Naina lay on the bed, idly blowing a strand of her hair that settled over her forehead. It had been two weeks of her being shut in this room and she had done it all, watched television on the mini home theatre, slept with her body spread over the King's sized bed and ate a buffet for every meal. But there was something missing . . .

Ahanay.

No. That couldn't be it. Naina wished him dead so she could have everything for herself, but somehow, she didn't want this house. Maybe it was the poverty within her that didn't know what to do with all this space. Maybe it was the scared, little girl within her that didn't wish to leave these four walls and confront Varsha. Or maybe, just maybe, she really missed him . . .

She shot up from the bed when she heard a car honk, running over to the window to check who it was. To her dismay, but also curiosity, a tall woman stepped out with a fancy handbag and manicured nails whose shine matched the polish of the car. She was dressed in a white salwar with golden sequins, glittering like a jewel under the sun. Her luminous, soft face looked as if one of the angels had descended from heaven. And here Naina stared at her through the window like a creep, wearing a maxi dress with hair tied in an amboda.

Throwing over a fluffy robe and wearing sunglasses, she stepped out, reassuring herself that she wouldn't be recognized by Varsha. As she peeked into the hall from the top of the stairs, there stood the jewel, taking a parcel out of her handbag that read "Louis Vuitton." Out came a box that she handed to the butler, speaking in such soft voices that all Naina could hear was air.

As soon as the lady left with a whiff of French perfume behind, Naina climbed down and asked the butler, "Who was she?"

"Oh ma'am, you should have met her," the butler said, his eyes twinkling as if he had been blessed by that angel. "She's Sir's closest friend."

"Closest friend?" Naina repeated, her eyes narrowing at the box with the red ribbon. "Here, give me. Show me."

As her hands tried to grab the box, the butler stepped back, keeping it out of her reach by holding it above her head and smiling cheekily. "Sorry, I'm told to give it directly to Sir."

"You!" Before Naina could chase him, the whiff of French perfume came wafting towards her, tickling her senses and she stopped in her tracks.

"Hey," the most soothing voice spoke and Naina turned around, to meet the angel herself. Up close, the woman was even more beautiful with a small face, a slender neck and kind, brown eyes. She was smiling at her as she said, "I came here to tell him that he could give the package to you. Oh no, I'm so sorry," she said suddenly and God if Naina was a man, she would have fallen hard for this woman. "I'm Priya, by the way. Ahanay's. . . friend."

That slight hesitation before the "friend" dropped uneasiness in Naina's stomach, toying with her. "I'm Naina. Ahanay's wife."

"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" Naina thought, mentally cursing herself. Why on earth did she sound so defensive? Priya only smiled at that, not saying anything.

"What did you bring?" Naina continued, trying to act as cool as a cucumber.

"This is just a phone. He scratched his older one."

"You bought a phone for him? Isn't that expensive?"

"He gave me his card to buy that," she said and Naina turned mute at that. "So sorry, I'll have to leave now. The driver's waiting and I can't keep him on the road for long. Hope to meet you again." She stepped forward and hugged Naina who stood there, awkward and angry.

"Isn't madam lovely?" the butler said as soon as Priya left.

"Sure. Now give me that!" Naina tried to reach again, but the butler dodged her and before she could chase him again, someone called out,

"Where's the mop that I kept here?" Varsha's voice echoed in the hall and without wasting a minute, Naina scurried to her room and shut the door.

* * *

Naina tossed the phone up in the air, the apple logo catching the glint from the lights and shining like silver. She was playing catch and catch with a thing that cost her entire family's annual income, hoping to break it. She knew she couldn't, but she just wanted that thing to disappear. And that lovely lady. She wanted her to disappear too.

She hated the Naina that she was now, the jealous, little girl.

But why was jealousy so looked down upon? It was natural like hunger, Naina concluded, trying to uplift her spirits. After all, if one ate a twelve-inch pizza in front of a starving person, finishing their meal with a premium cheesecake, what did they expect the deprived person to feel? Love and kindness?

Throwing away the phone, Naina cuddled the pillow and laid down. She had gotten everything that she had wished for, yet why, why didn't she feel whole? Why couldn't she stitch the gaping wound that only grew and grew, festering and torturing her being?

To put a cherry on top of this burnt cake, Ahanay was nowhere around. He came home late, way past midnight and when the insomniac Naina informed him in the dark, "Your friend, Priya, dropped a parcel for you."

Ahanay just said, "Okay," grabbing another briefcase and exiting, to catch a flight for his next business trip.

* * *

Naina was miserable, rolling on the bed even under the coolness of the air conditioner. She hated waiting, as a woman, her entire life had been spent waiting. Waiting for her father to return home, waiting for her next meal, waiting for brilliant ideas on how to kill her husband. And with Ohas gone, she had nobody to fall back on.

Just as she thought of the devil, a rock came shooting towards her like a mini meteor, hitting the window and rattling it.

"What the hell?" Naina ran towards it, expecting children to be fooling around, but finding Ohas underneath. She unlatched the window, hurling the rock back and shouting, "I don't want to talk to you! Go away!"

Ohas dodged the rock, his cat eyes flashing towards her, but he said nothing.

All Naina needed was one apology to go running towards him and escape this fancy-looking hell hole, but knowing that he wasn't the type to apologise, she shouted again, "You're sorry, right! You won't ever touch me down there and you'll be back to normal!" She received no response, not even a nod, but she was desperate. So to save her pride, she continued, "Good! I'm glad you're sorry! I'll come down!"

Quickly changing into a blouse and a dark, floral skirt, she ran outside, brushing shoulders with her best friend who had planned to do something with her . . .

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