Bride

-Chapter 26-

"You did not?" There was no hint of accusation only a straight forward question. Vikky was tired of accusations.

"You are my son, Vikky. I want you in my life. But I am not a fool. If I blackmail you into coming back, you will never love me. Love cannot be forced. I could could force you to do my bidding but I can never force you to love me back. Can I?"

Vikky looked away. That is what happened. When he was blackmailed he was filled with resentment. The resentment took over everything else.

Khushi made him look at her, she wanted to know the real damage that was done. "Did you leave anything out, did he tell you anything else?"

"No, you only wanted you to be happy. He wanted me to leave dad and come to you. That was his only condition." Vikky told her honestly.

Khushi nodded her head and turned away. She had too much to process. Her heart was shattering inside. She walked away. She could not stand there and face her child and Vivek. Her father, the man she admired all her life had betrayed her. He had destroyed her life, taken away her child and was now wrecking havoc in her child's life. When she was blindly admiring her father, Vivek was struggling to raise her son- their son. When she was blind with revenge, her son was fighting his own battles. She had left bother her partner and her son alone in the time of their need. Even now when she knew her father was wrong, she could not come to hate him.

Her eyes clouded with tears. She had grasped on straws when Vivek left her behind, now she had nothing to hold on to. The man who became her anchor was the reason for her troubles. She had nothing left to hold on, not the son she gave birth to, not the man she gave her heart to and defiantly not the man who fathered her. She felt lost.

She could not breathe. She needed fresh air. She opened the door and walked out, uncaring of the blizzard. The cold engulfed her but she did not feel the bite. The strong winds and snow made visibility impossible, but she did not care. She needed to leave. She needed to go far away, as far away as possible. Her son was happy before she came into his life. She could not take away the happiness. She had never given him anything, she could not just take away what he had. Tears spilled over. She wiped them away. She was the real villain of the story. What had she to cry for? She was the one responsible for her child's pain. She was the reason why her son hated her. She behaved like a cruel monster, how could anyone love a monster? 

The cold bit into her soft skin. She felt grateful. She needed the pain. She deserved much worse. She deserved to hurt as much as her child did. As much as Vivek did. She was too exhausted to walk. She did not know where she was going but she continued to walk aimlessly. When a pair of strong arms turned her around, she was too numb to react. Vivek held her gently and shook her. She was looking at him blackly. Vikky saw her walking away and tried to stop her, she was in no shape to listen. He came running to him for help.

He rushed out as soon as he told him. It took him a good fifteen minutes to find her. He was shocked to see her state. She was covered in snow. Her skin was turning bluish. He removed his jacket and draped around her. She had walked out without one. 

"Kya kar rahe ho, Ashi? Kaha jaa rahe ho?"

She gave him a glassy look. Vivek wrapped his arms around her. He shared her pain and agitation, but he knew what she felt was a thousand times worse. Being betrayed by a parent was a huge blow. She was going though a hell of her own. That was one of the reasons why he was reluctant to tell her the truth before. he alwyas knew how much Khushi loved her father. Even when he was forcing her to give up their child she believed in him. She never let him speak a word against the man. The man was her hero. When your hero betrayed you, it was not easy to deal with the betrayal. The heartbreak was unimaginable.