Hey cheries, just a reminder. This books is a work of imagination and has nothing to with reality. I don't support abuse of any kind, neither domestic violence.
There are some mention of that in the last part of the chapter, so if it makes you uncomfortable, just skip it.
And do remember to vote and comment.
Till then happy reading❤
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Author's POV
" Shall we leave? " Abhimanyu asked his wife who was sitting beside him, looking at her brother sorting some codes on the laptop.
Seeing outside she realized it was already evening, " Hmm. Let me tell maasi. " Aastha was taking a nap in her room. She was almost 60 this year and who knows why, she just keeps getting tired easily.
" Okay. "
Aradhya got up and went to her maasi's room, while rajveer was scratching his head as he couldn't find the solution to the problem his sister had given him.
" Sort the loop first. " Abhimanyu said and as if realizing something rajveer looked at the computer and turned to him. " How did you know? "
" I just knew what she wanted to tell you. " Abhimanyu had noticed a pattern in the few things she taught him today.
" What? "
" Sometimes the simplest of things create the most obstacles. No matter how many time you adjusted it, unless you changed the loop the question would've been back to square one. "
" Oh, okay. " Rajveer corrected the loop and the result was out, similar to what abhimanyu had said.
' Sometimes the problem isn't something big, it's the small mistake you did and thought won't affect you much. '
Seeing the message on the screen, abhimanyu asked, " Does she always teaches you like this? "
"Hmm."
" And what if you don't solve it. "
" She'll give me a hint and the solution would reveal her message. " They remained silent for a while, rajveer closed his laptop, then abhi asked him, " How long have she been doing this? "
" 12 years. " Abhi had learned from aastha that rajveer came to them 15 years ago, that meant she has been teaching him since she was 14. But how could a 14 year old such things and have such complex thought process that she could teach a kid. What has she gone through. These were the things that were going through her mind.
" Jiju. " Rajveer called him calling him back from his own mind.
" Hmm. "
" Do you love her? " The question stunned him, he hadn't thought that rajveer will ask this. But as he had, abhi replied him honestly, " I do. "
A smile formed on rajveer's face and replied while grinning, " Good. Keep my di happy. She deserves it. "
Abhi wanted to ask something but they saw aastha and aradhya coming so he stopped. " You should stay the night. " Aastha said to him and aradhya replied for him, " Maasi I said before coming here, that we'll be back by evening. We're already late. "
Aastha stopped persuading her any further thinking it won't be good if aradhya's in-laws get angry with her over such matters.
" Okay okay but come again soon. Okay? " She said looking at abhimanyu, knowing aradhya wouldn't agree. And that's what happened, aradhya looked at her, " Maasi. " And abhi already agreed, " Of course maasi. "
Aradhya gave abhi a look as if asking what are you doing?
But he just said to maasi, " But before that you'll have to come to ours too. "
" Huh? " Aastha was shocked at his request.
" Yup, my mom would be so happy to meet you. "
" Really jiju? We can come to your house? " Rajveer was too excited at the thought of meeting the family his di was living with. He wanted to see if they treated her right.
" No excuses maasi. You just call me when you're ready and I'll come to get you. "
" It'll be too much of a bother. " Aastha said trying to deny but he was not having it, " It's not. Don't make me feel like a stranger. You'll come right. "
And before could say any further, rajveer chirped from the side, " Don't worry jiju, we'll come. "
" Good. " Abhi ruffled his hair while saying that, " Not you too jiju. "
" Huh, who else does that. "
" Of course di, she's jealous that my hair is better than her so she always messes it up. " Rajveer said while arranging his hair.
" I'm not jealous. " Aradhya said while messing his hair again.
" Di.... See that's what I was talking about. " He shouted and turned to abhimanyu, again trying to bring his to their previous condition. But all in vain with abhi's next ruffle, "
She's not jealous. "
" I'm not gonna set it again. Hmph. "
Abhi and aastha laughed while a smile formed on aradhya's face.
" Let's go. " She said and abhi nodded, " Hm. "
" Wait. " Aastha called from behind and went to abhi handing an envelope in his hand. " What's this maasi? "
" It's your shagun. You're here for the first time after your marriage. I can't let you leave empty handed. "
" But.. "
" Shh, take it. You'll deny your maasi? "
" I won't dare. " Aradhya was giving aastha the look that told her, you didn't have to do this. And aastha gave her one in return that said, I want to do this.
Kissing her forehead once she let them leave.
They got in the car and buckled their seatbelts.
" Here. " Abhimanyu said to her while handing her the envelope.
" Huh? "
" Keep it. " He said while stuffing it into her hand.
" It's yours. " She said while forwarding it to him and he looked into her eyes before saying, " And I'm yours. "
Turning his eyes to the road he said to her, " Keep it for me. I don't want to lose it. "
Aradhya kept the envelope in her purse without saying anything further. She wasn't ready for anymore flirting from him. She had enough for today.
" What do you think maasi? " Rajveer asked her as he saw their car leave. " You tell me. " She passed the question to him.
He looked out in the direction where the car went before saying, " She brought him here. That's a progress I will say. "
" Indeed it is. " Aastha nodded while remembering them both.
" So now? " He asked as if in mood for gossip.
" Now, you do your homework while I cook. Get it. " Aastha flicked her finger on his forehead as she said it. She turned around to go to the kitchen when he said, " I'm in college maasi I don't have homework. "
" But you have assignments, go and do them. " She replies without looking back.
" You're too boring maasi. " Rajveer pouted at her.
" You.. " She turned around and he ran away like a cat.
" I'm going. "
*
They reached Singhania Mansion by 7, abhimanyu handed the key to the valet to park the car before holding her hand and going in.
" You guys are back? " Devanshi asked seeing her children back.
" Yeah mom. You should go and freshen up. I'll be up soon. " He said the last two sentences to his wife who nodded before going up.
" What do you want to say mom? "
" I... Uh.. Actually it's just that it's been two weeks since you guys got married, she has to go for her paghphera too. " Aradhya hadn't gone to the Sinha house after marriage, and so the ritual was still pending. Abhimanyu understood her mother's worry, and told her, " We already did mom. "
" Huh? "
" We went to meet her maasi today. That's her home, we completed the ritual. " Devanshi had never heard of any sister of Vartika sinha, so she didn't know who this maasi was.
" Maasi? "
" Yeah, she lives in gurgaon with her younger brother. I invited her here, you'll like her. " Devanshi knew that there were relations more important than blood and she was happy that her daughter had someone with her.
" That's good then. Go and rest, be on time for dinner. "
" Yeah mom. " He replied before going to his room.
" You're happy. " Aradhya said seeing abhimanyu grinning from ear to ear.
" I am. " He replied while removing his watch.
" Did something happen? " She asked him. While he replied to her while looking in the mirror, " Yeah. My wife took me to visit her family today. "
" You must be the first person to be so happy over visiting your wife's family. Don't all husbands not like'em usually? " She mumbled softly but loud enough for him to hear her. He turned around and hugged her waist pulling her closer to him.
" Well I don't know about other but my wife is the best and the people she considers family can't be anything less. "
She looked into his eyes and saw something there, it made her say something she never thought she would, " I'm not a good person. " He was shocked at his words but smiled soon after, " I'm not one either. "
" You're not understanding. I.. " She started but he stopped her by placing a finger on her lips.
" Shh, I don't want to understand. I just know that I love you, no matter how you are, I do. You could kill a person before me and I would only love you more not less. Never less. "
" Why? " She breathed out the question against his fingers.
" Does it matter? " He asked her, " Does the reason really matter? " She stared straight at him, she knew if she asked he'll tell her. Tell her things she wasn't ready to hear, his eyes spoke volumes. They already gave her the answer and it didn't matter, " No. It does not. " No matter what the reason was, it doesn't matter, what matters is he is here, with her. She laid her head on his chest and he reveled in the feeling.
*
Weekend was gone in the blink of an eye, and everyone was back to work. The burden in office was increasing a bit so shlok had decided to cut his retirement short and join his sons in the office.
Aradhya spent her day, working in her room or talking to Devanshi or dadi. The days were peaceful to say the least.
While the Singhanias were living peacefully, the Sinha house was a mess, the compensation for the plagiarism was 78 lakhs, even after combining every year's revenue from the time it opened, it was still 50 percent less. Bhavana wasn't ready to fork out that much and dhairya was getting exhausted of her tantrums.
If it had been some other time, vartika would've reveled in bhavana's misfortune but she herself was in muddy waters, she didn't have the energy to care about someone else.
**( Mentions of abuse and violence ahead. Skip if it makes you uncomfortable.)
Archit was getting irritated by the mess at his home so he moved out with his wife. Ahaana had came to visit one day but she too didn't have anything she could do. So just after meeting her mother once she was out. No one knows what vartika said to her but she left in a really bad mood. It's not like it was something new, being the first child was the only privilege ahaan ever had and after her brothers were born, she was eventually forgotten. Fights and unreasonable scoldings weren't a big deal. At least she never got beaten up by her family, that was never the case for aradhya.
If anyone in the family was in a bad mood, there was one person who the dumped it on. Aradhya, she was their punching bag, verbal, physical mental, every kind of abuse was handled by the girl. It was only when she turned 18 and moved out that it stopped but they never stopped trying to manipulate her.
Well now they are receiving their retribution. Without anything to burn their frustations, ashutosh and dhairya had made it a habit to hit their wives. They were villains before too but they never raised their hands on their wives but now, it was their daily routine. Vartika had stopped protesting, while bhavana still shouts until she realizes her husband won't stop till she does.