The night (Part II)

(This is the second part of the story. Read the first part here. I got a few suggestions and all of them have pointed out that they want a happy ending. I assure you all that it will be a happy ending... as it is, we have enough sorrows and unpleasant things to deal with in our daily lives... the least we can do is have happy endings at least in stories!!! Hope you enjoy this series...)

She was walking away, tears streaming from her eyes and flowing over her cheeks. And as she stopped, she looked at her hand, and something glistened over her finger… a tear… atop the diamond on her ring finger. It was as if someone was reminding her that she, despite being held captive in a loveless marriage, had no right to love or be loved…

Her marriage was like a heartbroken lover standing at the edge of a cliff, wanting to jump, but slightly hesitant to end his life. The woman in her who’d wished for her prince charming to come and sweep her in his arms had died a brutal death when she’d married the stranger whom she was now living with, under the same roof. The stranger was happy with his life—work, parties, racing, and alcohol. He took good care of her, like he did, of the vase in his living room or of the Picasso on his bedroom wall. But that was all there was between them. And today, she’d run into another stranger! There was one little difference though—the person whom she’d been living with since 2 years seemed like a complete stranger, and the stranger whom she’d run into a couple of minutes before seemed like she’d known him for years…

Neetu had turned to work in order to distract herself from the emotional trauma of this meaningless relationship. She looked for love in all the possible places—right from buying an ice-cream for a street kid to helping a blind old woman cross the road. However, the desire to be loved and cared for by a companion had persisted as a void deep within. And today, destiny had given her the opportunity! A turbulent debate simmered inside her… between the woman who was lawfully wedded to a man and the woman who’d just had the first taste of love. And it seemed like the latter was winning…

Her phone rang. Someone from home was calling her. She expected it to be her husband…after all, who else would be calling her from her house at this hour? She felt surprised at the fact that he’d be concerned enough to actually call her. The next moment, fear took over. Had he come to know of her feelings for this stranger? “No, how can that be when I am myself not sure of my feelings,” she said to herself. Her phone kept ringing, and finally, she composed herself and mustered up enough courage to say “Hello…” “Memsahib, where are you? Are you okay? When will you reach?” It was the maid servant.

“Radhabai, I’ll be late. The trains are late. Is sahib at home?” she asked.

“No memsahib. Sahib won’t be coming home tonight,” Radhabai replied.

“Had he called? Has he had dinner? Did he ask for me?” Neetu inquired, like a dutiful wife.

“No memsahib. His secretary had called,” Radhabi said. The debate still continuing within her, Neetu said, “I’ll be there as soon as possible. You go to sleep. I have the keys,” and hung up.

“Now’s the time to end it all,” she decided. The man whose wife was out somewhere till the wee hours of midnight didn’t even bother to inquire about her. All her efforts to save her marriage had been in vain. She couldn’t be stuck forever in her loveless marriage. She had the right to love and be loved in return. The woman had won over the wife. She was yearning for love, and what she had seen in this man’s eyes overwhelmed her. She had to tell him how she felt. She didn’t care if he felt the same way or not, but she simply had to tell him. If she didn’t, she’d regret it for life. She clenched the phone tightly as if to derive strength from it, wiped her tears, straightened herself, and turned back…

Alas! There was no one in sight. He was not there. He was gone. Desperately, she looked around…her helpless eyes sought him. But he was nowhere to be seen. Was this destined? A taste of love and then a rude shock? Her heart sank. She could not believe that she’d lost him… forever

Or had she?

(PS: Please keep pouring in your suggestions for the next part. I'd be obliged. And a big thanks to all of you who read the story and gave me feedback.)