Adultery NEMESIS

[Neelkantha]

Part 176 – Et Tu, brute???

 

Pihu’s POV- I think we are always betrayed not by strangers or outsiders, but by those closest to us. And especially by those we trust and believe in the most. And when the betrayal comes from someone trustworthy and close, the impact of that betrayal is even greater. We can't even believe that we have been betrayed by those we trusted and were closest to. Something similar happened to me; I also couldn't believe at first that I had been betrayed by the people closest to me. Among them are my own husband, Bijan, and my best friend, Sangeeta. I still can't believe that the two people closest to me conspired together to betray me and stab me in the back. When I first saw Sangeeta's newborn daughter, I immediately knew that the child's father was not Sangeeta’s husband, Tanmay, but my husband, Bijan. What hurt me the most was that the friend whose marriage I had saved from falling apart, the one I had helped reunite with her husband, was the same friend who was doing all this behind my back with my husband. And all this without my knowledge. Neither Bijan nor Sangeeta ever told me about it. If I hadn't gone to see her daughter, I would never have found out about this truth, a truth that these two had meticulously hidden from me for a year. I am most angry with Bijan. Because I love him very much. I am his wife. I married him. I want to be the mother of his child. But still, he sided with Sangeeta, not me. Even knowing my desire to become a mother, he made Sangeeta a mother instead. I'm not sad that he helped Sangeeta become a mother. I'm not even angry that he kept this a secret from me all this time. What hurts me is that he gave Sangeeta more priority than me. Someone he didn't even know or recognize until a year ago. Sangeeta is my friend, not his. If it weren't for me, he wouldn't have even known Sangeeta. If it weren't for me, Sangeeta wouldn't have entered his life. I was the one who brought Sangeeta into his life. Was my decision wrong? I don't know. Until now, I always thought that whatever I did at that time was right for that situation. My best and closest friend, Sangeeta, was in trouble at that time. Her relationship with her husband was not good at all. They were about to get a divorce. Their marriage was on the verge of collapse. That's when I met Sangeeta. I was the one who listened to her problems and understood them. I was the one who shared my husband with her. I was the one who crossed the line, had an illicit affair with her husband, made him understand, and made him realize his mistake. I brought them back together. But what did I get in return? Only betrayal. And my husband was also involved in all of this. This is what hurt me the most. But what should I do now? Should I leave Bijan? Should I divorce him? Should I break all ties with him? Should I separate from him? Although I don't want to do any of this, even if I do, will my anger subside? Maybe Bijan will learn his lesson from all this, but what about Sangeeta? She is equally responsible for this guilt, just like Bijan. So? How should I teach her a lesson? This thought kept swirling in my mind. I kept thinking about how to teach Sangeeta a lesson. No, this didn't mean that I would harm her physically or mentally in any way. Yes, I had to teach her a lesson without harming her in any way. And I was lost in that thought. A few more days passed like this. The day I went to Sangeeta's house to see her daughter, I didn't talk to either Sangeeta or her husband Tanmay about anything after seeing the baby. This was because I knew that Sangeeta's in-laws were also at home with them. They were unaware of Sangeeta and Bijan's dark secret, and also unaware of their son's illness that prevented him from ever becoming a father. Despite knowing and understanding everything, I quietly left their house that day. I didn't want to create a scene in front of Sangeeta's in-laws that day, and I still don't want to. I will never let anyone find out that this child is not Tanmay's, but Bijan's. But I still wanted to teach my friend a lesson. But how? That's what I couldn't figure out. During this time, I hadn't spoken to Sangeeta either. Perhaps she had also realized that I knew the truth. And maybe that's why she didn't have the courage to meet me or talk to me. But still, about a week or ten days after I found out the truth, I received a call from Sangeeta.

At first, I thought I wouldn't answer her call or talk to her. That way, she would know I was angry with her. But then I thought that wouldn't accomplish anything. Because if I didn't talk to her, I wouldn't be able to teach her a lesson. Talking to her was necessary for me to teach her a lesson. With this thought, I answered her call. As soon as I answered, I heard Sangeeta's frightened voice, "Hello Pihu. This is Sangeeta." I replied in a serious tone, "I know. Your number is still saved in my phone under your name. I haven't deleted it yet." She probably understood from my tone that I was angry with her. She said, "Hey, are you still angry with me?" In response, I said somewhat coldly, "Sangeeta, I'm busy with household chores right now. If you have something important to say, say it, I don't have time to waste. Say what you have to say, otherwise I'm hanging up." Sangeeta immediately said, "No, no, don't hang up. Just listen to me once. Please." I wasn't going to hang up anyway. I was just trying to be firm with her. I said, "Tell me quickly what you want to say. I have a lot of work." Sangeeta said, "We can't talk properly on the phone like this. Can you meet me this evening? We can talk in person." "Just like you talked to my husband?" I thought to myself. Then I said, "Meet? And with you? Absolutely not." Sangeeta said, "Please, don't say that. I know you're angry and upset with me. And I admit that all of it is justified. But please give me a chance to apologize. Otherwise, I'll spend my whole life suffering inside, tormented by the guilt that you haven't forgiven me. Please, try to understand me.” Seeing her groveling like that in front of me made me happy, but I didn't show my happiness and said, "What difference will it make whether I forgive you or not?" Sangeeta said, "It will make a huge difference. It will make a difference to me. I want to meet you once and ask for your forgiveness. And I need this chance from you. Tell me, will you give me this opportunity?" I remained silent for a while. I didn't say anything. Then I said, "Okay, I'm giving you a chance. Just like I gave you before. It's a different matter that you took advantage of it. Anyway, I'm not in the mood to talk about all that right now, and I don't feel like it either. Tell me, where do you want to meet me?" Hearing this, Sangeeta said, "You tell me. Wherever you say, I'll be there. I can even come to your house." I said, "There's no need to come home. It would be better if we met somewhere else." Sangeeta asked, "Where?" I named a restaurant. Hearing this, Sangeeta was truly surprised. Because I had named the same restaurant where she and Bijan had met and made all their plans. I had deliberately named that restaurant. And hearing the name of that restaurant from my mouth, Sangeeta, surprised, said, "But why there? It's quite far from your house." I said, "I know. But I also know that it's close to Bijan's office." Sangeeta said, "You can taunt me as much as you want, but I will definitely meet you." I said, "Okay then, if you want to meet me, then meet me at that restaurant at 6 PM this evening. Remember, the place will be the same, and the time will be the same. But the person you'll be meeting this time will be different. Remember, 6 PM. And this is your only chance to meet me. I won't wait there for you for more than ten minutes. Try to be on time, because this is your only chance." Saying this, I hung up the call without letting her say anything.


A little before 6 PM, I arrived at the same restaurant, where once Sangeeta and Bijan met. When I went inside, I saw that Sangeeta was already there. She was sitting at a corner table. Even from a distance, the sadness and worry on her face were clearly visible. She was sad because she knew I was very angry with her. And she was worried about whether I would forgive her even after she apologized. Seeing her in this state, I felt a little bad. But since she was the one who had hurt me the most, it was only fair that I made her suffer a little. So, I made my face as serious as possible and went towards her. Seeing me approaching, Sangeeta got up from her chair and said, "Sit here, Pihu." I sat down in the empty chair opposite her and looked at her silently, without saying a word. Sangeeta looked at me once and then lowered her head. She didn't even have the courage to meet my gaze. We both sat like that for a while. After some time, I spoke first, "If you want to sit like this, then sit, I'm leaving." Before I could get up from my chair, Sangeeta grabbed my hand and burst into tears. Crying, she said, "I know, Pihu, I am guilty in your eyes. And your feeling that way is completely justified. I can't blame you at all for this. It's all my fault, Pihu. I made the mistake." I replied in a calm voice, "No, Sangeeta, you didn't make a small mistake. You committed this guilt deliberately. And my husband helped you. He is just as guilty as you are in my eyes." Sangeeta spoke again, “No Pihu, don't blame Bijan like that. It's not his fault at all. I forced him to do all this. He wasn't even willing to do it at first. But he only agreed to do it because I insisted.” Hearing her, I chuckled a little. She looked at me, surprised, and asked, “You're laughing, Pihu?” I said, “Although I should be crying over my misfortune, I'm still laughing. Do you know why? Because even after all this, you're still taking his side. You're trying to hide his guilt from me by defending him. Your bias and defense are making me laugh, Sangeeta.” I paused for a moment, then continued, “Are you two little babies who made this mistake? You knew very well what you were doing. You were fully aware what the consequences would be. You even knew that I would find out about this sooner or later, but still, you both did all this without caring about the consequences.” I fell silent again, then started speaking once more, “I didn't expect anything from Bijan. Because, first of all, he's a man. And it's in men's nature to have illicit sexual relationship with other women even when they have their own wives at home. In their eyes, their wives are nothing more than a common hen. And secondly, my relationship with him is only four years old. But you? You were my best friend, Sangeeta? You and I have known, recognized, and understood each other since our college days. I was the one who helped you during your difficult times. I was the one who entrusted my husband to you so that you could be happy. I was the one who had an illicit affair with your husband so that I could make him understand his mistake and bring him back to you. I was the one who bridged the distance and resolved the differences between you and your husband, bringing you both closer. I saved your marriage from falling apart. And what did I get in return? Only and only betrayal. Nothing but betrayal. And that too from whom? The two people closest to me. One, my own husband. And the other, my dearest friend. The people I loved the most, the people I could blindly trust. What did they give me in return? Betrayal.”


I kept talking, and Sangeeta listened without saying a word, "I suddenly found out one fine day that the baby born to my friend wasn't just anyone's child, but my own husband's. My husband and my friend had a child behind my back, without telling me.  While I myself have been trying to become a mother for the past four years. But due to bad luck, I haven't been able to. I'm not jealous that you were able to become a mother and I couldn't.  Instead, I'm hurt that neither you nor Bijan told me anything. If I could hand over my husband to you for your happiness, wouldn't I have agreed to let my husband help you become a mother if I had known? But you both misunderstood me and didn't tell me anything." Sangeeta then took both my hands in hers again and said, "Everything you're saying is true, Pihu. Things I can't deny even if I wanted to. And I don't want to deny them either. I can only ask for your forgiveness, Pihu. Please forgive me, my friend. You once helped me with a big heart. You saved my home from falling apart. Today, I'm begging you for forgiveness, Pihu. I swear on my child that I never had any wrong feelings for Bijan, neither before nor now. Just as you are my friend, Bijan is also my friend. And he will always remain so. The fact that my child's father is not my husband Tanmay but your husband Bijan is something that no one else besides the four of us will ever know, Pihu. I just want to ask for your forgiveness. I won't find peace without your forgiveness. Please, don't be angry with me like this. Forgive me, buddy." Saying this, Sangeeta started crying. Seeing her cry like that, my heart melted. I myself am a woman, and I know how important it is for a woman to become a mother. I have Bijan, through whom I can become a mother whenever I want. But Sangeeta? Despite having a husband, she had no possibility of becoming a mother. What could she do in that situation? She did what she did. She asked for help from the person she considered her best friend. Yes, she made a mistake. She should have told me. Even if she had told me, I would have happily sent Bijan to help her. I'm happy that Sangeeta was able to become a mother, even if it was because of Bijan. There's no point in tormenting this poor girl anymore. It's best to forgive her. So I said to her, "Sangeeta, don't cry, listen to me." She looked at me. I wiped her tears myself and said, "Okay, I forgive you. But I have one condition." She asked, "What?" I said, "That if you want another child in the future, you have to tell me before Bijan." Saying this, I laughed. Hearing me, Sangeeta also started laughing. She hugged me and said, "Thank you so much, Pihu. You truly have a big heart. Thank you so much for forgiving me." I said, "Don't think you'll get off so easily. You will definitely be punished for what you did." Sangeeta laughed again and said, "I accept any punishment you give me, buddy. Tell me what I have to do." I said, "I'll tell you later. Let's leave this topic for now. I'm very hungry. Feed me something." That day, my friend and I sat there, had tea and snacks, and talked. My heart felt lighter after forgiving her. After returning home, I told Bijan everything. Bijan was happy to hear that I had forgiven Sangeeta. He said to me, "She has received her forgiveness. When will I get mine?" I said, "Let me settle things with her first. Then it will be your turn." Bijan didn't understand what I meant. He said, "What do you mean? What kind of settlement? You've forgiven her, haven't you?" I said, "I have forgiven her. But she will definitely be punished." Bijan asked, "But what is the punishment?" I said, "You don't need to know that." Saying this, I left. I had to punish Sangeeta, but it shouldn't cause her any harm. And for this, I needed the help of two people. I took out my phone and dialed a number. The phone rang. Someone answered on the other end. I heard an elderly voice, "Hello, this is Salim, the tailor speaking. Who is this?" I said, "Chacha, it's me, Pihu. You remember me, don't you?" I heard Chacha's voice from the other end, "Absolutely, my dear. I can never forget you, even if I die. Tell me, why did you suddenly remember this old man?" I laughed and said, "I need your help." He said, "Tell me. This man is always ready to serve you." I laughed and said, "Thank you, Chacha, so listen..." (Contd.)

 

[Next Update is on Saturday (15.08.26) between 11 am to 2 pm]