ꜱʜᴀᴅᴏᴡꜱ & ꜱᴜɴꜱʜɪɴᴇ

With his cold gaze, Trayaksh observed the whole bedroom sharply.

His eyes did not leave a single inch of detail in the sumptuously rich and lavish bed chamber Which would be a sparkle to the eyes for any ordinary man, but for him it didn't mean anything.

In Fact the room looked oddly Empty to Trayaksh.

Filled with every luxurious decor and possession a man could only dream for the chamber was a sight to behold.

The luxurious space inheld everything except her.

It felt odd to his heart.

His bedroom had everything...

Except his wife... .

The woman he was told he's married to.

The woman he just hardly interacted with for a few minutes just some ago.

The same woman who was as deep as a Pacific Ocean. Her heart which seems void of all the emotions and those eyes which look at him with numb feelings and maybe disgust? And her rosy lips, the way they twitch into a forced smile as if she's putting on a facade, a pretense on that pretty face of hers while her inner soul is cursing him from inside.

Why?

Why does it feel like that?

Or am I just imagining things?

Trayaksh was surrounded by his own questions as their shadows loomed over his whole mind making him numb for a few seconds himself.

Little did he know that the ghosts of his past are darker than the pitch black shadows of his present.

And some ghosts always haunt until we can't breathe anymore, burdening sinners with the weight of their unredeemable sins which are inked in their blood till eternity.

***

Reaching her bedroom, Aarunya finally sighed taking a deep breath of relief even though she knew it is temporary but for now she atleast pretended that everything was fine.

There was no Trayaksh, no pain, no hurt, no agony and no sufferings.

She's safe.

I'm safe.

She mumbled.

"Yes, safe in the same room where you've been raped numerous times."

He consciousness mocked her as those shadows of past flooded down inside her mind like a heavy storm.

Her heart churned in pain and her insides trembled as she finally gave in, sobbing and screaming inside all those sound proof lavish walls.

Don't cry. Don't cry. Don't cry.

Why are you so weak?

The demons inside her mocked.

Folding her ears with her own hands, she sobbed until there were no tears left inside her hazel orbs anymore.

Why?

Why is he at peace?

Why am I so miserable?

Why did he have a memory loss and not me?

Did I deserve getting such inhumane and cruel treatment?

And for what?

For Something which I didn't even do in the first place. My father sinned, he did. Then why did I had to bear a lifetime imprisonment, why did I had to be raped?

Why did I have to be abused for the whole nine years?

Why? Why? Why? Just why?

She screamed,threw things around but nothing could calm her heart anymore except HIM.

Her Love.

He's her only solace in this filthy place.

The one who makes her heart cry tears of joy everyday.

Aarunya adjusted her clothes decently and wiped her tears leaving no trace of the painful Niagara falls behind which were flowing out of her hazel orbs a few minutes before.

She wasn't weak.

She was a warrior born to fight.

In her childhood Aarunya had seen her drunkard father beating up her mother everyday. Her mother would cry, beg, tolerate.

Aarunya always told herself she was lucky to have a family.

A happy family.

A mirth.

After all that man did acted as a good father to her sometimes.

Sometimes....

An exception....

Atleast she had a mother who loved her with everything.

A mother who she hasn't seen for the whole nine months now....

Mothers are the true God of a child. Her mother always saved her from the wrath of the monster Called Aarunya's own father. She prayed for a better future for her daughter. She would tell Aarunya tales of prince charming and fairies making little Aarunya a Sweet day dreamer who always dreamt to have a fairytale of her own.

Little did the little girl know that she would get a prince.

But

Not all princes are from fairytales.

Some are from those twisted and dark tales who ruin and revel in the ruination of beautiful souls.

Princes who taint the beauty of pure hearts.

Princes who are beasts in the facade of a charming face.

She shook her head off, chuckling sadly on her fate.

Destiny is too cruel to her and she doesn't know why.

Stepping outside of her room, Aarunya went to the third floor.

Her steps heavy with anticipation to see her most precious jewel.

The name which names her heart swells with peace and pride.

"ARANYA"

She whispered, stepping inside and kissing his forehead affectionately as she looked over at the nanny, motioning the woman to leave the nursery through the gaze of her sharp hazel eyes which raked over the whole room, checking if something was wrong inside the little nest of her baby bird.

Taking the little bundle of joy in her arms, she cradled him with affection.

Her little boy Aranya.

"Did my sweet baby miss mama, hm?"

"Bababa bababa"

She chuckled hearing his baby babbles. He's truly a blessing in her life. The only thing which she's grateful for in this world.

He's a dream in her darkest nightmares.

A sunshine in the world of dark shadows which are always lurking around her through the memories of her miserable past.

Aarunya remembered the first time she told Trayaksh about her pregnancy.

His mother cursed her the whole time. The woman hated how the daughter of her own husband and younger son's murder could be carrying her family's first heir.

After all, in the eyes of Gargi Rajput, Aarunya was nothing but a filthy girl, a daughter of a low class drunkard driver who killed her husband, the same man because of whom her younger son is still in a coma from all these years.

Although her father was nothing but just a puppet. The real mastermind behind the game was Him.

Abhimanyu.

It was all a plot hatched by Abhimanyu Shekhawat, the deadly and poisonous enemy of the Rajputs.

Just like a snake he trapped and bribed her father with a wad of cash and that greedy man destroyed the world of Trayaksh and his family without even caring of the consequences, her father played with fire and Aarunya was the victim who was burnt daily into ashes to satisfy the venomous vengeance of the Rajputs.

Aarunya was terrified. She knew her husband would never accept a child who was born through her womb, but to her surprise Trayaksh didn't say anything that day. He in fact that day, surprisingly looked pleased with the news.

His lips twitched in victory and that was the day Aarunya got a subtle hint of his plot. His obsession to ruin her and his cruel ways.

From trying to drown herself into the depths of the water inside the bathtub to trying to cut her own wrist, she did everything in her hands to get away from the blood thirsty vengeful man but to her dismay her one wish of death was never fulfilled.

She was saved each time she did self harm.

But the day Aarunya got the news of her pregnancy, her heart broke. To think that she's carrying the child of her own rapist!

It was the last thing which she wished for.

Aarunya kept it a secret. In her heart, she was scared. No matter how much she hated to have his piece of flesh and blood inside her womb but her motherly instincts always kicked in, stopping her from feeling any sort of hatred towards the little life growing inside her stomach.

Her baby.

Aarunya knew the reason why Trayaksh didn't make her get rid of Her little baby.

He reveled in the feeling of control over her.

Knowing that she would never hurt herself again for the sake of her child,

he kept controlling her every move. Turned out he already knew that she was carrying his child, he knew that Aarunya would be his caged butterfly forever now as she's inextricably tied to him and this time for forever.

He made sure to feed her well. Those nine months were the most peaceful nine months in this nine year of her prison as she was finally allowed her freedom. She could go outside for walks. Most of the time she would just roam around the forest which covered the huge Rajput estate. Aarunya felt a connection with this forest. Unlike that golden cage, she was a free butterfly in the protection of this greenery.

Her baby would kick inside, his each kicks powerful, full of affection and mischief as if he had also made a bond along with his mother inside this beautiful Forest.

This was the reason she named her son Aranya.

Aranya, which means forest itself.

Her Aranya, her greenery and Aarunya's only sunshine in the dark World of Rajputs.

"Mamammmmmm"

His childish baby babbles jolted her out of her reverie of the dark past which she always tries to hide from her little bundle of sunshine.

"Mhmm. Yes, my baby love, See your mammam is here. Mammam loves Aaru so much. My little baby sunshine."

Aarunya cooed in her sunshine's ears softly making his melodious little giggles surrounding the whole baby nursery.

You're my sunshine even in the shadows of darkness.

You, my freedom inside the cage called this mansion

You my little sunshine.

You're the blessing which krishna ji has bestowed on me and I'll cherish you everyday.

Little Aranya giggled hearing his mothers words though he couldn't understand anything but whatever his mamman says is always nice to him. Isn't it?

Cradling the baby in her arms she continues to sing a lullaby her mother used to sing for her in childhood.

Truth to be told then Trayaksh never mistreated their son ever. Infact she would see a new him around little Aranya. He would show a few of his emotions and those were all infront of the little guy who had his beast of a father wrapped around his little Pinky finger.

Trayaksh had a soft spot for Aranha and Aarunya was well aware of it. He would buy all sorts of luxurious toys to anything which a little toddler needs for the little bundle of joy almost everyday and despite his hatred towards Aarunya, Trayaksh had never hurt her infront of the child who only knew how to babble angrily at Trayaksh's mother, Gargi Rajput whenever she would insult Aarunya infront of little Aranya. The baby would babble angrily, trying to jump and scratch His grandmother's face.

He truely was a Rajput. She sighed thinking.

The same anger as his father and fearless blood running down his veins but her son held a warmth. A hint of kindness which almost represented Aarunya herself and Aarunya had vowed, she would never let her baby boy become a monster like his father. He'll grow up with kindness and morals, love and affection and the divinity of God.

Trayaksh didn't believed in God . For him, he's the god himself.

He controls his own destiny, is what he thinks but hell no way she would let anyone turn her innocent child into a demon like these Rajputs.

She was determined.

Aarunya was determined to escape this hell step outside this prison with her little sunshine by her side, forever and always.

We'll escape. One day we will.

Hugging her child to her chest affectionately and with emotions swirling inside her heart, she promised her little sunshine a future without any vengeance, without any revenge, without any pain.

And most of all.

Without any Trayaksh.

He would never be a part of their lives.

Never. And she'll make sure of it.

She'll have a life of freedom.

A life with her baby Sunshine and no shadows of her dark past around.

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