Chapter 2

1 years ago

Sumi

@Susmitasumi96

That was the moment, when Narmada spoke up after having a long pause, "Arpi, I'm having palpitation out of the blue. Aru and Imlie will be okay, right?"

It wasn't new of her mother to behave like this, whenever her brother and sister-in-law went out for long time at night. She usually handled it quickly. However, for the first time after his marriage, she couldn't say a word of solence to her mother sooner. Her heart was beating faster; stomach was having butterflies in a bad way. As if it were giving the signs of something ominous.

"Yes maa! Don't think too much. They will be coming in anytime soon." She replied forcing a smile on her face.

Are they really be fine?

Staring at the wall of her mother's room, she was calming herself down. It would be some anxiety after today's big drama in their house. They must be fine.

"Arpi, can you bring me your catalogue that you're showing last week?" Her mother's voice brought her back into this world.

"Sure, maa! I'll be bringing it from my room." Smilingly she got up from the bed.

Before her second wedding controversy, she had rejoined at her work with the help of Imlie and Aryan. Her sister-in-law inspired her and her brother supported her. It had been 1 month since then. Her 'well wisher' Badi maa was bent to stop her becoming independent again. Needless to say, she didn't care.

Walking on their wide balcony she was looking at her front. The night sky with skyscrapers were visible from the transparent glasses of windows. Suddenly the bulbs turned off, leaving her halted in the darkness.

"Powercut?" She whispered in confusion.

It was unusual in Rathore mansion. She was about to turned on the torch of her phone with the help of dim light coming from outside. It seemed like only this mansion was facing it.

"Should I contact the-"

CRACK. BOOM.

A thunder striked nearby of their residence. She was quite shocked to react. But that was it. Just once. The lights came back with no trace of this sudden phenomenon. She looked at the night sky and found no cloud in her sight.

That's weird!

She was about to check it again, her phone rang, flashing her brother's name on it.

**************

"Imlie, Imlie listen to me! Please look at me! I'm your ABP! Look at me.." I was holding her hand tightly trying to wake her up.

But why isn't she opening her eyes?

"Sir, she's no more.. please-"

"SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP! HOW DARE YOU TO SAY SUCH THINGS! DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM? I'M ARYAN SINGH RATHORE! WATCH YOUR MOUTH BEFORE ME! CALL THE AMBULANCE RIGHT NOW!" My rage was slipping out of my control.

The audacity of that man!

"Imlie look at me, haan! Let's break his misconceptions, okay? Wake up and show them the truth. Okay? Imlie.." I was caressing her face.

She is alive. Just acting like a drama queen.

"Imlie!" I saw the ambulance which had just arrived to save my wife.

°°°°°°°°°°

"I'm sorry, Mr. Rathore. Your wife is no more." My world stopped before my eyes.

"She was already dead when they took her here. It was fatal. Her body couldn't take the shock..." His voice started fading away.

No... no... How's is this possible? She is alive and must be joking with me. Maa and didi are with her too in it. It's must be a prank. Yes, a prank, right didi?

I looked at her.

Tears? Why is didi crying? It's just a prank, didi. Why are you being so.. maa, tell her something, naa!

I looked at maa. She was crying as well.

Why? Why is everyone crying? Amma, you must be knowing it. Tell them to.. Amma! Why are you crying too?  She is alive. Everyone, what's wrong with you all?

"....That's why we need a post-mortem report, Mr. Rathore." Voices were coming back. Inspector Mehara spoke up.

"What? What are you saying, Inspector? Why would you need a post-mortem for an alive human? Imlie is alive. She's just being a drama queen like usual, right Imlie?" I towered over her.

Holding her body near my chest, I patted her head.

"Hey! Wake up and stop this drama. You were angry at me. Then show me na! Why are you letting them suffer in it too? Wake up right now!" I kept patting, shaking her body; she didn't open her eyes for a single time.

Why are you being so stubborn?

"IMLIE, OPEN YOUR EYES GOD DAMN IT! I'M ARYAN SINGH RATHORE. HOW DARE YOU TO DISOBEY YOUR BOSS? WAKE UP!" I shouted my lungs out.

"Aru! Please..hic hic.." I felt maa and didi's presence on my shoulders.

"Didi, tell her to wake up right now! Enough of her acting! She's so angry that can't even.." I felt my tears falling down.

"Aru... Aru.." Maa's voice reached my ears.

They were tightly holding me from behind. My body slowly bent down in front of the bed.

How weird! Even though I know she is alive why I'm not being able to stop my tears...

°°°°°°°°

I looked at our photo frame. My anger, agony, pain, everything was getting blended.

How dare she! How dare she!

"How dare you leave me? How dare you putting me in this agony? Who are you to make me, Aryan Singh Rathore begging on his knees? Who are you to show me light in this darkness and vanish from my life without saying a word? Who are you to let hope bloom in my vainly life without any notice? I was living with my loneliness. I could have spent my whole life with it. Then why? Why did you held my hands in the this rough road? Why did you let me free from this cage? Then why.. just, just why.." I felt my eyes burning up.

"..then why did you leave me behind? This is not 50 50 partnership! We suppose to share everything. Life, happiness, sadness everything. Why did you give me happiness and took sadness with you? Why did you give me hope and kept all the tears to you? Why..why did you give me life and let death took you? Just why, Imlie? Why?"

I felt my throat drying. Heart was beating rapidly. The agony, the agitation, the rage, the grief were trolling in my every nerve. I felt my body giving up on my weight. I fell down in front Imlie's photo, beside jiju's.

"Please..please come back, just the way you came into my life. Please...please, please...Imlie... your ABP, Akadbaggha is pleading before you..begging you to return." I clasped my hands together.

"Please Jiju, tell her to return! You are with her na. Please please..." I closed my eyes tightly; tears were still falling drop by drop.

I'm sorry! I'm sorry, Imlie! Only if I had hold your hand while you were leaving, only if I had followed you, only if I had listened to you for once. Only if I.. only if I had a chance.. chance to turn back time..only if I had one more chance to tell her everything I was none without her... please God, if you were really existing, might grant my prayers. Give me a chance to repent..please..

I felt my heart burning like none, eyes getting heavier. The world before me went to darkness suddenly.

***********

She put her mother, Narmada into sleep. Her brother, Aryan wasn't opening his room since they returned from Samshan. Imlie's amma was staying with them. She would be here for awhile. Weeping her tears slowly, she closed the door of her mother's room silently. At the moment, she had to be strong just like Aryan was, during Arvind's death. They needed her rationality. Aru needed his sister's support, comfort.

Walking on the balcony passage, she was heading towards the dinning hall. The lights were dim. The clock was showing 3 o'clock of dawn. The sky was dark and stars were twinkling.

CRACK. BOOM.

Flashes of thunder strike fell on her face. The power went off for a moment, before coming back within second; as if it had never happened at the first place.

"What is.." Her voice died in her throat, remembering the time, when she witnessed the same for the first time.

She walked away from the corridor, heading towards her brother's room, with a feeling of weirdness in her stomach.

**********

My eyes became widely open, when I realised the sound of my phone's ringing. I cancelled it without giving any thought. I felt like dying. Knowing everything how could my secretary call at this moment? The phone rang again rasing annoyance in my body.

You better be serious, otherwise...

I attended the call, "Hello!"

"Good morning, sir! Sir, the files of the new employees are already sent to your email. Please go through them once. I'll be seeing you at your new office,  Bhaskar Times. Thank you, sir." She cut the call before I could react.

What? New office, Bhaskar Times? I have been the owner of it for more than 6 months now.

I looked at my phone checking the email.

"Wait? November 10, 2021?" I was utterly perplexed.

I checked my other phones. They all were showing the same.

"What is happening?" I muttered before getting up from the bed, opening the door and coming out to find maa and didi.

"Aru, you're awake? Come and join us for the breakfast. You have to attend your new office too." Maa's cheerful voice put me into complete shock.

What is happening? How the hell..

..only if I had a chance.. chance to turn back time..

No way! Did I just..

"...turn back time?" I murmured looking the happy faces around me, unlike the nightmare that I had gone through a few moments ago.