly, did you expect this? And if not, does that change your perspective about her? Please, tell me truthfully, beta."
"No! Not at all!"
He didn't even need to think about it, he just said what was in his heart. Yes, it was true that he still couldn't believe it and he never expected it but no, that didn't change his view about her, and it would never.
"Yes, this is true. I hadn't expected it, par ek sach yeh bhi hai ki mere man mein Swara ke baare mein jo bhi khayal hai, woh nahi badal sakte. Kyu ki jis Swara ko maine dekha hai, jise maine pehchana hai, I am sure there must be something more to it. Something that's deeper than itself. Aur uska ateet jo bhi ho, uski jagah mere man mein wohi rahegi jo pehle se rehte aayi hai. No truth can ever change her place in my heart." He thought to himself.
"Aunty..." He licked his lips as he began. "It must... it must have been very hard for Swara."
"It was." She nodded her head in regret. "Especially when you are raised without a father. Especially when the society keeps on bringing your subject up, talking about how unfortunate we can be."
"Aunty, with what knowledge I have about life, past doesn't get the right to judge what a person is. I can only say that past is gone, and it shouldn't be dragged into our present and future."
"That's what you think, but not everyone thinks the same."
Silence fell in between them as Sharmishtha fell in her own thoughts, and Sanskar gave her her own time. He himself couldn't understand what to say because no words were enough.
"Swara never had the happiness of having both her mother and father look after her, watch her grow up. Her father, he never paid any attention to her. He never even treated her like his daughter. I think it had something to do with the fact that Swara's paternal family always wanted a son, not a daughter. But still, everything was fine until... she was four when her father began having an extra marital affair with someone in his office. And when I came to know about it, she was seven. He had been cheating on me for so many years and I didn't even know. We ended up in a heated argument, and Swara..."
She paused as pain flashed across her face when she recalled how her daughter was looking at both of them with such a vulnerable and terrified expression, fearing that her Maa and Baba would split apart and their family would break.
"She was also there. Behind the door. Watching us fighting. But that man, he didn't even care about Swara. He ended up saying that he did not want us in his life anymore. Inn sab baaton ka Swara par bohot buri tarah asar ho gaya. But I don't know, I don't know how come she managed to handle herself as well as managed to handle me too. That too at such a young age of seven."
Sanskar could feel a slight soreness in her voice and he himself wasn't able to hear it anymore. The fact that Swara had to see so much in such a tender age and despite of that she took care of her Maa ever since she was young, this made him wonder why was fate so cruel. Something, really strong urged him to comfort this lady in front of him. But before he could, she began to speak again.
"After her father and I separated, I took Swara and left Jaipur and came to Kolkata to live with my mother. I raised Swara as a single parent, I tried to be her mother and father both, that is why she never craved for a father's love. She had me and her Dida. And when... whenever someone asked her about where her father was, she proudly said that her Maa was her mother and father both. I don't know, how Swara gained her maturity even before she was supposed to."
And... that was the Swara Sanskar knew since he first met her.
"Swara was always a high achiever in her school." She said with a smile. "She used to be an all-rounder, and she always had people admiring her. She became her every teacher's favourite student, won in many competitions, and always secured top five ranks in academics. Aur dekhte hi dekhte wakt bhi jaldi guzar gaya. Meri Shona itni badi ho gayi, itni samajhdar ho gayi, pata hi nahi chala kab. Swara ko kabhi apne baba ki kumi mehsus nahi hui. He had left our family forever, pushing us into a dark hole from where we cannot get out easily. And after that, he died of an accident too. It's really strange that the person who did so much wrong to us lost his life himself. We never mourned his death and about Swara, she hates her father. Yet we fulfill our responsibilities towards him, praying for his soul's well being every year."
And this brought Sanskar back to that time when Anushka had told him about Swara gone back to her home for her father's shradh.
"Soon, Swara passed twelfth standard with very good marks. And after that, she gave her medical entrance exam too. She got good marks in that too. She turned eighteen years old then. Then after that her Dida and I were going to send her to a good reputed medical college. Ek doctor banna yeh Swara ka sapna tha aur woh apne iraade par pakki hai. Everything was going okay till then. By getting good marks in her exams she could easily get into a college of her choice. That's how things were going, smoothly, and even we were ready to bear the expenses for Swara's degree. But then..."
Sanskar listened to each and every word of her attentively.
"In our society, people believe that girls are supposed to get married and leave home as soon as they turn eighteen. Some of our acquaintances, also, advised us to get Swara married first and then she can resume her education if she wants to, and if her in laws allow her, for that matter. They claimed it was for her own good and for her future only. But about us... we never considered Swara's marriage at all. We weren't even ready to get her married at such a young age. Eighteen, that is still young. And marriage wasn't something that was a plan. I was against it but Swara... she used to assure me that it was all going to be for good. She assured us enough that this was for our betterment only. But her Dida and I were still on denial, until..." she closed her eyes for a second and then opened them, recalling what had happened. "And then came the day... one fine day, something happened that changed everything once and for all. This was the most fateful time of her life."
He held his breath to hear what might had happened, as she continued.
"Some of our acquaintances heard the buzz about our family having a girl and the buzz had spreaded among their far-away relatives. By this, after a while, a message was passed out from our far away accompliances to us, stating that there was a certain Sengupta family in Kolkata city only, and that they had a son who was a bachelor and was about twenty one years old. But even before her Dida or I could decide anything, we got a call from that family that their son was coming to see Swara. Then later, we agreed to meet their son once and then decide anything. He was about to complete his graduation soon."
After completing her last sentence, she turned her head to look at Sanskar, who was in turn looking at her.
"Maine hamesha se Swara ke zindagi keliye bohot sapne dekhe hai. I have always wanted someone for her to whom I can lend my hand without a moment's hesitation, someone I can trust with my daughter. Someone who will love her like she deserves. Someone who stands besides her no matter what the situation is. Koi aisa jo zindagi ke har mod par uske saath rahe, someone who will support her, will care for her and above all, someone who will respect her and her dreams. Someone who wasn't like Swara's father. And then... we got under the impression that Sahil indeed was all of these."
"Sahil?" He asked in confusion.
"Sahil Sengupta." She blurted out. The estranged name was like a blow to Sanskar. "The boy whose proposal was brought in our house."
Sanskar was trying to take in this piece of information that seemed very foreign to him. For Sharmishtha, on the other hand, this was becoming harder for her to once again go over those shadows but she also knew that she had to tell this young man everything. He was all that she had ever wanted for her daughter and she knew he was someone she could count on.
"Sahil Sengupta?" Sanskar uttered his name once again.
"Yes." She said. "So then that day, he came to our house to see Swara..."
[FLASHBACK BEGINS]
Five years back...
Sharmishtha was all nervy and jumpy with those inevitable thoughts that were in her mind even before all of it began... She just couldn't understand how to start.
And just then, a much younger, eighteen year old Swara, came out from nowhere, and hugged her darling Maa from behind, who was engrossed in works.
Sharmishtha smiled feeling her daughter's warmth, but her worries about her Shona's future washed the warmth away.
"Shona, I never expected that all this would happen so soon." She expressed her concerns to her, and she peeped at her Maa from behind. "We were willing to get your admission done in the medical college, I still don't understand how all this got involved."
"Maa, it's okay." She assured her mother with a smile. "And it's not like we are bound to say yes. If that boy turns out to be nothing like we expect him to be, if he refuses to support me and my career, then we will say no for this proposal then and there only. Okay? Don't take tension, Maa."
Maybe it was then... when Sharmishtha gave it a thought to meet the boy once.
~*~*~*~*~*~*
With the arrival of the new young lad who now could almost be addressed as Swara's 'fianceè', the Bose family were satisfied as he indeed seemed very good for her. What's more, he seemed very humble and his gentleman-behavior reflected in his tone as well as in the words he uttered. And above all, his sincerity and dedication towards Swara was proved when he had uttered those words to her Maa and Dida...
"Aunty, I assure you. Mai Swara ka bohot khayal rakhunga. And I'll stay with her through thick and thin, I promise you that. She is a very lovely girl and I'll be lucky to have her in my life. And there is one more thing I want your consent for."
"Yes, beta, tell us." Sharmishtha smiled slightly. She was satisfied with the kind of gentleman this boy was. Her worry was lessened because she could trust him with her Swara. "What is it?"
"I want your permission so that I... I can take her out for lunch tomorrow. Only if you allow me too." Sahil Sengupta requested her, and glanced towards Swara, who was also looking at him.
The sincerity and humility in his tone, they were all enough for Sharmishtha to say 'yes', and for Swara to be assured, that he was a very good man. She smiled looking at him.
And almost after two to three hours, of talking with each other and Swara and Sahil having a good talk with each other, in which they also found so many similarities in between each other, the Bose family was content, that maybe... everything was happening for good.
[FLASHBACK ENDS]
Sanskar looked at Sharmishtha giving her his full attention and a solemn expression accompanied his facial features.
"In our first meet itself, we were driven away by how genuine he was and his tone reflected the same. Little did we know that..." she sighed sadly.
Sanskar looked down, not finding any word to say.
"Then the other day, Sahil took Swara out for lunch and Swara was simply happy like any other girl would be. So, that day they went to a restaurant and they talked with each other for long, about various things, anything in general, and their bonding developed. Sahil cared about Swara and I could tell at that time that even Swara liked him. But above their bonding, they both respected each other and their perspective and they also trusted each other. That day, Swara came back home at night and when I saw her smiling and happy, I was assured that I can trust Sahil with Swara."
[FLASHBACK BEGINS]
"So... Swara."
Sahil smiled as he made himself comfortable on the chair he was sitting on which was opposite to Swara's. He looked down a bit nervously as he still wasn't able to formulate his words into a sensible sentence, while Swara looked at him anticipating him to say something.
They were both in the restaurant, for lunch, and both had been having some random talk for quite a while now. Swara could already tell how decent Sahil was as a person and he was also seen to be getting fond of her already.
"Swara, I know that at this point, we are still strangers to each other. Even though we now know a lot about each other but we still have to be compatible for each other, right? As now, we are going to... you know... spend our lives together. So, for instance, can we just become... friends first? Because honestly, I believe that friendship is the most prominent bond for any other kind of relationship." He put that out with nervousness threateningly arousing him and Swara smiled slightly nodding her head, as she agreed with him that it would be convenient if they first started off as friends.
~*~*~*~*~*~*
Sharmishtha still looked a bit thoughtful about all that was happening, and Swara immediately noticed her Maa.
"I'm just... worried about you Shona." She expressed her worries to Swara sometime late at night, when she asked her what was upsetting her even if the reason was very obvious. "You wanted to be a doctor, so you are giving up on everything just because of this marriage? Ek baar fir se sochle, Swara, kyu ki mujhe yeh sab thikh nahi lag raha hai. I know Sahil can be trusted but we still haven't seen how his family is or else what kind of thinking they hold. And then after your marriage, if they don't allow you to go for your education, tab hum kya karenge?"
Swara smiled as she knew exactly what to say to her worried Maa.
"Maa, aapne dekha nahi Sahil ne kal kya kaha? He said he was with me and that he will also support me no matter what happens. Maa, Sahil bohot accha ladka hai. Today after meeting him I have realized that maybe, everything that is happening in my life is for good. And I also know he will understand me and my dreams. And about his family, I'm sure if Sahil is this good, his family will be too. They all will understand me, Maa. And now I don't want you to worry about anything anymore. Just trust me."
They called it a day... when Sharmishtha kissed her Shona's forehead for one last time, wondering how much her daughter had grown up and that too so early that she was soon going to get married.
[FLASHBACK ENDS]
Sanskar pursed his lips as he absorbed the word 'marriage'. Would he be judged if he confessed that a very small part of his heart was a little jealous? He himself didn't know why but somewhere, it hurt him. Especially the fact that before him there was another man in Swara's life. But he was a human, and he had a heart, it was natural for him to feel that way.
"I know what you are thinking."
His head jolt up as he looked at Sharmishtha who just uttered those words that seemed more like a statement.
"Huh?"
"You must be wondering if Swara loved Sahil, right?" She asked and Sanskar immediately felt short of words.
"Haan... woh... nahi... mai woh..." He stumbled upon his own words and Sharmishtha chuckled knowingly. She could easily point out his nervousness and smiled slightly as she understood his inner turmoil.
"There wasn't any love between them, though. Actually, when their marriage was fixed, they were happy just like any would-be-married couple would be. But there wasn't any mature feeling or love between them... not as of then. But Swara did like him as a friend, and as a better half. She thought Sahil will be a very good partner to her and she admired him as a person. They were good friends back then and Sahil was also loyal and tender hearted towards her." She thought to rephrase the last sentence to herself. "Little did we know that he was just showing us that."
She inhaled regretfully wishing everything was reversed back then.
"Oh." all that Sanskar could say.
"Then came the day when Swara and Sahil were going to exchange rings. We thought things will go well but that day, it turned out that... Sahil's family was different than how he was. Turns out, they belonged to a very orthodox family, with Gayatri Sengupta, Sahil's grandmother, being the matriarch of the family."
He looked on.
"That day only, I noticed something fishy about the Sengupta's family intentions. The Sengupta family were asking us for dahej, in return they accepting Swara as their daughter in law. And it was too much, almost beyond our condition. But Gayatri ji told us to give the parental money anyhow to them or else they will not accept Swara as their daughter in law, even if she will go there being Sahil's wife."
"Dahej, Dowry system?!" He reacted to it in disbelief. "That's... that's just inhuman! Everyone knows that it's against law in today's generation! How can they even do such a thing?"
She chuckled dryly. "Gayatri Ji was very orthodox. She did not appreciate how we weren't ready to fulfill their demands and their regulations. Swara's Dida and I were shocked as that was really unexpected. But that day itself, we turned a bit suspicious towards Sahil too."
And with that, Sharmishtha recalled another fateful day of Swara's life.
~*~*~*~*~*~*
[FLASHBACK BEGINS]
Swara looked on shock and shifted her gaze from Sharmishtha to Sahil's grandmother Gayatri simultaneously, as she still couldn't believe what was going on. On the other hand, the higher authority of the family that was Gayatri, she was still looking at Sharmishtha and Shobha, expecting a reply from them.
"Don't act as if you were never aware about giving parental money, Sharmishtha ji." Gayatri said to them. "Yeh toh hamare pariwar ka dharm hai."
"Gayatri ji, hume maaf kar dijiye." Sharmishtha joined her hands in front of her, and that broke Swara's heart brutally. Why did her mother have to join her hands like that? "But we are not in a position to. Besides, we never knew anything about it."
"Iss tarah se aapman kar rahe ho aap hamare pariwar ka!" Gayatri raised her voice, and Bose family were lost for words. "And you expect that we will still allow our son to marry your daughter?"
Swara winced visibly and her eyes travelled towards Sahil but what astonished her was that Sahil was just silently watching everything and not speaking anything at all, not against anyone, not for anyone. He was just bowing his head down in front of his grandmother and listening. So was that what he meant when he said 'he would support her throughout his life'?
"Sasuma, jaane dijiye na please." Sahil's mother tried to convince Gayatri but all in vain as she spoke on.
"Sharmishtha ji, either you give us the dahej somehow or else be ready to see your daughter abandoned right before her marriage. Hum uss ghar se rishta nahi jodna chahte jo prathaon ka iss tarah se aapmaan-"
"Bas kijiye aunty ji!"
The voice shot across the engagement hall as Swara finally spoke up, as Gayatri and everyone else, including Sahil, stared at her in utter disbelief.
"Bohot aapmaan sehliya hai mene aur mere pariwar ne." Swara told her sharply, and Sharmishtha came besides her to stop her, but she couldn't.
"Aur agar aap aise prathaon ko maanti hai, jisme ladki ke shaadi sirf isiliye hosakti hai agar uska pariwar uske shadi ke badle mein dahej dede, then I'm sorry, there is another thing coming. Let me tell you, if this is what you believe can join our families and make me marry your son then I'm sorry, I will not marry your son. I am not going to marry Sahil at the cost of my family's respect and if dahej is all you believe can bring our relation a step ahead, and especially if that hurts my Maa and my Dida. I hope you got me."
For one last time, Swara turned to look at Sahil, who was looking at her like a fish out of water. Then she turned towards Sharmishtha, and shaked her head cupping her mother's cheeks.
"If this menace shows how these people want to suppress us women, then I promise Maa, I'm not going to marry in such a family where there is no respect for a woman and more greed for money." She said while Sharmishtha looked at her daughter regretfully.
[FLASHBACK ENDS]
"So much was going on that day but even then Sahil did not protest anything against this dowry system, scratch protest, he did not even utter a single word throughout that time. In fact, he was just simply watching till Swara spoke up. But even then, anyhow the engagement took place. After a lot of clashes and after some convincing done by Sahil's mother, Gayatri ji finally agreed to cancel the dahej. But even then, the bitterness still lingered in her eyes whenever she looked at us. The engagement still happened, with Sahil smiling looking at Swara but there was no smile from Swara's side after what had just happened. Until the function, too, people were talking about it. Gayatri ji's fondness for Swara had lessened and I could observe that."
She sighed expressing her worries from that time. "After the engagement, I had some suspicion towards Sahil too. For a moment, I felt as if he wasn't what he showed he was. If he was really so loyal, couldn't he have stood up against the dowry thing? Belonging from a modern generation, he should have opposed this act, be it the act from his grandmother but he didn't. And that's when I started having my own doubts about him. And just then various kinds of thoughts came in my mind. Would he support my daughter throughout his life be it any situation? Would he always be with her? Was he really good for Swara? I had these doubts about him and I even talked to my mother about all this. Then and there only, I declared that maybe we should cancel everything. Their marriage, and everything. Yes, it was true that Gayatri ji had finally accepted to cancel the dahej but who knows if similar situations kept coming up in their lives? Tab toh sirf dahej ki baat hui thi, par agar aage kuch bhi aisa ho jaata jisme meri beti ko koi bohot badi keemat chukani padhti, toh? I discussed with her Dida about it and then came to a conclusion -- that maybe we should talk to Sahil and his mother about all this and if there was something we could do. And if they didn't agree to us, we will cancel this marriage right away. Kitni bhi badnaami hone do samaaj mein, mai apni beti ka haath kisi aise insaan ke haath mein kabhi nahi dungi jo apni patni ka saath zindagi bhar nahi de sakta."
"Aunty," Sanskar, after long time of silence, finally spoke up. "You know, it's honestly like our first talk ever, yet I can already say that I respect you a lot. You all have been so strong all this while. And whatever I say about Swara, it's so less. Woh bohot nidar or himmati hai, aunty. Someone who doesn't stay silent when something wrong is going on, she stands up for what's right. And that is what makes her so special and different from others."
"I admire your thoughts, beta. You're such a genuine person and that is why I trust you to know what Swara has been through." She told him and he shaked his head.
"But after that, once again something happened and... our perspective changed for him again, as that night, right after their engagement, Swara got a call from him..."
[FLASHBACK BEGINS]
Swara was solemnly sitting near her window, witnessing the serenity of the starry night, and watching the moon as if trying to find something in it.
The calling ringtone of her phone brought her out of her daze as she picked up her phone only to see Sahil's call.
Alright, so it was now or never.
Swara swiped the accept button and held the phone against her ear. "Yeah?"
Sahil, on the other hand, looked quite hesitant. He didn't know how to start. "Ugh, Swara? Hey."
"Sahil, why did you call at this time?" She asked him bluntly as memories of her family being humiliated and his silence was still there in her mind.
"Swara, look, can we please talk?"
"We can't, Sahil." She nodded her head negatively. "Honestly, I didn't expect this from you. You didn't stand up or do anything and instead just stood there still, watching my family suffering every bit of humiliation from your Dadi. What do you think, how can I trust you after all this?"
"Look, Swara, I can explain. Really I can." Sahil tried to convince Swara and took a deep breath.
"I was just... actually... scared at that time." He admitted to her. "No one in our family has ever gone against her or her beliefs. That is why I couldn't say anything at that time. But Swara, I did feel bad, because meri dadi ki wajahse tumhari family ko itna kuch sunna pada. And now... I also called you to say something." He wiped his sweat on his forehead and continued.
"Swara, I am sorry. I am genuinely sorry for what happened today. Even Maa and Dadi have asked for forgiveness. I have convinced dadi now, so now she has nothing against you or your family. Trust me, Swara. And I promise you that it won't happen from now on. Swara, mene tumhare medical career keliye bhi apni dadi se baat karli hai and I am in hope that she will listen. Please Swara, just don't be upset on me. I can't bear it. Swara listen, I really like you a lot, and I want our relationship to work. I promise you ki jo aaj hua, woh aaj ke baad kabhi nahi hoga. Okay? Just please, trust your best friend." He uttered each and every word to her softly as if stumbling with even a single word might give Swara a wrong impression about him.
And after Swara replied an 'okay' to him, she once again lied her trust on him. Or atleast, she tried to. But she decided to give him another chance.
"Thank you Sahil." Swara said to him. "Thank you so much for understanding me and my family. And thank you for trying to convince your Dadi into letting me continue my degree education."
And on the other hand, Sahil smirked to himself, as if he just claimed something.
[FLASHBACK ENDS]
"Even after what had happened during their engagement, he still made up for it, made up for it in a way that we still trusted him with Swara again. He took care of Swara whenever he took her out after asking for our permission. With time passing on, their friendship developed. They got along very well and Swara also slowly became very habitual of him."
A heartbeat passed as Sharmishtha's breathing was becoming hard for her and noticing that, Sanskar immediately kept his palm on hers, providing her a silent comfort, as his eyes traced over her distressed features. Her inner pain began but with the warmth provided by Sanskar to her through his palm, she didn't know why but it felt comforting. Just as homey as Swara's was.
"Aunty, please don't tell me. You are not in the state to talk about it, so leave it. You need rest, aunty. I don't want to know what happened with Swara after that. Please, you just rest."
"But I want you to know." She told him immediately as her demeanor appeared stronger and determined. "It's my last day here today, Sanskar, and I want you to know what happened with Swara then. If I can trust only one person in this world with my daughter, it's you!"
And with that, he couldn't say anything as her perseverance stopped him from saying further word. He felt sorry for her having to talk about Swara's past in this state when she had just recently undergone a life-threatening accident. He would rather prefer not to know her past, than seeing Sharmishtha's heart ripping apart at the remind of her daughter's past.
"Then finally, the day came. The day that was supposed to be the most beautiful day of a woman's life, it eventually turned out to be the worst nightmare one can't even imagine. On the day of marriage... the unexpected storm that rose into the wedding environment... it shook us all like a thunderbolt. We wished these things had never happened at all. That day, Swara was getting ready in her bridal attire in her own room, in which her Dida and I both were helping her. That day, Swara was happy like any other soon-to-be bride would be. She was getting ready when the baraat was all set to be welcomed by our relatives outside the baadi. That day..."
[FLASHBACK BEGINS]
Today was one of the most beautiful days of Swara's life as today she was soon going to step into another phase of her life. She herself didn't know why but... she found herself caught into a whirlwind of conflicting emotions. She was happy because she was going to marry someone with whom she was bonded by a deep, and maybe... an everlasting friendship. Someone who she trusted and who respected her.
Marriage... this wasn't just a word. It was an emotion, a feeling for her. A feeling that she was going to share her life with her partner. A feeling that she was going to be addressed as someone's wife. Marriage, it's truly a fate-changing event, but still a beautiful one. A beautiful journey.
"Maa, how am I looking?" Swara asked Sharmishtha with uncertainty, who was setting her long black hairs into an elegant bun.
Was she looking good? Good enough to be with Sahil? She had no idea.
Being the epitome of beauty that she was, Swara was wearing a long red lehenga in bengali style. To complete the bride's look, she'd adorned herself in beautiful golden and red bangles and her hairs, tied into an attractive bun, which was now going to be hidden beneath the 'ghoonghat' over Swara's head. And for the finish-up, her neck was adorned with a heavy gold necklace that Sahil's family had given her as a shagun. To say that she was looking absolutely beautiful would be an understatement. Well, it was always said that a bride looked the most beautiful at the time of her marriage but in Swara's case, she looked not only beautiful but also like she just descended from heaven with several pearls accompanying her.
Sharmishtha was teary eyed at how heavenly her Shona was looking. She grew up so soon, going to leave their home and make her own, she was a bit emotional.
"Ekdum pari jaisi!" She commented with a broad smile on her face as Swara's lips broke into a smile full of happiness.
Just then, she put kaala teeka on Swara so that she would have no bad eyes, and she hugged her mother dearly.
"Aee Shoru!" Dida called out joyfully. "Apni dida ko hug nahi karega?"
And very soon she was welcomed into their arms as they grabbed her together into a hug and with that, the trio shared a beautiful moment with each other.
~*~*~*~*~*~*
Today was her Shona's big day, so, Sharmishtha prayed to Durga Maa for her daughter's happiness.
The bride of the day was welcomed with lots of love and hoots from their well-wishers, their far-away relatives, and especially some of Swara's friends. Anushka was one of them too.
"Aunty!" Anushka came towards Sharmishtha. "Baraat kab aane wali hai? I want to dance! I've always wanted to dance in my best friends' wedding! Now I am not able to wait more!"
Sharmishtha chuckled, "Aa jayenge beta, even we are waiting for them. But it's okay, they just might be late."
"Yes, you are right. Accha aunty! I'm going to stay with Swara so I'm going! Okay? Bye."
"Bye." Sharmishtha smiled greeting her and turned around to greet her guests.
The wedding was taking place in the Baadi only, in the open area. Many, many people were seen to be gathering with more passing time, and everything else was in hustle and bustle.
[FLASHBACK ENDS]
"Swara was very happy on her marriage day. Her smile, it was just like that of an angel. Uske chehre pe woh ronak, woh chamak... sab kuch, sab kuch chhin gaya usse uss din." She uttered heavily, as she poured her heart out. "She herself didn't understand how things took a 360 degree turn in her life. And for all this... Sahil is to blame. Just because of that man, my daughter had to go through so much that day. So, Swara was waiting for the baraat very eagerly and so were we all. But the shock that accompanied later was... the baraat didn't come at all. Muhrat ko shuru hote hue already 2 ghante ho chuke the but there was still no news about them. Relatives were slowly beginning to question us about it and we... we had no answer to give. Kya kehte hum unse when we ourselves don't know what was going on."
[FLASHBACK BEGINS]
Swara was waiting for the baraat to come. She glanced towards the entrance of the Baadi in between to check if they'd arrived but to her dismay... there was no sign of them.
But now it was almost two hours since their muhrat had begun and still there was no sign of them. Sharmishtha was anxiously trying to call Sahil's mother, to ask them where they were, but to their dismay, the phones were seemed to be switched off.
"Maa," Swara came to Sharmishtha and asked her with uncertainty. "Sahil or uske family thikh toh honge na? Why hasn't the baraat come yet? Maa, I don't know why but I'm just feeling worried. Sab thikh toh hoga na?"
Sharmishtha herself didn't know what to say but somehow to comfort her daughter, she kept her palm on her shoulder.
"Shona, look, let's wait for some more time. If they don't come within fifteen minutes then I'll go to their house to check if everything is fine."
Swara nodded her head in anxiety and Sharmishtha went from there to talk to her Maa about it, who looked as anxious as she was.
"Shomi? What happened? Did you call them?" Shobha asked Sharmishtha immediately. She was fearing too now.
"Maa, I have no idea what is going on." She admitted to her Maa truthfully, who responded with a worried expression. "Na Sahil ke ghar ka phone lag raha hai or na hi Sahil phone utha raha hai. Even Swara is getting worried. But don't worry Maa, if they don't arrive within fifteen to twenty minutes, I'll go to their house and check."
"Haan, haan Shomi." Shobha told her daughter. "Tu jaa ke dekhke aa jana. Shoru ko dekh, kitna pareshan hai. It's such a big day of her life and we are seeing her worried. I don't feel good."
"Maa, don't worry. All we can do is wait for some more time."
"But Shomi now everyone is beginning to question us. Tab kya jawaab dega hum unko?"
"We will handle it for now, Maa. We will tell them that they might be late."
[FLASHBACK ENDS]
"Soon, there was lot of tension in the air as now even Swara was beginning to wonder why the baraat hadn't showed up yet. Her anxiousness was slowly turning into fear and then... her fears were proved confirmed when... when she received a letter." Sharmishtha blurted out and Sanskar scrunched his eyebrows in anxiety.
"A letter... by Sahil."
And that became an evening they all wishes they could delete from their lives. It was a nightmarish time of their lives.
[FLASHBACK BEGINS]
Swara was still waiting for Senguptas to show up but everything was in vain.
Almost twenty to twenty five minutes had passed by, and Swara's fears were growing thicker with every passing second. With this, she was at the end of the patience.
"Maa." Sharmishtha approached Shobha immediately. "I can't wait anymore now. Mai Sahil ke ghar jaa rahi hoon. Dekh ke aati hoon ki kya ho gaya."
"Wait Shomi, I'll also come with you. Honestly, I still don't trust Gayatri that much. What if she says anything to you? Tu akele mat jaa, mai bhi aata hoon."
Before any of the two ladies would say anything, an intruder was seen entering the Baadi, with something in his hand.
"Who is Swara here?" The intruder called out, tracing his eyes towards every woman there, until he spotted the bride who was looking at him in acknowledgement.
Swara was startled hearing her name. She immediately made her way towards the man.
"Yes! I... I am." she uttered, somehow trying to get her heartbeats under a steady speed.
"Aapke liye kuch bheja gaya hai." The man told her, indicating the small size of sheet in his hand. "They told me to give it to you."
"Who 'they'?" She asked him in confusion.
"I don't know." And with that, he turned around on his heels and left the place.
Sahil and the Senguptas had still not showed up yet, and here someone had sent something for her in a piece of paper. Perhaps a letter.
Swara held the paper piece in her hand, before wondering who would have written it to her and what did it have. She slowly started to unfold those folds, until it emerged out to be a long fullscape sheet, and her eyes began scanning over it after she found out that it was a letter for her.
No sooner her eyes were scanning the paper, her heart dropped down an inch too mercilessly that it caused her a physical stress in her heart. No sooner she was reading halfway through it, her world seemed to be spinning around her. No sooner she reached at the end... she had never felt so lost before.
Her eyes went away from the paper, and suddenly her knees were too weak. Her eyes reflected so many kinds of emotions... shocked, distressed, disbelief... and most importantly, her heart stopped as it was no longer under her control.
A panic-striken sob left her lips as she stumbled a bit, stepping back. To say that she was shocked... utterly devastated... it would be an understatement. No words were enough to express how she felt right now.
How painful it felt right now.
"Shona!" Sharmishtha immediately went and held Swara from falling but this time Swara wasn't able to see anything else. Except the fact... that she was cheated. She felt cheated, she felt like she was played. All by that one man she would never expect.
Sharmishtha herself didn't know what caused her daughter to stumble like this, so she quickly took the paper away from her hands and herself began to read it.
"Shomi! Kya hua? Kya hai uss mein?" Her own mother's worried voice couldn't reach her as by the time Sharmishtha was slowly nearing the end of the letter... she was no longer stable. She could no longer keep herself up. She looked on extremely shocked as the paper fell off from her hands without even getting noticed by her. Even the guests were looking at their reactions. Shobha shaked Sharmishtha trying to bring her back to her senses.
"Shomi. Arey koi batata kyu nahi hai mereko!" Shobha yelled in her own wet voice. She couldn't believe what she just saw happening to her daughters.
"Mai khud hi dekhta hoon." She herself went ahead to check what such was there in the letter that caused them to get shocked... like this.
She picked up the paper and her eyes scanned each and every word of the letter.
Dear Swara,
I'm sorry. I'm very sorry for playing with your trust and with your belief on me once again. I'm sorry for everything in general. I'm so sorry because once again, I have done something that might break your trust on me once and for all. But I'm sorry that... I won't be able to marry you today.
I know, none of us expected anything to go wrong, but it still did. Things went wrong for us. Dadi once again expressed her thoughts about how your family is too insufficient to fulfill their expectations. I think it still has something to do with that dahej matter. They don't trust you, Swara. They say they want someone better for me. And I think that I kind of agree with them. I deserve better. But then... I'm sorry for hiding this from you but, a few days back, I had got a call from London and they told me that they want to recruit me in their well-renowned company. It is a very huge opportunity for me and I can't lose that. Even then at first I had denied it, knowing what that meant. But today, when Dadi turned our house upside down for me to go and grab this opportunity and not marry 'someone like you', I couldn't say anything against her. I can't say anything to her against her. So...
Please don't wait in the mandap for me because I am not going to come. I'm sorry Swara, but our marriage can't happen, not atleast today. And by the time you'll receive this letter... I'll be gone. Gone to London.
I'm sorry, I hope you will forgive me.
Yours sincerely,
Sahil
"Kya hua Shobha ji? What is there in it that caused you all to react like this?" One of their guests questioned them, and Shobha had never felt so helpless before. She wasn't able to absorb a single word from this letter.
How could that family do this with her granddaughter? How could he abandon her just like that?! Why... why did they do this?
And how was she supposed to say that to her guests?!
And soon the whole environment that was once in hustle and bustle, was filled with this nasty news that... this marriage was not going to happen because the groom left the bride.
~*~*~*~*~*~*
Swara still looked on shocked and numb as her world turned upside down after reading what Sahil had written for her in the letter.
At this point, the society was beginning to gossip about this. Even their relatives, their neighbours, were beginning to question them, that what wrong did they do that caused such a wealthy family to abandon their daughter on the day of her marriage like that?
"Sharmishtha ji, your daughter is so unlucky that such a wealthy and kind man ditched her." One of the ladies commented, and Swara still wasn't able to hear anything. Her own heartbeats was pounding in her ears.
"Arey, mene toh pehle hi kaha tha." Another lady barked. "It's exactly what had happened with Sharmishtha ji too."
"Seriously, I pity this family. Inke kismat mein toh jaise pati ka hona likha hi nahi hai." another voice came.
Swara, all this while, was numb. Being too caught up in her own misery, her own pain; she could hardly notice those comments thrown by their society. Those comments did reach her ears but she wasn't able to react.
"Shona." Sharmishtha sobbed as she cupped her daughter's cheek, only to get a death silence in return. "Say something. Kuch toh bol Shona." Tears were running down her cheeks as she herself couldn't understand what kind of turn these events just took. Her daughter, who deserved so much better, how was she abandoned like this on her marriage? How did that family do this with her? A mother's heart was wrinkling in pain as she saw her daughter who was completely numb. It was as if... she had nothing else to lose.
"I already told you all." Another person jumped in. "There is no marriage life in this family's fate. And Sharmishtha ji, you always say that even though being raised without a father, you have handled her and raised her well! What happened then? Why did the Sengupta family abandon her if your daughter is so good-"
"BAS!!!"
An extremely loud voice boomed across the entire Baadi and each and every individual standing there was startled by the sudden voice. Even Swara... who was in shock all this while, winced as her eyes went towards the source of that voice, only to find Sharmishtha, who was giving an extremely deadly glare to each and every person out there who was speaking rubbish against her daughter. Even Shobha stared at Sharmishtha.
Sharmishtha, gathering all her rage, all her courage up, stepped a foot ahead to face those people they were forced to call their society.
"Ab agar koi ek lafz aur bolega, iska anjaam bohot bura hoga." She uttered each and every word venomously as she shooted glares to everyone.
And just then, she turned her head towards Swara, and what caught her eyes this time broke her heart into several pieces. There were running tears in Swara's eyes, her expression completely shocked, completely numb.
Sharmishtha walked towards her and dragging her hand, she brought her daughter to her to stand with her.
"Before I say anything else, I would like to ask everyone here, that what wrong has my daughter done to any of you that you all are saying all this? Whatever has happened is our problem, it's none of your business to talk about it?! And we don't, none of us need any flashback to what happened with us in our lives. Hume yeh aap logon se jaanne ki jarurat nahi hai ki meri beti Swara kaisi hai or woh kya hai! Kya kumi hai meri beti mein?! Kuch bhi nahi." She uttered each and every word harshly for everyone to listen. She had truly had enough. Enough of this. Enough of everything.
"Lekin ek baat mai jarur kehna chahungi... ki mujhe garv hai apni beti par." Sharmishtha made it clear for everyone, ignoring her own tears travelling down, and Swara turned her head towards Sharmishtha who was still holding her hand defensively. "So what you all assume her to be... a fatherless child, right? Toh sun lo sab, I'm proud to have a daughter like her. Jo ladki naa hi sirf khud ko sambhalti hai par apne saath saath dusron ko bhi sambhalti hai... apni Maa or Dida ko bhi sambhalti hai. I'm proud, that I'm a mother of such a daughter. I want to make it clear for each and every person standing right here, that I'm proud of my daughter! And that Sahil..." She uttered that man's name venomously. "Woh toh kabhi meri Shona ke layak tha hi nahi. And you know what Shona? I'm happy, ki teri shaadi aise insaan se hote hote bach gayi. I'm happy you couldn't marry him. I'm happy it was the right time everything stopped or else, things would have been damaged beyond repair after this."
And that was all it took for Swara to break into low sobs.
"Shomi, b-bas kar." Shobha convinced her. "Aur tu kin logon se zubaan lada raha hai? Do you think they will understand the gem that our Shoru is? I don't know why are we wasting our time in talking with these people."
"Arey Shobha ji!" One lady finally came up. "It's you who has wasted our time. Like, I already knew this marriage was not going to happen."
"Oh, you are right." Her acquaintance told her. "Let's go back to our homes. Idhar aake bhi koi faida nahi hua."
"SHUT UP AND LEAVE MY FAMILY ALONE !!!" Shobha roared and her voice boomed across the baadi.
And when people had finally begun to disperse, Shobha finally bursted into loud cries, cries of despair and helplessness. She facepalmed herself thinking what humiliation they just got to face. She saw fate cruelly repeating once again, this time at the case of her granddaughter. Sharmishtha tried to muffle her sobs by covering her mouth, not being able to bear this pain anymore. No, she had handled herself after what happened with her but... why did this happen with her daughter?!
And Swara, too overwhelmed by everything, she turned around on her heels and ran away from there as fast as she could and Sharmishtha and Shobha noticed.
"Shoru!" Shobha yelled.
"Shona?" Sharmishtha whispered in a broken tone.
But even before they could run after Swara to stop her, they heard a loud sound of thump as they saw Swara getting inside her room and shutting the door completely.
Without wasting a single moment, both ladies ran towards the door and tried to bang it open only for them to realise that... Swara had locked herself up.
"Swara! Swara open the door!" Sharmishtha banged the door shouting.
"Shoruuuu!" Shobha cried loudly.
Here, on the other hand, Swara had shut herself away completely from everything. Away from her venue, away from her Maa and Dida, away from the reality that she was ditched by someone whom she trusted more than herself. Away from... the world.
Her breathings turned heavier, until she couldn't contain this pain inside her anymore. It caused her stress in her heart, until everything became unbearable for her. Those words... they still tormented her soul. Those words pierced her soul. Those words from Sahil, the society, everything else...
'I'm sorry that... I won't be able to marry you today.'
'Please don't wait in the mandap for me because I am not going to come. I'm sorry Swara, but our marriage can't happen, not atleast today. And by the time you'll receive this letter... I'll be gone.'
'They don't trust you, Swara. They say they want someone better for me. And I think that I kind of agree with them. I deserve better.'
And then the society's remarks...
'Sharmishtha ji, your daughter is so unlucky that such a wealthy and kind man ditched her.'
'There is no marriage life in this family's fate.'
Her world spinned around her as she shut her ears tight, trying to get those torturous voices away from her mind. Away from her soul. Away from what impact they all had on her. Her tears kept on falling from her cheeks and not even her sanity helped her as she struggled with her defeated self. Until... everything went dark infront of her eyes and this time not even Sharmishtha or Shobha's yelling voices from outside could reach her.
[FLASHBACK ENDS]
Sharmishtha put an end to this, and she bowed her head down, trying to fight back her tears. As for Sanskar, he still couldn't believe what he was hearing. To say that he was shocked, to say that he felt extremely sorrowful after hearing what Swara had undergone in her life... he couldn't bear this pain within himself. But he also imagined... if he felt so painful hearing it, then how would Swara had felt at that time? As she was the one who went through this. The thought that Swara had to go through so much... first her family's split, then the man she trusted the most leaving her on her marriage day in front of everyone.
It was becoming hurtful for Sanskar to contain the pain he had for her for going through so much, but he still kept his calm and looked at Sharmishtha, who looked stronger now.
"We realised we were so wrong regarding our perspective towards Sahil. Turns out he was... he was worse than Swara's father! The one who didn't even think once before he took that step and ruined my daughter's happiness and her self respect. Why would he do such a thing if at all he respected her and cared about her? Turns out, he never really cared for her and treated her just like a toy... jise jab chaha apna liya or jab chaha tab dur dhakel diya."
His heart contracted in pain, yet he maintained a composed expression.
"Then after the marriage day, Sahil was gone. Like literally disappeared for ever. It was difficult for Swara to live her life with the thought that somebody she trusted so deeply just abandoned her on the day of her marriage. That was the time when she lost her self esteem. Her self confidence. Sahil went away from all of us very easily but he snatched away the Swara we have always known since childhood. She was broken by every bit. She lost her faith in everything, in trust, in friendship, in love. All these incidents had a very huge impact on her. It became so difficult for her to live her life further. Though she has got over her past now but sometimes whenever she feels low then she breaks down easily. Sanskar, she has the strong girl façade which she has carved around herself but from inside she is still somewhere hurt by what happened. Her only saving grace was her career and her love for her medical profession. She did it all to keep our family's respect. She did it all for us. She has always kept me and Dida above everything throughout her life. After that incident, her Dida and I had to try a lot to bring her out of everything. It took many months for her to recover from that trauma and as soon as she got fine and stable, we sent her to the medical college in Jamshedpur for her degree studies. We asked Anushka to take care of her since she was going to be with her. But the thing is... even after so many years of what had happened at that time, she is still a bit vulnerable after what happened with her."
"Aunty, it's not easy." Sanskar somehow managed to utter in his own broken voice. He still couldn't believe Swara went through so much. "I can't even imagine Swara par kya beeti hogi. Usse itne kum umar mein itna kuch sehna pada. I can't believe it."
"I couldn't believe it too. But I think that atleast... that saved her from marrying that reckless man. We were actually going to commit a mistake but, I'm glad that Shona didn't have to marry there and get her life destroyed. But Sanskar, ek sach yeh bhi hai ki... it's hard for her to trust anyone, because in her life the word 'trust' had already lost it's meaning. And the word 'love' lost it's meaning for her after seeing how I and her father split apart."
"I can understand aunty."
"But now, I think she has got someone on whom she can lie her trust with all her heart."
She looked at him and a very small smile made it's way to her lips, while Sanskar looked at her with something flickering in his eyes. As for him... he still wasn't able to believe if all of it was going on for real.
"You love Swara, right?" She asked and an unknown emotion flashed across Sanskar's eyes. "Look Sanskar, don't hide it from me. I know you do, and your love for her is just seen in your eyes. And I trust you too. I know initial days have been tough but in those days, I have seen how tender hearted you were towards Swara. You took care of her when she was in pain. You supported her and you were with her in her crucial time. I know you feel something for her."
"Do you think she also feels something for me?" He asked with uncertainty instead.
"A mother knows it well, Sanskar." Sharmishtha smiled. "I have seen the spark in her eyes. And in your eyes too. How hurt you were to see her in pain. The only thing is she has forbidden herself to admit her feelings for anyone. She has those walls around her heart even today. But I know what's the best for my daughter. You're the one she deserves and that is what I believe."
The warm words uttered by Sharmishtha, it brought a slight smile on Sanskar's face, even when he was still overwhelmed by the recent events and by what Swara went through.
"Will you promise me something?"
"Anything!" He replied then and there itself.
"Will you always stay with Swara?" She asked and his heart skipped a beat. "This will be too much to ask for. You're the best that can happen to my daughter, Sanskar. I know she trusts you and I know you do to. Will you always be with Swara?"
Sanskar nodded his head, bringing a smile on Sharmishtha's face.
"Yes aunty." He replied making his promise to her. "I promise you that I'll never break the trust that you and your daughter have kept on me. I promise you, I'll never let a single tear come from your daughter's eyes. I'll always be with her no matter what happens. And most importantly, she has Sanskar Maheshwari, the one whom she can trust. The one whom she can count on. Aur yeh mera vaada hai aapse! Mai kabhi bhi aapki beti ka saath nahi chhodunga. Usse har woh khushi dunga jo woh deserve karti hai. Aur mai hamesha uske saath rahunga. I promise you aunty, this is a promise that I have made to a mother for her daughter's happiness!" He uttered each and every word to her softly and he meant every word he just said.
Those were Sanskar's final words, before Sharmishtha blessed him. After some time, she was forced to sleep because of the effect due to her medicines, and Sanskar left the room soon after, with his resolve much strengthened than before.
~*~*~*~*~*~*
Sanskar shut the door after leaving the room, so as to not disturb Sharmishtha while she was sleeping. Right now, he took a deep breath as he finally got a moment to ponder over his own thoughts.
Until... he saw her.
Swara was seen asleep, with her head against the wall behind her, sitting on a bench in a rather uncomfortable position but yet she looked like she was in a deep slumber and that made Sanskar notice her... she was so sweet, so adorable, so innocent. Both in and out. He stared at her, this time with a new perspective about her. Suddenly, he remembered what she'd gone through in her life.
And then... he realized that she was the strongest girl he'd ever met in his life. She deserved every bit of happiness in this world. And he was going to make sure of it.
He closed his eyes and let out a sigh, a deep sigh. He felt like he was finally ready to think about another important part of his life. He felt like he was finally complete.
There was no denying anymore, Sanskar had fallen in love with Swara. It didn't take him to read any kind of romance novel or anything, it just happened in a flash, he himself didn't know how.
Suddenly, Swara's head was about to fall off from the wall as she was still deeply asleep. Sanskar noticed it too and before her head could fall off, he immediately walked towards her and held her head delicately in his palm.
Knowing that she was sleeping, Sanskar made himself seated besides her, and still not knowing what to do... he rested her head on his shoulder.
Then slowly, he raised his hand, trying to tuck those strands of Swara's hair away, which were disturbing her. He tucked those strands of her hair behind her ears and then... he caressed her cheeks once, before once again remembering what she'd undergone in her life.
"Sach toh yeh hai..." He stated heavily as if pouring his heart out to her. He turned to look at her even when she was asleep. "Ki tumhe unn dino mein itne dard mein dekhne ke baad, mujhe bohot dard hua. Mere dil ko dard hua. Lekin ussi ke saath, mujhe ek aur baat ka ehsaas ho gaya, ki mai tumhe dard mein nahi dekh sakta Swara. I never understood what this feeling was, I swear. What I feel for you is so strong Swara. In those days, seeing you in pain made my heart sink. Seeing tears in your eyes made me feel as if my heart was pierced by something so sharp. And now after hearing what you have been through in your life, I want to tell you... that you're the strongest person I have ever known in my whole life, Swara. The strongest, and the kindest. The one who keeps her family above everything despite of what happened. I wonder how proud Sharmishtha aunty is to have you as her daughter. You're a fighter, Swara. The girl who has fought all these years and got what you deserved."
He confessed as she was still asleep. He was aware that she wasn't hearing him but that couldn't stop him from expressing his feelings for her.
"Iss duniya ki har woh khushi tum deserve karti ho Swara. Each and every moment with you, it makes me feel so much contented. Each and every moment spent with you till now made me realise what these feelings really are and how strong they are. I never knew what love was, before you came in my life. Yes Swara, I have realised that I have fallen in love with you! Mai tum se pyaar karne laga hoon Swara. I don't know how this happened, when and where this happened. Tumhi se kyu hua nahi pata. Iss pyaar ki koi manzil hai, nahi hai, mujhe nahi pata. But now I can't imagine a life without you in it Swara. Tumhare dard ke wajayon ko mai khatam karna chahta hoon. Tumhare aansu pochhne keliye tumhare saath khade rehna chahta hoon. It hurts so much to see tears in your eyes Swara. I want to be with you. I want to make you feel that you're not alone. I want you to know that you deserve so much better Swara. I want to assure you that you have someone whom you can lie your trust on."
Sanskar sounded so vulnerable at this time that he himself did not realise when a lone tear had dropped down from his eye. He stayed strong while hearing about her past from Sharmishtha but he was breaking inside. He had never felt so painful before. This was pain... the pain of seeing your love in pain. This girl in front of him -- whom he had fallen in love with -- had gone through so much in her life. He couldn't see her in pain, this was so painful. He wanted to see her happy. He really wanted...
He really wanted.
"I love you, Swara!" Sanskar confessed his feelings for one more time.
"Aur mai tum se ek aur vaada karta hoon. Uss Sahil Sengupta ko mai chhodunga nahi. Kabhi woh mujhe zindagi mein fir milega, usse iss kiye ki saza mai usse jarur dilwaunga. But right now, my priority is only you, Swara, and the promise that I have made to a mother who trusts me with her Shona."
And he was determined. Those were his final words.
For once, just for once, could she open up to him? Could she open up about her emotions to him?
And yes... The moment Swara Bose opened up about her pain to him, the pain would no longer be only hers but Sanskar Maheshwari's too.
Her pain would be his pain, her hopes would be his, and most importantly, her happiness would be his happiness!
~*~*~*~*~*~*
Precap : Sanskar to fall off the stairs and injure himself, and Swara coming for his aid but but but... do you think has Sanskar really lost it or is he just putting up an act? 😂😆
A/N : So this story successfully gains 7000+ readers and 800+ votes! Thank you to each one of you for reading ❤ I love you all to moon and back. ❤😍😘
So... what are your views about the storyline? Did you have any idea about Swara's past? What do you think will happen next? What will Sanskar do now, though?