ENDLESS

30

"What!!!!" he stood up in surprise. He was absolutely shocked, it was easy to tell from his face. Riddhima was calm as she ate her salad.
"Riddhi.....What are you...."
"Your brother didn't bought the poison that killed your father. Is that too hard for you to understand!!!" she asked looking up at him. He couldn't believe it.
"How did you know...????"
"I asked him..." she completed. Vikramaditya palmed his face. He drew in a breath before marching up towards her and kneeling beside her.
"He's a compulsive liar. He lies all the time..."
"Just like you lied to me about your illness." her face was grave as she said that. For the first time in his life Vikramaditya felt that their marriage was in danger. And he'll do anything to protect their marriage. Besides, he wouldn't accept that they're fighting because of his dork brother. He held her hands in his.
"I have already told you everything. And what's the matter with you today. Why are you even bringing this between us today?? My father is dead.....you're all I have now. And I didn't kill Anurag even after knowing everything, what else do you expect of me???" he asked softly. She looked at him in disbelief.
"You got to be kidding me Mr. Raghuvanshi. Didn't you hear what I just said.....Anurag didn't buy that poi...."
"HE'S A LIAR RIDDHI!!!! I KNOW HIM BETTER THAN YOU. PLEASE LET'S NOT ARGUE BECAUSE OF THAT MORON!!!" he yelled at her, his patience wearing thin. Riddhima stood up fiercely.
"I wish you knew your brother....."
"Here we go again..." he was tired already. She placed her hand on his shoulder and continued.
"Don't interrupt me Mr. Raghuvanshi.....Listen to what I have to say..." she said seriously. He looked down at her perturbed.
"Your brother is a liar, a cheat, a womanizer, complete freak and deserves to be called with every name in the book. BUT.....He didn't kill your father although he planned to kill your father. There's a difference between planning to kill and actually executing a murder. Your brother bought a wrong poison and guess what, he was so wasted that night that he passed out in the hall instead of your father's room the night your father was murdered." she looked him in the eye and continued.
"Your idiot brother was framed in the murder he never committed. And sorry to say, but whoever planned this out, actually succeeded since you brothers are stupid enough to believe anything you see without investigating what's beneath the surface." she told him coldly.

Vikramaditya couldn't believe what he had just heard. It was nearly impossible for him to fathom that his lunatic younger brother didn't kill his father.
"But how is this possible...." he asked in a whisper, voice nearly croaking. Her eyes softened.
"It is very possible Mr. Raghuvanshi. It wasn't very hard for anyone who's been around this house even for a while to make out that there were strong differences between you, your brother and your father. Your father favoured you more which obviously didn't sit well with Anurag. And somebody took advantage of this. Anurag's pent up rage against his father was used as a tool by the real mastermind behind the murder. In reality, the more you brothers drifted apart the more that particular individual succeeded. Somebody hates this family and has carefully crafted a plan by which this family will never be the same again." she told him. His eyes had scanty tears building up in the corners.
"It means I held my brother accountable for a crime he never committed. I hated him for nothing...." he whispered, voice quaking. She held his hand.
"You should've at least talked to your brother about it. Instead of faking an illness you should've sat with him and talked this out. He wanted attention from you and your father."
"That's not true. Dad loved him as much as he loved me. It was he who embarrassed us. He was the one who always landed up in problems." he told her, wiping his tears. She sighed.
"He was depressed Mr. Raghuvanshi. He was ridiculed for killing his own mother since he was a child. Some people don't say what's bothering them, but as a family Isn't it our responsibility to see what's wrong with one of our members????" she said to him softly.
"I tried...."
"Perhaps not hard enough." and he had nothing to counter her with.

He sat in complete silence for a minute, holding hands with her. Having her at his side at this difficult time was no less than a blessing for him.
"Natasha did this all." he asked, his eyes red. She drew in a breath.
"A 10th grade fail cannot plan this out. She's a mere pawn. There's somebody else behind this." told she. He gasped.
"What the hell....!!!! I thought that it was Natasha and Anurag all along." he confessed.
"Natasha spiked your father's drink. But she too didn't buy the poison. It was given to her by somebody else." she said. He palmed his face.
"What.....What should I do now??" he asked, completely clueless about what should be his next actions. She looked at him.
"We have to bring the culprits to justice. And you know who can give a lead!!!!! Anurag. He alone can help us......Go and talk to him." she told him. He looked at her and gasped.
"I am not talking to him." he said flatly. She rolled her eyes.
"Well I guess it's too late to talk.....you can talk to him in the morning. But.....we can go for a long drive. I think you need some fresh air to lift up your mood." she told him with a smile. He smiled back, a single tear hanging from the corner of his eye.