वक्त के हाथों में, सबकी तकदीरें है,

आइना झूठा है, सच्ची तस्वीरें है,

जहां दर्द है, वहीं गीत है,

जहां प्यास है, वहीं मीत है,

कोई ना जाने मगर जीने की यही रीत है।

Author's POV.

Shocked.

That was what she was.

Utterly shocked.

She tried to stand up from the bed but Abhigyan stopped her,

"Koi jarurat nahi hai, baithiye yahi par."

She shook her head.

Abhigyan caressed her hands and spoke,

"Samjhane dijiye isey, bataega aapko khud."

She nodded and looked at Abhisar for him to continue.

He looked around in the room, at Abhigyan- who nodded his head, his wife - who's face wasn't visible through the veil and she was standing beside him, Priya- who was waiting for an answer.

He spoke slowly,

"Aap-.. aapke badle.. Hume inse.. shaadi karni padi."

She was taken aback by his words. She looked at Abhigyan with her parted lips, who squeezed her hand lightly, trying to comfort her. In shock, she asked in a astonished voice,

"Kya matlab, humare badle?".

He inhaled and spoke,

"Aapko le Gaye the.. wo log.. aap kahi mil nahi Rahi thi.. fir Hume pata chala .. aap wahan hai. Humne aapko wapas maanga. Toh unhone mana kar Diya. Maar-peet ke baad bhi, woh nahi maane."

She was hearing him and analysing his words in her mind.

"Humne koshish ki-- shaanti se baat rakhne ki-- unhone Kahan-- aap sahi salamat chahiye, toh inse shadi karni padegi."

She widened her eyes,

"Aur aapne kar li? Abhisar? Aapne kar li shadi?".

He sat on his knees infront of his bhaiya and bhabhi. A lone tear dropped his eye, and he spoke,

"Aur koi rashta nahi tha bhabhi. Hum aapko kuch hone nahi de sakte the."

She looked at Abhigyan, who was already looking at her. She whimpered, her eyes welling after listening his words.

"Hume maaf kar dijiye bhabhi. Maaf kar dijiye ki aapki itni badi Khushi chinn gayi aapse aur hum kuch nahi kar pae. Maaf kar dijiye."

She shook her head. Moving little forward towards him, she placed her palm on his head and then moved it towards his eyes to wipe off his tears,

"Bas babu, uthiye ab. Nahi rote aise. Aapki koi galti nahi thi Abhisar. Bilkul nahi."

He remained in the same position, still crying silently, his hands joined.

She looked at her husband and spoke,

"Aap boliye na uthne."

He nodded his head and muttered,

"Uth jao Abhisar. Humne bhi toh kaha tha tumhe ki tumhari koi galti nahi hai. Bilkul nahi hai."

Priya wiped off his tears again and he stood up slowly.

Then, something struck her, and she asked Abhigyan,

"Maa.. maa ji kaisi hai.. Kahan hai?".

The two brothers looked at each other.

Then Abhigyan replied,

"Achi hai, so Rahi hai apne kamre me."

"Unhe pata hai, yeh sab?", Priya asked concerned.

Abhigyan shook his head in a 'no'.

She breathed a sigh of relief, atleast something was good. But at the back of her heart, the pain of losing her child, her first child, was clenching her soul.

She was showing courage, because things that had happened around her, needed courage.

She placed her palm over his chest and questioned,

"Aapne... Kisko.. maara?".

He looked around, his eyes fell on Abhisar.

He spoke confidently to him,

"Tumhari biwi ke dono bhai ko maar Diya hai humne, bata dena usey aur sabhi ko bhi. Humari biwi ko jo buri nazar se dekhega, uska yahi haal karenge hum."

The girl catched everyone's attention as she searched around for something to hold for support after hearing this piece of information and she whimpered.

Priya muttered instantly,

"Abhisar.. gir jaegi wo, sath dijiye uska."

Abhisar gulped and slowly, while looking away, held her by her arm, helping her to stand straight.

Priya knew that discussing about this with Abhigyan and Abhisar will be useless. She already knew, at the very moment when she was kidnapped, that the brothers will not leave who ever the person behind this is.

But, unfortunately, it was her brother. She couldn't help.

She only spoke,

"Kamre me le jaiye, baad me baat karenge hum."

Abhisar nodded and moved outside along with her.

Abhigyan helped her lie down on bed. He shut the door and then came to lie beside her only after opening his kurta and throwing it on the floor, taking her in his arms, carefully.

She was caressing his biceps and he was caressing her back.

"Humne kabhi nahi socha tha Aisa kuch ho jayega humare sath."

Abhigyan nodded,

"Humne bhi nahi."

She inhaled deeply and spoke hesitantly,

"Hume.. Hume bilkul.. bura nahi lag raha ki.. aapne unn logon ko maar Diya. Khushi ho rahi Hume."

He cupped her cheek and asked,

"Usney chua tha aapko?".

She hesitantly replied, the truth,

"Kuch.. kuch gundo ne.. pehle.. Hume...chhua tha.. gale par.. gaalon par..," she saw him closing his eyes his anger, "Hume chumne wala tha.. unke maalik ne rok liya."

He opened his eyes and looked into hers, stroking her hair,

"Lekin.. unke.. maalik ne.. gaali Diya tha hume., dhamki bhi diya tha, ki agar hum uske saath nahi gaye toh woh humari... Humari.. ijjat-".

She paused for a second as something struck her mind,

"Ji, Abhisar ji ne toh mana karwa Diya tha kisi ko bhi batane se ki hum pet se hai... lekin uske maalik ko pata tha.. kaise.. Hume kuch samajh nahi aaya."

Abhigyan gulped and replied,

"Chitthiyan.. jo Abhisar ne Hume bheji thi ... Yeh batane ki tum pet se ho, hum Tak aayi hi nahi.. shayad... Unke haathon lag gayi thi."

"Magar.. fir aap.. yahan aae kaise.. kab..?".

"Hum.. pucho mat Priya.. hum toh nikal hi Gaye the wahan se.. Hume thodi hi pata tha yahan yeh sab ho raha.. jab hum aaye wapas, tab Hume pata chala tumhe utha kar le Gaye hai."

She was hearing him with her wide eyes open.

"Isse pehle ki hum kuch kar paate, tumhare devar ne shaadi karli, tumhe wapas le kar aa gaya, magar tum.. tum behosh thi.. ".

She gulped and saw tears welling up in the corner of his eyes.

"Tum.. tumhare.. tumhe kamre.. me..kamre me lekar.. gaya .. toh.. humari Nazar... Tumhari saree par .. padi...khoon.. Tumhari.. saree uthaya.. tumhare pairon ke bich se.. khoon- khoon gir Raha tha."

Tears rolled down, from both of their eyes. Heavy tears.

They held each other more tightly and he continued,

"Pehle Hume laga.. kisi ne tumhe chhua hai.. isliye khoon aa raha.. humare gusse pe kabu nahi Raha tha Priya... Mann ho raha tha saari duniya jala de. Humare Zinda rehte kisi ne humari biwi ko kaise chhu liya."

She nodded, intertwining their fingers tightly.

"Lekin.. fir.. fir.. jab humne," he moved his hand towards her womb, "Hume iski yaad aayi.. toh humara Dil toot gaya. Humne turant tumhari jaach karwai.. aur pata chala... Humne.. isey...kh-"

She cut him off by placing her hand over his mouth. She shook her head.

He stopped, and they cried together. In each other's arms.

For several minutes, they kept on crying.

When they both calmed down finally, she asked him in a low voice,

"Abhisar... Shadi.. unki umra nahi hai abhi, ji."

He nodded his head, caressing her head,

"Hume nahi pata tha woh Aisa kadam utha lega.. tumhare liye. Bahut maanta hai tumhe."

"Hum apni baat nahi kar rahe hai, ji. Hum unn dono ki baat kar rahe hai. Kaise rahenge dono?".

"Priya."

He was massaging her head.

She hummed.

"Nupur- Nupur naam hai. Tumhari devrani ka."

She nodded, smiling a little.

"Achi ladki hai, Bas Hume Abhisar ka Darr hai, woh kahi usey chot na pahucha de gusse me. Tum toh jaanti ho usey."

She nodded, as she knew now that both the brothers had same kind of temper. But, Abhisar, he was more cold than Abhigyan. More rough. Merciless.

"Aap samjha dijiyega unhe."

Abhigyan shook his head,

"Nahi sunega humari. Warna hum pehle hi samjha chuke hote. Dono ke aapas ka maamla hai, hum dakhal bhi nahi de sakte."

"Hum koshish kare?", Priya asked.

Abhigyan replied,

"Kar lena, abhi nahi, abhi aaram Karo."

She nodded her head.

"Par.. shadi ka prastav kyu rakha hoga, humare badle?".

Abhisar moved his fingers lightly, massaging her spine,

"Hume nahi pata. Magar. Kuch baatein hai Jo humne suni hai pehle bhi Abhisar ki biwi ke baare mein, gaon walon se. Par woh baatein sach hai ki nahi, yeh toh wahin jaane. Unn dono ke beech ki baat hai ab, hum dakhal nahi Dena chahte. Itna bhi chota nahi hai Abhisar ab, 20 ka hai, aur uski biwi shayad se 17-18, dono samajhdar hai. Aapas me suljha lenge, agar chahenge toh."

She hummed.

After a long pause she muttered,

"Ji, humne aapko uss samay.. dhakka diya..Hume m-".

He cut her off, "Ussi layak hai hum, thi humari galti. Tumhare gunehgaar hai hum. Hume sab manjur hai, tum Jo bhi saja do."

She gulped and shook her head,

"Humare sath- aapne bhi toh--- humara pehla bacha, kho diya, Hume samajhna chahiye tha.."

"Tum uss haal me nahi thi babu, hum samjhte hai, ab kuch mat bolo, aaram Karo bas."

She closed her eyes and he kept on patting her head, massaging her spine with his palm until she drifted to sleep.

****