Bandhan

Conversation And Death

The hospital room fell into a heavy silence after Savita Ji's confession, the weight of her words hanging in the air like an anchor, pulling Atharv into a whirlpool of conflicting emotions. He looked at his mother, her frail figure lying on the bed, her eyes filled with a mixture of regret, pain, and the love she had tried so hard to protect. The shock from her revelation had left him numb, unable to fully grasp the depth of her suffering or the choices she had made.

"Why didn't you take us all with you?" Atharv's voice was barely above a whisper, the question that had haunted him for years finally escaping his lips. His eyes bore into hers, searching for answers that could somehow make sense of the chaos that had torn their family apart.

Savita Ji's eyes welled up with tears, her voice trembling as she responded, "Beta, I wanted to... every day, I regretted leaving you behind. But I was scared. Scared of what your father might do if he found us all together. I had to make the hardest choice of my life, to protect Khwahish, your little sister who was yet to be born. I knew if I stayed, she would suffer the same fate as me. But if I took you all with me, I feared your father would find us, and we would never be free."

Atharv clenched his fists, the anger and hurt he had buried deep within himself bubbling to the surface. "But you left us, Ma. You left us to deal with him, to pick up the pieces of a broken family, to live with the pain of abandonment. Do you know how hard it was? How much we suffered?"Savita Ji's tears flowed freely now, each drop carrying the weight of her guilt. "I know, beta... I know. And not a day passed where I didn't think about you, where I didn't hate myself for the choice I made. But I was helpless. I was terrified. I didn't have the strength to fight him and protect all of you. I thought... I thought you would be safer without me."

Atharv's heart twisted painfully in his chest. He wanted to lash out, to blame her for all the years of misery, but seeing her so broken, so remorseful, his anger began to wane, replaced by a deep, aching sorrow. He realized that she, too, had been a victim of circumstances beyond her control, and she had made a choice she believed was right at the time, even if it had shattered their lives."But Ma," Atharv's voice cracked, "we needed you. We needed our mother, and you weren't there."

Savita Ji reached out with a trembling hand, taking Atharv's into hers. "I know, beta. And I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for everything. But now... now that you're all here, together... please, forgive me. I don't have much time left. I just want to leave this world knowing that my children will be alright, that you will take care of each other."

Atharv's vision blurred with tears he had refused to shed for years. He looked at his mother, the woman who had tried to protect them in the only way she knew how, and he felt the walls he had built around his heart start to crumble. Slowly, he nodded, squeezing her hand gently."Ma, we'll be alright. But I can't promise that everything will be fixed overnight. There's too much pain, too much lost time. But we'll try, for you."

A weak smile formed on Savita Ji's lips, a bittersweet expression of relief and sadness. "That's all I ask, beta. Just try. And take care of each other... and Khwahish. She's your sister, Atharv. She needs you, just like you all needed me."

Atharv swallowed hard, the thought of a little sister who had lived her entire life without knowing her brothers ached in his chest. "We will, Ma. We'll take care of her. I promise."Savita Ji's weak smile faltered as her gaze shifted, softening with an even deeper sadness. "Atharv, there's something else," she whispered, her voice strained but determined. Atharv leaned closer, his brow furrowed in concern, as if bracing for more heartbreak.