Bound by her last wish

Author’s P. O. V.

“Yash, what are you doing?” Sherlin came out of her room with aahana in her arms only to see Yash taking some pictures of Shayra off the walls.

“Fulfilling my wife’s last wish,” He murmured before taking another family photo of them off the wall and keeping it inside the box with great warmth.

“What?” She asked as she put Aahana on the couch and placed a few pillows around her so she does not roll off and fall on the tiled floor. Adjusting her light blue saree with a silver border she walked towards Yash.

“Yash you can’t be serious, aahana needs to know about her mother, you cannot hide these photos and everything,” Sherlin said as Yash handed her another photograph from the wall near the stairs.

Sherlin caressed the photo with her fingers; it was from the day of Aahana’s naming ceremony; she was heavily pregnant but had held Aahana in her lap.

“I always fulfilled her every wish; even when she asked me to marry you,” Sherlin could not look at him; that was the night he had slept with her for the first and last time.

“You don’t need to remind me every time why we are in this relationship Yash,” Sherlin said to him as she glanced at Aahana to make sure she was safe.

“Relationship?” He chuckled as he looked at her.

Taking the photo from her hands, He kept it in the box too, “I would call it nameship,” Yash’s voice was dripped in bitterness; those were like straight blows to Sherlin’s heart but she kept quiet.

He secured the box with a tap before he proceed to open another one, “But Why this?” He glanced at her before he placed the photos near the coffee table in which Shayra was either with him or holding Aahana in the box.

“It was her last wish, I am just fulfilling that,” He said as he looked around for more photos. His eyes fell on his late father’s photograph that was hanging on the wall with a garland on it.

But that was not what made Yash angry, “Saarika! Sarika!” He shouted the name of the head housekeeper who came running from the kitchen.

Little Aahana started crying as She heard her father shouting, His mother, brother-in-law as well as his sister too came out of their rooms.

“Ji bhaiya,” Saarika came and stood in front of Yash.

“What is this?” Yash asked as he pointed at Shayra’s photograph.

“What happened Yash?” Sherlin came back with aahana in her arms who had not stopped crying because she was too scared; hiding in Sherlin’s hold, little Aahana looked at her father whose face screamed anger.

“Look at this, what she had done!” Yash said as Sherlin looked at the photo of Shayra that had a garland over it as well.

“Wait for a second Yash, What she even did? Everything looks fine,” Yash’s mother asked him.

“This garland maa, she kept a garland over Shayra’s picture,” Yash said as he angrily walked towards Shayra’s picture and took off the garland from her photo, he looked at her photo.

It was a black and white one; she was smiling right at him; her nuptial chain shining in her neck as she stared back at him with her beautiful eyes.

Every time he looked at her; he fell even more for her.

“Yash,” His mother gulped; she knew Yash was going to deny everything she is going to say but she needs to tell him.

“Garland is kept on the photographs of people who are dead,” She said as Yash’s shoulders fell.

He turned around to look at his mother before he said,” her body might be dead but she is alive for me,”

His mother wanted to stop him but he went on taking off the picture from the wall; “What are you doing Yash?” Sherlin was the one who dared to ask.

Handing Aahana to her mother-in-law she walked towards Yash, “What do you mean? I just told you I am fulfilling her last wish,” He said as he looked at her confused.

“On one side you are fulfilling her last wish and on the other side you took off the garland from her photographs claiming she is alive for you,” She said like a true bitch.

I am sorry Yash but you need to let the truth sink in… She said in her mind. 

 “You did her last rituals, you saw her body burning and turning into ash, she is not alive anymore, Yash,” She finished saying as Yash turned around.

His eyes were red; his breathing was hard; “Sherlin,” Yash’s mother whispered her name to make her stop but she was not going to listen, sometimes things are needed to be taught the hard way.

“She is dea—“

She had not even finished the word but Yash had held her neck in a grip; his eyes were red; full of tears he was trying hard to stop.

“YASH!” Everyone screamed at him to stop but he did not.

“She is dead, Yash,” Sherlin said with great difficulty; he was almost cutting off her oxygen supply. Jai was trying to make Yash lose his grip but he was not even bugling.

“Denial is not going to help y-you… SHE IS DEAD!” As soon as Sherlin said that Yash loosened his hold on her neck. Sherlin fell on her knees coughing as the ladies of the house ran to her.

“Yash, you’ll kill her,” Jai said trying to make him understand but he was not listening

She had his finger marks on her neck as she looked at him through tears; “Yash…” she called his name but his eyes were fixed on the photo of his wife.

“Yash,” She called his name again as He turned around and looked at her, his eyes were fixed on her neck where he could see his fingermarks.

Without saying anything he ran out of the house as they screamed after him but he did not listen; taking the first car from his garage he drove out of the mansion.

“Why did you say all that to him, Sherlin?” Jai asked in an angry tone as she looked at him.

“I did the right thing, one that was necessary for him,” Sherlin said as she got up.

“How so? Saying all that to him when he is already grieving over his wife?” Jai asked, honestly he just wanted to smack her head against the wall.

“I am doctor Jai, don’t forget that, I can make medicines as well as give therapy, I spend 14 years understanding the human body and brain, Yash is depressed, his going into denial even after doing all her last rituals is the worst-case scenario, He did not go into shock then but he was in shock now, If I had not broken his shocked state, he could have lost his mental balance and then sudden death, we would not even know what happened to him let alone trying to help him with all this,” Sherlin explained as Jai’s expression switched to a guilty one.

“I just—I can’t see him like that, hurting,” Jai murmured.

“Trust me we all are hurting but we can’t let him take his life,” Sherlin said as she picked up her phone.

“I need to go after him,” She announced as they all nodded.

“Sherlin, Save my son, please,” His mother said to her as she looked at him.

“I won’t let him die, maa,” she said as placed her hand on top of hers. With a final nod, Sherlin went outside to the car.

She quickly tracked the location of his car with the help of GPS before she drove in his direction. “You’re such a headache, Yash Kapoor,” she cursed under her breath as she analyzed the speed he was driving at, for sure tomorrow there will be a list of fine mail on his computer desktop.

Yash on the other hand drove to the place that had the most painful yet significant memory of theirs; The place where she shot him.

Yash stopped the car at the water and looked around, there was no one, it was still early for tourists to come there.

He sat on the ground as he looked at the waterfall; He did not what came to his mind when he started walking near the end of the rock; his pants were half in water; the Stream of water fighting with his strength every second as he looked down.

If I jump right now then there will be no pain. 

He closed his eyes; all he could see was shayra smiling at him; his tears started to fall as the realization finally started to sink.

She died; she died right in his arms, she was no more in this world.

He let the stream drag him a little; he was not putting any strength in order to be still in the fast stream of water.

He sobbed loudly but there was no one to hear his sobs; the sound of a waterfall overpowered his pain as he opened his eyes; he was about to jump when he suddenly remembered the promise he made to her; the promise he made to protect and be there for their daughter, Aahana.

“Yash!” He turned around only to find a very scared Sherlin looking at him.

“Stop! What are you doing?” She ran towards him as he looked at her. Sherlin was not expecting Yash to come on the waterfall and try to jump; her saree was half drenched as she ran towards him but her leg slipped on the last one as she fell and started flowing with the fast stream of water.

“Shit!” Yash cursed as he held her hand before she could fall from the waterfall.

He pulled her to him as he hugged her; Sherlin clung to him as he took her toward the shore.

“You okay?” He looked at her checking for any injuries.

“I… I should be asking you this, what the fuck was that?” She asked as she tried to stand up on her own but her ankle pained making her hiss.

Yash took a deep breath as he sat on his knees to take a look at her ankle, “ A little bit swelling, I guess it’s a sprain,” Sherlin nodded at him as she covered herself with her arms.

Realizing that they had an audience now and her saree was see-through now that it was wet; he took off his black shirt and wrapped it around her as she kept looking at him.

His shirt was too big for her small body, it covered her till her mid thighs as he buttoned the shirt for her.

“You were about to kill yourself,” She said as she stood up slowly.

“Shayra asked me not to die and I did not kill myself,” He said as he started walking towards his car half-naked.

The tattoo of Shayra’s name was what took everyone’s attention; a few ladies came to Sherlin and helped her out of the water.

“Your husband might be angry with you but he loves you, “Sherlin looked at the lady who said those words.

“Why are you looking at me like that? He is in pain but he does love you, I can tell from the way he held you and supported you when your saree….” The woman did not complete her sentence as Sherlin looked at Yash who had opened the car’s door and was now looking at her.

He sat on the driver’s seat as Sherlin thanked the ladies and started walking towards his car; now that she may have a potential fracture, she can’t drive on her own.

At least now until she gets the reports first. Yash unlocked the door for her as she sat on the passenger’s seat.

“You should not have come here,” Yash said after a few moments of driving. His face was blank, she could not read him right now.

“Like you, I am also bound by her last wish, It was my duty,” She said before she hugged herself; she was feeling cold.

Yash turned on the heater but did not say anything else.