Parivaar

Chapter 26: Repenting

8 months later:

Ved was pacing in his room, paying no heed to Rudra or Dev's words. He was going to meet a girl his family had chosen for him and he hated every bit of it. He was nervous, he constantly tugged at his shirt wondering if he looked good, pacing around the room to calm his nerves. Rudra sighed before he gave Anjali a call asking her to come to his room.

Anjali entered Ved's room only to find Rudra and Dev with a helpless look on their faces. Ved was pacing in his room, blabbering something along 'I can't do this. I can't do this.' Rudra gestured to her to look at him and try to stop him from stressing. She walked and stood in front of Ved making him gasp and stop in his tracks.

"Bhabhi!" He exclaimed. "You scared me." He said, placing his hands on his chest calming himself before he began fidgeting again.

"What happened Ved?" She asked, sitting on the bed facing him.

"Umm. Bhabhi.." He looked at his brothers who denied offering him any support. He looked at her and sighed.

"Is this necessary bhabhi? Will I even be a good husband? I–I am not even sure of my own life, how can I take responsibility for hers too when I am so uncertain of myself. Bhabhi, I think this is not a good idea." Ved ranted, looking worried and uncertain.

"I didn't think so much while marrying your bhabhi." Rudra frowned at his overthinking. Ved was always a rational person and today he was behaving weird.

"Not everyone is you and every wife is like bhabhi." Ved snapped, making Anjali chuckle while Rudra feigned anger.

"Was she given a choice to walk out of the wedding?" Anjali asked, her voice showing no hint of anger or irritation. She had a small smile seeing him being so concerning. Ved shook his head in a no. "Does she gel well with our family, do we all like her and want her to be a part of us?" She asked further, making him nod his head. "Do you see a probable future with her? Do you believe that both of you are compatible? Can you see a happy and loving future with her?" Ved nodded furiously and then blushed profusely when he registered her words.

"Bhabhi!" He whined. Rudra and Dev chuckled while Anjali wholeheartedly laughed at him. She got up from his bed and walked towards him, arranging his kurta's collar.

"See, no marriage is set on ground rules. Set ground rules for your marriage and then live. It is definitely challenging, but it is also worth everything. She might also be equally nervous like you, so you need to talk to her about this. Everything is new for her, everyone is a stranger here. Try making her comfortable first. Be a friend before being her husband. Maybe, you shall be better in this marriage." Anjali said, her voice soft yet conveying seriousness.

"Okay bhabhi." Ved said as he took a deep breath.

Today was his engagement with Rukmini, a jewelry designer. She was the daughter of a common friend and after various talks it was decided that if they liked each other, then they would proceed with this relationship. After everything that transpired in the family due to Vikram things were never the same. Anjali never forgot and Rudra never forgave his family for putting Anjali through this. Their actions were definitely orchestrated by Vikram but the way they reacted was unacceptable.

***Flashback***

The entire Verma family was standing at the doorstep of Rudra's residence in Delhi.

"Can we come in beta?" Rudra's dadu asked him.

"I don't think I can deny you guys an entry." Rudra muttered, before he nodded and walked ahead without waiting for them to follow. He then turned around and pointed to the couches in the living room for them to take a seat.

"Is—Is Anjali not here?" Dev's mother asked him.

"Why do you want her now?" Rudra snapped, making everyone gasp in surprise. Taking a deep breath, he spoke again. "Pari, take Mahi outside with you. I shall call you again." Pari silently nodded, picking up her niece in her arms and went out, silently praying that they don't fight.

"Beta, I am sorry. That day, I was very rude to her. I am very sorry for it." She spoke, her eyes filled with remorse and tears.

"Sorry? But for what? I don't see a need for your sorry, Choti Ma. Anjali stole from our company and well, the illegal relationship she has with your son." Rudra spoke, his last words making him stammer with disgust.

"Bhai, we didn't mean to do that bhai. We were just misguided when everything came upon us. Bhai, we are truly sorry." Dev held Rudra's hands asking for forgiveness.

"I don't understand one thing. You were misled huh? So easily? You don't even hold a voice in the director board at the office. You are just a silent shareholder. It is me and Ved who manage the office everyday. If it didn't worry me, didn't worry him, what got you so riled up huh? Money or power? I can agree about our Dad's having an issue or even one of the working officials at our company, but why did it bother you so much? Jealousy huh?" Rudra asked, fury dripping in his words.

"Bhai, no bhai. Nothing so bhai. I am truly sorry bhai. Bhai, I just got carried away. Bhai, please forgive me bhai." Dev pleaded as he sank to his knees.

"You are forgiven. But I shall never forget. Neither will she. We can never forget what we went through. What we had to go through." Rudra chuckled humorlessly. "Do you know how much she cared for all of you? Huh? Three months after our marriage, she only asked me one thing. To wait until Ved's marriage until we have our own kids, so that he wouldn't be neglected or left out. I don't know what made her think of something like that when we were hardly acquaintances in our own relationship." Ved's head snapped at his brother listening to this new information. He knew his bhabhi was sacred, but he didn't know that she would be so considerate about him. "She felt he should not be neglected or that we should be busy with our kids and work so that he would be alone. She wanted Priyanshi and Mahi to stay here with us until Mahi was at least two so that Priyanshi could focus on her career peacefully. But when Dev made it clear that he would step in, she left it alone. Hell, she wanted both of us to appoint a regent on behalf of us so that we can shift to Mumbai with all of you. She knew how stressful it was for the elders to travel here and there constantly. She thought so much about each one of you before she made a decision. And the response is clearly seen the way you treat her." Rudra's eyes teared while his mother silently sobbed for her daughter-in-law. She loved her as her own daughter and seeing her suffer so badly made her heart bleed. "Today I am telling you, this is the only house I have, the only home I made. That house is my wife's in-law's residence. She is too kind to see you all suffer. She would rather leave me than put you guys through pain. We will visit, only when 'I' wish to. That's all. If there is something important, we will be there. I don't want to put her through any more pain."

***End of Flashback***

And true to his words, Rudra and Anjali rarely came to Mumbai. They would come there once a year and today was one such day. Misreading something so pure as the relationship between Ved and Anjali as an affair, calling their relationship as an act to steal was intolerable by Rudra. Anjali knew better than breaking ties and severing a relationship, hence she made Rudra make a promise to her that he would never do something so dire that would cause a rift in the family. Rudra never wanted to agree to this, worrying that they might trigger her or even cause more trouble to her, but he also knew that she was right. 

**********

Happy New Year Guys. Happy 2024.

That is a wrap. Book over. 

Wait for my Epilogue and some sweet bonus chapters too. 

Love. Wishes. Gratitude.