Bonds of Trust

Two distant hearts

As he clasped the mangalsutra (nuptial chain) around her neck, she could not help but feel suffocated with its presence. Though by force, she had to swallow the harsh pill that she was now someone's wife.

WIFE...the word left a really bitter and strange taste in her mouth. How she wished to just escape from there, go farther away, where her pathetic excuses of parents would never be able to find her. Within just two days, Veera's predictably gloomy life had turned into something really uncertain and she was not sure what to make of this situation. She turned to face him after he was done tying the mangalsutra. This was the first time she was seeing him - her husband. All she could see in him was her reflection - the same cold face and the same eyes with a thousand emotions swirling in them, fury, hurt, pain, uncertainty.

When he glanced into her eyes for the first time today while looking at her sullen face yet again, he could see himself in her. Although, the betrayal teeming in her eyes was much more vehement than in his.

'Was she also forced to marry me? I mean, she does look young. Why would she even wish to marry a much older man with a kid? Something's not making sense.', Saheer thought, confused.

'Might be she's a gold digger, or may be Mrs. Khanna promised her something out of this.', his subconscious piped in.

'No Saheer, doesn't seem that way. She appears almost as distracted and distant as you. Do not be so judgemental about a new person. That's not you.', he immediately reminded himself.

The moment the priest had announced the successful completion of their marriage, amidst the thunder of claps and blessings, Saheer immediately sought for some papers which he had kept with Ovi throughout the ceremony. He smiled tenderly at the yellow frock clad princess in front of him.

"Hey sweetie, give those papers to papa.", he stretched his arm.

"Papa, I do not want that aunty in our home. Please papa.", Ovi whined. She did not want to share her papa with anyone. All Ovi wanted was her and her papa living happily.

"Come here princess.", he ushered Ovi within his arms and pecked her forehead to calm her down.

"Sweetie, Ovi, you trust papa right?"

Ovi nodded her head quickly.

"Then, its papa's promise that nothing will happen to his sweet baccha (child). Your papa loves you sweetie. He will always protect you. That new aunty would never trouble my Ovi. Don't be sad, hmm.", Saheer earnestly promised his Ovi. In all the chaos Mrs. Khanna had created, he did not even have the time to explain the new changes in their life to her. But being the ever sweet and understanding child, this was the first time in these two days that, Ovi complained about something.

"Okie papa. Princess loves her papa.", Ovi pecked her papa's cheek giggling and handed over the papers to her papa.

Meanwhile, Veera who had been forced by her mother to go stand near her newly wedded husband reluctantly did so, but maintained a distance.

When she heard the word papa from the little kid, she froze. Not only was she coerced into being a wife, now she learnt that she also had to be a mother. She zoned out for the rest of the dad-daughter duo's chat thinking of what her life had come to.

'Ah shit! Double shit! This guy has a daughter. Of course, he would Veera. Just look at him, he looks like he belongs to the era of dinosaurs. Oops, I exaggerated again.'

'I don't want to be her mom, man. What the heck am I gonna do now.' Veera stood there awkwardly not knowing what to do. Of course, she had already began cursing her parental units. Just then, Saheer passed by her with the papers. Her chain of thoughts was disrupted. She glanced here and there when suddenly her eyes landed on the young girl, that man's daughter. Ovi was already staring at the new aunty who was now supposed to live with them.