Unheard Cries

Adrijay, upon hearing his own words, realizes the extent of his rudeness in his anger. Feeling guilty, he mutters to himself, "What have I done?" Unable to stay in the room any longer, he rushes out, walking through the hall and heading straight outside.

Seeing him leave in such a hurry, Yamini Ji, who is sitting in the hall, quickly gets up and approaches him, asking, "Adri, what happened, son? Where are you going in such a hurry—" but before she can finish, Adrijay has already left without listening.

Watching this, Vishakha moves toward Yamini Ji and says, "Mummy ji, I think Bhaiya and Bhabhi had a big fight. That’s why Bhaiya left like this. Anyway, you sit here; I’ll go check on Bhabhi. I’m sure Bhaiya must have put her in her place." She says this with excitement.

Yamini Ji smirks wickedly at her words and says, "Of course, and make sure to come back and tell me how she’s doing. After all, Madam had started growing wings, so clipping them was necessary, wasn’t it?"

Vishakha nods and quickly heads upstairs, while Yamini Ji shuts the door and settles back on the sofa to watch her favorite TV show.

On the other side, Vishakha reaches the doorway of Sarika and Adrijay’s room and finds the door slightly open. Calling out for Sarika, she steps inside but doesn’t see her anywhere. Frowning, she mutters, "Where did Bhabhi go? I wanted to see her crying face. She was acting all high and mighty, refusing to wash my clothes. Hmph! Who does she think she is? No one in this house even cares about her, yet she acts like she’s the most important one here. As if she runs this household! Even my Bhaiya and Bhabhi keep lecturing me to be nice to her. As if she deserves it! She’s not even educated, just an illiterate woman, yet she dares to compare herself to me? Hmph!"

Muttering to herself, she looks around but doesn’t find Sarika anywhere. Making a face, she turns to leave when she suddenly hears the sound of running water from the bathroom. Realizing that Sarika is inside, she smirks and walks away.

Inside the bathroom, Sarika is silently sobbing. She is terrified that if Adrijay hears her crying, he might get even angrier. And if, in his anger, he raises his hand on her… the thought sends a shiver down her spine. She had seen a married couple in her neighborhood where love had vanished soon after marriage. The husband had started hitting his wife over trivial matters. That poor woman had fought against her parents and left everything for him, only to realize that her real home was heaven compared to the hell she now lived in.

Thinking of this, Sarika wipes her tears and whispers to herself, "No… no, I won’t let this happen to me. He won’t hit me. I trust him…"

But just as she says this, a voice from deep inside her mind asks, "Do you really trust him that much?"

Sarika looks up at the mirror, seeing her reflection—her tear-streaked, withered face. The eyes that once held a sparkle and laughter now looked empty, hollow, and filled with a strange fear. Seeing herself like this, fresh tears spill over, but then she remembers Adrijay’s harsh words. Gritting her teeth, she wipes her face, washes it, fixes her appearance, and walks out.

Meanwhile, in the hall, Vishakha and Yamini Ji are waiting for Sarika. As soon as she appears, Vishakha nudges Yamini Ji, who glares at Sarika and sneers, "Are you satisfied now? You were talking so much earlier, weren’t you? Did you really think I’d stay quiet? Women like you need to be put in their place, and I know exactly how to do that. Now get to work, or next time, my Adri might do something even worse to you."

Hearing her words, Sarika’s eyes well up, but she silently nods and goes outside to wash the clothes.

As she washes clothes, her mind drifts into the past:

A young Sarika comes home from school, beaming with excitement. She runs to the cot in the courtyard, dropping her bag and calling out, "Maa! Maa, where are you? Maa…!"

Krishna Ji, who is hanging wet clothes on the terrace, calls back, "What is it, Gudiya? Wait, I’m coming down!"

But before she can come down, Sarika runs up to her and throws her arms around her, "Maa, maa, you know what? I got such good marks in my exams today! The teacher even made the whole class clap for me!"

Krishna Ji cups her face lovingly and says, "Of course, you did, my dear! My Gudiya is so smart—how could anyone not be proud of her?"

Sarika grins and asks innocently, "Maa, will my in-laws be just as happy with me?"

Krishna Ji playfully flicks her forehead, "Where did this in-law talk come from?"

Sarika pouts, "Maa, my friend Gunja is getting married, so we were talking about it, and the thought just came to me…"

Krishna Ji picks up an empty bucket and starts heading downstairs, "Of course, your in-laws will love you. And your husband? He will cherish you and treat you like a queen! After all, my Gudiya is so precious and understanding!"

Hearing this, Sarika beams with joy.

At that moment, Divakar Ji (Sarika’s father) arrives for lunch. Seeing Sarika, he smiles, and she eagerly sits beside him, excitedly narrating everything about her school day. Soon, her little brother, Shlok, who had been playing outside, also joins them, listening to his sister with rapt attention.

Watching them, Krishna Ji shakes her head and says, "Gudiya, Laddu, go change your clothes first. There’s plenty of time to talk later!"

Sarika pouts but gets up to obey. Shlok, however, ignores the instruction and asks, "Baba, will Didi also get married one day?"

Divakar Ji chuckles, "Who told you that?"

Shlok answers innocently, "Vicky said that one day, my sister will also get married."

Divakar Ji laughs and nods, "Yes, one day she will. But not yet, there’s still a long time for that. Now go wash up, or your mother won’t spare you!"

Hearing this, Shlok dashes off, while Krishna Ji sits beside Divakar Ji and sighs, "Hearing Gudiya talk about marriage made my heart heavy. I told her that her in-laws and husband will love her, but… will that really happen? People like us… do we really get happiness?"

Divakar Ji places his hand over hers, "Don’t worry. Everything will be fine. Our Sarika is blessed—her fate will be kind to her."

Krishna Ji smiles and nods.

Lost in these memories, Sarika chokes on a sob and whispers, "No, Maa, my fate isn’t kind… I thought everyone would love me, that they’d be happy with me. But no one even needs me here. For them, I’m just an object, something they use and discard at their convenience. For the rest, I don’t even exist. I only live for my children; otherwise, I would have died long ago. But Maa… I can’t take this anymore. I’m exhausted. I just want to rest my head in your lap, cry on your shoulder, tell you all my complaints. But I can’t do anything, Maa… I can’t even share my pain with you. Why has God made me so helpless, Maa? Why?"

She breaks down into sobs.

A while later, she composes herself, finishes washing the clothes, and goes to the kitchen to prepare lunch.

Meanwhile, at his office, Adrijay sits lost in thought, haunted by the morning’s events. He leans back in his chair, closes his eyes, and whispers in a pained voice, "I am really very sorry, Sarika! After what I did today, maybe you’ll never even want to see my face again… I know I was wrong. I shouldn’t have reacted like that. But your coldness and the growing distance between us drove me to the edge… and I made a terrible mistake. After what I did, I don’t think I can ever face you again, Sarika. Never! I am really, really sorry… I am sorry."

Tears escape his eyes. For the first time, his heart aches with a deep, unbearable pain—as if he has lost the most precious person in his life. And that person is none other than his wife, whom he has started to fall for.

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This update is for all the Sarika fans out there.

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