"It takes ages to build the sandcastle of love, but it takes only one sweep of suspicion to collapse the castle to dust."

~•~•~•~•~

'What???', Bhavya jumped like a kid, 'Show me please.. I can't believe my ears!!'

Gauri gave her the kit silently. Looking at the small result screen streaked with two pink lines, Bhavya batted her eyelashes dramatically, squealing and skipping, 'Oh my God!! Oh my God!! Oh my God!! Congratulations!!', she hugged the breath out of Gauri.

Not receiving any reaction from Gauri at all, Bhavya parted away from Gauri and asked her worriedly, ' Are you alright??'

'I don't know how to feel, how to react. Everything is happening so fast.. First kidnapping, then a rushed marriage.. Now pregnancy..', Gauri pressed her lips.

'I understand ma'am. But please look at the bright side.. You are to give master the biggest happiness of his life. I know, his way of showing love and affection is very different.. But, he will now treat you as a princess.. May be he reduces the mental pressure upon your mind too.

'Hope so', Gauri smiled faintly.

'Now leave this long tee and wear something nice. We're going to the doctor. Your test reports will also arrive by tomorrow along with master!! Now let's get going!!'

*****

'Passengers please attention.. We are going to land within fifteen minutes. Please fasten you seatbelts.. I repeat...'

Omkara tapped his foot happily on the floor of the business class section. He was to come back the next day, but felt like returning late night. Last time while returning from Italy, he was given a really pleasant present by Gauri.

You're the light

You're the night

You're the colour of my blood

You're the cure

You're the pain

You're the only thing I wanna touch..

His little butterfly was lulling the whole universe that night.. He smiled fondly at the memory. He loved giving her surprises like this and what gave him more fun was the unexpectedly sweet surprise she gave back.

Dandi was alert as always. As soon as he passed through the gates, Dandi took his luggage trolley and started walking in front of him. Omkara was humming a tune and his steps were bouncy, his mind dancing at how his wife would be surprised to see him back early.

'So Dandi', Omkara initiated his try to get a glimpse of his home, 'how is it going?'

Dandi staggered a bit hearing his happy voice. Master had changed in a very sweet way recently.. He never was this happy to get to come back home.

'Normal. But, missus is behaving strange lately. Her feeding has reduced drastically. She pukes even smelling something non-veg.'

This scared the hell out of Omkara. Gripping his side bag's strap firmly he asked, 'Did she consult any doctor??'

'I don't know master. I asked Bhavya once and she said it was something girly problem and missus is just fine.'

'She better be right Dandi, else I'm gonna cut her pay 100% from now.'

Gauri loved the huge fountain at the backyard of the manor. It was made of white marble mermaids throwing water at each other and jets of water ran from their palms, making a beautiful web of bluish streams, due to the underwater lighting. And the best part was, the mermaids were at the center of a enormous pool, not so deep, and vines of bougainvillea surrounded the whole pool.

She sat dipping her legs in the pool, wearing a long tee only. She wasn't feeling sleepy. Rudy came at the night and still was there. He would leave tomorrow morning. Caressing her abdomen, she felt a happy ache stinging her heart. The breeze slightly swayed her errand locks as she swayed her legs in the water, creating a splashy swooshing sound. Her face glowed in the refracted blue beams of neon blue, softer as they just came out of water, making her look like one of the mermaids.

*****

'Jaan!', Omkara stood shocked after bursting open the door.

The room was dark and she was nowhere to be felt. Not a single breath could be heard apart from his exhausted breaths, harsh after running all through the way to meet his wife.

'Missus's room is illuminated and I guess there is someone inside', Dandi spoke up from behind him.

'She must be there! I can give her now a surprise by barging in!!', Omkara pushed aside a large frame as a door was seen behind.

It was a door leading to a secret passageway connecting the master bedroom and the guest room where Gauri lived initially. Only he knew about it in the whole manor. There was times when he secretly snuck in the guest room to see Gauri sleeping and sat by her all night.

The passageway was dimly lit. But he was stopped at the mysterious door of the guest room, designed so precisely, that anybody would mistake it with a window.

The door was locked inside. How can Gauri know about the door? It was always locked from my side, then how is it locked.. Now I remember, apart from me, only Shivaay and Rudra knew about this passage.

He tried to look through the maze of ground glass and transparent glass. And his lava started to run through his vein, burning his heart. At the mirror opposite of the door, showed the reflection of the bed. And there lied Rudra, his baby brother, his arms around a lady almost wholly hidden under blanket, her face invisible. But he couldn't mistake the long curtain of thick chocolaty brown hair.

He stormed off the passageway. The old fire back in his heart, burning him from head to toe, angry tears blurring his vision. He took his phone out.

'Dandi!'

'Yes sir.'

'I'm in studio. Don't disturb me. And yes, I haven't returned from Germany yet. You don't know when would I return. Clear??'

'Aye aye master!', Dandi knew very well that his master was soon going to rain red. He knew the symptoms.

*****

Omkara barged in his studio. And without any warning, he started punching the statues. His knuckles produced trails of cracking sounds and blood dripped from them, but he paid no heed towards his physical pain. His favourite, most adorable doll betrayed him!!! His red eyes puffed and black irises became livid, as old memories resurfaced them.

*****

'Why don't you understand Omkara!! I'm tired of your weird demands!!', Riddhima shouted.

'Riddhima, I'm sorry, but I really don't like the looks that donor of yours send to you. He is a creep. Try to understand baby', Omkara pleaded.

'He sends me creeps?? Well, I like those creeps. Because, we're seeing each other recently', Riddhima snarled frustratedly.

'Y.. You are joaking Right? Ridz, you cannot have an affair.. Not betraying me.. Right?', Omkara was appalled.

'Or what else to do?? What will I get by being your trophy wife than an Oberoi surname? You earn less than my dad! You don't take a dime from your family share, did you marry me to shackle me in your bedroom??', she threw her hand in air, 'Mr. Ahooja is giving me a land of gold!'

'And our love?', don't you care of our relationship?', Omkara was on verge of his tears.

'Stop your ranting Omkara!! You become a girl when emotional.. And please! We never were on terms of love. I knew from the first day what could you offer to me', her voice choked down as long fingers clasped her throat.

A raged Omkara's burning irises bore holes through the eyes of Riddhima's terrified soul, as her life gradually drained from her eyes. And slowly she fell limp.

'What did you do master??', Dandi also stood limp, his eyes dilated as saucers, his voice shaking in fear.

Now Omkara understood what he had done. The tag of murderer on his name was etched successfully now. He looked at Dandi with equal helplessness, 'Now what Dandi??'

'Master, let me arrange for her last rites', Dandi ran out.

Omkara sat there drowned in thoughts. It was true that he lived in his own world where everything was either black or white. His rage increased as Riddhima's accusations ran through his head again, wrecking his last thin wall of sanity.

When Dandi returned, he saw Omkara still sitting on the floor, hugging his dead wife.

'Dandi', he calmly said, 'Take money and arrange a corpse. I will keep her in the basement so that I never forget what this woman did to me.'

Dandi stood petrified.

*****

Why does it feel like Omkaraji was here? Gauri squinted her eyebrows and laid on the bed of the master bedroom.

🌂☔🌂☔🌂☔
Saving myself from the chandis and chamelis that are on their way to hit my face..

My bad, I can't help myself from ruining your predictions..

Happy reading!
With love,
Sarani