An innocent sacrifice

Her fault was that she was born.....

Chanchal Kapoor

21 years

5'4

Slim bordering on malnourished

Brown curly hairs.

Grey eyes

Demure and biddable.

Chanchal stood quietly in front of her grandmother. Her eyes were cast down. She said softly,

" I am not suited grandmother. I am maid's daughter. I am not pretty either".

" It does not matter you are suited or not. He chose you. That is all that matters", said Shanti Devi.

Listen you moron", said Payal one of the grand daughters. " You should thank your lucky stars that he chose you. He is so handsome and so rich. And you are like a dried up prune. Only God knows what he saw in you".

Vendetta thought Chanchal but remained quiet.

" Look we accepted you a maid's daughter in our family", said her uncle. " You got education and even went to Paris".

" Yes uncle".

Chanchal was born out of wedlock. Her mother was Sheetal's nanny. Her father fell for her mother and they started an affair. Her mother got pregnant and died bringing her to this world.

ESCAPED THOUGHT CHANCHAL.

PASSING ON HER SINS TO ME.

Chanchal's sin was her birth. Her father remained married to Romila. Bitterly. On one condition: the Kapoors need to accept her as family. He loved her though he started wasting after her mother's death. MAYBE HE REALLY LOVED HER. But at what cost?And everyone blamed her for the break down of his marriage.

Sheetal and Romila lead the charge against her. Veiled insults, lack of food, abuses both mentally and physical made her an introvert. She went into her shell and mostly tried to be invisible.Not that it was difficult. Most of the Kapoors ignored her.

Until Dragon saw her.

" I will marry Chanchal", he declared.

WHY?

It was bad omen she thought. This storm, the devastation, the turmoils in her heart, dragon's vendetta and this marriage.

Sumeet Singhania the dragon

He was playing a game. A game of destruction. Marriage he never wanted that.

She shivered as she remembered how his lawyer threatened her.

" Renege on this marriage Ms. Kapoor. Its not like you are dying to marry him. He will compensate you well. You know for your artistic ventures", he had said with derision.

Nothing new there.

Nobody likes her or her paintings.

" Hey you half wit", said another of her cousin. " Are you even listening"?

She had zoned out. A childhood camouflage. If she closes her brain insults won't reach her.

" Look your sister scr*wed up", said her younger uncle. " Dragon wants revenge".

" Revenge", she staggered back.

" Ohh no no not from you", consoled her younger aunt. " And not exactly revenge. He wants to save his face. He looked like a fool with Sheetal running away like that. "

" She was having an affair", mused Sheena one of the girl.

" Lets not talk about that disgrace of a girl", declared Shanti Devi.

She then walked up to Chanchal. She froze. She was scared of the cane her grandmother carried.

" I"."I"

" You need to repay the love we gave you", said the matriarch.

" Are you having an affair too", asked her elder uncle.

" N.n.no", she stammered. " W.who c.could d.date mm.me"?

When her nervousness increased Chanchal stammered. Another psychological defect she had.

The family was relieved. Of course who could love this girl. She looked more like a scared mouse than a woman.

" Look", said her elder aunt. " Just be a devoted and quiet wife. Don't ask any questions. Don't come in his way. And do what he asks you to. And you are good. And so will be us".

" And give him sons. That is what Adhiraj wants. Once you birth the heir to Singhanias you will be immune to dragon's wrath", said Shanti Devi.

And so shall be us she thought.

" Yes he wants heirs. He is not getting young", mused her uncle.

" We are your family Chanchal", said her uncles and aunts. " Do it for us".

Family thought Chanchal. Her only family was her father.

Vishnu Kapoir the only one who loved her. But love was conditional. Sometimes her mother's death became a big loss for him.

" YOU. YOU KILLED HER", he would scream when drunk . Then Romila or Sheetal would further provoke him . And...and..

She shut her thoughts

HER FATHER LOVED HER.

After he died she moved out. Nobody stopped her. She joined an art college in Delhi. He family was relieved to see her leave and paid her fees. She stayed in a hostel and started a small temp job. She learned typing and started earning her money.

Then Paris happened. Chance of lifetime.

" Chi chi that is great chance", mused Kash her friend. " Jump at it".

She did. Not because she wanted it. But because of...

" So you don't love anyone right. You will marry him", her younger aunt asked.

LOVE...

What is love?

Is she capable of being loved?

Chanchal laughed in derision.

" I think you hate me", a man's voice mocked her. " Why are you so hostile"?

" I love him so much", said a girl.

" Won't you congratulate me"?

Her brain was producing those voices again.

She shut them up violently.

" I shall marry him", she said with force.

" Ohh good", said her elder uncle. " I shall inform the dragon".

She knew she would walk fires of hell now. Dragon's lawyer had promised her that.

" If you take the money and leave dragon would spare you Ms. Kapoor. If not then you know what fate awaits you", he said.

" Then why choose me at all", she asked weakly.

Gurpreet Walia's eyes turned hard.

" Eat your mangoes Ms. Kapoor. No use counting trees", he said.

She did not ask anything then. She went completely quiet.

" So you will not grace me with an answer right", he asked sternly.

She was really scared.

She did not have any opinions, choices or even words to begin with. She always had a difficulty in expressing herself.And if threatened even a bit she would just lose confidence to talk.

" Snobs", Walia muttered under his breath. " Look you can remain quiet now but dragon needs an answer. Hope you don't make an enemy of him", he had warned.

But isn't she a masochist?

She opened her sketch book. And started to draw.

Drawing and painting. Her comanions. Art calmed her down. She sketched vigourously.

Sunshine....she thought

Sunflowers....

A dark shadow..

Sun shines and shadow disappears.

Disappears into nothing. Time for her to enter that abyss.

As she sketched her eyes teared up.

Her life meant nothing. She had lost her love.

" You are beautiful little one. Can't you take a compliment ", he had said.

" Live happilymy love", she whispered.

Then she lied down on her bed staring into nothingness. Her tears dried up. And after some time sleep claimed her.

The sketchbook remained open.

It showed a girl being led towards an altar...

An innocent sacrifice...