Bond Beyond Secrets

17

"Sharan Anna, Amma is calling Vadina downstairs. Meenakshi Vadina and Dharani are here," Teja informed.

Hearing Teja's voice, Mridula walked towards the door, her face lighting up with a big smile. Her second favorite person in the family was here.

"We'll be there, Teja," Mridula said, holding Sharan's hand, silently asking him to stay quiet as she noticed he was about to say something.

"Alright, come fast. Dharani keeps asking for you," Teja said and rushed back to the living room.

"It's festival time, Sharan. Don't hold grudges against anyone and just be here. Alright?" she asked, hoping it wasn't too much to ask.

"For God's sake, I am not that bad to be holding grudges against my own brother, Mridula. How could you even think of me like that? You go, I'll come later," he said and moved to the washroom, not giving her a chance to speak.Mridula sighed.

She wanted to talk and tell him everything, but once again, he chose to block her off. She went to the living room to find Dharani playing with Teja.

"Chithii",Dharani ran towards Mridula as Mridula went on her knees, Dharani wrapped her arms around her neck and giggled while Mridula gently pat her head.

"I missed you so much kanna",Mridula said as she kissed Dharani's cheeks breaking the hug.

Both of them walked hands in hand with an excited Dharani on one side and a disappointed Mridula on other side.

"Meena akka",Mridula called her out and she sat beside Meena who looked up at Mridula with almost tears ready to fall off her eyes.

Mridula held her hand in hers and she nodded her head as no, asking her not to let those precious tears out. Dharani settled down in her favorite aunt's lap. She saw her mother's big doe eyes held tears in them, it terrified the little soul.

"Amma, don't cry! Who made you cry? Is it chittappa?",Dharani asked giving her a concerned look.

"Amma isn't crying, kanna! Amma saw chitthi after long time right? So these are happy tears",Meenakshi said wiping her tears away and giving her daughter a smile so she could be at ease.

"Ohh, Amma happy, Dhara happy, everyone happyyy! Jollyy",Dharani squealed. The little bundle of joy was enjoying her time at her grandparents unknown of the circumstances and it was better not known to her.

"Dharani, why don't you go and play with Teja chittappa? Amma and chitthi has some things to catch up in the mean time",Mridula said and signalled Teja to take her away from there.

"Kutty come let's go and munch some chocolates, let's escape before your Amma, or my Amma finds out about this",he said and Dharani jumped from Mridula's lap and ran along with Teja towards his room.

"I can't stay here, Mridula",the first thing Meenakshi spoke to her after coming back this year.

"Akka, it wasn't meant to be like this but.. ",Mridula tried to make Meenakshi understand but she nodded her head in no.

"It's not your fault. It's just that, I can't stand his presence. Why now? We were good. Dharani will start asking questions now, she would probably choose him over me if she knows about her father. That's the amount of love she has for her father. But him? Nope! He doesn't even know he has a daughter what's the point of talking about it? I just can't stay here anymore, Mridula",she said as she broke down in front of her co-sister.

Meenakshi and Vikram were married before he abandoned all of them and went away. She was going to tell him that their family is going to have a new addition but the agency he was working for released a statement of his encounter in some mission which shook her to the core.