Pink roses peeped out of the verdant grass plumes in their garden in Kolkata, India. Rani was bubbling with joy. She was going to tie the knot soon. Her marriage had been arranged by her parents and the groom seemed to match the Man of Her Dreams. Arun had all the qualities to attract any woman. He was tall, smart, good-looking and educated.He had completed his Masters and was a young,promising lawyer.
       Rani was nearly twenty-one years old when her marriage took place. She thought that all her long cherished dreams would come true . Like all young women she had dreamed of a loving husband and caring in-laws who would make her life beautiful.
      Her first lick came when she was not allowed to complete her Masters.Rani had attended eight months of classes and she was yearning to finish it. Unfortunately, her in-laws and specially her narrow-eyed mother-in-law Bulu were very jealous of her beauty and qualities. Bulu did not want Sara to complete her Masters because obtainig it would put her  at par with her three daughters.
     The  day after their marriage, Rani was forced to do menial and often dangerous  housework including slicing vegetables using a huge chopper that was  awkward to deal with ,cooking, performing taxing errands that were often arduous for her new family, serving food four times a day, washing clothes and so on. In fact,she was treated like a charwoman and was foisted on to do cruddy work. Worse, her sister-in-laws would come frequently and assault her with insulting words.Initially Sara endured everything. Later on,the tyranny of her mother-in-law reached such a height that Rani could not help quarrelling with her and trying to restrain her.
     All her dreams  were shattered. Her only solace was her husband who seemed to love her and he was the only light of hope in her dark world. She was confident her husband would care for her and bring her out of the Hell she was in by fighting for her with his mother and three sisters. However hard she toiled she could not satisfy the bitter woman.
     A few months later one day when Arun came to home from work, he said to Rani grumpily, " Did you say anything mean to my Mom?" Rani was taken aback. She asked "Why? Of course I didn't say anything to her". Arun contradicted , saying that Sara had dishonored his Mom and they began to argue.This reached its zenith when John raised his hand, yanking her hair. From that day onwards, the quarrels became more frequent,  and Arun used to sink to deeper levels beating her. Rani cried, not from the pain and humiliation inflicted upon her body but from the mental agony within her. She then realised that her romanticized idea about her husband was wrong.
     One day she was stricken with a high fever and was compelled to drop onto her bed keeping aware of the long list of chores yet undone. Arun, after returning from his work quizzed her mercilessly  "Why are you lolling in this rush hour? I am hungry, give me something to eat". Rani, snuffling  and trembling with the chills of the fever replied "I have fever. I won't be able to cook today. Please , could we have home delivery today? " At this Arun retorted angrily ," Why should we have to order food? Is money so cheap? Get up and cook it yourself. Do it fast." The vitriolic words seared her inside. Tears streamed down her pretty face making her vision blurr. Slowly she trudged to the kitchen and began to work.
    He was a man who doted on his Mom and sisters and did not have any feeling for her. He never would admit that his Mom and sisters were wicked. All her colorful dreams were shattered. The reality was too hard.
    Added to her troubles, was the birth of her beautiful daughter. Rani hoped that Arun would change his wolfish character to humanitarian. She was mistaken. Arun did not have any soft corner even for his daughter. His savage attitude remained  constant. Sometimes they would fight over their little daughter too. The only light in Rani's nigrescent world was her daughter. She thought her unfulfilled dreams would come true through her daughter Mousumi. Mousumi began,in time, to loathe her dad. When the arguments between her parents would reach a crescendo she would always support her mother. This embittered the situation. Her monster-like father would be on a fire fed by rage,and would both  verbally and physically abuse them. Sara implored him not to reprimand her daughter but the brute would not listen. Arun did not want to take their responsibilties. When Mousumi needed a school book purchased, her Dad would buy it for her at the last hour after battling with Rani. Bickering formed a daily part of their lives.
    Rani did not want to file a divorce for the sake of her daughter. The fact that she did not work or rather earn anything aggravated this. Further, she did not want to face humiliation by returning to her parents. She knew very well that her brothers would not welcome her .
    Worst of all, her lovely daughter became the victim of the jealousy of her three aunties. Mousumi was a girl of beauty, with brains,and this was the cause of their envy. Gradually, she became exhausted from her family brawls and this affected her mentally. She became  prey to mental illness. At times, Mousumi wanted to strangle him to death but thinking of the hideous consequences that she would have to face she controlled herself. Bulu  enjoyed this greatly and the nefarious woman would bolster this by provoking Arun to instill his venom into her tender mind. His malevolent sisters did the same. Above all, Arun did not console his daughter in her distress and moreover used to chide her vigorously and deride at her sickness, viciously in those times when she was ill.
   At this Rani broke to pieces. The shards of her dreams tore at her heart and it would bleed without restraint.  The ransom of her love was that she eventually turned over a new leaf, became truculent like them, incurred the death of her once innocent mind by acclimatising to the hostile world. Bit by bit the delicate layers of her heart peeled and exposed a hard, stone-like kernel in that vicious inferno.
    She contemplated on his malfeasances. Nothing was resolved in her mind. Disappointment and depression ate away at her. Arun continued his egregious ways upon them.
    Mousumi was an avid reader and engaged herself in books especially murder mystries. She told her Mom one day, "Why don't we just kill him?" Rani, aghast , replied " Yes, but..." and her voice trailed off.
    The idea given birth by her daughter had a tremendous impact on her. Then an image struck in her mind.
    Though Arun belonged to a somewhat conservative family he liked to booze. Rani knew this. This was a way to appease Arun-perhaps the only way.
    Bulu had wished to spend a couple of months with her middle daughter. A golden opportunity knocked at Rani's door.
   Rani bought a bottle of vodka and presented it to John on their marriage anniversary. Arun's face was aglow with pleasure. He said ," How thoughtful of you, Rani. Thanks so much." Rani gave an impish smile.
   Arun swilled the drink. What he did not  was that Rani had mixed  sleeping pills in it. He felt drowsy. His eyelids became heavy.
    Arun dropped to sleep in his armchair. Making sure that he was fast asleep-listening to the rhythm of  his snores she picked up the kitchen knife that she had whetted just yesterday. She approached him stealthily and  swiped the knife into his chest, drenching his shirt in a pool of blood. A triumphant smile flicked across the faces of Rani and Mousumi,as they had ended their relentless oppression.
    Rani looked at the night sky. In the charcoal bowl above her a yellow moon was spreading its rays of love over her, smiling at her as if congratulating her on her victory.