Glimpses of past

Albert TR, the youngest son of Charles TR. He was barely five years old when he was adopted by Charles's wife Zubina. For a child captivated in a small orphanage deprived of love and affection , who never saw the outer world, it was like a dream come true. But life is not a bed of roses. His fantasy like world crumbled up when one day Charles and Zubina died in a plane crash while returning from Australia, leaving Albert and his elder brother Rehnold behind. There was an age gap of twenty six years between them. Rehnold was the biological son of their parents. After they died, he naturally thought that all the property will come into his hand but his father, Charles was not a fool. He knew how cruel and narrow minded he was. Before his death he already wrote in the legal documents stating that the property would be equally divided between them and if by any chance Albert dies, his portion of property would go to orphanages and charity. There was nothing Rehnold could do other than biting his nails in frustration and cursing him in silence. Naturally they got drifted apart. They were brothers only by name. Inside the house, Rehnold barely used to communicate with him. He could never accept him as his younger brother, there was nothing except hatred for him in his heart.

When Albert first heard the news of his brother's marriage he was pretty excited. Atleast he could then have someone beside him in the big mansion which was barely a home to him is what he thought. That day when he saw her sitting at the dining room, he was astonished. A young adult, with a lean body and bruises all over her body, was sitting at the dining room struggling to eat with a spoon. ' What is happening? How can he actually marry someone so young? ' He was bewildered. He came forward but he did not utter a single word.

Aish saw him staring at her from a distance so she asked him with a faint smile on her face, " Are you Rehnold's younger brother? " She knew thar he had a younger brother but his apperance was unknown to her . That is why she could not recognise him.

He nodded his head in affirmation. With a little hesitation in his mind, he asked her if she really was his brother's bride. When she told him that she was his sister-in-law, he did not know if he should be happy or sad. He asked her lowering his head, " Can I know, what is your age? If you do not want to tell me then it's ok. "

She smiled. " I am nineteen years old and my name is Aishwarya . You can call me Ash. "

He stuttered, " My name is Albert and I am sixteen years old. " He paused for a moment and then said, " Nice to meet you. " After saying that he rushed to his bedroom. He never thought that her sister-in-lae would be this much young. But he got relief that atleast she was not cold to him like his brother.

With the passage of time, they turned into friends. He used to share all his thoughts with her which he could never tell him. Everytime, she used to give a loud scream lingering with pain, his heart used to ache. As if thousands of needles stung to his heart. He wanted to save her, but he was powerless against Rehnold. Everytime he used to see her bruises, his inner soul shattered into thousands of pieces. The only thing he could do was to be mum and ignore. But can ignorance save purity deluding with purity? The one who commits a sin and the one ignores it are equally partner in crime.

When Albert was still in the orphanage, he always dreamt of having his own home. Even if he had house then, he always felt something was missing. Oneday he asked her out of curiosity, " Aish, what is the meaning of a home ? " For which she replied that a house was not a home. A home could not be built with just bricks and sand. It was a place made with love and affection. A place where someone was waiting for you. Materialistic possessions could never outweigh emotional possessions.

" Then will you wait for me too? " , he asked her with gleaming eyes.

" Always. ", she replied patting his back.

Time started passing and they became more close to each other and this came to Rehnold's eye one day. He was irritated by their closeness and wanted to give her a mortal punishment to refrain her indulging with other males even in her dreams. That night he announced that she would have to sleep with one of his clients. She was horrified by his statement. She begged for mercy, touched his feet but nothing could change his decision. He then smirked looking at Albert and said, " You have already sed*ced your husband's little brother. Sleeping with my client is nothing to a wh*re like you. "

At that moment Albert realised what he meant by those words. Later, he approached him when he was alone. "Tell me what I should do to change your decision. "

He narrowed his eyes at him with amusement. " I did not know that you can talk too. "

" Just shut up and tell me what I need to do. "

He lit up a cig a and said, " I want your life, can you give that to me? "

Albert was silent.

"Huh! I knew... "

Before he could end his statement, Albert barged in and said, " If I die you won't get my shares of property. Let's make a deal. I am ready to die and I will also give you my shares but you will have to promise me that you would cancel that client's matter and treat her well. "

He was shocked by his statement but the deal was too tempting for him to disagree. " I agree. "

The next day when Aish was still asleep, Rehdolf came to his room with property papers. His hands did not even shake while signing those papers, he was prepared to die. After signing he gave a gun to him and said, " As my mother adopted you, I am giving you the opportunity to die by your own hands. "

Before Aish's arrival in Albert's life he was barely alive. As living without a purpose is same as being dead. It was her who gave him a will to live. She was the most important thing in his life. How could he just see her suffer so much? Albert's last words were that he should keep his promise he then clicked the trigger, shooting himself at his cerebrum. He was lying on the floor, drenched with blood. Flashes of memories of his time spent with her started coming before his eyes. ' God, whatever you do, I do not want to forget her. Please anything but forgetting her. ' He then died with a smile on his face.

Caesar was standing right beside Albert when he died. He saw his own past self dying like that. His head was paining with all those thoughts. He then understood why he used to get all those dreams all these years. It was his love for her that did not let him forget her.

After Albert's death, Rehdolf told everyone that he had went to abroad. The client's arrival was cancelled but he did not inform it to her. The night when she was supposed to sleep with him, he drugged her and slept with her. She could never know that it was actually Rehdolf that day and it left a deep scar in her till her death. The money she used to get for spending every month, she used to send them to orphanages and cancer patients, remembering Albert. She wanted to ask him why he went so suddenly without even informing her but she never got the chance. 'Come home quickly, I am waiting for you, at your home. ' She lost her reason to smile after his departure. Then one day that is three years after Albert's death she died in a car accident.

Both Albert and Aishwarya were deprived of love and suffered from misfortune. They got reincarnated in the seek of their lost love.

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To be continued ~