Twist of fate

Part 19

Ragini watched in horror as Rudra unleashed his wrath upon Sanskar. She rushed to his side, her heart torn between the two men she cared for deeply.

"Stop, Rudra, please!" Ragini pleaded, her voice trembling with emotion as she attempted to intervene.

"This is all your fault! You and your family have ruined my sister's life enough. She's coming with me."

Dadi's heart sank as she watched Rudra's determined stride, "Rudra you can't" she tried stopping him

"Rudra, please. Let's talk about this calmly."

But Rudra's anger had reached its boiling point. "There's nothing left to talk about," he snapped, his grip tightening on Ragini's arm as he led her away, leaving behind a trail of shattered hopes and relief of sighs.

—

In the car, Abhay focused on the road ahead while Ragini attempted to pacify Rudra's anger, her voice filled with regret. "Rudra, please listen to me"

Rudra's frustration boiled over, his voice tinged with disappointment. "Are you stupid or what? Every time they say something, you just agree without a second thought. If they were forcing you, you should have spoken up, and you didn't even care to inform me"

"and why would you?"

Ragini's heart sank at Rudra's words, her voice trembling with emotion. "Rudra, it's not like that. I—"

But Rudra cut her off, his tone sharp with anger. "No, don't speak to me at all. I'm so angry right now; I don't want to say something that I'll regret later"

"But you know what? I didn't expect this from you. I'm deeply disappointed."

Silence fell over the car as Ragini wrestled with her guilt, knowing that her actions had hurt Rudra deeply.

—------------

A week passed by, and much had changed in the dynamics of the household.

Ragini found herself residing with Rudra, yet their interactions were limited to mere syllables.

The weight of her decision to acquiesce to Dadi's emotional manipulation burdened her conscience; she should have stood her ground and attempted to reason with her grandmother.

Meanwhile, Dadi was grappling with her own turmoil and guilt. The events of those two days had left her shaken to the core. She never envisioned for her beloved granddaughter and their family to be in that situation. The hurtful words of neighbors and relatives only exacerbated the turmoil in her mind. Driven by a fervent desire to preserve the family's honor at any cost, she resorted to the first solution that presented itself — arranging her granddaughter's marriage — without fully comprehending the potential anguish it could inflict. And now she felt deeply guilty for the action she had taken.

When Shekar and Dada Ji learned of Dadi's intentions, they were deeply dismayed. Dada Ji sternly admonished Dadi for her actions, while Shekar maintained a stoic silence in the face of the unfolding turmoil.

Sharmistha and Swara found themselves most bewildered by the situation. Dida's questioning of Ragini's decision to marry Sanskar, despite any apparent affection between them, struck a chord of doubt in their minds.

Swara pondered whether there was any truth to the rumors surrounding Ragini and Sanskar, wondering why Ragini hadn't confided in her if there wasn't.She felt certain that she would have been able to assist Ragini in finding another solution.

Dada Ji, too, attempted to persuade Ragini to return home and Ragini herself longed to go back, but Rudra's ultimatum weighed heavily on her decision. The threat of severing ties was too daunting, compelling Ragini to remain with him.

But the worst affected along with Ragini was Abhay, he was tired of being a football between Sanskar and Rudra. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't bridge the gap between them. Rudra remained stubborn, unwilling to lend an ear to reason, while Sanskar struggled to articulate his motives clearly to Rudra.

But the worst affected along with ragini was Abhay, he was tired being a football between Sanskar and Rudra

Rudra was not ready to listen and Sanskar failed to explain his reason's properly on why he agreed to marry that day,

"If you just wanted to help or save Ragini, you could have called me directly" Rudra accused him

"Why did you wait until the last moment in the temple, just a few moments before the marriage ceremony, to call Abhay to bring me there?"

Sanskar sighed, his expression troubled as he struggled to find the right words.

"Circumstances or excuses, Sanskar?" those were rudra's last word

His own conscience mocked him. It was a bitter pill to swallow, knowing that perhaps he was indeed giving excuses for the decision he took in a moment of furry.

Sanskar couldn't shake off Sujatha's words about Dadi finding someone to marry Ragini. It had irritated him to the core, the mere thought of Ragini being with someone else filled him with an inexplicable sense of possessiveness. She wasn't just anyone; she belonged to him.

In the midst of those conflicting emotions, he had made a decision, which he now deeply regretted. 

She was his friend nothing more, yet he felt weird at that point and ended up saying yes to the marriage out of impulse.

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