Storm Over Paradise. ✔

Part 3

Arnav and Akash turned to find the entire family looking at them.

Anjali, Nani and Mami had tears cascading down their cheeks uncontrollably and they knew they heard everything.

Manohar who had called out Arnav's name moved closer to him with misty eyes and sat on the floor with him.

He may not have voiced it but Arnav was his favorite after Akash.

He had seen a bubbly and talkative young Arnav turn stone cold after his sister shot herself right in front of him.

He wiped his tears and made a sobbing Arnav look him in the eyes.

"Your mother never killed herself because of love but because of a broken identity." Manohar said and Arnav looked at him confused. " Yes Arnav,your mother never took her life because of her love for Arvind but because she was taught her only identity as a woman is to be a good wife and that was the greatest honor a woman could have. " Manohar said and looked at her mother who bowed her head in shame because she knew her upbringing of Ratna was also part of her weak personality but to live a guilt free life, she was always in denial of it. "You see...... Maa..... Always taught Ratna that her husband was her identity and life and she prioritized him after her marriage over even you and Anjali...... She lived for Arvind and when that illusion of a perfect marriage and identity broke, she taught she had nothing worth living for...... Not even her children stopped her from taking her own life.... Hell she shot herself right in front of you even after you begged her not to........ I always warned you to let go of the past and your misconception of your mother's death...... You misinterpreted her suicide as a case of love and not a weak woman whose fantasy world was broken and she couldn't live with reality and today you let a woman who could have been your wife and the mother of your kids go....... I warned in past to let the past go but you refused and lost a good future because of that... And you have no one to blame than yourself........ You are absolutely right when you said love hurt and it's true because I have witnessed it....... I fell in love with a woman who pretended to love me to get out of poverty. " Manohar said and Mami gasped in shock and Akash and everyone looked at her.

Akash marched up to his crying mother and looked straight into her eyes and asked.

"Papa is not wrong so stop pretending to be shocked...... Papa loved you and was willing to go against Dadi and the entire society just for you...... Everyone said a maid was not right for him but he stood by you and defended you because he loved you but immediately you had me you knew your position in his life had been cemented for good...... I was raised by nannies while you went out to parties with your so called friends..... But still Papa never stopped loving you...... Maybe you were in love with Papa in the beginning but please don't lie to me or anyone that you are in love with Papa because the only things Manorama Singh Raizada loves are status, money, jewelry and her sarees...... You don't even know that wanting me to marry a woman only because of status and money she has is called gold digging which makes you a gold digger........ I now know why you never like Payal because you thought she is after my money like you were after Papa for status and money but let me tell you maa...... I will marry Payal with or without your permission because I learn from the best to protect the woman I love even if it means going against the woman who birth me." Akash said to Mami who was crying uncontrollably.

Manohar after hearing this felt hurt but knew it was the truth and he felt even more proud of Akash than he was before for standing up for the woman he loves and turned to Arnav.

"Yes love hurt but it's what make it unique..... Just because some people hurt because of love that doesn't mean you will also get hurt in it..... Your blind judgement of love made you do the unforgivable...... I don't know whether it's too late to fix things that happened in the past but you can make this right now...... But I won't forgive you for ordering Lavanya to do those things to Khushi. " Manohar said in a matter of fact tone and Arnav  shook his head.