Viraj did not realize that he was yet again staring at the empty walls in his room.
He had already stopped counting the days that he was staying in his farmhouse, with Avantika too, under the same roof, in another room.
It had initially came as a shocker that she decided to follow him, but he did not know what to think of their future. The entire revelation about his cousin and Avantika's brother had turned the world upside down for both Shekhawat and Jaiswal family.
Viraj absentmindedly blinked and ignored the ringing phone once again.
He had already sent a message to his mother in Jaiswal mansion that he would be staying at his farmhouse and needs to be left alone. The Jaiswal family respected his wishes for initial days, but his mother was constantly trying to reach him since last two days. He had swiped the call to reject it, yet again.
Frustrated, he switched off the device and pulled his knees closer and hid his face in it.
He had not once eaten in back garden since he came back.
The maids had decorated the concrete table with candle stands and exquisite menus, in hope to see the handsome Prince step down the elegant stairs and eat in peace under the open starry sky, but their efforts were lost when he refused to come down and ordered to stop doing it unless told.
He had no heart to face Avantika, who was equally troubled and was closed off in her room.
No one expected Meera to show up unannounced in the Jaiswal Mansion.
She had barged into her parents room and broke down in the arms of her mother. Her emotional turmoil was concluded to be for obvious reasons and no one thought that the girl was going through her own set of griefs.
It was after two days that her mother decided to talk to her and address the issue at hand.
Meera looked up at the door when it opened without a knock and her mother entered with a glass of milk. Her heart broke at the condition of her once pretty daughter. Meera had lost the glint in her eyes and her complexion had turned pale. There were visible dark circles around her eyes and she did not bother that her stole was slipping from her shoulders. There was no hint of makeup and jewelry on her, apart from a small binding on her forehead.
"Meera!" Her mother stroked her untamed hair and Meera broke down in another set of tears, hugging her mother's waist and hiding her face in her midriff.
"Shhh... It's okay, Meera. Calm down. Everything is going to be fine. Just give some time to let the things settle." Her mother said soothing words stroking her hair.
Meera pulled back and wiped her tears and nodded lightly. Her mother sat beside her and thought about the things that she wanted to talk about.
"How come you are here? You should be with Shekhawat family now that they are going through so much." Her mother softly whispered.
Meera looked at her with pained eyes and shook her head slightly. A hope bloomed on her heart and she thought that her parents could help her.
"Maa... You need to talk to Karan." Meera said with tearful eyes.
"Talk about what?" Her mother furrowed her eyebrows.
Meera wiped her nose and gulped hard.
"I am pregnant."
Her mother slightly widened her eyes and a slight smile bloomed on her face.
"Then you should tell this to him yourself."
Meera sniffed.
"He knows. And... He wants me to abort the baby."
Her mother froze.
"What?"
"Yes, Maa. Talk to him. I want this baby. I will not abort it. Please talk to him. He says he needs time and can't think of a baby at the moment. But I know... Things will fall in place. Please, Maa. Talk to him."
Meera held her mother's hand while she pleaded within her tears. He mother was too shocked to her the reason of Meera's disturbance.
Thick silence enveloped them both and Meera waited in anticipation for her mother's help.
"Did you come here on your own, or he sent you?" Her mother's question made her breath hitch and Meera lowered her gaze. She could recall her rude conversation with Karan, which pushed him to sent her to her parents house. But she could not find the courage to confess the same.
"He told me to come back only after abortion." That was not the complete lie.
Her mother gulped and averted her eyes. She then patted Meera's head and got up to go.
"Maa?" Meera asked startled that her mother showed no support.
"I think, it is better to follow whatever your husband has to say, Meera."
"What are you saying?" Meera could not believe that her mother decided to turn away from her.
Her mother nodded and looked at her. Her gaze softened as she looked at her pained daughter. She gently cupped Meera face in her hands and kissed her forehead.
"I understand that it will hurt.. Not only physically, but emotionally too... But, Meera, the Shekhawat family is going through a lot lately. We do not want to add on to their burdens. Karan is really a good man. If he is not ready for this responsibility, maybe you should be a little understanding and give him some time. Think of him too, for once." with that, she left the room, leaving her daughter who broke down in fresh tears.
Her mother tried calling Viraj once again and the call was not connected. She looked out of the window and saw a car speeding away from the gates of the mansion.
A knock was heard and Viraj looked up at the door to see a maid expecting an acknowledgement.
"Princess Meera is here and wishes to see you." The maid whispered with bowed head.
Viraj sighed in frustration and nodded.
He did not expect his sister to show up in the faraway farmhouse. He did not know that she was already staying in Jaiswal mansion and was waiting for him to show up. He splashed his face with cold water and wiped it with a clean towel, before taking his fingers in his luxurious hair. He gingerly placed his hand on the railings of the grand staircase, as he descended the steps.
Meera was pulled in a warm hug and she broke down again in his arms. Even Viraj could not stop the weird sensation that broke his heart in million pieces.
Avantika heard the news of Meera's arrival and decided to step out to greet her. She halted at the top stair, upon seeing Viraj already there to receive his sister. She decided to give the siblings privacy and was about to leave, but what she heard shook her to the core.
Meera narrated the entire incident with Karan in her own version and asked Viraj to talk some sense to him.
Like his mother, Viraj too was taken aback. Like his mother, he too contemplated and advised Meera to respect Karan's wishes. He too was of opinion that Shekhawat family needed time to recover from the shock. It was inhumane to force Karan with another responsibility, when he clearly was not ready for it.
But Meera was not in a mood to listen to any explanation.
What she said next snatched away the floor beneath Avantika's feet.
"You have Avantika. Ask him to let me keep the baby and you will treat his sister just fine."
Avantika gasped lowly.
"Enough, Meera." Viraj roared.
Avantika was startled by his tone and clutched a handful of fabric of her kurta in fear.
"My wife is done playing bait for you. You and I both know what kind of man Karan is. He would not hurt anyone intentionally. Stop dragging my wife just to make other to dance to your tunes. This matter is purely decisive between a husband and a wife. Go sort it out yourself. I can't find a way to help you here."
Meera was taken aback and a lone tear escaped her eyes. She did not wait for anymore humiliation and turned to leave.
Viraj's heaved a deep breath and turned around to go back to his room, when he noticed his shocked wife standing at the top stair.
She had an unreadable expression on her face. But it was evident that she heard everything.
She abruptly turned around and closed the door of her room with a small thud.
Life was more complicated that one could think of.
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Another chapter up.
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