“Jannet, I am leaving for work. I have a meeting with a foreign client.” Ben said, stretching his hand to pick up his laptop bag from the study table. “Ben, wait for a minute.” Jannet sprinted out of the kitchen, planted a kiss on his lips and handed him his tiffin box. “Oh, thank you, dear. You are a sweetheart.” Ben said and turned towards the door. “Ben, I saw a bag in your car. Do I need to get that in?” Jannet inquired. “Oh no. I need that bag to carry with me. It contains my client's vital files. Have a nice day.” Ben responded and shut the door behind him. It was pouring like crazy, and the sky resembled molten brass. It had been nearly fifteen days since the sun had surfaced.  Jannet left for work after completing all of her household chores. She worked as a primary school teacher in the neighbourhood. The rains had no plans to stop, and the downpour continued. A heavy pelting of water thundered against rooftops like someone was playing the drums. There was water logging all over the area. The school closed early than usual. Jennet returned home two hours earlier by 4 p.m., cooked Ben’s favourite Lemon rice and noodles and switched on the news channel.    Every channel on TV was screaming about water logging in low-line areas or some mishap due to heavy rains in the city.  Holding her favourite blue colour bowl in which she preferred to have her daily meal, she stood near the window staring at the gloomy sky while praying to God for her husband’s safety and all those who were out at that moment. She wondered if nature was pouring its wrath as the downpour wouldn’t stop, creating chaos.   The clock struck 8 p.m. Ben had not returned home. One of the channels flashed the news about bridge collapse in her vicinity. Fear gripped her. She tried called Ben but couldn’t reach him. Negative thoughts started to creep in. Jannet quickly brushed them off and sat down to meditate.   But she was unable to focus, and her thoughts raised its head. She put on the TV again, and what she saw blew her mind. The building where Ben was working came crashing down like a house of cards. The remote dropped from her hand and fell to the ground. She hurried to the spot. It was a horrific sight, with bodies lying all over the place. The cops were recovering corpses from the rubble. “Sir, Sir, he is my husband. Did you find him?” Jannet showed him the photo on her phone. “No, mam, it is arduous to say anything right now because so many corpses are piled on top of one another.” The officer replied. Days went by. The authorities declared that none survived.  Jannet felt sad and devastated. She quit her job and stopped socializing.  She often skipped her meals and turned pale.    One day when she fell sick, she had no other option than to go to her brother’s place to stay with him.  A few days later, when she returned, she saw her house door open. Scared, she rushed in.  “Jannet saw a man sitting on the sofa. He resembled Ben. Ben, is that you?” she asked, astonished. He turned around. Jannet dropped the luggage on the floor and hugged him tightly, tears streaming down her eyes. “Where were you all these months? I thought I lost you forever in the mishap.” Jennet murmured with tears floating in her eyes. "Jannet, I'm fortunate to have survived that accident," Ben answered.  “Why did you not contact me? Do you even realize what I went through?” Jannet spoke with a lump in her throat.  Ben sighed heavily and said, “Jannet, I am sorry. I wanted to spill the beans but couldn’t. Then this mishap happened, and I grabbed the opportunity to be with Cary, whom I married last year. We have a son who is five months now.” “Whattttt? Is this some a joke?” Jannet blurted. “No. I fell in love with her, and we wished to be together. Moreover, I wanted a child that you couldn’t give.” Having his eyes fixed on hers, Ben murmured. “Oh, wow! How could you do this to me, Ben? I cared for you all my life, and you faked your death for a child?” Jannet questioned, chewing her lower lips. Her smile faded instantly.   “I haven’t slept well or eaten for the past few months. I looked for you amid the stars and fought with God every day. Maybe with time I might have learnt to deal with my sadness over losing you in that tragedy, but the anguish you have caused me now with your actions will never go away. You shattered my trust, and those fragments are no less like shards of glass that will pierce my soul." Jannet holds back her tears and asks him to leave. Jannet then shuts the door. She sits on the floor with her knees pulled closer to her chest and buries her face. She couldn’t believe what she heard. Jannet's world fell apart, and her endearing smile vanished forever.   Penmancy gets a small share of every purchase you make through these links, and every little helps us continue bringing you the reads you love!