Chapter 16 // Vermillion

Vikrant's Pov

When I thought everything was fine and beautiful, life showed it's twisted way and unfold itself in front of my eyes.

I lost my parents because I was reckless that day.

Only if I had not fought with them and left the house.

They would be not dead.

I could have been a elder brother and had a sibling.

A happy childhood with presence of my parents around.

My heart could be soft and not stone for others.

But nothing can change now.

I murdered the man behind my childhood misery.

At age where others boys where sneaking, drinking, wasting there time around, I was burdened to take care of myself and

Come out Alive from deceitful and venomous world.

Feeling a soft touch on back of my hand, I looked at the eyes of my BRIDE.

My Inayat.

All dolled up in pink lehenga with red lip shade beside me, on pavillion, taking vows for life with me.

Her eyes told me that this new phase will be fought by us, hand by hand.

I believed her with all my heart.

She smiled.

I mimicked.

Looking around, I saw eyes of depressed but happy Ghuni, an alert and reading eyes of Neil on Ghuni and teary loving eyes of my mother in law, Inayat's mother.

We both didn't want anything big for our wedding day.

Just the presence of loved ones, that's what we decided.

That unfateful, Moksh died on the spot.

No police case was formed as I used the power to wipe the traces of murder.

I broke every link from haveli and the members of it.

Moksh's brother did the last rites as his father disagreed to pay any respect to his son.

I gave haveli to them and left my past behind.

Leaving as a Sarpanch was also decided by me, but yeh villagers in unity didn't approve my resignation.

I left that topic for sometime and moved to city with Inayat.

Ghuni and I were both in depression at different levels.

But something was same between us.

Our medicine.

Our healer.

Inayat.

She nurture us with love and softness.

She stitched the wounds that she didn't tear.

She basked us in warmness making the coldness of wrongs against us go away.

Though I didn't want to share her with anyone but Ghuni was her only friend and like a sister to her.

After one month of that incident, I decided not waste any more time on past and take step to make my present bloom.

So, here we are. In the same place where fate knocked us out and

Made us fall in love with each other.

I turned the old house of Inayat into a mandir for village.

And we are getting married with blessings of God and goddess on us.

"Ab vadhu ki maang mei sindhoor bhariye."

Priest directed.

Her mother came and held her big maang tika.

I took the vermillion and coloured her hair partition, tieing her with me for lifetime as partner.

She looked at me with tear rolling down her cheek.

Raising her hand she wiped a lone tear that escaped my eyes without my knowledge.

I didn't know I was crying.

She smiled broadly.

I did too.

Next, I tied the mangalsutra around her neck as directed by priest.

Claps resonated and our marriage life started.

We stood up and took blessings of elders.

"My daughter is lucky to have a man like you Sarpanch ji."

She said after blessing us.

I smiled and looked at my Wife.

"You are wrong. I am the lucky man to have a woman like her beside me."

I replied.

"Dhyan rakhiyega meri Inayat ka"

Her mother cried.

"Aap ki Inayat mera tap (devotion) hai. Aur isse ek aach bhi nahi ayegi."

I promised

"Ibadat"

Her mother said making me frown.

Then I understood.

Inayat name was a muslim name and devotion in muslim is ...... Ibadat.

"Ji!

Inayat meri Ibadat hai!"

I declared and kissed my wife's forehead.

She smiled and made my heart flip.

New marriage life.

Here we come.