Unedited.
Dhruv's POV:
After the meeting went well, I soon asked Ravi to book the immediate flight as I didn't want to delay my stay here and I wanted to share this news with Aaru personally and would seek an apology for hurting her.
Even when I knew, having a big mouth Ravi must have already informed the news, I still wanted to convey this news to her personally. She might be hurt because of me but I was sure, she would be definitely happy about my achievement. I grinned while glancing at the bag which had lots of chocolates and sweet treats.
'Silly and immature self? Dhruv, you really deserved a good beating!" I cursed myself after remembering my previous words and mentally noted myself to gain her forgiveness no matter what it costs and couldn't wait for the flight to land soon.
After disembarking the flight once it got landed safely, I got on to the car that the driver had brought to pick us up, I switched on my phone and shortly, I saw that there were so many calls and a message from Aaru.
In the message, she mentioned the hospital name and asked me to come there immediately as Aadhya was admitted there.
Worriedly, I asked the driver and Ravi to get off the car, telling them it was a kinda emergency. Then I started driving there myself while hoping that everything was fine.
Once I reached there, I didn't know how I managed to park the car but the moment I did, I rushed inside and asked the receptionist that if anyone with the name Aadhya was admitted there. When she told me the room number of Aadhya, I made my way to that room while rubbing my forehead worriedly.
As I reached her room, I found none in front of it. Just when I was about to look for anyone, the doctor opened the door to come outside.
"What's your relationship with the patient?" He asked me as he stood in front of me while adjusting his glasses on his nose bridge.
"I am her brother. Is she okay? What happened to her?" I asked him hurriedly.
"Where is the lady who admitted here?" Instead of answering me, he again questioned me.
"I don't know. Can you just tell me about her condition first?"
"Well. The patient just fainted out of panic. She has so many bruises on her body and by looking at the condition of hers, I am afraid to say that she is molested. I am not sure if it involves-"
"I understand!" I stopped him from saying anything further as I gulped a painful lump. Nodding at me understandingly, he continued.
"We have to wait for the patient to gain her consciousness to know what exactly had happened. If what I am believing is true, you need to take a proper care of her as this whole incident will affect her mental health." Just when I was nodding at him slowly, I sensed that someone had approached me as I lifted my glance at the person and it only became indifferent when I took a notice of who that person was. I simply nodded at the doctor who was taking his leave.
"Dhruv, How is she? What did the doctor say?" Did she ask me in a worried tone?
"Worried? If she was so worried, she wouldn't have taken my sister to whatever god damned place she wanted, in the first place." I thought in my mind with a scoff and simply ignored her words.
But when she again asked me why I was keeping mum, I couldn't control myself and blurted out everything damn thing that came to my mouth. When I asked her to stay away from my sister and seeing the broken look on her face, some part of my heart was probing me that what I was doing was completely wrong but I wasn't in my right mind to pay heed to my heart now.
"If I cry today, I promise you this would be the last time that I cry for you." These words of hers we were still reverberating in my ears and the tone of hers inferred me that I... I completely lost her this time.
"Am I really misconstruing this whole thing? If it wasn't for that, why did she look at me with so much hurt in her eyes? If it wasn't for that, why did she sound so heartbroken like she never expected these kind of words from me? Oh god! I don't know even what's happening. If what I had assumed is wrong, then I am certain, I surely lost her."
I really wanted to pull out my hair and scream out so loud in anguish but I just sat numbly taking in her words only god knew how long but came back to my senses after remembering that she left the place all alone at this time. So I stood up with a jerk and about to rush outside to catch the sight of her but door of the Aadhya's room got opened and having no choice, I took a step back and greeted the nurse.
"The patient is awake now." Nodding at her, I took each step slowly and witnessing her bruise-filled face, my eyes instantly teared up as I fisted my hands angrily.
"Aadhya? Are you okay now?" I asked her softly after gulping the painful lump.
"Where is Vadhina?" She asked me in a weak tone instead of answering me. I just stood there silently, not knowing what to reply.
"She left!" I told her in reply, too ashamed to even meet her eyes.
"She left? Anna, please take me home. I have to see her."
"Why? You can meet her later. The doctor has yet to say anything about your discharge."
"I don't care. Please take me to her. I have so much to tell her. I have to say how much sorry I am. I can't bear this guilt, Anna. She went through a lot because of me. I beg you, please take me to her. Please." She mumbled to herself in an agitated tone as tears were gushing out of her eyes continuously. I frowned in confusion while rushing towards her side.
"What are you saying? Shhh shhh. Calm down. I will talk to the doctor." Patting her back, I made my way outside, still pouring in confusion because of her words.
Aarna's POV:
I smiled to myself mockingly when my feet unknowingly took me to his house. Wiping my tears, I went inside and then to his room. After that, I started packing my things without leaving anything that related to me with a thought to go to the orphanage as that was the only place which gives me peace.
Giving one last look at the room where we shared so many bitter-sweet memories, I started dragging my luggage along with me while successfully resisting the urge to cry out loud. Before going out, I caressed the wall which still had the result of my failed attempt at painting and these were the same walls that witnessed both my blissful smiles and my unshed tears.
I smiled to myself through my tears and left the room hurriedly because if I waited a moment there, I couldn't stop myself from staying back. Remembering every moment of us, my heart throbbed with an unbearable pain.
Even after what he said and even after what he made me go through, I still didn't even have the heart to leave this place, to leave him, to leave everyone. Because everyone in this house allowed me to enjoy the feeling of having a family of my own. For the first time in my life, I truly felt that this was going to my true home but no, the person who made me believe in all these, was the same one who showed my place in his heart and his home.
So even if my heart couldn't bear to do it, I couldn't be an unwanted presence in his life. So however hard it was, I had to do it.
"Aaru?" A astonished cry brought me back from my thoughts when I was descending the stairs.
I turned around and glanced at the person with my teary eyes but upon noticing it was Athayya, I immediately wiped my tears hastily and tried to pass her a smile.
"Where is Aadhya? Moreover, where are you going with that luggage? Oh my god! What happened to your face?" Exclaiming this, she hurriedly approached me and brought her hand forward to move my hair aside and to caress my cheek as I hissed in pain.
"What's this, Aaru? What exactly had happened?" She asked me as her eyes filled with the tears.
"It's nothing big, Athayya. Just a minor accident."
"Accident? Then why am I seeing the finger prints on your face as if someone had slapped your face? Okay! Let's say that I believe you but If it was really a small accident, then why are you crying so much like you had been tormented both physically and mentally?"
"That.. I can't say anything, Athayya. I am sorry and though the wound is small, it's paining like hell. I am feeling like my soul is sucked out of my body." I told her with a small smile as I continued.
"About Aadhya, She is with her brother. They will tell you everything once they are home. As for me, I am going to my mom's place. Swaru called me today and said that she is missing me a lot. So I am planning to stay there for some days. So go to sleep, Athayya. Don't mind seeing me off." I lied and pretended that everything was fine but I knew she didn't believe me because I saw a frown adorning her features.
"Really? Then why didn't she tell me anything about it when I met her at today's party?" She asked me while grabbing the luggage in my hand.
"Why bother lying when you are so bad at it? I thought you considered me as your mother instead of your mother-in-law. Today I got to know the reality that I can only be your mother-in-law and nothing more than that." She said with a hint of hurt in her tone.
"No, no. It's not like that, Athayya. You are truly the best but I just can't tell you the reason. Please don't force me and don't ask me anything." I cried out as she came forward to take me into her motherly embrace while I kept on mumbling the same sentence of 'dont ask me anything' continuously.
"Okay...okay. Don't cry. I won't ask you anything but at the same time, I won't allow you to leave your house too. Even if you won't say anything, I can understand that great son of mine must have messed up everything again."
"Now come with me. If you wish to not see him, just stay in the guest room but don't you dare to leave this house and don't forget the promise you made to me. It's your house and you're not going anywhere leaving your family here. If anyone has to leave, it should be 'him'." She said while stressing the word 'him' and I shook my head knowing what she was implying.
"No, Athayya. I am an outsider here. So for an outsider like me, you don't have to make him leave his house. If you do, I can never forgive myself for snatching a family from someone and if that said someone is my husband, then I couldn't even able to live with that guilt."
"Are you done talking? Now listen, you are not an outsider. You are the same as Dhruv and Aadhya to me or maybe even more too. So I can't bear to see any of my children getting hurt and I guess I have a right to punish my children for their wrongdoings..right. Now say no more and come with me." Though I was completely grateful for her love and kindness, I still couldn't convince myself to stay here but she, without paying any heed to my protests, dragged me near the guest room and asked me to go inside with her following me behind.
Once she was inside, she placed my luggage aside and changed the bedsheets in front of me itself, and opened the windows for some fresh air.
"Now come here. I will apply some medicine to your cheek." Saying this, she made me sit beside her on the bed as she went to grab the first aid box. Once she came back, she started applying the ointment softly on my wounds while blowing on it occasionally. I just bit on to my lips and controlled my tears at her obvious concern.
"Athayya, would you think of me as someone who could harm the person who was considered as her family?" I asked her after sometime, too hurtful to even say those words. She paused in her actions for a second but continued doing her thing with a sigh.
" How is it possible? You can never do such a thing, Aaru."
"How? How can you say that?"
"Because I trust you."
"Trust?" Ohh, I forgot, this was what he didn't have in me. That's why he could say all these things without even feeling bad.
"Why can't he trust me just like you do? How could he even think that I would do something like this to the people who I have considered as my family?" I asked her while controlling myself to not cry again.
"He did that? Then he is really being a big jerk. Let me tell you, don't go so easy on him amd forgive him so soon. If you ask me, never forgive him at all." She gritted her teeth and mumbled angrily.
"Don't think of that idiot and ruin your mood. Let him come home. I will seek justice for you. Now lay down and sleep peacefully." Saying this, she left the room as I stood up and went to the window to glance at the gloomy sky.
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