WebNovels

Chapter 7 - Vedanshi past

Some time in the past...

Back when we used to go to our maternal grandmother's village during holidays, Parth's grandmother also lived in the same village. That's where we met Parth and Parthavi. Parth was a cheerful, kind-hearted boy, while Parthavi was extremely arrogant. They are twin siblings, and their faces resemble each other quite a lot, anyone could tell they were brother and sister. Parthavi was born just 10 minutes before Parth, so she always considered herself the elder one, and Parth had to do whatever she said. She always had her way at home too.

Parth's father is a big businessman and very wealthy, which made Parthavi even more arrogant. Parth's mother is actually a very nice woman, but his father was full of ego and pride and that clearly rubbed off on Parthavi too. Neither of them gave any importance to Parth's mother and were always belittling her. Parth, however, took after his mother, and because of that, he wasn't valued much in the household either.

Parth's father had once visited the village with a friend, and that's when he met Parth's mother. She was very beautiful, and he liked her instantly. Her parents were overjoyed with the match, so her marriage was fixed quickly.

Since then, we all met every summer during vacations, and we had been childhood friends. We came from middle-class families, and because of that, Parthavi looked down on us. But Parth was always gentle and kind in his behavior.

When I was in the first year of my B.A., we went to our grandmother's village for a function. Parth was also there at the time. That was when he proposed to me. Though we had liked each other for a long time, this was the first time he had gathered the courage to express it. Our siblings also knew about our feelings very well. Since then, we started talking daily.

When Parthavi found out about it, she told her father. He was furious and said,

"I don't want another illiterate village girl like Sarla in this house."

But Parth and I had already decided to get married.

When I entered my third year of college, my father brought a marriage proposal for me.

He said, "The boy is really good. He has a great job, comes from a good family, and so on."

"Just one thing, he's eight years older than you." To be honest, I didn't have any problem with the age gap. But I didn't want to belong to anyone except the one I loved. My mother passed away when I was just 10 years old, and this is the only keepsake I have of her.

Vedanshi pointed to the silver chain tied around her upper arm. She used to wear it around her neck, but it had gotten too tight with time, so she started wearing it on her arm. It had a small Om pendant, with sun rays radiating around it, and a tiny second pendant with the word "Maa" (mother) inscribed on it.

She didn't wear it on her wrist because Om was sacred, and her hands would often get dirty while working. That chain was the only memento she had of her mother.

"I also have an elder sister, she's 12 years older than me. She got married long ago, and we never really shared a close bond. My father wanted to get me married off quickly and settle in Priyadham (a fictional town, like Vrindavan). He said, You can continue your studies even after marriage. I just want to be free from my responsibilities. When I told my father about Parth, he agreed, but when I spoke to Parth, he flatly refused to marry me, saying, I haven't completed my studies yet. Even though my father said he was willing to wait for three years, Parth's father and sister still insulted him a lot. Angry and hurt, my father sent me to my aunt's house and left for Priyadham himself. My aunt locked me in a room for an entire year. She made me quit my studies, saying, You've dragged my brother's honor through the mud. I was completely broken, trapped in that closed room. The only thing I had with me was my phone.

During all this time, Parth didn't even try once to find out how I was doing. Although I later found out that he had visited our grandmother's village, it didn't seem to bother him at all. He continued enjoying his life. Society also hurled many taunts at me. All my relatives criticized me harshly.

I was shattered. I wanted to end my life. One day, I was reading about this valley in Nagot on the internet. I don't know why, but something about it caught my interest. After a lot of research, I managed to solve a mystery related to it, for which I was appreciated. I posted an article about it, and it received a lot of praise online.

But no one knew that I was locked in a room, working under extremely difficult circumstances. Through that article, I met someone who also appreciated my writing. Although we didn't know anything about each other's personal lives, he made me feel very positive. Because of him, I finally stepped out of that room.

One day, I ran away from there and reached this city. Since then, I stopped crying for anyone. I didn't shed a single tear. But today, when Parth appeared in front of me again, I couldn't hold myself back.

As Vedanshi said all this, she covered her face with her hand and broke down in tears. Her three friends hugged her tightly and tried to comfort her.

Meanwhile, behind a pillar, a shadowy figure sat silently. He had been listening to everything, and tears were streaming down his face. Just then, the temple bells rang for the aarti, and everyone stood up — Vedanshi and her friends too — but the shadow remained seated, eyes closed, still weeping.

It was time for the aarti, and all the devotees, including Vedanshi and her friends, gathered for the ritual. Yet the shadow behind the pillar stayed where he was, eyes shut, as if unwilling to rise.

After the aarti, Vedanshi and her friends took the prasad and stepped outside. They now stood in the temple courtyard. Vedanshi was feeling much better. She had made up her mind — she would no longer let herself be affected by someone who had abandoned her halfway. She had wonderful friends now, and she was happy with them.

Just then, Akshay said, "Tomorrow is the fresher's party. Vedanshi, are you okay? Will you come?" The others also looked at Vedanshi with hopeful eyes. Vedanshi replied, "Yes! Why wouldn't I come? Anyway, I don't want to distance myself from my happiness because of anyone anymore. And honestly, when you have friends like you all, what sorrow could possibly matter? He means nothing to me now, and we're not going to talk about this anymore."

When Vedanshi said that, everyone smiled, and shortly after, they all left for home.

Meanwhile, leaning against the temple pillar, that shadowy figure still sat with his eyes closed. His face was still soaked with tears. Just then, the priest arrived with prasad and sat beside him.

The priest said, "Whenever there's sorrow, one can come cry before Mata Rani. She never sends her children away empty-handed. She absorbs all their pain into herself. She is the mother of us all, and you, Nayan beta, are her most beloved."

Hearing the priest's words, Nayan opened his eyes and hugged him tightly, crying uncontrollably. By now, everyone had left the temple, so Nayan didn't hold back his tears.

"Son, I've known you since childhood. You're a kind-hearted person, hardworking too. And you're very strong — you only cry when something truly big happens," said the priest.

Nayan wiped his tears, looked at the priest, and said, "I've never wished harm upon anyone, Dada." (Nayan had always called the priest 'Dada' since childhood.) "Then why does it always happen that those who never think ill of others are the ones who suffer the most? Sanjana — she came to my house again today and created chaos. My father fell ill again because of her. She's turned my life into hell, Dada. Even after I accepted everything, she still isn't at peace. But today, I'm not just sad for myself. There's someone else — someone of my own — whom I'm deeply worried about. I'm scared she might also fall into Sanjana's crosshairs. I can't think straight right now."

The priest looked into Nayan's eyes and smiled, saying, "Son, the Divine Mother only tests those who are worthy of it. Those who aren't even worthy of God's trials have no connection to Him — so why would the Mother test them? And karma always returns, even if it takes time. Look at me — I've lost everything too, but now I'm with the Mother. I have Her, and no one can take Her away from me. I believe everything will be fine one day. Just keep faith in the Mother."

The priest placed his hand on Nayan's head and said, "It's quite late now. You should go home to your parents."

Nayan nodded, touched the priest's feet, took the prasad, and walked out. He started his bike and sped away.

As he passed by Maria's restaurant, he paused briefly and looked toward Vedanshi's window — then quickly rode off.

Meanwhile, that evening, after returning from college, Parth and Parthavi reached their room. Parthavi threw her bag down angrily, grabbed Parth by the collar, and said, "Now tell me the truth, Parth. You knew everything from the beginning, didn't you?"

Parth reacted as if he had no idea what she was talking about. He forcefully pushed Parthavi's hand away, which made her even angrier.

"Parth! If you don't want to tell me, fine. I'm calling Dad and we're going back. There are plenty of good colleges in India for archaeology. We'll go home and tell Dad everything ourselves," Parthavi said furiously.

This time, Parth screamed, "If you want to leave, go ahead — but I'm not going anywhere!"

For a moment, Parthavi was stunned. The Parth who had never raised his voice in front of her, who had always remained quiet — today, he was arguing with her.

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