Heartless Husband

Part 36

Priya stepped forward before the silence could turn poisonous.
Her hands were trembling, but her voice was steady.
“Shruthi, please listen to me,” she said softly. “Rudra did not forget you. He was forced to marry me. The entire village pushed this marriage. They cornered him. They threatened his mother’s dignity. He had no choice.”
Shruthi looked at her slowly.
Priya lowered her head. “I am sorry. I did not know about you. If I had known…”
Shruthi shook her head immediately. “You do not have to say sorry,” she replied, her voice tired but clear. “You did nothing wrong. I will not bother you.”
Then she turned and hugged her aunt tightly. “I will go now.”
Rudra had gone inside and came back wearing his shirt. His face had changed. His eyes were sharp, anger burning behind them. Without another word, he held Shruthi’s hand firmly and began dragging her toward the gate.
His mother rushed forward. “Where are you taking her?”
“To her uncle’s house,” he replied coldly.
“She will not go anywhere,” his mother said firmly. “She will stay with me. If you have a problem, I will take Shruthi and leave this house.”
Rudra stopped.
He turned and looked at his mother. The hurt in his eyes was deeper than anger.
“I will come back,” he said.
Priya ran toward him. “Rudra, what is wrong with you?”
“Handle my mother,” he replied without looking at her.
He opened the gate and locked it .
Behind him, his mother began hitting the metal gate with both hands, crying uncontrollably. “Bring her back!”
Priya held her tightly. “Amma, please calm down. We will bring her back.”
..,....,,,...........................

Rudra and Shruthi sat in a bullock cart moving toward her uncle’s village. The sky was turning orange.
Shruthi’s heart felt hollow. All her life she had dreamed of marrying Rudra. She had imagined a home filled with his laughter, children running around him, calling him father.
Now she was sitting beside him like a stranger.
Rudra looked at her. “Tell me what happened.”
She swallowed.
“My uncle’s son tried to force himself on me,” she said quietly. “He bit my neck. I hit him with a tumbler and ran to tell my uncle. But my aunt heard it . She beat me. She said no one would want an orphan, handicapped, unlucky girl.”
She laughed bitterly. “Maybe she is right.”
They reached near the temple close to her father’s birthplace. She looked at Rudra.
“Drop me here. I cannot go back to them. This time they will kill me. I will never come in front of you again.”
Pain filled his eyes.
“I never forgot you, Shruthi,” he said. “Do you think I am a toy? I was forced into marriage. My mother’s promises, my own confusion, responsibilities… even the girl I treated like a sister had feelings for me.(Anu). Everyone says I am wrong. Do I not have a heart?”
Shruthi looked at him carefully. For the first time she saw his struggle.
“I am sorry if I hurt you,” she said softly.
“It is not your fault,” he replied.
When the cart turned toward her uncle’s house, she folded her hands. “Please do not take me there. I cannot stay with them.”
“I am doing what is right,” he said.
They stopped outside the house.
Her uncle’s son came out and smirked. “Rudra anna”
Before he could finish, Rudra punched him hard. He kept punching until the boy fell unconscious. He dragged him inside and threw him to the floor.
The parents came running. The mother began screaming. The uncle shouted, “How dare you hit my son?”
When the uncle raised his hand, Rudra twisted it behind his back.
“What did you do to Shruthi?” Rudra demanded. “We sent money every month. I thought you were protecting her.”
He slapped the uncle hard.
Then he turned to Shruthi. “Bring your parents’ photo.”
She ran and brought it. Rudra held the frame in front of them.
“If anything happens to her again, I will not leave you alive,” he warned.
He took Shruthi and left.

Back in the bullock cart, he extended his hand to help her climb. She stepped back.
“I can walk to my parents’ old house,” she said. “There is still a small hut near the fields. I will stay there. I will work, I will earn, I can handle my life. You go home.”and smiled gently.
He stared at her bruised face, her broken smile, her hopeless eyes trying to look brave.
“I cannot leave you alone,” he said.
“You do not have to feel sympathy,” she replied. “You fought for me. That is enough.”
She folded her hands. “Please. I cannot be a burden. I have always been an orphan. Nothing worse can happen to me now.”
He stepped forward and held her shoulders. “If I fall at your feet, will you come?”
She began crying again.
“Please come with me,” he whispered.
They held each other and cried, not as lovers, not as strangers, but as two wounded souls.
Finally, he helped her into the cart.
They returned home.

It was already 8:30 at night when they reached.
Rudra opened the gate and froze.
His mother was sitting near the gate, lifeless with exhaustion. Priya was beside her, holding her.
When they saw Shruthi, his mother stood up and hugged her tightly.
Priya looked at Rudra.
He looked weak , Exhausted. His eyes swollen from crying.
They went inside.
Priya went straight to the kitchen and began cooking quietly. Rudra went to change his clothes. His mother and Shruthi sat together, speaking softly. Shruthi told them everything that happened at her uncle’s house.
Priya stood in the kitchen, listening. Tears filled her eyes, but she continued stirring the food.
When dinner was ready, she served Shruthi first. Then her mother in law. Then Rudra.
“Sit and eat with us,” his mother said gently.
She made Priya sit beside them and served her food herself.
After dinner, they all sat together.
Priya noticed Shruthi’s bruises clearly under the light. Without a word, she went to the kitchen, made fresh turmeric paste, and came back. She knelt down and gently applied it to Shruthi’s wounds.
“It is okay,” Shruthi said softly. “I am fine.”
“I am sorry this happened to you,” Priya replied.
Shruthi suddenly hugged her.
Both of them cried quietly.
His mother watched them with moist eyes, her heart heavy but relieved that the girl had returned safely.
That night, the house was silent.
Rudra lay down but could not sleep.
The burden inside his chest felt heavier than ever.

Guys what do you think about Shruthi ?

Do you guys like her character?