Next Morning
At 4 a.m., Sarika wakes up and lies on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. How much her life had changed. She still remembered the time when, after her twelfth-grade exams, she had happily gone to her father to share her results. She wanted to study further and become a teacher because she loved teaching. But her father didn't have enough money to support her education. He was a simple farmer with very little land to his name. Selling the land wasn't an option, as he also had to think about his younger son's education. Supporting the education of two children was beyond his means.
Sarika, understanding the situation, buried her dreams and immersed herself in household chores. When she turned twenty, a marriage proposal from Adrijay came for her. The family seemed well-off, and her father decided to marry her off to him. Though he had nothing except his farmland, he borrowed money to ensure the wedding lacked nothing. Before the wedding, Sarika's mother advised her to live harmoniously in her in-laws' house and to obey everyone. Her mother was happy that Sarika was marrying into such a big family. But little did she know that her daughter's life would become filled with sorrow and suffering.
People say a girl leaves everything behind and goes to her husband's house, trusting that, no matter what, her husband will always stand by her. After all, he is the one who takes vows and promises during the wedding. Sarika, too, had gone to her in-laws' house with this belief, dreaming of love, respect, and care from her husband. Thinking about this, Sarika sat on her wedding bed, shy and nervous, waiting for Adrijay.
Flashback
Sarika sat shyly on the wedding bed when Adrijay opened the door and entered. Her heart began to race. Without saying a word, Adrijay went straight to the cupboard, took out his clothes, and walked into the bathroom. Hearing the door close, Sarika lifted her gaze and saw him entering the bathroom. She lowered her eyes again, waiting for him to return.
After a while, the bathroom door opened, and Adrijay came out. Without saying a word to Sarika, he went straight to bed, turned his back to her, and fell asleep. Sarika looked at him with sadness. Her mother had told her something completely different, but here, Adrijay didn't even speak to her. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she composed herself, took her clothes out of her bag, and went to the bathroom.
A while later, Sarika removed all her makeup, changed her clothes, and came back. She looked at Adrijay with disappointment before lying down in her place and trying to sleep. Being in a new place, she couldn't sleep and started missing her mother, father, and brother. Tears streamed down her face as she silently cried herself to sleep.
Flashback Ends
Since that day, Sarika had tried to talk to Adrijay many times, but all she got was silence or taunts. He rarely spoke to her, and when he did, it was only to criticize her. At the age of twenty, Sarika had left everything behind, trusting Adrijay, but she never found happiness in his house. She had forgotten what happiness even meant.
When Yamini Ji pressured Adrijay to consummate the marriage, Sarika began to question her worth. Was she just an object or a toy for others to control? Nine years had passed since their marriage, but after the pagphere ceremony, Sarika had never gone back to her parents' house. Yamini Ji always found a reason to stop her, and Adrijay never cared enough to ask how she felt. Whenever Sarika spoke to her family, she held back her tears, but her mother understood everything. After all, she was a mother. She had realized over time that marrying Sarika into a rich family was a mistake, one she regretted every day.
Sarika had grown accustomed to her life. She had adapted, but her heart and eyes had lost their spark. The Sarika who had come as a bride nine years ago was now lost.
Thinking about everything, Sarika closed her eyes, and tears rolled down her cheeks. She wiped them away and looked at Adrijay, who was sleeping with his back turned to her.
Looking at his back with tearful eyes, Sarika whispered to herself, "You never understood me… never listened to me… never thought about me. And yet, living with you, I fell in love with you. Why are our hearts so naive? Why do we fall in love with someone who doesn't care for us, who only tolerates us for the sake of their family? But what's the point? You'll never love me, will you? You'll only think of me when you need something. I wonder, if something happened to me, would you even feel sad that I'm not here anymore?"
Saying this, Sarika looked at Adrijay's back for a while before composing herself. Controlling her emotions, she got up, tied her hair, took her clothes out of the cupboard, and went to the bathroom.
She was exhausted and her eyes hurt from not sleeping the previous night. But she knew if she delayed, Yamini Ji would find something to complain about, and Sarika didn't want to give her that chance. So, she got back to her routine.
At around seven, everyone gathered in the dining area for breakfast. Yamini Ji had a headache and stayed in her room. The rest of the family was seated. Adrijay had woken up early and dropped the kids at school, so he joined them for breakfast.
Devansh was lovingly feeding Vishakha, who blushed and smiled shyly. Seeing this, Adrijay glanced at Sarika, who was silently lost in her thoughts, eating her breakfast. Clearing his throat to get her attention, Adrijay pretended to cough. Sarika snapped out of her thoughts and poured a glass of water for him.
Adrijay took the glass and drank the water. Meanwhile, Devansh and Vishakha, embarrassed by the interruption, started eating on their own.
After breakfast, Adrijay got up, and Sarika quickly went to the kitchen to put the dirty plates away. She washed her hands, grabbed his lunchbox, and handed it to him. Adrijay took the lunchbox and looked at her.
Feeling nervous under his gaze, Sarika lowered her eyes and started fidgeting with her fingers. Seeing her like this, a small smile appeared on Adrijay's face, which he quickly hid.
He said, "I'll come home early tonight."
Sarika nodded without looking up. Annoyed by her response, Adrijay said firmly, "When I talk to you, look at me. Don't look elsewhere."
Startled by his tone, Sarika looked at him nervously. Adrijay smiled faintly and said, "Alright, I'm leaving. Bye."
Sarika nodded again, and Adrijay raised an eyebrow at her. Flustered, she quickly waved her hand and said, "B-Bye."
Adrijay nodded, picked up his bag, and left. Sarika watched him go, wondering, "What happened to him all of a sudden? Why is he behaving like this? He's never said bye before, so what changed today?"
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