Loveless Marriage - My Second Wife Has A Baby

Chapter 8

Ithal

For the next two weeks, I try to be away from Aadhi as much as possible. Most nights he doesn't come home and when he does, I give him space. I go to work, come home, work on my research paper, and go to sleep without waiting for him. That way I too don't get disappointed when he doesn't come home. However, that is until one day when he doesn't show up for straight two nights. Usually, Aadhi comes home in the morning if he doesn't the previous night so it scares me when he doesn't.

I called him several times but all my calls went unanswered and now I am left with no choice but to inform him about it to my brother. I would have kept it from him if it hadn't bothered me of Aadhi's safety so much.

So many horrific thoughts began to swim in my head.

"Did you call him, Ithu?" He asks as soon as he enters the house.

"I did, Navil. Several times but the calls always went unanswered.." I tell him, breaking my knuckles nervously.

He looks at my worry-marred face and steps in front of me, "Don't worry, Ithu. He will be fine.."

"He always comes home. If not at night, the next morning at least.." I blurt out and only after seeing the shocked look on his face do I realize what I just told him.

"He spends the night away?" He asks to clarify.

"Uhhmm.. Not always.." I try to tackle it but he's pissed about it already.

"But he does?"

"Yes.." I gaze away.

"Why didn't you tell us about it, Ithu?"

"Navil.." I sigh in agitation, "It's not like he does it every day, okay? So, don't make a big fuss out of it.."

"What work does he have that he has to leave you alone at night while you are both still newly married?" Looks like there is no way my brother is letting this go without an argument.

"He runs a pub for god's sake, Navil. Sometimes he has to stay late at work.."

He throws his hands up in the air in defeat, "When was the last time he came home?"

"Day before yesterday.." I answer in a whisper.

"When exactly on the day before yesterday?"

"In the morning.."

"So, he hasn't been home for two nights and two mornings. Great! Just great!!" He grits out angrily. "I knew you marrying that asshole was going to be a very bad idea but who listened to me."

"Navil, he's my husband. You can't talk about him that way.." I don't know why I am even taking his side when I know he's wrong. "He's just heartbroken for losing his first wife.."

"That doesn't give him the right to break your heart, Ithu.."

I heave a loud breath, "Are you here to help me or argue with me because I see I made a mistake by seeking you for help.."

Navil looks like he's on the verge of losing all his control but he takes a deep breath to calm himself, "Do you know any of his friends who'd know about his whereabouts?'

I shake my head negatively.

"Then we are left with only two options, either go to his pub and ask about his whereabouts or call his parents and tell them that he's missing.."

I want to roll my eyes at my brother, "He's not missing, Navil, and telling his parents is not an option because they will be furious at him. I don't want it.."

"I don't know why you want to protect him so much when he is only being a jerk to you.."

Because I love him and also I am an i***t.

"Let's go to his pub, Navil. Maybe he's caught with work or someone from there knows where he is.." I suggest and grab my purse before we walk out of the house together to his Audi.

***

After half an hour, we are at his pub.

"Sir, hasn't come to work for two days. He's not picked up any of our calls either." The manager informs us. "Maybe you can ask him friend Ezhil. Here's his phone number.."

He writes down the number on a small paper and hands it to Navil. We leave from there after thanking him. When we come back to the parking lot, Navil calls the friend while I wait impatiently to know something about Aadhi's whereabouts.

"Hi, I'm Navil. I'm Aadhi's brother-in-law.." He pauses while the person on the other end says something, "Aadhi hasn't been to home for two days. Do you, by any chance, know where he might be?"

Navil glances at him with a frown, "Ohh.. Can you send the address, please? Thank you Thank you so much.."

"Where is he?" I ask impatiently.

"You may not like to know.." He mumbles as he walks to his car with me trailing behind him.

"I do. So tell me where is he.."

He stops in his tracks and grimaces, "In his home. The one he used to live with his first wife.."

My heart hammers and I feel like it may stop. And I think it did. My heart stopped when I heard what my brother just said. Not showing how much I am hurt, I nod at him. "Let's go there then. We need to confirm if he's okay.."

My brother ushers me into the car and takes me to the house that Aadhi bought for Priya, the one where they both made happy memories together. My heart literally cracked to think of going in there.

It is an individual house unlike ours so we don't have to go through a security check. The front door is open so we simply walk inside. My body jerks in place to see the walls covered in gray which is due to the fire which broke out here. I can even smell the ache in the air around me as if the fire had happened a few days ago and not a few years ago. I wasn't here when the horrific incident happened. I was married and stayed in Toronto with Shiva but I got to hear about it from my parents and Mini.

Even though I loved Aadhi with all my heart, I never wanted this to happen to him ever. I had in fact, accepted that we weren't meant for each other when he married Priya.

Hearing how his wife died a gruesome death, my heart ached for him and for days I couldn't come to terms with it. They loved each other so much and they didn't deserve this kind of fate.

Dismissing that painful memory from the past, I step further inside the house. I look around for Aadhi everywhere but he is nowhere to be found. However, my heart keeps telling me he's somewhere around here. I can feel him nearby. I have to walk through several empty bottles of alcohol lying around to reach the master bedroom where I finally find him, curling into a ball on the bed and hugging something close to his chest.

I cannot help but feel pity for him to see what he's holding tightly in his grasp.

A photograph with him and Priya's wedding picture.

I squeeze my eyes and inhale deeply. "Aadhi.." I call softly so that I don't startle him but in spite of that, he sits up with a jolt.

"What are you doing here?" He hisses at me looking both surprised and angry to see me here but my attention is on the large red spots on his shirt. It looks almost black now that it has dried and soaked into the fabric completely.

"Is that blood?" I ask, pointing to his chest and shoulder.

He glances down at himself before he shoots an annoyed look at me. "It is not any of your concern.."

"It f*****g is, Aadhi. She is your wife and she was quite worried that you hadn't come home for the past two days.." My brother behind me retorts.

"Well, nobody asked her to worry for me.." His sharp-edged words stab me but I remain unaffected. I have to look back at my brother to tell him to stop arguing with him and thankfully he does.

"Let me see how bad it is, Aadhi.." I amble near him towards the bed. "It could get infected if we don't treat it or maybe it is already infected.."

"I'm fine.." He says but lets out a low groan when he tries to move out of the bed. "You two can leave.."

"You are not fine, Aadhi.." I am close to losing my patience with him. "If you don't let me see your wound, I am sorry, but I will have to inform your parents about it.."

"You can do as you wish.." He mumbles and walks in the direction of the attached bathroom however before he can close the door behind him, I move in behind him quickly and slam the door shut.

"What the hell?"

"Shut up.." I stand in front of him and before he can guess what I am up to, I rip his shirt off, making the buttons fly all around us.

"Now sit down.." I push him on the closed toilet commode and check his injuries. He smells of alcohol and I fight the urge to cringe my nose. I can see semi-dried blood on the right side of his chest and shoulder over the nasty scrapes. Some of the deeper gashes are still bleeding.

"What happened?" I question him, still inspecting his wounds.

"I fell from my motorbike.."

I look up, "You were riding your bike while drunk.."

"I had given my car for servicing.." His eyes drill holes into my face as he speaks.

Shaking my head, I take out a washcloth to clean the wounds, "As I said, it's infected and you are running a fever high fever.."

"Do you think, I care?" He flicks me a dark look from beneath his lashes.

I fix him with a severe look, "But I do.."

We stare at each other until I move back. From the nearby vanity, I get the first aid kit but most of it is years old and expired. "They are expired.."

I open the door and ask my brother to get the one from his car which he always keeps in case of emergency. Within a few minutes, he hands me the kit, "I will wait outside. Call me if you need something else.."

"Sure. Thanks.."

As soon as I go back to Aadhi, he tries to take the kit from me. "I can do it. I'm used to patching myself.."

I hold the kit out of his reach, "One-handed? You will make a mess of yourself. I am a doctor and believe me I have done this many times before. So, let me do it for you.."

His entire right shoulder is scraped and painted with dried blood. "This is going to hurt.." I warn him before grabbing the tweezer and pulling out the pieces of gravel sticking to his cut.

"Nothing hurts me these days, at least not physically.."

I shake the antiseptic bottle and carefully apply it with the help of a cotton swab. "When didn't you come home, Aadhi?"

"I wanted to be here.." He pauses before continuing, "with Priya. It was our fifth wedding anniversary yesterday.."

My chest tightens with unsettling emotions. My husband was talking about his wedding anniversary with his dead wife and how he wanted to spend it with her ghost while I was all alone waiting for him to come home.

Shaking my head, I try to swallow my own pain. This was not the time for self-pity.

"Aadhi, I know you loved her, "I stop to correct myself, "You love her a lot and it's natural to grieve over the loss of your spouse but you need to find a support system soon. You can't keep ruining yourself like this. Think about the people who love you. You cannot do this to them.."

He shoves me away and stands up, "It's easy for you to say. Have you ever been in love and lost it?"

Oh, I have been there, Aadhi.

I have loved and lost too. Only my situation is a bit different from his. I have him but I still find myself losing him every second of every day.

"So, stop giving me a lecture. Thanks for stitching me up.." He barks at me before marching out of the bathroom.