Shadows Of The Stumps

Chapter - 118

Meera sat alone in her room, the sunlight filtering through the curtains doing little to ease the storm inside her mind. She fiddled absentmindedly with a cube, turning it over and over in her hands, but her thoughts were anything but aligned. Jasprit had tried to talk to her earlier, but she had politely declined, needing some space to sort through the whirlwind of emotions.

She picked up her phone and sent a quick text to Rahul and Athiya:

"Feeling a little under the weather today. Going to sleep it off. Don't worry."

Rahul, consumed by his own inner turmoil, read the text and felt a wave of relief. At least he wouldn't have to face her today. But the relief was short-lived. The frustration of the new revelation gnawed at him, spiraling into anger he couldn't contain.

His hand hovered over a vase nearby, and before he could stop himself, he flung it against the wall. The shattering sound echoed loudly, startling everyone nearby.

Jasprit, who was returning to the garden, turned around immediately, his brows knitting in concern. From their respective rooms, Virat and Rohit rushed out, their expressions alarmed.

Virat was the first to reach Rahul, grabbing him by the shoulders. "Rahul! Are you okay? What happened?"

But Rahul stood frozen, his mind too clouded to respond. Virat checked him quickly for injuries, shaking his head in relief when he found none.

Rohit, standing beside Jasprit, muttered under his breath, "Indono bhai-behen se vases dur rakhni chahiye. Har dusre din ek tod dete hain."

Jasprit suppressed a smirk as Rohit turned to him. "Staff ko bula. Clean karne de unhe."

Turning back to Rahul, Rohit asked, "Athiya kaha hai?"

Rahul finally looked up, his voice strained. "She's with Anushka and Sanjana."

Everyone nodded as the staff arrived to clean up the mess. Virat, however, didn't let go of Rahul, his expression turning serious.

"Rahul," he said firmly, "Rohit's room. Now. I don't want you acting brash and getting Athiya worried. Let's go."

Too weary to argue, Rahul allowed Virat to steer him toward Rohit's room, his thoughts swirling with unresolved questions and the weight of emotions he wasn't ready to confront.

________________

As Virat, Rohit, Rahul, and Jasprit entered Rohit's room, Virat wasted no time. He crossed his arms and looked at Rahul with a stern yet composed demeanor. "Care to explain, Mr. KL Rahul? What's wrong?"

Rahul flinched at the sharpness in Virat's voice, momentarily shrinking under his captain's piercing gaze. Virat could see right through him, as he always did, sensing there was something deeper troubling Rahul. Though Virat felt a pang of guilt for pushing too hard, he quickly composed himself. He knew this confrontation was necessary to get to the root of Rahul's behavior.

Rohit, leaning against a chair, glanced at Virat and gave him a subtle look that seemed to say, I know he's your kid, and you're doing the right thing, but maybe go easy on him. Virat caught the silent message and gave a brief nod, his expression softening just a little.

Jasprit, standing nearby, noticed the exchange and leaned toward Rohit with a smirk. "Baadme telepathy karna. Abhi Rahul pe focus kare."

Rohit shot Jasprit an exasperated look but didn't respond.

Meanwhile, Virat returned his attention to Rahul, his tone gentler but still firm. "What's wrong, Rahuliya? Talk to us."

Rahul sighed, the anger still simmering under the surface. He clenched his fists and looked away before finally snapping, "Ask him." He pointed toward Jasprit. "After all, he knows about this, right?"