𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄 𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐈𝐀𝐆𝐄❤️✅

𝟒𝟏. 𝐇𝐮𝐫𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬

A sharp slap lands across Ritu's cheek before she can even utter the word "Bhaiyaa..."

"Raghav!" Pihu shouts, rushing to hold Ritu protectively in her arms.

She stands between them, shielding her from her husband’s wrath.

"What are you doing Raghav?" she cries, her voice trembling with shock and disbelief.

Raghav is shaking, his entire body consumed by rage.Ritu touches her stinging cheek, tears brimming in her eyes as she looks at her brother, unable to comprehend the situation.

"Bhaiyaa..." she whispers, her lips trembling. It's the first time her brother has ever raised his hand against her.

"After everything  happened, you’re now telling me you didn’t know about it? huh? you didn’t know?" Raghav shouts, his voice booming through the room like thunder.

Ritu flinches at his harsh tone, her tears now flowing uncontrollably.

Pihu tries to calm him down, though she feels her own frustration rising toward Ritu. What Ritu had done was reckless, but raising hand wasn’t the answer. Raghav needed to talk sense into her, not scare her.

"Raghav, stop it. Calm down," Pihu pleads, her voice firm yet gentle. "This isn't the way to handle things."

But Raghav is too far gone, his fury clouding all reason.

He grabs Ritu’s arm in a vice-like grip, forcing her to look at him.

Ritu, barely able to speak, whispers, "I’m sorry."

"Do you even realize what you did?" Raghav seethes, his voice dripping with anger.

"Do you know what could have happened if Shreyansh hadn’t arrived in time? Do you understand the danger you were in?"

Ritu lowers her head, overwhelmed by guilt and unable to meet his eyes.Raghav abruptly releases her arm, as if even touching her was unbearable.

"I still can’t believe my own sister could do something like this" he laughs bitterly..

"just take a look at your bhabhi… Look at her… The same bhabhi you’ve always considered your best friend. How could you do this to her? Does she deserve this? She trusted you enough to let you go just because you asked, no questions asked… And even now, when everything is falling apart, she rushed to protect you without a second thought. Can you imagine how much faith she had in you? How could you betray that trust, Ritu?"

Ritu reaches out, desperate to hold her brother’s hand, but he pulls away sharply.

"Don’t touch me. Just... don’t."

Ritu breaks down, crying harder. "I’m so sorry, Bhaiyaa. I’ll never lie to you again, I swear."

"Look at this, Pihu. Today, her friend has become so important that she’s started lying to us. What more can I say? She has grown up now... She’s in college, making her own decisions, and apparently, she doesn’t need to ask us for permission anymore. She’s an adult now, right? Capable of handling everything on her own… We don’t matter anymore." He says in sarcastic tone.

Ritu furiously shakes her head, heartbroken by his words. He was still her Bhaiyaa, her protector, her hero. He had every right to be angry, but these words cut deeper than any slap.

"Bhaiyaa, please don’t say that. You have every right over me. More than anyone else. I know I made a mistake. A huge one. But please... please don’t say these things." Ritu sobs, clutching onto the hope that her brother could forgive her.

Raghav’s face hardens, the hurt in his eyes unmistakable. "I’m only speaking the truth, Ritu. Do you even remember being that little girl who would come running to me with every complaint from school? Maybe I’m the one who expected too much. Maybe I forgot you’re an adult now... You can live your own life."

Ritu cries out in desperation, "No, Bhaiyaa! Please, it’s not like that... Bhaiyaa!"

But without another word, Raghav storms out, not wanting to hear anything more. He couldn’t bear any more justifications. What Ritu had done was wrong, and she needed to realize the gravity of her actions.

Ritu collapses onto the floor, sobbing uncontrollably. How could she fix this? How could she ever make things right with her brother?

Anisha, who had been standing quietly in the corner until now, rushes toward her.Ritu, still crying, clutches at her friend.

"Anisha... Bhaiyaa won’t even talk to me. Look how angry he is... He just left like that... He hates me."

Anisha embraces her tightly, whispering, "Shh, Ritu. Everything will be fine. Give him some time to calm down. He’ll talk to you once he’s less angry, I promise."

She gently lifts Ritu to her feet and leads her to the sofa."I warned you about that boy, didn’t I?"

Anisha says softly, her voice filled with concern. "I told you Ishaan wasn’t a good person, but you didn’t listen... You even got mad at me for saying it."

Ritu, still trembling, clings to her. "I thought he was a nice guy... He seemed so friendly."

'Sab tumhare jaise nahi hote Ritu'  a voice came from behind.

Ritu looks up at her bhabhi, her tear-filled eyes full of remorse.

"Bhabhi..."

Pihu crouches beside her, lifting her face gently. "Not everyone is like you, bachaa. You need to remember that."

Ritu throws her arms around Pihu, hugging her tightly.

"Bhabhi, I’m so sorry... Can you forgive me? I’ve hurt you so much."

Pihu smiles tenderly, stroking Ritu’s hair.

"I forgave you a long time ago, bacha. I know you didn’t do intentionally ... And you don’t need to keep apologizing."

Ritu can hardly believe how lucky she is to have such a selfless bhabhi.

"Bhaiyaa is so angry with me... And kitna zor se mara mujhe thappar. He’s never done that before..." she says, pouting sadly.

Pihu lifts her face, inspecting the slightly swollen, reddened cheek, "jaha zayada pyaar hai ,waha gussa bhi toh zyada hoga na bachaa hmm??"

"Give him some space. Once he’s calmed down, go and talk to him. Apologize properly."

She nodded sadly.She didn’t want her brother to be this angry. She wanted her loving, protective Bhaiyaa back. But she knew she had to earn his forgiveness, and she was willing to do whatever it took.

In the room upstairs, Raghav stands on the balcony, staring out at the view, lost in his thoughts. His heart is heavy with pain.

Pihu quietly walks in, wrapping her arms around his waist from behind and place her cheek onto his back.

He knows it’s her but remains still, not reciprocating her embrace.

In a broken voice, Raghav finally speaks, "I’ve lost, Pihu... I’ve lost." A single tear escapes his eye, falling onto her fingers.

___________________________

How is the chapter guys??

I hope you enjoyed the chapter...

Guys I am feeling sad for Raghav 😭😭

What are your expectations from next chapter??

How will Ritu gain her forgiveness ??

Happy Reading
Love you ❣️