"An Unconventional Commitment"

◍•𝑨𝑵𝑼𝑩𝑯𝑨𝑽'𝑺 𝑷𝑶𝑽•⁠◍

I left the room after I told Haseena about Aarush's room. I had to go downstairs and face dadi, who was waiting for me. She wanted to talk to me about my marriage. I knew she was curious and confused about why I had married Haseena without telling her.

I saw dadi sitting on the sofa. She looked at me with a mix of love and disappointment. She told me to have a seat and said, "Anubhav, tune aise bina bole shadi kyu kar li? Jab main itne din se bol rahi thi shadi karle, to meri baat ko taal deta tha. Agar tu usse pyar karta hai, pehle bata deta, to main teri shadi ke khilaf thodi hoti."

I felt guilty for deceiving her. She was the only person who cared for me in this world. She had raised me as my parents were always busy with their lives and got no time for me. She had supported me in everything I did. She had always wanted me to be happy.

I said, "Pata hai dadi, agar aapko mai batata, to aap meri shadi usi din dhoom dham se karwa deti. Lekin mai aisa nahi chahta tha."

She asked me, "Kyu?"

I lied to her. I said, "Kyuki agar aap meri shadi aise karwati, to usme media bhi aati. Aur Haseena ko yeh sab nahi pasand. Woh ek normal life mere sath jeena chahti hai."

The truth was, I didn't want the media to know about my marriage. I didn't want anyone to know. I wanted to keep it a secret. A secret that would end soon.

Dadi said, "Hmm, mujhe bhi ye media wale pasand nahi. Pata nahi kyu unhe teri zindagi mein kya ho raha hai, sab janna hota hai."

I nodded. I wished I could tell her the truth. But I couldn't. I had to protect Aarush. He was my responsibility. He was the only reason I had married Haseena.

Dadi said, "Waise jo bhi bolo, bahut pyaari bacchi hai. Acha, ab jaa aur jaakar uski madad kar. Yeh ghar uske liye naya hai, to usse bahut kuch nahi pata hoga."

I agreed. Haseena was a lovely girl. She was kind, smart, and beautiful. She had agreed to marry me for a noble cause. She had agreed to help Aarush.

I left for my room. I hoped to find her there. But when I entered the room, I didn't see her. Maybe she had gone to Aarush's room. Maybe she had gone to find some happiness in this house of lies.

_________________________

I woke up the next morning and went downstairs to prepare Aarush's breakfast. He was the only reason I was doing all this.

Haseena was the girl I had married yesterday. She was a stranger to me, but she had agreed to be my wife for a contract. She had agreed to live with me and Aarush until he spoke again. She had agreed to accept a huge amount of money from me, which she needed for the orphanage where she had grown up. She had agreed to lie to everyone, including my dadi, who didn't know about our deal.

I was stopped by dadi on my way to the kitchen. She asked me, "Anubhav, Haseena kaha hai?"

I replied, "Woh abhi so rahi hai, dadi. Mai Aarush ka breakfast banane aaya tha."

She said, "Anubhav, kal tu shadi karke aaya hai. Kuch rasme hai jo karni hogi tujhe aur Haseena ko. Jaa jaakar usse bula kar la."

I nodded and went to Aarush's room, where Haseena was sleeping. She was sleeping on the floor, on a mattress. She had given the bed to Aarush, who was sleeping peacefully. She looked so beautiful in her sleep. The hair strands were falling on her face, which I wanted to tuck behind her ears. Wait, what was I thinking? I shook my head and woke her up.