AbhiMaan: The Alchemy

7. Midnight Rain

Hello lovies! Thank you so much for the response to the previous chapter. As a gift, here we go with a new one. I hope y'all are ready for it.
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A year later,

It was raining heavily, the clouds thundering and lightning striking in random motion, the rain splattered the windows, and they shook due to the weight of it all. Abhira gasped when the vase fell and shattered on the floor, frightened as she was alone and worried about her husband. Another rumble of the clouds made her jump up, and she fetched her phone, dialling Armaan for the nth time and again hearing the answering machine tell her that his phone was switched off.

She had already informed the family, and Madhav, Manoj, and Sanjay had begun a search party for him since the weather was also not supporting their situation.

"Kidhar ho tum Armaan? I'm so worried." She murmured to herself and paced on the floor. A knock on her door interrupted her, and she immediately jumped to open the door, expecting Armaan.

"Bhabhi! Are you okay?" It was Rohit and the Chorus gang, standing under their umbrellas. She quickly ushered them inside and closed the door again.

"Rohit, kuch pata chala Armaan kidhar hai?" She asked anxiously.

"No, Bhabhi. I even called the office and his secretary informed me that he had left 2 hours ago." All of their faces were etched with worry, and Abhira was on the verge of a panic attack.

"Mujhe bahut darr lag raha hai Rohit. Mai kya karu? Na uska phone lag raha hai aur ab tum mujhe bata rahe ho ki woh do ghante se office se jaa chuka hai. Yeh baarish bhi itni tez ho rahi hai." She cried and prayed to god for her husband's safety.

"Bhabhi, please aap itna stress mat lo. It's not good for you, especially in this condition. I'm sure Bhaiya is on his way home, and his phone is spoiled due to the rain. Furthermore, Papa, Tau sa, and his team are also looking for him. He'll be home in no time." Kiara told, but her voice wavered too.

"Haan Bhabhi. It's not good for you or BSP. Hum aapko vese bhi yahan se lejane aaye hai. Aap please main house chaliye. Nani Sa, Ma aur Manisha Mami bhi aapko udhar hi bula rahe hai. Idhar akele aapka rehna safe nahi hai." Krish added.

Abhira nodded, feeling uneasy and presumed that staying with the family might help her relax her mind a little.

Aaryan and Kiara ran to her bedroom and fetched some essentials like clothing, medicines, and charger for her in a bag. While walking out, Kiara spotted a small bag in the corner. She picked it up, taking it along as she realised it was their baby bag since Bhabhi's delivery was just around the corner.

All four of them huddled around her, protecting her from all sides and holding the umbrella above her carefully, and they slowly walked to the main house where Manisha was already waiting with the door open.

Abhira sat on the couch where all the others fussed over her, adjusting the cushions and the blanket, but she was too lost in her worry to admire her people.

Kaveri sat beside Abhira and gently caressed her hair, stress lines visible on her face as well due to Armaan's non-appearance.

Vidya stood in the corner of the room and watched everyone hover over Abhira. Vidya was worried about Armaan but still couldn't bring herself to come and support Abhira when her real daughter-in-law Ruhi was still in so much pain and heartbreak.

Ruhi, clad in a plain yellow saree, her face devoid of any makeup and hair braided, came downstairs hearing all the noise from the living room and saw Abhira sitting on the couch, a hand resting on her protuding belly and Kaveri caressing her hair softly. Ruhi's hand automatically went to her flat stomach. She gripped it tightly, and then her looked at her mother-in-law, her jaw locked, and another burst of anger set in her.