Remorse and Regrets

Chapter 49

There was an eerie silence as fury eyes met with a pair of fearful ones.

"Wha..t do you me...an?" Reva stammered out the words as her heart began beating a mile per second.

Her eyes darted between Ansh, Nandhini while coming to finally rest on Omkar.

Niranjan followed her line of sight and his heart pinched at the scene.

The brother he protected throughout his life now stood open to all the hurt. His stance screaming out his vulnerability....his eyes full of terror.

Niranjan had to close his eyes shutting out the image to move forward and move forward he will.

It may pain , for a brief time, but it is better than living with the deception.

For years, Reva had been corroding this family from within but now it has to stop.

He snapped his fingers bringing Reva to attention.

"Niranjan,  I..."

"Save it for someone who is not aware of your truth" he interrupted

"It is not hidden from anyone your nature but I could not for one would have thought that you would be this devious....You DESTROYED our family" he screamed in rage

"Wh..What...What are you saying? "

Niranjan turned to Alok at his perplexed query. He could find fear as well as confusion marring his father's face. Not only him , this was reflected on both his Chacha Chachi's face too.

"Dad..."

"Alok, don't listen to him . They all are making me a scape goat"

Reva rushed to Alok's side before Niranjan could explain.

"Do you really think I would do anything to hurt anyone especially MY SON"

Reva pressed on the word my son. Except for Omkar, it didn't escape anyone's notice but for various  reasons.

Then turning to Niranjan she wailed out in distress

"Why....? Why are you doing this to me? I know you never considered me your mother but to blemish me the moment you attained power....I didn't expect this from you...."

For a moment Niranjan was taken aback by the sudden display of agony but the clapping sound brought him to the present.

"Wow...Oscar worthy performance, Mrs. Suryavanshi.  But you are not fooling anyone"

Ansh gritted his teeth as his eyes blazed fire. He would have said further but Niranjan's one sign and he backed off.

Ansh trusted his Bhaiya to do the right....For Nandhini...For Omkar....and for everyone....

Niranjan looked at his father. He could see his agitation and pitied him for falling prey to this woman's words but he could not stand back denying justice just to protect his father's heart.

So taking a deep breathe he spoke the words which would change their family forever.

"Reva Suryavanshi is the reason that our Princess.... our Gauravi was denied her rightful place.....
Reva Suryavanshi is the reason that a girl who was brought up among us had to face the heinous of the heinous accusation....
Reva Suryavanshi is the reason that our family broke up...."

Everyone stood dumbfounded at the accusation. 

Not waiting for any response, Niranjan continued,

"She knew about Nandhini and Ansh, how they met up without our knowledge but she hit jackpot when she learned of Nandhini's pregnancy from her dear doctor friend....Then began her manipulation....playing each of us like puppets. First, she got that psycho to testify against Nandhini. Mrs. Suryavanshi  was well aware that Nandhini would not be able to prove herself. The one person who could have vouched for her blindly was out of contact. She made sure of that. Afterall  the name Reva Alok Suryavanshi will work wonders.... She played so beautifully with her words and the circumstantial situation that we put an innocent girl to stand...." he trailed off as he turned to Nandhini.

Nandhini shook her head in no, reading the apology in Niranjan's eyes.

At the same time, Ansh held his Bhaiya's shoulder, tightly, conveying the unsaid emotions and giving him the needed strength. With renewed energy, they both turned to their culprit.

"Lie ....all this is a lie...Why would I do this ? What will I gain?....and...and...don't forget that it was her that ran...."

"Because you forced her to" Ansh spat out in fury

The elders stood mystified as they stared between each person.

"It is not we who are lying. I am standing here with all the proof in our hands." Niranjan's  cold voice putting a halt to her evasion tactics

"We have got the written statement of the doctor who confessed that it was YOU who blackmailed her to abort the baby"

"WHAT"

Alok's voice was not only filled with shock but horror too.

Niranjan then moved towards his father who stood stupefied at the bombshell.

"Nandhini was our responsibility,  Dad but we failed to protect her.... When she needed us the most , we kept our distance based on the seeds of doubts sown by someone hell bent on destroying us....She used your name to terriorise Nandhini so much that she ran away in the middle of the night to save her baby. It's just God's grace that nothing bad happened to her....at least physically  and Ansh was able to track her down but...if anything.... then Princess...." Niranjan choked at the end not able to get the nightmarish scenarios out of his head.

It still send shivers down his spine thinking about what all could have gone wrong.

Alok, Ashuthosh and Padmini all looked at Nandhini in horror.

Alok gulped down the pain thinking over the insulting words he had uttered. His actions are beyond redemption while Ashuthosh and Padmini was shamefaced over their silence in the matter.

As all were lost to their actions that day, Reva broke out again in her defence.

"I did not do aything....The doctor is lying.....She will do anything for money....even her license is fake...."

"How do you know?"

Niranjan immediately latched onto that one slip.

" I never said anything about her license"

Reva now started sweating as Niranjan's eyes bored into her. She felt like all her cards slipping were from her hands....one by one....

"You were brilliant.  I have to give you that. You made fools out of us..." Niranjan continued without waiting for a reply.

"And we let you. We were so distraught that we didn't look further...if we had ...."

Regret laced his voice but he shook it off. Now was not the time.

" Not anymore..."

" But why? Why Nandhini?"

As the question from Padmini reverberated around the room, Dhriti closed her eyes to the upcoming revelation while Sadhavi and Nandhini held onto each other for strength.

Condition of brothers were also no different.

Dhru tightened his hold on Omkar as he embraced his Bhaiyu's warmth, holding the pain at par, sure of further anguish.

While Ansh fisted his hands, Niranjan finally let out his pain and anger.

" Because unknowingly Nandhini stumbled upon the truth that would have been her downfall"

"What truth?" Alok whispered

Seconds clocked but it felt like ages before Niranjan looked straight into Alok's eyes, uttering the words which broke all that he held dear.

"Reva Alok Suryavanshi is behind the accident that destroyed our homes once and for all....snatching away Nandhini's,papa, Chote Chachu and Chachi....and....and....Mamma..."

Note

Hi my lovely readers,

Thanks for waiting patiently.

How was the update...

Hope I didn't disappoint you.

Please comment and make your authors day.