Lost but Not Forgotten

PART 30

The tension in the room was thick, almost suffocating. All eyes were on Ritika as she sat quietly, trying to compose herself. Moksh, who had always been patient, couldn't handle it any longer. The questions were bubbling up inside him, and he needed answers now.

"Mumma," he began, his voice shaking with confusion and frustration. "Who are these people? How do papa and you know Virat sir and Mahi sir? Why is papa so upset with them? And why are Jassi sir and Harry sir calling him 'bhaiya'? I don't understand! What's going on?"

Ritika's heart sank. She had dreaded this moment ever since they had returned to India. She had hoped she could shield her children from the painful past, but Sammy's determined grip on her hand and the fire in her daughter's eyes told her that there was no escaping this. They deserved the truth.

Tears welled up in Ritika's eyes, but she tried to blink them away. "I... I don't have the answers, Moksh. I can't..." she whispered, her voice barely audible as she made a move to leave the room.

But Sammy, her voice steely with anger, refused to let her mother go. "No, Mumma," she said firmly. "He needs to know. They need to know what they did to my dada."

Everyone in the room—Virat, MS Dhoni, Jassi, Harry, Anushka, Sakshi—was stunned. Sammy's words hit them like a punch to the gut. Her eyes, so filled with anger and hurt, were a mirror image of Rohit's. The room fell silent as they processed the gravity of her words.

Ritika, taking a deep breath, slowly sat down, defeated. Her hands trembled slightly, but she forced herself to begin. "Alright. You deserve to know who your father really is—who he was."

She looked at Moksh, her voice softening as she started, almost like narrating a movie. "Your father, Rohit Sharma, was once one of the greatest cricketers India ever had. He was known as The Hitman—his talent, his passion for the game, his achievements... they were unmatched. He led the team to many victories, captained Mumbai Indians, and was loved by millions. He was not just a cricketer; he was a hero. A legend."

As she spoke, images of Rohit's past life flashed through her mind. The joy of winning championships, the celebrations, the camaraderie with his teammates—it all felt like a lifetime ago. She glanced around the room, and she could see the pain etched on the faces of Virat and Dhoni. They were reliving those memories too.

"But then," Ritika's voice cracked, "everything came crashing down. There was an accusation... something he never did, but people believed it. He was suspended, mocked, and trolled. He tried to fight it, we both did, but it felt like the entire world had turned against us."

She paused, her throat tightening as she recalled that dark time. "And the worst part... the people we thought would stand by us, support us, our family—they didn't. They turned their backs. Your papa was heartbroken, Moksh. He couldn't bear it."

Moksh looked at her, wide-eyed and confused. "What... what did they accuse him of?"

Ritika bit her lip, struggling to continue. "They said your father... was involved in match-fixing. That he had betrayed the team. But it was a lie. A complete lie. He was innocent, but no one believed him. Not even his own teammates."

At that, Virat flinched. He couldn't meet Ritika's gaze. The weight of his guilt was crushing him, and hearing it from her was like salt on an open wound.

"We had to leave India," Ritika continued, her voice thick with emotion. "We had no choice. The media wouldn't leave us alone, the fans... they were ruthless. We thought we'd get support from the people closest to us, but..." She glanced at Virat and MS Dhoni, her eyes filled with a pain she had carried for decades. "They turned away."

Moksh's hands clenched into fists as he tried to process everything. "So... that's why papa's so angry at them?"

Ritika nodded, her heart breaking at the hurt in her son's eyes. "Yes, Moksh. He felt abandoned. Betrayed. We moved to London to start over, but it wasn't easy. We had nothing. No support, no friends. Sammy..." She paused, her voice breaking. "Sammy had to grow up too fast. She took on responsibilities that no child should have to bear. And your papa... he hasn't been the same since."

Everyone in the room felt the weight of her words. The reality of what Rohit and Ritika had gone through was hitting them hard. Anushka and Sakshi exchanged a glance, tears glistening in their eyes as they realized the depth of the pain Ritika had been carrying alone for all these years.

Sammy, who had been silently listening, finally spoke up. Her voice was cold, angry. "You all left him. And now you expect him to just come back and act like nothing happened?"

The room fell silent again, her words hanging heavy in the air. No one dared to speak. They knew she was right.

Ajinkya sat beside Moksh, comforting him as the boy stared at the ground, his mind racing. His father, the man he had looked up to all his life, had been through so much. And now, he finally understood why his dad was so distant from these people.

Ritika, her heart heavy, looked around at the others, then back at Sammy and Moksh. "That's why we disappeared. Your papa couldn't take the betrayal. And that's why he's angry. He feels like the people who were supposed to have his back... didn't."

Moksh didn't say a word. He just nodded slowly, absorbing everything his mother had told him. But the pain in his eyes was unmistakable. He wasn't just angry at what had happened to his father—he was devastated that it had been kept from him for so long.

As the silence in the room grew, the air felt thick with unspoken emotions. Everyone was processing the magnitude of the past, and the truth that had finally come to light.

Ritika looked at her children, knowing that things would never be the same. The truth had been laid bare, and now, the wounds that had festered for so long were exposed for everyone to see.
*****
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