CHAPTER FIFTY ONE

Jwala :

Agni looked at me for some time. He tried to hold my hand.

"Aah," I screamed with fear.

"Did I touch you? Why are you shouting?" He said.

He didn't even touch my hand, but I was scared.

"Are you scared of me?" He asked again.

I nodded.

"Really? If you are terrified of me, you would have never lied to me about the baby."

"I am sorry."

"Did you hide anything else from me?"

"No"

"I am not cruel as you are to make child away from her mother. So I won't ask you to stay away from the baby, but you should make me trust that you will take care of baby well. However, this is not your punishment."

"Your punishment is from today there's no relationship between you and me. I never touch you from now to till my death. For me, you are just a stranger."

"Agni, please I am sorry. Please don't punish me like this. I love you, and after knowing what you are, I can't stay away from you. Scold me for my mistake but please don't go away from me."

"I can't hurt you because I love you. If I didn't love you or didn't change yet, I would have hit you with a belt till you bleed and begs me for mercy. But, now I can't do anything to you."

"Agni, please this hurts than that. Please don't do this to me. I love you Agni. I will do anything you say for your forgiveness" I said with tears.

"Really? Will you do anything for my forgiveness?"

"Yes"

"Then do one thing. Give me the feeling when I take the child into my hands as soon as the doctor says you delivered a baby. Give the baby love and care which she missed for one year. Bring that one year back."

"I am sorry."

"It doesn't matter. You just did everything to hurt me. Congratulations Jwala, you have succeeded in your efforts. You succeeded in hurting me so much" he said.

His tone shows his pain.

"Jwala, I never experienced the love of my parents in childhood. I always thought that my child shouldn't get such a situation. I thought our child should grow up in a family where parents shower love on them and teach them values. But, you made my child as an orphan. Do you know Jwala? A child needs breastfeed for the first six months. But you didn't feed her at least for one day.

No Jwala, I am never going to forgive you. Till now you are the only one whom I loved, but now you are the one whom I hate the most. You have broken my heart completely. I can never treat you as my wife. Only if you agree to stay away from me, I will stay here in the same house, or I will leave this house too."

"No don't leave. I will be away from you" I said with tears.

The baby started crying, and I am about to go but stopped as he showed his hand asking me to stop.

"One more thing, stay away from my child too until you gain my trust. Though her mom hates her because of her dad, her dad loves her a lot. I can take care of her by myself until then" he said.

"Agni I didn't hate the baby. It's our baby, not your baby alone" I said.

"No, it's my baby, only my baby. You didn't have any right on her when you had no love for her" he said.

"Agni, please."

"Let me complete," he said very seriously taking our baby into his hands and trying to calm her.

"You kept the baby away from us and thought to go away from me too. It proves that we are not important to you. You prefer to stay away from us, and you want to lead your life without us. We didn't want to become an obstacle in your life" he said making me cry more.

How can my husband and child become an obstacle in my life? I know I was wrong and stupid, but I love them. I want one chance to prove that I am a good wife and mother. How can I make him understand that?

"Jwala, from my childhood I learned how to live alone. So even now I can live like that, makes no difference. Baby will be my life from now. I will try my best to make the baby never miss her mom. However, I am sure Vedika will help me. After all, she is the only one who understands me well.

You are free to do anything you want. If you want you can leave this house, but I never ask you to leave the house. You will stay here as a stranger or a guest having no role in our lives, and I too won't interfere in your life. You didn't even have knot I tied in your neck which says we are husband and wife. But, if you want I will divorce you, you can marry anyone in the future."

"Agni, I want to prove that I am good and loving wife and mother, please."

"I can't trust you. Now I was scared of you Jwala. If I give the child to you, what if you kill my child when I scold you or you are angry with me? I am just seeing my stepmother in you. At least she is better than you. She ill-treated me but not her children. You are worse than her. Maybe I should compare you to my father. He left my mom and me for his PA, and you left my child and me for Aadarsh. I didn't know how to understand you or trust you again."

"Give me some time and if I didn't earn your trust within that time, do what you have decided."

"I have no time to waste on you. Now stop arguing with me as I already decided what to do with you and explained it to you" Agni said.

He called maid and shifted his luggage to another room. He went to that room with the baby leaving me alone in the room.

For a week I confined myself to my room. No one came to the place except maid to give me food and tablets as per time. A letter was sent by Agni saying if I didn't take food or pills to blackmail him, he would be leaving the house along with the baby. I had food and medicines as I can't bear if they go away from me forever.

Vedika tried to talk to me, but Agni stopped her saying it's not her business. I felt alone without him. Slowly I came out of the room as I felt so irritated about staying in the room all the time. I observed him taking care of the baby so well. I wonder how he is managing both office and child.

I heard Agni planning a tour with baby and Vedika. No one asked me to accompany them or said anything to me. I know he is doing it intentionally to hurt me. I went to them where they are talking about the tour. He looked at me but didn't speak to me.

"Shall I accompany you to tour?" I asked him.

"Hey Jwala, definitely, after all, I don't think he will be fine without you on tour," Vedika said.

"No, she is not accompanying us. If she wants, she can go anywhere on tour alone as per her wish. I will be fine without her" he said looking at me.

I want to kill him. How can I go alone on tour without my husband and baby? I glared at him.

"But if she intended to accompany us, she will be just treated as a caretaker of my baby and me. If she is ready to do all works related to us, then she can accompany us" he said.

"Agni, after all, it's my responsibility to take care of you and our baby. So, I am ready for it" I said to him.

"You will have a very tough time there; I promise you that," he said in a low voice audible only to me but not to Vedika as she is little far from both of us.

"I am ready for anything to regain your love and trust Agni," I said.

He smirked and went off from there without responding to my words. I don't know what his plan is, but I am sure that he won't hurt me or insults me. But, at the same time, I know he will make it a tough time for me for sure.