Undeniably Yours

46

After finding Srisha asleep, Abhi quietly got out of bed, disconnected the IV drip, and tiptoed toward the door of his hospital room.

It took him a while, but he finally made it to Aradhya's room. He gently opened the door and smiled when he saw Aradhya playing ludo with Rudra. It was the first time Rudra had agreed to join her in the game.

"Aru," Abhi called out. Just then, he felt a sharp slap on his shoulder and turned to see his mother.

"What are you doing out of bed? I'm telling you my slippers wouldn't take long to hit your ass," Khushi scolded him.

"Abhi, what on earth are you doing here? Who gave you the okay to leave your room?" his dad chimed in. Aradhya pouted and tried to get up but quickly sat back down, clutching her belly.

"Aru," Rudra said, gently helping her back onto the bed.

"Bhaiya," she whispered, opening her arms wide.

Ignoring his parents, Abhi walked over to her, pulling her into a warm embrace and wrapping his arms around her tightly.

"I'm sorry, baccha," he whispered. Aradhya tensed and pulled away from him.

"Your brother will make them pay. I promise I'll take care of it."

Aradhya bit her lip, trying to hold back tears that had been building up since the day she was rescued.

Since no one had talked to her about it, she kept everything bottled up, but when Abhi mentioned the incident, it all came rushing back.

"Now who will marry me?" Aru cried. Abhi lifted her onto his lap, rubbing her back soothingly.

"Shh, is that really what you're worried about? Forget about that for now and tell me what happened," Abhi asked. Aru buried her face in his neck.

Rishabh watched them, running his fingers through his hair in concern.

"All I needed to do was talk about it. I thought it would be better if she didn't have to think about it. Turns out, I was wrong. Everyone handles things differently. From the start, she's been this way. She can only find peace once she's talked through the stuff she hates. How could I forget something so simple? I really started to worry when she pretended everything was fine. My concern only grew when the doctor mentioned her behavior was abnormal; I felt it too but didn't want to admit it. But here we are, and she's ready to open up," Rishabh reflected while watching his kids.

"I've forgotten all my fighting skills. It hurts soo much," Aradhya finally cried out.

Abhi's expression turned even more somber as he pulled her closer.

"They hit me a lot. Look at this," Aradhya said, lifting her shirt to reveal purple bruises all over her stomach.

"I have marks everywhere. That fat guy said he was disgusted with me because I was covered in blood."

"Shh, that's enough. You'll be okay," Abhi whispered.

As they spoke, Aradhya's eyes began to droop. When Rishabh noticed she had fallen asleep, he gently lifted her from Abhi's lap.

"Go rest in your room. I'll ask the doctor to check on you. Rudra, take your friend with you..." Rishabh murmured.

Khushi approached her daughter and took her son's hand.

"Can't you move him to this room? I can take care of both of them at once," Khushi suggested. Abhi leaned down to hug his mother.

"Mom, I'm fine. Just focus on Aru," Abhi whispered before leaving the room with Rudra.

"What are we going to do about Vikram?" Rudra asked.

"Did he really rape Aru?" Abhi asked, his voice devoid of emotion.

"I am unaware of the details in her report. Only your father possesses that knowledge. If he did indeed rape her then he is going to loose his dick," Rudra replied, clenching his fists tightly.

"Rudra, I want to know what happened to my mother... Investigate this matter," Abhi commanded before retreating to his room.

Srisha sat on the bed, staring vacantly. She turned her head as Abhi approached her.

"Is Aru alright? Did my father truly...?"

Abhi placed a finger gently on her lips.

"Do not dwell on anything right now. We will return home tomorrow," Abhi murmured, reattaching the IV to his hand.

"I wish to see Aru as well, but mom won't allow it."

"It is not as it seems," Abhi whispered. They exchanged a silent gaze, each lost in their thoughts.

⋇⋆✦⋆⋇　

ABHI'S P.O.V

"Abhi, the doctor said you can't leave," Srisha said, gripping my hand. But I've been stuck here for a week, and I'm determined to get out. I need to confront Vikram. I want him to regret ever crossing my path.

Even though Shree was trying to resist, Still she quickly adjusted her outfit and stood in front of me, ready to make our escape.

Rudra shot me an annoyed look as we stepped out of the room. But to my surprise, Dad was waiting for us.

"The driver is outside. I don't want you leaving this hospital, but I'm bringing Aru home too. She's not comfortable here," he instructed. I couldn't help but roll my eyes.

"No, you kicked me out..."

"If you don't want me to drag you home, you better get in the car and srisha you really need talk to him. Your husband is losing it. I might have to give him a slap if he keeps this up," Dad said, glancing at Srisha. She looked down, wrapping her arm around my elbow.

"Dad... Abhi is right. We should just..."

"Srisha, please forgive your mom. She'll be fine. Just take your husband home," Dad said, gently cupping her cheeks. I could tell she didn't want to be around Mom, but I didn't want that. I want to remove their misunderstanding.

"Alright, Dad, we're going home," I said, and Srisha glanced at me before looking down again.

Once we got home, Srisha walked quietly beside me.

As soon as we reached my room, I pulled her into my arms. I could see how stressed she was-me being in the hospital, Mom treating her poorly, and not being able to see Aru. I knew she wasn't to blame, but her self-doubt wasn't helping.

"How am I supposed to face Mom?" she asked, covering her face with her hands.

"Shree, your husband is right here. No one, and I mean no one, will lay a finger on you. I might not be able to stand up to Mom, but I will if it comes to that. You saw how she was that day, she wasn't herself. " I reassured her. She nodded and rested her head on

" It is entirely my fault." She sniffled

And I can only tolerate her self criticism to this certain extent. I held her hand and began to guide her towards the bed, positioning myself so that she stood between my knees.

"Stop this immediately."