Chapter 5
Sharon's hand instinctively went onto her stomach. Swayam's words were ringing in her head, and she knew that there were no two ways for her now. Mayank was a business tycoon, and Swayam didn't think twice before crumbling him, who was she in front of him then. He would get what he wanted anyway, but the one thing she would make sure was to protect her child. Either she would do that by protecting it from him, or by using him, and at this point the latter was her only option. She asked again, "what do you want me to do?"
Swayam at that point wasn't sure what to say, he didn't really know either but instinctively he just said "marry me Sharon."
Sharon was stunned at his words, but she knew there was a catch following this phrase very soon, it wasn't just a normal proposal.
Then he spoke again, "don't worry I don't plan to lock you up or anything. Look I think it's important that you live with me, I need to be there every step of the way of your pregnancy, and for my child. My dad won't accept you living with us unless I'm married to you. And I think its important for us to give that illusion to everyone else as well, I can't afford any bad publicity over this. Once our child is born and a little time has passed by, then you can leave and we can get divorced. We'll share the custody of our child and move our separate ways. It's the best way to avoid any trouble and then also get what we want."
Sharon stood speechless, there wasn't much choice left clearly. Swayam had practically laid out his entire plan for her to follow. She supposed that it wasn't entirely rubbish, she had the opportunity to walk out, and there really wasn't much time left for the birth anyway. She just nodded her head wishing he would leave soon. His presence was starting to become suffocating already.
"I am going to go home, I'll talk to my father and then I'll hopefully set a date for the court marriage, which will be as soon as possible. I should be able to pull a few strings to get a date real soon." He lightly squeezed her shoulders again to get her to look up. He couldn't help but let his gaze travel down to her stomach. He wanted to touch it so badly, but he knew he had already crossed so many lines with her, this would probably the most intrusive. He looked back into her eyes, "I know you have no reason to trust me, but just know that this time its my child that we are talking about. You have no reason to be scared because you hold something that's priceless to me."
She nodded her head in fear and understanding, and with that he took his leave. As soon as she closed the door Sharon couldn't help but fall weeping to the floor. Her life was already disrupted to the core, and now it was headed towards another hellhole. Her tears eventually took her to a painful but a much needed sleep.
Swayam on the other hand knew a very difficult conversation was to come with his father. But there was no choice of hiding it; it was all out in the open now. He came back home, his faced was filled with obvious concern. Walking in, he realised his father must be in the study, quietly knocking just enough to get his attention he sat opposite him on the table.
"Tumhe kab se knock karne ki zaroorat padhne lagi?" Rishi said smilingly.
Though Swayam's face told a different story.
"Kya hua? Gabhraya huye kyu ho?"
Swayam was still quiet. He didn't know how to say anything to his father, let alone start this conversation.
Rishi spoke again, this time with concern, "Swayam batao, hua kya hai? Tum itne gabhraya huye kyu ho?"
Swayam's palms became sweaty. "Papa I've done something, and you won't be really proud of me." His head bowed down in shame.
Rishi's eyebrows arced high, "I doubt that beta, bolo toh sahi tumhari problem hai kya, koi na koi hal toh share karne se hum nikal lenge Swayam."
Swayam raised his head; he knew his father's disappointment was inevitable.
"Papa its bad." Swayam said in defeat.
"Beta just tell me, come-on." Rishi's fear only grew.
"Papa about six months ago I was involved with a girl, and..." He couldn't finish the words.
Rishi kept waiting and then motioned his hands for him to continue.
"Papa I didn't realise... but she fell pregnant, and I found out a few days ago."
And then a thick blanket of silence fell upon them.
Rishi understood at that moment why was Swayam so scared about talking to him. Then after a few uncomfortable minutes he spoke, "Well I initially thought that you had killed someone or something," Rishi chuckled. Swayam looked up and couldn't help but smile at his father's assumption. Soon he laughed as well.
Then Rishi came even more forward across the table, "I hope you know what I expect you to do Swayam? In your immaturity you may have done this, but you need to man up now."
Swayam nodded his head in agreement, "I am going to marry her Papa". Rishi was relieved that at least Swayam knew his responsibility from here on.
"Do you love her beta?" Rishi sought to see something inside Swayam.
Swayam knew that there was no way he could tell the truth about Sharon and how she was connected to his past. He had to lie deep enough to make it believable. "I did, but I never thought we could be together, and I suppose now there is no choice but for us to be together."
Rishi bought it, but he still didn't know who she was. "What's her name?"
Swayam looked into his father's eyes and simply said "Sharon Rai-Parkash."
And with that Rishi closed his eyes, he knew the Rai-Parkash's well enough. They were acquaintances that he knew quite well, and he was definitely aware that she was previously engaged to Mayank Kapoor as well. He knew this because initially he wanted to ask the Rai-Parskash's for Sharon hand in marriage for Swayam. Upon realising her engagement he had left the thought far behind.
"Please don't tell me you that you slept with her for your vengeance with Mayank." Swayam knew if this question was asked the only way to somehow save himself was just to lie much deeper his way through.
"I knew her from college Papa, I loved her then and I guess it always stayed with me. I met her again, and we had an affair, we should have been careful but then Mayank committed suicide and we just drifted apart for each other's sake. Its only when I saw her recently that I realised she was pregnant." Rishi heard Swayam's words with great care.
"Are you sure that the child is yours?"
Swayam leaned forward again, "Papa me and Sharon both know that it's mine, I can assure you of that."
Rishi then smiled, "then there is nothing left to discuss Swayam. Set a date at the courts immediately to get your marriage registered so we can bring her here as soon as possible."
Swayam was relieved, so far he was able to control the conversation and narrative to his will, but he had to warn his father about the Rai-Parkash's family.
"Papa one more thing her family disowned her so there would be no one from her side."
Rishi's face frowned, "I had expected as much, I hadn't seen her at any of the business parties anymore. Plus there were some rumours about them as well, its more important that we bring her here immediately. She needs as many people around her during this time."
Swayam nodded in agreement.
Swayam had been able to get a date to register their marriage within 3 days. He had Rey by his side as he fixed up his tie. "Tune Kriya ko kuch zada toh nahi batya naa?" Swayam asked.
"Don't worry Swayam, she only knows that the two of you had an affair and you just realised now that she was pregnant."
Swayam nodded, "I told Sharon as well to stick to the same story, she has no choice but to stick to it." Rey frowned but nodded his head.
Rishi came into the room, "Are we ready boys? Ashwin and Navya are waiting outside." Swayam lightly smiled and followed Rey outside. They drove to the marriage registration office hoping that Kriya and Sharon had already reached there. Swayam was nervous even if he didn't want anyone else to see it, this was a responsibility regardless of how long he planned to make his marriage work.
Stepping inside the office his eyes fell upon Sharon, who was seated across the room draped in a beautiful red anarkali. She looked so radiant, but for other reasons and not for the fact that she was getting married today. Kriya was smiling next to her, she was excited for her friend's marriage to her fianc's best friend. She held her hand and squeezed it to tell her that they were here. Sharon's eyes lifted to see Swayam and his father enter first, closely followed by Rey and his parents. Swayam looked into her eyes and acknowledged her presence, as did she. They waited for their turn and eventually walked in to sign away their freedom. Upon signing Rishi clapped his hands in joy and asked Rey to take some photographs of the auspicious occasion. Then Rishi indicated to Navya to move forward, Navya dipped her hand into her bag and brought out a little gold pot. She also grabbed a little pouch and laid it out on the table where they had just signed their papers. Navya opened the lid of the gold pot to reveal it containing sindoor. The pouch revealed a simple black mangalsutra which Navya held in her hand. Sharon closed her eyes, under no circumstances did she want this marriage to mean anything more than one of convenience. Parading around with vermillion in her forehead, and wearing a sacred black thread was not keeping it detached from her emotions. Navya held the pot on her hand, "Swayam ab jaldi se Sharon ki maang bhardo, manaa yeh shaadi court me hai aur abhi hum tum dono ke phere nahi leh sakte hai, lekin maang khali nahi rehani chahiye."
Swayam knew Sharon was uncomfortable with the idea, but for some reason like a reflex action he pinched the sindoor to run it down her parting to her forehead. Sharon cringed as she felt his hand, but she had no choice but to put on facade in front of his family. And immediately Swayam brought his arms around her neck to lock the mangalsutra in place, leaving Sharon disgusted. Swayam looked away immediately knowing that he didn't have it in him to meet her eyes. The family all together decided to have dinner together at their favourite restaurant. They were all curious to know more about Sharon, which had mainly Kriya talking about her even more. Sharon kept to herself the entire time because she knew his family were all nice people, getting attached was the worst thing possible because there was no future possible with them. She quietly ate her food and every now and then would glance up to see Swayam. From her eyes Swayam was almost too happy and pleasant with everything that was happening, he was relaxed and not nervous like her. She envied how much his father loved him, how much Rey's parents loved him. But it burned her that they would never know what Swayam was capable of doing whenever he lost his mind. At that moment to break her train of thought Swayam ordered a drink from the waiter, and then gulped it rather too quickly upon receiving it. That scared her, his ability to completely change from what his family saw him as, and what he would be in front of her once that alcohol was in full effect.
Reaching back home Swayam guided Sharon back into their house, he led her into their bedroom only to realise that it had been unfortunately dressed as a bedroom for one's first wedding night. Sharon stood frozen at the foot of the bed, "don't worry change and sleep comfortably, they probably did this thinking we were, you know..." Sharon quickly nodded and went to change into her nightgown. She didn't wait for him to get into bed; she silently did so, and covered the sheets over her body. Swayam on the other hand knew that she was so scared, her being in the same bedroom was probably terrifying for her, but she was enduring it for her child. Then it hit him again, not her child but their' child. Swayam didn't say anything when he realised that she was laying on his side of the bed. He just moved to the other side and got under the same set of covers. Sharon hadn't slept yet and her heart beat quickened feeling him under the covers as well. The exhaustion from the day eventually hit.
Swayam on the other hand was excited for their next appointment with her gynaecologist. He wanted to see his baby for the first time, and even though her stomach was too close and within his reach he kept his hands to himself knowing how she would react if he touched her now.
A week had gone by and Rishi simply loved Sharon's company during the day at home. Even though Sharon didn't want to interact much with him she couldn't help it because of Rishi's excited and kind nature. Rishi was more than proud to be a grandfather very soon, and somewhere deep down he was happy that Swayam had someone to come back home to. He had some relief that Swayam would now at least have more than one person to call family. Rishi was supposed leave for a business trip to Delhi and Sharon decided to help him quickly pack. Once Rishi left the house apart from the house domestic help she was completely alone. She didn't know why there but a sudden burst of anger that hit inside of her but it was wild and dangerous. It was as if she wanted to take out all that had been kept inside of her and simply throw it out. Without even thinking Sharon grabbed a bottle of wine for the liquor cabinet along with a glass. It didn't take too long for her to start poring the wine and begin drinking it. Her veins felt as if they had been set on fire, she wanted to rip the skin on her forehead covered in sindoor, and the black thread around her neck began to suffocate her immensely. Sharon at this point started swinging the bottle straight on, her mind wanted to absolutely become numb and blank. As she took the last swing from the bottle she heard the doorbell ring. She knew it was Swayam, and because of the liquor she felt she wasn't going to spare him tonight. Opening the door in anger she saw him bewildered and staring straight at her.
"Get inside." With only two words Swayam smelt alcohol on her breath. He wasn't sure if fear attacked him first or anger did, but he burst from the inside.
"Please don't tell me you're drunk?" Swayam said with mixed emotions running through his head.
Sharon grabbed him by his collar and didn't wait even a second to slap him hard across his cheek. "You fu*ken bas***d. Meri zindagi ko narak banadiya tune, aur ab araam se mujhe puch rahe ho ki that am I drunk?"
She screamed her head into his ears. His cheek stung hard from her slap but he knew he had to control his anger she was pregnant and drunk. He needed to just get her some help. She was dangerous to her own child in this state. The next thing he realised while his face was still turned in the direction she slapped him was that Sharon had smashed the wine bottle that she had been drinking from. Holding the neck of the bottle from one end she smashed the bottle onto her other wrist, only to spurt blood in all directions. As Swayam ran to grab the bottle from her, she was too quick and plunged it like fork into his abdomen. Swayam's eyes widened and then squeezed shut in pain. The situation had far too quickly gone way out of control. Holding his abdomen with one hand he aggressively held Sharon's wrist with the remaining smashed bottle. Twisting is harshly he got her to drop it, but by then her vision had also started to fade from the loss of blood.
Swayam didn't waste anytime trying to get a proper hold of her as she was passing out to take her to the hospital. The only thing he was grateful for in this situation was that his father wasn't there. But he also knew one thing well, he wouldn't spare Sharon if anything happened to his child. He hadn't crossed any lines this time and neither had he any wrong intentions. She once again took an advantage of is sincerity.
Authors note-: Once again a very special thank you to all readers and all commenters. Your encouragement means the words to me and it's the only reason I want to write faster. Please leave behind your thoughts and I will respond to each of you individually. Once again Thankyou.
Edited by Lovestory55 - 8 years ago
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