|Innaya|
That woman was back again. I did not know her identity, but watching her strutting inside as if she owned our house was enough to scare me. She haughtily entered carrying the evil intentions with herself.
Ayesha's eyes twinkled with excitement before she rushed to that woman. "Mom." She threw herself at that woman's arms, complaining like a child who had been wronged, "Eshan is blaming Aunty when his wife is at fault. He's cutting his relationship with aunty because of this s***."
Mom? She was Ayesha's mother. She should be in states right now, how could she be here? Moreover, how she had come with Eshan's mother that day?
S***? Did Ayesha dare to degrade me like this?
I had enough. I could not say anything to Eshan's mother, but this girl— she played dirty. I stood up, quivering as I did so. I moved one step at a time.
Coming before mother and daughter pair, I did something which I did not expect myself.
Slap.
A sound of palm connecting with the human flesh echoed in our living room.
I looked at Ayesha with a challenging look, though I might not look that intimidating with my current state of the sorry figure. My palm felt numb, but I felt quite good after landing a crisp slap at her face. I had my eyes fixed on Ayesha's shock filled eyes. She had not expected that I would slap her.
I could tolerate Eshan's mother's words for she was related to Eshan. But, I did not need to even think for this girl. I had been tolerant for so long because I thought she was his friend. However, after realizing her relationship with the woman, I knew she was nothing but a vile snake in a disguise.
She knew everything.
She knew about our marriage, yet she feigned surprise.
It was all an act. She played her character very well. She wasn't here to meet her childhood friend. Rather she was here to snatch him away. I could not stand her hypocrisy. What a double face woman or she had any face at all?
"How dare you slap my daughter? I'll make you pay for it," her mother roared. She raised her hand, wishing to pay me back.
At that moment, I was pulled back into a warm chest. "I dare you to try," Eshan spoke through gritted teeth. He retreated a couple of steps, and again pushed me in the chair.
What was with him and the chair? Maybe, it was the presence of Ayesha's mom or my limit of taking things was crossed, but I did not cry anymore. I did not want these two women to take satisfaction in hurting me. I would not give them a chance. All these days, I had kept quiet because I wanted to save Eshan from hurt, but he now knew everything. Why should I keep quiet now?
That was the reason; I dared to lay hand on that girl when she degraded me with that word.
"Mom!" Ayesha aggrievedly cried, holding the side of her face. That must have hurt her for I did not hold back. I had used all the force and because of what had happened earlier all my emotions transformed into the rage and used it to show her what I could do if wanted.
Ayesha's mother patted her back. "Don't worry Sha… I'll make sure that she pays for laying a hand on you." She glared at me and Eshan.
"You three. Get out of my house, now. Otherwise, I don't mind calling security," Eshan said pointing at the door. He stood before me, so he blocked most of my view. I could not see his mother. Only half side of Ayesha's mother was visible to me.
Ayesha's mother chuckled. "Security? Did your security not inform you about the steamy affair your wife was having behind your back? Did they not inform you about how easily she changed guys? You sure have some tolerance for a cheap woman like her…" she snorted.
"What happened to your obedient son, Prerna? I told you, didn't I? She is a witch; she sure knows how to cast her black magic." She turned her attention to Eshan's mother.
Exactly what wrong did I do to mother and daughter that they were hell-bent on accusing me?
"If I hear you speak another word for my wife, I swear I'll forget all my manners. I don't have any relationship with you, so I don't have to watch my actions," Eshan retorted.
"Dare to threaten me? Okay, let's see if you can still be so arrogant after seeing this. Why don't you take a look at these first." She had something in her hand that looked like an enlarged photo. Did she also have something that could prove my non-existent affair?
Eshan stiffened immediately. What was it?
Eshan's strange behavior startled me. When his mother showed him photos he had not bothered to even glance at them. Then why was he suddenly troubled?
Ayesha's mother turned her attention to me as she revealed that landscape size photo to my eyes.
"Shocked, are we? That's your wife betraying you. I've more of them with me. Enough of this. I don't have time to waste of a person like you, who can't even acknowledge his mother. Prerna, let me teach him manners for you," Ayesha's mother shifted the topic.
I could not even react as the face of that woman in the photo was swirling before my eyes. The nude body of the woman in an extremely scandalous posture bathing under the showerhead would put any normal person to shame. What was surprising? That the woman in that photo was no one but me.
My breath left my body as I turned my eyes to my husband. What would be his reaction? I did not know how they got my n.a.k.e.d photos with them? Had they installed cameras in our house?
Horrified, I felt a shiver running through my spine.
"You dared to hit my daughter, do you think I can't handle a cheap woman like you? You overestimated yourself." She laughed as if I was some sort of joke in her eyes.
Her cackling laughter caused goosebumps to appear on my body.
"What would happen if I put this on the internet? Would you still have a face left?" She asked Eshan.
By now, all the courage I had summoned left my body, vanishing in the air without any trace. If those photos were to be leaked, my life would be over. Similarly, Eshan's would be too. I would be dragging him down with myself. Tears finally fell from my eyes as I watched the deafening silence from Eshan.
Which man would be happy to see such kind of photos of his wife? We still had not reached that level where we had seen each other in our natural form- without the safety and privacy of clothes to hide our modesty. And, now the photos of his wife- in such form, were thrown on his face.
How would any man bear such kind of humiliation and provocation?