Broken Vows ( Chapter 10 )

Vaidehi desperately needed a trusted shoulder to cry on. With every ticking second, her suspicion on her husband was getting stronger without cause. She needed to share this with someone otherwise she will drown in tears and who could be a better ally than an old school friend, Richa. They planned a meet up and were excited to see each other after so many years. They had so many things to talk, so many years of stuff and bitching and gossips. Vaidehi decided not to spoil the night by directly sharing her situation. Her plan was to start the conversation and then divert it to relationship and then hit the button of her phase.

Richa was excited as hell as she was about to meet her best friend after so many years, they somehow lost contact after school but now that they have got a chance to stay in touch forever, she ain’t going to miss it. She has even decided the topic she will talk about, shortlisted the people and classmates they will b***h about and contacting more friends to catch up for an only girls’ trip.

Vaidehi was first to reach the decided destination, Sequel Café & Bar. She wondered if Richa will recognize her or not. She was sliding the beautiful pictures she had clicked with her husband. She heard a knock on her table, she lifted her head and it was Richa. Her grief vanished and excitement masked her face quickly. They tightly hugged each other with love. They ordered their coffee while their gossips climbed another level. Their conversation was going as per Vaidehi’s plan. It was time to hit the button.

“Single or married?” Vaidehi asked.

“Ayeee…There’s a lot more between single and marriage and luckily I am enjoying my ‘lot more’”. Richa answered with a beaming smile on her face. “and you?” Richa asked.

Vaidehi’s face hung, sadness equipped her face. “Hey, what happened?” Richa showed concern.

“I was happily married, But, it's like something is missing in our relationship. You know how it is, in the beginning, he used to make me feel so special and cherished. But, lately, it feels like we're just going through the motions, like we're roommates or something. I don't know what to do. I want to feel that spark again, but it's like it's gone forever.” She expressed her grief.

Richa rubbed her back and tried calming her down.

Vaidehi passed a smile controlling her tears and to change topic she asked Richa, how is your boyfriend or fiancé or whatever it is.

Richa loved the word ‘Fiancé’, “it suits him” she wondered and slowly taking the pace she started to tell how romantic her boyfriend is. After failing at few relationships, He is the one she always dreamed for. Vaidehi was happy for her friend. Vaidehi asked for the picture of her boyfriend. Richa asked Vaidehi to show her the picture of her husband. They fumbled with their phones and showed each other the photo of same person.

Lakshya Ahuja.

Their smiles turned upside down, eyes widened in shock, taken aback, body still like high voltage current has just passed through them. Two hearts shattered in silence. The seven vows Vaidehi committed herself to, broke into pieces and these broken vows reflected her current life. The countless promises Richa made, started to rain like acid piercing her heart, faith in love and her future.

No one spoke for a while. This quite in the middle of soft music and whispering voices from surrounding people, had of the summary of betrayal they were victim of, but just to know about. Richa saw Vaidehi growling. Tears, that don’t stop easily are the blood of broken heart. Vaidehi somewhere knew, her friend was not at fault. The only person at fault was their husband and boyfriend. Richa left her shock to be touched later, her friend was more important now. “I…I … I’m really sorry, Vaidehi. I never knew Lakshya is married and is married to you.” Richa apologized for her non-existing mistake.

Vaidehi couldn’t make eye contact with Richa. She wiped her red eyes and face. “I know you didn’t do it intentionally.”

“I thought he loved me, I thought I was enough for him, I always prayed my married life to be filled with happiness only, he killed my dreams. He has now killed my family. I was planning to talk and start a family.” She wept crazily.

Richa hugged her friend. Vaidehi took a deep breath and continued speaking, “I don’t know what to do now. I can’t forgive him for what he has done to me, but I also can’t imagine my life without him. I have invested so much of my time and emotions in this relationship.” Richa listened patiently and held Vaidehi’s hand.

“I’m here for you, always.”

Vaidehi looked at her friend with gratitude and a glimmer of hope.

“Thank you for being here for me. I don’t know what I would do without you.”

Richa smiled at her friend,

“You don’t have to do anything alone. We’ll figure it out together.”

The two friends sat in silence, holding each other, finding comfort in each other’s presence. The future was uncertain, but they knew they had each other to lean on. The trust which might look difficult in these kinds of situations, was easy these two hearts, they knew none of them are sinner, they are victims. Victims of love.

Richa had too many things to say but her friend, whose marriage has just collapsed, had more authority to speak anything more than Richa.

Vaidehi took a deep breath, wiped her tears and said, “I want Divorce.”

Richa stayed silent for a while and then appreciated her decision. It was a brave decision. Vaidehi’s attachment with Lakshya was supported by rituals, vows and laws, that can be separated by divorce but how will Richa get over this, her attachment wasn’t supported by any legal document, it was a string of her heart, her soul, her habits and most importantly her dreams. Indeed, Vaidehi’s outer and inner atmosphere is destroyed by this heinous act of her husband but if grief had a weight, Richa’s were heavier, Richa wondered.

“But I want to see how low he can go.” Vaidehi demanded.

“True.” Richa nodded holding tears in back of her eyes.

They planned to confront him together and then cut off all strings.

Lakshya typed a message, “Babe, where are you?” and sent it to Vaidehi and Richa.

Their phone vibrated in sync, they picked up in sync only to realize, the message they received was also synced.

Vaidehi’s spanked her phone on table and looked away, put her palm on her lips and cupped her face as if she felt blank. Richa gulped down the lump in her throat. The coffee they had ordered was still untouched. A waiter came and asked if he can get them something.

Vaidehi took out a 2000 rupee note, spanked it on table and ordered a Whiskey on rocks.

Waiter served both but Vaidehi gulped them down alone and left without saying anything. Richa didn’t stop her. Just like a fever slowing taking up, Richa realized how big game it was that Lakshya played with her and her friend. Her body went numb, widen eyes staring nothing in particular. She moved when her vision got blur, she looked up and took a deep breath welcoming her tears that she was holding from an hour. She saw waiter approaching her, she passed a smile and collected her bag to leave. Waiter interrupter her, “Mam, please take the balance amount.”

“Keep the change.” Richa said and moved towards exit.

Crying, walking on young-night-streets, and being followed anonymously. Richa stopped a taxi and guided the driver to her PG address not knowing that someone is following her. If only the crystal water from eyes could wash the mistakes and sorrows, her tears would have definitely made sense. Somewhere her past heartbreaks have made her a bit of stone hearted, it helped her stop crying. She climbed down from taxi, a car stopped just behind her, Richa paid him and went to her room. Vaidehi felt a bit guilty when she turned off the engine but her marriage was at stake, suspecting her own friend was natural. Vaidehi Turned wheel to her home when she received another text from her husband. “Where are you?”

Just ‘where are you?’, where is ‘Babe’, she wondered. Maybe this message was not forwarded to Richa.

“On the way” she replied.

Lakshya opened door and hugged her. The hug that used to relieve her is now piercing her soul, pulling her skin. She slightly pushed him away and passed a tight-lipped smile. Vaidehi’s cold behavior made Lakshya question things. He sat facing her on the bed and asked her. “What happened?”

She took of her top in reply.

“Vaidehi, first tell me what happened? Why are you behaving so rudely?”

She unhooked her bra and left it to hang on he r shoulders.

“Vaidehi stop. First answer my question.”

Vaidehi passed an evil smile and hooked bra and wore top. Then spoke “Today my colleague said something that made me sad and I am not able to get over it.”

“What?”

“Every marriage gets inevitably boring.” She said with evil twinkle in her eyes, like she was observing her husband through a vision of looking directly inside human brain.

Lakshya’s body jerked. His face went pale. He held his composure and said “What rubbish?” and smiled like it was actually rubbish.

“It’s true… I took off my clothes and you didn’t even touched me. We might have lost spark.”

Lakshya shifted close to Vaidehi and said “Why are you talking like that? We will never loose spark.”

“I hope so.” Vaidehi settled herself on bed and turned off her side of lamp.

Lakshya hugged her from behind and planted a kiss on her nape when Vaidehi held his hand tight and swung it away. “I’m not in mood today.”

Lakshya had a bland smile with embarrassment on his face. He turned and typed a message, “Missing you, Babe.” Sent it to Richa.

Richa was staring out of the window at night sky. Why this world has so many problems for me? Why do I always fail at love? Why?

She grabbed her phone when it vibrated, she saw the message of Lakshya and her anger raised above the roof. With all her might and anger, she threw the phone towards the window. The glass of the window was shattered and her phone was split in two. She cried that whole night.