Mésalliance (Completed)

Chapter 24

Vikram blew air near the entrance of her house and white smoke that rainy morning. He theoretically knew Bangalore for its chill climate and empirically, the chill air crushed his bones. He nervously pressed the doorbell.
The rain fell in a gentle drizzle and he blew air to tackle the climate. That was his chance to apologize for his deeds and salvage his crumbled image. The door swung open, revealing Madhu with an expression of disdain.
She was shocked to meet him. Her heart skipped a beat and her mind flooded with memories of the pain he had caused her. The wounds were still fresh.
He looked tired and remorseful. He wanted to go front but couldn't. Madhu's tried to shut the door and protect herself from being hurt. But he placed his hand on the door, "Madhu, I know I've hurt you deeply, and I can never fully express how sorry I am for my actions. But I want to try to make things right. Can we please talk?"
Even though a part of her yearned for his apology, she didn't want to hear him. She called for her parents and ran inside the house. Her father reached the living room and was furious but Vikram refused to let it deter him.
"I need to talk to Madhu," Vikram said softly to his father-in-law.
Praneet seethed in anger as he witnessed how his nascent daughter endured pain. He had always been a loving and protective father to Madhu and seeing her in distress fractured his heart.
He wasted no time to demand answers. "Do you understand the depth of the pain you had caused on us? She started to question her self-worth. How could you be thoughtless?"
Vikram shifted uncomfortably on his feet but his ego refused to let him back down. "What could I do to a reluctant wedding? I didn't mistreat her anytime. The gun attack was the first and last, I promise."
Praneet's eyebrows furrowed, "Even she didn't like this marriage or you. As a man who signed the legal document, you should have treated her with humanity and respect. It is your responsibility to protect and support my daughter but all you gave was pain."
"What is he doing here?" Madhav rubbed his sleepy eyes and stormed near the entrance. Before anyone could react, he slapped Vikram twice, "Can't you see her as human? Who gave you the audacity to mistreat women? Especially, my sister!"
He shoved the collar of Vikram and pushed him outside their home. There was chaos and Revathy, along with the servants assembled in the living room. She yelled at Madhav to stop.
"He is our son-in-law. Behave!" She warned. Madhav rebelled, "We were in his family hospital, so, I stopped myself from giving it back. I can't tolerate his face inside my house."
Revathy pulled him away and gave a hand to Vikram, "Please come in, son. I am sorry for this trouble."
Vikram gulped in remorse and his eyes started to pool at her punishment of kindness. She resembled his dead mom and he followed her like he used to do when his mom was alive.

*******

The Hegde family gathered in their spacious living room and there was eerie. The faces occupying the room were volatile and tensed. Praneet maintained his stern stature on the couch while his wife sat on the ottoman along with a meek Vikram. Seated on the staircase, Madhu studied his face for any signs of sincerity. The weight of the past hung heavily in her heart and she found it difficult to breathe.
Madhav stood behind the sofa as he set his eyes firmly on Vikram. The entire clan was disappointed by Vikram.
Finally, Praneet broke the silence with his thick voice, "We never expected to see Madhu suffer in that manner. She is the light of our life and you have mistreated her to the possible limit."
Vikram, being confronted directly, couldn't speak a word. He didn't fear another slap but feared his conscience. Madhu was the apple of the eye for her family and he made her a doormat. The silence in between the conversation was tense.
Vikram didn't want to defend himself as his justifications might add fuel to the fire. His face flushed in guilt and defiance. Madhu felt it was a waste to cry for her past.
Revathy realised that a calm and rational approach would be effective. She expressed her disappointment in Vikram and shared how a man should treat his wife. "Though you should treat a woman with respect; wife holds a higher place. She deserves respect and care as she left her home and family to come with you. We trusted that you would protect her. You didn't."
"Nothing was my fault!" Vikram said hastily. Madhu stood from her place and stormed near him, "Wasn't that your fault? Didn't your action give me the wound?"
She tried not to bring about his sex life but he acted innocent to her face. Vikram began to reflect on his words, "I didn't mean I was innocent. It happened unexpectedly and I am sorry."
He recognized that he needed to choose words carefully as Madhu wanted to be discreet about his sex life.
Madhav rose his voice, "You don't understand, Vikram. She wants a way out of this marriage just like you. Why are you creating a scene?"
Praneet's face hardened, " Vikram, a relationship can't be maintained by accepting mistreatment. It's about nurturing, respect and kindness which you don't possess. I will not stand and watch her suffer in silence."
Madhu hugged her father, "I don't want him."
Revathy countered, "He sincerely wants to apologise. If any other guy was in his place, he would have thought of us as good riddance. I want all of you to give him a chance." She hoped that Vikram would change.
Praneet's voice softened as he turned his attention to his daughter. "Madhu has the final say. I will support whatever she wants to do."
Madhu looked at her family rather than him, "He can't change anything in the past...."
Vikram agreed. "I wish I could change the future. Give me one week, I will be here and prove my change."
"One week," Madhu told in turmoil. She didn't know what she desired from him. She wanted to see and believe.
Vikram smiled with determination and looked at her family members.
"Go to her room," Revathy suggested to him with a smile. He agreed and followed his wife for the first time.

*******

Madhu sat on the edge of the bed with her feet touching the floor. She looked at the floor and could see Vikram in her peripheral vision.
"Your house looks good," he tried a small talk. She scowled at him, "Why the fuck did you come here? Is it for getting fucked up here? Do you want to finish my family?"
He sighed, "You didn't care about our contract. Both of our family businesses will be doomed if we divorce now. Just stay with me for one year. No loss for both of us."
Madhu arched her brows, "Didn't you feel irritated by this crybaby?"
He sighed and walked towards her book collection.
"Don't touch my books!" Madhu yelled at him and stood from her bed. "Don't you have manners?"
Vikram deviated his eyes from the bookshelf, "Books are there to be read, not just for showcasing. And it's full of dust, shame on its owner."
"The owner can't lift her hands, thanks to her responsible husband," she seethed back at him. "Do you want to be kicked out?"
He hung his head down and drew patterns on the wall. He noticed an old photograph on the wall, "Your childhood pictures are also great."
Madhu saw the old photo where her girlish self sat in between her teenage brothers. She took a deep breath and reminisced about the summer she spent with them, becoming a tomboy. It was a brisk day. They had food, ran around and joked with each other. Being three, they never had a moment of loneliness. Her brothers, Madhav and Madhan were protective of their younger sister.
"My two partners in crime..." She unintentionally shared and touched the photo. They spent hours enjoying that day.
"You are crying..." Vikram commented to her and extended his hand to her cheek. She slapped his hand away and walked away from the photograph. She trembled on her way to sit and emptied a jug of water from the nightstand.
"Panic attack?" Vikram walked near her and held her hand. She shivered at his touch.
"No matter what you accuse of me, I won't leave you alone," he said. "Even I had panic attacks."
"I don't care," she interrupted him and pulled her hand. "Sleep on the floor."
She threw a pillow and a blanket on the floor and lay on the bed. He sighed loudly.
"You still can return," she commented nonchalantly.
Vikram understood her motive, "I can adjust." He felt the sharp cold tiles through the thin blanket.
Madhu pitied him and suggested him to leave. "You are going to sleep like this for one week."
"And I will take you back after that..." he replied to her confidently.