“You aren’t dead?”
Her tone was piercing, her gaze was obstinate. Her body was surging with anger; she didn’t know she would ever feel.
“Ishani, I didn’t know Aryan’s mother was visiting us-
“I am talking to you.” Ishani roars, pointing her finger stridently at the person in front of her, making everyone startled. Yet there was no response in return, her father didn’t even raise his eyes to meet hers, not once since he came. She was about to speak again but stopped when she found her mother moving.
Anupriya takes measured steps towards her husband and observes him squirm in his place while his chest was heaving with jagged breaths, as if he was aware of her advancing. She stands before him, her hands longing to cuddle him close, but her mind is blank with everything happening around her.
She raises her right hand, slowly caressing his cheek and then lifts his head up, making him look at her. His eyes closed immediately, as he felt that familiar touch, making his heart quiver. He could sense her pointed gaze on him, but he was afraid to even meet her eyes. Her hand slowly slumped down and perched on his chest
But the urge to glance into her eyes, made him open his own. As soon as his suntanned brown eyes met with her black ones, the ambiance around them ostensibly froze.
He looks into her eyes, trying to find the hatred and disgust she was supposed to have for him, for breaking her heart into shreds, for making her suffer for years, for betraying her and for destroying their lives. Yet, he couldn’t find anything he thought would, all he could find was the crystal tears brimming in her eyes which held love, pain and agony. He found his own heart, fighting with him to wipe those tears away.
It was as if her eyes were screaming their agony while his heart was trying to console her.
‘I love to look into your eyes. They reflect my happiness.’ Her cheeks saturated up with tears, as she remembers his once said words.
‘You heart beat comforts me, Pratap. It just flutters my heart with its rhythm.’ He too remembers her once said words.
It’s tragic, when you recall those conversations with someone, who no longer belongs to you. As if, the person leaves, leaving behind their memories to live the life.
“Maa, you know about him too?” Sanjana asks hesitantly, upon seeing her react unperturbed.
Annupriya retreats back, wiping her tears away, and looks at Vansh, who had tears in his eyes.
“I know.” Anupriya admits. “I came across his belongings the other day. That’s when I got to-
“And that’s why you had this panic attack.” Sanjana completes her, her gaze immediately moving towards the person behind Anupriya.
Indrani just stood in her place, trying to not break into tears. She knew her son was alive, maybe it was her motherly instinct, but looking at him after these many years brought many emotions alive in her. She couldn’t look at him, who was being scanned with detestable glares from his own kids.
No one deserved this, to be hated by one’s own kids.
Ishani swallows hard, before taking a step towards Vansh.
“Bhai, you knew about him?” The question was crystal clear, yet Vansh was hesitant in answering.
“He knows and so does me.” Sampath informs Frankly, making Ishani look at him. She nods knowingly before wiping her face with her palms in resentment.
“So you people chose to hide it from us.” Ishani accuses them. “You chose to hide him from everyone. You chose to hide him, when we were suffering from dearth. You chose to hide him, when we were ridiculed by everyone. You chose to hide him, when we were called orphans. You chose to hide him, when we have achieved our accolades. You chose to hide him, even when I was getting married. Why did you do this, Bhaiya?”
Her expressions were sharp and accusing. She wasn’t the ones to cry openly about someone’s betrayal; yet it took all the strength in her to not display any emotions in front of everyone, especially when she came across the biggest perfidy of her life, her father’s existence.
Nobody could answer her; they just couldn’t, knowing that she was really traumatized after knowing the truth.
“Ishani, for now it is really important to know everything that has happened. I know you are angry-
“Bhabhi.”Ishani interrupts her. “Angry? No, I am not. You know what; I am really not feeling anything right now. I am just feeling bleak realizing that my whole existence was a lie.”
Ridhima presses her lips together, not knowing how to react.
Siya walks into the hall, listening to the voices coming out. When she finally looked at the odd person standing, she froze. Her eyes widened at the sight of her father, who was dead in veracity.
Ishani walks towards Anupriya, holding her hand.
“Never did I feel this vulnerable, Maa. Never. Not when I had first cried myself to sleep, feeling hungry and alone. Not when I had to just feed water to three-year old Siya, who was feeling hungry. Not when I had to stitch my tattered clothes myself. Not when I had to stay awake all night to take care of Sanjana, who was ailing with fever. Not when I had to lie to Sampath Bhai about my stomach ache that, it was because of the food I ate and not because of my period cramps. Not when I took care of Sanjana, when she had her first interlude. But right now, recalling all those reminiscences and the fact that my parents were alive and still were dead to hear our plies just broke my heart, Maa. Did we deserve this, Maa?” Her eyes brimmed with tears, as she spoke. She just didn’t know how to take her pain out. Did they deserve this?
Sampath couldn’t help the tears declining from his eyes, listening to the reality of their childhood. Nobody deserves the pain they had gone through. He then swings his gaze towards Vansh, who was in tears as well while Ridhima holds his hand to console him.
Anupriya stood still in her place listening to her daughter’s cry; the mother in her died a painful death. How can she abide the pain her children went through? How can she just ignore how her absence made them suffer?
Anupriya just cries silently, she never felt this despondent that she was feeling right now. She could just blame herself for everything.
Ishani waggles her head, wiping the tears away from Aupriya. She just couldn’t see her mother cry.
“Don’t cry, Maa. Nobody deserves your tears and whoever deserves them will not make you cry.” She stops, shifting her gaze to the person behind her mother, who was lamenting to himself.
Ridhima takes a deep breath, slightly expecting what Ishani would do up then. She nudges Vansh, who was absorbed on Ishani’s rejoinder.
“Vansh, you need to control her before she loses her sanity. In anger, she could hurt anyone with her words.”
“What should I say, Ridhima?” Vansh snaps at her, frustrated. “This is all bound to happen. If not today, then tomorrow but it is categorically foreseeable. Let her just drain her heart’s emotion.” His gaze shifts back to Ishani, who was striding towards her father.
“This man here is the nobody I am talking about.” Ishani’s voice raises, making Anupriya twirl back and look at Pratap, who looks back at Ishani in anguish.
“Ishani.” Vansh calls her, trying to impede her.
“Not today Bhai, this man here needs to know.”Ishani looks back at her father. “Until yesterday, my father was my hero, my inspiration to live life majestically. Whenever I read about him in the past articles and files of our company, it made me feel proud of my existence. But the reality is, he isn’t what he is told about. This man is the vilest person I have ever seen.”
Vansh gasps at her words, his gaze moves to his father who just stood conked out.
Ishani leaps forward, holding her father by his collar, catching him off guard. “This man is responsible for everything, for every tear and every cry. He hid behind the shadows and watched how his children suffered. He isn’t the father whom I have venerated; he isn’t the hero I thought him to be. He is a pathetic person with no emotions. He is a living corpse-
“Ishani.” Vansh pulls her away from his father. He turned towards Pratap, who was breathing heavily, her every word was haunting him. Anupriya looks at him petrified; Sampath rushes towards before asking Ridhima to bring some water.
“This man isn’t worthy of any care and affection. He is a hermit, he never cared for us. He just left us without even thinking about our throbbing. He is not my father. He is just an outsider.” Ishani yells, her anger rising with each second.
“Di, stop it. Please control yourself. You aren’t talking sense.”Sanjana holds Ishani back, trying to stop her from launching herself back at her father.
“Don’t stop me, not today.” Ishani bellows, before shoving Sanjana away.
“You aren’t thinking articulate right now. Please calm down and assume suitably.” Sanjana suggests, seeing her sister’s retort.
“Calm down? You want me to calm down, Sanjana? Even after finding out that my ostensible father faked his death, making his children orphans and after two decades he comes back and stands in front of us?” Ishani snarls, her voice devoid of any emotion.
“And yelling is not the right way to question. We should calm down and know the reasons behind everything.” Sanjana speaks softly, trying to calm her down.
Vansh makes his father sit on the futon, while kneeling down in front of him. Ridhima comes back with the glass of water and passes it to Sampath, who makes Pratap gulp the water.
Vansh feels anxious; this wasn’t how he thought things would turn into, Ishani being this livid and getting mad with her father to such an extent that she held him by his collar.
Vansh stands on his feet and turns back, slightly taken aback by how things have turned between Ishani and Sanjana.
“I can’t calm down and just accept him back. No amount of elucidation will make me accept him as my father. He is dead for me.” Ishani states ferociously.
“What has gotten into you? Why are you becoming this angry?” Ridhima asks her apprehensively, her reaction is totally abysmal.
“I am not reacting irrational. No child in this world can accept their parents back when they left them alone and were acknowledged dead. This isn’t a movie for god’s sake.”Ishani retorts, she wasn’t feeling anything wrong at that moment.
“Then what about Maa? When you could accept her back and respect her with love, why can’t you accept him back?” Sanjana affirms, while pointing towards Pratap.
Ishani looked bemused, she couldn’t answer her question.
Why couldn’t she accept him back?
“What? Cat caught your tongue? Shall I answer this? The reason behind your anger is because of your mother-in-law, you are petrified due to her words. You are afraid that she wouldn’t accept you after knowing about his truth. If-
“Sanjana” Sampath warns her.
“This is the truth Bhai. She is angry because she is afraid to lose her Aryan.”
“Really Sanjana, you are telling this. Did you already forget what all we have lost and suffered in our childhood? The struggles we had to lead our life. How we were deprived of our parent’s love and affection?”Ishani scoffs; she was really taken aback with her accusations.
“If we have really craved for their love and affection, then the first thing you would do when you got to see him was to hug him. Like you did with Maa.” Sanjana retorts, making her gasp.
“Why are you talking like this? What are you accusing me of doing?” Ishani snivels out, feeling distressing at her sister’s wrath.
“Yes you did. The moment you held him by his lapel, you made a big mistake.” Sanjana answers.
“Ohh! So this is all because of him then. The person who left us years back had become much more important than the sister you stood by.”
“Di, you are taking it wrong. I was just-
“Just showing me my worth in your life.” Ishani argues, making her bewildered.
“Di, I was just telling you to calm down. He is our father.”Sanjana whispers softly.
Ishani lets out a blank chuckle, that which holds no emotion. Her eyes turn perilously cold.
“So this anger was because of him. You love him, don’t you?”Ishani asks plausibly, her eyes switching between her father and sister. Everyone around them stood rooted to their places, not knowing how to react.
“Yes I adore him.” The reply was crystal clear.
“Why won’t you? After all, he had adopted you right.” Ishani indicates, making Sanjana stagger. “You love him because, after your parents died and you were alone, he was the one who adopted you and sheltered you. You respect him because he pitied you.”
Sanjana chokes on air; Ishan’s bitter allegation pierces her heart into shreds. She felt lost at words and just stood numb.
“Di, I was just- I didn’t mean to- I.” Sanjana falters as a warm stream of tears drifts down her cheeks.
“Di, how can you say this? She isn’t an outcast to be treated this way.” Siya butts in, extremely thwarted at Isha’s disclosure.
“Yes she is, she is just a stranger. The way she had chosen to side with him and his actions, she proved she wasn’t our own. She is no one to me, she is not my sister but a stranger-
“Ishani.” Vansh yells at her, raising his hand as if trying to strike her. Ishani closes her eyes in panic, taking a few steps back.
“Vansh.” Ridhima stands in front of him, holding his raised arm and pulling it down.
“How dare you? How dare you say that? You..” Vansh tries to launch at her, for the way she had just treated Sanjana. Ridhima gasps in alarm before pushing him back from Ishani, who was petrified.
“Vansh, what the hell do you think you are doing?” Sampath warns him, before reaching out to Ishani who holds him in fear.
“And what the hell was she doing?” Vansh roars, his nostrils flared in anger. “How dare she talk with Sanjana like that? There is a limit for anything.”
“And you thought to hit her, Vansh? Really?” Sampath spits back, frustrated at his reaction.
“Vansh.” Pratap stands on his feet, taken aback from his rage. “She is your sister and your behavior isn’t upright.”
“Bhai.” Sanjana finally calls for Sampath, who shifts his gaze towards her. His heart ached at how she was crying silently, her face turned pale.
“Sanjana.” Vansh rushes to her but she raises his palm, stopping him.
“Sampath Bhai.” Sanjana looks squarely at Sampath, making Vansh’s heart clench.
“Please take me out from here. I am feeling suffocated” Her voice wavered. She was feeling vulnerable to stay in the same place.
Vansh stood rooted, finding how broken her sister was. He couldn’t do anything. He knew, Sanjana needed some space to outline the feelings.
Ishani moves back from Sampath, her heart swelled at how forlorn Sanjana looked. Her eyes brimmed with tears, she was feeling guilty with how her words stabbed her.
“Bhai.” She turns towards Sampath, who then looks back at her. “I didn’t mean to….I was just angry-
“Bhai please.” Sanjana pleads Sampath.
Sampath tears his gaze from Ishani and saunters towards Sanjana. He wraps his arms around her gently while she leans towards him in placate, he then strolls her out of the place.
“Bhai.” He turns towards Siya, who was weeping by then. “Take care of my sister. I love you both.” Her assurance made his heart warm, this was needed.
He turns to Vansh. “Take care.” He pats on his shoulder.
Vansh looks at his sister, who refuses to look back at him. He chuckled sadly, knowing he can’t do anything to stop her from going. He takes a deep breath, before turning back and striding towards his room, without casting his gaze towards anyone.
Ishani just looks at them in tears; she fists her palms in pain. How could she say those words? She can’t deny how much she loves her sister, yet she broke her.
‘I know di, your anger for me can never be analogous to the love you have for me.’
Sanjana’s words were ringing in her mind, as her heart was asking her to stop her sister, but she stood still.
Her heart skipped a beat when she found Sanjana stopped for a second.
Sanjana turns back, her gaze solely focused on Ridhima. “Bhabhi, if you don’t mind can you pack my bag with some clothes.” Ridhima frowns at her for her decision to leave the house but nevertheless she nods her head knowing that her resolution was realistic.
“Bhai, please bring the bag with you.” Saying so, she turns on her heels and scurries out of the place. She couldn’t help the tears drifting down her cheeks.
She felt so many emotions dwelling in her heart that she desired to run away from them. For she felt, running away was the only way to stop herself from hating the reason behind her melancholy.
“Bhai, please don’t go.” Ishani requests Sampath, who stares at her blankly.
“You broke her heart, Ishani.” Sampath’s voice held disappointment.
“I know Bhai, I wasn’t doing it intentionally. I can never think of hurting her.” Ishani refrained herself from breaking down.
“Ishani, no need to validate yourself in front of Bhai. You have hurt Sanjana and she deserves your explanation.” Ridhima explains.
“I just want you to know something. After what you have done today, there will never be a day when you both can smile at each other heartily. She can never be the same Sanjana you have known. She will always have her guard up, whenever she talks with you knowing that you can hurt her again in the same way. Maybe she can never talk her heart’s content with you. You have lost something precious, Ishani, your bond with your sister.” Ridhima grumbles softly. Ishani just stood there, her mind accepting everything that Ridhima said and unfortunately, that was the truth.
She can never have her Sanjana back.
She doesn’t say anything and turns to go back to her room, to cry her heart out. Her stare falls on her father who was looking at her in empathy.
“Don’t.” She snaps. “Don’t look at me in sympathy. I just messed up everything. I don’t want your fake compassion. I will never forget what you did to me. You once again destroyed this family. You will never be my father.”
She walks out of the hall leaving behind her father, who just warped down into ashes.
Why didn’t he just die? He wouldn’t have to witness this day.
****
Ridhima walks back to her room, finding Vansh sitting on the threshold of bed with his face buried in his palm.
She bites her lip in expectation before taking slow steps towards him.
“Vansh” Ridhima gasps when she finds him weeping.
“Don’t cry.” She exhales in distress. She just couldn’t bear looking at him crying. Vansh pulls her towards him before wrapping his arms around her and burying his face in her abdomen. She heaves softly before running her fingers in his mane, soothing him.
“My sister is broken; she refused to look at me. I can’t bear this, Ridhima. She hates me, she hates us.”He moves back to look at her, his lower lip trembles as he speaks.
“No, Vansh. Sanjana can never hate you. She is just miserable, she needs time to get herself together.” Ridhima pats his back, comforting him.
“I can’t believe Ishani did this. She loves her more than anyone.” Vansh mumbles.
“I told you to stop her when she was getting heated up. But you just shut me saying she is just angry and she needs to take out her emotions. She went on and hurt Sanjana in the worst way. Anger makes people lose their conscience. That’s why Vansh, I keep saying, Anger can never be the solution to whatever the problem. But you won’t listen to me; you always ignore me like I am invisible. Am I that short? I should wear heels whenever I am around you, so that you won’t overlook me like always.”
She whines at the end, like a kid who is deprived of the attention from everyone. Her heart skips a beat, when she hears him chuckle.
“Aww my baby just laughed.” She lifts his head and pulls his cheeks, squishing them with her fingers, making him look like a baby.
“Stop doing this Ridhima.” He frowns at her innocently, all the worries he had before just disappeared into thin air. She always does this with him; whenever he sulks in dejection she just fills sanguinity in him. What more could he have asked for from the god, than the angel beside him?
He pulls her towards him, making her squeal, and presses his lips on her soft ones. She smiles through the kiss but then pulls back making him groan.
“Stop doing these hanky-panky things and go do your work.” Ridhima warns him, narrowing her eyes at him, making him scowl.
He gets on his feet haughtily and swats his hand on his shirt, wiping the invisible dust off. All the while glaring at Ridhima, who chuckles inwardly.
“Remember; never raise your hand on anyone. It doesn’t suit you; I don’t want you to ever feel guilty of your actions.” Ridhima nudges him while his gaze softens.
“Everything I do is a problem, isn’t it?” He asks teasingly but Ridhima just glares at him seriously.
“Why do you take it as a problem and not as an issue?” She asks sturdily, making him halt on his humor. Her words just hit him like a squall and he found himself feeling effective.
He leans towards her and places a small kiss on her forehead and leaves the room, trying to think of a possible way to solve the mess.
Sometimes problems don’t require a solution to solve them; instead they require maturity to outgrow them.
The End.
Thank you for all the love and support. I am truly overwhelmed with all the support.
Anger can never solve any problem, it’s your attitude which makes it possible for you to see through things and understand the consequences.
What do think about today’s chapter? Whom do you think is to be blamed?
And to be frank, there is a lot of story to be unraveled and I was just kidding that the story has come to an end.
Do vote and comment.