𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑹𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒓𝒄𝒐𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝑹𝒊𝒅𝒆

PART-33

As Siddharth stepped into the empty living room, his eyes swept across the space, taking in the eerie silence that had settled there. Yet the corners still seemed to echo with Rudraksh's screams.

"Karan?" he whispered, blinking. "Did he leave?"

His eyes widened. In the next instant, he sprinted toward the main door, fishing his car keys out of the pocket of his black pants.

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The sun had dipped below the horizon, and the faint darkness had swallowed the surroundings in its cold embrace. A gust of wind swept across his blue-hooded face. Yet, his eyes remained frozen, fixed on a distant spot with a gaze that could pierce through walls.

"Karan?!"

Karan's fingers twitched slightly at the sound of the familiar voice, but he remained seated, his body language closed off.

The sounds of urgent footsteps and ragged breathing came to a halt. "I knew you'd be here!" A faint smile spread across Siddharth's face. "C'mon, let's go hom—"

"He raised his hands on me, Siddharth." Karan whispered. "For the second time. With so much hate." His throat tightened, a lump forming that he struggled to swallow. "F-for a bitch who doesn't even think twice before changing arms like people change clothes."

A single tear slipped from his left eye, tracing a path down his flushed, clean-shaven cheek. His knuckles turned white as he gripped the edge of the bench, clinging to it like it was the last thread holding him together.

Siddharth's lips parted, his throat dry, his hands falling loosely by his sides, as he stared at Karan.

Karan is crying? Karan is crying. Karan? How? When? Why? Karan doesn't cry. He shouts, he screams, he punches. But... he's human. What are you even thinking, Siddharth?! Help him.

"Karan?" Siddharth's voice came out soft, barely audible. He stepped forward and sat beside him, wrapping an arm around his shoulder in a cautious gesture, as if afraid of startling him.

"Karan... Rudraksh wasn't in his right mind at that moment. There was so much going on inside his head, and... it just happened." He searched Karan's face, desperate for a flicker of understanding.

But there was only silence.

Siddharth pressed his lips together, forcing a faint smile as he squeezed Karan's shoulder. "You saw, he even lashed out at me." A small, shaky chuckle escaped him as he shook his head. "He was looking dangerous, wasn't he? Totally living up to his name – Rudraksh."

Karan didn't respond. His face remained impassive, his gaze fixed on the ground, eyes boring into it as though he could drill a hole through the earth.

Siddharth lowered his head, his chin tucked in as he exhaled deeply. "For how long have you known Rudraksh?"

"Fifteen years," Karan whispered dryly.

"And in those fifteen years... how many times have you both fought like this?"

Karan's gaze lifted slightly. He turned to Siddharth, meeting his amused expression. "We always used to patch up after a long talk." His focus drifted back to the ground.

"But this time, it's different," he continued, his voice cracking. "He looked at me with so-so much hate and loathing, as if I'm the sole reason for all his suffering."

Siddharth opened his mouth to speak—

—but Karan cut him off. "And it's not my fault this time. I'm ready to talk. But he only wants a fist conversation." His face twisted in a scowl, like a child complaining to his mother about his brother's wrongs being pinned on him.