𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑹𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒓𝒄𝒐𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝑹𝒊𝒅𝒆

PART-14

On the doorstep of Rudraksh's bedroom, Vardhaman was standing with a determined expression. He lightly rapped on the door, his knuckles barely grazing the wood. "Bhaiya, open the door. It's me, Vardhaman."

Aanand and Anusuiya exchanged anxious glances, their eyes locking in a shared concern. Anusuiya's hands were clasped together, her fingers intertwined in a nervous grip. Aanand's jaw was set and lips pressed into a thin line.

The door remained shut, and the room was silent.

Vardhaman's knocks grew urgent, his voice laced with panic. "Bhaiya! Rudraksh Bhaiya! Open the door!" His fists pounded against the door, the sound resonating through the hallway.

Anusuiya's breathing quickened, her chest rising and falling with each rapid inhale and exhale. Her eyes brimming with worry fixed on the door as if willing it to open.

Aanand's expression remained stern, but his fluttering eyelids betrayed his deep-seated unease.

The air was heavy with anticipation, and the silence between the knocks was oppressive.

Anusuiya's face contorted in anguish as she turned towards Aanand, her eyes blazing with desperation. "If anything happens to my son, I'll leave you!" Her voice cracked, weighed down by the threat of loss. Tears burst forth, streaming down her cheeks like rivulets of sorrow.

"Rudraksh! Beta, please open the door!" She pounded on the door, her fists trembling with each frantic bang. "Beta!" The cry tore from her throat in a heart-wrenching plea.

Aanand's stoic facade crumbled, his face ashen. He reached out attempting to console Anusuiya but she shook him off.

"Don't touch me!" she snapped in a venomous voice. "This is all happening because of you!"

Aanand's soft expression turned into disbelief. "Don't talk nonsense, Anusuiya! This is all happening because of your overpampering. Your too much affe—"

"Please!" Vardhaman's frustration boiled over and he grasped his hair tagging it in distress. "Please, stop you both! It's not time to fight!" his voice cracked in a desperate cry.

Aanand and Anusuiya paused, and their argument suspended by their son's anguish.

"Dad, we need to break this door!" Vardhaman urged. "We can't just stand here! Bhaiya might be... might be... " He couldn't finish the thoughts.

Aanand nodded curtly before shooting Anusuiya a stern warning glance. "Call the guards!" he bellowed, his voice reverberating of the bungalow's walls.

Moments later, two guards rushed in, their footsteps echoing through the hall. "Sir?" One of them inquired, bowing his head in respect.

Aanand gently pushed Anusuiya aside and pointed towards the door. "Break it down."

The guards nodded simultaneously and charged at the door. Their shoulders slammed into the wood but it wouldn't budge and they recoiled with equal force.

Undeterred, they tried again. This time, the door creaked open slightly. Sweat glistened on their foreheads and others looked at them in anticipation.

With renewed determination, they mustered all their strength and attacked the door from the side. The hinges groaned and the door swung open.