The Lover
Rummaging through the contents of the wardrobe, his eyes brimmed over. He still found it hard to believe that she was gone. Gone forever…!!!
Picking up her personal belongings, he slowly packed them into boxes.
Tightening the bedsheet, he felt something hard underneath the flimsy mattress. Lifting it aside, he laid his hands on a book with its frayed end and flipped it open.
Dear Diary, it read.
He hadn’t known that she had maintained a personal diary! Curious, he sat down on the bed and started reading.
14th Feb 2019
I met him again today. He bought me a dozen red roses. Can you beat that! Finally, my own Valentine! I have been praying for this for so long… My lover, my soulmate…
10th Mar 2019
He asked me to move in with him today. And I said ‘YES,’ obviously! Of course, I made a big show of thinking about it, wanting him to sweat a bit. And a girl gets such an opportunity only once, right?
He smiled. Memories flooded his mind, like frothing waves crashing to shore. She had been the most sought-after girl in college. They hadn’t spoken then, but a chance encounter later at work and he was smitten. She was bright, beautiful but most importantly she was humble and soft-spoken. He was thrilled when she had agreed to go out with him. And soon, he had asked her to move in.
He flipped some more pages and read ahead.
5th April 2019
Oh, it’s so much fun. He is so considerate and caring. I love it when he putters around in the kitchen and makes tea for me….
10th May 2019
I don’t know why he is distracted suddenly. I feel his eyes following my every movement, at home and at work. It’s so eerie…
25th May 2019
He threw a fit when he saw Akash’s message on my mobile. He says I should stay away, that he’s a bad influence. But Akash is just a friend, why doesn’t he get that?
28th May 2019
He said sorry again today. Said he loves me and hence gets jealous. I love him too, so I forgive him. A part of me is thrilled that he is possessive of me, yet why doesn’t he trust me?
And the rest of the pages were blank. Drawn back to the present, he shook his head trying to clear the cobwebs.
Rushing to the wardrobe, he pulled out her scarf. Sniffing it, he recalled the final moments. How they had fought and he forced her down on the sofa. In a fit of rage, he pulled her scarf and held it to her face, smothering her. Her body had twitched for a few minutes and then it was all over.
The police had called it a botched attempted robbery. Since they lived together, his fingerprints were all over the place. And they never doubted him.
Inhaling her scent on the scarf, his tears flowed full of unmistakable remorse.
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