The blue sky was dotted with white clouds. The weather was calm and delightful contrast to the gloomy mood of Rudra.
Rudra came out of his car and looked up at the old Pratap mansion. His home that held so many memories.The magnificent and glorious Triumvirate estate could never replace the place of this old house in Rudra's heart.
As soon as Rudra entered in the main hall he could feel the atmosphere was full of tension.
The warm smile was missing from his mother's face. As she saw him entering the hall she walked towards him and asked anxiously, "Rudra, Is everything okay? Your dad was so angry. Did something happen?"
She asked him worriedly.
Cupping her cheeks he placed a small kiss on her forehead and said, "Do not worry maa. Everything is fine," he tried to calm her.
"Go. He is in study," she said. She knew she is not getting any answers from him.
Coming out of the main hall he walked toward the study room. The once calm and peaceful atmosphere of his old home was now giving a dull and sorrowful vibes which only increased his gloominess.
His mind told him, "Dad knows."
Those two words made him halt on his steps. Does his father really knows about them and Aadya?
It was the last thing Rudra wants. It should him who would tell his family about them and Aadya. Their family should not get this news from the third person. Especially Rudra's father. The old man still like to live by the old values and norms.
Rudra's family is one of the most influential and respectable political families of the country. They have a great history of virtue, victory and sacrifices. His father takes a great pride of their families history and greatness.
The values and principles are most superior for his father. But now his own son, his successor is breaking the norms of society. The rules setup by their forefathers.
Rudra Pratap Singh sharing his woman. His wife!
It will create chaos in the society. People will raise a finger on their family. And it's not acceptable to his father.
The hell will break loose.
Udayveer Pratap was busy reading the holy granth (book) Bhagavad Geeta, sitting behind the desk.
"Sit," he said without taking his gaze away from the pages.
Rudra followed his command and sat on a chair.
The room was filled with silence, only the clicking sound of the wooden clock can be heard. One could cut the tension in the room with a knife.
"Dad," Rudra called after an hour waiting for him.
Raising his eyes from the pages of the holy book. His father looked at him for a minute or two. His eyes devoid of any emotions. Rudra could see the glimpse of fury hidden in his dark orbs. His father was burning in rage.
Yes he knew. He knew about them and Aadya. And he certainly did not liked what his son is doing.
It's too late Dad. I have made my decision... Rudra was adamant. He will not loose his chance of spending his life with Aadya only because of family pressure or anything else.
His father glanced away and placing the book on the table he said.
"Bring it here," his father ordered. Gesturing to the wooden stick placed on the corner of the room.
Rudra knew what is coming next. It's punishment time.
When Rudra was child his father would use this wooden stick to punish him. He was one stubborn kid. The woody stick would leave so many blue and red marks on his palms.
Now after almost twelve years he is again going to receive the same punishment from his father.
And without uttering a single word of denial, Rudra brought the wooden stick to his father.
"Kneel down," came the authoritative voice of his father.
Without an ounce of hesitation. Rudra fell on his knees ready to take a punishment from his father.
That's what you got for breaking the rules of society!
Getting up from his chair his father put up the stick and asked calmly.
"Say. What did you do."
Still in a kneeling position and his eyes focused on the floor. Rudra said, "Dad. I do not understand."
"Oh! You do not understand. Let me ask you clearly, Are you going to share your woman," his father roared. The red fuming anger was now clearly visible in his eyes.
"Tell me who is Aadya? Is she your and your friend's whores? Give me an honest answer," he sneered.
Rudra's ears twitched and his jaw clenched hearing the words coming from his father's mouth for Aadya. Looking directly at his father's eyes he said, "She is our lover."
His father's eyes widened hearing his words. His assumption was right. His son is putting the reputation and name of his family in stake and doing this heinous crime.
Clutching Rudra's hairs in a tight grip he gritted out, "Have you lost your mind. You imbecile fool !!"
He stared at Rudra's eyes for a long time trying to detect a lie lying underneath his orbs. But all he got was sincerity and love.
Love for that girl. The same love he will find in the eyes of other two men. It's irrational !
That girl must be some witch. Spelling witchcraft on his son. Yes she is a witch and he will not let his son marry a woman like her.
"She is going to be our wife," Rudra again whispered, adding fuel to the fire.
He saw different emotions swirling in his father's eyes. Anger, confusion, shame and the most prominent was disgust.
His father was disgusted by him. And why not after all he is bringing shame to his family.
"You have the audacity to say so," and with that a first hit of a wooden stick came on Rudra's body followed by another after another.
Rudra's mother came in the room and within a second she was drenched in sweat and her body was shaking in nervousness seeing how brutally her husband was beating her son.
"What are you doing? He is not a kid anymore. Stop hitting him. Sit down and talk calmly," she said.
"Don't you dare to stop me. Do you have any idea what your son is planning to do? He is planning to share a wife! It's a sin. A big sin. He deserves this punishment.
He is crossing the boundaries set by society. If I did not kill him today he will only bring shame to our family tomorrow."
His father was not able to control his anger and it infuriated him more seeing how adament Rudra was.
His son will gladly accept the punishment but will not change his decision.The quality of him he was once proud of but not anymore.
She looked at Rudra who was taking every strike without any reluctance.
No it can't be true. It must be some misunderstanding. Yes it's just a misunderstanding. Her son could never do something like that.
"Please don't hit him. Please try to talk first, maybe everything is just a misunderstanding,"she insisted her husband as softly as she could.
Maybe he will hear the pain and stop hitting Rudra ruthlessly.
"Rudra please get up and go from here. I can't see you like this. He is hitting you but it's hurting me. Seeing your bleeding skin, my heart is bleeding," she begged her son crying as another strike came on his skin.
Rudra did not even hissed in pain receiving the strikes of the stick and at last the staff broken into two pieces on his back.
"Rukmani,Go fetch the stool and the whip" her husband ordered throwing away the broken stick.
"No. It's enough punishment for him," she said helplessly.
"Go and fetch it. Do as I say."
"No... No please. You can hit me but please do not hit my son anymore. His skin is torned," she sobbed begging him.
"Maa, please fetch the whip and stool," said Rudra in a monotonous tone.
A frown appeared on her forehead hearing his words as she said, "No, I will not," she was one stubborn woman.
"Please," Rudra said innocently with warmness in his eyes like the way he used to ask her his favorite sweets when he was a kid.
"Maa, one more laddu pleeease," he would always ask her for one more laddu after their morning prayer. She would give him a stern look everytime, too much sweet is not good for a six year old.
He always use to get a big no from his mother. But the big brown puppy eyes and pouty lips would do their magic and Rudra was always rewarded by one extra laddu. Sometimes two.
His brown eyes reminded her of little Rudra and now seeing the blood appearing on his light blue shirt was making her heart bleed.
She has never felt this helpless before.
"Maa, I want this. Please go and fetch the whip and stool," Rudra's voice was as strong as the rock.
Closing her eyes tightly she ignored them. She could not do this. How can a mother fetch the whips that will only tear the skin of her child. The skin and blood she had flood through her own blood.
Rudra's father ordered a servant to bring a whip and stool seeing how adamant his wife was being.
For a minute or two the study room was engulfed by silence. Only the small sobs from Rudra's mother can be heard.
As the stool was placed in middle of the room by a servant. Rudra's father was ready to shower brutal strikes again on his own son.
A person who brings humiliation and shame to family deserves a much more harsh punishment. He is doing very little.
Rudra took off his shirt and passed it to his mother and said, "How can you say, hit me instead of him. It's my punishment, let me take it," he said cupping her cheeks.
"And if someone even try to hurt you in anyway just because of a mere anger. I will kill them mercilessly.You know that right?" he said kissing her forehead.
Sitting on the stool shirtless, Rudra said, "Please, hit me father."
His father trembled in anger and shouted, "You will see hell today."
You have become so shameless Rudra. After getting beaten mercilessly, you are still stubborn.
"It is against the law to have this kind of relationship," he shouted and the sound of whiplash echoed in the room.
His mother's cries stopped, her eyes widened. She was frightened seeing the strikes tearing the skin of his back.
"You know who told me about your wild adventure. It was Lavanya Rajawat. You know how disgusted she sounded. We never accepted this from you three. I never cared about your affairs before, I turned blind to whatever you did behind our backs.But this is beyond imagination. And you three are taking this to the next level. Marriage! Making mockery of our family's name in society. Have you ever thought about your sister once? Who will marry her seeing what a shameless person her brother is. What do you think? You can do whatever you want."
The sound of whiplash can be heard as well as the sound of it cutting into Rudra's skin.
The flesh of his back tore open, the swollen flesh was bleeding more intensely.
A hundred scars on his brown skin like a lakhs of scars on his mother's heart. She felt lightheaded, a second away from fainting.
Whipping came one after another.. First... second... third....fourth.... Fifth... countless.
"How many times have I whipped you? "asked his father
"Too many times," came a reply from Priya. Who was shaking in terror seeing the sight in front of her.
Tears were flowing from her hazel eyes seeing the blood oozing out from her brother's back.
The men glanced at the youngest member of the family. Seeing the tears brimming in her big hazel eyes broke the cold heart of both the men.
For a second the old man wondered, should I stop. More than punishing the culprit I am punishing the innocents. My daughter and wife don't deserve this.
But the anger in him again reappeared seeing the determination in Rudra's eyes.
No he deserves this. This immoral man is spoiling his family's name.
He again striked the whip on his own son's skin.
"Rudra, please tell him to stop," his mother begged.
"It's my punishment Maa. Let him strike me, it's my fault," every words coming from Rudra's mouth make his father believe how shameless his son is.
"Yes it is your fault. You are lawless you deserve this beating."
And again came a strike on his skin. The whip was covered in Rudra's blood. But the man who was taking this strikes was sitting on a stool like a wooden man. Without a emotion, without a pain. Aloof.
His father again raised the bloodied whip in the air, but suddenly he slipped and fell back on the floor with his hand on his heart.
His breathing was irregular, he was finding it difficult to breathe. Rudra's mother ran to him and placed his head on her lap and cried hysterically seeing the condition of her husband.
Rudra got up and knelt beside his father, "Dad" he called anxiously. His sister was sobbing seeing the condition of her father.
"Priya, Go get the medicine," Rudra shouted to Priya. She nodded and ran out to get the medicine from her parent's room.
His father was an old man, the anger was not good for his health.
Snatching the medicine from Priya, he gave the medicine to his father. His father was drenched with sweat. He was it finding hard to breath.
Rudra waited as his father took the medicines, after some time his father's pain gradually eased and he closed his eyes getting some relief.
Taking a few deep breaths he opened his eyes and looked at his son. Rudra's face was etched with tension and worry, not because of the pain of his wounds but for his father's pain. The father who was hurting him brutally few minutes ago.
After some time he closed his eyes and his head still on his wife's lap he whispered,"Get out, and never come back here again. The doors of this house are closed for you. I have no control over your body, I have no control over your heart. Do whatever you want to do. Till now I was proud to call you my son but from now I would be ashamed to say that you are my son. I know you will not listen to me. But I want to tell you one thing, you are saying you love that woman. But love is not enough. Especially the love that will smear your respect."
Rudra came out of his old house. He has to attend an important meeting today. The meeting for the Maldivian Island. After Abhimanyu's arrest it was easy for them to make that property theirs.
Now they have to seal this deal and start their dream project. They knew Abhimanyu will try his best to get the island back on his name once he came out of the prison and that day is not too far.
Ugh... Never thought of helping that fucker Abhimanyu in my life. Aadya you are really making me do the things I hated the most.
"Rudra," shouted Priya making him halt on his steps. He looked back at his sister and frowned. Why is she here she should be with dad.
"Brother" she sobbed and hugged Rudra tightly.
Running his hands through her hairs he whispered sweet nothing to her.
"You are hurt," she said sobbing.
"Hey, Look at me princess. I am standing on my feet. I am perfectly fine, I am not hurt. So why waste your precious tears for nothing," he cooed.
Rudra wiped her tears and placed a kiss on her chubby cheeks.
"Come hear," he again engulfed her in his arms.
Priya was horrified seeing how his shirt was drenched in his blood. She gasped seeing his blood smeared on her palms.
Today their father has loss his control over his rage.
"Come, let me treat your wounds," she said.
"No, you go inside and take care of dad. He needs you the most," he said.
"I will go after treating your wounds. I know how ignorant you are," she persisted.
"Such a stubborn brat," he mumbled.
She take out the cotton from the first aid box and tenderly wiped the dry blood of his back. She was treating the wounds as slowly as she could, not wanting to hurt her brother even more.
"Is she really that special?" she whispered.
She has seen Aadya's pictures in one of the magazines. She couldn't deny that Aadya is beautiful. But was she really so special that her brother was ready to take the whipping from their father but not quitting on her?
"Yes."
She sighed seeing his affection for Aadya. The man is gone.
"Hey, You have my support. Do what makes you happy. Don't think about anyone else. Just follow your heart, I will be there for you always," she said and kissed his shoulder.
"You too. Do whatever you want. I will be there for you always," he said lovingly.
"Okay.. So can I dye my hair pink now?," she asked innocently trying to make the situation light.
"No," he said in a second making her huff.
"Do you think Dad will ever speak to you?" she asked.
"No."
"I can't believe Dad told you to never come back here. It's your home. You are his child, how could he say that!?"
"He has the right to do so. Never question his decisions Priya."
She rolled her eyes at his words but none the less nodded.
"Can't you do this little faster. I have a meeting to attend," he said irritably. She is treating his wounds at a snail's pace.
"No, I can't. And fuck that meeting."
Oops! She cursed.
"What did you said?"
"Nothing."
"You cursed little lady."
"No I did not."
"Yes you did."
"Umm... I said, let me decide how special your Aadya is," she said cheekily.
"Of course you said that."
"Yes I did," she smiled.
The gloominess that he was feeling since the beginning of the day vanished seeing her smile.
He was happy at least his little sister was supporting his choice.
....
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