"'No!' she voiced, her voice impaling the room. I still don't know her name, but her audacity left me stunned. My brows furrowed in disbelief. Who was she to interrupt me?
"What are you doing, trying to send..." she began, but I quickly grabbed her hand, pulling her close. Our faces were now inches apart, though her face was still covered.
"I've warned you once," I brawl, my voice low. "Don't ever interfere in my life again, or the next time, you'll face my wrath." I released her hand abruptly, leaving her breathless because I could hear her quick breaths.
"I'll call my lawyer! No document can force us out of our home!" Ms. Ahuja proclaimed, her eyes flashing with confident determination. I drew in a deep breath and responded,
"Do what you wish, but do it within an hour. Clear the hall and leave my house after."
My mother's gentle voice intervened: "Son, may I have a word with you?"
I nodded, and we stepped aside to a corner.
"Can you explain what all this is about? It's not your house. It's theirs. Look, they're rich people. Come, let's get out of here before they get us imprisoned with a life sentence. Please," she said in panic, as her voice was trembling. I gently placed my hands on her shoulders, attempting to soothe her nerves.
"My boss wanted this," I began to explain, trying to make her understand the situation. "It's his last wish, which I have to fulfil." After I shared with her his last wish to take care of his sister and seek justice for his murder, her expression softened.
"Believe me, I also don't want to get involved, but I have to respect his last wish and take care of his sister." I added.
She forced a small smile. "But this is dangerous," she whispered. "If she's capable of killing her own stepson, what will she do to you, a stranger with no connection to her?"
I shrugged, my grip on her hands tightening. "I don't know, but I can't abandon his sister. He entrusted her to me, so I won't fail him. Please, no one should know about this," I emphasised, my eyes locking onto hers. "Not brother, not grandmother. No one."
••••
After an hour passed, we returned to the hall, finding a lawyer huddled in a corner, whispering to Ms. Ahuja. Her gaze snapped towards me, blazing with fury.
"This funeral is over," I informed her in a calm tone. "Ms. Ahuja, get out. Now."
She strode towards me, her eyes burning with hatred. "Can we talk for a moment?" she asked in a distant voice.
"Speak!" I replied and crossed my arms.
"This property has been in our family for generations. From my father-in-law to my husband, and then to my son. Do you seriously think you can just take it, like a thief in the night, and then enjoy its peace when it doesn't belong to you?" She spat, her voice reeking of malice.
"That's for me to worry about." I retorted, "Don't let it be your concern."
"I want to speak to you." My wife whispered, but I ignored her. "I said I want to talk," she whispered again. I became astounded when she seized my hand, pulled me aside, and even unveiled her face. I was taken aback by her appearance because I almost forgot how she looked, but she's still the same—as dark as the miserable nights.
"How can you be so cruel and so heartless?" she whispered.
"I don't owe you an explanation. I already told you, this marriage...." I started, my voice as cold as ice, while she chipped in between.
"I too didn't want to marry you, okay? I too didn't want to have an arranged marriage, at least not to someone like you who has no compassion or sympathy for the living or the dead. Where are the divorce papers? Let's not delay it anymore. I don't care how or where I will end up, but I'm certain it will be better than a life with you. It will be better." She ranted angrily. For some reason, I don't know what changed her suddenly because, before, she showed she didn't want the divorce.
"Okay." I nodded. "I will prepare the papers, and we'll get divorced. Just make my work easier by explaining it to Mother."
"Please, make it quick."
"I will. I'm glad to know you're as eager as I am to get rid of this relationship. I will set you free; don't worry."
••••
Ms. Durga left the house, not after telling me that she would return and reclaim what's rightfully hers. However, his sister remained, and when I approached her to share what her brother asked me to do, she rebuffed me and went to her room.
It was already night. Rashi and Rajesh arrived. I begged Mother to make up a false story to explain to them how I got the house so that they will be protected from becoming the next pawns in this deadly game. I then retreated to the bedroom that once belonged to my boss.
While my gaze was wandering around the room, it landed on my wife, whose eyes were fixed at the window, her hair dancing in the breeze like a wild mane, and then I noticed the tears streaming down her face.
"What's wrong? Are you having second thoughts about the divorce or regretting it? I won't go back on my words now." My voice impaled the air, snapping her out of her trance. She flinched, her eyes fluttering open like a wounded bird, before they locked onto mine.
"Why would I regret it?" She whispered and brushed away the tears with a trembling hand. "I'm leaving, anyway, the room. I'm sure you don't want me here, since I'm the only darkness." She gave a faint, mirthless chuckle. "To be honest, I too feel weird in here."
"Close the door on your way out." I replied unaffected and started to go to the bathroom, but she intercepted me, goring her words with anger.
"How can you be so cruel? So heartless? Fine, I understand in my case. You hate me for my skin colour. Even though you could have easily rejected this marriage, I'll assume you were compelled. What about the funeral ceremony? How could you disrupt it midway? Even though I wasn't the one who did it, I'm still not feeling at ease. I can't find peace, and then here you are. Completely fine and okay. What kind of man are you?"
I clenched my fists in frustration at how she jumped to conclusions without knowing the full truth. "I don't care about the perception you have of me. If you think I'm cruel, so be it. Indeed, if I had a say, I would have rejected this marriage, but I didn't. And indeed, I hate you because of your skin color. In fact, I know that I've never in my life dreamed of marrying a dark woman. And I still don't dream of that."
Her eyes became moistened, her voice turning more feeble. "I wish I could hate you too, but I won't. However, I hope one day you'll be regretful of what you told me. And that day, you'll try to ask for my forgiveness. But believe me, you'll wish I'd hate you if I will forgive you, but I will not. I will not forgive, nor will I forget everything I lived through in this marriage."
"Get out of your dream world. I will never regret anything. Everyone has preferences, and mine just isn't a brown woman." I proceeded to the bathroom.
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