CHAPTER 34
Avishka is looking at herself in the mirror because Prakram has asked her to get ready as soon as possible because they are going out for a shopping trip. She doesn't know at all what to do to get ready. Prakram removes the veil from her face. Which in itself scares her because every time she starts feeling that everyone is looking at her, many dirty eyes are looking at her, from which she wanted to hide herself, but now she wants to find out how to hide.
She is constantly looking at herself in the mirror. The wedding chain hanging around her neck looks like a noose to her. When she saw vermillion in her hair partition, she stood under water for several hours continuously so that she could remove it from this unwanted, forced relationship. It should be washed thoroughly, but for some unknown reason, this vermilion is no longer there and is still shining continuously on her forehead. Despite not applying it again, she still senses the presence of Prakram's vermilion.
"What should I do? My mind has been like to leave everything and run away somewhere; there is no need to think about anyone, nor is there a need to weaken myself... Why am I weak when I know I am not? I am not weak, Avishka. If I am my father's warrior who knows how to fight, then why suddenly do I feel so weak? I should run away."
You will never be able to live without Aashi, and you will never be able to repay the favors from Padma and Vishnu in your life. Are you able to look at yourself?
Her heart starts loudly denying her own words instantly. She rests her hand on her heart and speaks.
"My fear is increasing day by day.”
She starts crying after saying this, but her father wants to quickly help her.
I have always told you that you will walk, you will collide, and you will fall. You have to decide for yourself whether you want to get up, whether you have fallen down, whether you want to destroy yourself completely by remaining down there, or whether you want to fight to move ahead with pride.
A sudden knock on the door prompts her to turn, revealing Aashi running into the room and Prakram standing at the doorway. Aashi is ecstatic about leaving, so she rushes to inform her.
"Mumma, let's go."
Prakram is looking at her; the disappointment on her face is definitely making him hurt somewhere, but he is not at all bothered by the fact that she has forcefully married him. He cannot explain the deep reason behind this disappointment. She is troubling him too much; he suddenly goes outside, where Arman is standing, and tells him.
"Armaan, I don't know how you will do all this, but I need an appointment with Sandeep Saniyal in any case and also try to know about these people well, whether inside them or inside the house. You might need to examine their kidneys, liver or hearts to uncover the truth, but it's crucial that you do this as soon as possible.
"Sir, Are you suspecting her? She is your wife now."
"I don't know anything, but I definitely know that somewhere in my life, the teachings taught by my mother are coming into play in my tough decision. My mother taught me that a person who inflicts pain on a woman is weak and cowardly, and I am eager to uncover the identity of that weak individual. I want to know who made this girl's life hell. I don't know the specific reason for this, but it's certain that this girl is suffering more from her previous life; if she moves forward, she will have to leave her previous life behind, so I promise not to cause her any pain. I want to help her forget her past life. She loves Aashi, and Aashi loves her. Because of their love for each other, she is now my wife, so I must pay attention to this.
"Sure sir…"
.
.
.
Aashi is becoming more happy after roaming outside, and due to the presence of a gaming zone in the mall, she is becoming even more happy. Prakram leaves her there to play comfortably, and as a result, she has started running around and interacting well with other children. When Avishka sees her playing like this, a very gentle smile appears on her face. She starts smiling more when she witnesses Aashi's smile, due to which Prakram's attention goes to her smile.
Avishka is always by Aashi's side, helping her with whatever she wants to play, which leads to Aashi playing a lot and jumping with joy. Aashi is so enjoying playing there that she starts shouting and calling her parents with joy.
"Papa…mumma…"
Observing her play, Prakram begins to smile continuously, causing Avishka to see him smiling without any inhibitions for the first time. In the next moment, she fixes her gaze on Aashi, diverting her attention from him.
"Papa, I want to sit on that bike."
Aashi tells her father about the installed bike game, which Prakram begins to explain to her.
"Sweety, that game is for older children; you cannot play it."
"However, I am eager to participate; you will engage in the game; I will derive pleasure from it; you will accelerate the bike; and I will provide encouragement."
With a smile on his face, Prakram immediately pulls her aside, instructs her to sit on the bike, sits behind her, and begins the game. As a result, Aashi becomes extremely happy and begins to clap and jump excitedly on the bike.
"Yes, Papa... yes, we are first... Fast... Fast."
Seeing her enthusiasm, Prakram starts playing very well, and there is a constant smile on his face. Avishka smiles softly after seeing the father and daughter playing like this because this scene is very relaxing. While playing, Prakram kisses her cheek and occasionally her forehead, expressing his love for his daughter and making Avishka feel very emotional.
After playing the game, they begin choosing some dresses for Aashi. Avishka meticulously examines each dress, prompting Prakram to scrutinize her even more, as he is taken aback by her words.
"This dress has rubber wires whose knot is on the inside. This will cause numerous issues when the child tries to put it on."
"No, mam. Nowadays, children like to wear such fashionable clothes, and your daughter is so beautiful that she will look even more beautiful after wearing this dress."
"After wearing the dress for a while, she becomes very upset and starts crying. There is another dress; you show it to me; I will select it myself."
Avishka takes great care of everything towards Aashi, due to which Prakram is very surprised to see her like this because whenever he went to get something for Aashi, he ignored all these things and just bought the thing. If he found something he liked, he would buy it. Avishka is meticulously examining each dress on Aashi and soliciting her feedback, enabling her to choose the clothes she prefers.
“Papa, I am sleepy."
After a lot of playing and roaming, Aashi is very tired, due to which she starts rubbing her eyes, and both Prakram and Avishka know that if she does not eat food, she will sleep hungry. Avishka takes her from Prakram's arms and tells her while explaining.
“Aashi, let us quickly eat your favorite food, and then you go to sleep.”
“No… I want to sleep."
"Aashi…”
Prakram signals Armaan to get whatever dress she has selected, and he immediately holds Avishka's hand so that he can quickly place the order in the nearby food court area and allow Aashi to eat the food. It is not her usual time to sleep, but after being tired from playing, she wants to sleep. As soon as Prakram holds Avishka's hand, she sees him in fear, but she knows very well why he has done this, so she also starts walking quickly with him, but because she is holding Aashi in her lap, she is unable to do so. Due to which Prakram quickly takes Aashi in his lap and holds Avishka's hand, he goes to the nearby food court and sits and tells the waiter standing there.
"French fries for the kid... Make it fast; after that, I will order for us."
Aashi likes French fries a lot, but despite that, she starts sleeping with her head on her father's chest, due to which Avishka moves her chair near Prakram and tells her.
“Aashi's princess dress was looking very nice, so I thought that today Aashi would have a princess story."
Suddenly, Aashi sits down and looks at Avishka, expecting her to share the story, but Avishka tells her instead.
"But I don't talk at all while eating, so I won't tell any stories; I'll just eat.”
Prakram has started smiling a lot after hearing all this, because he has also understood very well that Aashi likes listening to the story very much. Even if she is feeling sleepy, she tries her best not to sleep before the story finishes. She has gotten up and sat down, and now she is sitting in her father's lap. She quickly looks around to ensure her food arrives, so she can go home quickly after eating, and so she can listen to a story.
Prakram quickly orders the food. While eating French fries, Aashi is watching Avishka eat the food quickly, while Avishka's entire focus is on the fact that Aashi should eat fewer French fries and most of the roti and vegetables, due to which she is feeding her well with her hands, and she herself is eating very little. Prakram notices her and says,.
"Ashu, have french fries and eat your food.”
"All these things are not very good for Aashi. It is okay to eat a snack every now and then, but since she has come here, she is eating all these things, so it would be better if she tried to eat more vegetables.”
Avishka answers Prakram without looking at him because her entire focus is on feeding Aashi, and Prakram has also noticed that whatever Avishka feeds Aashi, she eats it without any tantrum. As a result, he also doesn't want to interrupt her too much. But he also knows very well that, amidst all these things, Avishka herself is not eating properly at all.
After providing her with a satisfying meal, Avishka cradles Aashi in her arms and begins narrating the story, aware that she is exhausted and likely to remain awake for the duration of the story. Prakram is eating food; she has to sit there, and Prakram wants her to eat food, but she starts narrating the story to Aashi, which she is enjoying much, and rests her head quietly on her chest. While closing her eyes, she starts enjoying the story, due to which her eyes also start getting heavy with sleep.
As per her habit, Aashi holds Avishka's dupatta well. Prakram soon finishes his meal and leaves from there, and Armaan is keeping a lot of packets in the trunk of the car, seeing which Prakram signals him. Aashi is in Avishka's arms. She has slept, and they are moving very comfortably toward the hotel. Prakram says this to Avishka while working on his laptop.
"You haven't eaten anything; go to the hotel and order something for yourself.”
Avishka does not answer him. When they reach the hotel, Avishka comes to her room, and Arman and Prakram also come with her. She turns to look; all the packets are being kept in this room. Armaan immediately leaves from there, Prakram tells her.
"These are some dresses that I have bought for you; these are the dresses Aashi liked for you. While you were choosing clothes for her, Aashi's attention was solely focused on the other dress, which she specifically liked. Measurements won't be an issue because a highly experienced sales girl has carefully chosen these clothes for you after observing you. However, please inform me if there are any issues, and I will make the necessary adjustments."
Avishka is holding Aashi in her arms, listening to all of his words with her eyes closed. Prakram comes closer and kisses Aashi on the forehead, which was a bit unexpected for her. She hesitates and moves back, but Prakram tells her to.
"Aashi has fallen asleep very early; she will definitely wake up in the night; if she bothers you too much, then send her to me; I have to go out for some work right now; I will come in some time... Order your food and rest well; you are also very tired.”
Avishka just nods her head, and Prakram leaves after looking at her for a few moments. He is talking to her more because he knows that unless the conversation is done, the two will not be able to live their lives together. He doesn't regret his decision to get married, nor does he want to discuss the fact that they both got married unexpectedly. Therefore, it will take some time for both of them to feel comfortable together, as he is quite reserved. It is well known that when he returns to Punjab in a few days, his father's eyes will be looking for a lot; hence, it is very important to make Avishka comfortable with him before going there.