Tainted Love by Maniah (i love reading TXT) 📖

He typed her a message: I will call you later. Busy right now.

After that, he walked out of his room and went in search of Vani. 

Vani on the other hand was talking to Indrani. She told her to bring Granth soon as she didn't want to be away from her son any longer. Indrani agreed and told her that she would bring him at the time of Lunch. 

After ending the call Vani went to the kitchen. She just wanted to avoid Mrityunjay from now on. She couldn't let herself in that position again. She had decided to stay away from Mrityunjay. 

Mrityunjay went to Vani's room but she was not there. He went towards the garden but not there as well. He went to the kitchen next and found her kneading the dough. Again she was wearing her normal cotton Indian suit. Her hair twisted in a tight high bun. He couldn't look away from her face,  He was mesmerised by her beauty. 

Unknowingly a small smile erupted on his lips when her dupatta (scarf) fell from her shoulder and her lips thinned in a flat line. She tied a knot at the side of her dupatta to keep it in place. 

Vani checked the Cooker to see whether the curry was cooked or not. She was trying to keep the memories of last night at bay but failing miserably. The things he told her in a drunken state were coming back to her mind again and again. 

Money making machine, Mrityunjay Sehgal. She recalled the pain in his voice when he whispered these words.  

Don't let yourself be in that darkness again Vani, Her mind warned her. 

Whatever happened to him in his childhood was not your mistake. As a human being, she felt sympathy for him but didn't allow herself to feel anything else. 

You used to be my peace, Vanya. 

Again his words came to her mind and again she tried to forge them. 

'It was not your mistake, you were not responsible for whatever happens to him but he was. He was responsible for whatever happens to you, Vani,' Her mind reminded her.   

Forget last night like it never happens. She ordered herself. But was it so easy to forget seeing them who could destroy people with a blink of an eye, sitting there broken and shattered... 

On the other hand, Mrityunjay was watching her with curiosity but more than that he was feeling something in his chest. Something which he never felt before even when she was with him as his mistress. At that time he just wanted her company. He kept her with himself longer than anyone else. He wanted to keep her longer if only…

But there was no gain in mourning over the past. Mrityunjay was about to go to her but the doorbell rang. He went to open the door as Mrs Lucy was not here to do so.

When he opened the door, Mrs Lucy and Granth were standing there. 

"Daddy…" Grant said excitedly. Mrityunjay picked him up. And stepped aside for Mrs Lucy. 

"How was your night, Granth?"

"Cool. But I missed you. You know daddy, your grandmother gifted me a room in that big house…" Granth started chatting with his father while Mrityunjay walked inside the living room. 

"My room there is sooooo big." He stretched his hand to show the size of his room.  But your grandmother is weird…"

Mrityunjay frowned. "Weird? How?"

"She didn't call me by my name. She called me Yash…"

A tear came to his eye, he wiped it with the pad of his thumb. 

"And I will tell you a secret but you won't tell Mumma." 

Mrityunjay smiled. "I promise, tell me.

He went closer to Mrityunjay's ear and whispered slowly. " I played Video games with Dadi till late at night and we had ice creams at night. I sleep with her. She smells like Mumma."

For a moment Mrityunjay remembered his childhood. How he used to sleep alone in his bed, scared that monsters under the bed would harm him. How he used to shiver in fear alone and how he used to pray that his mother would come to him like she used to do….

One day Mrityunjay was shivering in fear. He went to Indrani's room to sleep with her. But when he entered she was crying… He touched her hand. 

"Can I sleep with you?"

Indrani raised her eyes.  "No. Go to your room and don't come back here. Go!" She snapped at Nine-year-old Mrityunjay. 

"But I am scared of the monsters." 

Indrani wiped her tears and she held Mrityunjay with his elbow. "Then learn to fight them. Like I am learning. Learn it today, no one is going to fight them for you. You have to learn it yourself." She told him and took him to his room. 

"Go sleep and don't come to my room again." 

Mrityunjay let out a laugh. "But I didn't like that bad man. He scared dadi."

Mrityunjay frowned. "Who hurt Dadi, Granth?"

"That bad man. He scolded dadi and I hurt him."

"You hurt him…".

Granth  giggled " yes, I kicked him on his leg." 

Mrityunjay's eyes widened hearing his son. He called Mrs Lucy there immediately. Vani too came out when she heard Granth's voice

"Sir…"

"Mrs Lucy, what happened at the Sehgal House?"

Vani frowned. "Granth come here…" She took her son from Mrityunjay. 

"Mumma, I kicked the bad man when he scolded Dadi."

Vani gasped. She looked at Mrs Lucy questioningly. "What is he saying?" 

Mrs Lucy told them everything that she saw at the Sehgal house. Vani hugged Granth. "I am not sending my son to that house again. If anyone from that house wants to meet him they can come here." Saying that she walked away leaving Mrityunjay alone. 

"You may leave, Mrs lucy."

Mrityunjay gritted his jaw and dialled his mother. She picked up the third ring.

"Hello…"

"What happened there!"  He asked Indrani.

"Nothing, your son is safe. Nothing happened to him, you can ask him. He enjoyed it a lot here."

Mrityunjay closed his eyes, "I am asking about you. Veer Sehgal scolded you? What did he say?" 

Indrani Sehgal chuckled. "Like you always say, son. It doesn't concern you. Why are you caring now when you never cared for me before? Take care of your family. Don't be a failure like me."