Undeniably Yours

56

Abhi and Srisha stepped out of the bathroom together. Srisha headed straight for the wardrobe to pick out an outfit.

"Baby take a day off from college... Shree, I need to ask you something," Abhi whispered. Srisha turned around, letting her towel slip as she started putting on her clothes.

Abhi grinned and walked over, grabbing her hand as she fumbled with her suit's dori.

"Just wear my t-shirt. We’re heading to the ground, Shree..." He paused to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.

"You know we didn’t turn your dad in, right?" Abhi whispered, curious about her reaction.

"Good, he doesn’t deserve to be at peace behind bars. He’s ruined so many girls' lives. He runs a brothel with so many young girls trapped there. Did you see how he hurt Aru? She’s tough, Abhi. She’s holding up, but look at her body! Did you see how badly they beat her? He doesn’t deserve a peaceful end," Srisha replied, her voice filled with anger.

Abhi wrapped his arm around her trembling shoulders.

"He’s not my father. That man can never be my father, Abhi. I’ve never had a mom or dad," she said flatly.

"You’ve got my parents. Now, let’s get ready," Abhi mumbled as he started putting on his clothes too.

Once they were dressed, they joined everyone at the dining table.

Aradhya was dozing off with her head resting on the table.

"Are you planning to sleep all day?" Abhi teased, giving her a light smack on the head.

Aradhya groaned and started playfully punching Abhi.

"First, Dad splashed cold water on my face, and now you won’t let me sleep. I’m tired, Mom! I just want to nap," she whined.

"Nope, wake up and eat," Khushi chimed in before turning to Srisha.

"How are you feeling now?" she asked. Srisha nodded and then glanced at the table, eyeing the food before looking at Abhi.

"Abhi, take a seat. Everything we made today is your favorite, and just so you know, it was all cooked by your dear father," Khushi said. Abhi looked at his dad, but Rishabh was already too busy in devouring hus food.

After breakfast, everyone stepped out of the house together.

Rishabh quickly locked the door and headed over to the security guard.

"Here are the house keys. Please give them to the maids when they arrive," he mumbled, glancing at Khushi, who was glued to her phone.

"Khushi, I’ll catch up with you at lunch. For now, focus on your meeting with the client," he added, then turned to his daughter and son.

"We're heading out," he announced. Khushi went off on her own while the others left together, with Abhi quietly staring out the window.

"Srisha, are you okay?" Rishabh asked softly, and she nodded in response.

"And you, Aru?"

"Good," Aradhya replied, resting her head on her sister-in-law's shoulder.

Before long, they arrived at their destination.

Abhi frowned as he spotted his uncle's house. It was the same place where Vikram was being held.

"Dad, why are we here?"

"Aru, don’t you want to see what happens to the guy who hurt you?" Rishabh replied sharply.

"Dad, we can't involve Aradhya in this," Abhi said seriously.

"They involved her, not me," Rishabh shot back, opening his door.

"Dad, what are we doing here?" Aradhya asked, though she was excited because she loved visiting her uncle's place, even if it didn’t happen often since her dad usually kept her away.

"Uncle!" Aradhya called out, running to Ronit, who looked a bit confused but wrapped his arms around her.

"Uncle, Dad wants Aru to meet that jerk," Abhi hissed.

"I think she should. They scared her, and now she needs to know she doesn’t have to be afraid."

"She’ll be scared! Why can’t you all see that?" Abhi said, exasperated.

Srisha watched them quietly, unsure of what to think. Her heart was racing.

Ignoring Abhi's concerns, they took Aradhya with them to the cell where Vikram was being held.

Aradhya clutched her father's hand tightly as Vikram came into view. Meanwhile, Srisha was seething with anger at the sight of him.

"Dad, I want to leave," Aradhya murmured, taking a step back.

"Aradhya, there's no need to be afraid," Rishabh replied firmly, handing her a rod.

"Let your anger out," he encouraged softly. Abhi watched his sister, knowing how difficult this was for her, but the way she gripped the rod showed she was willing to follow Rishabh's advice.

"Dad, he's dangerous."

"We're here to keep you safe," Rishabh reassured her.

"Dad, this isn't right."

"I've called the police, Aru. They'll take him away. It's okay to express your anger."

With her father's words in mind, Aradhya began striking Vikram with the rod, and not a single sound escaped his lips due to the gag.

"I'M NOT AFRAID OF YOU!" Aradhya yelled as she continued to hit him.

She shouted various things while unleashing her frustration.

Eventually, the rod slipped from her hands, and she collapsed to her knees, looking around at everyone.

"I'm so tired," she whispered. Before anyone could reach her, Abhi wrapped her in a comforting embrace. His gaze fell on Vikram's motionless form. Though he was still breathing, it was clear he was in immense pain, blood seeping from multiple wounds, mirroring the suffering he had inflicted on Aradhya.

"Bhaiya, he hurt me so much. My stomach still aches from the punches he threw. I wanted to hit him back, but I can't stand the thought of touching his filthy body," Aradhya sobbed, burying her face in Abhi's shoulder.

"Get her outside," Rishabh instructed Abhi. However, Abhi handed Aradhya over to Ronit.

"Not him," Rishabh shouted, pulling Aradhya back from his brother.

"I said to take her out of here," Rishabh insisted. Abhi nodded and followed his father's orders.

Srisha watched as they led Aradhya away.

She took a small step toward her dad and plopped down next to him while he sat in the chair. Her gaze landed on his missing fingers, and then she noticed the numerous bruises on his body.

As she took in the sight of him, she pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her chin on them.

“Dad,” she whispered softly.

Vikram opened his eyes halfway and looked at her.

“Srisha,” he replied.

“Please save me from them. You wanted to distance yourself from us because of our illegal activities, but what about your husband and his family? They’re just as bad. They kill innocent people and hurt young girls. Help me escape from this. I’ll leave it all behind. Just forgive me for what I did. I sold you to my friends because I was desperate for money. I never wanted to do that, but I felt trapped.”

Srisha listened in silence, unaware of the tears streaming down her face.

“Srisha, trust me, your husband will use you and then discard you. He’s just using you to get to me. I’m your only family left. Everyone else is just taking advantage of you,” he continued.

He stopped when he felt a sharp sting from the slap across his cheek.

“BITCH.”