CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Jwala:

"I... Will... Clean" I said stammering.

"Fast," Agni said.

I started cleaning. I finished it and came back to the room. Agni came to me and pulled me to him holding my waist.

"Are you angry with me?"

I didn't speak to him. He left me and went off from the room. I thought he had gone without convincing me, but he came within five minutes with food again. He came to me and sat beside me.

"Eat it, baby," he said trying to keep food in my mouth lovingly.

I turned my face away.

"I said have it," he said with a bit of seriousness in his voice.

I immediately had food. Agni gave the plate to the maid and came to me again.

"Is my princess angry with me?" He said pulling me towards him.

"Leave me," I said

He kissed me on cheeks.

"No, I am never going to leave this baby" he kissed me again.

"You shouted at me; I won't talk to you."

"Really? Let me see how long my princess will stop talking to me."

I got out of his grip and slept on the bed. He laid beside me and held my waist pulling me towards him.

"Listen to me, sweety."

"I am sleepy. Leave me" I shouted, and Agni left me.

"Go and sleep on the couch. I don't want you to sleep here" I ordered

"Ok fine, I will sleep on the couch as punishment for shouting at you," he said and slept on the sofa.

In the morning, I woke up and he tried to talk to me, but I ignored him. I am drinking juice, and he came to me.

"It's me who should help you to drink juice, right?" he said and tried to take fruit juice from me.

"No need, I can help myself to drink juice," I said solemnly.

"Jwala....... "

He is saying something, and I saw Ved and Anjana coming.

"Hey Anju, Ved. When did you come?"

"Hi, bhabhi (sister in law) and bhaiya (elder brother). In the morning brother sent the driver to bring us here. This place is amazing, bhabhi."

"Yes, this place is beautiful," I said

"Bhabhi, we didn't have breakfast. Can you please prepare something for us?"

"Sure," I said

"Today I will prepare breakfast. Your bhabhi is a bit weak" Agni said to them.

"Wow, it's been a long time since we ate food prepared by you. Cook fast"

"So what you people wanna eat?" He asked

"Mooli paratha (a North Indian dish)"

"Done"

"What about you baby?" He asked me

"I don't want anything that you prepare."

"Really? But maids are on leave, and there is no option for you other than eating food made by me."

"Anything is fine," I said irately.

"Ok I will make mooli paratha to my sister and brother and Karela paratha to my sweetheart," he said.

What? Karela Parata? I never heard about it? How can someone make paratha with a bitter gourd?

"No I want mooli paratha," I said almost shouted.

"Karela is good for health. You are going to eat it" he said

"Eat it for making me sleep in couch yesterday" he whispered to me.

"How can you decide what I should eat?"

"It's me who decides what you should eat as you are my baby."

"No, I am not your baby. Even if I am your baby, I won't listen to you."

"Why so, sweetheart?"

"Because you are an awful person," I said

"Bhaiya, what happened to you both? Why are you arguing?" Anju asked.

"Your bhabhi's health is not okay. So I asked Jwala to eat karela paratha. She hates it, so fighting with me" he lied.

"But she knows well what will happen to her if she didn't follow my orders," he said and tears formed in my eyes.

"Hey Jwala, I am just teasing you. Don't cry. Please.”

"Excuse me; I need some rest."

I went to the room and locked myself in the room. After one hour Agni knocked on the door. I opened the door and sat on the bed.

"I am sorry, sweety. I am just teasing you. Please, baby, don't be angry with me" he said and tried to feed paratha to which I kept face disgustingly.

"My dear innocent baby, this is your favourite Aloo paratha with ghee. Please have it. Do you think that I will feed bitter gourd to my sweetheart?" He said and fed me the paratha.

I ate calmly.

"Jwala, don't be so silent. Talk something"

"Did I have a right to speak here? When my words had no value, and I am just a toy for you to play as you want, why should I speak?"

"Jwala, I never said that your words had no value. You are misunderstanding me."

"Yes, I can't understand you. I am not enough matured to understand a killer."

"I am not a murderer. Don't say that word again and again."

I didn't speak anything.

"Jwala, give me a chance to explain. Don't decide yourself that I am a criminal or a killer."

"What are you going to explain me Agni? Are you going to explain to me your plan and how you are going to kill that person? I am not interested in learning the killing process."

"What are you expecting from me?"

"Nothing, seriously I have no hopes for this relationship. I am sure it won't work."

"Are you saying that I can't be a good husband?"

"Exactly"

"I can be a good husband. I love my mother a lot. Everyone says the man who loves his mom, definitely loves his wife too."

"I don't believe. You never missed me till now. Eshwar is better than you. He missed me a lot. He felt my absence. But for you, there will be no difference whether I am with you or not"

"Enough don't talk about that Eshwar. I hate him. He proposed to you. I hate him for that."

"He is so sweet, that's why he proposed. Did you ever propose to me? No, because you don't love me. You have no feelings towards me. How can I expect a killer to propose to me?" I said.

"Who told you I didn't miss you. I missed you a lot many times. When I met you for the first time, I hated you. When I met you again, my hate on you increased as you tried to save that orphanage where my father is staying. But after two months, you went to your home. I felt as if I missed something."

I looked at him surprisingly.

"I thought I hate you so much, that's why I am missing you. So, I called you and threatened you to come fast. You came directly to me and requested me to leave you as you are tired with the journey. But, I refused that. You are in my room, and I am on some work. When I came to you, you are sleeping like an angel because of tiredness. I stared at you the whole night looking at your beautiful face. For the first time, I realised your beauty and innocence."

"Jwala, from that day I didn't allow you to visit your parents as I didn't want to miss you. When our deal is going to end, I was scared. I know once if our contract ends, you will never see my face again. So, I decided to make you pregnant, so that you would never leave me at least for our child."

"Are you insane Agni? Or trying to make me mad? If you love me and want to marry me, why did you torture me? You made my life hell, why?"

"Because, I tried a lot to hate you. I want to hate you. Especially you are saving that b*st*rd who is, unfortunately, my father, made me lose my patience and hurt you more and more whenever I remember that. Jwala, you hated me the most for sending you to clients. You even felt to kill me for that. Tell me why should I leave that b@st@rd who made my mom a prostitute for his selfishness and who was the reason for my mom's death. Tell me Jwala does he deserve to live?? I am not going to leave him even if you leave me" he said crying.

My eyes filled with tears. How can Agni's father do that to his mom? I sat beside him.