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It's been one and a half months since the incident, and Rhea still couldn't shake that day from her mind. Her panic attacks had worsened, and she had started to fear everything again. It felt as if she had gone back in time to a year ago when Aarav had first brought her to this mansion.
Aarav, somewhere deep down, was blaming himself. If only she hadn't seen the CCTV footage that day if only she hadn't witnessed her brother dying in front of her eyes, if only he could have changed everything at that moment. But those "if onlys" remained just that-mere wishes.
Aarav was trying his best to pull Rhea out of her sorrow. For brief moments, she seemed fine, but when left alone, she would overthink and dwell on that dreadful day. The memory of her brother's lifeless body haunted her, a constant reminder of the tragedy that had unfolded.
Now, Aarav's parents and Sonu had also come. Aarav had told them everything. At first, they couldn't digest the truth, but what could they do? This was reality, and they couldn't pull Aarav out of that world. After all, he was doing good work, albeit with questionable methods.
Rishab's death had also reached Rhea's mother. They hadn't told her anything initially, but Aarav had brought her over and explained everything. She was brought on the very day the incident happened. Aarav wasn't so heartless as to keep a mother away from her son's final rites, even though he disliked her for the way she had treated Rhea all those years. After all, she was Rhea's mother. Rhea feared that her mother would hate her even more now, blame her, and say that she had taken her brother too, just like she used to accuse her after their father's death.
But things turned out differently. Instead of blaming Rhea, her mother asked for forgiveness, weeping uncontrollably in front of her, seeking pardon for her past mistreatment. She even went as far as to touch Rhea's feet. She realised her mistakes when she heard the reason behind Rishab's death and heard about the things he had done. She was filled with shame, but she was grateful that in his final moments, her son had done something good-saving Rhea's life, and protecting his only sister.
Rhea's mother had spent the next few days trying to make amends, cooking Rhea's favourite meals, sitting with her for hours, just holding her hand. Rhea was overwhelmed with a mix of emotions-relief, sorrow, anger, and confusion. She wanted to forgive her mother, but the years of mistreatment couldn't be erased overnight.
Aarav watched this fragile reconciliation with hope. He knew it would be a long journey for Rhea to heal, but every small step counted. He took care of the mansion, ensuring everything was in order, and creating a safe space for Rhea.
Every night, he would sit by her side, whispering words of comfort, promising her a future where the shadows of the past would no longer haunt her. But now he could no longer bear to see her in such pain. Rhea only felt good when she was with Aarush, who was now eleven and a half months old.
