5. The Life She Chose

Fri, 14 Aug 2026 11:47:18 +0000

Fifteen years pass almost unnoticed. Not because nothing happens, but because nothing extraordinary happens. There is no defining moment. No affair. No separation. No miraculous reconciliation. Life continues in the way most lives do—with birthdays, festivals, work deadlines, family gatherings, illnesses that pass, promotions, vacations, and countless ordinary mornings. The years do what neither Anagha nor Advait ever attempted to do. They settle. Advait remains dependable, disciplined, and emotionally reserved. Anagha remains thoughtful, independent, and quietly observant. The marriage changes only in one respect: it no longer occupies the center of Anagha's emotional life. Their routines have become almost instinctive. They rarely interrupt one another. They know each other's schedules. They remember practical details. He notices when she has an early flight and asks the driver to leave on time. She reminds him of his medical check-up because it is written on the family calendar. Neither mistake these gestures for intimacy. They are simply habits formed through years of coexistence. The bungalow itself has aged alongside them. The wooden staircase creaks more than it once did. The sea-facing windows have been repaired several times. Old servants have retired. New ones have learned the household's quiet rhythms. The house has witnessed change. The marriage has witnessed endurance. The years Anghq once devoted to trying to understand Advait have found other destinations. Her career has flourished. Photography has become a serious passion rather than an occasional hobby. She has travelled widely, collecting memories instead of expectations. Her bookshelves have grown fuller. Her friendships have grown deeper. She is known in different circles for different reasons. Not as someone's wife. Simply as Anagha. She realizes, almost by accident, that strangers often know more about her interests than the man who shares her home. The thought no longer wounds her. It simply belongs to the architecture of her life. To the outside world, the Deshmukhs are an enviable couple. There are anniversary photographs. Family portraits. Shared appearances at weddings and charitable events. Guests remark on their stability. Their composure. Their dignity. People often confuse the absence of conflict with the presence of happiness. Neither Anagha nor Advait corrects them. Some assumptions are easier to leave untouched. At a family celebration, conversations drift naturally toward marriage. Someone notices Anagha. "You've been married for so many years." Another smiles warmly. "What's the secret to such a long marriage?" For a brief moment she almost laughs. Not out of mockery. Out of irony. She thinks of all the years people cannot see. The conversations that never happened. The hopes that quietly dissolved. The separate lives that learned to coexist. She simply replies, "I don't think there's a secret." The conversation moves elsewhere. No one notices how carefully she chose those words. The drive back to Malabar Hill is peaceful. Mumbai is still awake. Traffic moves steadily. The city hums with the confidence of somewhere that never truly sleeps. The bungalow is lit exactly as she expected. A tray of tea waits on the side table. Advait is in his usual chair. Reading. He looks up. "You're back." "Yes." "How was Jaipur?" "Good." A brief pause. "I'm glad." He returns to his book. Years ago the exchange would have left a hollow ache. Now it simply joins the thousands of similar conversations that make up their shared history. Anagha settles into her own chair and opens her book. Across the room, Advait turns another page. Two lamps cast separate circles of light. Neither reaches the other. The silence is no longer something she tries to solve. It is simply another feature of the room. Outside, Mumbai continues roaring into the night. Inside, the bungalow remains quietly still. For the first time in many years, she realizes she has spent an entire day without wondering what their marriage could have been. Not because she has forgotten. Because she has accepted. She understands that her life was never diminished by accepting reality; it became larger the moment she stopped measuring it against an impossible hope. This isn’t revelation, but recognition. Nothing has been repaired. Nothing has been destroyed. Life has simply continued. And sometimes, that is the most truthful ending of all.