*****

The setting sun made everything sparkle red and gold, a bright array of vivid colors in the peaceful distance. It was a beautiful sunset, Mayra thought as she looked out the huge glass window of her luxurious hospital room. She still couldn't believe that Aamir would do this for her. This was the same room in which Aamir had been admitted when he had been paralyzed. And now he had Mayra put in the exact same room.

If that wasn't mind-boggling enough, he had the entire room covered in flowers and cards. Two bunches of white and pink balloons were attached to the poles of the head end of her bed. An entire library of DVDs had been bought for her to watch whatever she wished to on the massive flat screen tv. He had got her so many books to read that she actually wondered if she could ever finish reading them all.

But the thing that was most unnerving was that Aamir never left her alone. He had occupied the extra bed in her room, right by her side and brought his laptop and files with him. He stayed in her room, worked from her room, ate in her room, slept in her room, but never left her alone. She had never seen him smile as much as he did now when he was with her. And the things he said, over and over to her were destroying her peace of mind. He had started calling her Princess. Princess! What was she to say to that?

She was no princess. Hell, she wasn't even considered human enough to deserve respect. She hadn't received any of it, neither care nor understanding, no affection and certainly not an ounce of love. And now, here was Aamir, declaring his love for her over and over again.

It had been a week since she woke up from her coma. Every morning she would open her eyes to find Aamir smiling at her, "Salam and Good Morning, Princess." As the day progressed, he would keep talking to her as if everything was normal and kept saying "I love you, Princess" every chance he got. She was unbearably on the edge with his attitude. What was he trying to achieve? To whom was he trying to prove that he could be a good husband? Since when did she start meaning so much to him that he couldn't leave her alone?

During their marriage Mayra had come to crave the time when she would be alone. Those were the only moments when she wouldn't be hurt or humiliated. Loneliness was a small price to pay for keeping one's self esteem intact. And she was more than happy to be able to do it. At least it gave her peace of mind.

And now there was no peace, whatsoever.

Aamir was behaving so unusually, and her parents were coming to check on her everyday! Like she mattered! What was wrong with everybody.

She sighed as she watched the sun go down. There were times when each sunset would bring confusion to her, because as each day passed she never knew what to feel, relief at the end of another day, or fear of a new night with her abusive husband. With Aamir she never knew what to expect. He would blow up for the smallest of things, or sometimes over nothing at all. Within the first two months of her marriage she had come to accept the painful and unfortunate fact that she would never be able to please him at all. No matter what she did, he would always find reasons to be upset with her. She was incapable of keeping him happy.

And God, the name-calling. That was the worst. It could make one question themselves as a person, she thought, if one is constantly being called "slut", "shameless wench", "bitch".

She squeezed her eyes shut. Even now she could hear Aamir's voice screaming those words at her. Even now, her destroyed self-confidence made her question herself, was she worth anything at all? Was she as useless as Aamir said she was? Was she that bad?

Of course she was, she thought as she opened her eyes. Why else would she be here? In a hospital bed with a divorce petition over her head.

"Okay, I'm done here," the nurse announced as she finished cleaning up Mayra's half-eaten plate of food, making Mayra suddenly realize that the woman was in the room with her.

"I'm going to leave for the night. Do you need anything before I go?"

"No. I just wanted to ask you something."

"What?" The nurse asked narrowing her eyes at this weird patient who barely ate, barely spoke, and her husband was driving her crazy.

"I've been here for quite a few days, right?" Mayra began hesitantly.

"Over one and a half month, darling." The nurse retorted sarcastically as Mayra's eyes widened with shock.

"Over one and a half month! My God!"

"Yeah, well you were in a pretty bad shape. It's a miracle you're alive." She replied, tapping her foot impatiently, as all she could think of was getting home as quickly as possible.

"That must mean that.. Oh no! Nurse, how much do you think this hospital will charge me for everything?"

Surprised at the question the nurse replied, "Obviously over Five Lakh rupees! But why do you care? Surely your super-rich husband can pay that off. He had you put in this room, girl! It's the most expensive we have! So chill!"

"Oh no.." Mayra moaned miserably as she sunk back into her pillows.

The nurse eyed her with a confused expression and took Mayra's silence as the cue to leave.

Over Five Lakhs! How on earth was she going to pay that amount. Aamir may have made the payments while she was unconscious, but now she would have to pay him back. But how?

She barely had a couple of hundred rupees at home. She never asked Aamir for any money, she knew he wouldn't give her any. The little money that she had started to save in her earthen jar was all gone when she had to use it to buy adult diapers for Aamir when he was paralysed. But even if she had that money, it would amount to two or three thousand only.

Five Lakhs!?

"Hey Princess!"

Her head snapped to the door as Aamir entered the room. So lost was she in her thoughts she didn't even hear him enter. He drew closer to her bed, his bag of clothes for which he had headed him clutched in his hand. and she found herself automatically lowering her head.

With a smile Aamir walked towards her bed. He dumped his bag and car keys near his bed and turned to Mayra. Leaning forwards he gently placed a kiss on top of her head and sat down beside her hip facing her. Instinctively she moved a little further from him, and when he raised his hand to tuck a lock of her hair behind her ear, she involuntarily flinched.

Undeterred by her response to his loving gestures, he smiled and said, "so sweetheart, are you feeling okay?"

She nodded.

A deep chuckle left his chest as he said, "can't hear you, Princess!"

A fresh surge of uneasiness struck her and she mumbled, "fine, thank you."

"So, the nurse met me on the way and she said that you were worried about the money. Is that true?"

Again she nodded, this time in a mindless state of panic. Had she angered him? Was he going to punish her?

Sighing he reached for her hand and held it in both of his as he whispered, "You know I'll take care of everything. Why are you worried, Sweetheart?"

"I was here for how long, exactly?" Mayra asked unable to bring herself to look at him.

"Fifty five days."

"Uhm.. Then how much is the hospital charging us?"

Aamir thought of not answering that question and telling her not to worry, but his mind warned him that if he wanted to get Mayra to develop confidence in herself, he would have to answer her questions truthfully. And if he refused to answer this then he probably wouldn't know exactly where she was headed with this conversation, and sooner or later, she would know the cost anyways, he thought.

"As of now, Eight and a half lakhs."

"What!" shrieked Mayra, raising her head to look at Aamir incredulously.

"It's all right. I'll take care of it." Aamir tried to reassure her.

She looked away at the window trying to collect herself. Aamir watched her silently, knowing that she wanted to say something. He waited patiently for her to collect her thoughts.

Finally she returned her gaze to her lap as she said, "in my cupboard, towards the left side, in the second drawer is the key to the safe. Combination is 0812. You can take my jewellery."

Trying to control the sudden flare of temper at her insinuation that he couldn't take care of her he said, "and why should I do that?"

"To pay the hospital bills. The lawyer said.." she trailed off, belatedly realising that she had probably angered him.

Aamir's anger dissipated entirely as he urged her to continue, "the lawyer said what, darling?"

"That I must start taking care of myself because you were going to d..divorce me and.. and that the lawyer would make sure that I.. I wouldn't ex..exploit you for any alimony."

Aamir gently wiped her tears and made her drink a few sips of water before she could continue, "you must take the jewellery. I don't.. I don't know how else to repay you."

He gently squeezed her hand as he said, "darling, look at me."

Scared out of her mind she looked up. He was looking at her so intensely, she couldn't look away.

"Princess, I know we have a lot of issues, and I promise you with time we will resolve all of them, but for now I want you to just believe in the fact that firstly, I did not ask that idiotic lawyer to send those divorce papers to you so you must understand this. Whatever he said you, that was his own crap. He didn't speak fir me, and I sure as hell didn't ask him to say those things to you.

"And secondly, darling, I'm your husband. Taking care of you is my duty and my topmost priority. Paying for your healthcare was an absolute necessity, sweetheart, but even if there was some random thing you desired, it is my job to get it for you. And trust me Princess, I will."

He brushed his knuckles against her cheek softly and said, "as for the money, I'll take care of everything. Now you only have to focus on getting better. Can you do that for me, Princess?"

Mayra nodded and he smiled at her lovingly.

They both sat there looking into each other's eyes, unaware of Farhan watching them with a small smile as he quietly left the room, shutting the door behind him as silently as he could.

*****

Lakh - 100,000 a hundred thousand