Ravi enters into his apartment where the stench of unclean dishes flooding the kitchen basin, sweat from used clothes scattered over the sofa, unsuccessful combination of deodorant sprays, queasy smell of rotting food, humidity and a decomposing relationship, form a thick layer of tainted air. However, being used to this atmosphere, he continues making his way towards his study, the only part left of paradise in his newly discovered hell called home. He sighs at the thought of seeing his wife again. As a desperate attempt to distract himself, he starts humming his favorite song. Unconsciously, he walks into his bedroom out of his dying habit but to his surprise instead of regret, he finds his wife elegantly dressed in a sari he gifted her on their first anniversary. Taking it as a sign that things might change today he compliments her, “Wow! You look beautiful! When was the last time I saw you in this sari?”
Ranjana doesn’t respond. Undeterred and brimming with hope, Ravi continues anyway, “Look, I am sorry. Okay. I know I made a mistake…I know I shouldn’t have done what I did. But you need to forgive me. You need to see how much I love you. You need to know that I miss you. Please, Ranjana, you are killing me. Please come back!” He sits beside her and takes her hand. “We can get out of this together. We can still walk through the distance between us. It’s not that far. We are not that far! Please Ranjana…” He clasps his hands with hers and keeps his head on her shoulder, “I love you so much. I spend all my day daydreaming about how we used to be. How you used to be…” A few tears escape his eyes and he whispers, “I refuse to believe that you don’t love me anymore. I know you do…”
“You should have thought of how much you loved me before you spent all those nights
with her.” she says angrily. Before Ravi could respond, she abruptly gets up and leaves the room. In her mind she is imagining Ravi saying, “I never loved her! I never wanted her! I never thought of leaving you over her!” In her heart, she knows he will never say it and even if he does he won’t mean it.
Tired of hearing the same argument, Ravi goes to his study, hoping to escape into the books and somehow managing to deceive himself from his own miserable life. Groggily, he walks over to the bookshelf and takes out his favorite novel – The Taming of the shrew. The coincidence makes him chuckle.
Meanwhile, Ranjana goes to the kitchen and takes out the broadest butcher knife from the drawer. She wipes it lovingly with her sari and holds it at a distance, gazing at it as if it is the most beautiful and delicate thing in the world. The thought of what she is about to do with it lightens up her face with a sinister smile. She tiptoes to the study. Ravi is sitting on the chair with his back towards her. By the time he realizes that someone is standing behind him, it’s too late. Within a flash, blood spurts out of his slit throat. Ranjana stabs at his heart hissing, “You know you are right. I do love you. I love you too much. But you don’t. You never have! I warned you never to break my heart Ravi. I warned you.” One more at the abdomen! Another one at the chest! Ravi tries to speak but he can’t. He tries to get up and defend himself but he is too weak. He looks at his wife – The sari that he so lovingly (or guiltily?) gifted her is drenched in his own blood. He looks at her beautiful face refusing to believe what just happened. After all the years of marriage, he didn’t have the slightest clue that he was living with a murderer this whole time. Is he her first victim? Of course not, what about Anjali? Was her suicide really a suicide? He wants to shout for help but he can’t he is already dead.
Ranjana goggles at her husband. The hatred in her eyes slowly fades away. “I gave you my heart and you broke it into million pieces. Sorry, I did try to forgive you but I couldn’t.” she says softly, slowly closing his eyelids. She falls asleep in the arms of her dead husband.
***