Tying The Knot With Ex's Brother

HER SILENCE, HIS STORM

The living room was quiet when Sparsh walked in. The entire family-his parents, uncle, aunt, and a few cousins-looked up, sensing the tension before a word was even spoken.

Sparsh stood in the center of the room, the divorce papers still in his hand. His voice was steady, but hollow. "There's something you all deserve to know. Something I should have seen much earlier."

Everyone leaned in, confused.

"It was all a lie," Sparsh began. "Everything Sid told me about Ragini... was a lie."

Gasps broke the silence, and their mother clutched the armrest in disbelief. "What are you saying, Sparsh?"

"I'm saying," he continued, eyes dark with anger and grief, "that my own brother tried to sabotage my marriage. He told me Ragini was cheating on me-that they were still seeing each other after our wedding. And I believed him."

Sid sat in the corner, his face swollen from the earlier confrontation, eyes red and lips trembling. Sush walked in, her expression solemn. She walked over to Sid, who now sat crying silently. She placed a hand gently on his shoulder.

"I didn't know at first," she said softly.
"You got drunk and started rambling. You told me everything. How you couldn't let go of Ragini, how you wanted to win her back, even if it meant ruining their marriage."

Sid let out a loud cry, covering his face.
"I just... I love her so much. I can't live without her."

"No, Sid. That's not love. That's obsession. Please, stop it. You're a nice person, you used to be... but you walked down the path that has destroyed so much. Let go of her. Move on, I beg you."

Sid's throat tightened, and the weight of everything-his lies, his obsession, his shattered relationships-crashed down on him. Without a word, Sid hugged her, eyes brimming with tears.

"I-I messed everything up," he choked out.

And then, like a dam breaking, Sid burst into uncontrollable sobs. He collapsed into Sush's arms, clinging to her like a drowning man reaching for the shore. She caught him, holding him firmly, her hand gently cradling the back of his head as he wept into her shoulder.

"It's okay," she whispered, her voice soft but steady. "Let it all out."

For a long while, neither of them moved. Sush didn't say anything more-just let him cry, let him release all the guilt and grief he had buried deep inside.

When his sobs finally subsided, she pulled back slightly and looked him in the eyes.

"Now it's time to make things right, Sid," she said. "You need to earn forgiveness from others."

Ragini sat quietly in her bed, her parents on either side of her. Her mother gently stroked her hair, while her father tried to absorb everything she had just revealed.

"I stayed quiet for so long," she said, her voice breaking. "Because I loved him. Even when he doubted me, I wanted to fix it. But he never let me explain. He believed everyone else... except me."

"I'm not going back," Ragini whispered, wiping her tears. "He didn't just break my heart-he broke my faith."

As evening fell, Sparsh sat alone in his room, the divorce papers still resting on the table like a cruel reminder. His hands trembled as he picked up his phone-again. He had already called Ragini five times. No answer. Just silence.

He dropped the phone on the couch beside him and buried his face in his hands.

"She doesn't want to hear from me. Not now. Maybe never," he said to himself.

At the dinner table, Jeevika moved quietly, serving food onto each plate. The clinking of utensils was the only sound in the room. No one had much of an appetite, but they forced themselves to eat a few bites-more out of habit than hunger.

The air was heavy. Words hung unspoken between glances and sighs.

Just then, the front door creaked open. Sid stepped into the dining room-his face pale, his shoulders hunched as though he were carrying the weight of everything he had done. But he was not alone. Sush stood beside him, with her hand holding his.

Looking at Sid, Jeevika's eyes flared with a fury none of them had seen before.

"You're so shameless," she burst out, her voice shaking. "How could you do this? To your own brother? To your family?"

"You lied, you manipulated, you tore us all apart-and now you dare to show up here, walking in like nothing happened?"

Sid lowered his gaze, guilt etched deep into every line of his face."I-"

But before he could finish, she crossed the room in two strides and slapped him-hard.

Tears welled in her eyes, but she didn't let them fall. "You broke this family."

Sid didn't defend himself. He didn't even wipe the blood from the corner of his lip where her ring had grazed him. Sush squeezed his hand gently to give him the strength he needed.

"I know," he whispered hoarsely. "I deserve every word. Every slap. I came here to face it. To say sorry."

Jeevika turned away, her shoulders heaving.

"You can say sorry a thousand times," she said, her back to him, "but some things... they leave scars that don't fade."

Sid's voice shook. "I don't expect forgiveness right away. But I will earn it-someday. I know I did unforgivable things and I understand that none of you want me here. You have every right to hate me. I've ruined so much. But...

He paused, taking a deep breath.

"I will still live here. With all of you."

Jeevika's eyes widened in disbelief, while their father's gaze hardened. Sparsh remained silent, watching Sid with a mixture of confusion and pain.

"I know it's not what you want. But staying here is the only way I'll earn your forgiveness. Your hate, your anger, all of it... will be my punishment. I deserve every bit of it. I will live with that, hoping that one day, you'll see the change. That one day, you might forgive me."

Sush didn't say anything, but her smile-small and reassuring-spoke volumes. Sid nodded at her and pressed his palm against hers.

The family sat in stunned silence, unsure of what to say or do. The room was heavy with mixed emotions-resentment, confusion, perhaps even a hint of reluctant sympathy.

Sid entered his room and dropped onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling. His mind swirled with doubts and regrets.