Battle of wills

I shouldnt have played along" Dadi lamented..... Khanak wondered if Dadi was really afraid of him... she hadnt thought much of the implications of how it would affect her own parents....
Her widowhood took quite a toll on them....
Since she didnt talk much there was no way for them to tell if she ever completely got out of it....

Shantanu's entry into her life changed everything.... she not only thought of him every waking and asleep minute.... Sooraj slowly began fading away...
She suffered bouts of guilt frequently, he saw that, he didnt say much... but when he made love she knew he was attempting to obliterate any remnant of Sooraj from her being....
Her parents saw her transform slowly... she smiled more like she used to... she jumped up and answered his texts or calls... she fought over the phone endlessly in her room...
"Kuch bhi nahi" she would say in Gujarati when she was asked who was she arguing with...
Bai exchanged secret looks of satisfaction with Aada

Marrying a man from a different culture and caste was hard enough for them.... vanishing upon finding herself pregnant was straight out of the movies...
She truly didnt know how long it would take for him to find her, but her gut told her it wouldnt be longer than a month....
Her nausea struck as that thought hit her.... she retched for a few minutes, the girl that was assigned to help looked on helplessly, didnt say a word.... "They are all the same, HL, his partner Dasrath at home, this helper" none of them said a word....

"If he doesnt want the baby, I will have to raise her by myself, Aada and Bai will know then" she splashed water on her face...
She knew Sunil and Dadi would support her unconditionally...

He did not encourage any reasonable conversation on the topic... "Not until Ulwe is handed over" he would say as if that was a big reward for her... Ulwe was expected to be handed over in 2016... 3 years from now... 
It seemed to be always about work for him... she knew she was marrying a workaholic... even when he pursued her... he would be frustrated by the attention Aman would pay her in or after meetings, but wouldnt follow up to express his jealousy until he was done making that call or having that quick meeting with Rahat....

Even at home, he would get off bed most nights "afterwards" "I swear I am going to be home when you get up in the morning" he would say 
He would be, she would know when she felt his body pressing or moving against hers as the sun broke out in the distant sky....
"I always keep my promise" he would chuckle
She would smile "Sure... when you want something" she would say allowing him access to her body...
Its a battle of wills" she told herself aloud as she walked over to the living room to answer the phone