Mira was lost in the labyrinth of her subconscious mind, drifting through a dream that tugged at the edges of her consciousness. In this dream, she beheld her newborn son, a cherubic bundle of joy with a head full of curly hair. His tiny hands waved at her, and a warm glow suffused Mira's heart, filling her with an ineffable sense of happiness.

But then, as if in a sudden cataclysm, the child's eyes changed - the once innocent grey irises morphed into a sinister shade, cruel and unnerving. Mira's heart plummeted, and she recoiled in horror, covering her face with her hands to block out the ghastly image.

When she looked up again, it was no longer her son. Instead, a malevolent figure stared back at her - Bhairav, with his cold, grey eyes glaring at her in a cruel and intimidating way. Mira felt helpless, paralyzed with fear, unable to scream or move. She was trapped in the dark recesses of her own mind, a prisoner to her own anxieties and doubts.

'Naaa... ' in her desperate attempt to scream, she murmured a monosyllabic word, sweat broke out all over her body.

Suddenly, she saw Batakrishna standing near her, his arms outstretched as if to pull her into a warm embrace. Mira reached out to him, trying to grasp his hand, but then a discordant sound shattered the tranquility of her dream. A bullet tore through Batakrishna's forehead, and the serene smile on his face faded into a mask of pain and horror. Dark blood gushed from the wound, and Mira felt a storm of emotions ravage her mind - grief, shock, and a bone-chilling terror that made her shiver.

A piercing scream escaped Mira's lips, echoing through the darkness of her dream. She was a captive of her own fears, unable to break free from the bonds of her subconscious. It was then that a touch on her forehead shook her from the dreamworld, returning her to the safety of reality. Blinking away the haze of sleep, Mira saw Batakrishna in front of her, his handsome face suffused with a mesmerizing smile that reassured her and chased away her fears.

"Mira.... My wife!"
Mira opened her eyes wider and saw Batakrishna smiling brightly at her. His face looked brighter than the first rays of the morning sun. His features, ever so handsome that Mira thought she was witnessing some God sitting next to her.

"What are you staring at?"
Batakrishna asked her, and Mira fluttered her eyelashes to fathom a response to his question, but she found none. Somewhere all her thoughts were muddling up in confusion.

Batakrishna smiled at her state.
"You look breathtaking while asleep." He paused, and brushed his fingers through her unkempt hair.
Mira starred a little, and suddenly was acutely aware of her physical state. She wasn't wearing any clothes, and her naked body was covered with a checked blanket that she remembered to be on the cot where Batakrishna had lied while being sick. The blanket felt a little damp.

"Get up my sleeping beauty... We have a long way to go."
Batuk leaned forward and kissed on Mira's forehead and then on the tip of her nose, and Mira shivered at his touch.

"Sit up, and wear this... I'll be back in a minute."
He kept a clean white saree beside her, on the hay bed, and placed a tumblr with water in front.
"Come on now... Don't be late."
He got up and prepared to leave.

Mira saw him with dazed eyes.
Batakrishna was all dressed up. A half sleeve shirt and a dhoti he wore, with his grey coat on top. His slightly long straight hair was neatly backbrushed, and he wore shoes on his feet.

Batakrishna left, giving her the required privacy and Mira quickly pulled the saree to her body and looked around.

Why was she naked?
Why was Batakrishna Babu all dressed up?
Why was she in the cowshed?

Memories of the previous night flooded her mind in shades of grey, bringing her down to a place of depression. She wished to die, but she was still alive.

Batakrishna re-entered the cowshed, holding a tin suitcase and a small plate of bananas, with a blue shawl hanging from his arm.

"Mira... There you go... "

He kept the plate beside and sat down.
"Why? You haven't worn the saree yet?" He pulled the blanket off her body and Mira gasped in fear, covering her bosom with both her arms at once.

Batakrishna frowned and then a naughty smile sparkled on his eyes.
"What? It's nothing I haven't seen! You forgot last night, have you?"
He teased her lovingly.

"La.. Last Night?" Mira uttered her first words, her eyes widened in utter confusion, and Batakrishna cupped her face lovingly with both hands.

"Yes, last night... We became each other's completely... I made you mine, Mira... My wife." He voice was a throaty hush, and Mira's mouth fell in further confusion.

Became each other's? As in? Then why was she not able to recall anything then?

Mira trembled a little, her head reeling and Batakrishna held her in his steady arms at once.

"The roof fell last night. We can't enter the hut, and God knows I don't want us to enter as well."
He continued to speak and Mira kept staring at him with dumbfounded eyes. Batakrishna took the saree and helped Mira to wrap it around her body. Mira didn't object. Suddenly her nakedness wasn't bothering her anymore, in fact nothing was bothering her except for that continued thought of death.
Batakrishna pulled the hem of the saree over her head, carefully covering her hair, and a priceless smile spread across his lips at the sight.

"My wife. " He muttered in admiration.
"The prettiest of all..."
He took a small silver case from the plate and inched it near her face. Mira recognised the case at once. It was the same Vermilion case that was kept on the rack where Meenarani had kept her gods.
Mira felt a lump in her throat.

"This is the last time my wife is wearing a white saree." Batakrishna smiled, as he took a pinch of sindoor from the case.
"I tried looking for an alternative Mira, but the storm has messed it all. This is all I could find." He gestured at the saree and Mira parted her lips to speak.

"This will do."

"No this won't." My wife will wear benarari and baluchori at all times. "A Roy Choudhary after all." He smiled proudly and touched her shoulder with his sindoor strained fingers, tainting the white saree in red. And then another proud smile escaped from his lips.
"Now it at least has a hint of red."
He chuckled childishly.

"What... What happened last night?"
Mira had gathered all her courage to ask him the question, and it made Batuk frown and then smile at her.
He particularly looked cheerful that morning.

"You feel sick, I was tending you, and I wanted to leave, you held me back, and then we made love."

He took another pinch of Vermilion from the case and Mira widened her eyes at his in disbelief. This little summary about the forgotten night from him had turned Mira's world upside down already. Not only was she unsuccessful in ending her own life, but all managed to entangle this godlike man's life with hers.

"Mira... " Batakrishna's tone was suddenly serious.
"I was married to you in my heart long ago. But today, I want to make it official." He looked down and smiled.
"I... I want to marry you... Now." He looked at her with love in his eyes.
"I know this is not how I had wished it... And I promise we'll do every ritual that that is... But right now... Right now, this is the only thing that feels right."

Mira trembled at his words.

"Jedidong Hridong Mom... " He looked right into her eyes, piercing her soul with his words. "Todosttu Hridong Tobo!"

Mira shuddered at the words.
"What... What does it mean?"

"It means may my heart and your heart be one... Forever Mira... Forever!"
He drew closer, his hand gliding up her disheveled hairline, leaving a trail of red Vermilion. Mira's heart pounded with an unfamiliar sense of dread as she closed her eyes.

"Batakrishna Babu..." she murmured.

Without hesitation, he enfolded her in a tight embrace, his warm breath brushing against her ear.

"I love you, Mira. You are the only thing I desire in this world. From this moment forward, you are my wife, and I am your husband. No one, not even the gods, can ever change that."

Mira's breath caught in her throat as she realized the gravity of Batakrishna's words. He was pledging himself to her completely, without any reservations or doubts. And as she opened her eyes, she saw that his gaze was locked onto hers, filled with an intensity that made her heart race.

She parted her lips to speak, but they only trembled a little.

Batakrishna took the plate in hand, and carefully peeled the bananas.
"This is how it will be," he said, holding the fruit to Mira's lips.
"I feed you and you feed me. "

Mira heard, and then obediently took a bite, her mind in a state of numbness.

"I can't cook," he mused to himself, a smile playing at the corners of his lips. Mira sat motionless, unable to process her emotions.

Batakrishna rose to his feet. "Now that we're fed and dressed, it's time to leave for the railway station. We can't stay here for a moment longer."
He announced and Mira continued to stare blankly at him.

Can everything be really as he was saying?
Would she really get to be happy? With this angel?

What?" Batakrishna asked with amusement laced in his voice. "I'll remind you of everything that happened last night when we get home. I can even give you a demonstration if you want." He chuckled naughtily and turned to leave, but Mira's horror was already unfolding.

She stood up abruptly and stretched her arms towards him in horror, as in her dream. And, Before Batakrishna could comprehend the situation, a searing blow crushed the back of his skull. He felt a sharp pain coursing through his body, and in a moment, everything faded into blackness, including Mira.

"Naaa.... " Mira screamed too, with all the strength she had, her eyes widened at those familiar cruel faces standing in front with bamboo sticks, Batakrishna's blood laced in one of them.
Mira collapsed on the rough hay bed before anyone could utter a word.

"Naaa.... " She breathed.