Side Effects Of Love💞

Chapter 43

BALA POV

I was eating my dinner along with my mother's taunts, to get married.

I rolled my eyes and left the bowl with bit of rice.

I went to my bedroom and was wondering if I would ever be happy, the reason was that I never received attention.

I heard my mother's phone ringing, I peeked out to see who that person was.

She screamed....

"AKASH DIED???!???"

Hearing on that, I stumbled upon and my voice got struck in my throat.

I ran outside and looked into my mother's terrified eyes and signalled her.

Her eyes were already filled with tears .
Both of us collapsed hugging each other.
I never imagined that after a fight, we would hug eachother in this manner.

The NEXT day....

Amma and I reached Akash annayya's home.

My eyes looked around for Avani akka, the one who lost her most precious thing.

I wanted to hug her close to my heart and hear all her wails and bawls and assure her that I'll be with her .......

Before I could look at Annayya, my mother grabbed my hand and she took me to a corner.

"Bala....no matter if you'll listen to me in the future or not, but today, you've to. You are aware of how much we are indebted of your Attayya. She has been our only source of income. ACT LIKE A STRANGER TO AVANI. If not...I'll kill myself. If you want your mother to be alive, keep her at arm's length, got it?"

My mouth hung in distress.

"How can you be this cheap maa? "

I said while gritting my teeth and was about to leave...

"Then get ready for tomorrow's funeral."

Her eyes had that thing, which made me believe that she's not lying.

I moved forward and looked at Akash annayya.

The eyes which I found extremely fascinating, for some reason we're not looking at me.

My fingers were shaking, I tried to hold his finger with my own hands...

It reminded me of the picture we clicked, when I was a new born and he was so excited that I held his finger with my whole hand .

But..today that glint in his eyes ...seemed to disappear forever.

I got on my knees and hit my head to the box he was on.

My hands had no strength to wipe the tears .

Suddenly, I heard my Attayya yelling and unconsciously I got back to my mother.

She was dragging Avani akka.

I saw her in person after so many years but never in my nightmare I knew that I'll witness her pathetic situation.

I looked at her attire, her hair was messy .

Her eyes grew red due to lack of sleep and agony.

Then my eyes moved to her stomach, I could see a bulge over there.

I squint my eyes to look and apparently she's pregnant.

I was disheartened in God, how can he do such deed for such a person.

I took a step towards her, when I felt my mother pulling me back while her eyes grew large warning me.

My Attayya said her to prove that atleast one person knows her.

To that, Avani akka's eyes wandered around in search for me.

I could sense that.

The moment she made eye contact with me, she blinked her eyes rapidly and tears fell.

She came towards me and my mother pushed me back.

"Dare you touch her bitch!! I'll slit your throat!"

My mother roared.

I lowered my eyes in helplessness.

Avani akka said that I know her, indeed I do, she's the only person after Akash annayya who gave me attention and love and here, I'm just standing idle.

She then shifted to my legs.

I could hear her sniffling and blubbering.

My body stiffened in vulnerability.

I couldn't choose between my biological birth giver and my non-biological sister.

Was blood stronger than love?

I was standing numb  despite my heart was throbbing to grab her and console her but I was just  letting silent tears leave my eyes.

I was unarmed.

She moved away from me , where her eyes carried hatred for my betrayal.

I didn't lift my eyes.

In the cremation ground

After all that drama, for which I'll be left ashamed for life, we arrived to bid him goodbye.

I looked around for Avani akka, despite not having any amount of courage left in my soul to face her.

He was on pyre and then burnt.

For me, it felt as if they were burning a soul who was alive, perhaps the one who's alive in our hearts.

I returned to my home after facing a deadly storm in my head which will not let me live in peace for the rest of my life.

I had an idea in my head.

I remember, when I was taught at school that,

"A person who does crime is an accused but the one who sits silent while witnessing all of that , deserves a punishment which shouldn't be less painful like death, because death gives a person , pain for a second that's it. But that person deserves a pain for which they'll pay for life."

I moved to kitchen and took the scissors.

I looked at the sharpness.

It can easily cut anything I desire to.

I put my ring finger in the middle of scissors and cut it into two pieces , the blood ozed out.

I didn't feel the pain.

My mother felt suspicious and came to the kitchen, she witnessed me, with 3/4th of my ring finger lying on the floor.

She shouted at the top of the lungs.

I was moved to hospital.

They did do something, which I really didn't care about.

I was happier that I paid for what I deserved for being selfish and not standing for a wife who was carrying her death husband's child.

It was her day to be with him but due to ME it didn't happen.

My punishment is shorter compared to what she and her kid might me going through and I'm worthy of being compensated in this way.