Species Of Life

39. Burning Revenge 💔🔥(Updated)

Sid walked into the garden and spotted Abhi sitting alone on the bench, his eyes hollow, his face stripped of any expression. There was no movement in his posture—just a stillness that looked like it had taken root in his bones.

Sid quietly walked over and sat beside him. When Abhi didn't react, he leaned in and placed a gentle arm around his shoulders in a side hug. Still, there was no response.

"Dada..." he called softly.

No answer.

"Dada," he repeated, more firmly this time.

Abhi finally turned to look at him, but his eyes were empty. The hollowness unnerved Sid more than any words could.

"What is this, Dada? At least talk to me," Sid pleaded.

Abhi's voice came out low and hard. "Leave me alone, Ashu."

"What if I say no?" Sid replied.

Abhi's tone grew heavier. "Ashu... my mind is not in the right place. Just leave, or I don't know what I might say."

"I want that only," Sid said after a long pause. "You're not a robot, Dada. You're human. So please... behave like one."

"What rubbish are you talking?" Abhi asked, his voice sharp.

"Humans show emotions, Dada. In every moment of life. But you... you haven't even cried. Please, don't suppress all this inside you. It's not good for you."

"I don't care," Abhi snapped. "I honestly don't give a damn."

"But I care," Sid said quietly.

"I never asked you to."

Sid didn't respond. Instead, he pulled Abhi into a tight embrace. Abhi tried to break free, but Sid's grip was firm—unyielding. Eventually, Abhi gave up. Sid felt the resistance drain from his body and spoke again, softer now.

"Dada... please don't hold anything inside. Let it out. Please."

And just like that, the dam broke.

Abhi gripped him tightly and wept into his shoulder. "Why, Ashu? Why did God do this to me? Why did He snatch my child? Didn't He think about what would happen to me after that?"

Sid said nothing. He simply held his elder brother like a son would hold his broken father. Abhi cried for what felt like forever, pouring out every silent scream he had locked inside. After fifteen minutes, his sobs slowed, and he sat back, breathing heavily, eyes still red and wet.

Sid gently wiped the tears from his face. "Dada... please calm down now. Come inside and eat something."

"I don't want food."

"That's enough now," Sid said with gentle firmness. "If skipping meals could fix things, I would have stopped eating too."

Abhi turned his face away. He didn't have an answer.

"Dada... I know it's not easy," Sid continued. "But you have to move on. Maybe the baby was too innocent to live in this cruel world."

"If she was innocent," Abhi asked hoarsely, "then why did God give her to us in the first place—only to take her back after a few months?"

"I don't have an answer to that," Sid admitted, "but if He took her back, we can't do anything. That's not in our hands."

There was a long silence before Sid continued, more gently now. "Just like in business, Dada—life also has internal and external factors. Birth, death, someone coming into our life, someone leaving... that's all external. We can't control that. But what we can control is our reaction. Our grief, our strength, our ability to move on. That's internal."

Abhi opened his mouth to say something but couldn't form the words.

Sid placed a hand on his back. "You wanted a second child, right? A daughter?"

Abhi looked up, startled that Sid knew.

"I know, Dada," Sid said, side-hugging him. "Nine years ago, I was exactly where you are now. And Dada... why are you so sad? You always said you wanted two children."

Abhi leaned into him, nodding faintly.

"But God gave you three."

Abhi pulled back, confused. "Three? Abhinav and Khushi are two. Who's the third?"

"Not third," Sid corrected, smiling. "The first."

Abhi stared at him. "What do you mean?"

Sid turned his face away in mock anger. "How sad it is, Dada. You forgot your first child."

Abhi chuckled and turned his brother's face back to him. "How could I forget you? You're my favorite of them all."

Sid smiled as Abhi pressed a kiss to his forehead. For a moment, the grief didn't vanish—but it softened, just enough to let the light back in.

Meanwhile, in another corner of the house, Jannat sat in silence, watching Siddharth from afar.

"Today... Ashu's behavior was different," she muttered to herself.

Faisu, sitting nearby, spoke under his breath, "After everything he's been through, you still expect him to act normal?"

Jannat narrowed her eyes. "Did you say something?"

"No," Faisu replied quickly, avoiding her gaze.

She accepted the answer, but Faisu wasn't done. "Jan, can I ask you something?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you really going to continue your revenge?"

She turned away, not meeting his eyes. "What do you mean?"

"You know very well what I mean. Don't pretend."

She said nothing.

"Jan," he said more firmly, "answer me."

Her silence stretched.

Finally, she muttered, "I don't have an answer."

She turned to leave the room, but stopped dead in her tracks when she heard what he said next.

"I know Shekhar is alive. And I know you're working with him—and with Sam."

Jannat's heart dropped. She didn't turn back. She couldn't.

Faisu walked toward her and turned her by the shoulders. "You knew he wasn't dead. Then why did you pretend? Why all the drama?"

"It wasn't a drama," she replied bitterly. "I found out only six months ago—by accident. I met Shekhar unexpectedly."

"Then why are you still doing this?" he demanded. "Why are you dragging this revenge forward? Why can't you stop?"

Jannat pulled away from his grasp. "Because I'm taking revenge for all the suffering I endured all these years."

With that, she stormed out of the room, leaving Faisu behind in helpless frustration.

Jannat's POV:

I will never forgive you, Siddharth Nigam. Not for what you did to me. First, you snatched everyone from my life. And now... even Faisu. He was the only one who stood by me, and you turned him against me too. Shekhar was right—you can't bear to see me happy. But I promise you, Siddharth Nigam, from this moment on, I will break you. I will take away everything that makes you smile. And this time, you won't even see it coming.

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