Fading Hopes

Adrijay stood at the door, gazing intently at Sarika, and thought to himself, I will try my best, Sarika, to be the reason behind your smile one day! With that thought, a genuine smile spread across his face.

Inside the room, Sarika sensed someone else’s presence. As she turned around, her laughter faded the moment she saw Adrijay. Noticing this, Adrijay clenched his fists in anger and sternly addressed the children, “Tanu and Adhu, haven’t you studied enough? And here you are, playing! Go and study now!”

Hearing his strict tone, Tanishq hid behind Sarika, while Adhik silently left the room. Sarika, seeing Adrijay’s foul mood, picked up Tanishq in her arms and started walking out of the room. Just as she passed by him, Adrijay grabbed her wrist without even looking at her and said, “Send Tanu away. You stay here.”

Sarika, feeling anxious, gently placed Tanishq down. The little boy, looking up at Adrijay with frightened eyes, pleaded, “Papa, please don’t scold Mumma! She didn’t tell me to play—I asked her to!”

Hearing this, Adrijay’s anger dissipated. He realized that he had unnecessarily scared both his children and Sarika. Taking a deep breath, he exhaled and offered a small smile to Tanishq. “Son, I won’t say anything to your Mumma. You go now, hmm?”

Tanishq nodded and, casting one last glance at Sarika, ran off toward his room.

As soon as he left, Adrijay pulled Sarika inside and shut the door. Seeing this, Sarika backed away in fear.

When Adrijay turned after locking the door and saw her retreating, he spoke firmly, “Stay right there!”

Sarika swallowed hard and lowered her eyes, whispering nervously, “Please… I was just playing with Tanu because he asked me to… If you don’t like it, I won’t play with them anymore… I’m sorry… Please forgive me…”

Hearing her words, a wave of sadness washed over Adrijay. He realized just how much Sarika feared him when she should have been comfortable around him. Instead, she was terrified of him. This thought weighed heavily on his heart. Stepping forward, he enveloped her in his arms, gently stroking her head. “Shhh… I’m not saying anything. Calm down…”

For the first time, Adrijay had pulled Sarika into his embrace, making her eyes well up with tears. Her silent cries dampened his shirt. Noticing this, Adrijay cupped her face, wiped her tears with his thumb, and gently pressed a deep kiss on her forehead.

The touch of his lips on her skin made Sarika close her eyes instinctively, and a soft smile appeared on her lips. For the first time, she felt a sense of safety in Adrijay’s presence.

They stood in each other’s arms until a knock on the door startled them. Sarika quickly stepped away, her cheeks flushed red, and moved to open the door.

Adrijay, internally cursing the person outside, grabbed his clothes from the cupboard and headed to the bathroom.

Sarika opened the door with a smile, but the moment she saw Yamini Ji, her smile vanished, and her gaze dropped.

Yamini Ji, seething inside at Sarika’s earlier smile, ground her teeth and glared at her. “If you’re feeling better now, Your Highness, would you mind coming downstairs to cook dinner? Or has everyone in this house stopped eating because you’ve been lying around in your room?”

Sarika, panicking, quickly responded, “Yes, Maa ji, I was just coming—”

Yamini Ji cut her off angrily. “Don’t try to fool me with excuses! I know every bit of your tricks. Now come downstairs immediately! And listen carefully—if you dare tell my son anything about this and try to create problems between us, I will make sure you regret it.”

Sarika nodded hurriedly and followed her downstairs, heading to the kitchen to start cooking.

Meanwhile, Adrijay stepped out of the shower, and upon not finding Sarika in the room, he went looking for her. Spotting Yamini Ji watching TV in the hall, he approached her. “Maa, have you seen Sarika?”

Yamini Ji, internally fuming, thought, You never asked about her before, so why this sudden concern? I will never let you drift away from me. Keeping you and Sarika apart is the only way.

Outwardly, she put on a concerned face and said, “I don’t know, beta (son). I’ve been looking for her too, but I couldn’t find her anywhere.”

Adrijay frowned, confused. He had specifically told Sarika not to do any kitchen work today, so she wouldn’t be there. Then where could she be?

Just then, Adhik walked in. “Papa, I don’t understand a question. Can you help me, please?”

Adrijay, still distracted, replied, “Son, study something else for now. I’ll help you in a while. I need to find your Mumma first. She’s not around…”

Yamini Ji, sensing an opportunity, quickly said, “Oh, come on, son! Poor Adhik needs your help. As for Sarika, she’s probably with Vishakha. I haven’t checked her room yet, but I’ll send Sarika to you once I find her.”

Adrijay didn’t want to accept this, but since he rarely spoke with Vishakha, it didn’t seem right to go looking for Sarika there. So he nodded reluctantly and left with Adhik.

As soon as he was out of sight, Yamini Ji sighed in relief. Now, watch how I keep you away from my son, Sarika. I will never let your spell work on him! I married you off to him only so you wouldn’t turn him against me, but you are proving to be far too cunning. Pretending to be innocent while slowly making a place in his heart! But I won’t let that happen. I will never let you take my son away from me, no matter what I have to do.

She smirked and turned back to her TV.

At the Dinner Table

Everyone sat down for dinner except Adrijay, who was glaring at Sarika for not showing up.

Unaware of his piercing gaze, Sarika silently ate while feeding Tanishq as well.

After dinner, everyone went to their rooms while Sarika stayed behind to clean up. Adrijay, meanwhile, put the kids to sleep by telling them a bedtime story before heading back to his room. Not finding Sarika there, he sat on the bed, waiting for her.

Downstairs, after finishing all the cleaning, Sarika checked the locks and turned off the lights before heading upstairs. Just as she was about to go, Yamini Ji stepped out of her room.

“Sarika, my legs are aching terribly. Can you massage them?”

Sarika nodded and rushed to warm some oil in the kitchen before coming back to massage Yamini Ji’s feet.

After a long time, when Yamini Ji finally let her go, she warned, “Wake up early tomorrow. I have to visit my friend’s house, and I want to take homemade sweets with me. You make the best sweets, so they should be ready before 11 AM.”

Sarika nodded, placed the oil bowl aside, and quietly left for her room.

Once inside, she grabbed her clothes and took a shower. Changing into fresh clothes, she lay down next to Adrijay. Seeing him sleeping uncomfortably, she gently adjusted his position, smiled at him, and closed her eyes, falling asleep in exhaustion.

Days passed, and Yamini Ji continued to keep Sarika occupied, preventing her from spending time with Adrijay. Whenever he asked, she made excuses, causing a growing distance between them. Over time, Adrijay started believing that Sarika was intentionally avoiding him. Coupled with increasing workload at the office, his frustration grew, and he began snapping at her again, reverting to his old self.

Sarika’s flicker of hope extinguished. She understood now—things between them would never be normal. Often, she cried alone but never let Adrijay see her pain.

One Night

At 11 PM, Adrijay returned from work. Sarika opened the door, took his bag, and quietly shut the door behind him.

As he headed upstairs, she hesitantly asked, “Sh-should I serve dinner?”

Without looking back, Adrijay shook his head. “No, I already ate. There was a party at the office.” With that, he went upstairs.

Tears welled up in Sarika’s eyes, but she suppressed them and followed him.

Lying beside him, she closed her eyes.

But tonight, Adrijay was restless. Without warning, he pulled her close and captured her lips in a kiss.

Sarika, startled, opened her eyes but didn’t resist. Because for him, she was just an object of need, and tonight was no different.

So, like always, she let him do whatever he wanted.

Without thinking about Sarika's emotions, Adrijay started calming his beast through the physical intimacy and as always, Sarika didn't feel anything today either. Sometimes, she felt like she was just an object for Adrijay, something he could use whenever he pleased. Thinking about this, her eyes welled up with tears, but she held them back because she knew if she cried, Adrijay would get angry at her. So, she remained silent, lying there like a lifeless doll, letting Adrijay do as he pleased.

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