The Birlas' - IKSHANA

Chapter - 17: Forgiveness

At Abhimanyu and Neil's Favourite Spot:

Abhimanyu held Neil close to his heart, letting him take all the comfort he needed to calm down. Now that the truth was out in the open, he could connect the dots better. He understood why Neil never answered him. Maybe he has always been wary of his reaction and still went on with it. That very thought infuriated him. His body turned rigid and Neil's heart sank thinking about all the worst-case scenarios.

He held on to Abhimanyu for his dear life. He was too scared to let go. He had been on the receiving end of Abhimanyu's anger a lot of times, even though he didn't experience it for the past few years as much. His Bhaiyya had mellowed down a lot with Roohi and Abhir entering their lives. A lot more after Abhir became a part of their lives. He wasn't the impulsive, angry Abhimanyu Birla anymore who would whack first and talk next.

But still he feared his Bhaiyya's anger. He always did. It was the most dangerous thing on earth, at least it was for his children. Especially him. He also knew that his Bhaiyya was more hurt and upset than angry. That added on to his list of worries. He could still handle anger like he used to but hurt would be challenging to deal with. With every minute that his Bhaiyya was hurting because of him, his guilt will keep piling up. He was too shaken now. All these thoughts about the aftermath had rendered his senses numb.

Abhimanyu took his time to compose himself. He reiterated again and again to himself that he promised Neil to help deal with his situation. He was definitely wrong in his book but the fact that he at least never misbehaved with women out of spite was just a flicker of relief. He saw his child clinging on to him out of fear and hurt wrecked his heart. Neil was afraid of losing him owing to his stupidities. He didn't know how else to convince Neil that he would never abandon him irrespective of the scenario.

He was the parent here and he knew he had to exercise his authority to assure him that he will always hold him accountable for his actions. Neil will always be answerable to his father. He counted on it to relieve Neil of his insecurities because words didn't seem to help much. He pulled back carefully without giving Neil an impression that he didn't want him close. He straightened Neil up and stepped back a bit creating a space in between. He was done comforting him. It was time for some answers yet again. Neil looked at him innocently and his blue eyes shone with tears ready to roll down. Abhimanyu had to control the urge to give in to his charm.

Neil tried to breach the gap because the sudden loss of warmth agitated him. But Abhimanyu stopped him by showing his palm as a stop signal. Neil cowered back. This scene looked very familiar to something he could never forget. The waves of memories engulfed him.

He had been so lost when the truth behind his adoption surfaced, back then when he was just 13. Harshvardhan couldn't deny Abhimanyu's request and agreed to adopt Neil but he never accepted him. He was treated as a burden and as someone who was nothing more than a charity case.

If not for the love showered by his Bhaiyya and Maa, he couldn't have survived. His brother made sure that he was attended to and all his needs were met, both materialistic and emotional. But when Manjari accidentally revealed that he was indeed Harsh's son who was born out of wedlock and also that his mom wanted nothing to do with him, he broke. He had an identity crisis. He was grateful to Manjari for having such a big heart to accept him with so much love but still couldn't help resenting her for keeping the truth for him.