Unedited.
Dhruv's POV:
"Maa, where is Vadhina?" She asked my mom who was sitting in the living room, immediately after limping into the house.
Soon after witnessing the plight of Aadhya, her initial neutral expression turned into a panicked one and she immediately rushed towards Aadhya.
"Oh my! Why do you also have wounds on you? How did this happen?" But my mind kept on thinking about the word 'also'.
'Who's the one she is talking about? Who got hurt?' I thought with a frown as my eyes got widen at the possibility of who might it would be.
"Maa, I will tell you. Before that, please Answer me. Where is Vadhina? " hearing her question, she left her hold on Aadhya. Seeing the expression of my mom, a strange fear engulfed me.
"She left." She answered while glaring at me.
"What?" I blurted out and felt like someone had gripped my heart, the moment these words left her mouth.
"Left? At this time? What are you saying? Why would she leave the house in the first place? Maa, please tell me where she is. I beg you." Aadhya asked her in an agitated tone.
"Ask your brother." She said in a cold tone as I gulped a lump.
"What? Anna, do you know where she is? Then why did you bring me here instead of taking me to her? Now let's go. Take me to her." She asked me with her teary eyes as I glanced at my mom, not knowing what to say.
"He can't tell you where she is as he only knows how to throw the people out of his life. So he doesn't bother to know about their whereabouts after doing so." She said with a scoff.
"Maa, please stop confusing me and tell me where exactly she went."
"She left the house and the reason is your brother. As for why she had left the house in such a heartbroken state, I have yet to know about it. So you should ask your brother about his great deeds as no one knew it better than him."
"Anna, what is she saying? What happened between you two? Did you guys have a fight? I knew it. I really felt something was off when I couldn't see her at the hospital. What did you do to her that she had to leave her own house?"
I rubbed a hand on my tired face and released a worried sigh thinking about Aaru.
"Dhruv, she is asking you a question and you can't escape from answering it." Mom probed me with a glare as I avoided looking into their eyes.
"Dhruv, speak up. What are you ashamed of? About telling us what you have done when you didn't even feel it while doing so?" I closed my eyes painfully as I understood what kind of blunder I had done when I said those hurtful words to her.
"Yesterday I heard her asking you to come with her. So when the doctor told me about your condition and the possibility of what you might have gone through, I got so angry and I believed if she didn't take you to the place where she wanted, you wouldn't be put in this situation. Hence when I saw her, I channeled my anger towards her and said some mean things to her." Too ashamed to even say those words that I had uttered, I avoided telling them further.
"Ohh. Mind telling us what exactly you had said?" Mom asked me in an angry tone and I hesitated to tell the exact words.
"I... I asked her to stay away from Aadhya." The moment these words left my mouth, I heard the collective gasps of Aadhya and mom.
"God! How can you, Dhruv? No wonder she decided to leave the house right away. No wonder she looked as if someone had snatched her soul. I am so disappointed in you, Dhruv. How could you assume everything without even knowing anything at all? I really started regretting forcing you into this marriage. I thought you would change for the better but I never thought you are capable of breaking the heart of someone whose heart is already broken. It's all my mistake." Mom slumped on the couch while wiping her tears with the ends of her saree.
"Anna, you are a great brother and you proved it again by showing your care towards me even in this situation. But you know what, You are an utter failure as a husband." I just bent down my head, agreeing silently towards her words.
"How could you even think that she would do something to harm me? Do you even know what she had gone through just to get me out of the hell? You don't know. I witnessed it with my eyes and believe me, how much ever I tried, I can't even erase that humiliating expression on her face off my mind. What have you done, Anna? Nothing like you imagined had happened. I didn't even get a chance to go with her and she didn't even think about anything before coming to save me.
" but what did you do? You asked her to stay away from me? Do you even know the one who you had asked to stay away from me was the same one who put her honor aside and let herself played by? She...She went through a lot just in front of my eyes but I am helpless. At that moment, the only thought that came to my mind was, 'My Anna won't leave that jerk if he got to know what he did to his wife' but I never thought that you would give her the mental wounds which would be more hurtful than the physical wounds. I really misjudged you, Anna.
" Now, go to your room and sleep peacefully. You don't have anything to worry about from now. You can get back to your old brooding self happily but remember this, even if Vadhina forgives you in the future, I won't ." Saying this, she left along with mom, leaving me to drown in the pool of guilt.
'What did I do? How can I hurt her again and again? Why couldn't I control my anger for a second and would ask her peacefully about what actually had happened? Only if I did, I would have become a cure to her wounds instead of the cause. Dhruv, you are such a jerk. You don't deserve her.' I thought, being angry at myself for misjudging the situation and angry at myself for hurting her again.
'I shouldn't be sitting here like this. I should search for her. It doesn't matter whether she would forgive me or not, because I don't deserve it but I have to bring her back to her home where she belongs and have to make sure with my own eyes that she is fine.' Thinking of this, I grabbed my car keys and hurriedly ran out while wiping my tears and started searching for her at every possible place like a madman.
Aarna's POV:
After Athayya left me alone, I slumped on the floor and buried my head in my knees. I didn't know when I dozed off while crying my heart out. I only woke up when I felt so thirsty. So lifting myself up, I tried to stand up on my feet but would have fallen down if it wasn't for the support of the table as my legs were gone numb.
Once the numbness was gone, I glanced at the clock to see it was four in the morning before making my way out cautiously. I slowly headed down while looking around and when I didn't see anyone's presence, I got relaxed and went to the kitchen to grab some water.
While opening the refrigerator, my eyes fell upon the cake that I had made for him for which I never got a chance to feed him and congratulate him. I blinked back my tears and shut it immediately after taking out a water bottle and without giving it further glance.
After gulping some water, I started making my way to the guest room while adjusting my saree as I was still in yesterday's outfit.
"Vadhina?" I heard the surprised tone of her as I stood still in my place while showing my back to her. She suddenly hugged me from my back as she started speaking in a sobbing tone
"You are at home only? I really thought you left us as mom also hid that fact. She told us that you left the house because of Anna and I really believed her. Why are you not saying anything? Are you angry at me? I am really sorry, Vadhina. It's all because of me. If only I was a bit cautious, I wouldn't have landed myself in the trouble and you wouldn't have to go through all this trauma."
Being not able to stand her blaming herself, I turned around to hug her and to tell her that she was nowhere at fault but those words died down in my mouth itself when I saw him standing there at the entrance of the stairs. I gulped and retracted the hands that were about to hug her.
Taking a step back, I made a distance between us as she looked at me with confusion. Sensing someone's presence, she turned her head back to see her brother. He seemed so troubled over something and his wrinkled shirt and red-rimmed eyes implied how tired he was.
He seemed to be confirming that I was really here as soon relief took over his face. There wasn't much change in his expression but his eyes were conveying a lot which I chose to not read too much.
"Aadhya, go to your room." But she just stood there while shielding me.
"Please," seeing this, she softened her stance and left from there but not before throwing a warning look at her brother.
I took some steps back and turned around to go to the guest room as I saw him approaching me quickly but he was fast enough to grab my hand.
"Listen, she is the one who approached me, and believe me, I didn't even say a word to her. So don't let out another bunch of hurtful words. I can't take them anymore and I really thought to leave the house but Athayya stopped me from doing so. But don't worry, I will leave your house soon and will stay away from your family." I said in a blank tone while masking away the hurt and blinking away my tears.
Instead of answering anything, he just pulled me into a hug. I neither reciprocated his hug nor denied it. I just stood in front of him numbly when he tightened his hold on me and buried his face in my neck.
"I am sorry. I really thought that I have lost you. I am so sorry." He said as I felt the dampening sensation on my skin.
'Is he crying?' I thought but didn't let the concern show on my face.
"Okay. Leave me." I said while wriggling out of his hold but he held me in my place and cupped my cheeks as I hissed in pain when his hand touched my other cheek.
"What happened? God! Who did this to you? Can you at least tell me what exactly has happened?" He asked me while caressing my cheeks softly with the anger visible in his eyes.
"Are you asking me now? You should have asked this question in the hospital itself before accusing me. Then you didn't and now I don't want to. Even if you have the patience to listen to it, I don't have the strength left in me to recall that incident again."
"Moreover, what will you do even if I told you about it? You might just seek justice for your sister. That's it. You won't do anything that concerns me. You have your sister sound and safe right in front of your eyes only..right!. So stop bothering about this unwanted presence in your life. It's such a waste of your precious time."
I knew I might be sounding as so mean and the expression on his face proved me right but believe me when I said that I was really fed up with getting hurt again and again, that too by the people whom I had considered as my own.
"Aaru, I am really sorry. I was blinded by my anger and said all those hurtful things. Please, don't say those things. I really care for you but it's because I misjudged the whole situation, I hurt you again. Please, forgive me. I would do anything to gain your forgiveness." He said while looking so apologetic and sincerity in his tone as I just shook my head in denial.
"No, you don't have to. Now you know that there was no mistake of mine but what if you are not aware of it, would you still come and seek my forgiveness? No..right? Then what's the use of my so-called forgiveness. It doesn't change the equation between us. It doesn't change your opinion of me being a silly and immature girl.
" You knew everything about me. You knew how sensitive I am in the case of relationships but you, not considering anything, prove my worth in your life.
"Every relationship should be built on trust, whether it is love or friendship or marriage anything. If we don't have it, there is no point in living the facade. You are a beautiful phase of my life. So even after leaving this place, I will try to remember only the happy moments of us." I said while trying to leave but he again held me.
"Aaru, please give me a chance. I will prove myself to you. I can't live without you. I am truly sorry for everything. Trust me for once." He said in a pleading tone and seeing the desperation in his tone, my eyes teared up immediately but I warned myself to not soften up this time.
"Trust you? Dhruv, that was the only reason why I agreed to married you in the first place. I trusted you even before knowing anything about you. I trusted you even after you hurt me again and again but what's the use of it when you can't do the same? Do I have to live all my life like this? Like waiting for your love, getting hurt again and again, being feel like an unwanted presence. Do I really deserve all of these?"
"Trust me, I really wanted to trust you this time too but I am afraid. Afraid of taking a chance and giving us a chance because everytime when I realized how insecure I have become it's hurting too much that I can't even take a breath. So I am afraid of losing myself in all this entire ordeal." I said while he shook his head completely and held my hand with his.
"You know every time you hurt me, the only thing I wanted to ask you is, 'Dhruv, now l don't need anything, not even your love but can you please stop breaking my heart again and again?'
" I wanted to ask you this but I am too afraid of your response. I really don't want to live a life like this. So let's let each other go on our paths? We will only hurt each other if we stay in this relationship." I continued.
"You just have to bear my presence for few more days. Meanwhile, I will try to convince Athayya. So trust me at least this once when I tell you I would never appear in front of you after I step out of this house." Saying this, I released my hand from his hold as he just stood there numbly. Turning around, I left him with eyes of tears and a heart full of grievances.
'I am sorry, Dhruv, for being a coward.' I mumbled to myself.
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