𝙇𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜

43

"Kanak we all adore you." Daksh reiterated. Kanak shook her head.

"Here he was having fun with you, and I was left alone with a caretaker. You never scolded me for throwing my toys on the floor, but that caretaker punished me for such a simple thing. I told mom about it, but she said not to bother the caretaker. She didn't take my side. I missed you all," Kanak explained, now taking her turn to share everything with Daksh and Ayaan, who listened quietly.

"This went on for a whole year. Eventually, I scared the caretaker away. I left a snake near her, which frightened her. She complained to mommy. Then mom... slapped me, leading to an argument between mom and dad. But the only good thing was that the caretaker was gone forever," Kanak continued, with Ayaan gently caressing her hair.

"Mom and dad started coming home late. I was getting bored, so I started inviting my classmates over. Ethan began sneaking in cigarettes and drugs from his house. At first, I didn't partake, but when I saw them having more fun than me, I joined in. I stopped waiting for mom and dad to come home. I didn't even care when they did. And it felt right."

"I don't know when I got so deeply involved... I enjoyed doing things I wasn't supposed to because I wasn't being scolded. Mom and dad were busy, so I followed suit... If you had kept me with you, none of this would have happened."

Daksh pulled Kanak into a hug, kissing her forehead.

"That's why I started resenting all of you and stopped talking," Kanak confessed.

"You have Ayaan. There was no room for me," she added.

Daksh sighed, and Ayaan turned her towards him, looking sad.

"It's okay, Kanak. Even I really wanted to go with mom and dad, just like you. This man kept me here and we argued all day. I was the one yelling and getting upset. He was always quiet and sweet with me. But that changed soon. I was so desperate to go back to mom that I even got into fights with my classmates. He didn't say much about it, just a little scolding. But when I ended up hitting my teacher with my friends, I thought for sure he would send me away."

"Seriously? Why did you want to go with mom and dad?"

"Kanak, I liked it when mom and dad didn't say anything even when we messed up. And when I heard that he let you go, I was even more upset. That's why I did everything, but later he made me understand why he kept me here. You wanted to stay here I wanted to stay where you were. Because none of us know what is right and what is wrong. Now you should forget what happened in the past. And focus on your future. "

"Why did you hit the teacher? I never hit a teacher, even though I didn't want to stay there either," Kanak said, her tone teasing him now.

"You're lucky you only saw his soft side. I saw all of his sides. He was even called to the principal's office. There were other parents too, but he was the only one who slapped me in front of everyone. I was so angry that I grabbed his hand after two slaps." Ayaan sighed, remembering the past.

"I still remember the angry look he gave me when I grabbed his hand. He just went to get a cane from the principal's table and started smacking me without a second thought. I thought it was over, but he made me do the 'murga' position and left. Seeing him do that, other parents made their kids do the same, my friendship with them broken. I told him he could do that at home, but he said he didn't have a brother who hit his teacher. I was mad at him for that, but eventually Deepak made me understand. I used to hate Daksh, but he wasn't completely wrong."

"He still loves you more," Kanak said as Ayaan chuckled and caressed her face. 

" Our parents' has impacted us all, but things have turned out well. You'll be okay too. And don't be mad at us just because we scolded you. I've only shared one thing. You don't know how many times he slapped me before we got married. But I never stayed mad at him for long. Live freely, but there needs to be some boundaries. Understand? If Daksh hadn't disciplined me, I might have gone astray because of my bad friend circle and will to defy him."

Kanak nodded in understanding and held his hand.

" He loves me more, he never laid a hand on me like he did with you. Not even when I smoked. He doesn't love you." Kanak said, with Ayaan chuckling and pulling her cheeks.

" I'm not as childish as you to argue over such trivial matters. But yes, I'm a little envious. He only scolds me." Ayaan said as they both glanced at Daksh, who was silently observing them.

" Why are you so quiet?" They asked simultaneously.

" I love you both equally. If I hear you comparing again, you'll see what I'll do." He said, chuckling. Kanak pulled away from Ayaan's embrace.

" Okay, bhaiya, you love us... But did mom take care of you? I remember you did most of our work, but what about yourself?"

Daksh smacked Kanak's head.

" Stop overthinking. I'm not like you two who cry over everything. Kanak, we all love you and there should be no doubt about it. And just because I scolded you doesn't mean you can lock yourself in a room. If you lock the room, I'll enter using the key. And you're still grounded."

" Bhaiya..... can I go to mom's house?" Kanak asked, curious about her parents behavior.

" Yes, you can, but let's have breakfast first. Ayaan, call Roshni and Aashika."

" Bhaiya, I still want to know why mom and dad didn't give us time." Kanak muttered. They heard her but chose to ignore her mumbling.

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So can we get into some past seens about her mom... 😶‍🌫