Broken Vows (Chapter 12)

12

 

 

Vaidehi saw him from the right corner after entrance while Richa was hiding in washroom. Lakshya scanned the whole place and felt relaxed when he didn’t find Richa. He took out his phone and typed, “This traffic sucks man, it might take an hour. Why don’t you go home?” and sent it to Richa. Vaidehi’s phone lit up, she smirked.

 

Vaidehi hugged Lakshya, he felt a tight grip in hug like if she was squeezing him. They sat opposite each other. Richa emerged from washroom behind Lakshya and sat at the darkest place, waiting for her call.

 

Lakshya initiated.

“Look Vaidehi, I don’t know why have you been drinking so much from last few days, but I am sorry that I couldn’t take care of you. Actually, office is being quite hectic these days.”

“I completely understand. Mr. Husband. Don’t worry, I’m fine.” Vaidehi said in mocking tone. “We are heading towards our 7^th wedding anniversary and I want to make it memorable.” Vaidehi added. She brought her old child like charm in her voice to make it all look natural.

Lakshya smiled and released a sigh of relief. Thank god she doesn’t know anything. He wondered. “Yeah… why not? Let’s go on a long vacation.”

“No…vacations are so old school. Let’s try something new.”

“whatever you say.”

The waiter interrupted them. “We are waiting for someone.” Vaidehi said to waiter.

Lakshya was taken aback, “who are we waiting for?” He asked.

“My Boyfriend.”

“What? You are joking right?” This came out of his syllabus that pulled earth from under his feet.

“No…” She raised her hand as if she was calling someone. She had an evil smile on her face. Lakshya turned to look but Vaidehi held his face. “Let the surprise, be a surprise.”

His heart racing at the speed of rocket. He wasn’t ready for this.

“Here is your surprise baby.”

Lakshya turned and found someone closest to his heart and that closest one gave him a pain like someone is squeezing blood out of his heart.

Vikram Srivastava.

“Meet my boyfriend, Vikram.” Vaidehi introduced the already known person.

Lakshya slowly got up from his seat, mixed emotions of shock and anger were clearly visible on his face. Lakshya could never imagine anything like this from his childhood friend. Lakshya and Vikram are friends since 1^st standard. Lakshya almost had tears in his eyes, Vaidehi took it as opportunity and held Vikram’s hand requesting him to have a seat.

Lakshya had no words, his flabbergasted face was enough for both to translate his pain. Vikram took a seat and asked his friend, “When is your 7^th anniversary?”

Lakshya looked at him and a tear fell. “How could you?” He asked in growling tone.

“What happened?” Vikram asked with straight face, ignoring his tears mercilessly.

Vaidehi barged in. “We could have told you earlier but we were not sure if this will work or not. But now we are serious about each other. I’m so sorry, Lakshya.”

Between continuously shedding tears he realized, he has been doing the same thing with his wife. But does he have guts to disclose his extra marital affair? No. Lakshya knew he cannot be brave like his wife and tell her about his recipe. Apart from his personal views on his breaking marriage, he had this big question, how this man who I called my best friend can betray me and date my wife? He wiped his tears. Gulped down the glass of water kept on table, and asked his wife. “Do you want Divorce?”

Vaidehi was not at surprise but Vikram was. Keeping his situation in mind, Vaidehi already saw this coming. Vaidehi knew Lakshya will offer Divorce and will think of spending a new and different life with Richa. Everything was going as per Vaidehi’s plan. But then Vikram chose to interfere.

“hey hey hey hey… This is getting serious. Calm down guys.”

Vaidehi kicked him under the table.

“… Ouch… Bhabhi, lets end this. I can’t see my brother like this and that too for a mere prank.”

Lakshya had his eyebrows shrink in. A big question mark on his forehead. What the hell is happening? He had no idea.

“Lakshya. See, I was in town for few days and I met Bhabhi few days ago, she presented this plan to me and I couldn’t deny her. What else can be a better plan to shock my best friend when I am meeting him after so many years.” Vikram disclosed their plan.

Vaidehi put her hand on her forehead but only she knew the real plan is yet to be executed.

Lakshya made angry faces and punched Vikram on his shoulder, they hugged then and shared a good laughter. Lakshya felt relaxed.

Well now he is smiling, perfect time to break him and his so-called good image. Vaidehi wondered.

Lakshya and Vikram started talking about random things, Vaidehi raised her hand and called waiter. They ordered good meal for themselves.

Vaidehi gave Lakshya a little more time to smile and get settled in his comfort happy zone. The more height, the more damage.

Vaidehi was only smiling at their chat till she could. She raised her hand again.

“We are still left with so much food, isn’t it too early to call for dessert.” Lakshya asked.

“My dessert will take time.” Vaidehi said and smirked. Evil.

Richa got her signal. She prepared herself. She started walking to their table.

“Lakshya, Happy 7^th Anniversary.” Vaidehi wished.

“Same to you.” Lakshya wished her back. “But still we have a month to go.” Lakshya added.

“I cannot take it for 30 more days”

Lakshya was confused, before he could say anything. He heard someone wish him from his back.

“Happy Anniversary Lakshya.” Richa wished him.

Lakshya turned for this familiar voice and the spoon he had in his hand, fell on table. This surprise really surprised him enough to chill down his spine. The secret he was hiding, the game he was playing, the recipe he prepared, the two boats he was sailing, the two lives he was living, all came to its final destination. The End of his drama.

Lakshya was feeling what he expected throughout his journey of betraying, and his emotions were a mixture of numbness, fear, and guilt. He felt emotionally disconnected from his surroundings and struggled to process the weight of the revelation he had experienced. His fear was focused on the potential consequences of his actions and how they might affect him and his relationships with ladies and future.

 

Nothing was left to say. No excuse is going to work now. The destiny he planted with lies and lust, gave him fruits of guilt and fear with hell lot of complimentary damage.

 

Richa couldn’t control her tears anymore. She hid her face in her palms and was growling between the crowd of restaurant. Lakshya put forward his steps with intentions of calming her but is he left with any authority now? He let flow everything in its true flow. Coaxing was irrelevant. The seed of secret relationship he planted and was irrigating through time, showed its branches to world and released its venomous fruits.  

 

Richa was center of attraction when Vikram felt embarrassing about the scene that they had just created. But just like his friend, he was too at shock to say anything, he tried calming down Richa, who he saw for the first time today.

 

Vaidehi had revenge glaring in her eyes. “Lakshya, please don’t get too excited too soon. I have one more gift for you.”

 

Lakshya turned his head in a flash wondering ‘what more did I do?’. Vikram was too at shock, he looked at Vaidehi and then turned his head towards Lakshya, suspecting him. Vikram widened his eyes towards Lakshya as if he was gesturing a question ‘You have one more girlfriend?’ Lakshya somewhere knew about the next gift Vaidehi was about to present.

 

Vaidehi took out an envelope from her bag and spanked it on table. She then picked her bag and held hand of Richa to take her away from his company and life.

Vikram tried stopping her, “Bhabhi… Bhabhi…”

But she was in no mood to hear any plea.

 

Vikram picked up the envelope, opened it and found Divorce papers.