The Saxena Complexity

Richer & Smarter

~|| CHAPTER 14 ||~

Those words had Rudra reeling back in hurt. His eyes, once mirroring affection and familiarity, now reflected a mixture of shock and hurt.

Among all his sisters-in-law, Anaisha was the one with whom he felt the most at ease. This comfort was amplified by the fact that they had known each other for the past decade as Reyansh and Anaisha had been best friends since the age of 15. Since then, Anaisha has had to visit their house, effortlessly blending in with all the brothers. Even before marrying Reyansh, it seemed like she was an integral part of the Saxena family.

She was always so sweet, so kind and so gentle with the way she spoke to him. In the past, she used to take his side during disagreements with Rey and spent quality time with all the brothers. There was an air of familiarity that made her feel like family even before her marriage to Reyansh.

She used to join him in the kitchen during his cooking sessions, attentively listening to him and engaging in enjoyable conversations. However, the dynamics had shifted drastically. The warmth that defined their relationship had been replaced by a fiery demeanour and a perpetual scowl on Anaisha's face. She didn't even make eye contact before unleashing hurtful words that carried a venomous sting.

"What? What did you just say?"

"You heard me. I hate you," venomously replied Anaisha. Till now, she had averted her eyes from him successfully.

"Why would you say that? What happened?" a visibly wounded Rudra questioned.

"Really, what happened? Are you serious? Honestly, have you always done this?"

"Anaisha, I'm genuinely confused what are you talking about."

"Today morning. Forgive me for my words, but your Dadu talks a lot for someone who can't even go to the bathroom without someone else's help. He was trying to defame my sister, my Aahana Di. And you all stood mum. On top of that, Abhi Papa also scolded Aahana Di. Is my sister a punching bag for you? Whatever may be the problem, the solution is to dump everything on my sister in this house, it seems. I f**king fought with my sister on my reception day because of this family. I made her cry, I made her sad. I yelled at her because of you and this is how you repay us."

"Anaisha, please listen to me. It was.."

"Shut up. Don't give any explanations. Because truthfully, there are no explanations. Your family is tainted with down-market girls like us and all of you seem to agree with it except for Abheer Bhai. Today, I finally understand why Di is like this with all of you and full offence intended, each one of you deserves it. Every single one of you."

"Anaisha" roared Rey who had been standing outside the room during the entire conversation. He had watched his brother enter his room and say something to his wife. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop himself from eavesdropping. And he is glad he did it. Otherwise, he would have never known the amount of poison his wife was harbouring against his family.

"Mind your language. Watch who you are speaking to. And watch your tone."

"I'm speaking to the person who has made my sister's life hell. You want me to continue?"

"Anaisha, I'm warning. Don't utter another word, or I'll start. And you wouldn't want that at any cost. I've never done that with you and I don't plan on doing it unless you aggravate me too."

"Bark. Say whatever you want to. In no way in hell, will I ever change my opinions now? I've seen the evilness of this family today and don't expect positive words out of me from now either. My Di doesn't deserve any of this at all."