Your lie that night

Chapter 14

'Leila, I still remember the day I first saw her. Thankfully on the bus, I sat next to a guy who was her husband's friend. He was talking on the phone when I heard him negotiating money to spend the night with a woman. I thought something was fishy there, so I followed that man, but disappeared in the middle. For a week I tried to spot that man and one day I finally got to see him, getting out from a house, there was fear in his face. So I went inside, when I saw Leila for the first time, she was covered with blood, and in front of her, there was her husband stabbed on his neck. I checked his breath he was dead already and Leila who was 8 months pregnant that time was crying falling on the ground, she was hitting her stomach, again and again, I tried to stop her but she kept on hitting despite the pain she was getting from it. Blood was coming out from between her thigh and she was screaming out in pain. I took her to the hospital, she lost her child. After investigation, it was found out that her husband used to sell her every night even when she was pregnant with his child. When the limit of his cruelty crossed, she stood up and killed her husband stabbing him on his neck'

'How can someone be so devil', my eyes were filled with tears when I heard the pain Leila was hiding behind her face. In front of her, my pain didn’t even worth a cry.

'Still, when I saw her, I saw the girl with innocent eyes who was drained in blood in pain enough to hit her own womb again and again.', said Shreyan we were near the fountain early in the morning. After what Leila said last night I couldn't sleep well, so with the first ray of sun, I was there to meet Saurav to hear the whole story.

'I wonder how does she manage to stay strong?'

'It is the pain, which makes one stronger. Leila was the most intense case I solved and she came out to be most stronger than all'

'What about her family, her mom, and dad'

'you still haven't heard the worst part Katy'

'Is there still oh my god!'

'Her husband, she was in love with him for 6 years. Due to differences in religion, her parents were against their love. So they eloped together. When her husband slowly began to enslave her, she had nowhere to go. Neither she could go to her mother's house nor to her friends. Because she had cut contact with all because for her, her love, her husband was the whole world. There is a saying it is noting when some stranger hurt you but when the one whom you trusted the most in the world and loved more than anything hurts you, it shatters your heart'

'I can't believe', tears were flowing through my eyes, 'No one can bear the thing she bore in her life'

'It's been 5 years since then, but still, she is haunted by that memory. She takes sleeping pills and anti-depressant.'

'It's amazing how much anyone can hide their sorrows behind their face'

'Like you'

'What?'

'I know behind that kind face of yours you also have your own memory that haunts you. So you are no different than Lieya'

'Where did that come from?'

'From your eyes, which are swollen maybe you cried the whole night yesterday', how did he know that. His eyes were looking at me as if I was a book he was trying to read. It wasn't the time it wasn't the right time for him to read me,

'Leiya might be awake, I should see her', I said and went inside, I was afraid if I spend more time with him I would end up telling him everything. He was so comfortable more comfortable than Shreyan in actual.

When I went inside the room, Leila was shouting out of the headache.

'Oh, why being drunk have to pain so much', her face this time wasn't mean, Saurav was right, her swollen eyes wound mark all over her face her sorrows were clearly seen on her face, she was an open book just we were i***t that we didn't get that. I ran toward her and climbed to her bed hugging her tightly on my arms.

'Hey, What happened to you?', she shouted

'Nothing, I just wanted to hug you today'

She pushed me against her, 'Did I do something crazy yesterday', her eyes were wide

'I wish you would have done that, it was my bad that I didn’t get to see you, people, drunk and crazy all of you slept after drinking the bottle bottom to top'

'Thank god', she whipped. that day when I wore my uniform, I find out that I was increasing in size, my lower stomach was increasing in size it was prominent by then. The Apron which used to fit me before was tight. The hormonal changes that were occurring inside me, I was beginning to feel that.

Everyone used to take care of me, mostly Leiya whenever she used to see me working she used to handover the job to herself and made me rest throughout the task. She always used to say it wasn't for me but was for the baby. When I was working in the kitchen cleaning the shelf, I smelled something which reminded me of ice cream.

'Lieya,' I called

'Could you smell what I smell?'

'What are you smelling?'

'Ice cream'

'I never thought ice cream could smell so intense that you could notice'

'It's butterscotch flavor Leiya', I followed the wave of smell coming there from outside, but there was nothing

'You must be having cravings, Katy. It is normal after 2 to 3 months of pregnancy'

'What should I do, Leiya, I can't help but imagine having ice cream. Its picture is roaming around my eyes'

'What are you talking about despite working?', came Saurav from behind

'Katy is caving for ice cream. She has been nagging about that rather than doing her work', I hanged my head low and controlled my mind not to think about that again.

'Ice cream, let's have one', said he coming toward me

'Really', my whole mood lightened up. I was jumping out of excitement, 'You are the best, best, best manager in the world. Let's go'

'don’t you have to change the dress'

'We don't have time for that', I said I was too excited to have ice cream as soon as possible. 'Look how happy you are now', shouted Leiya and went to cover my work

'You are best Leiya, love you', I shouted from behind

'I hate you', she shouted back when I followed Saurav to the gate. As I was in servent's uniform and Saurav was on coat paint we looked funny together, pedestrians were looking at us as if we were a character from a movie

'See, I told you earlier to change'

'But I couldn't resist myself. Where is the ice cream parlor'

'Have some patience', said he and we kept on walking. After 5 minutes of walk, we reached a shop. It was a bakery shop in actual but the ice cream was available there. Saurav bought a family pack for me and me without asking him if he wanted, dug the spoon and soothe my mouth with that.

He laughed, 'Why are you laughing?', I asked

'It's funny to watch you eat, you become a demon while eating'

'I was not always like this, it's craving'

'Today is your day'

'What?'

'tell the name of any food you want to eat today, I will grant you that'

'Really, Oh my god! Saurav I have so many food names in my head now'

'What are they?'

'Pani Puri, French fries, pizza, drumstick, chicken wings, sizzler, cheese pasta, momo, chow mien, sausage…'

'wait, I told you, you can eat anything you want today, not for the rest of the months'

'But I want to eat them all,'

'Just chose your favorite from all of them'

'Panipuri'

'That's it, we are going to have it then'

He paid the money for ice cream and took me to the nearby stall, The aroma of Pani puri was reaching my nose, which made me not regret my choice at all.

'Please make us 2 plates of Pani puri', said Saurav

'Will 2 plate be enough?'

'both of them are for you, I don't eat panipuri'

'Why?'

'I don't like that'

'Are you crazy, how can anyone not like Pani puri, it's like a living person not liking the life'

'I just don't like the spicy taste of it'

'It is the thing that makes panipuri the panipuri'

'don’t make a big fuss out of it Katy'

The shop keeper was already giving me panipuri one by one on the plate. I was having it after 2 months, the taste reminded me of the old age when I use to have it with Bella, she used to love that.

one of the pieces I took that out and took it to Saurav's mouth, 'Aaaaa', I said, 'open your mouth'.

'I really don't like that Katy'

'Just try one please for me'

'Okay okay', he said and I put the puri in his mouth

'So how was it?'

'Same as before. too spicy'

'You must be the first person in the era to not like it'

'So are you full?'

'Yes, but I want to take some for Leiya too she also likes it'

'Don't worry I will pack another for her'. We returned home with 1 plate panipuri for Leiya in my hand. It was like the best day after moving into that palace.

'thank you, Saurav'

'It's not for you, it's for the baby inside you'

'Why everyone tells me that?', I chuckled, 'anyway thank you for enduring my nonsense'

'That was not enduring that was enjoying trust me'

I smiled, 'You really are a very nice person Saurav, I wished if every person in the world were like you'

'If your wish came true I will lose my value'

'don’t worry, that's not possible. No one can be like you', I looked at him. His eyes his mouth his lips they were trying to tell me something. His aura his presence everything used to soothe me. From the day I came to that palace the only time I smiled real was the time when I used to be with him. He was different, his presence used to make me want to believe in love once again. I pulled myself from the swarm of thoughts that was getting inside me just by looking at his eyes, 'I think I should go now', I said and went to find Leiya inside the Palace.