Page 89

Story: Tainted Bride

The doctor immediately sees Divya's condition and starts giving her treatment as soon as possible. Prakram, covered in blood for the first time today, is filled with fear and worry for the baby, who isn't even opening its eyes to see the world. He begins to wander around, feeling overwhelmed by the weight of every moment. However, within a few minutes, he hears the sound of a baby's cries, giving him the impression that he has lost the ability to walk, move, think, and comprehend everything. He is just looking at the operation theater door, thinking that perhaps what he is hearing is wrong. He is experiencing some hallucinations because he has witnessed Divya's condition firsthand. Hearing the baby's cry in such a situation provides him with a significant sense of relief. Simultaneously, he is experiencing immense confusion and a great deal of distress due to his numerous imaginations: perhaps another woman is giving birth alongside Divya; the child is likely dead in her womb, among numerous other possibilities.

Prakram is standing outside the door and is waiting for the door to open, but the door is not opening, due to which his patience is breaking. He is unable to take any action, regardless of his desire, so Armaan rushes to his help. He looks at Prakram very well, and as a very good companion, he says this to him while standing in front of him.

"There was a big deal between Manjeet and Arun, due to which there was a huge fight between them today, and finally theatmosphere was such that both Manjeet and Arun opened fire on each other. Meanwhile, the indiscriminate firing resulted in the deaths of Arun, his father, and Manjeet's entire team, whereas this new incident had a great impact on Divya, who rushed to the hospital with sharp labor pain."

Prakram knows very well that this matter must have reached his father through Armaan by now, but he is not worried about anything; he is only worried about the baby, which no one is telling him anything about. He sits quietly on the bench. The doctor comes out after about 2 hours. Prakram suddenly stands in front of him, and no words of any kind come out of his mouth.

"Sir, first of all, I want to inform you that the madam was not only poisoned to abort the baby but also to kill herself along with the child. The biggest thing is that despite both such powerful poison and the knife entering her stomach, this 7-month-old premature baby is very healthy and has not suffered even the slightest injury. You will not believe the way the knife entered her stomach. I had thought that perhaps the child would have been killed, but the knife did not touch any part of the child's body; rather, it was about half an inch away. Congratulations, sir; now you are the blessed father of a baby girl."

This news appears to be such a relief to Prakram that he takes a deep breath and immediately releases whatever strength he was holding, resulting in Armaan catching him well before he falls completely. The doctor also understands his condition very well, so he continues further.

"Your daughter is very healthy, and at present, both mother and daughter have been transferred to the Intensive Care Unit, where the child is kept in an incubator. In about 3 hours, your wife will regain consciousness; her condition is completely outof danger, and only after these 3 hours can we allow you to meet the mother and daughter."

After the doctor leaves, Prakram sits and continues to sit in deep thought. Armaan is looking at Prakram. Observing Prakram's face, it's evident that a significant transformation is gradually taking place within him, causing him some discomfort. He yearns to sit close to him and express his thoughts, yet he lacks the courage to do so.

After three hours, Prakram enters the room with great comfort and gazes in front of him, where he finds a small doll slumbering peacefully in a glass box. He knows that he can touch her, but despite this, he is able to feel a strange happiness just by looking at her. He goes and stands near her, slowly extending his hand, and tries to touch her. The girl is sleeping; he feels her by placing his big palm very close to her. However, as soon as she senses the presence of someone's hand near her, she instinctively reaches out and grabs his finger. Prakram smiles lightly, as if he has immense happiness.

But with this happiness, his eyes turn to Divya, who is lying nearby, conscious but not opening her eyes. All the scenes start flashing again in front of Prakram's eyes. He gazes lovingly at the baby, then turns his attention to Divya, whose eyes are closed. Without warning, he grabs her throat, threatening to strangle her. Due to this sudden holding of her throat, she opens her eyes and finds Prakram in front of her. She holds his hand with both hands and tries to free herself from his grip, but Prakram tells her without loosening his grip at all.

"I often contemplated the notion that I would spare your life and grant you existence, but I find myself repeatedly enraged at the thought that I am contemplating granting life to someone who didn't care about a little girl developing in you. There is no loveor feeling for life; who did not even think twice about killing a baby? Your hands did not tremble even once before drinking the poison. You have the potential to harm this child again. For the last three hours, I have been trying to convince myself again and again that I should give you a chance, but every time the answer comes out to be the same, which is that she could not have any feeling for the child growing in her womb; how could she feel anything for someone else's?"

Prakram starts strangulating her tightly, and Divya is trying her best to save herself; she is struggling, but all her efforts are completely in vain. She is trying her best to save herself, but it is very difficult. Along with the darkness in front of her eyes, the tears have ceased to reveal anything, causing Prakram's image to become completely blurred. Eventually, her eyes begin to close as she struggles to breathe. Soon her grip on Prakram's hands loosens, and by the time she suddenly leaves him, she opens her eyes and looks at him. Prakram is looking at her face. Her eyes are open, but her breathing has stopped. There is no guilt of any kind on Prakram's face. He looks at her face for the last time; she is dead in front of him, but she already died several months ago for him. He has turned his gaze towards his baby, and upon seeing her, a smile lights up his face.

"I love you, my sweet little angel. Papa will always protect you."

PRESENT

“Divya died at the time of delivery; this was told to everyone, and his love for Divya and any feeling towards her had ended by the time Divya drank poison to abort the child. No one did much investigation into the mafia because all the evidence was destroyed. The Manjeet family also believes in everything.People have long held the belief that Arun and Manjeet engaged in a gang war, resulting in the deaths of all involved. Aashi has become his life. He never had a paternity test done, nor does he want to do anything like that. He only knows that Aashi is his daughter. Before your arrival, Aashi had never inquired about her mother or felt her absence, but after your arrival, she began to yearn for a mother figure. Aashi holds a special place in Sir's heart, and he is willing to do anything for her. He is open to any of her demands. Aashi needs her mom and dad. All three of you need each other, and I believe it would be better if you took some steps, some of which would definitely start from his side; he is wounded and never wants to trust again, but if you move forward, you will find a very happy and loving family. I know, all three can make a very loving family."

Armaan goes inside without turning back, and tears are flowing continuously from Avishka's eyes. She is unable to stay there at all and immediately comes into the room. Prakram is sleeping very peacefully with Aashi in his arms. As soon as she sees him, Avishka's eyes start turning again and again, sometimes to Aashi and sometimes to Prakram. Despite her best efforts, Avishka is unable to stop her tears. She presses her mouth tightly so that no sound comes out, but suddenly Aashi opens her eyes when she does not find her mother next to her father, looks at her and sees her crying, gets up from her father's chest, and runs on the bed towards her side.

"Mumma, what happened?"

Aashi speaks in such a loud voice that Prakram sits up suddenly. Avishka hugs Aashi and starts crying. Prakram was also shocked when he saw her crying like this. He is incapable of questioning her, but the sight of her sobbing has caused him to miss every waking moment.

"Mumma…"

Upon hearing Aashi's distressed voice, Avishka informs her that she is sitting in front of her, tears welling in her eyes.

"Aashi is most cherished by her father, whereas I am fatherless; the thought of my father brings tears to my eyes... I'm sorry I disturbed you."

Aashi begins wiping her tears with her small hands and then smiles at her.

"Don't cry at all. You are always very much loved by papa and me, and it's not pretty when you cry, correct, papa?"

Avishka's gaze abruptly shifts to Prakram, who had been staring at her. After hearing Aashi's words, Prakram simply nods his neck slightly, causing Avishka to smile.

CHAPTER 52

The car is moving at its own pace, and Avishka is enjoying the outside view while sitting silently with Aashi on her lap. Both of them are playing a lot in between the journeys whose distinction they don't know. Prakram is currently busy finishing his important work, as he doesn't want any interruptions for the next two days. Since he is nearing the end of his work, he is eager to finish it completely. The most important thing is that once he finishes his work, he wants to spend the entire time with Ashi, witnessing the happiness on her face and the surprises he is giving her. He wants to capture it well in his memories, which is why he is freeing himself completely.

"Papa, where are we going?"

Prakram immediately looks at his daughter, but within a moment, his eyes are back on the laptop. He understands that even a moment's delay can significantly delay his work, so he responds to her with a smile without looking at her.

"It's called a surprise, and when a surprise is given, they don't tell anyone, so how can I tell you, sweetheart?"

"Please…"