Village meets city love

Chapter 22: Confrontation

Arun returned home in the evening, feeling more at ease after spending time with his friend. He hoped the tension from the meeting with Aarti's parents had settled. As he entered the living room, the heavy silence made him uneasy. He immediately sensed something was wrong.

"What's going on?" Arun asked, looking around at the somber faces. His eyes settled on his mother, Meena, who looked distraught. Aarti was nowhere to be seen.

Meena's eyes filled with tears as she looked at her son. She didn't know how to explain what had happened. Arun's father, Raghavan, stood beside her, his expression stern and disapproving.

"Arun, we need to talk," Raghavan said, his voice firm. "Your mother said some things to Aarti that were completely out of line."

Arun's heart sank. He had always known his mother to be strict and sometimes harsh, but he couldn't imagine her saying something that would cause such a reaction from his father.

"What did she say?" Arun asked, his voice tinged with concern.

Meena looked down, unable to meet her son's eyes. Raghavan spoke up, recounting the harsh words Meena had hurled at Aarti. As the words were repeated, Arun's face grew darker with each sentence. He could hardly believe what he was hearing.

Arun turned to his mother, his voice sharp with anger. "How could you say such things to her? How could you call her those names?"

Meena, tears streaming down her face, tried to justify herself. "I was angry, Arun. She and her family have brought so much shame on us. I just couldn't control myself."

"That's no excuse!" Arun snapped. "You insulted her in the worst possible way. She's carrying my child, your grandchild, and you treated her like that?"

Meena sobbed, unable to respond. Arun's anger was palpable. He turned to his father. "Where is Aarti?"

"She's in her room with Lavanya," Raghavan said. "She's very upset, Arun. You need to talk to her."

Arun nodded and hurried to his room. He found Aarti sitting on the bed, tears streaming down her face, with Lavanya by her side, trying to comfort her. Lavanya looked up as Arun entered and quietly excused herself, giving them privacy.

"Aarti," Arun said softly, sitting down beside her. "I'm so sorry for what my mother said. She was out of line. She had no right to speak to you that way."

Aarti looked up at him, her eyes red and swollen. "Why does she hate me so much, Arun? What did I do to deserve this?"

Arun took her hand in his. "It's not your fault, Aarti. She's just... she's angry about the situation. But that's no excuse for what she said. I'll make sure this never happens again. I promise."

Aarti nodded, but the pain in her eyes remained. She knew it would take time for the wounds to heal, and she wasn't sure if they ever truly would. But in that moment, Arun's presence was a small comfort, a reminder that she wasn't completely alone.

As the night wore on, the household remained tense and uneasy. Meena retreated to her room, consumed by guilt and regret. Raghavan stayed up late, pondering how to mend the fractured family.

The following days would be crucial. Arun knew he had to stand by Aarti and protect her from further harm, even if it meant confronting his own mother. The road ahead was uncertain, but one thing was clear: they had to find a way to move forward, for the sake of their child and their family's future.