Dawn

Chapter 09 - Family

Family

[noun]

a group of people united by love

"I want to meet Imlie," Aditya repeated when he was left waiting for an answer for longer than he'd have liked.

Aryan clenched his jaw as the vein in his head threatened to pop.

He schooled his features to control the sudden burst of anger and tilted his head, assuming a bored, nonchalant mien.

"Does your wife know?" he mocked with a small smile. 

A telltale flush spread on Aditya's cheeks.

"Ah, she doesn't," he guessed correctly. "And why do you think I'll allow a meeting with Imlie?"

"She's not your property. You can't make these one-sided decisions," Aditya argued, nostrils flared in indignation. "My family is wanting to see her. It's been well over a month since the bomb blasts and we have a right to see her, to make sure she's ok."

"What rights are you talking about Mr.Tripathi? What rights could you possibly have over your ex-wife?" he snapped, unable to keep the anger out of his voice. He stood up and strode towards Aditya, stopping a mere foot away. Looking into his eyes, he made it clear as he announced, "You have no rights to her. None. You lost the right to ask about her when you divorced her."

Aditya pulled himself up to his full height. "And with what right,' he sneered, "are you making these decisions for her?"

"Haven't you always believed that she and I are in a relationship?" Aryan responded immediately, keeping his tone light once more. "So let's just say that's how I have the right over these choices. Beyond this, I am not answerable to you Mr.Tripathi."

Aditya's jaw twitched. Had he been right then? Had Imlie really moved on? Why then, had she risked her life for him by coming to Pagdandiya?

"You know as well as I do that she doesn't remember you. She has amnesia, Mr.Tripathi, and unless you haven't realized, that means your meeting her, or your family meeting her will lead to questions that, trust me, you don't want to answer. Because if those answers cause her health to deteriorate, I will make it my mission to destroy every bit of peace you have."

"We just want to see her, to make sure.."

"Make sure what, exactly?" Aryan interrupted. "She has her mother with her, she has her family. She has what she needs, so what are you offering to make sure?"

Aditya's throat worked in anger, unable to respond.

"I'll tell you what I think, Mr.Tripathi," Aryan nodded condescendingly. He turned back around and ambled to his chair. Keeping his back to Aditya, he continued. "I think that you and your family want to see her for your own sake, to assuage your own guilt and reassure yourselves that you are good, kind people."

He turned around and met Aditya's eye. "I won't comment on your family, but you certainly are neither good, nor kind, let's be honest. I see how Imlie is now, without you and how she was when I first met her. She isn't meant to be cut and tamed. All you did was crush her spirit, her resilience, the thing that makes her, her. You reproached her for daring to be Imlie without you and you are so far gone that you can't see how toxic you've become."

"How dare you, Mr. Rathore? You might be the owner of this business, but you don't own me. You can't control me. How dare you get personal?"

"But this is personal Mr.Tripathi. You blurred the lines between professional and personal when you wrote that condolence message many months ago, declaring to the world that your then-wife was having an affair with her boss. You've paid your dues for that mistake which is why you are still employed with Bhaskar Times. And I don't care to control anyone, Mr.Tripathi. If you had any basic human decency left in you, you'd understand that your reassurance isn't more important than her health."