"Kamre mai band kr rakha hai khudko kabse. Ek nazar dekhne bhi nhi aayi. Tab se bina kuch bole, bina ek aansu bhi bahaye, baithi hui hai andar. Bhut sadma laga hai usse."

One lady spoke with sympathy clear in his voice and Rajiv felt his palms get sweaty. Because of him! All because of him.

He made his way towards the door and knocked. He called her name but there was no response. Did she do something to herself? No! His eyes widened and he opened the door.

He sighed in relief when he saw her sitting on the bed, staring into oblivion. Her face was devoid of any shine. Almost as if she had been drained out of life.

He shut the door behind her but she still didn't react.

"Parul?"

He asked in a scared tone. What if she had gone into shock?

"Parul?"

He shook her a little and seemed to come our of her trance. She spoke in a monotonous tone, which almost sounded recorded.

"Mujhe kisi se nhi milna. Akela chhod dijiye mujhe. Please chale jaiye yaha-"

She stopped as she turned to look at him and her eyes widened in realisation. Soon, her dead and emotionless eyes filled with anger.

"Aap? Kyu aaye hai aap yaha? Kya chahte hai ab aap?"

She yelled and started pushing his chest to get him away from her place. Rajiv was obviously much stronger but she kept hitting his chest and kept cursing him.

"Pehle mere baba ko maar daala. Ab meri maa bhi mujhe chhod ke chali gyi. Ab kya meri jaan lene aaye hai? Kyu aaye hai aap yaha? Chale jaaiye yaha se!"

She kept yelling and hitting his chest and he closed his eyes. He deserved it all. He knew that. But right now, he needed her to come out of her room because her mother was being taken for the last rites.

He held her shoulders and shook her, trying to bring her into reality.

"Parul! Mai jaanta hu mai jo bhi kia hai wo maafi layak nhi hai. Lekin iss waqt tumse itni request kr rha hu ki please bahar chalo. Tumhari maa ko unke antim sanskar ke liye le kar jaa rhe hai."

As if his words brought her out of her trance and tears started falling from her eyes. She seemed to have lost all her energy and he held her before she could fall. He took her out still holding her.

As soon as Parul saw her mother's dead body kept in the middle of the hall, she ran to her and sobbed, clutching it. Rajiv rubbed her back and let her cry for some time. It was important for her to let her emotions out.

When her sobs turned into sniffles but she still didn't leave her mother's body, he held her back. She started thrashing in his arms, asking to be left free. He held her securely by snaking his arm around her waist.

"She is gone Parul. Free her from this world now. Please!"

He whispered in her ear and she went limp while crying in his arms. He helped her down the stairs while the people held the pier with her mother's body in front of them.

"Baitho!"

He asked her to sit in the car but she denied.

"Parul, you won't be able to walk all the way. Please baitho."

She did and he buckled her up, while she continued to look at her mother. All throughout the distance to the cemetery she kept weeping.

Rajiv held her throughout when she did the last rites. Her hands shook and her knees gave up when she was handed over the fire torch to lite the pier. As soon as the pier caught fire, she screamed for her mother on top of her lungs and went limp in Rajiv's arms.

He looked at her unconscious form with worry and took her to the car. One of the neighborhood ladies, who seemed very sweet and polite, told him to take her home saying that she will handle everything here.

Rajiv drove to her home and placed her on the bed. He caressed her head and wiped her tears. He sat beside her bed, on the floor and closed his eyes.

How will he ever pay for his sins. She was an orphan because of him. She was his responsibility now. Only the fact that she was being taken good care of in the absence of her parents can bring a little peace to his guilty heart now.

But will she agree to come with him? With her parents' murderer? He sat there cursing himself and wanting to kill himself instead.

When Parul gained consciousness, she looked around to realise where he was and what had happened. Tears formed in her eyes again but then her gaze fell on Rajiv sitting on the floor and those tears turned into tears of anger.

"Aap abhi tak yaha kyu hai? Jaaiye yaha se!"

She yelled and held his hand to drag him out. He didn't budge but instead pulled her back. She weighed so light that she almost bumped into him.

"I'm not leaving you here. Mai yaha se jaaunga lekin tumhe apne saath lekar."

She laughed at his words and audacity and spoke with venom in her voice.

"Aur aapko kyu lagta hai ki mai aapke saath aaungi? Mere maa baba ko maar kar khush nhi hai aap, jo ab mujhe bhi apne saath le jaa kr maarna chahte hai jisse kisi ko pata na chale kya hua mere saath?"

His heart hurt at her accusations but she wasn't wrong. He had done all that she said.

"Tumhara yaha rehna safe nhi hai. Ye locality bhut risky hai Parul."

"Achha? Aaj suddenly mera yaha rehna safe nhi hai. Aur itne saalon se tha?"

"Itne saal tum akeli nhi thi. Ekta mam thi tumhare saath. Safe tab bhi nhi tha but atleast you had someone with you. You're too innocent for the world Parul. Please meri baat maano aur chalo mere saath. Already tumhare maa baba ka guilt mujhe din raat khaata hai, agar tumhe bhi kuch ho gaya toh mai zindagi bhar issi guilt mai tadapta rahunga."

A humorlessly chuckle escaped her lips and she said.

"Phir toh mai yahi rahungi. Puri zindagi tadpenge aap."

He smiled sadly. But he had to play smart to get her to come with him.

"Kya faayda hoga uska? Mujhe tadapta dekh toh tum paaogi nhi. Saath chalogi toh khud torture ke sakogi."

He wasn't wrong. She was too innocent for the world. His words seemed to have convinced her because her expression turned contemplatory. She was thinking about it and the way she straightened her back and held her head high, he knew she was convinced.

Before she could say anything, they heard voices from behind. The neighbours were back.

"Kahi nhi jaayegi Parul. Aur aao ho kaun usse yaha se aise le jaane wale."

One of the men spoke. Rajiv pinched the bridge of his nose. He took a deep breath to calm himself and spoke.

"Aap please in sabke beech mai mat padiye. Ye mere aur iske beech ki baat hai. Thank you for your concern. Lekin ab wo meri zimmedari hai."

He spoke in the most polite way that he could.

"Hum aise kaise jaane de? Ekta ji itne saal rahi hai yaha. Hamare parivaar jaisi thi wo. Toh Parul hamari beti jaisi hui. Aise nhi jaane denge hum usse."

"Toh adopt krenge usse? Rakhenge uska khayal?"

Rajiv asked getting a little pissed now and the man got quiet. But then another woman spoke.

"Jo bhi ho, hum isse aise hi kisi ke bhi saath kaise jaane de. Na koi jaan pehchaan, na rishta, kal ko tum hi kuch kr do toh?"

They were getting on his nerves now. He pulled out the chain which he wore around his neck and took the ring which was tied to it. His mother's ring. He held Parul's hand and put the ring in her ring finger making everyone shocked.

"Lo! Ab ye meri mangetar ho gyi. Ab toh jaane doge?"

Parul too was shocked and looked at the ring in her finger. He was still holding her hand. She tried to snatch it but he looked at her with a stern expression.

Soon everyone disbursed leaving the two alone and Rajiv sighed. Parul pulled her hand out of his grasp and started to take off the ring.

"Ye kya kr dia aapne? Ek toh ye ring meri ungli mai phasa di hai. Nikal bhi nhi rahi."

She gritted out and started looking for a cream to take it out when he held her hand. He had realised that society would demean her only if he takes her home without any relationship between them. He didn't want to increase problems for her. This was the best solution.

We was too young but to keep her safe, he had to take this step.

"Rehne do. Sahi hi hua jo hua. Ab atleast bina kisi ke hazar sawalon ka jawab diye reh paaogi."

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