Shattered (Book #1 In Heart Series)✔️

Chapter 17: Goodbye to Singhania's?

Night Time at Singhania Mansion
Kritika's POV

"Yes, Ma, I'm good here. Good night." I assured my mother over the phone, smiling at the thought of my family. As soon as I hung up, Ahana barged into my room.

"Kriti, come for dinner. Everyone's waiting for you," she said, standing beside my bed.

"No, Ahana, I'll have my food here. You go ahead," I replied, feeling nervous about dining with new people.

"No, I won't let you stay here alone. You're my friend, and everyone else is fine with it, so come on." She dragged me out of the room before I could protest.

Third Person's POV

"Kritika beta, come and sit. We've been waiting for you," Swetha said kindly. Aditya rolled his eyes and continued eating. Kritika forced a smile and looked around for a seat, finding only one available, directly opposite Aditya.

"Oh God, please show some mercy on me," she prayed silently.

Kritika took her seat and served herself some food. It was her favorite dish—roti and dal. She smiled and began eating, but soon felt someone's gaze on her. Looking up, she saw Aditya staring at her with a hard, cold expression. She squirmed in her seat and gulped down a piece of roti.

"Kritika beta, do you like the food?" Gautam asked. Kritika looked up from her plate.

"Yes, actually, this is my favorite. Thank you," she said sincerely. Everyone smiled at her.

Suddenly, Aditya stood up, drawing everyone's attention. Kritika noticed his plate still had 80% of the food left.

"Aditya, what's wrong?" Gautam asked.

"Dad, I'm not hungry," Aditya said, starting to walk away. Kritika noticed the sadness on Swetha's face and felt a pang of sympathy.

"Mr. Singhania," Kritika called out. Aditya turned, glaring at her with a cold expression.

"What do you want?" he asked icily.

"Mr. Singhania, do you know it's not good to waste food?" Kritika said firmly.

"What's it to you if I leave food or not? Mind your own business," he snapped, pointing his finger at her.

"I don't care whether you eat or not, but there's something called manners, which you seem to lack. You're a big businessman, yet you behave like this? Shame, shame, shame," Kritika said, touching her nose with her finger.

Aditya clenched his jaw, fighting the urge to retaliate. He returned to the dining area, sat down, and began eating furiously. Everyone watched in shock; Aditya never listened to anyone so easily. Swetha mouthed a 'thank you' to Kritika, who smiled in return.

Kritika sat back down opposite Aditya and continued eating, while everyone observed the couple with amusement. Swetha's hope of making Kritika her daughter-in-law grew stronger.

 A Few Days Later
Kritika's POV

I was in Maheshwari daadi's room with Abhimanyu bahi

"Abhi bhai, you can shift her to the wheelchair now," I instructed. He nodded and carefully lifted Daadi, placing her in the wheelchair.

"Bhai, how will we take her out? There are stairs," I pointed out.

"Kritika, you go to the garden area. I'll bring Daadi," Abhi said. I looked at him, puzzled.

"But bhai, how..."

"Kritika, trust me. I'll take care of it," he assured me. I nodded and went to the garden.

I stood in the garden, admiring the flowers, when I heard my name. Abhi bhai was approaching with Daadi, who looked expressionless.

"Bhai, you go ahead. It's our time now." He nodded and left, glancing back at Daadi one more time.

"So, Daadi, you're free from that dungeon now. Look at the flowers, the birds, the trees. Nature's beauty is mesmerizing," I said, but she didn't react. I pouted and sat on a bench, chatting on my phone with Aradhya.

Five minutes passed, and there was no change. Sighing, I decided to call Abhi bhai to take her back. My eyes widened at the scene before me. Daadi was slowly caressing the flowers, a small smile playing on her lips.

I squealed and ran to the mansion to share the news. Everyone gathered, including Aditya.

"Why are you screaming?" Aditya asked irritably. I ignored him and turned to the others.

"There's a surprise for you all. Come with me," I said, and they followed me.

I showed them Daadi, who was smiling and interacting with the flowers. Uncle and Aunty were smiling through tears, and Ahana hugged me happily. Aditya's smile surprised me, but his next move shocked me even more.

"Daadi," he whispered, running towards her. I cursed and ran after him. Before he could reach her, I grabbed his arm, causing him to stumble and fall on top of me. We both gasped, staring at each other wide-eyed.

And in that moment, I knew I was finished.

He was crushing me with his weight. I tried to push him off, but the khadoos didn't budge. I frowned up at him. He looked at me with a mix of emotions, and I could see pain in his eyes.

 Suddenly, he pushed himself off to the side and stood up. I dusted off my clothes and got up as well.

"How dare you pull this stunt on me, huh?" he hissed, stepping toward me. I flinched at his tone.

"Then what was I supposed to do when you were behaving so irrationally?" I shot back.

"What irrational behavior are you talking about?" he demanded, his face serious.

"You know she's not well, and you were running toward her like a madman," I replied.

"Listen here, I don't need you to teach me anything," he hissed again.

"I will, until you learn to behave nicely," I retorted in the same tone.

"Aditya." We both froze at the sound. Turning, we saw Daadi smiling at us. I jumped in happiness. Mr. Singhania looked at me with slight tears, which shocked me. Finally, I had succeeded. Everyone rushed to hug Daadi, who was smiling broadly.

"Daadi will need to use a wheelchair for a few months. Other than that, everything is fine," I said. We were sitting in the living room of the mansion.

"Beta, I don't know how to thank you..." Daadi said, palming her hands together. I quickly stopped her.

"Daadi, please don't do that. It was my duty to help you get better. You should be grateful to God. It's because of Him that this happened," I said.

"You are a good beta. Your parents must be blessed to have you. God bless you," she said, palming my face with her aged hands and kissing my forehead.

I stood up and addressed everyone.

"Aunty, Uncle, my duty here is done. I'm going home now, but I'll come back to check on Daadi's health," I told them.

"Kriti, no need to leave today. Please stay," Ahana pleaded with puppy eyes.

"Yes, beta. Stay here today. You can go tomorrow," Aunty added.

"I'm really sorry, Aunty. My mom is freaking out and very tense about me. I need to go," I explained.

"Okay, but you must visit us," Priya Di said.

"Of course, Di. I will. I'm going to pack," I said, turning to go.

"Wait, Kriti. I'll help you," Ahana said, and we both went to my room.
                    _________.____________

"I'll miss you," Ahana said, hugging me tightly after we finished packing.

"I'll miss you too. Won't you come to the hospital tomorrow?" I asked, breaking the hug.

"Of course, I will. Otherwise, my monster professor won't leave me alone." I laughed at her words.

"Let's go," I said, lifting my trolley and heading downstairs. Everyone was waiting to bid me goodbye.

"We will miss you, Kritika. This house felt so lively with you here," Uncle said.

"I'll miss you all too, especially Aunty's roti and dal," I said with a pout. Everyone laughed.

"Now I have three brothers, including you. Don't forget this sister, okay?" I teased Abhi Bhai.

"Haha, I won't forget my crazy little sister," he said, hugging me. I hugged him back.

Abhi Bhai carried my luggage to the entrance. I hugged everyone once again. As I turned, I saw Mr. Khadoos approaching.

"Mr. Singhania, your wish is finally fulfilled. I'm leaving your house," I said.

"Yes, you're right. I'm very happy. And you know what? I'm going to the club tonight to celebrate my happiness," he said with a smile jerk

I huffed in anger and went to my car. Placing the luggage in the back seat, I waved to everyone once more before starting the car.

Finally, I will never see that Khadoos again.