Flashback...

Bondita turned the tap on to fill the bathtub. Her jewellery made a sound when she started to remove them one by one. Bondita opened her hair and flipped them several times in front of the mirror. As soon as she was about to remove her pallu, the latch of the door made a sound and Anirudh entered all of a sudden before Bondita could even react. Seeing him, her eyes widened and so did his although she had not taken off her attire but his unexpected entry made her nervous and both of them let out a shout together. Both closed their eyes in embarrassment and turned away, "obhodro(uncivilized) ho kya ap? Knock nehi kar sakte".

"Tum darwaza band nehi kar sakti" Anirudh argued back, "agar koi aur a jata to?"

She opened her eyes and hit his head gently, gesturing him to open his eyes too. "Maine band ki thi samjhe ap" she started to pull the latch of the door, "kharab ho gyi kya? Pata nehi par maine to lock ki thi".

Anirudh bended down a little and looked at the lock keenly and realized a piece of paper stuck in it. "ye dekho" he said pointing at the lock hole, "jab darwaze k taala ya fir kundi mein kagaz phas jata hain to ye kaam nehi karta".

"Abh?" Bondita frowned, "mein nahau kaise?"

Anirudh, with a help of a thin twig took out the paper.

"Abh ap bahar jaiye mujhe nahana hain" she said and turned around but saw his reflection in the mirror, still standing behind her. "Jaiye na!" She urged, looking at the mirror. Anirudh smirked and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, "nehi jaunga".

This irritated Bondita as she wanted to take a shower and Anirudh was delaying it, "choriye na" but she couldn't resist herself more and he was making him lose her control on her emotions. She could feel his warm breath on her bareback and was almost lost in him but then she realized this is not the time to entertain his nonsense. She needs to take a shower and do the Arti so she turned back and pushed him away.

Anirudh's feet hit the bathtub and he fell in the water causing a great splash. Bondita didn't expect this to happen at all. She covered her mouth as her eyes widened seeing his condition who was all wet and was glaring at her. Bondita was trying really hard to control her laughter but how long? She burst out laughing, seeing her pati babu's condition but not Anirudh. His expression clearly depicted his anger. Bondita stopped laughing when she realised the seriousness and was praying to God that her pati babu should not start his shouting session.

"S.. sorry" she looked timidly at him, "m..maaf kar dijiye, wo...mein" but before she could speak further, Anirudh held her arms and pulled her into the tub. This was so unexpected and so sudden for her that she lost her balance and fell into the tub, on Anirudh.

"Choriye jaane dijiye!" She said and started to make vigorous movements and splash the water. But the more she was trying to free herself, the more firm his grip was becoming around her.

Tears rolled down my eyes like deluged rain when I recalled the moments we had spent together. But I rubbed off my tears and looked at the locked door when a smile crept on my face. I have always applied Pati babu's teachings during difficult faces of my life and now, how can I not?

I walked to the door and pulled it, the locked door opened without any struggle because I had secretly put a piece of paper in it so when those people locked the door, it wasn't actually locked.

"Bewakoof log!"

It was midnight and those people must be asleep peacefully, assuming that I am locked up here. "Sotey raho tumlog, mein to chali apne pati babu k pass".

I slowly opened the door and peeped outside to make sure no one was there and I was too lucky this time. I tiptoed out of the room and on my way to the front gate, no one was there to stop me. I thanked Dugga maa and touched my abdomen, "hum jald hi baba k pass pohoch jayenge".

Isn't it natural to talk to your unborn child? I do a lot!

Here I have no one to talk with except him or her. I wish the day my child will see the light of this world, I will be able to talk to my child, face to face. But now! I need to focus on what I am doing.

I was walking slowly, Not that the house was dark but because I want to be careful as I am carrying pati babu's child in me. I opened my anklet to make sure it makes no sound.

"Dhanyavaad Dugga maa" is all I said when the front door was in front of my eyes.

Door to my liberty!!

I couldn't control my tears learning the fact that once I cross the line, I will be free, with my pati babu. I ran towards the door and was about to step out but just then I smelled something burning. Why should I care? I ignored it and was about to leave when my conscience stopped me. There was dark dense smoke all over by now and I could clearly see sparks of light coming from a particular room.

My brain cells froze. Either I escape and let the person in the room die or save him and bear the pain once again. Agar pati babu hotey to kya karte? I looked once at the open door and once at the room inferno and without giving a second thought, I picked up a pot of water and splashed the water in order to extinguish the fire along with shouting and yelling.

"Aag lagi hain!" I shouted and tried to wake up other while I constantly tried to extinguish the fire. I don't know who was in the room but whoever it is, after all, he is a human being and this is what my pati babu taught me. The dense smoke was entering my respiratory tract, thus choking me but the man inside the room was dying too. I can't let someone die.

"Sab jaldi bahar ao!" I shouted on top of my voice, "Aag lagi hain!"

Soon Zafar and his companions came running.

"Bhaijaan!" Shouted Zafar and that is when I understood it was his mentally unstable brother's room. Zafar asked me to move back and three of them entered the room to rescue his brother. I watched with shock when he saved his brother, jumped into the fire without even caring for himself. At this point of time I really wanted to know what has happened with them, why is he so revenge thirsty? Why did he make a promise of not killing an innocent to his abba? What is up with the Roy Chowdhurys?

Chacha struggled to talk when he came back to his senses but in order to save Bondita, I have to talk to him and also he himself wanted to say something.

"Zafar ko Bondita se kya dushmani?" It was first question I asked because this question was killing me from the day this incident took place.

"Qasim aur mein yaha k chowkidaar the" he said faintly, "bara nek aur bafadaar admi tha wo"

"Ha pata hain.."

"Par ekdin uske bare bete pe chori ka ilzaam lagaya gaya...kaha gaya ki usne tumhare maa k gehene chori ki hain".

"Fir?"

"Fir kya... Hamid ko jail huya, bechara jail mein pagal hi ho gaya mano, nikah tay tha uska, wo toot gaya. Qasim to ye samaj chor ka baap bulane lagey isiliye usne atmahatya karliya. Bechara chota sa Zafar apne baap k maut ankho k samne dekha tha. Isiliye shayad badla lena chahata hain..."

"Par Bondita kyu?" My voice broke when I uttered her name, "tabh to shayad wo payda bhi nehi hui hogi, usiko kyu le gye wo log".

"Pata nehi Chote Malik"

Why Bondita??? Every time we do something wrong, Bondita is punished. Why do you do this Dugga maa? You know how much she has faith in you then why? What was her fault? Was it her fault that I married her? Is this the price she had to pay for being my wife? I was so broken upon learning what my family did to Zafar's family without knowing the truth and Bondita is paying the price of our deed, I broke down.

I don't believe in God but today I was asking only one thing ki mere hisse ki saari khushi usey dedo aur uske hisse ki dukh mujhe dedo.

He closed his eyes tightly and let down tears to flow unless he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Bondita!"

Assuming it to he Bondita he looked up immediately with happiness in his eyes but his happiness was once again overtaken by gloominess when he saw a little boy standing in front of her.

"Ap Anirudh Roy Chowdhury ho?"

"Ha" he wobbled his head slightly and rubbed off his tears.

The boy handed him a parchment and before he could ask anything the boy left the place without further involvement in any more conversation. He creased his eyebrows and wondered what the paper must contain.

He opened the paper and saw something written in it. It was an Address that seemed familiar to him but it took him time to recall and once again after reading it, he realized it was the address of their old factory

Below the paper it was written in very small fonts, "Akele ana, chalaki maat karna warna uski kimat tere patni ko chukana par sakta hain".

The letter fell from his hand and only one word escaped from his mouth, "Bondita".

Meanwhile...

"Tumne bohot bara upkar kiya hain Bondita, tum jo mango gi mein wahi dunga par Anirudh ki jaan baksh ne ko maat kehna aur ye bhi maat kehena ki hum tumhe chorde" Said Zafar.

Bondita took a deep breath and finally spoke, "Mein tumse Pati babu ko chor dene k liye kuch nehi mangungi. Tum pura karna apna badla aur mein ye bhi nehi kahungi ki tum log mujhe jaane do par jo mein mangungi kya wo mujhe milega?"

"Hum waada karke ussey nehi mukarte" Zafar said Proudly.

"Abhi nehi! sahi wakt aane pe mang lungi".

The other men grabbed her wrist and dragged her to the room once again.

Bondita saw this comming so she was not surprised at all. This time these people were not ready to take risk anymore hence they tied up her hand.

"Tum log kitne ghatiya ho!" She shouted, "bandh kyu rahe ho mujhe?"

But they paid no attention to her and left the place after tying her up properly. "Dosto" said Zafar to rest of the men in his room, "ye ladki dikhne nein bholi hain par asal mein bohot shatir hain. Dekha na aj kaise bhag nikli".

"Ha zafar" one of his friend agreed with him, "bohot shatir hain ye ladki, tujhe aisa koi vaada nehi karna chahiye tha".

"Mujhe laga shayad kuch mang legi par mein Bhul gaya that ki ye Barrister hain, shabdo se khelna kaam hain iska, mujhe mere hi shabdo mein fasa liya isne".

"Kaka please baat to suniye" I tried to explain to him so much but he dragged me from there to our house. "Chi chi nak Katwa diya tuney" kaka said, making weird faces.

"Kya dikkat kiya hain tujhe? Pehele ek bhai k patni se shadi karne chala, abh dusre bhai k hone wale....shiv shiv shiv"

"Kaka please" I shouted back, "aisa kuch bhi nehi hain, hum sirf dost hain".

"Dost?" Kaka chuckled, "kuch dino pehele tak bhi Anirudh kuch aisa hi keheta tha ki wo sirf zimmedari hain".

"Kaka Priyam sach mein meri dost hain"

"Shut up Batuk!" Baba shouted at me, "tumhare wajase I felt insulted".

Baba would have shot me then and there, the way all were shouting at me but Som dada asked him to calm down, "baba aap Batuk se shadi karwa dijiye, apko to bass rishta jorne se matlab hain".

What? No! I wanted to tell them that I don't want to marry her. Never! but I don't know what happened to me at that time. I could have told them but I choose to remain quiet. Baba felt that Dada's suggestion is a better option and went out to talk to her father.

But why was I quiet...

"Ek se barkar ek hain tino bhai, mujhe maaf kardo Shubhra behen, nalayak bane hain teeno k teeno" kaka taunted us and left.

I reached the mentioned place in no time.

"Bondita!!"

My voice echoed the large factory, "bahar ao Bondita. Dekho tumhare pati babu a gye hain".

The place was, dark, weary and teary. These filthy people had kept my Bondita at such a place. I was so enraged that I wouldn't think twice before killing someone.

"BONDITA!!"

I called her name several times unless I heard sounds of footsteps, "shant Barrister Babu shant!"

Zafar walked down the stairs with an evil smirk and the sight of his face irked me. "Mehfoos hain apki patni, shant ho jaiye"

"ZAFAR!!!!" I roared and groaned in anger. My blood was boiling seeing that imposter. I was approacing him to thrash him but his companions held me from behind.

I struggled to free myself while he continued to talk, "us vidyalaya wale kagaz par dastakhat kar de Anirudh".

"Mein koi sign nehi karunga" I shouted back, "Bondita kaha hain? Tumhari dushmani mujhse hain na to saaza Bondita ko kyu de rahe ho?"

A punch on my face and I fell on the floor. "Abh badla shuru" zafar said proudly.

"Bondita!" I kept on calling her name, ignoring the numerous blow on my body. I fell down several time but again stood up only to see her. He punced on my stomach and I spat blood.

Already my eyes were swollen over and bloody spit drooled from my slack jaws. I was now as revolting as he should be, finally the outside reflects the man within. I lied in my own fluids. But still I was not ready to sign the papers.

"Tujhe to aj marna hi hoga par tuney agar sign kar diya to tere maarne k baad teri patni ko hum chor denge par agar nehi kiya to usko yahi rakhenge humesha k liye"

In spite of such warnings, I was not ready to sign the paper after all this country's future depends on my action.

"Ye to bohot ziddi hain" whispered Iqbaal in Zafar's ears which was clearly audible.

"Abhi zidd todte hain" he smirked and shouted at one of the man, "Bondita ko le ana"

My eyes widened and I wanted to stand up but could only make subtle movement of my fingers.

In Governor General office

"The situation is going out of hand, we will have already sent 1500 Indian troops to England, Italy's situation and Musoulini' troops in England are under Control now" said Lord Laurence ponting towards the map

"What about Berlin" asked another fellow officer, "aren't they growing hostile? I think we should send our troops to Berlin too for the war".

"No one will lead the troop" inturrupted another, "why would someone take the risk of entering Germany for secret mission and is there anyone so much eligible".

"I think" added the General, "Lord Francis is the best militant I have ever seen, I believe he will be able to lead the troop there for the country's sake".

"Ye tum galat kar rahi ho Bondita" Zafar stammered a bit, "tum jaante ho maine apne jannatnashen Abba ko vada kiya tha hum wo vaada nehi tod sakte"

"Tumne mujhse bhi vaada kiya tha ki mein jo chahu mang sakti hu to fir yahi mein chahati hu" he said and held Zafar's hand that was holding the gun. She pressed it to her stomach, "chalao goli!"

"Mein apne abba ko diya huya vaada nehi tod sakta!"

"Mein yahi chahati hu, yahi meri mange hain tumse ki pati babu ko maarne ne se pehele tumhe mujhe maarna hoga. Agar mujhe nehi maar paye to mere pati babu ko bhi nehi maar paoge tum, chalao goli mujhpe, fir unpe aur le lo apna badla...tumhe to bass badla chahiye, tumhe kya fark padta hain ki saalo pehele apne baba ko kya vaada kiya tha"