Hues of Love

Part 2

Arnav returned to his home, to silence which had the potential to break his heart more than any word ever could. Everyone would want to have someone to come back home after a tired day of work but all that awaited him was the serene atmosphere, standing up to the name of the residence - Shantivan.

His wife almost never had time for him or their relationship. For years he thought that she wanted to enjoy life to the fullest before she feels the mid-life crisis and takes on her responsibilities but now when the loneliness in his mind pierced his heart like shards of glass which sucked the very emotion which kept people sane: peace. Had she been busy in her profession and that was the reason why she could not spare time for him, he would have been the proudest and the happiest man to understand her situation but he knew that the void she left in his life was to fill the void in someone's life.

The multiple articles he had seen in the magazines with attention-seeking headlines regarding his wife's rendezvous were heartrending and were shattering him on several levels. He just could not bring himself to question about it, blaming his inability to take her verbal rejection on his face, and hence never bothered to confront her expect at the first time he came to see those articles.

Swinging of heart was not an unusual phenomenon to Rati Agarwal Raizada and Arnav Raizada was well aware of the inseparable trait of his wife's personality. He had suffered the pangs of pain emanating from jealousy more than once, both before and after marriage but as they say, love is blind. His love for her had blinded him to an extent where only her presence, even if it was for a brief period, in his life mattered to him more than the pain she caused him. He was ready to forgive every erring of her, given she keeps smiling and stays beside him.

His true love which should have been lenifying owing to its purity proved to be a poisonous curse in its most lethal form;a poison which eroded him from within slowly yet steadily. He slumped into the luxurious couch with a sigh, hoping for something embalming to his aching heart.

In two months, they would complete eight years of their marriage, he thought and they had been in a relationship for six years prior to that but still there was a void in his life, which he knew, how to fill. He had loved the idea of having children since he had studied a chapter about Dasharatha's out-of-the-world love towards Ram and various associated stories which spoke about the bliss of being a parent but eight years into their marriage and his wife practically postponed every discussion about children and family planning.

Breaking his reverie, the woman of his thoughts walked in.

"Hello Darling," she said, moving towards him in a tipsy manner, as he sighed that she had taken to wine once again. He had no objection to her satisfying her desire of alcohol once in a while but her continuous intake of wine was a matter of concern, given the ill side effects of alcohol overdose.

He rose from his seat to receive her, setting aside his thoughts about her drunkenness. She put her arms around him and locked her lips with his in a sensual manner. Normally when she advanced towards him in a suggestive manner, the adrenaline rush would be so intense that he would roll back his eyes in pleasure but his mental situation hindered his romantic ecstasy.

It took him less than 30 seconds, much less than his usual, to pull out of the kiss and somber up the situation.

"How many times have I told you to not drink everyday, Rati? It is not good for your health. One of the main reasons of your fluctuating blood sugar levels is this," he objurgated.

"Oh ho! Can you stop being the head of a health care company at least at night? I know how to take care of myself," she answered with a pout, almost melting him, masking her melt of the heart which threatened to pour out of her eyes at his expression of concern towards her.