Bonds Formed

CHAPTER - 11

I didn't expect Varsha to speak like that. The tension in the room was already thick, and her words only made things worse. My sister, Riya, didn't deserve that kind of disrespect. As I watched the scene unfold, I felt a growing discomfort in my chest—something between guilt and sadness. But before I could even process my feelings, my attention was drawn to something else.

When I heard Siddharth call my sister "Ri-baby," my heart skipped a beat. Ri-baby. That was my name for her, something I used to call her when we were younger, before everything fell apart. I never allowed anyone to call Riya with the nickname I gave her. It was my little way of showing her how much I loved her, how much I protected her as her elder brother. But now, hearing Sid call her by that name—it was like a jolt of reality. I wasn't that person for her anymore. He was.

Before I could register what was happening, Riya, my Riya, stormed out of the room, heading toward work without a second glance. My heart sank watching her leave, and a weight settled in my chest. I had always imagined that one day I'd return, and we'd pick up where we left off. That she'd run into my arms like when she was a little girl. But the truth was, I didn't know her anymore. Not really. And she didn't know me either.

Just as I was trying to digest this painful realization, Chachi broke the silence. " She fasts every Monday, you know, " Chachi said, her voice heavy with affection for Riya. " But she's never told anyone the reason. She's been doing it for years. "

I turned to Chachi, confused. I had no idea about this. " Why does she fast? " I asked, needing to understand something—anything—about the life my sisters had led without me.

Chachu, sitting across the table, chimed in with a small smile, though it didn't reach his eyes. " She started fasting when she was in her third year of medical school. She's never told us the reason, though. She says we'd laugh at her if she explained. "

That hit me harder than I expected. Riya had changed in ways I couldn't even begin to fathom. She had kept parts of herself hidden from the family, and I had been gone for so long that I didn't even know her little habits anymore. I hadn't been there when she needed someone to listen, someone to understand her without judgment.

Before I could reflect any further, Divya's voice broke through, sharp and cold. " Why are you explaining this to him, Dad? " she asked, her eyes blazing as she looked directly at Chachu. " He doesn't have any rights to know about us. "

Her words pierced me like a dagger. She was right—what right did I have to even ask about Riya's life? I had abandoned them. I had walked away without a second thought, leaving them to face the world without me. I wasn't there when they needed an older brother. I wasn't there for any of their struggles or victories, and now I was trying to catch up on years I had missed. But was it too late?

Divya's anger wasn't misplaced. She, too, had been hurt by my decisions. I could see it in the way she held herself, the way her voice trembled with both rage and sadness. My sisters had been through hell—things I couldn't even imagine. And I hadn't been there to protect them.