✾ⅅℰЅTℐℕᎽ✾

chapter 32: The slap and the invitation

"Abhi ye...yeh tum kya bol rahe ho?" (What are you saying, Abhimanyu?) She said in a painful voice. "Tho aur kya bolu hun?" (So what else should I say?) He said angrily, forgetting they were in hospital.

"Har cheeze tum apni khushi ke liye karti ho na?" Now also you are telling me to trust you because you want to be proven innocent, right" (you do everything for your happiness) He said as his eyes turned red.

""But maine....maine sach mein nahi kiya." (but I really didn't do it.) she said tearfully.

"Exactly, tum to kabhi kuch karti hi nahi ho. Sab kuch justify karne ka shauk hai na tumhe. To batao, agar Shelly ko kuch ho jata to usse kaise justify karti tum?"" (Exactly, you never seem to do anything. You always find a way to justify everything. If something happened to Shelly, how would you justify it?)

Abhi pointed his finger at Shelly, who seemed to be enjoying the situation while maintaining a neutral expression.

"Why did you do this?, Why?" He asked softly, and by this he ment both the incident, one Shelly's matter and the other her breaking his heart and playing with it.

"Har baar bar bar yeh hamare beech mein 'kyu' word kyu aata hai. Kya problem hai tumhari? Kya khud ke aage tumhe aur kuch nahi dekhte?" (Every time, every single time this word "Why" come between us, what's your problem? Is there nothing else you see before yourself?)

His each word. were pricking her heart and she took a few steps back in shock and pain as if wanting to leave, not able to bear it anymore.

"Yes, very good, run. Bhag jaao. Yeh hi toh karti ho tum, baar baar situation se logon se bhagti hi ho. I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU FACE YOURSELF." he said with tears in his eyes. He was emptying his heart today, venting his emotions, his anger, and frustration.

Shivani, who had been looking down, jerked her head up at his words. What Abhimanyu was saying wasn't wrong. She often ran from situations and people instead of facing them. As for facing herself, she realized she hadn't truly done that in the last four years.

Unknowingly, Abhimanyu made her realize that she had completely forgotten to stand up for herself.

He was accusing her, which was understandable. Shelly framing her was also acceptable. But what was she doing for herself? Was she even defending herself properly? Her angry, tearful eyes fell on Shelly, who was smirking in her direction as if mocking her.

Unable to bear it all, Shivani closed her eyes, and Abhimanyu's voice slowly faded as she recalled the scene of Shelly holding Abhi's shirt flashing in front of her.

Shelly did all this drama and even went as far as hurting herself just to get Abhi's attention. I can handle her trying to frame me, but how dare she touch what belongs to me," she said to herself, boiling silently. None of Abhi's words affected Shivani as much as the thought of Shelly touching Abhimanyu did.

The memories of Shelly wiping his mouth during that dinner, Shelly falling into Abhi's arms, and what Shelly said the last time they met, all flashed before her eyes. She knew she was leaving Abhimanyu's life, not because someone told her to, but because it was the right thing for him and his family. So why not settle things with Shelly before leaving, she thought.

When she opened her eyes, they burned with anger and possessiveness. A new determination enveloped her; now, she didn't want to prove her innocence anymore. Her expression hardened, her gaze becoming intense and dangerous. It was clear that Shivani had shifted her focus from proving her innocence to teaching Shelly a lesson.

His ice-cold eyes locked with her dangerous gaze, creating a charged atmosphere as if a thundering storm passed between them.

"I don't blame you," she said, looking sadly at Abhi before letting out a bitter laugh. "Sometimes the truth is right in front of us, but we fail to see it. You're accusing me when I haven't done anything wrong, so let me give you a reason, Mr. Abhimanyu Dikshit," she declared loudly, causing Abhimanyu to frown in confusion.