In the heart of chaos

Chapter 10

The Goenka mansion was quieter than usual, a strange tension hanging in the air. Aarohi sat in the living room, flipping through a magazine half-heartedly. She could hear Suwarna and Trisha talking in the kitchen, the soft clinking of dishes keeping the house from feeling too still.

Her mind wandered to her new job at Sarvodaya, where she'd spent her first few weeks dealing with Rishi Malhotra. The thought of him still made her blood boil, but she didn't have the energy to dwell on it tonight. Today, she was hoping for some peace, but when the doorbell rang, she felt a knot tighten in her stomach.

"Aarohi!" Suwarna called from the kitchen. "Can you get that?"

With a sigh, Aarohi put the magazine down and walked to the door. She wasn't expecting anyone, and when she opened it to see Abhimanyu standing there, her heart sank.

"What are you doing here?" Aarohi's voice was cold, her arms folding defensively across her chest.

Abhimanyu didn't waste any time. "I came to talk, Aarohi. We need to settle things once and for all."

Aarohi narrowed her eyes. "There's nothing left to settle. You made your choice—Akshara."

Abhimanyu stepped into the foyer, his presence filling the space. He looked angry, tired, and frustrated all at once. "You left, Aarohi. You didn't even try to stay and fight for anything. You just ran."

The words hit her like a slap. "Ran? I didn't run, Abhimanyu. I moved on. I had to, because staying around you and Akshara, seeing you together—" She clenched her fists. "It was suffocating."

Abhimanyu scoffed, his voice rising. "Suffocating? You're the one who's making everything harder than it needs to be! You always think you're the victim, don't you?"

Aarohi felt her temper rising, her face flushing red. "You don't get it, Abhimanyu! You never did. You have no idea what I went through, losing Sirat, losing Dad, and then you—" Her voice faltered, but she didn't let herself stop. "You made me feel like nothing."

"You were obsessed with competing with Akshara!" Abhimanyu fired back. "It was always a game for you—who's better, who's stronger, who's more deserving. You didn't care about me. You just wanted to win."

Aarohi felt her chest tighten. She was about to respond when Suwarna, Shalini Vansh's wife, and Trisha Kairavs wife walked into the room, sensing the tension.

"Is everything alright here?" Suwarna asked, her voice filled with concern.

Aarohi didn't look away from Abhimanyu. "No. Nothing is alright."

Abhimanyu, still heated, continued. "You know what, Aarohi? You always make it about you. You never stop to think about how much your stubbornness hurts others. Maybe that's why no one can stand to be around you for long."

Aarohi's face drained of color. She opened her mouth to speak, but the words stuck in her throat. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall in front of him.

Suwarna stepped forward, placing a protective hand on Aarohi's shoulder. "Abhimanyu, that's enough. You need to leave."

"Leave?" Abhimanyu scoffed. "I came here to talk, and—"

"No," Shalini cut him off, her voice firm as she moved to stand beside Aarohi. "You came here to hurt her, and I won't let you continue."

Trisha, ever the calming presence, walked over to Aarohi and gently took her hand. "Come on, Aarohi. Let's go upstairs."

Aarohi nodded, too numb to respond. Her vision blurred with unshed tears as she allowed Trisha and Shalini to guide her toward her room.

Suwarna turned to Abhimanyu, her voice stern but calm. "You've said enough. You need to leave before you cause more damage."

Abhimanyu, still fuming, tried to defend himself. "I didn't—"

"Leave," Suwarna said more firmly, crossing her arms. "Before things get worse."

Manish, Vansh, and Kairav had overheard the entire argument from the hallway, and now they appeared in the room, their faces filled with anger.

"You heard Suwarna," Manish said, his voice low and dangerous. "Get out."

Kairav stepped forward, his jaw clenched. "You've crossed a line, Abhimanyu. You're not welcome here anymore."

Vansh, who had always been more measured, now looked at Abhimanyu with open hostility. "If you don't leave right now, I'll throw you out myself."

Abhimanyu, taken aback by their collective fury, stepped back. His anger had dissipated, replaced with a wave of regret, but the damage was done. With one last look at the Goenka men, he turned and walked out the door without another word.

---

Upstairs, Aarohi sat on the edge of her bed, staring at the wall, her emotions swirling inside her like a storm. She felt humiliated, broken, and angry all at once.

Trisha sat beside her, rubbing her back in comforting circles. "It's okay, Aarohi. Don't listen to him."

Aarohi wiped at her eyes furiously. "He's right though, isn't he? I push people away. I make things harder than they need to be."

"No," Shalini said firmly, sitting on her other side. "He was lashing out, and he said those things to hurt you. None of it is true."

Suwarna knelt in front of her, holding her hands gently. "Beta, you've been through so much. Losing your parents, dealing with everything on your own. But that doesn't make you difficult or unlovable. You're strong, and you've always tried to protect yourself. Don't let him take that strength away from you."

Aarohi looked between them, the tears finally spilling down her cheeks. "I just... I didn't want things to turn out like this."

"They won't," Suwarna promised softly. "You'll get through this. We're all here for you."

The three women wrapped Aarohi in a comforting embrace, giving her the support and love she needed in that moment. Outside, the tension had settled, but inside the Goenka house, the bonds of family remained strong, even when tested by the harshest of words.